Top left to right: Sharon's famous butter tart squares; Wendy's sister Nancy; Sharon Michaelson; Michelle Casey; Visitors to the Studio and Wendy Southin, November 2014
Hello! Happy New Year!!! I hope you all survived the holidays and are all doing well. My New Year’s resolution is to simply catch up with you all and get back into the steady rhythm of blogging again. So today I thought I’d share some photos of Wendy Southin’s Christmas November 2014 Open House with you. There was a great turn out for the event with approximately 40 visitors to Dragonfly Dreamers Studio… a new record!
Allow me to introduce you to the small group of artists and crafters participating…
Sharon Michaelson knitted some gorgeous multi-coloured socks and scarves for the occasion. A cool thing about one of the wools she was using was that it extracted colours from famous paintings for its tones. I was so excited by this that I exchanged one of my collages with Sharon for a pair of handmade socks whose colours were drawn from a Vincent Van Gogh landscape painting! Besides wowing us with her knitting, Sharon also made the most delicious butter tart squares I’ve ever tasted… I’ll be sharing the recipe with you soon!
Joni Newman owner of Quirks and Quilts displayed her handmade quilts and patterns. Known for her striking compositions of Ontario’s Algonquin Park, a long-time Canadian painter’s paradise, Joni’s inspiration comes from her visits to the area. She teaches quilting and embroidery workshops in the city as well as parts of Ontario. A natural born story teller, it’s awesome to hear her recount the history behind the making of her pieces.
Pencil artist, Sheila Cain-Sample, well known for her beautifully detailed black & white and colour pencil drawings, handsome monograms and fine intricate Zentangle designs was also there. Sheila gives Zentangling workshops at Dragonfly Dreamers studio – I highly recommend them; she’s an extremely skilled and warm-hearted instructor.
Our hostess and craft show wonder woman, Wendy Southin, displayed her gorgeous array of steam-punk and nature-inspired copper jewellery. Wendy puts in an enormous amount of time and reflection into creating her pieces. She endlessly experiments and challenges herself with new materials and techniques to work with. I marvel at her ability to balance doing umpteen craft shows a year while teaching fabulous journaling, jewellery and mixed media workshops at Dragonfly Dreamers Studio. Every student that walks out of her place absolutely beams at the results of what they’ve created there… including yours truly.
Although Clare Gallant of Old Farm House Soap wasn’t on hand to sell her amazing handmade soaps, lip balms, lotions and body scrubs, they were a big hit. This time of year, with our frigid temperatures making the skin so dry, it’s nice to treat yourself to one of her homemade lightly-scented aromatic delights!
Last but not least, I was there along with 13 new handmade collage cards, some of which were framed and matted as well as zines, postcards and fine art card prints. I had many lively discussions with visitors all of whom were simply mad about collaging, so much so I’m happy to announce that I’m thinking of holding a workshop at Dragonfly Dreamers Studio in the late spring! Will keep you posted.
A huge thanks to Wendy and Tom Southin for hosting such a wonderful and memorable event!
Need a little New Year’s lift? You may be interested in reading my blog article Put All Your Troubles in a God Jar… .
Wonderful post Michelle. It was great to have you with us this year. I loved your new collages. Thanks.
My dear Wendy, Thanks for giving me the opportunity to gain some valuable new experience. I am so blessed to have you as a friend and colleague. Your support means so much to me. Hugs, Michelle 🙂