Tag: Fundraiser

Graustark Farm’s Fiber Products

Linda Brown has been spinning, weaving and felting with fiber for over fifteen years. Her foray into the fiber world started with spinning angora from her daughter’s 4H bunny. From there she progressed to raising a few sheep and llamas. After realizing how soft, luxurious and easy to clean the llama fiber could be, Linda developed a breeding program to raise a variety of llamas specifically for their soft fiber and good temperaments. Llama fiber is different from sheep wool in that it is a hair fiber which has no barbs and contains no lanolin.

Through the farm business, Graustark Farm LLC, Linda uses her llamas’ fiber to create custom wearing apparel and accessories through weaving, knitting, crochet and felting. The process starts on the farm with shearing in the spring and then progresses through hand spinning the yarn to weaving or other needlework. Almost all of Linda’s designs are created with her own handspun yarn from llamas living on the farm; other fibers may be added for color or texture. In addition to using llama fiber for her own designs and private commissions, Linda creates with the other farm fibers of alpaca and Romney wool as time allows. The farm participates in fiber shows and promotes llama fiber as a new horizon in luxury fiber.

Linda feels that education about llamas and their wonderful fiber is as important as the sale itself. She hold the position of Senior Consultant with the Camelidynamics program of llama and alpaca handling and training as well as being active in several regional llama associations. Graustark Farm displays llamas and Linda’s fiber art in various settings, such as the Bluemont Fair, Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival, the Blue Ridge Spinners and Weavers Guild, Franklin Park Arts Center Gallery and of course by appointment on the farm. Learn more about llamas and their fiber on the farm web site, www.graustarkllamas.com

Klay Haus Pottery

Lin grew up in Western New York, and has been living in Yellow Spring, WV since 1989. She has been creating art with clay for over 25 years. She first studied pottery in Geneseo, NY, then Towson, MD, and other locations. Her works range from mugs and bowls to birdfeeders and birdbaths. Her goal is to make utilitarian pots that are well-crafted, aesthetically interesting, and enjoyable to use. Throwing on the wheel and hand-building with clay allows her to make things by hand that are pleasing to the hand and eye. She also likes to experiment with various techniques and firing methods, exploring the endless possibilities and qualities of clay.

She also enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for pottery with others by teaching classes, where she tries to pass on the skills and enjoyment of working with clay.

She currently teaches non-credit classes at Lord Fairfax Community College, and is a member of the Shenandoah Potters Guild.

Handcrafts of the Shenandoah Valley

Jackie has been creating something for as long as she can remember.

Encouragement and inspiration came from her multi-talented grandmother, who not only taught her to sew, but provided her with self confidence and unlimited materials to make things. Create something from nothing? Of course!

Over the years, Jackie has participated in many Shenandoah Valley Craft Fairs and Shops. She was a partner in Stone Soup Gallery on Winchester’s walking mall, where you might find her creating hand woven baskets or painting detailed images on newly designed Holiday ornaments. Currently, she has added upcycled wood creations to her palette, greenery arrangements and dried flowers from her garden, and so much more.

Jackie works full time with children at Virginia Avenue Elementary School. She lives with her husband Bill, has two grown children and six grandchildren.

Visit Jackie at her Facebook page.

Blooming Hill Lavender Farm and Gift Shop

Cyndie Rinek, along with her husband Peter, a landscape architect and arborist, is the owner of Blooming Hill Lavender Farm and Gift Shop, located in the tiny Western Loudoun County hamlet of Philomont, Virginia. With a degree in journalism and a professional background in retail management, Cyndie left the corporate world 23 years ago. Over the years and through hard work as well as a lot of trial and error, Cyndie has taken what was once an interest in flowers and plants, to a passion and then turned it into a business specializing in lavender at her home, aptly named Blooming Hill. She now has a collection of one thousand lavender plants in almost one hundred different varieties and also tends the many formal, informal and herb garden beds that fill the 4 1/2 acres patch of paradise with a view of the Blue Ridge that make up Blooming Hill.

Cyndie is a member of the United States Lavender Growers Association, the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America, a Master Gardener and also a member of a local garden club called the Night Bloomers and often hosts talks at Blooming Hill or travels to garden clubs and groups and speaks on the subject of lavender and other various garden topics. Aside from being a landscape architect/planner and arborist with over 30 years of experience and whose design aesthetic is the backbone of Blooming Hill, Peter is also an accomplished artist and craftsman, creating beautiful eucalyptus wreaths and original oil paintings of Loudoun County Towns in his unique “Americana” style and has developed a loyal following of art enthusiasts.

Blooming Hill is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays and other days by appointment, April through December. Visitors to the farmlet may tour the grounds and gardens, peruse the gift shop on the property, hear Cyndie and/or her husband share their gardening knowledge and, on certain and/or special occasions, enjoy a lavender infused traditional cream tea or traditional full tea on the porch.

Visit Blooming Hill online at bloominghillva.com.

Watercolorist

Eugene’s refined approach to watercolors includes wet-on-wet and dry-brush techniques. He uses a subtle palette, preferring to let the water coexist with the pigment in each composition. Eugene also works in printmaking and Chinese brushwork.

His subjects range from the nearby mountains and historic villages to the dunes and seascapes of coastal Carolina and Florida. Two separate bodies of Eugene’s include an Asian inspired style featuring meditative still-life compositions and his Abstract artwork which is thought provoking and ever changing……ideal for a burst of energy in any space.

Eugene’s diversity of styles has created a large market, leading him to establish the Eugene B. Smith Gallery in Old Town Winchester, Virginia. He shows his work at this gallery, at juried exhibits throughout the U.S, and at special events, including charitable benefits.

His works are included in private collections internationally, and he has held a one-man exhibition in Okayama, Japan.

A largely self-taught artist, Eugene is a graduate of Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia and Shepherd College in West Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business.

Click the thumbnails for larger images of Eugene’s work, or visit his website at www.eugenebsmith.com

“Madeira” Hand Carved Wood Products

Since my youth I have admired trees and loved wood. I love working with wood and sharing my knowledge with others. Out of desire and economic necessity, I have made most of the furniture for our home. About sixteen years ago, my mother-in-law asked me if I could make her some spoons from scraps. I told her that I would try, and I did. As it turns out, she never used them. Instead she hung them on her kitchen wall, where they still hang today. When we visit her, and I look at those spoons, I tell her that if anyone asks who made them, not to tell them it was me! Those original spoons were crude. But with practice I have refined my product.

I have expanded to bowls and other utilitarian accessories. My wife and partner, assists me with the design ideas, marketing and sales, and the occasional back rub after a long day of carving and shaping.

Most of my wood comes from our wood lot, trees that have been damaged by storms or attacked by insects. Though, I will never turn down a log or piece of wood given to me.

We sell our product at craft fairs in Virginia, West Virginia and at Farm Markets. Our spoons are in gift shops at Belle Grove Plantation, and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia. We enjoy working with the public. We have developed friendships with our fellow crafters and our customers.

We strive to sell a quality product at a reasonable price.

John & Wendy R. Venskoske

J & W Farm started five years ago by John and Wendy R. Venskoske, Jr. with the idea of adding value to local agricultural products. For Christmas that year, we made these birdseed wreaths to give to family members, friends, and wife’s co-workers. They were so much appreciated that we decided to offer it to our current retail outlets that we were selling our food products to. They have been a hit and steadily growing. We use a special blend of birdseed from two local feed stores and custom make them with seasonal ribbon and/or special requests. For Valentine’s Day, we offer a Heart shaped wreath. Our Holiday Birdseed Wreaths are packaged for gift giving and shipping!

Visit J & W Farm online at www.jandwfarm.com and Facebook.

Nina J. Design Studios is a woman owned business engaged in the creation of handbuilt pottery, mixed media paintings and limited edition wearable art made from fine silk and cotton. We are located in the beautiful Shenandoah valley, Virginia.

Our story begins with a young girl who was born in India. Starting from childhood, Neena (Nina J) had an appreciation for beauty and artistic things. Her father’s desire was for her to be multifaceted in her career choices. Neena fulfilled her father’s resolution that her university studies focus on the sciences as well as the arts. Her passion has always been arts, spirituality and nature and she believes that science, the arts and religion coexist harmoniously.

The realization of each of Nina J’s mixed media paintings has been rooted in her dreams; artictic figures, nature and aquatic scenes with vibrant and bold colors have always been at the forefront of her designs. Instead of making prints of the artwork we decided to share the beauty with the world in the form of limited edition silk scarves and apparel.

The lucidity of her dreams carried over into the garden where all the flowers and herbs prompted her to expand into clay. Each handbuilt piece of pottery starts in the garden with fresh flowers and herbs. Leveraging her artistic bent Nina J presses these botanicals into the clay. The finished pieces have a fossilized finish, immortalizing the pressed botanicals. We make vases, bowls, plates, platters, serving dishes, specialty products like spoonrests, soap dishes, jewelry keepers and mugs that are all food safe, dishwasher and microwave safe. We also make signature clay jewelry. Each piece is a unique, signatured work of art.

The pottery pieces inspired Nina J. to make blocks for the specific purpose of designing wearable art from those blocks. This idea gave birth to our latest, closed loop, proprietary method of creating our limited edition wearable and usable art – scarves in silk and cotton, shawls, scrunchies, ponchos and table linens.

Our objective is to harvest nature’s gifts and transform them into wearable and/or functional pieces of art. Each piece will bring a smile to your face and peace in your heart and all eyes will be upon you as you adorn her gorgeous wearable art.

We sell our products through boutiques and museums throughout the USA. To provide further uniqueness to our products and processes we have museums who harvest botanicals from their gardens and ship them to us for their specific creations. We also have the ability to do custom work.

“Live and Walk with Art”

Click the thumbnails for larger images of Nina J.’s work, or visit her website at www.ninastudios.com

Loudoun Valley Herbs

Kim Labash, owner of Loudoun Valley Herbs, has resided in Western Loudoun County for almost 30 years.

Kim grows an extensive collection of herbs and plants on her property with a leaning toward lavender and rose that she incorporates into her crafts and culinary products. No chemicals are used on her plants and all harvesting, drying and processing is handled by her personally. Furthermore, wherever possible all natural fabrics are used in the making of her products.

Kim is always striving to keep her products current.

Kim has demonstrated both soap making and lavender weaving to the public at the US National Arboretum in Washington D.C. and to groups at various local locations, including, but not limited to, the Carver Center and Field of Flowers both in Purcellville, the Middleburg Farmers Market, the Berryville Farmers Market; and the Bluemont Community Center in Bluemont, Virginia.

Kim is the current Chair of the Juried Craft for the Bluemont Fair and coordinates the Bluemont Holiday Craft Show with the Bluemont Community Center Staff.

Becky McGraw

As a young girl, Becky’s passion for baking began in the kitchen helping her family bake Christmas cookies. For the past 7 years, she has been the owner of Beckaboo’s Cakes, specializing in custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cookies for a variety of special occasions.

Beckaboo’s Cakes is passionate about combining sugar and art. We strive to provide our customers with a unique dessert which is not only beautiful, but tastes amazing as well.

We are located in Winchester, Virginia and serve the Shenandoah Valley, Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and Northern Virginia.

The selection at the Bough and Dough Shop will include chocolate peppermint or gingerbread cake rolls, gourmet holiday cookies, holiday cake pops and truffles, candied nuts, and more.

Visit Beckaboo’s Cakes online at www.beckabooscakes.com or Facebook.