A winter wonderland set amidst a vast sea of artistry

 

Brrrr!!!!

Here, in my neck of the woods, things have taken a rather cold but illustriously snowy turn in the past couple weeks and that means staying inside working on things of a creative nature.  Honestly can't complain!

painting by local award-winning artist, Robert Willman of Willman Gallery-Little Falls, New York

This past weekend was the annual Christmas in Little Falls celebration and marked the inaugural event for the Indoor Farmers/Artisans Market. I was privileged to be a part of 27 v vendors present.  I shared a space with my very talented friend, Christina Hoover. You can find her gorgeous creations on display here:

Signs of Obsession

Since my friends hail from all over this grand planet of ours and for obvious reasons could not attend the show, I thought I would share some of my latest creations with all of you here.

This sweet little girl was just too cute not to bring back home with me.

This distinguished lady went home with a friend of mine who just adored her foofy feathered chapeau.

Not your traditional ornament, for sure,  but the woman who took home Miss Holly apparently thought she would add some flair to this year's celebration.  I just adore her flapper-esque style.  I must confess that Miss Holly's real name is Lulu. She was altered from an original design of my friend, Christine Honsinger of Fiddlette Designs. She is part of one of my absolute favorite scrap kits, found here.

This little gal found a home that day too.

These butterfly ornaments were such a find and so relatively inexpensive; just needed a bit of sparkle and whimsy!

Something a bit more traditional.

These girls were my first attempt at the art of paper cornucopias.  I just adore everything Victorian!

One of many of the more simple gift tags created for the occasion.  This guy comes from a classic kit, "Lot No. 87 {ATC Christmas Collection Etcetera}" designed by the dynamic duo (and my friends) Tangie Baxter and Sherrie Drummond available for purchase here.

Our space turned out to be in a bit of a dark corner so the photos aren't the best but I wanted to share them with you all none the least.

There is such a wonderful artistic community of people here in my little town that I am proud to be a part of.  I strongly believe that we all stand to inspire one another with our various gifts we have to offer.  I also strongly believe that artists are a unique sort of people in that they are able to set aside petty jealousy and envy in order to be able to really support one another in their creative endeavors; that has been my experience, at least.  For that reason, I wanted to use this post to showcase some of the super artists that I have had the advantage to meet and in some cases, befriend.  They are people of all ages and from all walks of life but we all share in common that insatiable need to just CREATE!

Did you happen to notice the awesome paper wreaths in the right hand corner of the photos taken of our booth? My friend Christina specializes in beautiful handpainted furniture and signs, but just so happens to also be a very talented upcycling artist. This wreath (made from the pages of an antique book) adorns the mantel in my back parlor.  Isn't it beautiful? I just love it!!!

Christina at the Chicks show!  She just so happens to be manning the Mustard Seed booth; another fabulous shop here in town full of creative wonder.  My friend and fellow Chicky, Juli Webster has such the decorative eye and her entire shop is a jewel.  If you're ever in town it is so worth the stop. 

I just can't believe how ingeniously Christina (and her partner in crime Hubby) take discarded items and turn them into the gems that they are now; an old door gets a bench and becomes a halltree, window frames thrown out on the curb are reinforced and turned into a greenhouse and staircase spindles and decorative woodwork become a candelabra.  Sheer genius, I tell ya!  (Incidentally, that greenhouse sits in my garden right now; teehee.  Check out the photo of my house at the beginning of this post)

Clay is a local guy who relocated here just this past year and has already made himself well-known in our community.  I first met him this past fall at our annual Garlic Festival where he was featuring some of his wire-wrapped bent metal jewelry.   His talents in ice carving were showcased at our Christmas in Little Falls celebration last week.

Emily is someone who I met at this year’s Chicks Along the Canal event.  I gotta tell ya she is definitely one of my favorite Chicks!  She is the owner of E.S.P. Eclectics; a collection of quirky and fun novelties (jewelry, handbags, pillows, headbands, you name it!).  Together with her co-creators, Brit Rose and Megan Foley, their crafty and inventive gifts will stop you in your tracks and say "Now why didn't I think of that?!"
Emily has been featured locally in Little Falls, Utica and Albany and currently has her own page on facebook.

 I just love her little dolls (so does my daughter)!  And this handbag; It's totally mine!  Hands off!

Among the talented people I know, there are also these three who I am especially impressed with because of the sheer fact that they are already at such a tender age displaying the courage to express themselves.  They are living authentically as the creative beings they are and I admire them for that.

I met such a young man, this past weekend.  He was set up beside us at the show and what this kid can do with paper folding is awesome. Visitors and vendors alike were going nuts for this kid! He takes origami to the next level, having been paper folding since he was 4 years old and has come up with 40+ designs of his own.

From bookmarks to jewelry to giant cranes made from flattened sheets of tin and copper, Tristan Dunn, 14, does it all.

And last but not least, my two favorite artists in the whole wide world . . .

My darling daughter, who at the age of 10, has now had two showings of her photos.  She is so gifted in so many ways but definitely has that natural ability when it comes to her photography.

Three of her photos found a home that day (this being my favorite of them all).

My 13 year old son is an aspiring comic book artist and professional animator.  Art has been his passion since a very young age and he has tried his hand in so many artistic endeavors (painting, sculpture, jewelry, you name it) but sketching remains the most satisfying of them all.  He was featured at the Christmas in Little Falls event and is currently working on an exhibit to be featured at the Garnett Art Gallery at SUNY-Rome this next year.