The Connection

The Clara Barton Craft Show is a “must-do” for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts as well as the perfect present for that “hard-to-buy-for person” – or the “I can’t think of anything for him or her – and they won’t give me any suggestions” person. The show includes artists, crafters and authors. The craft show will be held this coming Sunday, Dec. 7 from 1 – 5 p.m. at the Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center, 7425 MacArthur Blvd, Cabin John.

The show will include new crafters as well as many returning artisans. Some of the articles offered for sale are Susan Baum’s reusable clay gingerbread houses which can be redecorated, exotic necklaces created with beads from Africa and India by Ellen Benson, author Barbara Glickman with her book “Capitol Splendor – the Gardens and Parks of Washington D.C., Dorothy Hall and Russell Wright with Christmas jewelry, knitted hats and scarves and notecards, Karen Hench with her “Timeless Treasures” – hand-embellished housewares and personal gift items and fused glass from Lynda Slayen.

Michael Higgs will be selling his wooden works and carvings, and also demonstrating the skill of wood carving. Bessie Ioakim will bring her homemade Greek sweets and fig jam, Cecelia Kurtz will offer her organic soaps and lotions, Stephanie Lovell will present her quilts, placemats, hot pads and totes and Ann McCallum will be performing demonstrations of her math cookbook called “Eat Your Math Homework - Recipes for Hungry Minds.” The craftspeople are almost all local residents from Cabin John, Rockville, Potomac, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Bethesda.

“The Friends of Clara Barton Community sponsor the show. The money we make from table rentals goes to support programs for children, seniors and families at the Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center,” Craft Show Coordinator Leslie Barden said. “We are pleased that this year we have 51 artists. Every year, we choose one crafter who contributes their profits to their own charity — and this year it is ‘Crafters for a Cure.’”

Carole Schulman, one of the founders of Crafter for a Cure, said, “All of our profits go to the Hope Connection, a cancer support and educational organization located in Bethesda. For many years, our group designed and sold belt buckles and pendants from jewelry and buttons – and donated the profits for research for Ovarian Cancer, since one of our members passed away from it. Now we give to Hope Connection and we are now focusing on Swarovski crystal embellished earrings, necklaces and hair clips. We also have a selection of freshwater pearl bracelets, beaded necklaces and necklaces with charms and tassels. We are really pleased to be in the Clara Barton show – it is such a wonderful community.”

Meredith Worthington will be presenting her ceramic Christmas ornaments and other items for the first time at Clara Barton. “My craft is a result of my love of art and the Christmas season. I paint porcelain, resin or plaster Christmas tree ornaments and standing figurines such as Santa Claus, Angels or snowmen. I also paint houses and villages. I really enjoy painting these pieces and watching them come to life. I use a large variety of finishes, which makes each product truly unique,” Worthington said.

This is the first time that Walt Whitman senior Mikaela Fishman has participated as a vendor in a show. She is thrilled to finally have an opportunity to present her jewelry to the public. “I'm excited because I've been making jewelry for as long as I can remember, just for myself and friends, and I've always hoped to have a chance to sell what I make and see how I do. I'm selling earrings. I make a lot normal beaded earrings but I also like to use shrinky-dinks, melt-a-beads, parts of electronics, and things I find lying around. I inherited a lot of my beads from my grandmother because she was an artist,” she said.