Imagine thousands of lights twinkling in a darkened room, festive carols wafting through the air, and the scent of an amazingly beautiful gingerbread village. Then there are the Christmas Trees, wreaths, swags, tablescapes; and of course...the children.

If this brief description whets your appetite for a festive holiday experience, and you plan to be in the area over the weekend, I would HIGHLY recommend a visit to The Festival of Trees at Pinehurst Resort. We had a wonderful time decorating a tree for this event, and many of our artists joined the fun by making a charitable donation of their work. All proceeds from this event benefit The Sandhills Children’s Center

The Sandhills Children's Center is a private, non-profit day school for young children ages birth through five who have mental retardation, sensory impairments, and other developmental disabilities. Many of these children are medically fragile and have severe and profound multiple handicaps.

The mission of Sandhills Children’s Center is to provide services of the highest quality for children with and without special developmental needs. Located in Southern Pines of Moore County, North Carolina, the Center offers comprehensive services, including daily transportation and speech, physical, and occupational therapy twelve months a year. The Center currently serves 110 children in the center-based program and 150 children in the home-based Outreach Program.

The Sandhills Children's Center is a wonderful organization, and they're most deserving of our support. Besides that, this event is a fabulous way to kick-off the holiday season. I promise that it will fill your heart with the true spirit of Christmas!

Fall Arrives at Artist Alley

As we've been preparing for Christmas during the past few weeks, I've been struck that fall has finally arrived here at Artist Alley. Almost overnight, our little tree out front went from rich summer green to glowing reds and oranges.

The weather here has been fall-like too. A blustery wind has been blowing, and no matter how hard I try, I can't keep up with the fallen leaves in our doorway.

On another note, a purple petunia is still blooming in all it's glory in front of the store. With December only five days away, this strikes me as odd. Purple petunias were among my Dad's favorite flowers. In fact, I planted them this year with him in mind.

Thanks, Dad.

Metal Art by Ed Duke

My friend, and fellow artist, Ed Duke creates one-of-a-kind metal sculpture from parts and pieces that many of us would consider to be junk. From railroad spikes to skillets, shovels to pipe wrenches, and all points in between; Ed finds inspiration and breathes new life into these cast-offs.

Ed suffered a creative block earlier this year. I'm thrilled to tell you that he's worked his way through it, and during the last month, he's been creating at breakneck speed. The photos with this entry show a few of his latest and greatest, and he's been adding to his collection here on almost a daily basis.

His loyal fans at Artist Alley are benefiting from his renewed creativity, and we're all thrilled for him!

Please enjoy the photos here or visit Artist Alley to view Ed's work in person. A selection of his creations are also available for purchase in our online store.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... (Admit it, you're singing the song; aren't you?)

Actually it really is starting to look like Christmas here at Artist Alley. As you can see by the photo, the journey to get to this point has been an exhausting one; but so far, we're all still smiling. This festive painting was created in watercolor by Pinehurst Artist, Fay Terry. It's being held by my work-worn son after a very long day of decorating and displaying new art.

It's my plan to get back on the blogging bandwagon this month, so please stay tuned for all of the further details about our holiday transformation.

Art that You Wear (And Eat!!)

At Artist Alley this Friday, November 2nd, from 5:00 - 9:00 we'll be celebrating the talented North Carolina artists who create jewelry, handbags, clothing, and accessories. It will be an evening of "Art that You Wear", and it promises to be an exciting one!

Artists will be present throughout the evening to mix, mingle, and discuss their work; and as always a variety of delectable refreshments will be served. In fact, we plan to debut a new line of edible art made my local cheesecake artist, Terry Duffell. Terry will be personally serving her velvety smooth cheesecake with a homemade buttery graham cracker crust and sweet sour cream topping. (Can you say, "Yummy"?!?!)

This event will provide you with an opportunity to meet many of our artists in person, while browsing an extensive variety of their seasonal work.

If you're in the area, I hope that you'll join us. If not, a selection of these artists' work will also be available in our online store.