Being Crafty about Gifts

The well organised among you will already be making lists and reminding yourself that it is better to give than receive. And many of our local artists and craft workers will be participating in one of the special markets over the next few weeks. A gift from such a market is doubly blessed – your recipient gets something special, and you have helped a local artist.

I have picked out just three from our email inbox:

• “and a Partridge in a Pear Tree” at Rufford Craft Gallery which is open now until 3 January (! get ahead for 2011!), from 10.30 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday only.
•  Also “up north”, the Harley Christmas Art and Food Market at Harley Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday, 27/28 November, 10 am to 5 pm. I really like their website with the lovely graphics of the works of the different artists involved.
•  Closer to the centre of Nottingham is the monthly Apples and Pears and Crafty Wares: The Hockley Arts Market at Sneinton Market, Gedling Street, Nottingham. NG1 1DB. For this month, it is on Saturday 27 November, 10 am – 3 pm.

If you are an artist reading this, or one of a group also planning some special events during what the retailers call the “gift season”, why not tell us (and the world) about it through our Community site?   This is almost self-publishing. Just send your text, photo, video or document to post@creativenottingham.posterous.com. We check these most days, and approve those which are not spam. The software automatically turns your email into a web posting. Note that the email subject is the title of the post and the email content and text becomes the article (so remove your normal email signature and any fancy text formatting). And each publication is tweeted! What are you waiting for – it is so easy it is almost a gift!