Author: rayela

Brazil 18years + Chicago 20yrs + Paducah since 2005 These have shaped my path and interests. I spent many years as an active artist (ceramics and textiles) but have focused on promoting the creative community online since 2010. My current projects are Artizan Made and this site, Creative PlaceMakers.

featured image: Lucuma Designs

In many traditions the word “holy” means to be set apart for a specific purpose.  For many religious people, it specifically refers to a purpose belonging to or coming from God.  Secular people can also understand the word as a calling to a higher cause.  Whatever the meaning, I prefer to use Holy Days instead of Holidays as a reminder that we can use this season to move out of our normal routines and enjoy the gifts of friendship, family, story telling, and yes, gift giving.  Many people are struggling financially here in the United States and around the world and it’s important to welcome this season as one of expressing love and kindness, not of accumulating material goods.

For these Holy Days, find the Spirit and celebrate with your community.  I like to watch “The Grinch who Stole Christmas” every year, because of how his heart melts and he finally understands that the gifts are to have each other.  Here is the ending:

If you are sad and depressed, our screaming goat mascot should cheer you up!

what’s new?

My days are pretty much taken up by working on my websites (this one and Artizan Made).  I have also been working on two websites for friends.  Let me know if you need an art website, too!  I charge $25/hour, which is really cheap compared to most web people.  I’m really pleased that Creative PlaceMaker members have started to submit stories for our blog!  This makes it so much more interesting than just hearing my voice all the time.  I will list the new ones below.  We also have holy day posts on Artizan Made.

holy day posts

Artizan Made’s home page is decked out for the holy days!  Here are some quick links:

visit our holy days market collection!

christmas around the world

Countries represented:  Bulgaria, Canada, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Ukraine, and United States.

meet some of our international members!

holiday gift guide: handmade ornaments from around the world

Countries or regions represented: Guatemala, South Africa, Peru, Central Asia, Australia, and United States.

holiday gift guide: handmade jewelry

Featured: Afghan Tribal Arts, Deerwoman Designs, HoonArts, Doughty Designs, AllThingsPretty, Something Else Studio, and Bone Carving Art.

Artizan Kids: Handmade Gifts for Children

Decorative handmade products for young people.

Gift Guide: Scarves and Shawls

Featured: Gone Rustic Studio, HoonArts, Jane Porter Fashion, MayaMam Weavers, SingingScarves, SuiteVirginia, and It’s Cactus.

Handmade Gifts for $30 and Under

A nice assortment of fair trade and artist made gifts. Perfect for teachers, stocking stuffers, and parties!

Our Market on Artizan Made serves as a way to explore our member products in a fun way.  We import up to 50 of their products to the Market and link back to their online shops.  Our goal is not to sell through Artizan Made, but to help people find an excellent collection of handmade goods from around the world.  We support artist studios and fair trade organizations. Each member has a profile with examples of their work, their story and their links.  See them here. 

If you have an online shop that sells handmade and would like to join us, learn more here.

Creative PlaceMakers

Creative PlaceMakers is our sister site, launched about a year ago.  We are mapping creatives who care about social justice and the environment.  This comes from the perspective that creatives have a tremendous positive impact on our cities, neighborhoods and online communities, but often are not recognized for their value.  The map helps people find each other both locally and online.  We also believe that creatives have the capacity to push back against the violence that is going on in our societies, using their talents to heal our communities, to stand up against authoritarianism, and to model healthier options.  Membership is only $25/year and there is a freebie option for anyone who can’t afford it. This page explains how to get set up on the site.

Members who enjoy writing can submit blog posts to our site and become regular contributors.  We’ve had several fun submissions already and look forward to making our blog a diverse voice for our community. If you enjoy writing, especially about arts and community, please let me know.

Fiona Highlights: Kyrgyzstan – A Felt Experience

Fiona Highlights is a series of posts where Fiona shares some of her favorite experiences in the tours she has enjoyed through her travel business, Creative Safaris. This highlight has a tour coming up in April 2026: Kyrgyzstan—a-felt-experience.  She is a regular contributor and you can see all of her posts here.

A Tale of Two Museums by Eileen Doughty

Eileen Doughty of Doughty Designs shares her experiences as a docent and a volunteer at two museums. She lives in the Washington DC area and gives testimony to how it has been with military presence on the streets. (September 2025)

Replicating a Tiffany Peacock in Textiles

Heather Daveno of August Phoenix Mercantile created a garment inspired by the peacock doors she saw at the Palmer House in Chicago. The doors were designed by Louis Tiffany and cast in bronze for C.D. Peacock Jeweler. This was a challenging piece with lots of embroidery!

Creative Arts Safaris – Benin and Togo

Fiona Wright of Creative Arts Safaris shares highlights from a tour to Benin and Togo! Ceremonies, workshops and experiencing life on the river.

No Kings Protest, Paducah Kentucky – October 18, 2025

Reflections on No Kings Day in Paducah, Kentucky, USA.

the power of one

The power of one only exists because the power of many allows it to. Each of us has a power of one and we can become the power of many when we unite!

New PlaceMakers Member

I am so pleased to welcome Handmade Palestine to our creative map! They have a beautiful website with products made by hundreds of Palestinian artisans.  I have always loved Palestinian embroidery and it’s wonderful to see this talent represented here.

Their founder, Morgan Cooper, is an American married to a Palestinian. We met online and immediately connected over our passion for handmade.  I am also learning a lot about what is happening there and am grateful to have her as a guide when I am confused.  I would like to have Handmade Palestine join Artizan Made as a member as their products would add a great deal of interest to our mix.

Morgan has applied for an Amiga Fund partnership where someone in our community pays for their first year fees, around $280.  After the first year, our hope is that they will be able to afford the $12.50/month membership fee.  Both the donor and the donee get profiled on the Amiga Fund page. Have a look:

Morgan’s application

Amiga Fund page

Our community has funded four members so far: three Ukrainians and one Israeli.

If you would like become a Sponsor, contact me.

We look for artists or fair trade groups who have beautiful products but are facing difficult times because of war, natural disasters, or other reasons. You are welcome to nominate people or groups you think would benefit from our marketing and friendship, too.

Join us!

Artizan Made’s process is time consuming (mostly for me) to get set up, but once a member is up, there is nothing that they need to do unless they want to contribute to our blog.  Each member ends up with a “shop” on the site and has access to the products in case they want to change them, but few do that as they usually have a recognizable look. The Join page is here. 

Creative PlaceMakers is easy.  Create an account and then fill out this page.  It will go live once I have reviewed it.  This page has instructions, if you need them.

Please share this post with your people and encourage them to join our community.

Happy Holy Days!

May this time of the year be one of renewal, community and peace for you and yours!  Here is a beautiful Ukrainian carol:

From the notes:  ““Shchedryk” was arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych at the beginning of the 20th century. The song is based on the traditional Ukrainian folk chant welcoming the New Year (“shchedrivka”). In 1921, the Ukrainian National Chorus sung the song in the United States to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. Later, Peter J. Wilhousky rearranged the melody for orchestra and wrote the new lyrics in English thus creating “Carol of the Bells”. The original “Shchedryk” by Leontovych was intended to be sung a cappella by mixed four-voice choir.”

Super cute!  White Christmas by The Drifters – 3D Animation 4K 1954

We end with a chuckle.  I am so grateful for our comedians!  They are actually much more insightful than politicians and pundits and they help keep us sane.

Be safe and choose the light!