Tonight each of us will open a new chapter in our book, its pages blank. 

As the author of our own story we have the privilege to decide how we want it to unfold...it's the greatest creative opportunity any of us will ever have. 



So, here's to 2013 becoming one of your best chapters...so far. From the shores of the Salish Sea, to wherever you are, Happy New Year!

One of our favourite things to do is to sit with a warm cuppa something and flip through the wonderful comments folks write in our guestbook. They're from all over the world to right from our own backyard. 

It warms our little Salish Sea Hearts...

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.      ~ Burton Hillis

 From our Salish Sea family to yours, wishing you a warm and wonderful Christmas surrounded by the folks you care about the most...and if that can't happen this year, then we hope you take the time to do whatever fills you with joy.

Cheers!
Joanne, Lauri, Santa and Sharon

A passionate jewellery artist, Christy learned the art of jewellery making first in California, then in Italy. 

Born and raised on the shores of the Salish Sea, she feeds her passion for surfing and nature by designing unique jewellery for which she’s become widely known. 

Christy has always been inspired by love and her natural surroundings, in particular the stunning beaches and native plant life of the west coast.

Each piece is its own story, which she hopes will resonate with the person who wears it.  For instance these medallions are Traveller’s Coins, with one large antiqued coin worn on your chest to protect you on your journey and guide your steps safely, and one small antiqued coin worn down your back to protect you so no harm can arise from the path you have walked. Rub the coins to remind yourself that you are protected from all sides, and to help you gain clarity on where you need to go in your life’s journey.

 

Come in and let us help you spend less time hunting for the perfect gift, so you can spend more time celebrating the season with family and friends.

We've gathered together the work of some of the most talented artists and artisans from the shores of the Salish Sea...

 
Today we've had folks Christmas shopping via text (yes, we said text), via Facebook post, via email and looking forward to a shopping session via Skype. 



Oh, how the Christmas shopping experience has changed since we were kids!! 

So, if you can't make it in, apparently technology can make it happen for you!

Now...we're not talking about the kind of glow you get after the office Christmas party - but since these elegantly curved candle holders are made from wine barrel staves we see how you could be a little confused! 

Made right here in downtown Bowser, they create a magical holiday ambiance on your mantle, table or even outside like we've done. Another great gift idea for the person on your list who has everything!

Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well-used. ~William Shakespeare

We think well-used also means that the wine barrel has been 'upcycled' to create these wonderful candle holders!

Do we have a fabulous selection of artisan Christmas ornaments? That's like asking if living on the west coast is a good thing! OF COURSE!! 

These fun glass ornaments are from the imagination of artist Katherine Moore of Strange Bird Studio. 

The fab driftwood Christmas tree is created by Dave and Tamaki of Crossed Heart Forge, the rock mat is created by Happy Pebble Rock Mats and the metal star is by the folks at Kastawayz Metal Art.

Anne & Moe from Thibeault's Table, creators of these magnificent, fallen big leaf maple boards from Vancouver Island, tell us we should use them as cutting boards...but to be honest we have a tough time doing that given how beautiful they are! 

 
Sharon and I will love using our boards this Christmas to serve lovely cheeses and other delectable nibbles to our family and friends. Good thing we just got a huge shipment in so you can too! 

(PSSSST... They make a great gift idea for your loved ones who have everything!!)

 Christmas on the West Coast

 Each 80-100 year old glass fish float has had a long journey to find it's way to the shores of the Salish Sea to light up your holiday home...

 


Artist Kim Naylor from Keeping Afloat creates these magical candle holders that will offer a warm, wonderful glow on your mantel, side table or as the main event on your Christmas table.




 
We love Kim's addition of a starfish or two along with pebbles from the shores of the Salish Sea. Add a little sand, a tea light and voila! Christmas magic west coast style...






An authentic glass fish float made into a Christmas tree ornament? Oh my...yes!

Can you say it ten times fast? 

"The shells she sells are sea-shells I'm sure." 

While you work on it, we're busy bringing more and more pieces of Mussels and More Pottery into the Market! 

Even WE were surprised at how quickly it flew out the door. Whether you're entertaining, or looking for the perfect west coast Christmas gift...

 

 

Seashells from the shores of the Salish Sea!

 

Do you hear what I hear? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year! 

Our famous Christmas soap has arrived just in time to help you have yourself a merry little Christmas, and bring joy to the world. 

Give yourself a silent night after all the holiday hustle and bustle. Draw yourself a bath, and enjoy these wonderful holiday scents. Oh, holy night!

(Because they're artisan made in small batches by Waterslip Soapworks, we sell out of Christmas soap EVERY year! Don't wait! As hostess gifts or stocking stuffers, they don't stick around long!)

Katy Fogg Pottery has arrived!

Form and function, yet lightweight and refined. 

We're thrilled to welcome Katy Fogg's Living Earth Pottery to the Market!For more than a decade Katy had dedicated her talents with environment and local communities in mind. 

 

“I try to make my pieces beautiful as well as functional. It is my hope that I can create some of the simple things of life locally, with intention and integrity.”

When you come in for your next visit, come in a feel how incredible these pieces are.

 

Heirloom: (noun); a valuable object passed from one generation to the next. 

Each wooden ornament, created by artist Cindy Mawle, is an original painting. 

Yes...we said original painting. 

Each ornament offers a scene from our local area, along the shores of the Salish Sea. 

Cindy's 2011 series sold out quickly last year - and her 2012 series is "oh so lovely". Don't hesitate...these treasures won't last long in the Market!!!

 

Moonlight Festival is tonight!  

Our little Bowser village comes alive with our very own Santa Parade (yup - and it's so fantastic), a fireworks display that will surprise you for 'lil 'ol Bows-aire, as well as crafts and face painting for the kids, prizes and hot cider for the adults...

OH HECK...just bundle up and come out from 5-7 pm. You'll be glad you did!

 
When we hear the term 'Artisan' it evokes the word quality in our minds. 

We conjure up an image of small producers making traditional foods by hand, treating production as a craft and putting great care into the outcome. 

 

The culinary magic that comes from the kitchen of "Edible Gardens" in no exception. From the packaging on the outside, to the goodness on the inside, the delights from Edible Gardens are perfect for the holidays - as hostess gifts, for under the tree, or to serve when you entertain. Y.U.M.!!

What kind of Christmas trees 

would be found  in the Salish Sea Market??

Why Driftwood Christmas Trees of course! 

Created by the folks at Crossed Heart Forge, each tree stands on a base that has been pounded and forged from recycled farm equipment and engineered with a sturdy center rod. 

These trees are incredibly well constructed and are designed to last for years and years. 

In fact, why would you put them away after the holidays when you could have fun with them all year long???

We know, we know...we're just two sleeps away from Halloween but we are just BURSTING with excitement about what we've been working on with our artists! 
Way back in August Sharon and I sent out a challenge to our family of artists to create unique, artful, west coast ornaments. Ohhhhh....wait till you see what they've come up with! 

The Market will be the place too find special Christmas creations to add to your collection, or to give as gifts to folks who wish they were as fortunate as you to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world!!

We are thrilled to welcome the culinary delights of Edible Gardens to the Market this week! 

 

Sharon and I have been BIG fans of their balsamic spreads, vinegars, and reductions for a quite a few years, so it seemed such a natural idea to bring their scrumptious products into the Market so we don't have to travel to the mainland to get it...er...umm, we meant to say that we couldn't wait to share it with all of you!! Whew...dodged that bullet! 

 

 

 Oh yes...there will be tastings. Come in to have your socks knocked off of your taste buds!

 

 

 

 

Can you do that with glass...really? 

Well we can't, but Katherine Moore of "Strange Bird Studio" in Nanaimo sure can! 

We welcomed "Dusk" into the Market this week, which is based on a photograph her husband took while they were on holidays recently. "We were sitting outside by a pond and the sky was the darkest blue, with so many stars and the trees were silhouetted against the sky. I returned home with a challenge for myself to try and capture the essence of that magical evening in glass." 

"By Jove! We think she's got it!"

We're thrilled to announce that a wonderful selection of Mussels & More Pottery, created in Campbell River, will be in the Market on Thursday of this week, just in time for your holiday shopping! 

Oh now...don't hate us for REMINDING you that there's only 10 WEEKS TILL CHRISTMAS!

 

Yesterday we had one of those moments that Sharon and I hoped for all those ago when we began to imagine what the Market would be. 

 

 

Along with creating a unique, inspiring space for the world to connect with the art created in sight of the Salish Sea, we wanted to create a community of artists that wanted to become part of something larger than they were individually.

Serendipitously, many artists came to see us at the same time yesterday, and it was the COOLEST thing to see four or five of them standing in a circle - exchanging with, and honouring each other.

At one point, one of our more experienced artists was coaching and encouraging a younger artist to stretch herself and become more of who she can be. Better still, the coaching and encouragement was welcomed with open arms. No competition. No egos. Just generosity and connection. At that moment, I had tears in my eyes - and I was grateful to watch it unfold.

Oh, now...don't go rolling your eyes. In our line of work we have to think about Christmas LONG before the fat man comes to town.

Our artist's creative juices are flowing full steam ahead, creating artful delights to give and receive this Holiday season. 

We wanted to give you a sneak peek into artist Cindy Mawle's 2012 Limited Edition ornaments! Each one is an original painting. Yes - we said ORIGINAL! Light enough to mail to far away family and friends who dream of their time on Vancouver Island. Magical enough for locals to collect. (and for those who remember...we sold out of her ornaments last year...Cindy was a little cross-eyed from painting such tiny images!) 

 Hurry - don't wait!

 

 

Dana Statham sure knows how to capture the essence of the Salish Sea!!! 

The vibrant colours she uses invoke feelings of perpetual summertime, and aim to represent her idyllic island lifestyle. 






Growing up on Vancouver Island has provided no shortage of inspiration when it comes to her creative process. Coastal landscapes, arbutus trees, and underwater kelp gardens are common themes in her work. 

At the moment we have a selection of Dana's cards - but you can bet that we're chasing her down for some prints, and if we're lucky, some originals too!!

 

YOU ROCK MY WORLD! 

Feast your eyes on some of the most wonderful west coast creations by artist Kim Naylor of Keeping Afloat. 

The rocks are plucked from the shores of the Salish Sea (of course) and finished with a sterling silver starfish and chain. 

It doesn't get more west coast than this!

Mentored by an Amish Blacksmith in Ohio at a tender age, Dave is passionate about doing things "old school". He and his wife Tamaki use construction scraps to produce handmade charcoal for fuel, and enjoy working to turn unloved metal and discarded wood into useful and artistic works.

Utensils created with an old world flavour are created with beautifully patinated brass and copper. The brass pieces are made from an old door push plate, such as one might find in a last-century school. The rivets were hand made from annealed copper bonsai cable and the steel is reclaimed scrap.

Handmade buttons of brass, copper, and aluminum, each is a unique work of art in various patterns, textures, sizes, and shapes. The perfect finishing touch to your handmade textile or fiber art piece; knitters, weavers, designers, and jewellery makers have been asking when and where they can get these beautiful creations.


It's hard to imagine that these knives were created from scrap pieces of metal such as old farm equipment. The blades were hand forged from a reclaimed harrow tooth and shaped mainly by hand using files and water stones. The knives will be arriving soon! 


This is what the knives started out looking like before Dave worked his magic.

Starting gathering up up your own knives too!! 

We've invited Dave to come to the Market in November to offer his knife sharpening skills to get you ready for the holidays. We'll also learn about his special knives! 

We can't wait!!
 

She walked into the Market this afternoon, as she often does, to pay a visit to the art. She can't be more than 5 ft tall - and since her last birthday when she turned 80-somethin'-er-other, she's probably a smidgeon smaller than that. But that twinkle in her eye is undeniable. After another meticulous tour of the Market she stood as tall as she could, raised her arm in the air and announced, "I wish I could take one of everything...if only I were born rich instead of good-looking!!"

That made our day.

 

We love the way this kelp-like glass bowl waves as though it's moving with the rhythm of the water at the bottom of the Salish Sea.

 

*  Glass bowl by Toni Johnson of Tideline Gallery
*  Round Rock Mat by Happy Pebble Rock Mats
*  Starfish by Ed Oldfield

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” Maya Angelou

These 'coastally' handcrafted birdhouses, created right here in beautiful downtown Bowser, will bring the melodic sound of the birds close, so your ears can enjoy their songs. $25

Fall is in the air...a time we naturally start craving warm, rich comfort foods. 

Looks like the folks at Global/BCTV have the same idea! Did you catch our favourite culinary wizards of Indian cuisine, Daksha and Baskar Narsing of Daksha's Gourmet Spices doing their cooking segment this morning? No worries if you missed it - but make sure you don't miss trying their recipes, mixes and spices! 

If you're a lover of Indian food, or have always wanted to try it, come into the Market and take some home with you. Your kitchen and your tummy will be filled with amazing flavours and aromas.  

Deeeeeeeeeelish!!!!!!!!!!!

FISH ON!!!!!!  

 

We're doing the happy dance today with the arrival of this most magnificent carving that's found its new home in front of the library next to the Salish Sea Market! 

 

You'll discover more carvings around Lighthouse Country following the successful carving event last weekend held at the Sandbar Cafe. Thanks to world renowned artist Ken Kirkby, Helen from the Sandbar Cafe and of course our very own Salish Sea Sister Sharon for creating this fabulous event so that the whole community can enjoy these inspiring works of art. 

 

Stay tuned for next year! The carving event will be held in the open grass field next to Magnolia Court and will have a projected 25 carvers in attendance! 

 

For now...make sure you come and sit for a spell to enjoy the new addition to our community in person!