Valley features Alaska gifts

Undeniably, some people are just hard to shop for. Many shoppers want to get someone in the Lower 48 a uniquely Alaskan gift, but the old standards the painted gold pan and Alaska-shaped burlwood clock dont seem quite right.

Following are some ideas that might strike a shoppers fancy. While by no means the only sources for Alaskan gifts in the Valley, these are places a little off the beaten track that not everyone may have heard about.

Sabine Becker is a German-born artist who has been creating Alaska Spirit Dolls for the last four years, and the truly unique feature of her work is that its done entirely with her feet. Born without arms, Becker has become so adept with her toes that she can sew the tiny 3-inch dolls from leather, then dress them in intricately detailed outfits.

Becker explains that the dolls are not to be confused with Eskimo dolls, but are designed simply to capture the spirit of Alaska. Each doll has a spirit or dancing mask made of caribou antler, and the leather clothing is decorated with grouse or pheasant feathers as well as tiny necklaces. They are ornamental enough to be worn as pins.

Making the dolls started as a hobby in addition to Beckers job as a social worker, but it gradually evolved into a full-time occupation.

I sold quite a few, so financially it was worth it to do full time, she says. Thats something I didnt plan, but it works out so good. People really like those little dolls.

Anyone interested in Beckers Spirit Dolls can call her at 376-5397 or send e-mail to n.del@akcache.com.

Another hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur is Darryl Fenton, a disabled 32-year-old Wasilla resident who turned his woodcarving hobby into a successful business after he created the Poop Moose. At first not everyone shared his enthusiasm for the product a wooden moose that dispenses candy from its south end when its head is lifted but the moose have become wildly popular.

Marketing Director Terry Martin says a replicated version of the dispenser has been licensed for sale in gift shops and on the shopping channel QVC, but the original hand-crafted ones are still made by Fenton and a small crew in a workshop behind his parents home. Fenton is an award-winning master woodcrafter who regularly takes first prize in contests around the state.

Varieties of the Poop Moose include the original poplar version, in two sizes, and a signed, limited edition of 1,500 made of black walnut with cherrywood antlers.

Theres also the Polar Pooper, a polar bear, and the Texas Tooter, a longhorn steer sure to delight your Texas friends. You can fill the dispensers with M&Ms, jelly beans, chocolate raisins, gum balls and even Hersheys kisses.

Unmatched as conversation pieces, the Poop Moose sometimes get borrowed by friends for special occasions, says Martin, and anyone who buys one inevitably hears a chorus of How can I get one?

The answer to that question is at local crafts fairs, on the Internet, and at Anchorages Dimond Center this week, Dec. 9-13. People may also call (800) 884-POOP or log on to www.poopmoose.com.

Lovers of colorful art glass should stop by Denali Stained Glass (on Bogard Road just north of the Wasilla Post Office), owned by Dorothy Smith since 1993. The shop carries not only finished glassworks but also the tools and materials people need to make your own stained glass, plus classes to teach them how.

Candle-holders, lamps, beads, jewelry, mosaics and framed windows are among the gifts available, with Alaska scenes, wildlife and even a Nativity arrangement available. Smith also offers glasswork repairs, and the local artists who work at her shop are happy to create custom orders. For information, people may call 376-6005.

In the market for edible gifts? Alaska Basket Greetings offers Wild and Natural Gourmet Smoke Salmon in several varieties, including the original alder smoke, mild cajun spice and honey glaze, plus two hot varieties jalapeno and habanero.

The 4-ounce jars are available in gift baskets, including birch syrups from Kahiltna Birchworks in Trapper Creek, jams and jellies from Berry Delightful in Talkeetna, and honey from Matanuska Apiaries. (Customers can even throw in some Matanuska Thunderstruck Catnip for a favorite feline.)

Marketed by Bristol Alaskan, LLC, the locally produced salmon product is available at Carrs stores in Muldoon, Eagle River, Aurora Village, Huffman and Sears Mall, also at Costco stores, and at Salsa Vita in the Sears Mall in Anchorage and the Cottonwood Creek Mall in Wasilla.

The Alaska Basket Greetings store in Wasilla is located in Creekside Plaza near JoAnns Fabrics. To order, people may call 373-1144 or (888) 471-5666, or visit the store online at www.mtaonline.net/akbasket/.

Ever wonder where the Dorothy Page Museum gift shop went? It is now incorporated into the Chain Reaction Gallery and Art Center, which occupies the eastern side of the old Teelands building now located on Herning Street between Main and Boundary streets. Quiveut (musk ox hair) hats and scarves, and Eskimo dolls of sealskin and beaver are only some of the items on display, along with fur mukluks and slippers and exquisite Native carvings.

In the rest of the shop, which is owned by silversmith Pat Candler, many local artists display their work and there is an endless variety of ceramics, baskets, drawings, carvings, jewelry, books, fiber arts and imaginative crafts unlike anything found in traditional gift shops. Just stepping into the store sparks a wealth of ideas of gifts for that hard-to-please person.

Candler also offers gift certificates for classes taught by local artists, everything from drawing, beadmaking and metalsmithing, to spinning and weaving your own yarn. People can get in touch by calling 373-0402 or sending e-mail toPatCandler@micronet.net.PatCandler@micronet.net.

Photo:Dorothy Smith shows off the Nativity scene she just completed at her shop, Denali Stained Glass.

Photo by JODI STEPHENS.