VERDE VALLEY -- Sure, you can go to a big box store and find the same things everyone else is buying, or you could individualize your holiday giving, while still saving some green. And if you make something with your hands, then you will also have a special investment in a gift as well that will keep giving. Erica Raspberry at Knit1 Bead 2 in Jerome believes anyone can create and she has a store full of opportunity. The shop next to the uptown park on the stairway to Haunted Hamburger has a wealth of colored yarn, stones and beads that will give anyone itchy fingers to put together. "Everyone has the ability to do something creative. It is a room inside their head they think they don't have access to, but it's in there. You can make a pair of earrings in 10 minutes." This holiday you might want to try you hands at making some gifts yourself to save a little money. Some guys, and girls too, probably have their own power tools for woodworking, for example. You don't even need to have a lot of skills. Erica has been in the business for 30 years and can show you how. "Most people don't follow written instructions. It's easier to learn visually. Socks, hats, glove, scarves there are a lot of things to make." She keeps pretty busy even though the shop is off the beaten path. A lot of people find her store taking the stairways to the upper street, but she has many loyal customers too. "I like to think it is the center of the universe." You want to have some fun with crafts? There is a store in Old Town Cottonwood that will give you instant gratification. It is all glitter. You will find it on Balboa Street behind the door adorned with various colors of glitter.
Its not just fun for kids either. Martha Stewart has used some of the Art Institute Glitter product to decorate pumpkins for the cover of her magazine and other projects. In December, look down from the models at the Victoria Secret fashion show on CBS. The runway is covered in glitter from Cottonwood's Art Glitter. Most of the glitter is now sold online or distributed to craft shops around the country, but stop by the Old Town display room and you can take home almost any color you can imagine. You will also see a lot of ideas for that sparkly stuff. Sales Manager Toni DeTevis says you can add glitz to fabric, clothes, paper, gloss, outside stuff, name tags, you name it." She says girls will appreciate the new trend to add glitter to their acrylic or gel nails. Art Glitter supports elementary and handicapped school students too finding excitement in their creations. The shop also carries a number of paper and card stock and even acrylic on which to use the glitter. The skills are easy to learn and Art Glitter offers YouTube videos. For extra saving this year, some of the best stops are thrift shops. The Old Town Mission Thrift Store in the former Ace Hardware building in Cottonwood is very clean and carries a variety of goodies that Ed Lung says are "gently used." There are toys that you did not give last year still in like-new condition, books that haven't been read yet and plenty of music for the light-hearted. Speaking of crafts, the thrift store has those as well. Ed explains that a woman moved from the area without opening the craft store she had intended. When she finished an estate sale, a garage full of craft supplies was given to the mission.
VVN/Jon Hutchinson Erica Raspberry at Knit1 Bead 2 in Jerome believes anyone can create and she has a store full of opportunity. "Everyone has the ability to do something creative," she says. "It is a room inside their head they think they don't have access to, but it's in there. You can make a pair of earrings in 10 minutes."
There is always the recycled clothing, but the Mission Thrift Store has a treasure of gently used furniture and electronics that still have plenty of life. One of the real surprises, though, are the Christmas decorations. Those rarely get heavily used anyway, but the variety is really remarkable. Ed says the organization, which operates with 10 to 12 volunteers, began receiving Christmas ornaments even before the store opened. One volunteer collected all of the items at her home, organized and priced them and then brought the 60 bags of items to the store when it opened. You will be able to change your entire décor with the number of items available. Cashiers Mary Bertram and Lyn Harris remind us that it is the friendliest store in town too.
VVN/Jon Hutchinson Cottonwood's Art Glitter Institute can provide glitter in almost any color you can imagine. You will also see a lot of ideas for that sparkly stuff. Sales Manager Toni DeTevis says you can add glitz to fabric, clothes, paper, gloss, outside stuff, name tags, you name it." She says girls will appreciate the new trend to add glitter to their acrylic or gel nails. The shop also carries a number of paper and card stock and even acrylic on which to use the glitter.
They close for Thanksgiving but will be open on Black Friday. And if you still need those power tools, Ace Hardware is nearby. So, you don't have to look far this year to save some money and create your own gifts. All you have to do is look around and, like Erica Raspberry says, take the first step.
