It All Started with a Gift

It All Started with a Gift

We are a mom and daughter team. It all started four years ago when a friend of mine gave me a handmade necklace she bought in a farmer’s market in Ayvalik, Turkey. I immediately fell in love with that necklace!

The next year, when I was on a vacation in the same town, I went to the farmer’s market hoping to find the artisan. I was wearing the necklace on that day, and she recognized it while I was next to her booth. It was an amazing coincidence. I ended up buying three more necklaces from her.

She was a housewife. They moved to that lovely coastal city after her husband’s retirement. She makes those necklaces in the fall and winter and they sell them at the farmer’s market in the summer. She is a very talented artisan and had so many beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and many other handmade accessories. She uses old fabrics, various beads, and elegant lace techniques in her designs.

My mom is a very crafty person, too. She loves knitting and crocheting a lot. She has crocheted lace table runners, curtains, even a throw over the years. She got really inspired by the work of the artisan in the farmer’s market, and one day, she sent me a photo of a crochet necklace she made. Next day, she sent another photo. She so much enjoyed making those necklaces that she started trying a new design with different beads and patterns every day. This is how my mom got into making necklaces.

I’m so grateful to my dear friend Selcan for buying me that beautiful gift. Thanks to her, I found my passion! I’m also very happy that I met the artisan. I hope to find her again the next time I’m in Turkey. Who knows we may even collaborate one day.

 

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