Studio Clearance Sale in August at Artist Review Today

We're having a big, blowout sale at Artist Review Today in August. Preview party is Wednesday, August 12 and the sale is Thursday and Friday, August 13-14. Artists are clearing out their studios. You'll find some great buys on wall art, ceramics, fiber, jewelry, etc, as well as art supplies, yarn, fabric, beads, buttons. Many items under $10 and nothing more than $50.

Stop by I promise, you'll find some great deals!

Up North 2009 part 2 - Mackinac Island and The Grand Hotel

No trip to northern Michigan is complete without a visit to Mackinac Island and The Grand Hotel. In the late 1880s, Mackinac Island grew into a popular summer getaway for people from lower Michigan and Ohio. The Grand Hotel opened in 1887 as a summer retreat for people arriving by lake steamer from Chicago, Erie, Montreal, Detroit, and by rail from Cleveland and across the country. (Room rates at that time were $3 - $5 per night!) The above drawing depicts the hotel as it was in 1890. The island, between "mainland" Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, is one of those rare places that gives you a glimpse into a simpler life. A little fudge, some healthy walking, a chance to see some beautiful scenery. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, but horses are everywhere. A carriage ride up the hill from the ferry dock to the hotel is a lot of fun and even a little magical. You'll swear you're back in the late 19th century. Victorian inns and homes with wide verandas, long wood balconies, and turrets line the hillside. The Grand Hotel's Front Porch - at 660 feet the longest in the world - is a wonderful place to sit and relax and enjoy the scenery. It is graced by 100 white rocking chairs and thousands of bright red geraniums. Over the years, it became a meeting place for folks on the island as well as a "Flirtation Walk" for romance. We enjoyed sitting on the porch for a time during our all too short visit to the island and the Grand.

Up North 2009 part 1 - Viking Knitting

Several times a year, I meet friends "up north" in Michigan's upper Lower Peninsula. We've become friends with Gene and Joann, owners of Three Pines Studio (http://www.threepinesstudio.com/) in Cross Village. Gene and Joann are artists and also represent about fifty local artists (ceramics, fiber, jewelry, glass, wall art, etc). A wonderful creative, inspiring environment all year, during the summer they offer a variety of classes. This year they offered "Viking Knitting", a technique I've been wanting to try for a while. An ancient technique that's not knitting the way we usually think of it (using two needles) but is actually a type of weaving. Archeologists found examples of this type of chain at various sites in Scandinavia dating from the 8th Century AD, which is the Viking Era. Delicate or chunky (depending on the size wire), these chains could be used in a variety of types of necklaces and bracelets. Nancie Wiseman's book, Knitting with Wire, includes an explanation of the technique, but I wanted some instruction on getting started. So this was a great opportunity to combine two things I love -- northern Michigan and working with wire. We used 26 gauge sterling silver wire and wove chains, similar to I-cord, around wooden dowels. We then pulled the raw chains through holes of various sizes in wooden drawplates to tighten the weaves and make the chains pliable. We finished the ends of each chain by hand coiling a heavier gauge wire and then made them into bracelets.