You’ll Have a Ball

You’ve dabbled in homemade gifts. Remember the year everyone received your handcrafted popsicle stick coaster sets (they don’t use them because they “treasure them too much”)? And the Valentine’s Day when you massacred those chocolate cupcakes (sugar and salt only look similar). They all shared a bond. You spent hours crafting them with love for your friends and family. This year consider a similar means to more rewarding end; buy beautiful things that someone else crafted with love and give them to your friends and family. Case in point: traditional Temari balls meticulously crafted by Sharon Thieman. Beautifully ornamental and ripe with tradition, each ball is painstakingly sewn by this local artist – a process that takes anywhere from 12 to 120 hours to complete. The end product is an artful heirloom masquerading as a toy. Temari balls are a Japanese tradition; a mother would lovingly wrap and stitch each one, then leave it on her child’s pillow so he would awake to an exciting gift. Her colorful creations could be yours to give. All you have to do is visit the Morikami (4000 Morikami Pk. Rd., Delray Beach ) on Saturday, peruse the assortment, and decide which ball would charm the pants off of your mother, child, or best artsy friend. Admission is 6 to $10. Temari balls vary in price. Call 561-495-0233, or visit www.morikami.org.
Sat., Nov. 17, 2007