KIMBERLY COLACO
It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas – the weather is getting cool and everyone is gradually waltzing into the festive mood. The Christmas season brings in a sense of hope and togetherness, but it is also an opportunity for homegrown entrepreneurs to cash on. And so, you have some Goans who have focused on this season to get creative and bring out the best in their Christmas-themed accessories.
From attractive crochet hairbands to wood-finished earrings, here are samples of what a few Goans have brought out from their art to welcome the season of joy.
TATTING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
Meet fashion designer Ninoshka Alvares-Delaney from Saligao who decided to use the tatting lessons from school to make some interesting earrings. “I love to make these tatted earrings and other décor during Christmas. I picked up the skill when I was in school and thought I must put it in use. Since this work is rarely found, it takes me around an hour to complete a set,” she says. “People appreciate my work mostly because it is neat and we have customers from youngsters to the middle-aged,” she adds.
IT WAS ON A STARRY NIGHT
Why wear metal and plastic earrings when you can wear wooden? Rochelle Vaz, from Vasco uses precut wooden pieces and turns them into earrings. “I like to spread the season’s joy. I started by making a few sets to give to friends and relatives. I posted a few pictures and I started getting inquiries and orders from people. This prompted me to make them for sale. I use a lot of detailing, like adding beads and more to make them look prettier. I get pine wood/MDF precut patterns and then hand paint them. They are approximately one inch and smaller.”
USING ONLINE TAUGHT SKILLS
Two years post the pandemic, many learnt skills through online workshops and among them was Iyona D’Lima from Candolim. She tried her hands at resin art and within a span of two years she has started her own brand, where she makes and sells resin art in the form of accessories and ornaments. “It was my mother who coaxed me to join the two-day’ workshop and now, here I am, selling my work. This year I’ve tried to make a few with Christmas-themed earrings and pendants, since many people know of this art, I get a lot of appreciation,” says Iyona.
DECK MY HAIR WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY
Can a trait inherited from your grandmother become a source of income? Well, in the case of Radhika Shankwalkar from Panjim it turns out it can. In her free time Radhika makes some interesting hairbands with crochet on them. “It was my process of de-stressing and after a few attempts, I made them for my niece. I posted a few pictures online, and I got a few calls from people asking me to make them for their kids. I never thought that my hobby would fetch me a few bucks,” says Radhika.
JOY TO THE WORLD
Connie Godinho from Saligao is known for her crochet stars and during her free time, she makes a few crochet items for children. “I have been doing crochet from many years, but I didn’t want to make just doilies. They are easy to make and are not as challenging as making something more detailed and intricate. So for kids I make hairbands and clips; for the young adults, I make earrings and other items.