Psssttt…. artsyletters is the “Spotlight Business” for First Friday, March 1!

This Friday, March 1 from 5 to 8 p.m., downtown Beaufort celebrates the 5th anniversary of FIRST FRIDAY!

Kick off March with a “Stop and Shop” evening in downtown Beaufort this week. Thanks to the hard work of many, spearheaded by Mary and Eric at Thibault Gallery, FIRST FRIDAY is celebrating its 5th anniversary. (Thibault Gallery is, too – go by and give them some love!)

I’ll be hanging out at the clock downtown with Rhonda and Bernadette from the City of Beaufort. Come by and say hello! And then go check on Jeff, who will be minding the store at my studio at 811 Bay Street upstairs, with help from the wonderful Kim Poovey. Need some “literary art with a vintage vibe”? We’ve got you covered with my handcrafted gifts for readers and writers. Many of my items are also available at The Beaufort Emporium – be sure to enjoy the unique gifts and treats you can find there, seven days a week!

Enjoy an evening of strolling, entertainment, refreshments, catching up with old friends and making new ones – and maybe a little local shopping and dining! (If it sprinkles, we won’t let it dampen our spirits. It will just help green up our beautiful town for March.) See you Friday evening!

NIGHT ON THE TOWN… We’ll have Kim Poovey! And Mice! And Wassail!


Happy Holidaysd!  Join us in the Studio at 811 Bay Street (upstairs) for NIGHT ON THE TOWN!  5-8 p.m.  We’ll have Special Guest Kim Poovey!  And DICKENS’ MICE!  And Wassail!

And LOTS of fun and shopping downtown… perfect way to ring in the Season!

See you there – :0)

December Doings….


I’m tucked away making custom orders here at the start of December.  But if you’re a Beaufort area local, be sure to come on up to visit us for

NIGHT ON THE TOWN 

this Friday, Dec. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m.!

(Special Guest Kim Poovey will be signing copies of DICKENS’ MICE, the cover of which was illustrated by yours truly.)

I’ll also be open a couple of days next week, or get in touch to set up a time to pop in the studio.  My Etsy shop is open 24/7 – :0)  Keep in mind the last artsyletters sleigh will depart on Dec. 19 – please get orders in before that date.  Thank you!

FIRST FRIDAY and Fall Hours….


Favorite Time of Year!
Start your Fall off right with a big First Friday after Five Downtown!
We’ll be open 5-8 p.m. and then
Thursdays and Fridays 11:30 – 4:00 (with a few wee exceptions)
until the Holidays, plus extra hours in November and December.
Thanks for supporting small businesses & indie artists! :0)
(My Etsy Shop is open 24/7!)

It’s NIGHT ON THE TOWN Time – Friday, Dec. 2!


 

anightonthetown-2016

There’s a nip in the air, and the calendar says it’s time to do some holiday celebrating and shopping!  Come by and say hello if you’re out and about in downtown Beaufort this weekend.  (My A-Frame sign will be down on the sidewalk when my studio is open.)  I’ll warm up some cider and have some goodies available Friday night, 6-9 p.m.

Jingle Jingle!

Play. Work. Play. (Boxes of Surprises!)


 

DSC05777 box of blocks

My husband and I couldn’t resist.

We’d gone to the nearby town of Bluffton to the (wonderful!) HighTides Bead Shop – where I couldn’t resist either – and then popped into a few galleries along quaint Calhoun Street.

We came home with a box of blocks.  They are the end pieces that an artist couldn’t use, so he cleverly bundled them up and sold them, box and all.  Jeff wants to carve some, and I want to use some as “grounds” for art.  We have a new box of toys!

This has all reminded me of the importance of play in creating. In other areas of life, too.  I’d started the summer with a dutiful plan to add jogging to my walking routine – walk/jogging a few miles for two days in a row, then taking the third day off. I kept that pattern for a solid couple of weeks.  Until I ended up at my regular neuromuscular massage therapy appointment with a twisted knee in addition to major aggravation to my still-recovering injured neck.

“Did I say you could jog?” asked my therapist. “Most people, when they run, lead with their head!” (a big no-no for me).  “You can walk.  Or ride a bike.”

So I finally did what I’ve intended to do since moving here to the coast– I bought a simple cruising bike at the hardware store.

Robyn and bike 2015 06 crop

 

No gears!  No decisions!  Granted, it doesn’t get my heart rate up quite the same way as running, but I go farther and actually enjoy it.  And a magical thing happens when I climb onto the seat.  I become 10 years old.  Having grown up in Florida and spending countless hours on bicycles, I really do feel like a kid again whizzing by the water and ducking under Spanish moss.

 

 

One more box story.  This week I dragged a box out from under the house, where I put it a year or so ago.  My studio is upstairs in a wonderful historic building smack in the middle of downtown.  I walk in and out, most days, via the wooden stairs in the back. The building is owned by a family which runs a lovely jewelry store, and there’s an art gallery and interior design shop there, too.  I’ve been known to scavenge the boxes they’ve tossed out back.  Maybe I’ve salvaged bubble wrap and shipping boxes.

Anyway, right after moving here, I walked down and saw a large box labeled “Necks.”  Now tell me, would you have been able to just pass it on by?

DSC05790

Me neither.  To my delight, it was full of discarded jewelry displays for necklaces.  You can see in the pictures that I finally got around to sorting them and deciding some were worth cleaning up and spray painting.

DSC05803

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Somehow I managed to spray a little paint toward my face.  Thankful for glasses.  But then I had to go to my studio and find some mineral spirits to get the specks off.  It was bright and sunny when I left on my errand, and left my sparkly “new” necks out to dry.  But a few blinks later, I was driving back home in a torrential storm.  Oh, well – at least the necks will be really clean.

I’m finally getting around to making some more adventurous jewelry with typewriter keys.  Here are a few examples of necklaces in the works, though I might still add a bit of vintage bling to the chains of the pendants.

1 necklace 2015 07 c

[PS - Got the pewter pitcher at a church thrift store last week for $1.00!]

[PS – Got the pewter pitcher at a church thrift store last week for $1.00!]

two necklaces one pin 2015 07 c

Or perhaps I’ll leave these simple. But  I’ve been amassing all these wonderful treasures to PLAY with… supplies 2015 07

If you’re in the downtown Beaufort area and in a playful mood tonight (Friday), swing by downtown for First Friday After Five.  Several galleries and shops will be open with refreshments and such, including my studio.

first friday poster

Here’s to a summer full of creative surprises!