Asheville Encaustic Artists

I am thinking of adding encaustic supplies to my shop, Frivoli-tea.  So recently I have been in touch with a number of local encaustic artists to get their advice.  It turns out that Asheville is home to numerous talented encaustic artists.  To name just a few, we have: Mary Farmer, Celia Gray, Nicole McConville, Ginger Hueber, and Tif McDonald.  The beautiful dreamy image above was done by Tif. 

A Tea C's

My blog friend, Angela, over at Tea With Friends was my swap partner for an A Tea C swap. She sent me her beautiful cards (above) along with some gold dresdens.  What a special gift!  Angela coined the concept of A Tea C's a while back, playing off the "ATC" (artist trading cards) idea.  I think that is such a clever type of artwork for tea lovers to exchange.

Tonight

Preparing for a Dinner Party

Hi!  I want to share my dinner party preparations with you.  Here is the table, set and ready to go.  I am spending the days today and tomorrow cooking.  Curious about the menu?  Well thanks for asking, I would love to tell you about it.  Here is what's planned:

First course: 

pumpkin bisque

Main course:

almond encrusted pork loin with cranberry conserve

green beans with smoked bacon and onions

maple pecan sweet potatoes

wild rice with mushrooms

Desert:

chocolate prune armagnac cake (made by a dear, dear friend who is an excellent cook)

You see that I have elected to serve a fall menu.  These are my favorite foods for this time of year.

Best wishes!  I am off to stir a pot.

Southern Tea Society of America

I just learned about an exciting new organization that is being developed, the Southern Tea Society of America.  The founding officers are located here in North Carolina (the owner of Kathleen's Tea Room - which I have written about) and in Eastern Tennessee.  I am excited about this organization because they are lovers of tea who are using this interest for good causes.  The Southern Tea Society of America will be a supporter of Girls, Inc., an organization whose tag line is "Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold."  Sounds good to me.  I have never heard of Girls, Inc., but the website says that it is a national nonprofit youth organization that has roots reaching back to 1864.  As the owner of Frivoli-tea, my shop which carries a selection of Harney & Sons teas, I will join the Southern Tea Society of America and hope to do some good for the community with my love for tea.

Scraps: an inspirational field guide to collage

I just happed upon this book at the bookstore yesterday.  It is fabulous.  The authors give an abundance of tips about composition and inspirational images of supplies. I am ready to dig through my stash of scraps and start gluing them to a background.  I highly recommend Scraps to anyone interested in collage.

Saturday Morning with the Computer and Fall Leaves

Happy Halloween morning, everyone.  I am sitting here with my laptop on the dining room table, enjoying yet another rainy fall day.  Here is a glimpse of what I see from my windows.  Oh I do love fall.  I am surrounded by orange-browns, and it is chilly enough to have the fire going in our fireplace.  I love the feel of the whole thing.

On to another topic:  I have room in my shop at the new SOS so I am planning to add two categories of items.  I will add polymer clay and polymer clay supplies, along with paper making supplies.  I love to work with polymer clay, though I work at just a beginner's level.  And I have long wanted to make handmade paper.  So before the end of the year these will be new additions to the shop.

New Blog Banner!

Hi!  Like my new blog banner?  It was done by the talented artist, Katie Runnels of the blog, The Constant Gatherer.  I wanted to use the logo that I have been using, so Katie worked some of her magic on it and - presto!  New blog banner.

Another Gloriously Rainy Autumn Day

Well, we have here another rainy day.  I am enjoying this one like the last one I wrote about.  But this one is even more beautiful because of the fall colors. I am surrounded by oranges, yellows, and reds as I look out the windows. 

The art/craft classes that we organized at Sanctuary of Stuff did not have many participants, so we are planning another offering.  What do you think of a drop-in craft time?  We are thinking of offering a weekly time slot where people could drop-in for a short (2 hour) craft project.  Do you think many people would be interested in that?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  I have prepared my Frivoli-tea room for this idea by moving one set of shelves to the side of the room and placing a folding table in the middle of the room.  Right now the table holds merchandise, but I can easily move these things away to use the table for crafting.

This is my favorite fall tree in our yard.  Every year its color is spectacular.  In this photo you can see it is a tad beyond its peak, but it is still gorgeous.  I have not blogged lately because I have just been busy with the everyday tasks of life.  My shop in its new location (440 Weaverville Highway) is doing well.  And I am working to get the house in order for fall holiday gatherings.  Thanks for visiting!