Toys for the Holidays

Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, Don Edwards' beautiful handmade wooden toys are back in the shop. Don is a third-generation toy maker, and the careful craftsmanship of these delightful wooden toys show the attention to detail that has been maintained through generations of his family. As one of the founding members of the shop, just beginning its eighth year, the shop is very happy to have Don's toys back in the shop - but just for the holidays, so get 'em while they last!

Bundle Up Your Babies

Do you have babies, toddlers or young children who need to be bundled up against the sure-to-be-here-soon cold weather? Then head into the shop to see the hand knitted children's sweaters of one of our newest members. Carol Bentley hand knits beautiful sweater in a wonderful variety of sizes, styles, and colors for little ones, from babes-in-arms to young children. She knits under the name "Aunt Kidder" and each sweater is graced with a label bearing this name. Her mission statement, included with each sweater, attests to the care with which it was crafted, and the heirloom quality of the pieces. These sweaters are sure to please both the adults who buy them and the children who wear them! Welcome to the shop, Carol!

Adorn Yourself - Adorn Others

November's theme in the shop is "Jewelry Expressions: The Art of Adornment" and features five of the shop's jewelers: Dee Von Hunke, Shauna Walsh Watkins, Peggy Van Arnam, Barbara Gilbert, and Celeste Friend. Their work is now prominently displayed at the front of the shop, where you can easily browse all of their work together. Join us for a reception on Sunday, November 15th, from 2-5pm, in the gallery, when you can enjoy some refreshements, appreciate the wide variety of jewelry styles we have to offer, and meet the artists. We hope you can come!

Keeping It Fresh

A new month has rolled around yet again (so soon?), and that means one thing for certain at the shop: things will look different the next time you are in. A crew of hard working and creative members of the cooperative showed up at the shop Sunday around closing time to rearrange, well, just about everything, all under the dependable leadership of the merchandising chair, Dee Ann Von Hunke. This is called "merhandising" and it involves moving most everything around. We do this to make sure that everything gets seen and nothing gets stale, and in order to highlight both new members and our monthly featured artists. (November's feature is 'Jewelry Expressions', so most of the jewelry is now prominently displayed in the front of the shop.) It is hard work (imagine rearranging all the furniture in your house in one day and you get begin to get the idea...) but we have fun doing it. Most of all, we hope that this helps you to appreciate all the fine arts and crafts we have on display at Cazenovia Artisans!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

November 1st marks the anniversary of Cazenovia Artisans, which opened in 2002. Our cooperative and shop have been in operation for seven years now, and so as of today we step confidently into our eighth year. And we are going strong! While our membership has changed over the years, at the heart of our community of artisans are five people who have been part of the cooperative from its very beginnings. Faith Dickinson, Dick English, Willie Gilmore, Sue Ellen Romanowski, and Peggy Van Arnam are each founding members. Our hats are off to them for their years of hard work and commitment that have kept our cooperative the thriving business it is!

They're Selling Fast!

If you stop to read the tags on Marilyn Forth's beautiful batik painted wall hangings you'll notice that many of them now read "Sold"! And it's no wonder, given how wonderfully luminous they are. She paints directly onto pure silk, using hot wax to outline her designs, resulting in crisp paintings of strong, vibrant colors. There are many flowers that seem to glow from within, but she also depicts human figures and landscape scenes, such as the boats tied at a dock that you see below with Marilyn at her opening in the gallery: Her opening was a gala event, with lots of people to admire Marilyn's creativity and share in the festivity!

Artistrees Event

ARTISTREES

The annual Cazenovia Artisan's ARTisTREES event is a local favorite - co-opmember artists make "trees" and adorn them with special ornaments for the holidays. The trees are unique, beautiful, artful and festive. . . and some are out of this world! Each year it gets better and better!

Tasty cookies and sweet apple cider will be served at the opening on Sunday, November 8, 1-4:00 - and the trees will be up throughout the holidays. Come check it out! Here are some pictures from last year.