Wordless Weekend: Winter Walk

Detail of Painting by Vicki Allesia

The cure for holidaze? Nature. A quiet walk in Nature will surely refresh you...

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Merry Christmas from us to you

Last minute shopping at the very last minute

Please note, Christmas Marketplace closes today at 1pm.
There's still time to squeak in a little last-minute gift buying, or maybe reward yourself with a treasure for being so efficient.

A big thank you to everyone who dropped by, either to say hello to our artists or to complete all your Christmas shopping from the display. Have a very merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year :)

Note: the blog will be running on reduced posting from now until the end of February. The gift shop will still be open though.

Shop early, shop local, shop often ...

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us this Christmas season and throughout the year. Without you and the support of community, artists find it very difficult to keep going, artistically and financially. Shopping local helps the artists in your midst and also keeps the community thriving.
A big thank you.

The Christmas Marketplace will be open until 1pm on Monday, December 23rd. So check us out today until 6pm, or Saturday (10am to 5pm) or Sunday between noon and 4pm.

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

On the twelfth day of Christmas ...

After the last bird incident, I'm impressed at his bravery.
Another mathematical gifting conundrum, but if you count carefully - voila! 144 precise papercuts.

And in countdown, my tally this year (aside from broken glass, lacerated fingertips, a stiff neck from the icy blast and the recurring bears nightmare) -

12x12 delicate papercuts

a gift at the eleventh hour

10 tiny leaf veins

9 artful magnets

8 dainty jewellery links

7 cute-but-flown-the-coop chicks

6 tentacular tentacles

5 heavenly bows

4 perfectly squared

3 marauding bears

2 lock and key sets

and an eagle swooping for the turkey (yikes!)

Isn't the partridge meant to come on day 1 though?

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts in all their glory.
PS: We're open later this evening, until 7:30pm for the end of the Arts Centre Silent Auction.

Wordless Wednesday: Classy and Classic

Necklace by Sandra Ho

All dressed up with, oh, so many places to go....

Experience the Blackberry Artist's Society's Christmas Marketplace at the Port Moody Arts Centre. Hours are Mon.-Fri, 10 am-6 pm, Sat., 10 am-5 pm, and Sun. 12 pm-4 pm.

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On the eleventh day of Christmas ...

wire tree decoration by Luci Gimenes

Bandages off today! This meant I could drive, so off I went into town for some Retail Therapy.
Unfortunately, this put My True Love right off track and he completely forgot about his thematic gift giving until almost the last minute. Luckily, the Blackberry Artist Society's Christmas Marketplace is open till 6pm most evenings (5pm on Saturdays; 4pm on Sunday; and until 7:30pm on Thursday, December 19th for the end of the Arts Centre Silent Auction).
At almost the eleventh hour he returned with this beautiful wire tree ornament ... and totally melted my heart.
:)

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the tenth day of Christmas ...

green glazed leaf imprint dish by Myrta Hayes

Today's gift was a tiny treasure - ten delicate leaf veins on a ceramic leaf dish.
Maybe he has caught up to this year's anniversary theme after all?

It's just big enough for one set of car keys.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the ninth day of Christmas ...

art magnets by Elizabeth Wallace

My True Love, since he is now doing all the kitchen prep work on account of my bandaged hands, has noticed how bare and boring our fridge looks.
This was only temporary - today's ninth day of Christmas gift was a package of nine colourful art magnets.
Now I worry I won't be able to get him out of the kitchen at all.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the eighth day of Christmas ...

fibre and metal bracelet by Sandra Ho

This evening's extremely tiny package was pushed carefully across the silent dining table by My True Love. He then had to help unwrap it as my bandaged fingers couldn't undo the knots.
It was the least he could do, having disbelieved me when I'd shouted that the outdoor birds were mounting a rescue mission with sledgehammers through  the patio windows to release the cute chicks inside.

I forgive him.
The car passenger window is complete once more and I don't have to drive around in a draft.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the sixth day of Christmas ...

watercolour fabric transfer by Amanda Maxwell

Not only mathematical, but fantastical.
Octopuses have eight arms last time I checked wikipedia.
However, My True Love assures me that Port Moody cephalopods are really hexapods.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

Tracks in Time is on sale in the gift shop for Christmas too!

Meet Your Makers: Stone Carver Tom Reid

Hand carved cat by Tom Reid

Take advantage of a very special opportunity this coming Saturday! Blackberry Artist Tom Reid will demonstrate stone carving December 14 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Christmas Marketplace at the Port Moody Arts Centre. Whether he's working with soapstone, BC jade, or other media, Tom is sure to make an impression. This demo will appeal to the whole family. Children will be thrilled to see a shape unfold before their eyes and adults will be intrigued by the process. Just how does someone carve a figure from a chunk of rock? Come on down and find out! While you're at the centre, let us also tempt you with the lovely creations on display in the 3-D Gallery, on the tree in the lobby and in the Blackberry Gift Shop.

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Wordless Wednesday: Sumptuous

Christmas Marketplace gift bags by Del Holbrook

Someone's been sewing! Choose handmade gift bags in a variety of sizes, materials, colors and patterns. You're sure to find exactly what you need for every gift.

Experience the Blackberry Artist's Society's Christmas Marketplace at the Port Moody Arts Centre. Hours are Mon.-Fri, 10 am-6 pm, Sat., 10 am-5 pm, and Sun. 12 pm-4 pm.

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On the seventh day of Christmas ...

bird drawings by Sarah Ronald

Seven of the cutest chicks around! And of course, My True Love, still mildly in the dog house from the night-before-last's antics, calls me the cutest.
I lined up the birds next to the deck windows and before long they were being admired by a throng of cheeky chickadees hopping around outside for the birdseed.
I swear I could see the 2D birds fluff out their feathers a little at all the attention?

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the fifth day of Christmas ...

intarsia wood wreath by Del Holbrook

Five perfect bows! and an angel.
Everybody needs an angel at Christmas - especially My True Love, who inexplicably locked both sets of keys inside the car last night when we were downtown for a theatre outing.

As I walk away to get a better cell signal for calling BCAA, I hear him exclaim "Let me sort this!" and turn just in time to see him raising a handy lump of sidewalk from the road and hurling it through the passenger window.

At around midnight, when I had managed to sign him out of the police station, he then re-discovered the inside pocket of his new jacket.
This morning it appears that he's shattered the only replacement glass not in stock.
Ho ho ho.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the fourth day of Christmas ...

stained glass panel by Margret Billings

Now he's getting mathematical.
This evening's 'fresh from the giftshop' piece was delivered with a flourish and unwrapped in confusion.
"But it's not a four of anything," I cried, puzzled at this sudden departure from festive form.
My True Love sighed, looking a trifle disappointed so I looked down at the beautiful stained glass window hanging once more.
And there it was, a perfect four-by-four sixteen complete squares of glass, neatly and expertly foiled into place.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the third day of Christmas ...

carved bears by Tom Reid

On the third day of Christmas, My True Love is most definitely on a Remembrance of Things Past kick - these charming three bears are a great reminder of an interesting hiking encounter out on the trails earlier this year.
My! I didn't know I could beat him climbing over a trellis fence these days! Or that he could scream louder than me.
Oh my!

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

On the second day of Christmas ...

ceramic lock by Jan Pavlic Falkenberg

I'm not sure if he's giving me the keys to his heart, or commenting on the fact that I've locked myself out of the car several times this year?
Whatever it is, these are certainly graceful reminders of one or the other.

Check out the other 12 days of Christmas posts as they publish.

Meet Your Makers: Sarah Ronald

Button Making by Sarah Ronald

Join Blackberry Artist Sarah Ronald from 2 to 4pm this Saturday, December 7th, for a fun Christmas craft demo.

Bring along your own photo or favourite old Christmas card and make a 2” button for a minimum donation of $2 (all proceeds going to SHARE). Buttons make great gift toppers and fun stocking stuffers!

The demo will be held as part of our Christmas Marketplace show & sale, on the main floor of the Port Moody Arts Centre.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Fellow

Hand-carved BC jade frog by Tom Reid

 Exquisite stone carvings by Tom Reid, large and small...must be seen to truly appreciate....

Experience the Blackberry Artist's Society's Christmas Marketplace at the Port Moody Arts Centre. Hours are Mon.-Fri, 10 am-6 pm, Sat., 10 am-5 pm, and Sun. 12 pm-4 pm.

On the first day of Christmas ...

Eagle (image on metal) by Stephen Tobin

So, it's been more years than I care to remember since My True Love first started the seasonal inundation with gifts but it's not something that I'm in any hurry to stop.
Certainly, there have been years when the theme left a lot to be desired. For example, we try to forget our third Christmas together - there's only so much leather a gal can deal with (or that's tasteful IMHO). He struggled with the pregnancy-inspired Thai-crabcakes-and-jello fest one year also.
Lately though, he's been a lot more thoughtful about gifting.
Especially with this season's start - he's going big!

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