Gabriola Island Lifestyle Blog
Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category
Monday, September 19th, 2011
It was a pleasant and sunny day, perfect for a fair! There was a good turnout and lots to look at with music as well. Being a somewhat rural community there was a nice selection of farm animals, including goats and rabbits, chickens, alpaca, a donkey and horses – all nicely groomed. There was a food section offering a taste of Gabriola, popcorn, corn on the cob and ice cream too. Raffles for fund raising, a display of an apple press with a wonderful sample of fresh apple cider, and a squash race that was met with hoots of excitement and appreciation. The home arts of cooking and sewing, drawings and flower displays and of course a great selection of garden vegetables were there to view, many with ribbons for the best, biggest or most amazing. 
We took the whole family, children, parents, grand parents and even great grandma – we all had a fun time!
Posted in Crafts, family life, Gardening on Gabriola, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events | No Comments »
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
This past weekend was the third annual Gabriola Theatre Festival and what a wonderful time it was. The Street Art vendors provided a fantastic display of local arts and crafts including jewelry, leatherwork, wood work, paintings, cards, glasswork, handmade soaps, photography and more! There was a pancake breakfast, a kids craft corner, dancing and music, and fantastic theatre. We went to the performance of ‘Deck’, a hilarious rendition of a young family forced into a lifestyle change by a slumping economy. This one man play was timely, very well done and quite hilarious! We shopped on the street and I bought tye dyed skirts for my grandchildren and colorful writing cards. We watched the gumboot dance, participated in the boot art auction and all round had a great time!
Posted in Buy Local, Crafts, Holidays and Special Events, Music, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts | No Comments »
Saturday, December 18th, 2010
Thanks to all who made it out to the studio today for the Gabriola Winter Art Affair, it was a fantastic event! To all who receive the gifts we hope you love them even more than we do, locally made is extra special! Also a very happy holidays to all, may it be full of warmth, family, friends and laughter. Here’s to a great last 2 weeks of 2010 and a smile to the year to come, may 2011 be a wonderfully special year with new adventures and experiences. Thanks for all the support and business we have received this year, you are all wonderful in your own special way and we appreciate all of you!
“Ther are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward”
Kahlil Gibran
Posted in Buy Local, Crafts, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, People, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts, Uncategorized, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
We were so lucky today to have the chance to take the girls to a pottery class at Feedlot Studios here on Gabriola. We were greeted by an extremely fun and warm Mariko and her husband Bryan in their large, bright studio space located at 800 Valli Place. The girls started by getting in the Halloween mood with some ghoulish drawings to get the creative juices flowing. Once they had done a drawing Mariko showed us how to create a Halloween landscape complete with owls, pumpkins, snakes, crows, tombstones, cats and “Do Not Enter” signs as well as so much more. Once the creepy landscapes were formed the kids were able to paint them with a non-toxic ceramic paint in fun colours such as orange, green, black, red and white as well as a myriad of other “non-Halloween” colours. Once they were finished the kids were told that there pieces would be put in the kiln and would be ready for a later date. The finishing touch for the kids was a lovely little treat bag with Halloween candy and stickers. What an incredible way to spend a Saturday morning in October! To keep up to date on what this talented couple are doing subscribe to their blog http://feedlotstudios.blogspot.com/ and check out their website at http://feedlotstudios.ca
Photo courtesy of Bryan and Mariko
Posted in Crafts, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
It is day two of the 14th Annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour and the island is hopping. This event has been advertised far and wide and the attendance by islanders and vistors alike is phenominal! They are browsing and buying original creations of jewelry, clothing, paintings, photograpy, sculpture, leather bags, woodwork, pottery, glass work and more. Gabriola should be very proud of its artist community, such diversity and quality of art work is unsurpassed. Be sure to get out and see the artists in 41 locations, Studio 9 still has a few things left and would love to have you drop by. Robyn’s line ‘For Give and For Get’ offers some very special children’s and women’s clothing and accessories in exciting and colorful fabrics - and Carly’s luminous jewelry showcasing semi-precious stones is a delight!
Posted in Buy Local, Crafts, Gabriola Living, Holidays and Special Events, The Arts | No Comments »
Sunday, December 20th, 2009
Last year we picked up a gingerbread house kit from Costco with everything you need to make a house. The problem was the ingredients were so awful the girls were not allowed to eat it. This year we decided to do one from scratch and it was much easier than I had anticipated. I used the gingerbread recipe from Martha Stewart, recipe here, and then cut out the shapes needed to build it. Once it cooled I made Royal Icing, recipe here, and then we got to building. We cut chocolate layer mints in half for roof shingle and then I let the girls get right into it. Of course every piece of candy we had purchased was used and I am amazed that it has stood up under the weight. The girls are very excited as they have been told they can start eating some on Christmas Day. It was a really fun activity to do on a rainy afternoon.
Posted in Baking, Crafts, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, West Coast Living | No Comments »
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We took the whole family, children, parents, grand parents and even great grandma – we all had a fun time!
Robyn & Carly McMahon and unlicensed assistant Lesley McMahon, your Gabriola Island Real Estate Sales Team