Hand Crafted Accessories - Personalize Your Holiday Gifts!
It’s that time of year again; that time when you go to the mall, your heart rate goes up, you pick up an item for a loved one, look at it, put it back, pick it up again and then make the purchase hoping you made the right decision for when they peel back the wrapping paper to disclose the treasure. How will they react? Should you save the receipt to return it? Too many questions run through your head this time of year. It shouldn't be that stressful.
There is a local artist (well, local to Michigan) who can help put your mind at ease. Denise Andres makes various items from friendship bracelets to key chains, coasters, and lanyards, creating beautiful works of hand-crafted art. You can see a gallery of all of her work to date. Following primarily a “geek” theme (the name of her online store is “Dorkification”), Andres specializes in custom orders and requests. You can either order basic patterns she has in stock or you can place a special order. She has made headbands that say “NERD” in binary, a storm-trooper key chain, Ingress related accessories, cell phone sleeves (cases), and Harry Potter coasters just to name a few. But note, because of the time involved, if you place a special order, be sure to give 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. That means that if you’re looking for something for the holidays, you’re going to want to order soon. It’s one person hand-crafting from scratch. And note: there are some logos/patterns that don’t translate well. If this is the case, she will let you know so you can make adjustments.
What makes her artwork even more spectacular is the fact that Andres makes these items while coping with Multiple Sclerosis and is legally blind. You wouldn't know it with the intricacy of her work. While the process may seem tedious to many, that’s one of the things Andres enjoys about it. It allows her to keep busy and be creative at the same time.
You may be thinking that something like this doesn't fit anyone you know, but that’s not exactly true. All you need to know about someone is what they like. Once that’s decided, contact Andres and she’ll transcribe the logo or interest related pattern to the format needed, and make a functional accessory. To add to their functionality, she mentioned that she plans on, in the future, making things with NFC chips (if requested) and making decorative medic-alert bracelets and lanyards.
If you’re interested in ordering or if you have any questions, you can contact Denise Andres at her eMail address (neese80 ~at~ comcast [dot] net) or on Google Plus, FaceBook, or at her online store. And if you go to her store, note there is not much listed (due to listing cost). Head to her gallery (linked near the top of the article) to sift through the images of her wares. I've added a few pictures to this article just to give an idea of some of her creations.
As an important side-note, if you wish to help Denise with some of her medical expenses but would rather do an anonymous donation, you can do so at this site. However, she would rather sell her wares rather than accept donations. Her home requires a lot of renovation and handicap accessibility alterations.
