With the help of local creative makers, Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest shoppers can add that special handcrafted touch to their holiday celebrations. Workshops throughout Marketfest weekend, Dec. 5-7, will guide participants in the fine crafts of basket making, paper arts, and repurposing lobster rope from the sea.

Local crafter Cindy Cayton offers a workshop in how to make professional-looking gift bows to complete gift presentations on Friday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. Students should expect to make at least six bows, and Cindy provides all the needed materials. Registering in advance is requested by sending an email to mindfulgardensmaine@gmail.com. A fee of $20 is payable at the workshop at 62 Middle St. just a block out of Wiscasset Village.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, basketmaker Maré LeMay instructs students in the making of her signature Solstice Stars, from 10 a.m. to noon. The completed stars work well for hanging in windows, from mantels, or on trees, and make excellent tree toppers. Students are asked to register in advance by emailing to mindfulgardensmaine@gmail.com. A fee of $20 includes materials and is payable at the workshop at 62 Middle St., Wiscasset.

Cayton returns on Saturday afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m., with a Card-Making Workshop. Students will learn to make holiday cards to take home along with the know-how to make cards for any purpose. Please register in advance at mindfulgardensmaine@gmail.com. A $20 fee includes materials and is payable at the workshop at 62 Middle St., Wiscasset.

Also on Saturday, Panacea is hosting a workshop making Upcycled Lobster Rope Garlands with Kerin O’Keefe of Cape Porpoise Trading Co., from 3 to 6 p.m. Students will be instructed in how to craft a colorful garland from fishing rope salvaged from the sea. Registration is $40 and participants can sign up for a time slot on the day of the workshop by stopping in at Panacea, 100 Main St. in Wiscasset Village.

On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, LeMay invites students to a Garlic Basket Workshop, an airy style of basket for storing heads of garlic. The workshop is limited to 10 students and advance registration is required at mindfulgardensmaine@gmail.com. A $25 fee includes materials and is payable at the workshop at 62 Middle St., Wiscasset.

Paper artist Joelle Webber offers the final workshop of the weekend, a Holiday Ornaments Dropin Workshop, from noon to 3 p.m. Using Webber's handmade decorative papers and a kit of materials, students are invited to drop in for about 15 minutes to complete a lovely ornament for tree or home. This is a kid-friendly workshop. The kits are $10, payable at the workshop. Additional kits for $10 each are available to take home. No advance registration needed, just drop in. The workshop is hosted by Ley Lines at 64 Main St. in Wiscasset Village.

And for another blast of inspiration, Marketfest shoppers are invited to the wonderland of creations by local artisans in the Holiday Gift Shop in the barn behind the historic Nickels-Sortwell House at the corner of Main and Federal streets, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Marketfest day. Wreaths decorated by local businesses will be on display. In addition to excellent shopping and make-it-yourself workshops, Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest offers free or low-cost activities throughout the weekend.

The sponsors who make this possible are Lead Sponsor Ames True Value Supply; Major Sponsors are Carriage House Gardens, First Federal Savings & Loan, First National Bank, J. Edward Knight Insurance, Midcoast Federal Credit Union, Red’s Eats, Rock Paper Scissors, Sherri Dunbar/Tim Dunham Realty, Water Street Kitchen & Bar, and Wiscasset Ford; with additional support from AEkeir Brewing, Bradbury Art & Antiques, Fiction Bookshop, M.W. Sewall, Red Bull Antiques, Sprague’s Lobster, and The Bird Gallery.

For Marketfest details, visit the Calendar on www.WiscassetHolidayMarketfest.com. Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest is a partnership between Wiscasset Creative Alliance and Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce.