Sweet Music

A few months ago, Sister and I attended a craft show in Mooresville.
There, we came upon a booth like no other.
Mr. Thomas Gillian is an artist who crafts dulcimers.
It was such a pleasure talking with him,
and he was kind enough to teach me a tune.
At that time, I shared how enchanted I became with this glorious instrument.
You can read about it here.
(Scroll to nearly the end of the post.)

Well, the time had come to take the next step.

I had been saving for one of my own,

and I figured that if I was still as charmed by this lilting sound

by the time I had enough to purchase one, then it was meant to be.

The fascination hasn't waned, so I called Mr. Thomas.

He handcrafts these gorgeous instruments at his home in Hickory, NC.

He suggested that I try out each of the three wood types,

black walnut, cedar and maple.

I was drawn immediately to the maple,

not only because of the stunning dark striations against the light color,

but the curious connection (maple) to this blog.

After playing the song that Mr. Thomas originally taught me at the craft show,

Sister helped me with the decision,

but in the end, the cedar dulcimer chose me.

The sound is amazingly clear and resonates so exquisitely .

 Music practice in the afternoon is now one of my favorite times of the day.
Having played guitar in the past,
I can tell you that this instrument is much simpler.
The bonus for me is that, although I played guitar and sang in choirs for years,
I never really got the hang of reading music.
The dulcimer lends itself well to those 
who are intimidated about learning a new skill, but want to explore a musical instrument.

As I tackle each new song in my accompanying songbook,
I feel a bit more confident and relaxed.
Even C gave me a boost when he told me
that he recognized one of the songs I was playing.
That keeps me motivated to keep practicing.
Hopefully, by the time the holidays roll around,
I'll have many hours of playing under my belt
and I will be able to scratch out some carols for us to enjoy.
In the meantime,
I will continue to get my practice time in and enjoy the journey.
I am grateful to Mr. Thomas for using his talents
to enrich so many lives.

What new skills do you want to undertake?

Crafty Weekend

On Saturday,
there were two craft shows that I wanted to catch.
The first was at a local church, right around the corner
St. Luke's Lutheran Church.
Thankfully, it opened early so that I could visit before meeting Sister for the second event.

I have to say, that I was so impressed with the quality of the crafts at this show.
The vendors are all folks who attend this church
and there are some mighty talented parishioners. 
There were needle crafted treasures, like these baby quilts.

The wood working figures were superbly done
and very festive.
I'll be saving my pennies for next year,
so that one can come home with me to display on our front porch.

 Look at the creativity here!
These vibrantly painted decorations
are actually concrete borders that can be found at a nursery or hardware store.

 Another craft fashioned from garden materials,
this cute snowman is merely several terra cotta pots and saucers
that are brilliantly painted.

 I'm not sure what the material used here was,
but I could imagine doing this with gourds that you grow yourself!
Again, the expressiveness of the figures was so captivating!

 This craft show offered so many wonderful gift ideas.
I'll be sure to add it to my list for next year.

Of course, a table full of goodies tempted me on the way out.
I ended up picking up some delicious lemon pound cake to bring home.
What a treat the morning was!

*******

The event I attended with Sister in the afternoon
was the Working Fingers Craft Show.
It was held in Mooresville and all of the items were required to be handmade.
Wherever possible,
I am including contact information by adding links to the artists.
(Just click on the highlighted words.)

 The first table we stopped to admire was Polly Wells' Bread Clay Folk Art.
Neither of us had ever seen anything like it.
After speaking with the artist for a bit,
we came to appreciate the painstaking work involved in this type of craft work.

These unique wooden creations were amazing.
Just look at this exquisite hat.

 These items were displayed by 
PhDs located in nearby Troutman.
Take a look at their website
where they offer a multitude of customizable gifts.

Specialties Woodcrafts offered a large selection of holiday ornaments.
They can be reached at 704-649-4947.

 These flip flop ornaments caught my eye
as I have a friend back in Florida for whom they'd be perfect.
She is a beach lover and lives in flip flops most of the year.
These were created by Brenda's Intarsia Creations and More.

Kathy Miller of Messy Girl Pottery
presented her  wonderful and sometimes whimsical crafts.
Her contact number is 828-478-2091.

Laurie Clavette of The Felted Goat showcased her delightful felted creations.

 She was kind enough to explain some of the techniques she uses
in crafting her light-hearted figures.
For more information about her items, call her at 828-551-0590.

 Harig's Harbor featured their holiday decorations
using lighted glass blocks.
What a fantastic way to illuminate a mantel or front porch!
Their facebook page can be found here.

Sister and I fell in love with a couple of the sign booths we spied.
Such a selection!
There's sure to be one for everyone on your holiday list!

This was my favorite from 7th Street Haven.

 Tracybug Designs had her own set of adorable signs and other decor.
I love that her business card says, "Thank you for having great taste!"
Go to her facebook page to see more about her imaginative designs.

 Although these folks weren't an official business,
I had to take a shot of these unbelievable matchstick buildings.
The patience involved must be monumental!

I saved this display for the end because it is very special indeed.
This is a frame used to construct dulcimers.

 Mr. Thomas Gillian has been crafting these beautiful instruments for some time.
He was not only kind enough to share his story with us,
but he even gave Sister and I a lesson on how to play one of these unique and enchanting pieces of artwork.
What a thrill for me.
I never thought I would get the chance to play a dulcimer,
although I've admired their sound for years.
After sitting down and strumming through a song with Mr. Thomas,
it became clear that I was thoroughly enamored.
I will soon be the new owner of one of these gorgeous instruments.

There are moments in your life that are life changing.
This was one of those moments.
I can hardly wait to get started learning this new skill.
What a gift.
Mr. Thomas Gillian can be reached at 828-294-3052.

The autumn calendar is filled with craft shows and church bazaars.
It's one type of shopping that I don't mind doing.
The creativity encountered by so many talented people
who are just doing what they love to do,
is motivating, inspirational and downright heart-warming.
Getting to spend the day with one of my favorite people on the planet
was the icing on the cake.