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November 2nd, 2009
November 6th, 2009
November 5th, 2009
November 4th, 2009
November 3rd, 2009
November 2nd, 2009
October 31st, 2009
October 30th, 2009
The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.
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A touch of Lodi
Looking for that unique gift? Look no further! From cigar box guitars and crayon caddies, to wine journals and ornate candelabra, local craftspeople can supply you with presents as diverse as the loved ones on your gift list.
Cigar Box Guitar
Frank Wright, of Lockeford, handcrafts beautiful electric and bass guitars; but earlier this year, he discovered he could also make acoustic and electric guitars from old cigar boxes. Available in three, four and six strings, the cigar box guitars strum like a regular guitar. One of his customers plays the guitar in a band, and Wright plays his cigar box guitar at church. The necks are each unique, as are the cigar boxes. If you have a cigar box, Wright will custom make a guitar.
Other gifts: Short stogie fountain pens
Price: Start at $75
Contact Wright: 727-3524, e-mail: ad6oa@sbcglobal.net
Wine Journals
For all the Lodi wine enthusiasts, Lori Johnston makes wine journals to record each bottle of wine. Each bound book comes with about 15 pages so you can record wine details from the wine selection to who you shared it with. Depending on the type of binding you choose, more pages can be added.
She also makes unique scrapbooks and note cards that are anything but ordinary. Each of the scrapbook pages are thick and are made to frame any photos.
Price: Cards start at $4. Prices of wine journals and scrapbooks vary.
Contact Johnston: E-mail: lorraine.johnston@comcast.net
Santa Carvings
Ron May hand carves old world Santa's from wood. Some of his Santas row boats, some are fishing, some ride in sleighs, but most of them have a side-kick dog. May has sold his intricate carvings at Frames and Fine Things, as well as the nut factory's boutique. A member of the California Carver's Guild, May fills retirement with wood projects. The walls of his small shop are lined with figurines that each have their own personality.
Other talents: hand-carved hillbillies, hand-carved chess set
Price: Vary
Contact May: 333-2741
Green Side Bags
A lifelong seamstress turned golf-lover creates her own "Green-Side Bags" to tote on the golf course. The durable bags are a miniature, simpler version of the big golf bag. But, when you step away from the golf cart with only a few clubs, you don't have to lay them on the wet grass. The Green Side Bags are light and stick into the grass with prongs. Not only do you get out of toting wet clubs, but there's no chance you will forget your clubs. Jackie Katzakian makes the bags and her 90-year-old father, Eugene Rowley, welds the pronged stands. Bags are available in a variety of colors and designs and are for men and women golfers.
Price: $39.95
Contact Katzakian: 368-1900, e-mail: jackienron@sbcglobal.net
Pet Reflections
There's no love like a love for pets. Bonnie and Otis Booker, who have their own family of poodles, know this. They create memorial stepping stones and headstones for pets. They are made with colored cement and stained glass and look like mosaics that can lay flat or stand up in the yard. Bonnie started the stones as memorials, but customers started buying them for yard decorations. Some of her customers request their pets' ashes be stored in a box inside of the stone. With more than 300 patterns for dogs and cats, Bonny and Otis Booker can create a resemblance of almost any pet.
Price: $100-$200
Contact Bonnie and Otis: 334-5402
Scrapbooks
Want to scrapbook but don't know where to start? Theresa White, who teaches weekly scrapbooking classes, will design individual pages or a complete scrapbook for any occasion or interest. Her creations are unique, varying from a small, circular album to a large 40-page album. You decide the theme, she will make the pages.
Whites cards are also unique and detailed. Some of her cards include layers upon layers of squares that interlock. They are available individually or in packs of four, five and 10. If it has anything to do with paper, she will help you or do it for you. If someone's not sure what they want, she will go through her supplies and catalogs with them until they find what they are looking for.
Other: Cards ($1-$2),, wedding invitations, personalized birthday cards and invitations
Price: $20-$150
Contact Theresa: 339-4003, e-mail: KnockOnTheSky@sbcglobal.net, Web site: scrapinsig.wordpress.com.
Lasting Links
With a computer, a scanner and some secret ingredients, Lori Porterfield creates photo jewelry. She can take any photo — family, pets, sports team logos, club logos — and links them as tile bracelets or dangling charm bracelets. In most cases, the customers supply at least 10 photos to be framed. Porterfield's customers vary from children to people buying them for wedding gifts. She makes bracelets for the Cougars, the indoor soccer team, that are sold at every event.
Price: $45 and up
Contact Porterfield: 367-1028, e-mail: LastingLinks@comcast.net, Web site: http://www.LastingLinksBracelets.com.
Accents by Bella
What do you get when you put a stylish, blonde woman in a metal shop? Answer: Charise Vierra, former owner of Bella di Ferro, who now makes her own metal gates, candle holders, vases and home accents. After selling welded works in her store, she decided to learn how to weld herself.
"People are always shocked. They say, 'You don't look like a welder,'" Vierra said.
While she makes everything from balcony-railings, staircases and 8-foot gates, her artistic home accents make great unconventional gifts. They are heavy, bulky and great for anyone who wants old-world or gothic flair.
Other talent: faux painting, granite work
Price: $20-$100 for accents
Contact Vierra: 329-4076
Nature Sounds
Phil Blaylock, owner of Mountain Recording Studio, records sounds of the wilderness and then puts them on CD. With professional recording equipment, he ventures into the wilderness until it's only him and his equipment.
"I have to be at least five miles from the road," he said.
His CDs include "Country Living," "Point Reyes, CA," "Pacific Ocean at Prairie Creek, CA," "A Froggy Night," "Grizzly Flats" and "Streams and Waterfalls." Each CD is filled with 80 minutes of real nature sounds.
Price: $8 each
Contact Blaylock: 369-5359, or send check or money order to: Phil Blaylock, 819 S. Garfield St. Shipping is free for a limited time.
Crayon Caddy
Three-time Lodi mayor Wally Katnich has traded in politics and is making cute Crayon Caddies for children. Katnick cuts the wood that he makes into a pencil and writes the child's name on it. He then drills holes in the top, where 8 crayons stick up. At the age of 84, Katnick does it just because he enjoys it.
Price: $6
Contact Katnich: 368-6042
Wheelchair and Walker Bags
With bags that Shirley and her church handmake, those in wheelchairs have an easy and stylish way to store their belongings. Using the same Singer sewing machine she has had since she was 14, she sews the bags with Velcro and buttons and lines the opening with a different color or pattern so that it is easy to use. While the bags have been popular in care facilities, they are also popular among children in wheelchairs. For children, she will make bags with dinosaur or car fabric, or a pattern they like. Bags for walkers are similar.
"You can't buy these anywhere," Holley said.
Other: Walker bags, ladies aprons ($15), child's apron ($10), lap robes.
Wheelchair bag price: $10; in some circumstances the bags are free.
Contact Shirley: 333-0361
Other locally made gifts:
Deborah Denny, of Galt, makes crocheted baby sweaters, dresses, capes, christening gowns with matching blankets, booties and bonnets.
Other: Crocheted thread tablecloths and bedspreads
Price: Starts at $40.
Contact: 745-6041, e-mail: IronHorsePhoto@msn.com.
Debbie Weber, of Galt, makes driftwood, seaweed and wire crosses.
Price: $8-$40
Contact: 745-6442, e-mail: HisCreation@softcom.net
April Hanchey makes fabric gift bags that are a great idea to compliment a fine bottle of wine. She uses vintage textiles from 1950 to 1990 to make each bag. Her design is simple and classic and is popular with a variety of colors and prints. For Christmas, she is also selling fun, colorful sets.
Price: $24.99 and up for a box of 6
Contact: E-mail: april@LodiWineBags, Web site: LodiWineBags.com.
Dolci Baci's (Italian for Sweet Kisses) Angie Shuman makes children's boutique clothing and accessories. She offers a gift selection of modern baby blankets, burpies, pants, tops and more.
Price: $16-$38
Contact: 329-3032, e-mail: babyshu@comcast.net, Web site: DolceBaci.etsy.com.
A retired engineer for the City of Lodi, Glenn Robison has makes one-of-a-kind art and deco pieces using woodturning. He primarily uses wood from local trees that are removed from yards, orchards, parks and streets. Each piece is unique in coloring and size. Pieces include trays, bowls, boxes, candlesticks and art objects.
Price: Vary
Contact: 368-2688
A mother of three and a full-time college student, Sherry Ziegler makes unique ornaments. She paints real, jumbo-sized eggs and creates miniature scenes inside. She uses people's personal photos to create a custom ornament with personal memories inside.
Other talents: Photography and portrait bracelets
Price: Eggs are $25
Contact: 329-4586. Web site: myspace.com/PhotoHappyGifts
After making beaded stretch bracelets for friends, all of Robyn Myrick's friends told her, "You should sell this stuff." Now, she makes and sells bracelets, rosaries, chokers and necklaces.
Price: $2-$25
Contact: 663-9669
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