One of the things I love about Christmas at Roger’s Gardens is the amazing selection of hand-made, artisan pieces that we have to offer, particularly the pieces made here in the USA.  I also love the relationship that we have with these artists, many of whom create special pieces exclusively for us.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Vaillancourt Folk Art

When Gary Vaillancourt gave his wife, Judi, a gift of three antique chocolate molds in 1984, neither of them knew it would signal the start of a new family business.  In the years since, Judi’s collection has grown to over 3,000 vintage molds — one of the largest collections in the world.  It was from these chocolate molds that artist, Judi created her first piece – by pouring chalkware into a chocolate mold, and painting the resulting three-dimensional canvas with oil paint.

Vaillancourt Folk Art is a family owned and operated business, based completely in the United States.  Operating in their Sutton, Massachusetts’s studios since 1984, each piece is designed, and painted by a handful of artists.    This Santa is one of my favorite pieces.  I love the addition of the gold shimmer on the pineapple, the international symbol of welcome.

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St. Nicholas Collection

Elaine Roesle has been making Santas in her Ohio studio since 1978. From the initial pouring and firing to the final painting and dressing, each Santa is lovingly made by hand – one at a time.  Elaine uses vintage fabrics, trims and accessories to give each piece its unique character, and each of these beautiful pieces is a one-of-a-kind heirloom, signed and dated by the artist – I love the detail in their accessories, and the old world feel of the Santas.

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