A blast to the past...

Yesterday's adventure took us to the cool air of

It was a step back in time, like an eerie Twilight Zone episode, complete with retro roller skate carpet and mushroom stools to put on those tan leather skates. Complete with the world's longest limbo line, filled with 6, 7, 8, and 9 year olds. Complete with changing, multi-colored globe lights on the ceiling and a really cool disco ball. Complete with two happy girls tossing dice for the dice game.And in the end, three happy, but tired, skaters.

Fairy Gardens

The four girls were off last Friday. They came to the studio to do a project.

Supplies: We bought four large plant saucers, potting soil, and bedding plants with tiny flowers. We also bought miniature birdhouses and birds, as well as some wooden shapes. Kerry and I got out lots of our studio supplies for them to use, too.

• pistachio shells
• silk flower petals
• glass pebbles
• rocks
• sea shells
• chunky potpourri
• buttons
• small wooden shapes
• paints
• glass and plastic beads
• hot glue to make permanent "ponds"
• colored sand
• moss

The girls were thoughtful in their planning. They collected more materials from the yard. They were very diligent in painting their fairy houses and creating interesting items to attract fairies to their new little homes.

• mailboxes
• sea shell and pod boats
• nut shell dishes
• "food" for the fairies
• twig fences and arches
• ponds and rivers
• twine nests
• houses with chimneys
• shingles
• shell treasure chests
• gardens
• stepping stones and pathways
• bark bridges
• benches and seats

The results of the day were fabulous! The girls (ranging in age from 6 to 10) worked steadily for 2 hours. They each came up with original ideas, their own magical vision of what a fairy house should look like with its own sparkly magic.

What fairy wouldn't choose one of these lovely homes?

Fun Lovin' Art - Paintings by Ruth Meere

This Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, we have invited 4 artists to join us for our fall art and fine craft sale. Today I would like you to meet Ruth Meere.

Ruth is the artist behind Fun Lovin' Art. She paints whimsical, fun, bright original pieces. Her subject matter spans the imagination of every child, from mermaids to dragons, lady bugs to lizards, flowers to fish. She even has some fantastic pieces for adults, using fruit, martinis, or jazz as their inspiration.

The common factor in her work is that it reflects Ruth's bright, exciting personality. She uses vibrant colors and pays careful attention to the details, in the designs of the borders and even in the embellishment the frames on many of her works of art.

Ruth says this about how she became a full time artist:

"In search of personal fulfillment, five years ago I decided to quit my job in Marketing and Public Relations to become a full-time artist. Though I enjoyed my work, I found I always had a hand in the more artsy side of my job. I still do marketing and P.R. part-time for Crawdaddy's Toys in Lafayette, CO.I paint at every available opportunity - at night and during naptime - thus my housekeeping is very sporadic, but we couldn't be happier, messy house and all."

Ruth's approach to making art accessible is what I find appealing. In addition to offering original paintings, she offers mounted prints of her work so that each piece can be more affordable. According to Ruth, a mounted print is a high-quality reproduction of an original painting. A photograph of the original piece is printed directly onto a 3/8" thick wood board. The board has a finished, beveled edge and requires no framing. It is easy to hang and easy to clean. Most importantly, it looks great!
Join us at the studio this Friday and Saturday from 9 - 1 to see Ruth's paintings as well as some other fabulous art! Tomorrow I will introduce you to Linda, maker of fabulous handbags and lamps.

Can you stand it? All these wonderful women in one place! We hope you can make it to the sale!