At Holiday Market: Teresa Castracane Photography

Cheverly's Teresa Castracane is a portrait and theatrical photographer whose work includes production photography, actor headshots, and portraits of everyone from professionals to children and families. When she’s not working, she sometimes takes pictures that don’t have people in them. Her work has been seen in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, and in several DC-area art shows. She is the resident photographer for the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and a member of the Professional Photographers of America. Teresa is also a classically trained stage actress, and the mother of two small boys. Please visit her photography website or her Etsy shop.

Teresa showed her work at Thanksgiving Market, and we're very fortunate to have her join us again for Holiday Market. Visit Teresa next Saturday and select beautiful photographs to give to your favorite people, or make an appointment to have beautiful photographs taken for the holidays!

At Holiday Market: Damn Fine Tea

Andrews & Dunham, located in Cheverly, Maryland, is proud to have been offering their Damn Fine Tea to enthusiastic tea fans since 2009. Charles and Erik have supported the Cheverly Community Market since its inception and are regular vendors at the Holiday Markets. This year, they're especially excited to be bringing their newest line of teas to the market --Tiger Assam, Caravan Resurrected, and the Double Knit Blend. These are hearty, strong blends of black teas, perfect for the long winter months ahead! 

Visit the Andrews & Dunham website for information on all of their offerings, then visit Charles and Erik in person next Saturday at Holiday Market! Tea is a great, thoughtful gift...and a treat for you, too!

At Holiday Market: Azur Soleil Organics

We were so happy to have Domonique Williams of Azur Soleil Organics join us for Thanksgiving Market...and we're thrilled that she'll be back next Saturday for Holiday Market! The products are really gorgeous -- photos do not do them justice, and they'd be a very welcome, thoughtful gift for all sorts of people on your list this holiday season! Choose from handmade organic herbal soap and other bath and body products, all made by hand using mainly certified organic products. Dominique and her team will be bringing over 20 different types of soap to Holiday Market on December 8,  in addition to whipped body butters, aromatherapy bath salts and misters, "soy shots" soy tarts, and other wonderful handmade items. So make sure to stop by and pick up a little something for yourself and some very thoughtful gifts, too!

At Holiday Market: American Legion Auxiliary Unit 108 Food Drive

Cheverly is a town marked by our willingness to help each other out, so let's show everyone what we're made of by taking time to think about those less fortunate and trying to do something to help. In the tough economic times, more people than ever need your assistance. Please bring your donations of canned or dried foods (in cans or boxes, please, no glass containers) to donate to Cheverly's American Legion Auxiliary Unit 108 Unit Food Drive at Holiday Market on December 8. They appreciated your support at Thanksgiving Market -- we know that we can do more. Please, dig deep and be generous. You'll be glad you did. And thanks.

At Holiday Market: Honestly Homemade

Last year, Cheverly's very own Christine Robertson made her Cheverly Community Market debut at Thanksgiving Market with her Honestly Homemade baked goods and mixes, and she was a great success! The apple dumplings were one of the best things of the day, and they sold out fast. This year, Christine joins us for Holiday Market, and we couldn't be happier to welcome her back.  She'll have gourmet cookies (oatmeal-chocolate chip, triple ginger, and peanut butter-chocolate chip), brownies, Cookie-Mix-In-A-Jar in multiple varieties (they make great gifts for your neighbors and kid's teachers!) and those amazing apple dumplings -- made with Benny's/Rebert's Granny Smith apples, in addition to homemade Challah bread from Jim Monahan. Make sure to visit Christine early -- you do not want to miss out on any of these delectable treats!

At Holiday Market: Elk Run Vineyards

Just got this lovely note from Bob Cecil of Elk Run Vineyards:

Elk Run is looking forward to participating in your December Holiday Market.  We will be bringing a full selection of our wines, including 2010 reds that have won an unprecedented number of Gold Medals this year in national and international wine competitions. Two of these, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, are sold out at the winery.  The only remaining bottles will be sold at Farmers Markets in December. 

We will also have our estate-grown Zinfandel which we believe is the only Zinfandel grown and produced on the east coast.  This is also in very limited supply, only one barrel was made. 

Finally, we will bring our sparkling wine just in time for holiday events.  This is a very dry chardonnay-based sparkler, made using the classic methode chmpenoise technique.

We're looking forward to seeing you -- and Elk Run Vineyards -- at Holiday Market on December 8. Visit Bob to stock up on wonderful bottles for your holiday celebrations...and make sure to pick up a few for gifts, too!

Photos from Thanksgiving Market

We finally got around to uploading all those photos from Thanksgiving Market...chalk the delay up to a frenzy of Thanksgiving cooking and preparations. In looking at all the photos, we were struck by how many wonderful conversations people were having -- Cheverly Community Market is truly a community event, especially at the holidays! Want to relive the morning or see what you missed and get  geared up for Holiday Market next Saturday? Visit us on flickr!

At Holiday Market: Make your home gorgeous for the holidays with Boy Scout Troop 257!

image via PublicDomainP ictures.net

Boy Scout Troop 257 will be selling 4.5" and 6” poinsettias, beautiful wreaths, amaryllis, cyclamen and pine roping at Holiday Market on December 8. Stop by their table in the Community Center for everything you need to make your front door and your home merry for the holidays!

At Holiday Market: M and S Paperworks

We're excited to welcome M&S Paperworks to Cheverly Community Market on December 8! M&S Paperworks will be selling an assortment of unique and affordable items, such as Christmas cards, decorative picture frames, unique "hanging" scrapbooks, and glass and fabric Christmas ornaments including the very popular NFL-themed ornaments. 

Help us welcome M&S Paperworks to Holiday Market, and find perfect gifts!

Pre-order for Holiday Market: Classic and Carefree Bake Shoppe

Classic and Carefree Bake Shoppe joins us for Holiday Market...and they have some delicious treats available for you to pre-order!

Classic cupcakes are available for pre-order in boxes of 4 cupcakes each. The cost is $5 for a box.

Classic Vanilla:  Fluffy vanilla cake topped with a traditional sweet buttercream frosting. These treats will be stuffed with raspberry filling and topped with a holly and ivy decoration.
Hot Chocolate:  Moist chocolate cake stuffed with marshmallow filling and iced with a light milk chocolate buttercream. These yummy morsels will be decorated to look like reindeer!
Zucchini:  Eating your vegetables is easy with this moist cake and creamy frosting. These cupcakes are decorated to look like snowmen.
Vanilla Bean:  A deliciously light vanilla bean cake topped with rich vanilla frosting infused with the seeds of real vanilla beans and beautifully decorated with classy snowflakes.
Variety Boxes:  Can't decide? Variety boxes come with one of each of the cupcakes described above. 

Carefree Items (gluten- and allergen-free) items will be available both at the Market and for pre-order. Prices are listed with item description.

Breads: Mini and regular sized loaves of Cranberry Nut Bread and Pecan Raisin Bread will be available for $2/mini or $8 per regular loaf. These sweet breads are perfect for a morning jumpstart or tasty afternoon snack!Cookies: Our popular Snickerdoodle cookies are back, and are joined by a host of cheerful Gingerbread men. Get some before these spicy-sweet treats disappear! Snickerdoodles are $0.75 each and gingerbread men are $1 each - or order a larger set perfect for a holiday gift or for enjoying later.Cupcakes: each 4-pack of cupcakes costs $6 and flavors available will include Strawberry Vanilla and Lemon Meringue. A vanilla cupcake topped with festive red strawberries will put you in the holiday mood, and a sweet lemon cupcake filled with lightly tart lemon custard and topped with a delicious lemon meringue will be a gift to your taste buds!

Any of these delicious  items can be ordered by emailing Laura & Danielle or through Classic & Carefree's website by December 1. Pre-ordering will ensure that your favorite items are ready and waiting for you at Holiday Market -- don't miss out on your favorites because of early shoppers! 

Thank you, Turkey Trotters!

Thank you to the wonderful organizers of the 2nd Annual Cheverly Turkey Trot! We're very grateful to be one of two organizations which is receiving monetary support from Turkey Trot this year (Capital Area Food Bank is the second). In addition to raising money, hundreds of pounds of food were donated by participants. If you missed this amazing event -- or if you want to relive it -- please visit Teresa Castracane's online portfolio.  We can't wait for next year!

Cheverly Community Market Gift Certificates!

Purchase a Gift Certificate from Cheverly Community Market! It's a great gift for your friends, neighbors, and loved ones who love the Market!

We believe in small business. We believe in supporting local producers and artisans.  Show that you believe, too, by purchasing gift certificates from Cheverly Community Market!

Our gift certificates are available online in $10, $20, and $50 denominations (plus a $2.50 Market fee and modest credit card processing fee) and support the Market in its' mission and continuing growth. Or purchase Market gift certificates at the Market (visit the Market table in the lobby) to purchase gift certificates in any denomination. The certificates are good at any of our vendors all the way through December 2013, so it's a great present for the people with whom you love to share your Market mornings -- a promise of fun Saturdays to come!

It's the perfect time to order your Christmas tree from Cheverly Community Market!

We hope you had a grand Thanksgiving celebration! Now that the good dishes are clean and replaced in the cupboards, and the leftovers have been consumed, we're looking forward to our big Holiday Market on December 8 -- we'll have lots of news over the next two weeks, including pre-order informaiton and vendor updates here on our blog and loads of recipes on Pinterest to help you get ready for the holidays.

Join a grand tradition and order your Christmas tree from Cheverly Community Market! This year, we are again offering beautiful trees from Mayne’s Farm in Middletown, Maryland. Choose from lovely fragrant traditional Scoth Pines or Douglas Firs, ranging from 5' to 8'. Proceeds benefit Cheverly Community Market and help us to prepare for our next season.

Guarantee that you get one of these gorgeous fresh trees by pre-ordering today! Pre-ordering and prepayment ensure that a tree will be ready for you any time during our Holiday Market on December 8 from 9am to 1pm. OR you can reserve a tree, which will allow you to pick up a tree from 9am to 11am on December 8 and pay for it at that time (via credit card or check made out to Cheverly Community Market). Please note that your pre-paid credit card order includes a small handling fee to offset costs and support Cheverly Community Market's ongoing mission.

Scotch Pine

6’-7’ $32 (+$2.75 credit handling fee)

7‘-8’ $38 (+$3.00 credit handling fee)

Douglas Fir

6’-7’ $45 (+$3.50 credit handling fee)

7’-8’ $55 (+$4.00 credit handling fee)

You can order by mail (orders must be received by November 30) or online (order deadline December 1). Any non-prepaid trees not picked up by 11am on December 8 are put up for general sale, first-come first-served. Please make sure to bring your receipt with you to Holiday Market on Saturday, December 8, at the Cheverly Community Center.

To order by mail, visit download and print the order form. Visit us on EventBrite to place your order online.

And don't forget, you can also order Cheverly Community Market gift certificates at Eventbrite!

Thank you and happy holidays! We're looking forward to seeing you at Holiday Market on December 8!

Cheverly's 2nd Annual Turkey Trot is tomorrow!!

Wow -- there are 72 people registered for the 5K run, and 102 registered for the 1K walk. That's amazing! We're looking forward to spending some pre-turkey time with our wonderful friends and neighbors tomorrow morning! Again, thank you to Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert's Farm for providing apples for the runners. 

Here's a little information for participants: 

Sign-in and packet pick-up will begin at 7:45 a.m. at the Cheverly Community Center, 6401 Forest Road, Cheverly.     

Please arrive no later than 8:30 a.m.  We will start the 5K runners promptly at 9:00 a.m., followed by the 1K runners and walkers.   

PARKING:You will NOT be able to park in the Cheverly Community Center or Town Park parking lots.  Anyone who can walk to the Community Center is highly encouraged to do so.  Those who must drive are encouraged to park in the parking lot for the Cheverly United Methodist Church, a short walk from the Community Center (parking lot is at the corner of Forest Road and Park Way). 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, remember to bring a donation of non-perishable food items for the Capital Area Food Bank. 

Thankfully yours,
Jen Eldridge (on behalf of the Cheverly Turkey Trot committee) 

Like us on Facebook!

www.facebook.com/CheverlyTurkeyTrot Many thanks to our generous sponsors:CHVProm
Toole Design Group
McGuirk and Associates
Professional Massage Therapist, Teresa Williams
Wildflower YogaSusan Pruden, Century 21 Home Center
Teresa Castracane Photography
St. Ambrose Men's Club

This Thanksgiving, we're thankful for YOU!

Thank you to all the wonderful people who joined us for Thanksgiving Market today -- our amazing vendors, spectacular volunteers, and lovely customers! We are always grateful for your support, but today we're especially pleased. What a great Market! Congratulations to our basket raffle winners: Erin Moran, Ed Terry, Sue McElroy, and Andrea Seabrook! We'll do another basket raffle at Holiday Market...try your luck again, and thank you for supporting the Market!

There's still time to order your Christmas tree (the deadline is December 1)! And we've made it easy to purchase gift certifcates online (in denominations of $10, $20, or $50, plus Market & processing fees.)

Photos from Thanksgiving Market will be published soon. In the meantime, visit our Pinterest page for fantastic recipes, tips and techniques to make your Thanksgiving meal the best yet. We'll be posting throughout the week!

We wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you at Holiday Market on December 8!

Join us for Thanksgiving Market this Saturday!

Some events are so special that they can only happen once a year. Thanksgiving Market is one of those events!

Join us this Saturday at Cheverly Community Center from 9am to 1pm for the biggest Thanksgiving Market in our history! With over 40 vendors and community groups plus live entertainment, we're excited to share one of the best Markets ever with you!

FOOD
Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm
Boy Scout Troop 257 (nuts)
C J&D Food Truck
Cafe Ambrosia
Cakes by Ruthann (don't forget to pick up your pies if you pre-ordered!)
Cakes  & Confections Bakery (don't forget to pick up your desserts if you pre-ordered!)
Cheverly Breadbasket
Eve's Cheese
Martha's Jams
Shlagel Farms
Simple Pleasures Ice Cream (don't forget to pick up your ice cream if you pre-ordered!)
Two Oceans Seafood (don't forget to pick up your oysters if you pre-ordered!)
Waltz Family Farm (don't forget to pick up your turkeys if you pre-ordered!)

WINE
Cygnus Wine Cellars
Elk Run Vineyards

GIFTS
Azur Soleil Organics
Bahari Deco Crafts
Bingles Accessories
D&D Affordables
Gigi's Quilts
Golde Art Project
Hats by Anne
Helen Crosskey
Karen Wright Jewelry
Lee Dickenson Pottery
Little Peeps Jewelry
Profusions of Glass
Rox & Glitter Jewelry
Sister Scent Candles
Teresa Castracane Photography
Tot Tartans

GREENERY/DECORATION
Boy Scout Troop 257
Henry's Wreaths
New Starts Farm
Pre-order your Christmas Tree from Cheverly Community Market!

COMMUNITY GROUPS
American Legion -- canned food drive
Bladensburg Library -- membership drive
Cheverly Garden Club -- leaf bags
Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek -- Year of the Oak Celebration
Green Infrastructure Committee -- compost bins
Tallest Tree in Cheverly
Turkey Trot Sign Up

ENTERTAINMENT
Eleanor Roosevelt High School Dixieland Jazz Combo

Get the very best ingredients for your Thanksgiving meals, do some holiday gift  shopping, buy Market Gift Certificates for your friends, take a chance on our raffle, and spend a wonderful Saturday morning with your friends, family, and neighbors at Cheverly Community Market! What a great way to spend time together as a community before we all get busy this season!

See you Saturday at Thanksgiving Market!

Pre-order your Christmas trees from Cheverly Community Market!

Join a grand tradition and order your tree from Cheverly Community Market! This year, we are again offering beautiful trees from Mayne’s Farm in Middletown, Maryland. Choose from lovely fragrant traditional Scoth Pines or Douglas Firs, ranging from 5' to 8'. Proceeds benefit Cheverly Community Market and help us to prepare for our next season. We're proud to bring these trees to Cheverly and thank Don Tyler for helping us with this effort!

Douglas Firs (short needle)5'-6'  $45 (plus fee for prepaid credit orders)
7'-8'  $55 (plus fee for prepaid credit orders) 

Scotch Pines (long needle)5'-6'  $32 (plus fee for prepaid credit orders)
7'-8'  $38 (plus fee for prepaid credit orders)

Guarantee that you get one of these gorgoeus fresh trees by pre-ordering today! Pre-order online or visit the Market table at Thanksgiving Market this Saturday!Pre-ordering and prepayment ensure that a tree will be ready for you any time during our Holiday Market on December 8 from 9am to 1pm. OR you can reserve a tree, which will allow you to pick up a tree from 9am to 11am on December 8 and pay for it at that time (via credit card or check made out to Cheverly Community Market). Please note that your pre-paid credit card order includes a small handling fee to offset costs and support Cheverly Community Market's ongoing mission. 

The last day to order trees is Saturday, December 1. Any non-prepaid trees not picked up by 11am on December 8 are put up for general sale, first-come first-served.

Please make sure to print out and bring your receipt with you to Holiday Market on Saturday, December 8, at the Cheverly Community Center. 

Thank you for supporting Cheverly Community Market!

Keep It Local. Gift Certificates from Cheverly Community Market!

We believe in small business. We believe in supporting local producers and artisans. That's who we are. Show that you believe, too, by purchasing gift certificates from Cheverly Community Market this holiday season!

Our gift certificates are available in any denomination (plus a small service fee) and support the Market and our wonderful vendors. They are good at any of our vendors throughout the end of this Market season and all the way through next, so it's a great present for the people with whom you love to share your Market mornings -- a promise of fun Saturdays in the new year!

Visit the Market table at Thanksgiving Market for details and to purchase these thoughtful gifts!

At Thanksgiving Market

This Saturday at Thanksgiving Market...

 Rox & Glitter

Profusions of Glass

Hats by Anne

Karen Wright

Cheverly Breadbasket

D & D Affordables

Cafe Ambrosia

Eve's Cheese

At Thanksgiving Market: Raffle Baskets!

We'll continue a fine Cheverly Community Market tradition this Saturday morning: the Thanksgiving Market Basket Raffle! Several baskets will be filled with all sorts of wonderful items donated by our fantastic vendors, and each will include a $10 Market gift certificate and a Market shopping bag. Tickets are just $1 each or 6 for $5 and will be available at the Market table in the lobby of the Community Center, and the drawing will be at noon. Proceeds benefit Cheverly Community Center!

At Thanksgiving Market: Tot Tartans

We're very excited to welcome Tot Tartans to Cheverly Community Market for the first time! They make really sweet onesies, burp cloths, and toddler t-shirts, in addition to custom items. Very thoughtful gifts for the newest people on your holiday gift-giving list!

At Thanksgiving Market: Bahari Deco Craft

Bahari Deco Crafts creates fashion home accessories using Kanga and Kitenge cloths, the predominant cloth in the Swahili culture of the East Africa. Bahari Deco Crafts shares stories and Swahili culture in the metro-DC region.

Visit Bahari Deco Craft online for a good explanation what kanga, kitenge and kikoi mean and a little bit of history of Kanga cloth. Then visit Bahari at Thanksgiving Market for gorgeous shoulder bags, wristlets, wallet and coin purses, as well as other fashion accessories.

At Thanksgiving Market: Leaf Bags and Compost Bins!

We want to thank Dave Kneipp and Doug Alexander for helping us to keep Cheverly beautiful!

image via PixaBay

All around Cheverly, the leaves are crunching under our feet! And while it's one of our favorite sounds, all these leaves need to be cleaned up as we prepare for winter! Our very own Master Gardener, Dave Kneipp, is here to help. Clear leaf bags will be available at Thanksgiving Market: 50 clear leaf bags for $5. Pick up a set of 50, bag up those leaves, put them at the curb on Monday by 7:00am, and feel a sense of accomplishment for readying your lawn and home for the winter! The great people at Public Works will be grateful to you for bagging those leaves!

The last of the compost bins for 2012 will be available at Thanksgiving Market for just $20. THIS IS THE FINAL SALE OF BINS UNTIL JULY 2013. There are six bins left and funds will not be available to purchase more until next summer. If you want a bin, get it now!

If you can't make it to the Market, contact Doug Alexander and he can make arrangements with you.

 Learn more about Cheverly's Compost Bin program.

At Thanksgiving Market: Teresa Castracane Photography

Cheverly's Teresa Castracane is a portrait and theatrical photographer whose work includes production photography, actor headshots, and portraits of everyone from professionals to children and families. When she’s not working, she sometimes takes pictures that don’t have people in them. Her work has been seen in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, and in several DC-area art shows. She is the resident photographer for the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and a member of the Professional Photographers of America. Teresa is also a classically trained stage actress, and the mother of two small boys. Please visit her photography website or her Etsy shop.

Visit Teresa at Thanksgiving Market and select beautiful photographs to give to your favorite people!

Music from the Market: Eleanor Roosevelt HS Dixieland Combo

We are thrilled to announce that the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Dixieland Combo will be joining us for Thanksgiving Market. These Market favorites are students from Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Please give them a big welcome this Saturday!

At Thanksgiving Market: Helen Crosskey

Cheverly's own Helen Crosskey will have her beautiful jewelry and gift items, as well as additional unique creative designs: coats, jackets, caps, scarves, and more for the luckiest people on your gift-giving list. Helen will also take special orders at Thanksgiving Market and have them ready for the holidays. Make sure to stop by and see all the lovely things that Helen has made, do some holiday shopping, and pick up something special for your holiday ensembles!

At Thanksgiving Market: Boy Scout Troop 257

image via wpclipart

Boy Scout Troop 257, sponsored by the Cheverly American Legion Post 108, has your snacking and gift-giving needs covered this holiday season. The Scouts are selling a delicious selection of Virginia peanuts, including Butter Toasted Peanuts, Salted Gourmet Peanuts, Honey Roasted Peanuts, and Double-Dipped Chocolate Peanuts at Thanksgiving Market this Saturday. They'll also have Buttery Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanuts, Smoked Cajun Peanuts, and Cranberry Nut Mix. They will also be selling poinsettias, wreaths, garlands and greens for Christmas.

At Thanksgiving Market: Elk Run Vineyards

We didn't see nearly enough of Bob Cecil this season, so we're really glad that Elk Run Vineyards will join us for Thanksgiving Market this Saturday! Bob writes:

Elk Run is pleased to be returning to the Cheverly Community Thanksgiving Market for the sixth consecutive year. We are bringing our full line of wines with some new additions. For the first time this year, we will have our just-released Maryland Zinfandel. This is a flavorful dry red wine with a smooth and long finish. We also will have our sparkling wine, a blanc-de-blanc made from our Chardonnay grapes. It is brut (very dry) produced by using the classic methode champenoise technique. Finally, we will be featuring four of our wines that won best-in-class in July at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition. No other winery has won this many awards before.

Congratulations to Bob and the Elk Run team on the accolades! If you've tasted these wines, you already know that the accolades are well deserved. If you haven't, make sure to stop by, sample, and discover some truly special wines. Either way, pick up a few bottles for your holiday celebrations! 

At Thanksgiving Market: Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm

 

There are so many wonderful things to eat at the end of the growing year: apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli....there the basis of many delicious dishes we enjoy all winter long! This Saturday, stock up on wonderful fresh produce from Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm. The Rebert brothers will have a wide variety of fresh-picked apples -- Fuji, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Stayman, Rome, York, and Golden Delicious -- as well as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash broccoli, celery, onions, and fresh pressed cider.

Need some cooking inspiration? Visit us on Pinterest for thousands of ideas!

At Thanksgiving Market: Friends of Bladensburg Library

image via Textually.org

Friends of Bladensburg Library will be at Thanksgiving Market! They'll have information and membership forms. They'll also give away some free bookmarks and sell books and games, so stop by and meet some of the people from your local library!

At Thanksgiving Market: Bingles Accessories

Bingles Accessories is a small family enterprise that began while searching for jewelry to pack to go on vacation! Cheverly resident Alex Stewart Carter and her daughter, Phoebe, make fun, colorful, collectable pendants, earrings, and rings. The inspiration is simple -- a combination of beautiful fabrics such as Sari fragments and natural elements such as sand dollars, mounted on silver plated rings and earrings. The pendants come with a choice of necklace, silk rope or leather. Perfect handmade gifts or something to collect for you!