30th Annual

         "Hard Candy Christmas "

             Art  & Craft Show

         Friday, November,  24

         Saturday, November 25  2017   

              Featured Artist :Betty  Spivey: A doll maker who brings to life, Father Christmas Dolls, Old World Santa and other primitive dolls for collectors . 

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                   Click here for  More Featured Artists 

Click Here For Current Show Exhibitor List

You will find it all here.

     Mountain Artisans Art and Crafts Shows provide a marketplace for customers and artisans to meet.  It is an amazing collection under one roof.  You would have to visit dozens of  shows to find what I have gathered at one place.

     Cullowhee, North Carolina is home to the Western Carolina University.  On the campus is the Ramsey Center arena that boasts 18,000 square feet of climate controlled comfort for everyone.  It is home to the Catamount's basketball games but two times each year, they move over for our craft shows.  A great set up crew makes it all look easy for me. 

     Quaint Cullowhee Valley nestles off Highway 107 that runs up to Cashiers, North Carolina  from Sylva.  It is a stop off the Southern Highroads Trail  highway. All around are big, soft mountains. A foot bridge crosses the Cullowhee Creek to get to the show from the parking lot.  It is peaceful to your soul just  to be here.  Click on the map to see how to get to Cullowhee NC from Asheville, Cherokee, and Atlanta.

    The show consists of craftsmen  inside and outside the Ramsey Center building:

Outside Artists: The sidewalk and surrounding area leading up to the big Catamount door entrance has a sample of the quality artisans inside.  Look for the following outside exhibitors: 

• Look for Woodcraftsman, Jerry Stanley NC Mountains Outdoor Furniture, with Adirondack chairs, swings, birdhouses (for real birds )and patio furniture . All constructed with Western Red Cedar and Cypress wood,  and stainless steel nails will be on the corner again with a quality selection for your house.
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• AW Ruff, builds the best blue bird houses around. He will also be bringing , cutting boards at good prices.
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• Ed Hudgins ,Saw Mill Tables are coming back with a big assortment .
• Stacy Redmon,  Red Rock Photo Art captures the mountain area with an artistic eye.  Look for his summer collection of the four seasons.
• Kathy Cirkus, BackWoods Bakery's specialty is fine, organic Artisan Bread  made with stone-milled flour and baked in a wood fired  oven. She will have Gingerbread houses ,scones, cookies and sugar plum munchies.
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• David Allen Dick David's Handy Work makes hand draped concrete Jardinieres and wood trays.
• Kyle Owen ,Mountain Chainsaw Man,  sold his mountain laurel  bench this summer and he is coming back for the holiday show with wood carvings and rustic furniture .

     Wallace and Donna Cole turn the common gourd into little art treasures. For inside or out.

         Come inside.  The entrance tunnel has some exciting exhibitors: Christmas in the mountains starts with  the crisp ,pine smell  from the tree farm (A&E) of  Larry   Haskett and Evelyn Sanborn Awe Natural Wreaths. They provide the big 'Hard Candy Christmas " tree each year . Holiday shoppers pick up   freshly made  evergreen swags, and wreaths . New this year, will be vine and everlasting  creations.

• First artisan inside the door is favored potter Sue Malsnee.  She has many area collectors of her work who look for her unique creations at this show.  They will be glad to find her  nature designs and original glazes
• Amy Ammons Garza Spirit of Appalachia will be selling books for their not- for -profit organization.
• Dogwood Crafters will be selling samples from their unique shop. They feature quality handcrafts from the mountain area. Visit their shop in Dillsboro, NC.
  • Bobby Bearden Recycled Yard Art is moving inside with his  gas cans flying  pigs and more  He will have a neat collection  to bring smiles to your garden .

     

• Harold Simms Catman2. His kind heart started a no kill rescue and adoption home that has aided hundreds of felines.He has opened his Cat Museum inside the Old School in the Savannah community
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• Tom Livingston's Piece by Piece Intarsia takes many kinds of wood and shapes them into amazing  pictures.  He will have some neat choices for special giving or dressing up your home.

Arena: It is 18,000 sq feet of warm, comfortable shopping area.

• Good live music brings Christmas cheer!  There will be live, guitar music floating from the fingers of Macon County's Ronnie Evans.  He plays the old songs that we remember .  He will be selling his CD's to enjoy all year.

The pottery section includes :

• Customers looking for  Kim von Hedemann will be so happy to find  Clay Critters .Kim combines her love of cartoons and animals for this adorable art.  She captures a whole menagerie  with clay, on mugs and trinket boxes.

• Balsam Mountain's Ann Suggs Stone house Pottery will be here with her Christmas  collection ! Remember her Christmas tree luminaries? They will be back .
•  Hartworks Stoneware Pottery ,Mike and Cindy Hart will  be here .Many collectors will be picking up pieces of their latest additions.

Specialty foods and  sweets:

• Terri Cook's Delightful Dips customers line up for more of  Terri's homemade dips, mixes and southern meat rubs.
• Kathy Senft makes delicious Southern jams and jellies . She, also  has rubs for your grilling .

 Heritage Soap:

• Bill Reed, Freedom Farms is coming back with his popular goat milk soap and  personal grooming accessories.
• Laura Craig,  Shade Tree Farm  soap maker always has  delicious new flavors and products.
• Cindi and Randy Beaver's, SleepyHollowFarm specializes in things herbal: herbal oils, extracts and natural products for your well being .

Other special crafts :

      Billy Reynolds, sculpture extraordinaire  is working on some special pieces just for this show .            

     Bill Radford ,' LittleFeather" is preserving his Cherokee  lineage with  carved bone pendants and knives.

•  Heritage Artisan,  Betty Cabe  is making adorable Smoky Mountain Boutique Bears this year . Momma and  all the cousins will be coming  for the bear collectors. She will have some corn shuck flowers and dolls, too. Christmas brings angels, too.
• Dawn  Mobery Justbecause is new this year presenting hand painted ornaments and santas.

• Elly Davey Bird in Hand  Featured Artist 2015  is  almost famous for little folk figure with hickory nut heads and don't forget her whimsies.  She has many collectors who look for new creations each show
• Alva Houston was our 'Featured Artist"  2016  "Summertime " show.  Her little mountain folk dolls will be joined with snowmen from light bulbs ,gourd art and fresh canned jams and jellies from her summer garden.
• Roberta Brown-Roberts Pressed Flower Art  is  our Featured Artist  2017 "Summertime" show.  She has the garden lovers favorite! They are going to love framed bouquets of  pressed flowers, grown in her own garden.
• Look for Tommy Hill with his hand tooled leatherwork. Replace that old wallet with a new one.
• The little log homes and churches that David Pruitt (2016  Featured Artist!) Another Place In Time are coming back . David is working now  on new ideas. His wife, Silvia Pruitt ,will have  hard to find  hanging kitchen towels and  coasters.
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• Ellen Speed recycles Coke soda cans to create fun pins and jewelry .
• Carla Parvin Coloring Book Mania has caught the coloring  book fun and designed her own.
• Denny and Bonnie Wallace always has a 'wow' display of Christmas decorations, lighted boxes and Denny's wood turnings .
•  Next door is  Here comes Connie Gregory with her pinecone wreaths and creations that are hers alone.
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• Monica Hoerl's  Rosemaling, a lovely, European style of decorative art , will be on  plates, ornaments and more.
• Mike Wilson Wilson Knives is a master knife artisan. The chefs will use his slicing knifes every day . He has designed a special 'slicer" for juicy tomatoes.
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• Suzanne Summers has  a flair to swirl  brilliant colors using alcohol and ink .Here comes her Christmas  collection.
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• Polly Wells is a  Folk Artist with bread dough. Each little arrangement is a masterpiece. Welcome Polly .
• Mike Malek Antler Mike is a skilled craftsman in antler creations. His chandelier is always impressive and lamps, knives and accessories.
•  Jim Boxerman Jim's Leather Craft has quality leather accessories as only he can make.
• Dan Donaldson Broom Brothers is demonstrating  his broom straw brooms both decorative and functional.

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      Painters:

      Regenia Ford Mountain Memories Art will be returning with her antique windows , barn wood paintings, and wood slab ornaments. 

      Jeanne Mack Southern Paintings is a favorite for her collectors. She will back on the corner with her Christmas collection of cats and southern scenes.

•  Wendy Griffith's  paintings  on glass and barn wood .You are going to love her style. Her lighted  Christmas bottles will be a hit.
• Look online for my friend  Michael M Roger's , favorite watercolorist and avid hiker will be Sharing the Beauty of  his beloved mountains in his latest DVD of waterfalls and wild flowers. Visit his new online store at  www.michaelmrogersfineart.com You can purchase original art work, prints and photography on canvas.

    The Fabric and Fiber Art categories are looking good :

     Ginger Rutland, Gingerbreadland features quilted table tops, quilts, ornaments, tree skirts and dolls .

     Eva Tolotti, Laura's Butterflies makes designer winter accessories. Welcome back Eva .

      William and Nancy Smith, are coming back for the Christmas  season with project bags and accessories for fiber artists.

•  Mary Jo Gayer, will be demonstration yarn spinning and having some of her creations for sale : hand knitted and woven scarves, hand    felted  vessels ,spun yarns and more .

      Donna McCarthy AlpacaTiera has been spinning and weaving Alpaca fibers, from her own flock , for many years . She brings popular socks and gloves and felted products. Also, dyed yarn for your projects .

• Dora Reynolds,  Designer Tableware is a hit each show with her bright colorful fabric plates and bowls.  She will have her Christmas collection  of  winter birds and Holiday prints .

• Beverly Borchardt, is expanding her Christmas collection of quilted wall hangings and  embroidered accessories.
• Susan Kennedy's, quilted purses are collector's pieces. Drop by to see what's new for giving or you !. Don't forget Mark's photography
•  taken on their travels. 
•  Sharon K Drewyor, has a spectacular display this year with "all things knitted."
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• The Beads and Bags Boutique, Janet and Sabrina, will be back with their Christmas gifts collection.
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    The Glass Artists Category :

• Neal Hearn, Boxes by Neal is coming back with his Christmas  collection of fused glass boxes and hanging panels with natural gemstones . He always sells out of his unique art.

     The wood craftsmen at this show :

     David S. Hedrick ,is coming back with handcrafted wood toys : Trucks, wagons and trains.

• Tonia Cannon Balsam Mountain Wood Works will be here with scroll saw work and original designs.
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• Ken Rudd's Custom Woodwork has a big following.  He has worked all winter to  have potato boxes and trash cans that are  scarce.
• Steve Simonelli Simonelli Fine Woodcraft always pleases his customers with pieces made one at a time for them.
• Carson and Sonjia Gibson  are new this year. This talented duo handcrafts band saw jewelry boxes and Wooden Snowmen. Welcome to the Gibson's .

      Our Mountain Photographers are tops"

• Ed Green Macon Green Photo has amazing shots of the Elk herds in the Smokies. He has prints and greeting cards of many mountain      themed views. 
• Stacy Redmon Red Rock Photo wows his customers with mountain themes. Spring, summer, winter and fall;  small and large sizes. Look for him outside .

We have some of the most skilled jewelers from our area and far away.

• Jaqueline Hatch Native American Jewelry artisan with original pieces and bullet bling.
• Angel Hudgins Hudgins Designs is back this year with unique, cool designs for the 20 something crowd.
• Coming back is Jacolyn Campbell,  Campbell Designs  master wire wrapper. She will have chain maille styles and gem trees, also.
• Ciara DeNardo LittleWoodlander Leather Jewelry. The leather cuffs with metal inset are hand stamped. They have cowhide clutches and fabric bags with leather accents.
• Kelli Perry Winter Sun Fused glass jewelry is a hit each time she is here . Every pendant is one of a kind .