28.11.09

Back to the Basics!

Coffee breaks have changed again... now I take the time to get outside and enjoy the weather... winter is coming, so every little bit helps, even if for just an hour a day! And no, there is nothing wrong with an hour-long coffee break every once in a while!!

27.11.09

Midnight Raven

Well, the fairs are over for me for this year, and am busy getting orders done and finishing projects in the studio. Midnight Raven is now in it's bowl form, slightly ovoid in shape-- I cold-worked it (grinding, sanding and sanding and sanding through different grits by hand) for a long time, trying to decide how much of an oval I wanted to have in the finished piece, representing the depth of the night, and ended up going from very extreme to a much more subtle oval shape in the end... This piece is now listed on my Etsy shop, along with other new items!

24.11.09

THANK YOU ALL!!

Thank you to all who attended the Best Coast Christmas Fine Craft Fair!! We had a great weekend at a beautiful venue and are excited about the possibilities for next year... so plan on coming back with all your friends in tow!!

21.11.09

MARBLE MOUNTAIN, WHAT A VENUE!!

The Best Coast Christmas Craft Fair is beautiful, and in full swing. Gorgeous venue, beautiful product, support your local artisans, buy hand-made!!! Come see for yourself!!! The atmosphere is wonderful out here!!
Sunday is the last day to enjoy all of this, to take in music by local musicians, see wonderful art, taste Newfoundland-made wine and chocolate, and buy hand-crafted goods from the east coast and the BEST COAST!
10am-4pm

20.11.09

TODAY IS THE DAY!

BEST COAST CHRISTMAS FINE CRAFT FAIR AT MARBLE MOUNTAIN BEGINS TODAY!! So this morning, I am starting to pack my glass... it was a busy day yesterday. Artisans from away arrived in the morning, and it was so great to have so many hands on to help with the set-up; Niki's husband Bill and Shannon's husband George were great helps even earlier than the rest of the crew, we met at teh Pepsi Centre and hauled out all the posts and stands for the drapes and trucked them over to Marble Mountain Lodge....then the fun really began. Although the elevator is small, I still really appreciated its carrying capacity!
More and more people arrived throughout the day, and the place is looking great! The staff at Marble have done a beautiful job of decorating the space, and I am looking forward to enjoying the live music that we will hear over the course of the weekend as well.
Very soon now, I will be there, setting up, and hope to have my booth looking bright and cheery as well. Hope to see you at the fair!

18.11.09

THE BEST COAST CRAFT FAIR IS ALMOST HERE!!

THE ANNUAL TINY SNOWMEN AND TINY TREES MARK THE ARRIVAL OF THE BEST COAST CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR... TOMORROW WE SET UP, AND FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, THE SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVE SEASON BEGINS AT MARBLE MOUNTAIN!! SEE YOU THERE!

16.11.09

BEST COAST CHRISTMAS FINE CRAFT FAIR!!

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS UNTIL THE BEST COAST CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR AT THE MARBLE MOUNTAIN MAIN LODGE THIS WEEKEND-- FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY!!! MUSIC, WINE, CHOCOLATE, FINE CRAFT AND ART... what could be better?!

15.11.09

THE BEST COAST!

BEST COAST CHRISTMAS FINE CRAFT FAIR
NOV. 20-22 MARBLE MOUNTAIN
MUSIC, WINE, CHOCLATE AND FINE ART/CRAFT
WHAT COULD BE BETTER?!

13.11.09

BEST COAST CHRISTMAS FINE CRAFT FAIR

We're working hard out here to get the Best Coast Christmas Fine Craft Fair on the go... only 7 more days until the event unfolds at Marble Mountain Main Lodge, NOV 20-22. Exhibitors from St. John's area are coming out, and are very excited about the venue; the staff at Marble will have a beautifully decorated giant tree, lights, and the whole deal-- great spirit will abound; we are also looking forward to wine-and-chocolate-tasting from locally produced chocolate and wine companies, as well as fine art by LAWN, and beautifully crafted goods from local producers! Musicians supporting the fair, Lloyd Bartlett, Wesley Harris, and Kids Go Boom will be entertaining us all throughout the fair, and artisans will be demonstrating their work as well. Come and support your local artisans!!
SEE YOU AT THE FAIR!!!!

12.11.09

Being Grateful

Yesterday was Remeberance Day-- a formal time set aside to honour the people who put their lives at risk to allow the rest of us to enjoy the freedoms and rights that we have. Each day I am reminded of the wonderful life that we share here in Gillams, and of the amazing things that we experience. It was nice to have an official time set aside to give a few minutes of our time to pay our respect to our deserving soldiers, from now and then.
Our quality of life is so high that when Hiin-- for the first time, I might add, because he got caught in a chat and didn't hover over the stove as usual-- burnt the outer crust of the pizza. He cut it off...
...this got fed to the dog, and the rest of us enjoyed the chock-full-of-garlic cheese fingers...
...we live in such luxury.

11.11.09

Success in Sin City!!

!!!!!!!THANKS!!!!!!!


I brought 'hard walls' to St. John's, and I really liked the set-up a lot more than any other I've tried so far. It sure fills up and loads down the car, though, and set-up/take-down takes a lot longer, but I think that while it is up for a multi-day Fair, it might be the way to go for me.
I was really lucky in St. John's, and am grateful for the wonderful response to my work; I sold out of Jiggle Birds...
...I sold out of my mummers (with copper stands, wide enough to put candles on)...

...and I sold out of my caribou (which was traumatic, funnily enough!)... a biologist was so pleased with them, she bought two, and said that they were exactly right, the way the walking caribou lifted their feet, and the way the grazers leaned over. That really made me happy, as I worked for about two months this fall carving and recarving my mold for these animals!

Bowls... many of which are in new peoples' houses, and getting wrapped for Christmas!! It was a great show for me, and I feel incredibly positive about the whole experiecne; I met many wonderful people, and was fortunate in my shared experience with fellow-booth holders... our space was great!!
THANK YOU TO ALL!!

There and Back

I was lucky with the drive to Sin City; sunny and bright on the way there...

...beautiful larches in fall splendour...
... through the moonscape section of landscape, reddish with the setting sun...

...full moon rising...

...and home again, green conifers taking over the colour scheme of the land, along with a bit of snow. What a change over the 7 days!!

1.11.09

That's It!!!

My studio is empty, and clean-- ready for when I come back; Hiin gets to reclaim the living-room, dining-room, and kitchen (which are more or less one room anyway, but if I split them up, it sounds big); Shep will be even more bored with his sheep for a while... Off to Sin City tomorrow, set-up on Tues (which will take me all day, trying out a different booth set-up, and still haven't had the chance to try it out yet), and then hopefully sales for the next five days...!
Going to miss my home, and my buddy...