Save the date...

You've been asking, so we've done it....

We've finally picked a date for our Spring Sale.

Thursday, May 21; 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Friday, May 22; 9:00am - 1:00pm



Tell your friends! Mark your calendar! We hope you can make it!

Winter Working

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
-- Josh Billings

Winter is here, and I said that we are usually closed when the weather is too cold. So, I was wrong. We do sometimes have to be open on some of the colder days. Tomorrow may be chilly, but Kerry and I will be there. Our strategy is that we will crank up our little space heaters, and wear our warmest sweaters. Thankfully, the orders are still coming in, and we do need to put in a few hours.



So, we will do our best to warm up the little place. You should stop by, too. We are running a special on non-jewelry items, 15% off. What a deal! We also have our drop in to make art time tomorrow. Come in and make a gift of your own. Drop-in workshops. Make your own gift each Tuesday and Friday from 9:00 - 11:30, December projects include Gypsy bracelets, large journals, Gypsy journals or glass ornaments.

Brave the cold, we promise it won't be too bad! Also, we are the perfect place to look for that special gift you still need.

See you tomorrow!

November Earring Sale

Come to the studio Friday, November 21 and Tuesday November 25; 9:00 am - 11:30 am for our November Earring Sale. All earrings on sale for $12 a pair. Great deal!

Looking for more affordable, unique gifts? We have tons of gifts under $20! Key rings, Wristlets, Pouches, Candles, Mini-Journals, Kids Drawstring Backpacks, Headbands, and jewelry, too. Don’t miss our Holiday One of a Kind jewelry line for your Holiday parties and our Littlest Miracles Collection for the younger ladies in your life.
Shop with us: December 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, and 19; from 9:00am – 11:30

Artist Profile - Linda Brookover

Today, I would like you to introduce you to Linda Brookover. Linda is a repeat artist at our annual fall art sale. She does double duty as the artisan of The Light Idea, offering delightful lamps, and Boutique Unique, with her high quality fabric handbags.
With The Light Idea, Linda makes beautiful lampshades! She finds adorable lamps and matches them with the perfect shade which she embellishes with fringe, ribbons, tassles and beads. These creations are quite the focal point in a bedroom or on an end table. Her eye for combining texture and color is fantastic. These lamps evoke a sense of softness, femininity, and style. This year she will also offer us a line of fabulous nightlights. These are mineature, wall versions of her elaborate lamps. Each embellished with rich looking fringes and beads, the perfect accessory for your bedroom or bathroom.

Linda is also the maker of high quality fabric handbags and purses which she offers under the name Boutique Unique. She uses interesting yet durable materials. She has an eye for combining fabrics, buttons, and ribbons to make these fantastic creations. Her bags also have lots of detail, with lots of pocket, magnetic snap closures, and even a hook inside to snap onto your keys.

Linda says this about coming into creativity:
"My love for arts and crafts started at a very young age, while taking art classes at the McNay Art Institute and all the way to college. I love many forms of art from painting, stain glass, pottery, but there is not enough time to do them all. Along the way I became a flight attendant and was able to experience the world and many different cultures. With that came new forms of art and color combinations I had never seen before. Unfortunately I was in an accident and I am not able to fly again, but now focus on my art and bring to you some of the experiences of the world through the art that I create. I live a few miles from the Flatirons range near Boulder Colorado with my husband and two kids."
We love Linda's attention to detail and her lovely color combinations. Her work is high quality and first rate! We know you would agree.

Join us at the studio on Friday from 9 - 1 and Saturday from 10 - 2 to meet some fabulous local artist, find some unique handmade creations and to get a head start on your holiday shopping.

Artist Profile - Sandy Robinson

Sandy Robinson of Sandyland Pottery is today's featured artist. Sandy is also a repeat artist at our annual event. We were charmed by Sandy's whimsical work from the moment we saw it. When asked about her craft, she says, "I call it functional eco-art! It's hand-painted pottery with a unique twist." She finds the pieces of white and light colored pottery at antique shops and thrift stores, she then gives them new life by painting her magic on them with special paint, then re-firing them so the colors are permanent and dishwasher safe.

As to the inspiration for her work, Sandy says, "Inspiration is everywhere! I often feel like I live in a cartoon world and see the funny in most things. Many snippets of what I hear and see spark images that turn up in my work. Life is so rich... and inspiring!"

Being a painter is just one facet of Sandy's artistic life. Her early artistic experiences includes ceramics (hand-building and greenware molds), finger paints, decoupage, wood carving, leather designs, candle making, dried pasta art, scratchboards, macrame, watercolors, acrylics as well as photography, film and animation. She is also caterer and chef, and a practitioner of the healing arts, including reiki and aromatherapy.

One of her current goals is to open a community cafe, with a zero-waste kitchen and a pay it forward style of payment. Find out more on her website, Sandyland.

Sandy says, "My deep love for our precious Earth continues to encourage me to look for ways to reduce waste on our planet. Painting on existing pottery that might otherwise end up in a landfill is a way to blend my need for creative expression and love for the environment. The Sandyland "catch-phrase" is: RECYCLED, REUSED, RENEWED, REBORN. What does that mean to you?"

Come to see more of Sandy's art at our fall art sale this Friday and Saturday.

Artist Profile - Hope Swenson

Hope Swenson, owner of Mod Dot Textiles, is another local artist we found on Etsy. She creates fashion accessories, children's clothes, and home goods using designer fabric and trims. She uses bold colors and patterns in stunning combinations. From her full sized women's purses (left) and wallets, to her little cell phone bags (see green bag below right) to her adorable girls dresses, we love her work!

Also a Colorado native, Hope was inspired to sew by her "two very patient grandmothers and mother." She and her sister, Tiffany (see yesterday's post), started their textile careers in Barbie fashion, but have grown since those days!

Hope has a wide range of talents including sketching, painting, embroidery, knitting and crochet. She also has experience in metal smithing and jewelry making as well as home renovation. She and her father worked together to restore an old ranch house and a 1900's Bank building.

Even with that wide range of talent and skill, Hope is focusing on design and creation of children's clothes and other textile creations. She describes her artistic process as an explosion! She says, "I throw fabrics together on the floor or tack them to the wall, stand back and contemplate, decide what looks good together, cut and sew. I usually develop a pattern from something that I have already sewn and want to recreate. My best time to design is right before I go to sleep and when I am driving."

Her business, Mod Dot Textiles, grew out of necessity. After their father suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, Hope and Tiffany made the decision to care for him themselves. Hope says, "I was required to find a way to create income while being able to have a flexible schedule so that I could participate in my Father’s care and rehabilitation to the fullest extent possible." While difficult, this transformative experience has helped Hope follow her "Bliss" by choosing to, "concentrate on my priorities of family and simplicity, and continue along my creative path." Both Hope and Tiffany contribute a portion of their proceeds to the Colorado Brain Injury Foundation and Boulder County Hospice.

Their story is inspiring and their work is inspired. We hope that you will enjoy Hope's bright, fun, and well crafted textile creations as much as we do!

Artist Profile - Tiffany Shively

We found the textile art of Tiffany Shively and her sister (tomorrow's post) while looking for local artists on Etsy. Looking to add a variety of mediums to our fall art sale, we were drawn to Tiffany's use of bright colors and patterns as well as her eye for combination. Plus, she has something for everyone, as she says she offers, "accessories for everyone from birth to 102!" For the little ones she offers baby boutique items like blankets, bibs, burp cloths and onesies and for the rest of us she has beautifully crafted and stylish headbands.
Her love for sewing and the name of her business came from her German grandmother, a quilter, who called Tiffany "sniklefritz," and thus bebe Sniklefritz was born. A true Colorado native, Tiffany has been sewing and designing since she was a little girl, making stylish clothes for her barbies. Her craft has come a long way! Now her craft is all about expressing yourself with modern and chic textiles using original and unique designs. She makes hip accessories for the little ones and their moms.
Tiffany tells us she is inspired by bold and modern prints, and looks for unique ways to mix and match prints and bright colors. She strives to create a unique product that is different from the run of the mill baby gift. With her attention to detail and quality crafted items, we think that she has done just that!In addition to being an talented textile artist, Tiffany is also a full time mom and part time attorney. And, after their father suffered a brain injury in 2006, Tiffany and her sister are committed to spreading awareness and supporting Brain Injury survivors by donating a portion of their net proceeds to Hospice of Boulder County and the Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund.
We hope you enjoy Tiffany's beautiful craft. You can view her work on her etsy site and see it in person at our sale this weekend.

Artist Profile - Christiane Robinson

Kerry discovered Christiane Robinson's beautiful pendants and we couldn't resist inviting her to participate in our fall art sale. Her work is amazing!

Christiane describes her work as whimsical and colorful, we would also add beautiful and unique to describe her pendants. Under the name Aspengold Artisan Jewelry, Christiane makes pendants and earrings by applying high quality papers, including Japanese chiyogami and Florentine papers, to glass, dominoes and wooden Scrabble tiles. The papers are often accented with swarovski crystals or micro beads and sealed with a special process. Strung from a leather cord, organza ribbon, or silver necklace, the effect is stunning!

She says her inspiration often comes from the beautiful chiyogami Japanese paper she works with, or from nature, her children and travels she's made. She also has an eye for color, trends, the seasons, and art. Christiane will look for paper in the style of artists like Mondrian and Monet.

Currently a Colorado resident, Christiane's childhood was spent in Pennsylvania and Germany. She can trace her artistic tendencies to her youth; she said, "My love of arts and crafts goes all the way back to my childhood. I was born in central Pennsylvania. My father was a college professor of history and art and my mother was an artist trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. As my father is European, I spent periods of my childhood growing up in Munich and Heidelberg, where I was frequently exposed to the arts and music of Southern Germany. I graduated from Salem College in 1992 with dual degrees in history and German. While attending college, I began my first foray into the arts by taking an art class on stained glass windows. For the next decade, I periodically assisted my mother in building leaded glass windows as part of her studio, Arran Art Glass. I am still a member of the International Guild of Glass Artists."

We love the whimsy of the pendant on the back of a scrabble tile or domino. Her glass pieces are equally beautiful with their clean, crisp look. We are impressed with the quality of her craft as well as her eye for color and style. Surely you will agree.

Her work has been sold across the world, from California to Australia and we are pleased she will be joining us next weekend. Come and see it for yourself; it's simply beautiful!

Artist Profile - Elizabeth Hagen

Elizabeth Hagen will be offering her hand tinted, color and black and white photograps at this year's art sale. This is Elizabeth's third year with us. We introduced you to her last year in this blog. Since that time, she has expanded her horizons a bit. Kerry and I were drawn to Elizabeth's black and white photos which she brings to life with her hand painting skills. She revitalizes a skill from the days when photos were only black and white, and the only color had to be added by hand. Using photos from her worldwide travels and her local finds, she captures the essence of the landscapes and history in film. Since last year's art sale, she has expanded her repertoire to include numerous color and black and white photos of botanics, local sights and hot air balloons.

Her black and white photos are printed on canvas or matte and hand painted with oil paints, adding color and texture. She uses other photos on note cards, thus offering her work in a wide variety of formats and prices.

Elizabeth's background as an economics major with experience in the mortgage banking industry is a far cry from her artistic calling now. As she says, "Good thing I got out when I did!" She says she was always interested in black and white photography but when she took a hand tinting class 15 years ago it, "renewed my passion and inspired me to try something different with my photos."


Elizabeth says this about her artistic process, " I may decide to paint a particular photo to bring out particular characteristics of the image. For example, one of my favorite photos is of the buildings in Venice with water and gondolas in the forefront. As Venice was built on water, the buildings have been through incredible wear and yet they are beautifully built and have wonderful detail. I use the black and white photo to give the old feel of Venice and add layers of color to the buildings to bring out the detail of the worn walls. "

You can find more of Elizabeth's work at our art studio next Friday and Saturday at our annual art sale or on her website.

We hope you enjoy her work as much as we do!

Art & Fine Craft Sale

October Art Sale--

We are hosting our annual Fine Craft and Art Sale
Friday, October 17 9:00am – 1:00 pm and Saturday, October 18 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
We are proud to announce the following artist will be participating:
Christiane Robinson of Aspengold Artisan Jewelry

Elizabeth Hagen of Elizabeth Hagen Photography

Tiffany Shively of Bebe Sniklefritz

Hope Swenson of Mod Dot Textiles

Linda Brookover of The Light Idea and Boutique Unique Handbags and

Sandy Robinson or Sandyland Pottery.

This is a talented group of women. They have amazing skills in their craft. Each one will bring something unique and beautiful to share with you.

There will be a variety of items, from handbags and totes to lamps and photographs. Don’t forget the stunning jewelry! It is a perfect time to start your holiday shopping or find something unique for yourself.

More Sale Photos

Art & Craft Sale

In case you can't make it to the sale, I thought I would share some photos with you. Everything looks fabulous! We are open tomorrow, too. Pop in from 9am - 1pm if you'd like to take a look for yourself.

Unique Boutique and The Light Idea

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 Linda Brookover.

Ok, Kerry and I have been in serious hummingbird mode this week. We had crazy-busy orders for jewelry plus we were hard at work getting ready for the sale and publicizing. That part is hard. Does anyone have an easy button for that? Anyway, we are finally all ready and I can stop and take a breath and introduce you our friend Linda who is brave enough to have two businesses, Unique Boutique Handbags and The Light Idea Lamps.

Linda is the maker of high quality fabric handbags and purses. She uses interesting yet durable materials. She has an eye for combining fabrics, buttons, and ribbons to make these fantastic creations. Her bags also have lots of detail, with lots of pocket, magnetic snap closures, and even a hook inside to snap onto your keys. Boy, do I need that! I am forever digging in the bottom of my purse to find my keys.

Linda also makes beautiful lampshades! She finds adorable lamps and matches them with the perfect shade which she embellishes with fringe, ribbons, and beads. These creations are quite the focal point in a bedroom or on an end table. Again, her eye for combining texture and color is fantastic. These lamps evoke a sense of softness, femininity, and style.

Linda says this about coming into creativity:

"My love for arts and crafts started at a very young age, while taking art classes at the McNay Art Institute and all the way to college. I love many forms of art from painting, stain glass, pottery, but there is not enough time to do them all. Along the way I became a flight attendant and was able to experience the world and many different cultures. With that came new forms of art and color combinations I had never seen before. Unfortunately I was in an accident and I am not able to fly again, but now focus on my art and bring to you some of the experiences of the world through the art that I create. I live a few miles from the Flatirons range near Boulder Colorado with my husband and two kids."

We love Linda's attention to detail and her lovely color combinations. Her work is high quality and first rate! We know you would agree.

Join us tomorrow at the studio (and Saturday) from 9 - 1 to see We'll even have some nice treats to nibble on, and some warm tea to sip on as you get a head start on your holiday shopping. Can you stand it? All these wonderful women in one place! We hope you can make it to the sale!