Cedar Yellowpoint Christmas tour 2012

Well it is almost upon us!  This year will be an exciting time for us as we open the doors to our cabin and also our new barn as venues for the studio tour. It has been a busy year for us around here but we are happy to host everyone here November 15 - 18th from 10 am to 5 pm.

This year I have visiting artists Lesley Lorenz and Marci Leighton joining me. Their beautiful art will complement the many pieces I have been working on.

What is on the tour at the Broody Rooster?

• Lots of artwork - farm inspired including cows, pigs, sheep, hens, horses, flowers and old trucks... scenery and more.
• Canning - Blackberry, Plum/Apricot, Spiced Pear, Saskatoon, Logan Berry, Cherry and Crabapple - all from fruit here on the farm.
• Painted wine glasses of horses - hot sellers last year that are added again!
• Sewing items from local gals
• Horseshoe art from Dan Gogo
• Photography by Davis Hammer
• Soaps by Surf Girl - Sylvia
• Art cards
• Magnetic Chalk Boards (sold out last year with these popular items!)
• Coat hangers (distressed with funky hangers)

So come by for some hot apple cider and enjoy browsing and buying.

Mulled wine and art

This past four days was the annual Cedar Yellowpoint Artisan Tour. My second year on the tour, this one proved to be even busier than last year - so thanks to my friends Brenda and Lesley for helping out at the til! Six paintings, two commissions and lots of other art items sold - so by all means, a real success.

The idea of artisans working together to build a cluster and cooperatively market their goods is something I strongly advocate for in my "other job". Rural operators and those in the arts often have extra barriers to overcome to make their entrepreneurial visions come to life. So, I feel quite fortunate for where I am in terms of the artisans near me.

I had a two guest artisans - Lesley Lorenz, a friend who does wonderful acrylics and portraits (and who will be offering two workshops this spring), and Davis Hammer, who does amazing photography. Also, I had friends like Micki McCartney, Joan McCartney, Mary Carr, Sylvia Hall-Andrews and my sister Michelle Smith all contribute items to the mix. Thanks gang, everything was a big hit. We raised about $350 for the Big Heart Rescue via sales of painted animal ornaments and ""surf girl" soaps.

I am trying to use the Broody Rooster to inspire all things creative - and take in the many talents of the friends close to me in providing opportunities for others to find something that works for them. We have launched a fantastic workshop schedule for the 2012 spring season including everything from painting to photography, quilting, portraits, canning, furniture repair and pastry making. If you are keen to sign up, the entire schedule is on http://www.broodyrooster.com/ and you can also pay online too.

Gifts for the hard to give for...

We all have those special people in our lives that are super hard to buy for - they have everything or could just purchase it on their own. One gift to consider getting for these types is a gift certificate for a photo session or a commissioned piece of art. This type of present will last forever and capture the things that are important to them - memories.

I provided a special offer to the Take Five Magazine in this November's edition - so will make it available to people here as well as they are great discounts. I have these gift certificates done up in pretty packaging so you can give them in a stocking or as a main gift.

Photo session $125 (2 hour session with a CD of images in high resolution) Regular $200 value!
Commisioned painting $125 for an 11x14 or $200 for a 16x20. 15% off!

So, stop by the Broody Rooster during the holidays (open weekends til Dec 20 from 10 - 4 pm) to grab one of these for the hard to give folks on your list. AND - if you get to me in time, there is still a possibility that I can do the painting for you in time for Christmas! (happened last year as a surprise).

Hope to see you next week from Nov 17-20 during the Artisan Tour!

Time to get ready for the Cedar Yellowpoint Christmas Tour!

The Christmas tour is getting close - mark your calendar for November 17-20th for the Cedar Yellowpoint Christmas Tour. If you have not been on the tour before, it is well worth the trip to come out and see the 27 or so artisans who let you into their studio space to watch them work but better yet, to buy their wares! What better way to support local purchasing this Christmas than to do this?

This will be my second year of the tour and the Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery is soon transforming into a Gallery again, after hosting visitors during the summer as a Guesthouse. I am inviting some other local artists to place their items in the Gallery too - but expect to find paintings, cards, santa sacks, stockings, horse calendars, prints, glass art, iron work, canning and more!

Hope to see you there - and tell your friends.

Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery

Well, we have been busy here since the start of October. The Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery is on its way to an opening November 10, 2010.

Most of the work has been centered on creating the right ambiance for a gallery, while at the same time allowing me to convert it in the spring to a guesthouse for the summer season. This has taken a bit of thinking - but it is coming along. Like most small businesses, it will take some trial and error to get things all working for customers.

I am trying to get it all ready for the start of the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans Tour November 18-21st. Now that painting is done in there, I am transitioning to getting lots of product ready for the season - art cards, paintings, canning, santa sacks, stockings, and shopping bags. I have no idea how busy I will be or what people are keen to buy, but I want to have an assortment available for folks to be able to leave with awareness of the cottage and gifts. I have also decided to do gift certificates for commissioned paintings and photo sessions - all beautifully packaged so that they are ready to give.

The new brochures for the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans tour are out and their website has been updated - plan on coming out November 18-21st from 10 am to 5 pm to explore the various artisans in the area. A good place to buy your Christmas presents, or just be become familiar with what is in your own backyard while enjoying the journey out in this area.

Getting ready for Christmas

I am pretty excited about the holiday season this year. I know, it is early to talk about the "C" word, but I have been busy getting ready for a new step in my art career.

We have a beautiful little cabin on our property which we have rented out over the years. This year, our long term friend and tenant is moving out and we have decided to convert the cabin into a gallery and guesthouse. The business model will utilize the space in the fall winter and spring as my gallery and studio. I will program the space to inspire all things creative. There will be art classes, workshops, and other gatherings - keep your eyes posted for things to do in the space. The summer months, when I am on holidays - we are going to rent the cabin out as a guesthouse by the week for folks who want to experience this great place.

We took a long time coming up with a name but this summer - it all came to be. The cabin will now be known as the "Broody Rooster Gallery and Guesthouse". What is a broody rooster you ask? And why did I select the name? When we arrived at this place in 2003, we inherited some "residents", one of whom is an old Gray rooster that I call the old man. He is a blue silky who is blind in one eye and I keep him sheltered in a little barn and pen so the others don't pick on him. He must be at least 8 years old now, but you'd never know it. This spring, I had a hen in with him and a few chicks. To my surprise, when the hen started laying eggs, he became broody and started sitting on the eggs. I kid you not! I had to google this to see if there was such a thing as a later life gender transition in chickens but found nothing. I figured this was a sign of something, and loved the way it rolled off my tongue so it became the Broody Rooster. To me, I am a bit of a broody rooster - I love all things homey but am also have a bit of a cocky, bold male energy about me. This Gallery is about "strutting my stuff" so to speak and so - the name has stuck.

I will be designing a new web page soon and getting marketing under my belt, but for now - the effort is on transforming the cabin from a residence to a funky gallery, getting all my products ready for sale and preparing to be on the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans Christmas Tour. If you have never been on this tour - you need to come out and see all the different vendors in the area. It is a great example of cultural tourism and business clustering in the area and I am super excited to be involved.

Come by on November 18-19, 20 and 21st. Plan to spend your Christmas budget and stock up for everyone on your list. Spread the word, bring a friend and enjoy. I will have paintings, art cards, canning, Santa sacks, purses, stockings and other goodies for sale.