On the Road - Wellesley Marketplace

In true "on the road" fashion, Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and I miraculously fit two displays-worth of materials into the back of her car with not an inch to spare. We hit the highway on Friday night and headed to Cambridge to stay with her daughter Siena. It's great having a friendly face and nice place to go to when in the Boston area. 

And there was even room for us!

Bright and early on Saturday we set up for the Wellesley Marketplace at the Wellesley Middle School. It was the 35th year of the annual event to benefit the Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club and their community service projects. The event is always well-attended and offers a great variety of handmade and manufactured goods. Displays were spread out throughout the school's cafeteria, gyms, and hallways. There was a great buzz in the air when the doors opened at 9 am and enthusiastic shoppers came rushing through.

Twitch and Whiskers in the lower gym

Folk Couture in the hallway

Set up next to me was Zandra Zuraw of Zeal: Handmade Home. Zandra's decoupaged trays, coasters, frames, and map ornaments were a big hit at the show. Her use of unique papers, bold colors, and eye-catching graphics made her pieces a standout. Birds, whales, and vintage labels were cleverly collaged onto her wares and made everyday items not-so-everyday. Zandra also does custom orders where she can create trays using maps with specific locations, for the world-traveler in your life. I especially loved her use of Japanese papers with bold floral prints. If you are looking for the perfect hostess gift or holiday present that would make any home more vibrant, visit her website or go see her in person at one of her upcoming shows. You'll absolutely love her stuff!

Zandra Zuraw of Zeal

birds of a feather

a variety of great gifts

Karen Capralos Grant of Simply June is simply wonderful! We briefly met each other before the show began and quickly learned that we loved each others work. Karen hand-embroiders pendants with floral bursts and bees and makes vintage-inspired, asymmetrical necklaces to accompany them. She also creates framed embroidered art, and most impressively, she offers the unique service of turning your child's artwork into an embroidered pillow (you can see the tiger sample in the pic below). Before we left I traded her one of my rouge locket necklaces with a bee inside for one of her embroidered bee necklaces. I wore it out to dinner that night because it matched my black and yellow dress perfectly. Visit her website for a touch of handmade whimsy and bee impressed! 

Karen Capralos Grant of Simply June

box o' surprises

two bees (or not two bees)

When Carrie Sullivan of Sheabella Tutus came to visit my table, my eyes were instantly drawn to her bold ribbon necklace with bold red and turquoise beads. Upon further investigation, I learned that the beads were actually made of gumballs! Carrie carefully strings the bubblicious beads onto grosgrain ribbon with a touch of tulle. She offers all sorts of fanciful, handmade tutus with adorable embellishments and light fairy wings. When I visited her website, I saw that she even offers mermaid tails in the summer. Now, why weren't those around when I was a kid? Twirl on over to Sheabella Tutus and you will find the perfect gift for the sparkly one in your life.

Carrie Sullivan of Sheabella Tutus

good enough to eat

a flight of fancy

At Wellesley, I got to try out my newest favorite thrift store find - a small suitcase. It was the perfect sized display for my REcap bracelets. Some of my more colorful compact necklaces went home to happy ladies including: Owl Moon, Mirror Mirror, and Last Call. I was thrilled to find out that many of my Thimblism necklaces, REcap bracelets, and Fun 'n' Games rings were going to be holiday gifts for kids. My favorite moment was seeing a 4 year old walking away wearing a necklace with a toy airplane hidden inside a compact. I'm definitely inspired by kids and couldn't be happier when they wear my pieces!

REcaps to go

a happy customer with Owl Moon

Last Call

insides

Mirror Mirror

Grace's Folk Couture racks emptied of many dresses, sweaters, and tunics. Lots of ladies were drawn to her carefully constructed and composed clothes with mixed patterns, textures, and surprise details. She had an incredible dress with a growling bear graphic on top and iridescent formal dress bottom. It really found the perfect gal. She still has a busy season ahead and you can catch her in the weeks to come at Festival Fete, SoWa Holiday Market and Hot Cup o' Handmade.

style 'n' smile maker

ROAR!

Folk Couture

The night ended with friendships (old and new), smiles, and a great dinner. You really can't beat sharing your passion with others and knowing that many will be getting gifts - handmade with love this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from Twitch and Whiskers! 

My last holiday show will be Hot Cup o' Handmade in Bethel, CT. Hope to see you there!
 

Hot Cup o' Handmade - Sunday, December 4 from 12-4 at Molten Java in Bethel, CT.