Rescued Remnants by Liz Harter

reUNIQUE designs by Jennii Childs

Tissue paper bouquets, bedazzled toilet paper rolls, macaroni necklaces, and lots of paper smeared with colored crayons, markers, and paint. Perhaps you made something of the sort for your mother when you were a child or perhaps you've received such a gift from a beloved child on Mother's Day or another occasion.

Adults' go-to gifts for these sorts of holidays are store-bought cards, fresh flowers, boxes of chocolate or, for the personal touch, a gift card to a restaurant or store. They say it's the thought that counts, but would you prefer a gift that took 0.8 seconds to press into a mold on an assembly line or a gift that took hours or days to make?

Art is unique and personal and, yes, time-consuming. The artists at our festival labor away all year long creating their pieces. They pour their passion into each sculpture, each bag, each little earring.

How much more meaningful is a gift that was crafted with careful time and love, a gift that is one of a kind just like the person you are giving it to?