No Christmas gift stays closer to the recipient’s heart for years to come than one made by the giver’s hand.  Whether you are a clever or a clumsy crafter, a little help from the shops at Annapolis Towne Centre can enable you to make something memorable for a special friend, colleague, or family member or for the whole clan.  If your creative spirit leans more toward holiday décor or if it’s your child who is the craftsperson, the Towne Centre has that covered too.

Figuring out what to make is the first and biggest step in crafting gifts or décor, and several shops at ATC offer great ideas for projects of all sizes and degrees of complexity. A stroll through the Annapolis Art Alliance’s Pop-up Shop can provide inspiration and more because its clerks are artists whose work is displayed in the shop, and they can give you advice tailored to your skill level on various projects.  The only risk to visiting the Pop-up Shop is that you might also find some excellent gifts for some of the special people on your list (but hopefully that won’t cause you to abandon your own crafty ambitions).

Image courtesy of Annapolis Arts Alliance

Target offers how-to books for a wide variety of crafts and may be the best place in Annapolis for one-stop-shopping to buy the basics to make pretty much anything.  Target has glue guns, scissors, colored paper, felt squares, artificial flowers, ready-to-decorate wreaths, acrylic and watercolor paints, all sorts of sewing items, and picture frames to show off your photography or artwork.  Target’s endless number of kid-focused craft kits can give a do-it-yourself kind of child the opportunity to make personalized gifts (some of these kits are also suitable for use by busy parents).

Image courtesy of Target

The Paper Source offers the very best quality of paper—not just wrapping paper but pretty paper for projects of all kinds and all colors, including making your own Christmas cards.  If you want to go the simple route—something that you can rightfully say you made but has almost zero risks to the assembly—take a look at the shop’s craft kits for all ages that offer projects ranging from flowers and wreaths and holiday décor to soapmaking.  If making your own holiday cards is too much of a stretch, the store has a beautiful selection of ready-made cards, simple or elegant, funny or romantic, to accompany your special gifts.

Image courtesy of Paper Source

In addition to a wide selection of holiday décor, Bed Bath & Beyond has a large assortment of flower vases and containers both for storing craft materials and for displaying your creations. For example, the store’s assortment of Mason jars provides a just-like-grandma-used-to-make touch to your homemade jams, jellies, or dried bean soup mixes.  Need some pinecones for your project?  Bed Bath & Beyond has them!

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Restoration Hardware can provide knobs and pulls for the crafter who enjoys furniture-making or repairing or if you just want to give your furniture or kitchen cabinets a fresh look.  RH also has some beautiful planters for greenery gifts and baskets that can showcase your creation.

Anthropologie offers decorative ceramic hardware for furniture that is especially nice is you want to provide some pop to your home.  Choose from the store’s assortment of pretty vases to highlight arrangements of fresh or dried flowers.

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A selection of teas arrayed in a basket or on a tray with a pretty teapot and a couple of cups and saucers can allow you to express your creativity and show your appreciation of tea-drinking friends or family members.  The Baltimore Coffee & Tea Company has tea (and coffee) selections to suit everyone’s taste, with or without caffeine.  Moreover, the shop has a lunch counter offering a tasty selection of made-to-order sandwiches, soups, and desserts.  Take this opportunity to relax, get off your feet, have a bite to eat, and pat yourself on the back for being such a thoughtful crafter!

Some might say that around the holidays the best craft gift is an edible one, and Whole Foods has the ingredients for just about any type of cookies, candy, pie, cake, quiche, bread, etc., you’d want to make.  The store also has arguably the best assortment of live greenery and fresh-cut flowers in town, ready for you to arrange and put in a vase for your host or hostess or to brighten up your dinner table or kitchen.

Image courtesy of Whole Foods

So head to Annapolis Towne Centre and get ready for hours of holiday fun!