Thanks for Shop West Asheville Fun!

We were quite the close group in Crazy Green Studios for the 2nd Saturday Holiday Art Market and Shop West Asheville, and we welcomed a nice stream of people throughout the day. I'm so grateful to the very talented artists who joined me, and to all the neighbors, friends, clients and first time visitors who came through the doors. Thanks to all!

Thanks also to Matt and Steven for getting a camera to capture the event, as I forgot to charge my battery and found out only when I went to take the first picture! Here are some images of the day:


it was warmer out than expected, but we were
still a nice, cozy place to hang with a cup of
hot cider


much of the day the studio was filled - at the right end
of the picture you can see the Potter's Skin Food lotion
by Cara Mia Naturals - it was a huge hit and now
available at Crazy Green Studios if you missed it on Saturday.


sorry that Gabriel Shaffer couldn't be with us, but thrilled
to have his beautiful wife Suzy repping his work, and giving
us the scoop on Zeytoon. Next to Suzy is Diane, Lady Di herself
with her sexy dancewear creations behind her



Noel & George of GlasswearNC with colorful and fun ornaments,
bottle stoppers, jewelry & more. I have the coolest bottle
stopper in my bottle of wine as I type!


Roberta of Piece Blossom, with her beautiful
felted dolls (one sweet doll will soon have a new home
with someone I know in Atlanta!)


yep, yours truly, with Renee of Repose Jewelry
helping a customer try on her beautiful earrings
(this may be right before I got my own lovely
butterfly wings)


the closest we could get to show Repose Jewelry,
as it was often a crowded corner


Mr. Big Crafty hisself (l) checking out the work of
Crazy Green Studios member Matt, who was having
the first public showing of his work at the Holiday Art Market
(and many pots have happy new homes!)

2nd Saturday/East West Art Walk/SHOP WEST ASHEVILLE!

Crazy Green Studios is participating in three holiday events this Saturday and doing it all from the comfort of the studios on Domino Lane! How is this possible? Well, the stars are all aligned...

As faithful followers know, I've began hosting the 2nd Saturday Artist Market this past spring and summer, and this Saturday we'll host the Holiday Artist Market at Crazy Green Studios. This happily coincides with the 2nd annual East West Asheville Holiday Art Walk, which is ALSO coinciding with the first annual Shop West Asheville event! We're like the proton in the nucleus of the atom ... Events start at noon on Saturday December 12 and go till 8pm.

Visit the Shop West Asheville site to find details about more than 50 great local businesses participating, the other TWO artist markets, the window decoration contests, the raffles, the carolers, the MUSIC ... if you didn't already know West Asheville was the coolest, this will be the perfect day to check it all out! (also check out the mention in this week's Mountain Xpress)

And here on Domino Lane and in the EWA portion of the hood, here's what you'll find:

At Crazy Green Studios: I'll be hosting an abbreviated version of the 2nd Saturday Market inside the studio where it's warm and toasty. Joining me in holiday mayhem will be :

Gabriel Shaffer

GlasswearNC

Lady Di's Creations

Piece Blossom

Renee Gaudet, Repose Jewelry

Plus I'll have all sorts of stocking stuffers and great deals for holiday gift ideas in my pottery as well as some from Crazy Green Studio members. Live music is being considered, but there will be music and refreshments too! Check out the 2nd Saturday blog for more info on my guest artists.

And when you come, please bring some canned food or other non-perishables, as we'll be collecting for MANNA FoodBank to help them help our neighbors throughout western NC.

Next door at Mimi Strang Designs, you'll find great new work by Mimi Strang and that of her guests, Kim Dryden and Simone Wilson.

And while you're in this end of the neighborhood, check out 307 Flash Studio and see Christopher Mello and several great artists he'll be hosting. Down the street, Steebo Designs is another MUST on the artist studio tour, then you'll be right on Haywood and poised to start hitting the shops for more great sales and celebrations, not to mention music at the Rocket Club, dinner at The Admiral ... really I could spend pages and pages just on this small strip of Haywood, and then there's MORE throughout West Asheville!

Don't be afraid of the weather, it's gonna be a GREAT day to get out in the neighborhood, support local businesses and artists and have a great time!

Art Walk Rocked!

It was a chilly day, but what a wonderful sight to see people walking up and down our little stretch of Haywood Road, and finding their way back to the little red building on Domino Lane! Thanks to all who came out, it was great to see the familiar faces, and even better to meet so many new ones! In addition to having a good holiday sale, our hope in putting this all together was to bring more attention to our growing group of businesses and the incredible talents that have been hidden in plain view for all to enjoy. I think the day went a long way toward bringing that focus to East West Asheville, and now that more people know we're here, I hope they tell several friends!

Here at the studio, 'Santa Bunny' was our welcoming beacon, and Shane, Jennifer (and Lissa and Shane's dog Ladybug!) and I had a nice stream of friends old and new into the cozy and unusually clean studio. I am as always extremely grateful to all who came, for their friendship as well as their support.

I'll post more about the days events soon (gotta get some pictures of Santacon!), and if anyone missed the Walk, you can still come by Crazy Green Studios and take advantage of my Recession Busting Prices for the rest of the month! More on that soon too, for now Lissa and I are calling it an early night. Thank you, and Good Night!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

That's the sound of me exhaling, which I feel like I've been doing for the past day. For those of you following the drama and saga of Lori finding a new place to live, fear not for I shall continue to have a roof. Two roofs really, but that's a longer story. I'll just say that I am extremely grateful to have found a lovely home for the next month with two very lovely people who I feel will become friends. And in January I'll move again, but to another lovely home that's actually walking distance to the studio! And another lovely roommate that I look forward to becoming friends with as well.

So phhhhhhhhhhhhhhew! Sure there are those who will say the best of all possible things has happened, and it might not have if I didn't go through what I did to get there. I usually believe that as well but there's a big part of me that really doesn't appreciate the 'lesson' that must be buried somewhere in the torture of the past five weeks.

At any rate, a huge weight is lifted, all that's done, I'm moved into new home #1 and now I have a good day and a half to focus solely on the Holiday Art Walk that is this Saturday! One kiln is fired and the other is cooling, but I had enough ornaments out to start decorating my mini tree for the show:

In spite of the 10,000 things on my to-do list between now and Saturday morning, it all feels very attainable and even exciting to tackle, and there are plenty of other challenges to deal with after the show, but between now and Saturday it's holiday prep time!

If you're in the Asheville area, I hope you'll stop by. In addition to my new work, I'll have huge deals on older pieces I'm finally ready to part with, some loving 'seconds' and sample and one-off pieces. And some fun stocking stuffers too, which you'll just have to come by and see for yourself. And of course gift certificates for pottery or for open studio membership for those of you (or those you know) who want to get their hands in clay and have some fun.

I'm also hosting area potters Jennifer Hoolihan and Catherine Shane, and they're putting together a tasty table o' goodies as well. I have my own goodies to add, and if you bring me a can or two for Manna Food Bank, I'll have a very special treat for you as a thanks.

So if you haven't already officially opened the holiday season, come down to the Art Walk - it's going to be a beautiful, clear, cool day just perfect for strolling the neighborhood. And as I've said before, you can take care of just about every holiday need for yourself, friends, loved ones, upcoming events, you name it!

this message approved by 'Santa Lissa'

December Studio Hours

I hope everyone had/is having a lovely holiday, and looking ahead to December (yikes, it's Monday!), here's the studio schedule for the next month.

Of course always subject to change, but I'll try to make sure any adjustments are posted here as they happen, and take note that we will be closed for regular studio use Friday afternoon, December 5, so we can get ready for the big East West Asheville Holiday Art Walk on Saturday!

This is one of the ornaments I'll be featuring in the special 'holiday' wares, and here's a peek at some of the work from the last firing. Still planning one more firing to unload just before the show, so come early to get the first peek and first pick!

these are the small plates...bigger ones to be fired next week!

getting ready for the Art Walk - give Hand Made!

Crazy Green Studios is gearing up to join others in our little Domino Lane Studios and in the neighborhood for the East West Asheville Holiday Art Walk. The event is one day only, but the holiday festivities will continue through December at my studio with Empty Bowl decorating days, discounts for those who bring canned food for Manna and year-end specials on studio membership and early orders for the new year!

For the Art Walk, I will be hosting fellow West Asheville artists Jennifer Hoolihan and Catherine Shane at Crazy Green Studios. Mimi Strang Design (my studio neighbor) will be hosting Leslie Fay and Simone Wilson/Pleasant Hugh Studio. And that's just us! There's also good eats right across the street, plus everything you need to fulfill your holiday shopping needs, yens and other creative desires. And when you shop the East West Asheville Holiday Art Walk, you're not only supporting hand made artisans, you're also supporting small business owners and for many your neighbors. The creativity and passion of these small businesses is evident when you walk in their doors (even when you walk BY their doors!), and the combination of great art, craft and locally-owned business is what makes Asheville, I think, a place people want to be. Here's your chance to support that and to get some great deals on pottery, tile, ornaments, sculpture, clothing, decorative fixtures, hand made books, holiday cards, prints, unique gifts, great food, personal beautification, home decor, good music...only the tip of the iceberg!

Click the card below to see more information about the whole event and other participants, as well as a very cool map that will help you find us tucked away on Domino Lane (hidden in plain sight, we are!)... and we hope to see you there!