Wayne's Suggested Gift Life

Mary Ann Tanking
 
      Not only is Mary Ann  has the ability to create art in dozens of different media. Each time, the product is showcase quality and tends to present a small piece of Mary Ann's Life.
 

  

She clams she is woman, wife, mother and grandmother and an retired art instructor who loves color, textures, shapes and more.
 
" Art is not what I do but who I am".
 
I enjoy a good challenge such as the adult color book ( Floral-Fauna-Fish) that I just created. 

This year, to add to her honors, she was recognized as one of the artist in Art in Ageless 2017 calendar. The 2017 Art is Ageless Calendar and the Salina Presbyterian Manor Facebook page both received gold awards. This is the fourth consecutive year the calendar has placed in the top three in the competition.

In addition to being a great artist, Mary Ann is a personal friend to Wayne and Peggy-owners of The Flower Nook.

Her newest paintings at the Flower Nook were painted just for this holiday season in October 2017.

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

Etchings by NeRay
   " I started etching around 16 years age. I was getting married and decided that I not only wanted the traditional " Bride & Groom" glasses for myself but everyone in the wedding party as a special thank you for coming. That was the beginning of my etching love."

Glass etching is the abrading or roughening of a piece of glass in selected areas in order to produce a design. It is a way to produce a “frosted” design on the surface of a piece of glass, but it is much more than that! It can also be used to carve a design deep into the glass or to produce a shaded design that looks like delicate airbrushing but is permanently etched in the glass. Using the same equipment and techniques, it is also possible to etch or carve on stone, ceramic or wood, and even to etch designs on metal!

 

"Several years later, I purchased diamond tip bits and begin etching again. At the time, I was going through a family crises and really needed a way to works through some anxiety I was feeling. I would put on the headphone, and bury myself in my etchings. The process helped me clear my head and improve my skills.
After some consideration and support my family and friends, Etchings by NeRay  was born.

Glass engraving is considered by many to be a dying art form. While this is far from accurate it is certainly a form that has seen its heyday come and go. Despite this, there are still many glass engravers who are producing bold dynamic and aesthetically challenging artworks.

" I love a challenge and really like do custom work. That is where you bring a photo or an invitation and I create the image on glass."

The blue glass has Holiday theme pictures sketched on.

 

 

The Flower Nook has been very proud to have the etching by Denise Halter.

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

Janet's Flower Garden


Janet is a remarkable woman that understands the delicate nature of flowers. She began her company in 1996. All of Janet's creations have an artistic use of color, consistent quality, and a unique usage of material. Her artisan craft begins with the planting the garden and growing the flowers.



Her use of old postcard, invitations, announcements and sheets of music adds to the mystery of who, where and when the material came from. Some of her postcards were passed down from generation to generation with pieces that date back to the late 1800s. within her design

 After the planting and growing season, Janet begins the process of
selecting, harvesting, drying and mounting bits and pieces of flowers.

                                                    

The end results are delicate and breath taking peeks at nature on a variety of picture frames, music boxes, coasters and more.

One thing about her design is the storytelling aspect which is partnered with incredible calligraphy and  heartfelt messages. 

 

 

The Flower Nook loves having Janet's work  and our very happy to have her part of our holiday season this year. In addition to have items at the store ( 208 E Iron), Janet will take custom orders for floral art , wedding invitations, birth announcements and letter.

       


 
    
 
 
 

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

Gary Hobbie's Turnings and Wood Masterpieces




Gary was raised in North Central Kansas in the home of a carpenter and interior decorator , where his parents were artist without acknowledging their craft.

Recently retired from municipal government, teaching of construction technology and working and owning a family construction business, Gary developed a love for turning wood on a small midilathe at his home in Salina.



Gary has a variety of pens at The Flower Nook.

Having attending multiple Flint Hills Wood turnings Club meeting and three national Turning Symposiums, Gary now is concentrating on Segment Turnings. His most recent project , he has names the Cyclone and will consist of over 1,000 pieces of segmented wood.




Gary recently was selected to be part of the 2018 Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina.

We always encourage customers at The Flower Nook to feel his work. The objects are so sleek you will not believe they really are made from wood.

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

Two Windows Dye Company


Dying is great fun and working with color is always a delight as well as a challenge.

The Flower Nook has offered the dyed bamboo sock from Two Windows Dye company for 3 years now. We all own several pairs and can testify that they are very soft. And the colors are "way cool"

In the beginning, I was learning how to dye and what combination would create the shades I needed by dying ordinary white socks. This process worked for the dying techniques but the socks were not comfortable to wear.

It was then I remember my favorite pair of socks was bamboo. With bamboo socks, you will not feel like you are overheating because of bamboo fabric’s natural breath ability. Due to their high absorbency and sterile nature, these organic socks allow you to have healthy feet by fighting off unwanted odors, fungus, bacteria, and dust mites.


And that was the beginning .......................

Debbie Waggoner is the an artisan dyer, knitter and spinner from Hutchinson.

You can see Debbie's Yarn at Yarns in Salina.

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

His leaf ornaments range between 3"by 3" to 5" by 5" and echo the colors of nature.The "Grumpy Man" leaf display a rare frown in the collection of Siegel Keith Artisty. 

Keith Siegel Artistry

Frank Keith and Nickie Siegel Keith are two Kansas artists who have been creating and selling their visual art together since 1996. Both artist are full time sculptors, painter,s and photographers working form their private art studio within their home in Wichita, Kansas.

We have displayed our work in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, new mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas.

All of their ceramic sculpture is hand sculpted. The clay is water based, air dried, and eventually fired in an electric industrial kiln to over 2192 degrees Fahrenheit.

No human life casts or molds are used to produce their art, for their work is 100% original. Color enhancement is added by hand painting oil pigments onto the surface of the fired stoneware. Afterwards the sculpture is sealed for protection against the elements, ready to enliven any wall.



The "Acorn Heads" are a brightly colored course of shapes that bring smiles and good fortune to those in need.




Our showcase feature this season from keith Seigel Artisty is the assorted Snowflakes . Each one different showing a wide range of human emotions.

So fun!

Wayne's Suggested Gift List

Aunt Hellen's Holistic

Patrict Burns-Herrington, owner and proprietor of Aunt Hellen's Holistics, started experimenting with natural remedies to sooth the first of his own dry skin.

Shea Butter & Shea Butter & Oatmeal Soaps
      After using a bar of Shea butter soap with essential oils, he decide to delve into the process himself.  After extensive research, Patrick developed  a combination of products and essential oils that he knew would produce the desired results with sensitive skin.
 He has developed a 3oz bar along with some fun sharps such as Trains, Race cars, Snow Flakes and Dinosaurs.

Soy Candles, Tarts & Essential Oil Diffusor Blends

His candles are handmade soy base that have been diffused with therapeutic grade essential oils. He uses the soy wax becomes it burns cleaner which also  produces less soot, making clean up easier in case of spilled wax.

The decorative candles come in several sizes and types of jars such as the mason jar with a cotton wick.

Although there are too many scents to list, some of the favorites are:

Sandalwood
Rosemary Thyme
Orange Chili Pepper
Mahogany Teakwood
Citrus sage
  and many more......

Aunt Hellen's Holistic also has a line of health and beauty products such as:

1. Vapor Rub                                           Helps relieve congestion
2. Varicose Vein Body Butter                  Healing properties expand the blood vessels and help relieve the pain and  discomfort
3.  Insect repellent lotion bar                  Special oil blend helps repel mosquito and gnats. His product is made with coconut old, mango butter, beeswax, vitamin E oil, a blend of rosemary, clove, thyme, cinnamon, catnip, lavender and lemon.

•                       Aunt Hellen also make a sake of kids insect repellent lotion bar that has apricot kernel oil plus babassu oil.

                                And More......................

The Flower Nook is excited about having Aunt Hellen's Holistic Product in the store and the expert knowledge of oils that Patrick  has come to incorporate in his lifestyle

For those wondering, there is no long lost or favorite old Aunt Hellen. he himself is Aunt Hellen after earning this nickname years ago as a bartender in New Orleans after being told he was "as hateful as an old women."

Listen to Pilar interview

Pilar Art is At The Nook

Wayne's  Suggested Gift List

Unique and intriguing hybrid dolls and birds and more from the artist
Mri-Pilar of Lindsborg

The Garden of Isis is 5 rooms of art made from doll bodies, toys, kitchen utensils and other recycled materials.

 

Mri-Pilar is an eclectic mix of international traveler, mystic, vegetarian, independent, poet, and alien. She lives part-time in Lucas and part of the time at Lindsborg, Kansas. She has created over 1800 recycled sculptures are created from computer motherboards, kitchen utensils, game boards, clock gears, farm machine parts, toys, metal, plastic remnants and other items

  Pilar once said that she felt like a 4 year old in a grown up body because of her  vest, curiosity and wonderment of always involves assimilating bits and pieces into an inimitable art form such as her dolls or bird. 

"I had no ideas (when I started on a piece). The faucet would go on and for about half a day I would pick up objects and put things together," she said. "Then the faucet would go off, and then I had to work to finish them. It was never a conscious effort to create a piece."

http://mri-pilar.blogspot.com/

Pilar calls those works "unclocks" because they were made in the moment and with no preconceived notion about what art is.

The Flower Nook is honored to have our MasterCraft Back Wall a gallery show of some of her wonderful dolls and birds.

Fun cards

Plus, Pilar has created a fun line of cards-each with a peak hole that brings the pattern through to the inside.
 To see more : http://rebarb.blogspot.com/

Life is a Journey

 

 

Life is a Journey

Wayne's  Gift Guide Suggest: Christmas Stocking for your holiday décor.
 

Do not forget to fill a Christmas Stocking for your pet!

The hanging of stocking by the fireplace mantel, is a familiar Christmas custom. Those with homes lacking fireplaces may hang Christmas stocking from bedpost, doorknobs, windowsills, staircases and other areas.

When Santa Claus arrives on Christmas Eve, He fills the stockings with small treats and gifts. While there is no definitive account that completely explains this tradition, several legends may help to illustrate how the custom of hanging Christmas stockings arose. 

In the first legend, St. Nicholas of Myra, believed to be the inspiration for Santa Claus, is traveling through a small village when he learns of the plight of a merchant and his daughters. In one popular version of the story, the once wealthy merchant has fallen on difficult times and is worried for the future of his three beautiful daughters.
     Unable to afford dowries for the girls, the 3 young women have no prospects for wedlock and may be subject to lives of shame.

Upon hearing of this predicament, St. Nicholas set forth to secretly help the proud merchant, knowing he would not accept an outright gift of charity. Riding his majestic white horse by the merchant's house one night, St. Nicholas tossed three bags of gold coins down the home's chimney. The bags were fortuitously captured in the girls' stockings, which had been hung by the fireplace mantle to dry.

When the gold coins were discovered the next morning, the merchant and his daughters rejoiced. Upon hearing of this predicament, St. Nicholas set forth to secretly help the proud merchant, knowing he would not accept an outright gift of charity. Riding his majestic white horse by the merchant's house one night, St. Nicholas tossed three bags of gold coins down the home's chimney. The bags were fortuitously captured in the girls' stockings, which had been hung by the fireplace mantle to dry.

Ephanie DeBey is not new to The Flower Nook. In the past, she has showcased her jewelry line. We are happy to have her back this holiday's season. Her company, Life is a Journey ,brings a bit of fun to the holiday stocking traditions with whimsical patterns.

Each sock has been fluffed with a cotton batting and lined and is guaranteed to hold treats and treasures that will delight all ages on Christmas morn.


P.S. Ephanie is Wayne and Peggy's oldest daughter. Her creativity at the store can be seen in the construction of the shop, the marketing of the products, the window displays and so much more.