E-Mail This Article to a Friend Handcrafted holidays Please everyone on your list with a one-of-a-kind creation from a local artist BY DARCY HEITZKE
	Fair thee well • Bazaar Bizarre, December 11, YWCA Central Square, 7 Temple Street, Cambridge. • Brookline Arts Center’s Crafts Showcase, December 2 through 19, 86 Monmouth Street, Brookline, (617) 566-5715. • Cambridge Center for Adult Education’s Holly Fair, December 11 and 12, 42 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge, (617) 547-6789. • Harvard Square Holiday Crafts Fairs, December 11 and 12, 16 through 19, and 21 through 23, First Parish Unitarian Church, 3 Church Street, Cambridge. • Fort Point Holiday Sale, December 10 and 11, 249 A Street, Boston. • South End Holiday Market, December 10 through 12, 500 Harrison Avenue, Fourth Floor, Boston. — DH

Every year the holidays bring the same challenge: what to buy for each of our family members and friends. And although the holidays come about at the same time each year, for some reason they seem to sneak up and catch us off guard. We’re always strapped for time, and sometimes don’t put as much thought as we should into the gifts we buy. How many times have you circled the mall at the last minute, desperately searching for a sweater, a shirt, or pajamas for a loved one? How many socks, DVDs, and kitchen gadgets have you sprung on various family members? How many times has each of them feigned surprise after unwrapping one of your boring, redundant gifts?

This year, avoid overcrowded malls and mass-produced chain-store items altogether, and support some hard-working local artisans instead. Fill your loved ones’ stockings with beautiful handmade, one-of-a-kind gifts. And don’t worry, you won’t have to spend a lot of time searching high and low to find these artists — the Boston area is crawling with them. Even if you’re not sure exactly what you’re seeking, you can pop into one or two of the upcoming local craft fairs to browse the displays, snack on goodies, and take in the holiday spirit — and maybe some of the creative energy will inspire you while you’re there.

Handbags

Does someone on your shopping list have a weakness for vintage accessories? If so, a handbag from Pistachio by Marissa Danielle ($45–$140) might be a perfect gift. Marissa Danielle Perry of Framingham has created a line of handbags that incorporates refurbished vintage bags with various new and recycled materials such as brooches, leather, crystal rhinestones, velvet ribbon, and appliqué. Each Pistachio handbag is a one-of-a-kind creation. Head to Mint Julep or Holiday to pick up one of these innovative bags. Perry will also have her wares available at the South End Holiday Market.

From the same vintage vein comes a handbag line from Devine Mac, a joint collaboration of Bridget Devine and Toni MacDonald-Fein. Long-time friends and co-crafters, the two have created nine handbag styles ($40–$125), each made from recycled vintage fabrics that have been altered with embroidery, knitting, crochet, or appliqué. Using geometric patterns and imaginative fabric and color combinations, Devine and MacDonald-Fein have created an offbeat, eye-catching line. Devine Mac handbags can be purchased at the upcoming Bazaar Bizarre as well as through the pair’s Web site.

For a slick, industrial-style handbag (something every woman should have), be sure to check out the modern, innovative Femme Metale bags by Helen Duncan of Somerville. Femme Metale was created last summer as a representation of "woman in urban society." Duncan’s futuristic Bronagh bags are made by hand, using zinc and steel for the exteriors, metal suspension cable for the handles, and nuts and bolts for the feet. The interiors are lined with satin or silk and serve as an unusual opposition to the cold, hard exteriors. Duncan is highly resourceful, finding most of her materials at Home Depot and other hardware stores. Some of her other designs, such as the Siberian and the Polar, incorporate fuzzy materials perfect for the winter season. Her Bronagh bags are available at Turtle ($130), and all of her styles ($50–$150) can be found on her Web site. Cibeline in Davis Square also plans to carry select Femme Metale handbags this holiday season, and Duncan will be selling them at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education’s Holly Fair.

Cambridge’s Amy Brown, creator of Brown Bags Couture, developed her handbag business more than a year ago following the immense popularity of a few bags she made for herself and her friends. Each handbag is individually assembled by Brown and her husband, Jeff, using a wide variety of stylish fabrics such as raw silk, tweed, velvet, and corduroy. They shop far and wide to find these high-quality fabrics, as well as the bamboo, nylon, and novelty handles used for each design. Select bags from the Brown Bags Couture line ($119–$150) can be found at Topaz, Circle Furniture, and Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill. Visit Brown’s Web site for contact information, as well as examples of her designs.

Hilary Law is a floorcloth and linen designer who’s been working out of her Boston studio for 18 years. She launched her handbag line two years ago and has had success designing contemporary, stylish bags made from brightly colored, sturdy cotton canvas. "Each bag is named after some fabulous female in my life — from my five-year-old Hazel and her lifelong gal pals Sylvie and Avery to my hard-working best friends Colleen and Claudia," she says. "Each bag is really much like the person it’s named after!" Law’s snazzy handbags ($25–$95) are available at the Society of Arts and Crafts as well as at the upcoming Fort Point Holiday Sale. Orders also can be placed through her Web site.

Jewelry

Alexandra Grenham of Cambridge has created her own line of playful jewelry called Audrey Jacks. (The name was inspired by Grenham’s admiration of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.) Her baubles are singular conversation pieces made from large, round, lightweight beads, examples of which can be seen on her Web site. She makes a variety of necklaces, earrings, and charm bracelets ($50–$195), which can be found at Turtle and Magpie on Huron. No two are the same, so you’ll be sure to have a unique design.

Designs by Hillary was created by Hillary Olk of Brookline. She designs handmade beaded jewelry that brings out her customers’ style and individuality. When Olk makes her jewelry, she draws on the characteristics of the beads for inspiration. Because she works this way, each necklace, bracelet, and earring set ($18–$310) is one of only a few. And for the holidays, Olk is offering the "Holiday Bracelet for Transition" ($30), a beaded creation available in six different colors, each adorned with a sterling-silver star clasp. She’s donating $15 from the sale of each bracelet to the Transition House, New England’s first battered-women’s shelter. To purchase any of Olk’s jewelry, visit her Web site or stop by Mint Julep, Luna, or Pure Hair Designs. Olk and her jewels will also be at the South End Holiday Market.

Amy J. Trueblood of West Roxbury creates a stunning line of jewelry using beach glass and silver. The glass she finds for her work isn’t tumbled or pigmented in any way — she uses glass only in its original, natural state. Each piece from her Beachglass Collection ($80–$400) is secured in a bezel-style, closed-back, silver setting and is available at Fire Opal. Trueblood also has a unique line of jewelry featuring subway tokens from cities across the country. Her Token Collection ($80–$120) is available at Turtle. Examples of Trueblood’s work can be viewed on her Web site.

East Boston’s Jaye Woodstock creates beautiful handcrafted jewelry by pairing oxidized sterling silver with colored beach stones found along the New England coast. She makes her own silver chains, each link hand-fabricated from round wire that’s been cut, hard-soldered, and hammered several times. She also makes her own silver beads, which are textured with mesh, fabric, paper, and other found objects. Woodstock’s bracelets, necklaces, and earrings ($48–$500) can be found at Fire Opal, Cambridge Artists Cooperative, and the Society of Arts and Crafts.

Melissa Finelli of Jamaica Plain designs funky modern jewelry using a combination of sterling silver, 14- and 22-karat gold, and assorted stones, such as garnet, chalcedony, and iolite. Her unusual earrings, spiral rings, bangle bracelets, and pendant necklaces ($65–$400) will make great gifts for all the ladies on your list. Finelli’s jewelry will be featured at the Brookline Arts Center’s Crafts Showcase, and is sold at Fire Opal and Turtle.

Michelle Zara of Boston is the creator of a chic, refined line of jewelry that incorporates chunky beads, semiprecious stones, Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, and assorted pendants. Her earrings, bracelets, and necklaces ($20–$120) can be found at Holiday as well as through her Web site. She does a great deal of custom design work for weddings and special occasions, and can be contacted directly with special requests.