As 2011 quickly fades into a memory, Sharon, Joanne and I would like to offer heartfelt gratitude to our artists, patrons and all-round enthusiastic supporters for your collective contributions in creating a most wonderful year at the Salish Sea Market. 

As so many of you know, we see ourselves as storytellers. Each and every work of art in the Market has a story behind it - often of triumph, sometimes of tragedy, but always of inspiration. We are proud to share these stories with each person who walks through our door...it's important to us to connect the person with the piece. 

To our Talented Artists - thank you for opening your heart and soul to create your beautiful work. We're honoured to partner with you to bring your art to the world.

To our Loyal Patrons - thank you for your willingness to listen to, and connect with, the stories of the art created "insight" of the Salish Sea. It continues to be our absolute pleasure to fill your world with artistic inspiration.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year celebration, and a year ahead that will far exceed your highest expectations.

After Months of Negotiations...

The Salish Sea Market Team L-R: Joanne, Lauri, Santa, Sharon

We'd like to announce the newest member of the Salish Sea Market team - the "Big Guy" himself...  

Santa Claus! 

This may be a surprise to many of you - however as you can imagine, his resume and years of gift giving experience are impressive to say the least. 

Santa has always been a strong advocate for giving handmade gifts at Christmas. And of course the Market is filled with gifts made by the hands of local artists and artisans. Knowing our missions were aligned, it was a natural fit to welcome Santa to our team.

What does this mean for you? There's still time to whisper your Christmas wish to Joanne, Sharon or Lauri, and we'll make sure that the message gets 'delivered'!

Dare we say...

...woodsy sophistication? 

Delicate pieces of jewellery made from reclaimed and sustainable Vancouver Island wood.

Come in and feel how luxurious these pieces are. You'll soon see how perfect they'll be to give this Christmas.

Stuck for what to give the person on your list who has everything?

 

Happy Pebble Rock Mats, made with Vancouver Island rocks in Qualicum Beach, create a warm and wonderful ambiance for your dinner table during the cold winter months, or while dining alfresco in the warm summer months. 

Artful. Distinctive. Affordable.

 

CHALLENGE: you want to give different and unique gifts this Christmas, but you don't live near downtown Bowser. 

SOLUTION: We ship! Give us a call we can even take pictures of gift ideas, send them to you, and then ship your perfect selections. 

Yup...we go the extra mile!

Let The Pampering Begin!!

Soak Essentials has arrived in the Market!  

Soak's creator, artisan Kristy Lotzien from Parksville, BC has hit the "sweet spot" with respect to fragrance. We love how she's unleashed her creativity to imagine truly unique products.

 

Shower Bombs? Yes, we said shower bombs. This is all about aromatherapy. Put a bomb on your shower caddy and the steam will fill the shower with inspiring 'flavours'.

 

Soak's bath salts come in ten, count 'em, TEN luxurious fragrances. A fabulous stocking stuffer for just $5 p/box.

Lip Scrub? Oh my goodness - these sugar based jars of heaven blew our minds when we tried it for the first time. Who knew your lips could feel so smooth and moisturized.

Whipped Body Cream...we can't find all the words we want to describe this spectacular product. When you come to see what we're talking about, we apologize if we're a bit preoccupied...we can't seem to stop smelling it. It comes in Sweet Cupcake and our personal favourite...Cranberry.

There's oh-so-much-more  to tell you about...you'll just have to come in and call us for more information!!

Ambiance for the Holidays...

Can you imagine how beautiful your Christmas dinner table will look with one of these running down the center?

Can you also imagine how popular you'll be with the person you give one of these to?





These handcrafted, eco-friendly candle holders are made from the staves of seasoned wine barrels, and are made right here in Bowser. 

Each one has its own unique markings and textures... making each piece a "one-of-a-kind" creation.

Single sided - $30 Double Sided - $50 

Nope...that's not paint stain. 

That's Merlot!

 These definitely fall into the 
"Where did you find that!" 
category of Christmas gifts.

A guest in the Market, who happened to be wearing black the day she visited us, tried one of these soft yet dramatic bracelets on and everyone within view gave an enthusiastic "Ohhh....!" 

Needless to say, the bracelet left the Market with her that day. Fanny Bay artist Wendy Adams is the creative energy behind these fresh, feminine pieces. 

Come in for a little taste of our West Coast version of  Holiday Bling!

So Long...Farewell!

"Worthy of a Deep Sleep"

 

Some lucky fellow will wake up Christmas morning to find this one-of-a-kind Douglas J Fisher piece under the tree for him this year! 

Sharon and I have said our goodbyes to one of our favourite pieces in the Market...and are looking forward to the new pieces Doug will be bringing in to us shortly! 

Oy...the anticipation!!

YES, we hear you! 

After many requests we have decided to open an extra hour on Saturdays and Sundays during the month of December! Our new hours are now 11:00 - 5:00! 

And by the way...thanks for asking!!

Christmas Heirlooms...West Coast Style

View from Bowser beach toward Denman Island

We were brainstorming with one of our most popular artists, Cindy Mawle, about the idea of her creating something special for the Market for Christmas. She rose to the challenge...and then some.

Each of these unique Christmas ornaments embodies a miniature, ORIGINAL, "Cindy Mawle" painting! (I may not put mine away with the other Christmas decorations!)

Cindy utilizes her earth toned under painting technique onto wooden ground, meticulously hand paints a chosen scene, followed by gold leaf, then hand signed and dated.

These are true heirlooms...for just $25 each.

P.

P.S. We've had a lot of feedback from folks that they are surprised at how much smaller they are in real life - that these images make them look larger. Their actual size is approximately 2"x2"...the perfect ornament.