ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

When I was a child I loved to draw, paint, color with markers, create towering sculptures with play doh, and construct masterpieces out of layers of whatever was handy, which I glued to whatever else was handy and covered it all with sassy color and thousands of pieces of shiny glitter. I made birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, mothers’ and fathers’ day gifts, among other presents, from scratch and felt pleased as punch when each gift was received with delight and wide, toothy smiles. Nothing warmed me more than to see the happiness on my family’s faces when they received a gift created with just them, individually, in mind.

As I grew into my young 20’s, a time of life marked with sporadic jobs and a grocery budget of $20.00 per week, money for gift giving was in short supply…and what I mean by that is ‘no supply’. So, my 21-year-old brain reverted back to my childhood handmade creations, and I thought, “What the heck. Let’s give it a go.”

I dusted off old paints and canvas, markers and water color paper, calligraphy pens, and my imagination and got to work. I painted a small landscape for my parents, illustrated a poem for my sister, sketched my father’s birthplace for my Grandmother, and a made few other goodies for aunts and cousins. I enjoyed it so much I forgot all about my lack of financial resources for store-bought gifts and spent every spare moment creating something unique for each person I loved. You can imagine my joy when each gift was received, again, with delight and even with a few tears shed. I felt like a kid, again.

There is something magical about a handmade gift. It has a person’s name written all over it. It becomes a keepsake. It’s a source of pride that says, “I’m the only one in the world who has this.” It’s a gift that evokes love and sentiment from the very beginning and continues to inspire special memories and nostalgia for years. It’s just lovely.

In a world full of mass production, haste, and gift cards, a handmade gift may be just the ticket this holiday season. We, here in Davidson, are excessively fortunate to be surrounded by artists and craftspeople of every kind. And, several of us makers will come together for one night to offer handmade lovelies worthy of becoming keepsakes and inducing toothy smiles, oohs and ahhs, and, perhaps, a few tears, as well.

The first ‘Sanctuary Makers Market’ will take place at Ava Gallery, Thursday night, December 7, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Join us for a splendid evening of all things handmade – fashion jewelry, nativity sets, hand lettered signs, ornaments, knitted items, gifts for the kiddos, and so much more. Come shop with us, have a glass of wine and a holiday treat, listen to live music by the amazing Caleb White, and be ready to walk away with a little wrapped-up sentiment.

Keepsake status guaranteed.