YOUR OLD FENCEPOST MAY BE HIDING SOMETHING

All it takes is a guy like this to bring it out. Timber Turner Woodturning of WILBRAHAM, MASSACHUSETTS makes these great "weed pots" from a material you would generally toss in the landfill. I love the play of the old against the new. He works out of a well-lit shed in his backyard with a wood stove going in winter, drawing inspiration from what he sees outside. You can almost smell the wood chips, can't you? You know I love to see things being recycled so this just made my day. Hope it makes yours too. Click on the photo to see more of his excellent wood turnings.

REPRESENTATIONAL PAINTING OUTSIDE OF BOSTON

WOW ! I wish I could paint in this loose style ! It just looks so freeing. This painting is by Michelle Arnold Paine of WALTHAM, MA. I just love her playful use of paint. She has a church interior in her shop that is also stunning in its simplicity. Michelle has been exhibited across the US and also has her work in the permanent collections of Valparaiso University, Indiana.
Please do check out her shop for a tour of some truly wonderful places.
Very nice work, Michelle.

August Artist- Dana Filibert: A Mixture of Many Mediums

We chose our August artist of the month Dana Filibert not just because we support local artists but because of her versatility, creativity, vision, talent and the ability to work with several mediums. Whether it is steel, epoxy, mixed media or simply pencil on paper her sculptures and designs truly reflect an amazing individual with limitless talent. Her work is sure to inspire the artist in all of us. I have met Dana and she is a very down-to-earth individual who is true to herself and her art, I encourage one and all to visit her website.

Enjoy!

http://danafilibert.com/section/132844.html

Niza Handbags introduces our bucket bags

 These are made from recycled clothes with some new fabrics mixed in. They do some pretty cool tricks.

1. Keys clip to a key ring fastened to the top of the bag either inside or out.
2. Cell phone pocket is on the outside, so no more digging that out of the mire in the bottom.
3. Lots of pockets
4. Beautiful trims, buttons and details
5. They open up nice and large, so you can see what the heck is in there.
   

Custom ones are available.We have lots of styles & colors to purchase in our store.

(Links disabled here, see NizaHandbags.etsy.com  for Niza Handbags and Accessories)

SPIN THE COLOR WHEEL, FIND A GREAT QUILT

I love the graphic quality of the quilts in the bibliophile store! She uses blocks of colors that play off each other well, and juxtaposes them against white. So they have a very clean, modern look. Her table runner in shades of orange would go amazingly well with our orange slice clock....oops....a shameless plug! This artist works out of HOLYOKE, MA. She says she started quilting in middle school with a nine patch pillow in home ec, and ended up finishing it in the first weekend instead of it taking the quarter as the teacher had planned. I know....sounds like something I would do. She quilts and does photography as stress relief while she completes her masters.
She has a second etsy store also, ParalaxPhoto. Click on the quilt to go to her etsy store to see more beautiful quilts. Really nice stuff, keep it up !

I CAN HOOK YOU UP WITH A CROCHET CLASS

I may be teaching a crochet wall art class at the Shaker Gifts Gallery. People keep asking to see some of my projects, so I said I would post them here. There is a tree in one of the first blog entries, way back when. The top houseplant one, is regular yarn. They are all about 2 feet tall and not flimsy at all. If you are interested in taking the class, let me know. The blue one, is just an abstract sampler of sorts.

JENNY LILAC CAPTURES HOLYOKE

If you've ever been to Holyoke, Massachusetts, you have probably noticed that there are a LOT of industrial, brick buildings there. Jenny Lilac captures them in their best light, with paint, making what might be considered mundane by some people, into beautiful works of art.
Jenny is a mom, who lives in Holyoke. She shares her studio with her 6 year old daughter and husband, who writes music and plays guitar. She likes to collage and scrapbook. Some of her pages have been published in Memory Makers and Leisure Arts books.
I have chosen her painting called 90 Race Street. I just love it !
Just click on the painting to visit her shop.

FEBRUARY BY THE SEA, WITH A BEAUTIFUL HEART PENDANT

I can almost feel the salty, cold air on my face when I see this photo. The lines of the pendant are a stroke of genius ! This comes to us from Liliana Designs, of Scituate, Massachusetts. The creator, Susan Wilson - Martin, kayaks aroound Boston Harbor and Cape Cod islands hunting beautiful and historic sea glass, which she has a substantial collection of. She then crafts beautiful jewelry like this amazing piece at left from the glass and combining it with sterling silver. Absolutely stunning, Susan !