Open Studio @ Feedlot- get ready for Christmas

Open Studios! Now Mondays & Wednesday Evenings at Feedlot Studios

Go and enjoy the warmth of Feedlot Studios (Gabriola) on Monday and Wednesday evenings this fall and winter from 6-9 pm for some good, semi-clean ceramic fun.
They'll get you going on some holiday gift making ideas and lure that Art Star out of you that you always knew you had in you! So start making a list and checking it twice... they can even show you how to make lumps of coal for the not so deserving recipient on your Secret Santa List.
The Fee for Open Studio is still only $10/hour and that includes your materials and firings.
Holy Yuletide! That's a steal of a deal!
We love to go to Feedlot, Mariko finds a way to make it a great experience for everyone (even if your intimidated to try something "artsy"), here's a ceramic pendant that I made in class.

The Trades on Gabriola

You’ll find that there are so many great ideas and ways to make things on the Island. Many people that live here, have the “back to the land” philosophy and are open to sharing their ideas with you. Recently I was approached to teach a special art project to some of the homeschoolers on the Island, and in trade, one of the parents from the group is going to show a few friends and myself how to make a pattern from our kid’s drawings and turn them into stuffed animals (this takes two Christmas items off my list).
I also have a trade lined up from one of the jewelers on the Island. This might be one of the easiest years for checking coveted items off my Christmas list. Getting to give gifts that are created locally is a gift to the local economy and creates a fantastic story to go with it.

Keep on trading ! (submitted by: Tina Lynch)

Home Made Valentines Cards

Being a bit of a romantic, I find that valentines is one of my favorite holidays... I love the cards - both the ones that are home made, and the kids cartoon cards - that just seem to get cuter each year!!!

So when Valentines was around the corner, I started my search on the Internet where there were hundreds of great ideas for making home-made Valentines cards. I cam across a website that had some simple ones to make that I thought might be fun to craft with the girls, for their Gabriola Preschool Valentines Party...

Originating from w. skiptomylou.org these fun lollipop lilies -were a hit, and relatively simple to make!

The flower patterns are available online at: http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/flower.pdf , then just print them (ideally onto a colored card stock paper. Cut around the dotted edges, punch a whole in the middle of each - to put the lollipop through and let the kids decorate away... For simplicity we just used sparkle glue and did around the petals, which gave them a nice shimmer & looked a lot like fairy dust (a girls favorite thing!)

Next we tackled the leaves, which again the pattern is posted online at: http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/leaf.pdf , again you'll want to print them onto colored card stock, green is nice, but the flowers can also have a purple leaf! We carefully cut around each of the leaves, and again just put even more sparkle glue on them just the edges... Then it's time to put the name of the lucky recipient on the front of the leaf and the card creator on the back!

On a whim we slightly altered the cards and punched a hole in the leaves and pushed them up the lollipop stick until they reached the wrapper, which made them stay... For displaying them we took a foam lined basket filled it with moss and stuck all of the flowers in - ready for giving!

Gabriola Island - Holiday Shopping Continued

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to continue sharing some of “island ideas” & showcase some island businesses, to help make your holiday shop easier.…

Gabriola Island Winery http://www.gabriolawinery.com/
This new family based business, has just released a Merlot & Port this year, we are very excited to support the islands first production vineyard. There is a limited quantity, so you’ll want to get your hands on a bottle or two! They opened a tasting room in Summer 2008.

These are only a sampling of what is available. On an island with so many talented artisans, musicians, popular Bed & breakfasts, retreats, health & fitness opportunities, local merchants & entrepreneurs - there are no shortage of gift giving ideas, and how better to support the community than by buying local.

Gabriola Shale www.gabriolamuseum.org/shale.html#To_Buy
How about a subscription to SHALE, the journal that celebrates and records the rich ecology, history, and pre-history of Gabriola, Mudge, and De Courcy Islands, and the surrounding area of the Strait of Georgia, on the northwest coast of North America. These are a very interesting read, and give lots of history about the island and surrounding areas.

The last one isn’t from the island, but makes a wonderful gift…

Eco-friendly reusable bags. Billions of plastic bags end up in our landfills each year. There are a variety of different bags to suit individual tastes. One
of the website that sell these bags are: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-bags-c-2.html

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Gabriola Island - Holiday Shopping

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to share some of “island ideas” & showcase some island businesses, over the next couple of weeks, to help make your holiday shop easier.…

New Society Publishers http://www.newsociety.com/
New Society Publishers, is now a 20 year old island company who’s mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society. They employ approx. 12 island residents, including the two owners. They offer a wide variety of books & some fabulous green building books & cookbooks – that we have in our personal collection.

Greenbeans http://www.greenbeans.ca/
This relatively new island online company offers a healthier more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic water bottle & thermos bottles. They also offer hemp bags, everything from market bags to backpacks. We have had opportunity to use the klean kanteens that they offer for sale, and would highly recommend them!

Gabriola Coffee Company e. organiccoffeeongab@shaw.ca
Gabriola Coffee Co. features 100% Certified Organically grown coffee beans, custom roasted and blended to please the most discerning coffee lover. Their roasting process develops the coffee's peak aromatic characteristics resulting in the perfect cup, smooth and rich in flavour and aroma. Email Di for additional information on their variety of offerings – this is a great way to wake up on Christmas morning!

Happy Shopping!

Adopting a Polar Bear

It’s quickly approaching my brother in laws 41st Birthday, since I don’t think he knows how to google, I don’t think there’s much chance of him reading this, I hope he doesn’t prove me wrong! I was trying to come up with some gift ideas, when I thought about my niece & nephew and what they might like to get their dad as a gift, and of course that’s when it came to me...

My brother in law has an amazing fascination with Polar bears, my neice and nephew share his enthusiasm of all animals. I quickly did some research online to come up with the idea of “Adopting a Polar Bear.” For a $40.00 donation, you can help the WWF in their work to save wildlife & help in protecting their habitat. This is a gift that keeps giving, in helping to preserve the natural heritage for generations to come – and how can that be more suitable than getting this gift from his children!

The WWF also has a polar bear tracker, so you can read the biographies of 6 female polar bears & cubs in the Hudson Bay area & track their migration at; http://www.wwf.ca/polarbears/tracker.html .

I’m looking forward to the shared enjoyment the family will get from their adoption kit, including a photograph & adoption papers, a plush animal, along with a brochure outlining the work that is being done. Happy Birthday Guy!