Made a detour to the Westchester County Center in White Plains on my way in this morning, since I wanted to catch the opening of the Westchester Craft Show.

First on the agenda was checking out the booth of “Carol Hearty”:http://carolhearty.com. The Carmel artist makes one-of-a-kind handbags, and I had the pleasure of visiting her home studio earlier this month to write a “profile”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/LIFESTYLE01/610200318/1031 that appears today in The Line, our weekend magazine. She was putting the finishing touches on her booth, so I said I’d swing back — but every time I did she was busy with customers, so I didn’t want to interfere with her sales.

That left me time to wander among the more than 110 other booths, showcasing work in glass and fiber, wood and metal. That meant hundreds and hundreds of distinctive jackets and vases, brooches and wall hangings.

From the first steps in the venue, the show has a unique feel. You know how the County Center can seem cavernous and austere? Not today. This show’s booths bring a sense of vibrancy as soon as you enter the space. (Another nice touch: live music from guitarist Edward Wright of Rowayton, Conn., who said he’ll be there all weekend).

The fun of a show like this, of course, is the chance to meet the artists. I started off on the right note with Dick Codding of Cobden, Ill. His pieces caught my eye; you can see why.

I was surprised, as he said most people are, to realize they are created out of wood, not glass. (It’s due, he says, to his trademark high-gloss lacquer). Codding said he’s been doing this work since 1990, bringing his own vision to traditional tools and exotic woods.

Akiko Sugiyama of Ormond Beach, Fla., said she’s happy to be in the region to enjoy the foliage — and the show, of course.

Here she is with her works in paper, unique pieces fashioned out of tracing, rice and parchment papers.

Jafar Shoja, of Nashua, N.H., creates “Dysfunctional Teapots” (sculptural rather than functional). These ceramic pieces are the latest direction for the man who’s spent a lifetime in the arts. He told me that he began the teapots when he turned 70 (when that was remains his secret!). He kindly brought out a small photo album which traced his artistic steps all the way from when he was a master painter of Persian miniatures in the 1950s.

Here are two of the teapots:

Right “next door” to Shoja’s work is a booth filled with what at first glance appear to be paintings.

But they are not. “Natalia Margulis”:http://www.geocities.com/margulis_1999 of Livingston, N.J. creates incredible works out of embroidery. She’s happy to explain the technique, which uses a unique kind of netting background to yield a work that indeed resembles lace.

In her show debut, “Nancy Nicholson”:http://nancy-nicholson.com, below, of Brooklyn was showing off these stained-glass pieces.

Kay Riley, who goes by K. Riley, creates wearable art out of silk. She’s based outside Philadelphia. Aren’t these scarves beautiful?

Here’s a detail of one of her jackets, which features hand-painted and appliqued accents.

And look at these works by Mona Adisa Brooks of Peterboro, N.H., — talk about personality! Her booth also included hand-crafted hats and her own paintings.

Here are a few of the works in hand-blown glass from Wisconsin artist Charles Savoie, who told me he’s been in the field for more than 25 years and uses 17th-century Venetian techniques for some of his work.

I also loved the pieces by “Kristen Alexandra”:http://kristenalexandra.com/. She’s based in Boston and has one of her metal utensils in the current tableware exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in Manhattan.

Rebecca Welsh had her neck encircled with leaves. She and Lesley Hansard fashion works out of hand-felted wool in Dublin, N.H.

Welsh, below, told me how her mom grew up in Mount Vernon used to come to the County Center to listen to Count Basie — talk about a family coming full circle.

Don’t you love the look of these ceramic vases from Hideaki Miyamura? He says he studied in Japan for six years but uses his own high-fire formula and special glazes.

Certainly quite a diverse mix.

Of course, that’s just a sampling. Spend time and find even more exciting works, such as the custom furniture from Jo Roessler. He grew up in Croton-on-Hudson and is now based in Easthampton, Mass. where he creates his work through “Nojo Design”:http://nojodesign.com.

Let me know what you think of the show.

The show, presented by “Crafts America”:http://craftsamericashows.com based in Greens Farms, Conn., continues through Sunday. It’s open today through 6 p.m. and then from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission (payable by cash only) is $10, $9 for senior citizens and free for children under 12. The county center’s at the intersection of Tarrytown Road, Central Avenue and the Bronx River Parkway. Call 914-995-4050.