According to SLUG editor Angela Brown, creator of Craft Lake City, the impetus behind the DIY event is to change the way ordinary people think about crafts and crafting. The artisans she wants to highlight are far more about the do-it-yourself ethos than a classic sewing circle (although those are cool, too). The arts at Craft Lake City generally fit into three categories: wearable arts, edible arts and somewhat more traditional visual arts. Wearable arts range from knitted hats and hand-bent jewelry to repurposed silk-screened kerchiefs and tie-dyed T-shirts. There are the various incarnations of bags—such as messengers, leather satchels and purses—and a burgeoning field for artisan makeup, hand creams and perfumes. The edible arts often take a bit from Portlandia in the form of pickling things, but they also include such items like small-batch coffee roasting, hand-dipped chocolates and various jams, preserves and spreads. And the visual arts include everything from books and posters to ceramics, plus sculptures that could hang on the wall or fit perfectly into your peaceful urban garden. There are other types of artisans who hand-make their goods and fit under the quite broad Craft Lake City umbrella, including creators of DIY engineering projects. The whole point of the festival is to highlight the number of artistic people living in Utah who take the time to put an interesting spin on items that might—or might not—be widely available, but are better when produced with local care. (Jacob Stringer, City Weekly)