Glam and Glitter for New Years at the Grove Park Inn

Are you ready for New Years Eve?  The Grove Park Inn is having a huge bash this year with four bands.  Whether you are coming here or going to a private party, the Gallery has all the glitter and glam you would want to wear.

Vermeil  bracelet by Rebecca Hook

Rebecca Hook created this lovely vermeil bracelet with white and chocolate pearls, and dogwood blossoms.  Add this stunning necklace by Willowsong with citrine briolettes and pearls and you are dressed for a big night on town.

Amolia Willowsong's citrine necklace

Kathleen Lewis's evening bags offer just the right size for your essentials and look perfect with any outfit.  Sherit Levin's velvet cape warms you up for the chilliest night and still looks very glamorous.  No outfit is complete without a Micki Chaet ring like this one with citrines and garnets.

Evening bags by Kathleen Lewis

Cape by Sherit Levin

Micki Chaet ring

Make your New Years resolution to buy American handmade this year!  Happy New Year from all of us at Gallery of the Mountains!  See you in 2012!

Wintry Warmth

We got a dusting of snow last night and the wind is howling in the mountains today.  

Janice Keeler shawl

What better way to warm up than cuddle in front of your fireplace with a snuggled under a wool shawl by Janice Keeler  sipping hot cocoa from a hand made mug by J J Jucick.

J J Jucick mug

For a different twist on the usual hot cocoa try this recipe with white chocolate - you can use up those extra candy canes from the holidays!

Recipe for Snowflake Cocoa (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream                                      

6 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 12 ounce package white chocolate chips

Garnish - whipped cream, candy canes

Directions:

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla and white chocolate chips in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted.  Stir again before serving.  Garnish with whipped cream and candy canes.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Gallery of the Mountains.

American Handmade Gifts for the Home

Pillow by Dana Smith,

The Gallery has so many wonderful American handmade gift for your home or for a loved one's home.  Give a gift of a handmade throw pillow, framed print, whimsical metal art, a glass fairy ball, wood lamp or a pottery cat.

Arts and Crafts Press framed print

Simone Wilson's flower child

Glass Fairy Ball by Virgil Jones

Ginkgo cat by Cynthia Link

Lamp by David Koleshis

Basket by Joe Bruneau

We Have A Winner!

Dabney Sue

 Jeweler Dabney Sue Peterson picked the winner for her pearl drawing last Sunday at the Gallery.  If you made a purchase of her pearls from the Gallery during the past few weeks, you were entered into the drawing.  The winner was Delores Fink - a long time customer of the Gallery. Delores will get to choose one set of pearls from three lovely sets.  Congrats to Delores!

Billie, Amber, Debra with Dabney Sue and the winning ticket!

Hand Made Leather Vest and Handbags by Lyn Lyndall

Lyndall deer skin purse

For those of you who love the feel of leather, Lyn Lyndall had added some deer skin purses and a stunning leather vest to her line for the holidays!  These would make special gifts for the women in your circle. Each piece is all hand made by the artist - the bead work and leather work.

Cowhide purse

Leather vest

Only  7 more shopping day until Christmas!!!!  We are open as usual on Christmas Day from 9 to 5.

Hand Made Reindeer for the Holidays

Leslie Bowman purses

Reindeer have long been associated  with Christmas - they pull Santa's sleigh through the air to deliver toys to good children!  The Gallery has some American hand made reindeer for you as gifts.  Leslie Bowman hand quilts her reindeer purses with festive colors and trim for the holidays.  And Simone Wilson has created her own reindeer including a Rudolf with piano key legs, bottle cap noses and all the whimsy you could want in a Christmas creature.


When department store employee Robert L May wrote the poem Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer in 1939 he may not have realized he was adding to a legend about the god Thor.  Ancient Norse mythology tells of the legend of Thor, the God of Thunder. Thor was known to fly through the stormy skies pulled in a chariot by magical goats named Gnasher and Cracker.  Sound vaguely familiar?

Simone Wilson reindeer 

 
Did you know real reindeer are ruminant animals?  Like goats, cattle, sheep, deer and giraffes, they are even-toed, cud-chewing, hoofed, usually horned mammals which have a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments. Their hooves are large and sharp enabling them to travel across large distances and areas consisting of snow and ice.  Both male and females have antlers although the males are usually larger.  In North America reindeer are called caribou and are found mainly in Canada.

Join us in Camera Critters today.  Show off your favorite animal!

American Hand Made Holiday Ornaments

Display over the bellmen's desk.

The Grove Park Inn goes Christmas in a big way.  Evey nook and cranny of the historic hotel is decorated with trees, trim and Santas.  You can even get your holiday photo taken in the scene set up in the massive fireplace!

Lynda Banner rooster ornament

The Gallery goes all out too with lots of American hand made Christmas ornaments for every taste imaginable.  All of them are locally made.  Lynda Banner creates cute pottery ornaments; Simone Wilson's metal ornaments appeal to the folk art lover;  and Robbie Diffey makes her lovely ornaments in brass.

Simone Wilson metal ornaments

Robbie Diffey brass ornaments

The Christmas tree in the Grand Hall, Grove Park Inn.

Jean Saake bell and wreath ornaments

If you want a memento of your visit to the grand Grove Park Inn, then Jean Saake's ceramic bells and wreaths with the Inn painted on by hand will be the ticket. For the pet lover Julie Calhoun-Roepnack' whimsical dogs and cats will be a hit.  For a true American ornament try our cotton ball ornaments.  Using scraps of colorful felt Cecelia Barbieri makes tiny wreaths to trim your tree.

Julie Roepnack pottery animals

Cotton ball ornament

Ceceilia Barbieri wreath

Let It Snow...

Mista Whitson watercolor original

Let it Snow, Let It Snow!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Al Ramirez giclee print

It's that time of year when the weather takes a turn for the colder and the flakes begin to fall.  The past two winters have been snowier than normal with three times the normal snowfall for this time of year in many place in our county.  Bundle up with our handmade hats of wool, alpaca and llama made by local fabric artist Janice Keeler.  Wrap yourself in soft warmth with our chenille scarves by Trillium weavers.

Janice Keeler hat

Trillium hand loomed scarf

If you live in a warmer climate, then surround yourself with snowy scenes like the watercolors by Mista Whitson or giclee prints by Al Ramirez.  Simone Wilson created these large metal snowmen and women for holiday decor - hang the on the tree or in your windows to remind you of the frosty weather you are missing!

Simone Wilson snow woman

Wilson snow man ornament

Cardinal print by Al Ramirez

Festive Holiday Accessories

Kathleen Lewis plaid purse

Whether you are buying something for yourself or for a family member, the Gallery has just the right festive holiday accessory for everyone. Dressy purses, jackets, scarves, and jewelry all make thoughtful gifts.

Rachel Wilder ginkgo necklace in sterling

Rachel Wilder has added a new line to her collections - the ginkgo leaf.  The ginkgo tree is a living fossil, having been growing on earth since the days of the dinosaurs.  They are extremely hardy and resilient.  Ginkgo trees growing near the atomic blast in Hiroshima survived, charred but alive and are still living to this day.  No wonder they are considered "bearers of hope"

Rachel Wilder matching ginkgo earrings

Peter Lanphear chenille jacket , Karen Atwood loop scarf  with the plaid purse

Kathleen Lewis flower pin

Do stop by Ruby Tuesday for more red!

Celebrity Shopper!

The Gallery had a surprise celebrity shopper this past weekend!  NBA star Dominique Wilkins who played for the Atlanta Hawks stopped by to purchase some locally handmade crafts. He knows the best place to shop in Asheville for American made, handmade - right here!

Floor Manager Debra with Dominique.

Bluebirds for Happiness - Chris Smith

Chris Smith ornaments

Glass blower Chris Smith has some lovely offerings for the holidays season!  From swirled ornaments to tiny vases and blue birds. 

Smith ornament

Ever wonder about the origin of the saying bluebird of happiness?  This is what I found.....The mythology of the bluebird of happiness has deep roots that go back thousands of years.Indigenous cultures across the globe hold similar myths and beliefs about the bluebird. It is a widely accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, good health, new births, the renewal of springtime, etc. Virtually any positive sentiments may be attached to the bluebird.

 In magical symbolism, bluebirds are used to represent confidence in the positive aspect and egotism in the negative.  A dead bluebird represents disillusionment, the loss of innocence, and of transformation from the younger and naive to the older and wiser. (Info from Wikipedia)

Glass bluebirds

Tiny glass vases