To market, to market to buy a great bag.

Home again, home again, jiggety jag.

Well, there’s a reason why nursery rhymes are meant for kids. No grownup in her right mind would go home before filling her bag with equally great stuff at the Bangor artisans market. The new outdoor bazaar, which features the work of more than 20 artists and crafters, takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays through July 21 along the Kenduskeag Stream Canal downtown.

If you plan to buy anything, you may as well start with a tote or basket, and there are plenty of options from which to choose. I’m wild about the crocheted “rag bags” by Beverly Richards – they come in stylish colors and because they’re crocheted, there are small holes in the bottom, so they’re ideal for the beach.

Yvonne Gray of Pondside Country Crafts sells sweet – and affordable – handmade baskets and lovely braided rugs (although the rugs are a little large to stuff into even the biggest basket). On the smaller side, Ardeana Hamlin and Sally Bates both offer handbags and pouches that are just right for cosmetics. Rounding out the mix is Tree Heckler of Howling Threads Designs. Her focus is wearable art – think amazing embroidered capes and ponchos – but her funky purse made of vintage zippers is a thing of beauty.

Once you have your bag, you’re set to stroll from booth to booth, filling it with unique jewelry – I’m partial to the turquoise designs by Suzanne Campbell of Beads Etc. and the dichroic glass necklaces by Anne and Bob Harris of Ymir Glass Design (attention Red Hat Ladies: they have pins and pendants designed with you in mind). The Jewelry Artisans of Maine booth features gorgeous silver by Silver Sorceress as well as delicate wire work by Kelly Leeman.

Sandra and Irvin Krupke were on hand with jewelry and their amazing fused glass plates; if you want to make a statement at your next dinner party, pay the Krupkes a visit. The plates start at $30 and they’re worth every penny.

One of the cool things about outdoor markets is that you can watch some of the artisans at work. Last week, I saw quilters from Dockside Quilt Gallery stitching away. Nearby, Giovina Ferrante-George had an easel set up to do quick pastel and charcoal portraits. Richards was crocheting, Heckler was embroidering and I was honing my craft – shopping.

When I saw the Brook Street Kitchen booth, I was ecstatic – I adore handmade toiletries, so I bought a bar of lavender soap ($2.50) and contemplated a vanilla sugar scrub, which I’ll probably buy before the market ends.

Unique items are part of the allure of a market (the live music and delicious food don’t hurt, either). Where else would you find Ann Davis’ Nicks on Sticks – driftwood handpainted with Santa Claus images. Melissa Biehn’s glazed ceramic plaques with hand, foot and paw imprints, which she sells under the name My Prints Charming, would make a cool, unusual gift. The ceramics by members of the Hammond Street Senior Center are fantastic, too, and I also adore the “shoe slacks” at the HSSC booth. They look like baby pants, but the bottoms are sewn and you slip a shoe in each leg to keep your clothing clean – and your shoes scratch-free – while traveling.

It wouldn’t be an artisans market without art, and there are painters, printmakers and photographers aplenty. Sally Bates’ specialty is commissioned pet portraits, while Annaliese Jakimides wows with her mixed-media works. (Where else can you get an original artwork for $60?) Jalen Foush’s serene Maine photography is showcased in prints, cards and bookmarks. Peggy Hansen, Deborah Holmes and Collette King all offer cards featuring their artwork (King’s drawings of historic Bangor buildings shouldn’t be missed).

Linda Stearns’ paintings feature an unusual backdrop: silk. Her scarves and soft sculptures are elegant and graceful. The same can be said about Patricia Claus’ stained glass sun-catchers – especially the sand dollars and lighthouses, which scream “summer in Maine.”

Joan Lundy’s recycled wool scarves scream “winter in Maine,” but her eye for color and design don’t leave me cold – I’m warming to the idea of buying one. Or two.

It depends on how much room I have left in my bag. Not much, really. But there’s always next week.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to:

kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.

Artisans market

The market takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. each Thursday, rain or shine, through July 21. It is located along the Kenduskeag Stream Canal, in the area behind West Market Square in downtown Bangor. The following artisans will be on hand each week:

. Giovina Ferrante-George, portraits

. S.I.L.K. Glass, fused glass jewelry and plates

. Dockside Quilt Gallery, quilts and bears

. Brook Street Kitchen, natural soaps and toiletries

. Penobscot Stained Glass, stained glass panels and suncatchers

. Jalen Foush, photography

. Linda Stearns, silk painting

. Ymir Glass Design, fused glass jewelry

. Deborah Holmes, photography, cards and prints

. Collette King, original paintings and reproductions of original paintings

. Beads Etc., jewelry

. Pondside Country Crafts, baskets and braided rugs

. Howling Threads Designs, wearable art

. Cleverly Crafts by Beverly, rag rugs and totes

. Hammond Street Senior Center, pottery, cookbooks, needlecrafts

. Annaliese Jakimides, earrings, scarves, prints, paintings

. Joan Lundy, felted apparel, whimsical cards

. Sally B Designs, accessories to wear and for the home, paintings

. Ardeana Hamlin, needlework and books

. Peggy Hansen, paintings, prints, fabric bags, cards

. Ann Davis, “Nicks on Sticks”

. My Prints Charming, ceramic impressions of children’s or pets’ hands, feet or paws

. Jewelry Artisans of Maine, jewelry