Orient & Flume now at Jordanwood

Deanna and I are pleased to announce that we have begun carrying Orient & Flume in our gallery. As many of you already know Orient & Flume produces fine art glass for the collector – from beautifully intricate paperweights to the simple elegance of fruit and animal forms. These signed pieces capture nature’s inspiration in both iridescent and crystal clear glass.
Nationally acclaimed for its excellence in design, the glass of Orient & Flume utilizes both traditional and contemporary motifs and can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum, the Chrysler Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, the Corning Glass Museum and private collections through out the world.

The American Crafts Retailer Expo (ACRE) show in Las Vegas

Well it has been almost a week since we returned from the ACRE show in Vegas, and I have been neglectful in not getting the blog updated. The flight from Sac to Vegas was fine as was the return flight. Unfortunately the room at the Hilton was not so good. We had requested non-smoking and of course we got a smoking room – purportedly they were out of non-smoking rooms. Deanna and I were absolutely certain that our hair and clothing immediately took on that stale cigarette smell – yuk. Of course the other thing I will never understand are those folks who sit for hours in front of a slot machine. One wonders if they never found a good book to read, movie to watch, or ever had a great discussion with another human being. Oh well. I will have to say we had a couple of great meals while we were in Las Vegas.
The ACRE show itself exceeded our expectations. We had never attended so we were pleasantly surprised. Though the show was small there was an abundance of beautiful items. A number of those items will soon be making their way into our store. A partial list includes handbags, raku, metal wall art, glazed pottery, art glass and more.
Keep checking the blog to see and learn more about these items as they roll into the store.

Viva Las Vegas

They say "What Happens in Vagas Stays in Vagas" .... but we will tell all.
Deanna and I are headed to the American Crafts Retailers Expo in Las Vegas this weekend, and once we get back we will fill you in on all the details. All of the exhibitors are professional artists from North America. Besides seeing some of our existing popular artists like Robert Held and John Charlton, we expect to see many new potential providers of high quality handmade unique items for our store. Check back with us next week for all the details.

In Case You Missed It – Sierra Festival of the Arts

Here are a few scenes from Sunday’s Sierra Festival of the Arts. This is an annual event held in the historic district of downtown Grass Valley, California. It was a beautiful day, there were many wonderful exhibits and a great time was had by all.
Mark your calendar for next year – the event is always held on the Sunday before Memorial Day.

Hopscotch Stepping Stones

Remember the good ol’ days when children ate homemade ice cream, jumped rope and played hopscotch?
Bring those days back with our creative version of that most popular game, Hopscotch.
Designed by an Oregon sculptor, these unique and different stepping stones are true works of art. Made of concrete, the 12 pieces take up a space of approximately 33” x 72” depending on how you place them.
These sets have found their way into gardens, parks, business, patios and sidewalks, creating a sense of wonder and beauty for all ages.
(Photo above courtesy of one of our many happy Hopscotch customers.)

Join Us for the Sierra Festival of the Arts

This Sunday, May 24th, Memorial Day Weekend, 10 am – 5 pm, in Historic Downtown Grass Valley. Join all of us for fun, food and viewing of fine arts and crafts. While walking the festival be sure to drop into the store to say hi and see what’s new.

Classy Classic Handbag by Alicia Klein

The Tulip Bag - Designed by a woman for women, this is just one of the beautiful handbags by Alicia Klein. It not only looks great but inside it is functional as well. There are plenty of pockets for all your accessories, including your computer, and with its light colored interior it is even easy to find those items at the bottom of your bag. As with all her bags Alicia has combined beauty with function.