Meet textile designer Martina Sestakova; Enjoy stress-free holiday shopping; A hearty thank you!
~Holiday Open House
~Maker Spotlight:
Martina Sestakova
~ Enjoy Fun & Stress-free Holiday Shopping
~A Hearty Thank You!
Annual Holiday Open House!
Friday, December 7, 2018
6 pm to 8 pm Kick off the holiday season on Kensington Antique Row.
Stores, including Gala, will be open with refreshments, live music, and holiday cheer!
Maker Spotlight:
Martina Sestakova
It’s all about RADOST (the Czech word for JOY and the name of her company) for Martina who is a textile designer and teaching artist based in Kensington, MD. Indeed, she can walk over to GALA from her home!
Martina paints and takes photos and turns her artwork into textile designs that tell stories of our rich life experiences. She believes in the power of storytelling, and that's exactly what her fabrics are all about: sharing stories and creating new memories through positive approach to life.
Martina's scarves were featured at the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. Martina also enjoys teaching at GALA, where you, our customers, can become her students. In her classes, ranging from zentangles, mandalas, to watercolor basics, no experience is necessary as artistic expression is available to all.
Martina promises, just like she does in her textiles, that you will find joy in her classes. Check our workshop schedule and meet this native of the Czech Republic in person.
Take a Look Inside Gala...
And, come in! Also, stayed tuned for Gala's extended hours in December to make sure your holiday shopping is as stress-free and as fun-filled as possible.
Give. Yes, we agree that’s a great way to a great life. And how about giving handcrafted items by local artists?
We love these bottle stoppers by Mike Gerecht, and the giving message is clear in our cotton bottle holders.
Lovely gifts make for meaningful giving.
Now that’s a birthday wish we love. Happiness and cake. Happy people eat cake. Cake makes people happy.
Whatever the cause and consequence... hop over to our cute shop and pick a cool birthday card for a loved one. And eat cake.
New in the store! Look at these amazing necklaces by Grace Mahanes.
The pendants are handmade out of silk and felt and make for such a great fashion statement!
They come in interesting colors and will brighten up any blouse of yours. Indeed, we really like these!
Come by Gala for a closer look at all of our lovely items! Perfect for a fun, stress-free holiday shopping experience!!
Yes, 2018 is not over yet, but we are getting there! It’s been a fun year at our store. We introduced works by a variety of local artisans to you at Gala. Our community of unique artists is growing, and we are so pleased about it. Our shop is overflowing with cool handmade designs: textiles, paper goods, pottery and ceramics, jewelry, wall art, wooden items, toys.
We held a successful “Gala Craft & Art Festival” in October in Old Town Kensington. This festival was part of “Explore Kensington Day” – an effort to highlight everything cool our town has to offer. And while it was incredibly windy that Sunday, our artisans had fun chatting about their arts and techniques.
Gala's workshops, led by our artisans, filled up with lovely people, and we spent a lot of fun mornings, afternoons, and evenings learning about cool artistic techniques. Our shop may be small, but we surely know how to pack in a lot of crafts, from origami, locker hooking, jewelry making, and felting to zentangles, photo collage, and knitting! More is coming next year! Check out Gala's website regularly for new workshops starting in January 2019.
We hope you have enjoyed the creative ride, and we are looking forward to seeing you at Gala. Our artisans appreciate your continued support.
All our best, Linda & Anne
We are humbled and honored to have been voted again Best of DC "Runner Up" for 2017 ...Thank you for your support!
Visit our website for store hours, upcoming events and workshops, featured artisans and more!
