Market Noel in Birmingham is a few notches above the general holiday exhibitor show, and after hearing that my friends Kristin and Sulynn were going to be there, with Black Belt Treasures (BBT is the shop in Camden, Alabama that carries and promotes the work of artisans in the Black Belt, and one of my very favorite places in the whole state to shop, so having them here in Birmingham was not to be missed (plus I just love those girls)).
Well, there weren’t any big surprises about what would be on display from the other exhibitors — there was a chevron and monograms, and monograms on chevron. There were cheese straws and glittered banners and vintage jewelry pieces, and clothes, clothes, clothes. But it was so nice to walk over to BBT and have these terrific unique, handmade artisan pices.
Two of the best booths were/are (the market goes through Saturday) Black Belt Treasures (of course) where they have Gee’s Bend quilting — lots of potholders which, trust me, make great holiday presents — and Charlie Lucas art, and baskets, paintings, rustic pieces, and pottery.
Here’s Kristin Law’s pottery available at the BBT booth from her Possum Pottery and Jewelry studio:
…and she made this armadillo necklace which of course came home with me:
Next, Favor Candles, which was started by sisters Marie and Susan, and *ohmystars* the scents of these. I asked why the name ‘Favor Candles’ and got this very hopeful, heartwarming reason, which is also in part on here: ‘…found themselves praying for favor for each other, friends, family, careers, in sickness, in health, and much more.’ Here, not only are the candles for sale but also the rustic fixtures which are made by another family member:
Some candles feature quotations from the Bible, and others from philosophers great and small. I came home with one scented as sandalwood gardenia. Other choices include red currant orange, citrus tarragon, brown sugar fig…