The Lakeside Life Blog
Lewis Smith Lake Alabama | Smith Lake Alabama
 Did you know March is National Craft Month? We have many talented crafters right here in the Smith Lake area, not to mention all over the State of Alabama. Spring craft shows will be in full swing soon. We hope you find time to get out and enjoy a few festivals this season. You will LOVE what they have to offer, unique custom products made lovingly by hand, and with a talented artistic eye for detail. Hard to come by in an age of mass production. In fact, one particular local festival will have MANY regional crafters in attendance very soon - The 34th Annual Bloomin' Festival on the grounds of gorgeous St. Bernard Preparatory School in Cullman, AL. Mark the dates, April 21-22, 2018, and plan to attend. It's a must-do in our area. You can get more information about the festival on their Facebook page: @bloominfestival We also want to take a moment to shout out at least a FEW of our Smith Lake area crafters as well. There are many - but these are a few in particular that we have noticed on social media just recently. We have found they are extremely talented in their niche, and fortunately for us, they are accessible and convenient - right here in the area - lakeside!  2016 Alaska vacation - Connor, Audrey, Jill & John Strickland Meet John & Jill Strickland - Cullman area residents - Jill is a wife & mother, a crafter and so much more. Not only can Jill sew all kinds of beautiful custom items, but she and her husband John also build small wooden furniture such as adirondack chairs, benches, picnic tables, swings and bedswings. John enjoys the wood work, and he puts a lot of hours and love into each piece he creates. They have a special personal reason behind much of their work, it is a loving grief therapy for this incredible family. Look for an upcoming article in The Lakeside Life magazine about the Stricklands, their little growing company, and their family journey. Proceeds from their work benefit the WSCC Future Foundation Scholarship Fund in the name of John Connor Strickland. Contact them now, and they can help create you a one-of-a-kind piece that you'll treasure for many years to come. You can find them on Instagram: @johnwjill - please look them up very soon!  Meet Sandra Heaven "Heaven & Earth Pottery" & Diane Sharron "Creations in Clay" #brushycreekpotter - These two lovely ladies are residents of the Arley community, and they are volunteer pottery teachers at Meek High School & Middle School. Sandra has been an art instructor most of her life, having taught art classes at Wallace State for over 25 years. A few years ago, not long after moving to Smith Lake from Mississippi, Diane signed up for a class as a student with Sandra, and became a quick study. The two ladies formed a bond and a pottery partnership.  Sandra Heaven They enjoy different styles, Sandra primarily enjoys turning clay pieces on the pottery wheel, and Diane enjoys free form clay design. All of their pieces are so unique and detailed. The glazes are painstakingly hand mixed - there's an art just in the chemistry of these mixes. They can obtain glazes from traditional colors & types to deep, rich, rustic tones and styles of "dipping" - the possibilities are endless with these artists. It seems there is nothing they can’t do with the glazes that help take the pieces to that next level of beauty. All pieces are lovingly designed with the artists' fine eye for detail - incredibly beautiful! In addition to the classes they offer for the Arley school system, they also offer private group lessons as well.  Diane Sharron Obviously you can request custom pieces, but even better - sign up for a class very soon - no better therapy in the world than "arting" - AND you get to take your very own handiwork home. Their shop is located on the school grounds, and they offer very reasonable rates, with class times that are sure to match your schedule. Contact them any time - Sandra Heaven @ 205-384-4332 www.heavenandearthpottery.com and Diane Sharron @ 601-260-9697 or on Instagram: @dianesharron - be sure to watch for a future article in the magazine on this local studio, you'll be amazed other awesome things these ladies do for our community!  Christine Williamson Christine Williamson - a spicy Cajun transplant in our midst - originally from New Orleans, but now, luckily for all of us, she made her way to this area and is now a part of our Smith Lake family. She still has family in New Orleans, and it will always be “home" as well, but home is where the heart is, and she's definitely got a soft spot now for the lake community. Christine is an incredible seamstress, we think that she could execute nearly any item you can imagine involving sewing. She is currently completing her new sewing studio as we write this. She'll finally have a designated space all her own so her creativity has room to breathe. We can't wait for our studio visit soon, she's very close to moving in all her supplies right now, and getting everything nicely organized.  As she awaits the completion of the new studio, she is excited to plan new projects for the future, and has already taken on some custom quilt designs. She obviously makes quilts for sale, and builds commissioned quilts, but also sews custom items like tote bags, coasters, ornaments and stockings. Custom orders are always welcome! Her artistic goal is to combine function and beauty, she is always looking for vintage and unique fabrics, and will advise you what can be done with your own materials upon consultation. Make plans to go visit Christine as soon as you can. Find her on Instagram and Facebook: @upclearcreek - or try email cometw@gmail.com  Bryan & Carol McFee hiking in the William Bankhead National Forest McFee's Wodshop is the creation of Bryan and Carol McFee in Crane Hill, AL. They are both wood turners. Carol is a "spindle" turner. She makes bud vases, handles for bottle openers, ice cream scoops, pizza cutters, back scratchers, and similar items. The vases are all sizes, and we recently did a giveaway for a matched pair that were hard to let go. They were small, dainty and so beautifully detailed. We fell in love. Bryan primarily turns bowls. GORGEOUS bowls with veins of surprising colors in the wood grain, each one unique and precariously turned and polished to perfection. He also makes coffee tables and end tables. He takes special orders if it is something that he feels he can "do justice to." They use only local hardwoods that they harvest themselves. Most of the trees that they use are dead, dying, or already on the ground. Occasionally they will remove a tree when asked to. As the trees die, decay sets in. In wood turner parlance this is called spalting. It creates the beautiful colors and lines that are so prominent in their work. Bryan jokes "We throw the wood out in the front yard until it starts to grow mushrooms, then we know that the wood is ready!" This does sometimes create problems if the decay goes too far. Then it gets "punky". This means that it is too rotten to work with. It is always a fine line between "just right" and "too far gone." They love for people to drop by and visit them in their shop. In true southern fashion, they have a lot of extra chairs for company. They are a beautiful couple, you will love every second of time you get with them. Check them out on Facebook today: @McFees Woodshop and you may contact Bryan by email: bryanmcfee0425@gmail.com or phone: 205-541-0658. Again, please look up ALL of these fine artisans on social media, and make sure you tell them you were sent by The Lakeside Life Team. We love our local crafters and artists - all of them - far and wide throughout Alabama! If you know of someone we haven't met yet, please send them our way by emailing us at thelakesidelife@gmail.com or send us a PM/DM on Facebook or Instagram: @thelakesidelife .
Also, be on the watch for more information on these fine Smith Lake people in future content from The Lakeside Life Team. It's fun for us to learn more about the talented folks in our midst - but take it a step further - reach out to them for some custom unique pieces that will become treasured family heirlooms in years to come. See ya lakeside! The Lakeside Life Team
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11/3/2017 0 Comments Smith Lake Homes - Article Companion Blog - Modern Living on Smith Lake - The Crider Home Mandy & Shawn Crider A very special thanks to Mandy & Shawn Crider for opening their beautiful and unique home to the Smith Lake community. Their home truly exhibits the best in fine modern living on Smith from top to bottom! Contributing writer, Stephanie G. Lepore, sums it up quite elegantly in one statement, "An inventive iron, brick and reclaimed wood structure makes the most of birds-eye views and natural light." Video of the gorgeous one-of-a-kind home on Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama can be seen below, or follow these links on Vimeo and YouTube. Enjoy! For the complete article - see our 2017 October Premiere Issue of "The Lakeside Life" online: https://issuu.com/lakesidelife/docs/tll_digital - you can also download the issuu app to your phone or iPad for easiest magazine viewing on iOS or Android. Photo Credit: Craig Hudson, Hudson Photography LLC. Contributing Writer: Stephanie G. Lepore. (Please visit us @ http://www.thelakesidelife.com or on Facebook and Instagram: @thelakesidelife). SPECIAL BLOG RELEASE:BLOG ONLY - Now revel in some new, not previously released photos, from the Crider shoot below. Photo Credit: Craig Hudson, Hudson Photography LLC. 8/22/2017 4 Comments Favorite Smith lake Pieces Find at Ambiance in Homewood, AL There’s something magical about escaping to the lake, arriving, unpacking and getting settled in. The smell of the house when you first walk through the door... right down to the first glimpse of the lake. Smith Lake is many things to many people, for my family it's the place memories are made. Memories of humid summer nights spent around the fire pit, boat picnics and lots of slough floating. Our lake home is the de facto setting for family gatherings, and has been the spot for many a boys' weekends, mama's get-a-ways, and, not to mention, the summer fun spot for several "friend weekends" for our oldest daughter. We've spent a lot of time cultivating an inviting feel, while ensuring it is functional at the same time. Our main goal in decorating and outfitting our lake home has been that we want it to be comfortable, but giving the look and feel of a true rustic lake place. It has taken some time, but it's something that I truly enjoy. Finding the perfect new piece is something that still excites me, six years in. Since launching, The Lakeside Life, I've been capturing some of my favorite lake decor pieces I've seen out & about {above}. In the spirit of lake decor, we've teamed up with artist, GG Holcombe, to give away a set of her watercolor feathers. These feathers are sure to be the perfect piece for a Smith Lake home! To enter, be sure you are following us on Instagram or Facebook, tag a Smith Lake loving friend, and for an extra entry, leave a comment here telling us your perfect spot for these gorgeous feathers. We will announce the winner on Friday!  The Lakeside Life #giveaway {GG Art Watercolor Feathers} Follow GG Art on IG @ggggart |
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