Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Alisa P. Designs

For most moms, a hand-made anything and an all-hands-on-deck breakfast is plenty for Mother’s Day, which is less than a month away. (That’s a subtle reminder, folks.) If you really want to impress Mom on her special day, check out Littleton’s Alisa P Designs’ handcrafted silverwork. Artist Alisa Phelps—a former attorney and mother of two—takes 99.9 percent silver in clay form, and crafts it into personalized jewelry she describes as “organic, simple, and natural” by using household objects like PVC pipe, ping pong balls, and playing cards to mold her designs. The clay, which is made of silver particles, an organic binding material, and water, is a non-toxic compound that even people with sensitive skin can wear.

Phelps started using precious metal clay to make jewelry as a hobby 12 years ago, and now creates pieces ranging from classic pendant necklaces to silver wrapped leather bracelets. The creations have evolved as she began making gifts for friends who also happened to be parents. The kid-focused crowd now makes up a chunk of her clients. Want to capture a unique part of your child? Phelps can take their fingerprint and elegantly place it on a necklace or bracelet charm (sign up online for her Mother’s Day Fingerprint Session on Saturday, April 26). If you would rather do it yourself, Phelps offers introduction courses to make a pendant or set of earrings (check here for up-to-date schedules of classes). By the end of the class, you’ll leave with a finished piece, a tool-kit, and the know-how to make more.