MESSAGE TILE GARDEN STONES

Mini-message stakes are perfect for adding a touch of wit to focal

point areas of your garden. They can be left outdoors all year round.

Let there be Peace Garden Stepping Stone

YOUR GARDEN GROT CAN HELP YOU THIS HALLOWEEN!

If you made a GROT, (gnarly garden gnome) in one of our HYPERTUFA STUDIOS, you can use it in your Halloween decorating this year. Include it among the pumpkins on your porch. It can also serve as a perfect jack-o-lantern stand.

Harvest Basket

We won't have to try hard to remember this kind of September- I'll take this weather any time-comfortable temperatures and plenty of rainfall. Laurie's collection basket shows the rich, vibrant colors of the day and these are still in the summer color palette.

END OF SEASON HYPERTUFA STUDIO

The last HYPERTUFA STUDIO of the year had very sharp stepping stone makers. They created original designs by hand forming concrete following the lines of their initial sketches.

How many gardeners does it take to mix a bag of concrete?

Kathleen created a heart-shaped stone and decorated it with smaller glass hearts.

Lucy found these awesome glass jewel tiles and cut the sheet into diamonds to

ornament her cross stepping stone.

Finished stepping stones.

As the first step in making my "green" version of HYPERTUFA, the shredded paper must be thoroughly mixed to a pulp. This process can be very therapeutic!

Julie used her expert pie-making skills to finish the edge of her HYPERTUFA planter...

...almost pretty enough to eat!

MEADOWLARK ACRES- Fresh, garden in a jar!

Suzanne Frisse, owner of Meadowlark Acres, has been gardening in Stilwell, Kansas for over 20 years. She has over 36 beds that produce veggies, herbs and flowers for her local home market store. The jellies, mustards, relishes, chutneys and herbal soaps are all natural, 100% vegan and made with her fresh picked garden produce. She raises her plants from seed in the greenhouse and is always trying new varieties of vegetables and flowers. Her gardens and market store are open during the summer from 8am to 7pm.

TOTEM GARDEN STAKES

The Totem Garden Stake Collection allows you to build your own custom totem stake to best fit your needs. Select the icon shapes you like and put them together on a stand- it is that simple!

This Totem Stake uses three icon shapes on a ground stand.

This one uses five icon shapes on a concrete base stand.

Select from three types of stands: a simple rebar stake with a fixed stop, the ground stand and the cement base stand with top finial.

CLICK HERE to see the icon shapes available.

CROSS COLLECTION

Three coordinated cross plaques available in red (shown), green and gold. These are made of concrete so they can work inside or out.

This cross is larger and is available as a short stake for outside or with a hook to hang either inside or out. Available in red, green and gold stain over white washed concrete. The cross above is colored with the green stain.

GARDEN STONES

Star Tulip Garden Stepping Stone

In the beginning...CHOCOLATE!

Gardening Joy Stepping Stone

LAUREN HESS- Handmade Memory Books

Lauren’s handmade memory books are designed to feature milestone events and bring those special moments together in one expandable book. Each book holds 4 large square photos and 12 smaller triangular photos - plenty of room for display of your favorite event without putting your viewer to sleep! These books are perfect for displaying small compilations such as a Christmas cocktail party, a surprise birthday party, wedding shower or a Fourth of July picnic. Use these memory books as decorative accents on a coffee table or display them open as wall décor.

Colorado Just Got Heavier!

Linda brought JoAnne and Kathy over today and they had a heyday going through the garden selecting this and that to take back to Colorado for their own gardens. It is a good thing Linda is an expert packer because she packed up quite a load of concrete treasures.

Flowers and Herbs for Drying

Our gardens are in a state of transition from late summer to early fall. Clean-up has begun and some of us already have replaced burnt out annuals with fresh pansies. I mean to do this one of these days. Cooler weather and the wonderful rains have deepened the color in almost every flower. Just look at the richness of color in this basket of flowers picked for drying. We'll use these and other herbs to make our wreaths for sale at the Holiday Gift Open House.

ERIN DENNIS-Global Jewelry With a Closed Loop

Combinations of old and new, near and far …each piece has a unique story to tell. Made of every possible material and origin, representing many generations and continents of the world. Sometimes, components come from a 'previously appreciated' piece with a mysterious past life of its own. The stories are strung together, in more ways than one: your purchase will bring you into the loop. To foster creative energy and pay homage to a legacy of craft around the world, proceeds will contribute to Kiva micro-loans - investing in artisan entrepreneurs in developing countries. Full circle...with a lovely little clasp.

2009 HOLIDAY GIFT OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

Goldfinches

Laurie and I were about to take our bikes out for an early morning ride and discovered four goldfinches furiously feeding on a bouquet of cardoon blossoms. Of course, by the time I got the camera, only one bird was left. It was fascinating to see them rip apart the thistle blossoms to get to the tasty seed. The complimentary colors of yellow and purple were vivid.

HOE, HOE, HOE! GARDEN STAKES

This two-foot Hoe, Hoe, Hoe stake works all year 'round...

...and so does this four-foot Hoe, Hoe, Hoe Stake!

They'll make a great holiday gift for any gardener too!

TOM MULLIGAN-Stained and fused glass

After retiring from his everyday job, Tom discovered a fascination with stained glass. He took several training courses and learned how to cut glass and join pieces together. Practice makes perfect and many sheets of glass later, you'll find a broad selection of sparkling stained glass gifts for both inside and outside your home. Newest to his collection are stained glass wind chimes. Tom has also introduced pieces made of fused glass.

MOSAIC GARDEN STEPPING STONES

Mirror Mosaic Mini-Heart Stones

JUST LOOK AT THIS EXCITING LINEUP OF ARTISTS!

CLICK on the artist's names in red to see examples of their work.

Jenny Allen -Hand-Dyed Scarves and Handbags
Joseph Blake -Folk Art Sculpture
Judy Chesnut -Wood Turned Designs
Sandy Cozad - Functional Decorative Ironwork
Rosemarie Dammann -Handcrafted Lampe Jewelry

Erin Dennis-global jewelry with a closed loop
Lisa Freeman -Wall Quilts, Cards & Oddities
Marilyn Gash -Creative Stitchery
Bill Jones -Soaps and Skin Cremes
Paula Hayek -Plush Critters
Lauren Hess-Handmade Memory Books
Robin Mackintosh-Unique Ornamentation & Curiosities
Frank Mangiaracina -Fine Wood Accessories

Meadowlark Acres - Fresh, Garden in a Jar!
Lauri Meyers -Collage, Mix Media, Paper Arts
Linda Maloney -Mah Jongg & Domino Jewelry
Vickie McClain -Pyrography & Scrimshaw
Tom Mulligan -Stained Glass
Carol Osborne -Functional Concept Ceramics
Judy Porter -Polymer Clay Dolls
Karen Skillett -Polymer Clay Jewelry
South 20 Studio -Mixed Media Sculpture
Joyce Spaulding -Designer Children’s Clothing
Teede Stipich -Eclectic Jewelry
Lori Woods -5B& Co. Candles

TEEDE STIPICH -Eclectic Jewelry

Teede began designing jewelry in 1990. Her jewelry has been featured at The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Teede's eclectic jewelry appeals to women of all ages. Designs range from sophisticated to whimsical. Her love of color and texture led her to explore working in mosaics. Her unconventional mosaics have received acclaim in area art galleries.

KAREN SKILLETT - Polymer Clay Jewelry

Karen Skillett is a jewelry artist who uses polymer clay to create her unique designs. Karen incorporates her polymer clay beads with ceramic and crystal beads. Each piece of jewelry is one-of-a-kind and made entirely by hand. The technique used for her beads is millefiore, the same method developed in Venice, Italy in the 11th century to make glass beads. Different colors of clay are hand mixed, then layered and pieced together to create an intricate loaf or “cane”. These canes are then sliced crosswise and combined into detailed miniature sculptures and beads. Finally, all finished jewelry is heated to become permanently hard. The resulting work of art is durable, light-weight, and colorfast.

JUDY PORTER-Polymer Clay Dolls

Judy has worked professionally as an event caricature artist for 23 years. Five years ago she started sculpting, taking her caricatures 3-D. Since that time, she has done several caricature dolls that are fully posable. A few months ago she created the Diaper Doodles, funny little caricatures of babies that can hang as an ornament to be used for decorations or gifts. They are fun and funny but the best part is very affordable, making OOAK (one of a kind) sculpture available to everyone.

www.sandboxtoonies.com

www.thefinetooners.com

Snowflake Diaper Doodle

Moon Diaper Doodle

Blankie Diaper Doodle

VICKIE MCCLAIN– pyrography & scrimshaw

Vickie’s interest in art, nature, and her love for animals have drawn her to explore many art forms and media such as Scrimshaw, Beading, Pine Needle baskets and her newest obsession, woodburning known as Pyrography. Vickie has done several collaborative pieces with Judy Chesnut to embellish her turned wood pieces and in the process became interested in the technique. She has exhibited collaborative pieces in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and also in three American Association of Woodturners National Symposiums.