Category Archives: talented artists

cute cute cute curly girl design

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cute cute cute curly girl design
Meet Leigh Standley, the talented artist behind curly girl design.  The second I saw her work, I fell in love with it. The sweet sayings, whimsical collages and color palette compliment each other perfectly. A portion of her artist bio reads, "Leigh’s whimsical and witty work has been in the making for the better part of her twenty-nine years.  Born and raised in St. Louis, Leigh began designing in seventh grade where she got .
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cheerful times with michelle allen

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cheerful times with michelle allen
This is my dear friend Michelle Allen.  She lives in Battleground, Washington, but between our blogs and our trade show schedule we keep in touch like next door neighbors.  She is one talented chica… having illustrated several gift books and done many original paintings; But her real passion is to put the fun in function by creating items everybody uses including clocks, picture frames, vases, boxes, and more. These are just a few snapshots .
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crocheted cuties by tracie lampe

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crocheted cuties by tracie lampe
One of my past weekend activities included visiting a little craft show in Northville.  Being that I am partly responsible for putting together the Berkley Art Bash, I am always scouting out new & cool local talent. This is where I met Tracie Lampe.  Her sweet handspun creations were so super cute that I nabbed this charming birdie pin cushion for myself. A lot of her products are created from this fabulous wool that .
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hyacinths – the smell of spring

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hyacinths – the smell of spring
Every spring I always have to buy at least one potted hyacinth.  I love their vibrant colors and intoxicating smell.  (too bad there’s not a scratch and sniff option on the blog) Here’s a little trivia I found out about them…  "The word hyacinth comes from the Greek Hyakinthos, a handsome young man who in Greek mythology was loved by the sun god Apollo. One day they were practicing throwing the discus but the .
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capturing the sweet moments

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capturing the sweet moments
Meet Suzi Scott of Grand Blanc, Michigan.  She is a natural light child photographer that captures children in their everyday environments.  She doesn’t believe in that "say cheese" business, she just wants to capture their natural true expressions. A quote from her bio reads, "I have always had a love for photography.  I remember my mother keeping albums full of family pictures.  They were all numbered and organized by the year.  It is so .
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cat naps are a wonderful thing

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cat naps are a wonderful thing
This past Saturday I took the advice of my cat, Tuesday and took a cozy cat nap during the afternoon.  It’s something I rarely do, but boy did it feel good. Andrew Pyle and Leslie French of Nunwell Glass capture that snuggly feeling beautifully with their gorgeous glass cats.  Steve and I purchased one of their lovely sculptures at a gallery while we were on vacation last year to add to our quirky art .
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anne taintor – vintage revisited

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anne taintor – vintage revisited
Meet Anne Taintor.  We’ve carried her clever retro collage magnets since we first opened and they still continue to be very popular.  Her savvy one-liners mixed with vintage imaging always guarantees a good grin or giggle.  A portion of her artist statement reads, "Anne graduated from Harvard in 1977 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. After college, she focused on collage, and her work always incorporated a subtle humor and playfulness. For .
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silly sally jean

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silly sally jean
I had to laugh at our cat Tuesday as she tried to make her way closer to my cereal bowl by jumping on the window sill, hopping to the printer and weaving her furry self behind the computer monitor just waiting for the right opportunity.  The funny thing is that she was perched right next to my beloved ‘naughty cat’ charm by Sally Jean.  … how appropriate I love Sally’s work and we carry .
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isaiah zagar – master of mosaics

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isaiah zagar – master of mosaics
I first bumped into Isaiah’s wild art work while venturing out to dinner on South Street in Philadelphia a few years ago.  And every time I revisit the city, I always must tour his magnificent mosaics.  There are over 30 buildings he worked his wonder on and they’re all mapped out in this great book Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.  Here are some of the photos I took on my latest excursion… This is his studio, .
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mark orr of scavenger art

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mark orr of scavenger art
I was happy to find that my friend Mark Orr’s booth was set up right across from mine at the Buyer’s of American Craft trade show that I  participated in recently. I’ve been a fan of his work ever since I saw him at the Ann Arbor Art Fair a few years ago.  A portion of his artist statement reads, "Although I have been an artist all my life, the body of work that .
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