Find us at Land of Local Treasures!

We are delighted to have our handcrafted creations at Land of Local Treasures in Storrs. Now you don't have to wait until our holiday or spring sale to pick up a gift item or a purchase for yourself.

Land of Local Treasures is located at 1029 Storrs Rd, Rte 195, one mile south of UConn. They are a boutique/consignment shop, where you'll find local artists, antiques, vintage goods and more. They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm. Stop by and shop locally!

Scenes from our Spring 2009 show

We had beautiful weather for our spring sale and a great time visiting with all of you who stopped by. This is a lovely bouquet from Lisa's garden. Not to mention the lovely and yummy Italian cookies that we purchased for our customers. We re-purposed the pot belly stove into a cookie counter.

Here is a new piece from Lisa of Feats of Clay. It is a very calming vase, and the design is so unique.

Her canisters continue to be available and would make a one of a kind wedding gift.

Gaze upon these two charming hats. Mary Alice from Amazon Studio hand knit these and they are one of a kind. They both sold, and one of them is on its way to England for a beloved grandson. Don't worry there will be more for the holiday shows.


Here are some of the raw materials that will be made into the always amazing necklaces, earrings, and bracelets by Lynn and Karen for STRINGING THEM ALONG.


Last, but not least, a sample of a pillow from Free Spirits Fibers, along with photos from Red Oak Studio. Very spring like.

Thanks again to all who visited. We will see you for all your holiday shopping needs.

New Mugs This Spring

I tried something new with my mugs lately. I've been throwing them in porcelain, then carving them with wire. When I got some out of the kiln I set them out on the table to look. Not the best backdrop, but the light was so pretty.


I hope you'll stop by this weekend and take a look. I'd love to get your feedback on size, glazes, etc. I'm really having fun with these and I think I'll keep making them until I get one just right for you!


I've got some new bowls and beads too. Lynn and I were discussing our menu over a beer yesterday, thinking about festive food and drink. My favorite thing lately (from my favorite food blog) is this Feta Salsa.

Come by and say hello on Saturday!

Lisa

Amazon Creek Studio & Free Spirits Fibers

The spring show for June 6 is quickly approaching and summer weight scarves are on their way east.  I'm excited to say that I will be joining them on the 6th, and, with Eileen, introducing our new line, Free Spirits Fibers.  Both of us over the years have enjoyed sewing and handwork and as Eileen began to talk about printing her photographs on fabric and I found the same passion working with fabric that I have had with yarn, Free Spirits Fibers was born.  Two of her flower photos headed west recently and lent themselves to "framing" with fabric and enhanced with embroidery.  They will join reversible bags suitable for shopping, project holding, books and more, as well as other patchwork and quilted pillows.  We're in our infancy but are very excited about the possibilities and would love to have you let us know what you think!  I look forward to seeing you on the 6th!

Spring

Well, That wasn't SO bad :-). Time to rise up, shake the down out of my ears, and think about gardening and our spring sale. We'll be open just one day for spring of 2009. We'll have photography, knitting, jewelry, pottery, gourds and leather goods for sale, of course. But we also invite you to stop by just to say hello and celebrate spring with us, and let us thank you for your support over the last few years. We'll have some tasty snacks and hopefully a beautiful day to be out and about. We've been tweaking the gallery bit by bit, so if you haven't been in for a while, stop by and take a look. As always, we appreciate your feedback about our work and our space.

I got to get a little jump on spring this year by potting up some of my planters into little dish gardens. My friend Liz is part of a fledgeling family horticultural enterprise called Pots and Petals in Foster, RI. Husband Keith's focus is on woodland natives, son Howie and daughter in law Rana are starting vegetable seedlings. Liz shares my love for succulents, especially Hens and Chicks. For me they are like Japanese Painted Ferns. Each one is its own little painting and I never find one that I wouldn't like to take home. 

Well, Liz decided to try her hand at raising them last fall, and did she ever! Winter chatting got us thinking about collaborating on some dish gardens together, so last weekend we did. It was a cool, rainy Sunday, but with a glass of wine, a big propane heater, and  our supervisor at the helm,

we were ready to go!

We think these came out great. They should fill in a bit over the next month or so.

I'm having trouble resisting showing you all of them.

They'll be pretty cozy in their little corner of the greenhouse. Liz will take some to sell at farmers' markets in May, and I'll have some at the gallery on June 6.

Happy digging! Lisa

We want to make sure you can find us!

We're at 341 Hanks Hill Road
Travel south on rt. 195 about 1 mile past the UCONN campus to East Road (across from the Mansfield fire station). Turn left on East Rd and go about 3/4 mile. The gallery is the little red barn where East Road makes a sharp left and becomes Hanks Hill Road.

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

More Images From Red Oak Studio

Here are some more images from my trip to the southwest.  They are available in matted pieces of different sizes and also available in handmade cards.

This is a sculpture located in Taos, New Mexico.  The sculpture is done by R.C. Gorman a famous sculptor and painter from Taos.  The title of this piece is Winona and I believe it is a piece that personifies the southwest.  For me, when I look at the piece I see peace and nobility.

The Silkworm Gallery Interior

Here is a look at our gallery on the inside.   But don't wait too long to actually come inside and see the wonderful products that we and our guest artists have waiting for you.  We have a wonderful range of prices to help you with your holiday shopping.

Four of the five owners of Silkworm Gallery

Unfortunately the fifth one is in Eugene, Oregon and we hope she will send us a photo of herself.

From left to right:

Karen Beattie   - Stringing Them Along

Lisa Krall              Feats of Clay

Eileen Griffin      Red Oak Studio

Lynn Haney         Stringing Them Along

Gig Neubeck        Amazon Creek Studio, Eugene, Oregon

Say hi to us when you come in.  We are all here to be your personal shoppers and offer ideas of great handcrafted gifts.  

Platter from Feats of Clay

Here is one of Lisa's new pieces.  As you can see her work is organic and romantic at the same time.

Good Gourds from Chris Gooding

Chris has been with us as a guest artist for the past few years.  We keep having her back because she has developed a following at our gallery.  Here is one of her lamps.  Her muse for this piece is Robert Rivera a famous gourd artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Her products are in demand so don't wait too long.  

Antique African Beaded Bracelets From Stringing Them Along

Here are some images of very unique beaded bracelets.  They will be available this weekend.  Come in and see the beauty of these items.  Please remember to double click on images to see a larger image of the items and the explanation of the origin of the beads.