Hot Cocoa--The Ultimate Comfort Food in Winter

Those of you who do not live in a climate that gets cold in the winter, are missing one of life's perfect joys, a cup of steaming hot cocoa in the icy cold weather.The feeling of comfort and warmth from drinking a simple cup of steamy chocolate is something that truly must be experienced to understand.

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School is in Session

Yep, it's hard to believe, but summer is over. I am sitting here at 8:45 am after already dropping my tenth grade daughter off at school. Not only am I not ready to admit that summer is over, I am also not ready to admit that I have a tenth grade daughter. Sooner than you know it she will be in college. I can feel those gray hairs growing as I type. Thank God for highlighting.
I just finished writing a new article about one of our amazing artists, Alexandra Underhill. Here is the link to that: http://squidoo.com/xan Alexandra, as you will read, is a really fascinating person in many ways. I originally met her when she was stilt walking for a dance performance. Her work is exquisite, no matter what it is that she is working on, so take a look at the article.
I want to give you a reminder of the benefit that we are hosting in our gallery on Thursday October 2, 2008. This is the Artist/Designer Showcase, a benefit for Habitat for Humanity. Tickets are only $10, and for that you get great food, beautiful music, and a glass of wine. For more information about the event, here is the link: http://lakeerieartists.com/LakeErieArtists-DesignerShowcase.htm
What else is going on? Hmmmmm. . .
We are painting the large room at the gallery to freshen it up for a new show coming in. Mary Kenney is bringing in her entire collection of oil paintings. That show will begin with a bang, Friday September 12, 2008 from 5 to 8 pm with a Wine and Cheese party and some lovely music by Heather McLeod. Mary is very prolific and would love to sell some of her work so she has room in her house to paint more. Lots of great prices on her paintings which are very lovely as well. So come check it out. The show will be up through the beginning of November.
It's time to start thinking about gifts for the holidays, folks. You know where we are located, so come in and start shopping!

The Magical Properties of Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't have fond memories of macaroni and cheese as a child? Well, mac and cheese is one of the most popular comfort foods in the US. Here is some history and several recipes for mac and cheese from the basic to the sublime.

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Lake Erie Artists Gallery

This is a unique gallery of local artists in Cleveland, Ohio loaded with beautiful artwork made in Ohio. Jewelry, paintings, prints, photography, Lake Erie beach glass, fiber arts, ceramics, books, and more. Over 80 artists are represented by the gallery.

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Having Fun on Squidoo.com

I have been spending some quality time on Squidoo lately. Here is a link to my work. http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/lakeerieartists Squidoo is a unique forum to write articles about just about anything at all. I have been mostly writing about Lake Erie Artists Gallery http://lakeerieartists.com/ ,our artists, our events, and what it is like being an artist. But I have also been putting up articles about biscotti baking, macaroni and cheese recipes, and other just for fun stuff. So please take a look and way in with your comments. I think you will have a good time.

I will be at Shaker Square Farmers Market in the morning and then in the gallery tomorrow. I would love for you to drop by. I have to imput a lot of boring QuickBooks info so I will take all of the breaks that I can get.

New events popping up in September. Keep your calendars ready for them. More news on that soon.

Following Up From The Tradeshow

I am back in Cleveland after going to Columbus for a wholesale gift show. I have to say that I am quite disappointed at the results from this particular show.

I met some great people and my whole family went so we had a bit of a vacation right before school started. One of my daughters actually started today.

But I was disappointed in the attendance in general at the show and the attendence in my particular showroom. I do have to say, however, that my neighboring vendors in my showroom were great. I want to thank Shannon Mullins from Pinnacle Marketing especially for putting up with my family at the show. She was just the absolute nicest person. My girls befriended her and she just drew them right in. If you are a retailer looking for licensed sports items, Pinnacle is a great place to go. Her email is customsales@ureach.com.

The reaction I got to my new wholesale jewelry line was really good. People loved it. But most of the people there did not buy jewelry. So I guess that is not the show for me. Here is the link to take a look. www.lakeerieartists.com/paulaatwellshop.htm

Next on my list of things to do is to find new clients in Cleveland, and my next show which will be the Oktoberfest in Berea. Anyone who says they mentions this blog will get 15% off any one item at the Oktoberfest show.

I do want to pass on some coupons that I have available. If you use any of these coupons or others posted on my blog and website, Lake Erie Artists Gallery www.lakeerieartists.com will get a small percentage of the sale. So back to work here. Tata for now!

Getting Ready for My First Wholesale Show

This weekend I will be spending my time at my first wholesale gift mart. This is a show that is geared for retailers looking to order stock for their stores. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It will be very different from my end user or customer shows.
I am not quite ready to go yet. Of course, everything last minute, as I rush to keep up with my own schedule. Right after I get back, I have another show and two art openings in a three week span. Life is never dull around here. More on the business trip as it unfolds.

For all of you business types, I have a coupon here for Vista Print, and will be putting it on my blog's home page http://lakeerieartists.blogspot.com/ for any time you need it. It is a good one.

Take control of your business card and get better results. With VistaPrint’s pre-designed templates, you can create a professional, attractive business card online in seconds. No more haggling with a designer! Right now get 250 full-color business cards FREE with this special offer. Click here.

and another coupon

Burning River Fest 2008

Dear friends,
Tomorrow Lake Erie Artists Gallery will be participating in one of my favorite shows all year--the Great Lakes Brewery Burning River Fest.

This festival both promotes and celebrates one of the regions biggest accomplishments--going green. Cleveland is one of the best cities in the US at recycling.

So come and join us, drink some beer, and say hello. The festival takes place on the west side of the Flats, in and around the old Nautica now Plain Dealer Pavilion. You can park near the Powerhouse and Shooters and walk over. We are in the Special Events tent and will have kids crafts as well as artwork for sale. This is a don't miss event. For tickets ahead http://burningriverfest.org

It's Nice Being Green

Kermit the Frog, one of my favorite muppets, was right all along. It is nice being green and it is healthy and good for the earth.

I have been writing a lot about these topics over the last few weeks in a great forum called Squidoo. Here are the links to my articles http://www.squidoo.com/agreenwedding, http://www.squidoo.com/greenart, http://www.squidoo.com/greengifts, http://www.squidoo.com/debycowdin, http://www.squidoo.com/goodearth.

I would love to get your feedback on these articles and other interesting topics you would like to hear about.

Lake Erie Artists Gallery http://lakeerieartists.com will be participating in the Burning River Fest this Saturday August 9 from 12 noon to 6 pm in the Special Events Tent. We will be doing kid's crafts and selling our wonderful recycled art products, and other artwork. Come and see us there. This is a wonderful event--this is our 4th year doing it and this year it will be noticeably bigger and better. For information see http://www.burningriverfest.org.