MANSFIELD — Christmas gifts get crafty at Kingwood Center Gardens this weekend.
At least a dozen vendors gathered at the center’s Carriage House on Saturday for the Kingwood Christmas Market, selling unique gifts for the holiday season. The market will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Among the craft booths include snacks, plants, jewelry and ornaments. Many of the creative gifts were repurposed, which is a staple of Jessica Kiner’s shop JesseGail’s Jazzed-Up Junk.
“I like to find and repurpose things – I use springs, I have old level, an old sewing drawer, two saws, an old boot,” Kiner said. “Just things I find around town and repurpose into crafts.”
Kiner said this is her third year officially selling crafts that she started making for herself.
“I’ve always done it for myself and my family, even back in high school I would strip furniture and make dressers for myself,” she said. “I had a death in the family and this helped me get through that, and now I have an abundance of stuff.”
Another vendor with a knack for repurposing is Angela Clark, whose shop Ivy + Josephine is named after her two granddaughters.
“It’s just an artistic outlet,” Clark said. “I’m an accountant so it’s the complete opposite of what I do at work. And it’s just relaxing.”
Clark’s booth features dozens of travertine tiles with photocopied pictures transferred onto them, with the photos coming from Clark herself or botanical prints from Kingwood. She also creates lanterns and birdhouses out of gourds she grew herself.
“I’ve had these gourds with me for over 10 years so finally I was just like, I need to do something with these,” Clark said with a laugh.
Other vendors include: handmade jewelry from O’s Original Jewelry, painted ceramic tiles from Joyce Kerr’s Ceramic Tiles, stained and fused glass creations from Lasercraft Enterprises, goat milk fudge and goodies from Dutch Creek Goat Farm, original paintings from Mary Ann Clady, bracelets from Diana Burns’ Designs by Dia, handmade jewelry from Suzanne Shores, and homemade cards from Lindalee Strain.
Kingwood’s own Greenhouse and Garden Shop was also represented on Saturday. Greenhouse worker Jessica Farris said many of the ornaments, hanging baskets and mini terrariums were curated by garden shop coordinator Holly VanKeuren.
After only working at Kingwood the past few months, Farris said she is enjoying her first Christmas at Kingwood.
“It’s so beautiful, you walk in and it automatically feels like the holidays,” she said. “There’s so much going on; all the lights are beautiful and everyone’s smiling. It even smells like Christmas around here. It just makes me feel good.”
