Heartful Handmade Blog

contemporary crafts market (and shell shades) in san francisco

The Contemporary Crafts Market will be in San Francisco at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason, this weekend, March 9th and 10th.  If this venue is within your commute range, this show is definitely worth the effort.  It's one of the premier juried shows for one-of-a-kind craftwork, and brings together under one roof some of the best craftspeople in the United States.  You'll get to meet an eclectic mix of creative talent with a diverse array of offerings.  You'll find jewelry, glassware, ceramics, hand painted textiles, custom furniture, mixed media creations, and more.  Everything in the show was jury selected for exceptional quality and everything is for sale.  Just click over to the Contemporary Crafts Market website for all the information.   They're even giving away some free passes you can download.
Shell Shades	Crafts Market Info
And be sure to visit Desiree Gillingham-Produit in Booth #209.   She'll be showing her beautiful Tiffany inspired lampshades that she meticulously makes by hand from sea shells.  And the gorgeous sculpture shown above will be there too.  I told you about Desiree a while back in this post.  And I'm telling you again now that her lampshades and sculptures are like nothing you've ever seen.

the artful glow of sea shells

Desiree Gillingham-Produit creates fine art lighted wall sculpture and Tiffany style lamp shades using natural sea shells.  I read an article about her shades a few years ago and curiosity lead me to call her to set up an appointment.  I wanted to see for myself what this reviewer was raving about and Desiree's studio was not far from me in Carmel Valley. 

I had purchased a hand wrought floor lamp a couple of years earlier from a local iron artist, but had never come across the right shade for it.  That lamp was not on my mind when I called Desiree, but as I stood in her studio that day surrounded by the glowing beauty of her shades I knew my search was over.