Small Business Saturday at your small local shop

We will be kicking off the holiday season with the Small Business Saturday - a day filled with creative pursuits. Please join us on November 24th between 11 am and 5 pm. We guarantee you will be well entertained, you may even leave as a soon-to-be-published author!

11 am Holiday ornaments – decorate your own
Potter Sue Adler brings majolica holiday ornaments ready for your decorating touches. Materials fee will be collected. Ornaments will be ready for pick up 2 weeks after the event.

12 pm Eco-friendly gift wrapping
Reuse, reuse, reuse - Jolanta Zamecka and Ewa Rumprecht gift wrap with minimal environmental impact. Guests are encouraged to share their own ideas and projects.

1 pm Quilts – what makes them special
Quilter Sherry Phelps, third generation quilter, presents her family heirlooms as well as her own work and explains what makes a successful quilt.

2 pm Feng Shui, crystals, stones
Jeweler Sharon LaMonica introduces the basic concepts of Feng Shui and speaks about properties of crystals and stones. Perfect chance to adjust your energy or relaxation level.

3 pm Decorate with ribbons
Kristi Halpern creates festive decorations with ribbons. She guides you on a quest for a perfect ribbon for any decorating project.

4 pm Holiday poetry reading
Bring your own or your favorite holiday poem and read it to guests. Selected poems will be published by the Prehensile Pencil Publications, ready for purchase before the holidays.

For the greater pleasure of the company fiddler Eric Marten will accompany the poems with old holiday tunes while his wife, Trudy, introduces the limber jack.

Throughout the day, guests will have a chance to observe painter Yvonne Dagger and wood carver Don Dailey work their holiday magic with brushes and knives, respectively.

Please review the event's Press Release for more information.

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Long Island Fair 2012 - Photos

We hope you will enjoy photos of locally made goods and snapshots of our guest artists and visitors, as well as the grounds, buildings, and activities at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration - the site of the Long Island Fair.

Our thanks go to organizers of the event, craftspeople who submitted work to Think Green category, and to our guests on Saturday and Sunday - knitters Joyce Colucci and Gail Ryan, wood carver Don Dailey, jeweler - bead maker Gea Hines, and painter James Johansen.

Photos from Sunday


Photos from Saturday


Photos from Thursday, the judging day

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Long Island arts and crafts at the Mozart Festival - Old Westbury Gardens

We were invited to present Long Island arts and crafts at the Mozart Festival held annually at Old Westbury Gardens. It was a great event - old mansion, beautifully groomed grounds, music in the air.

Painter Yvonne Dagger worked on a portrait, wood carver Don Dailey carved decorative spoons, writer Paul Mateyunas signed his latest book, and knitter Theresa Wasserman crocheted a baby hat.

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Valentine's Day Contest - Winners Are Announced

"To you my heart I must resign \ O choose me for your Valentine!" wrote Lt. Col. Simcoe to Sally Townsend in 1779, in the first recorded Valentine in America. We did not have to refer to heart only to help us select winners of our "Show the Love Valentine's Day Art Competition".

The esteemed jury of three Long Island artists: photographer Alan Henriksen, painter Susie Gach Peelle, and wood turner Harry Wicks met at Think Long Island First today to judge the contest entries, on creativity and execution.

Judges at work. From left: Susie Gach Peelle, Harry Wicks, Alan Henriksen	Judges tallying scores. From left: Alan Henriksen, Susie Gach Peelle, Harry Wicks

And the winners are:
In Adult section
1st Place - Don Dailey
for Hearts and Vines, cherry wood carved love spoon

2nd Place - Anne Breitstein
for October Evening, West Neck Beach, watercolor

3rd Place - Sue Adler
for Happy Hearts, ceramic

In Young Adult section
1st Place - Kelley Marco
for Time Line of Love, ink and acrylic

Don Dailey Hearts and Vines 1st Place Adult Section	Kelley Marco Life Line of Love 1st Place Young Adult Section
Anne Breitstein October Evening, West Neck Beach 2nd Place Adult Section	Sue Adler Happy Hearts 3rd Place Adult Section

We still have Popular Vote Awards to choose, so please stop by the store between Friday and Saturday and cast your vote.

Award ceremony takes place at Think Long Island First at 36 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY, on Sunday, February 12th between 2-3 pm.

Thank you to All Contestants for participation and congratulations to the winners!

"Show the Love Valentine Competition" coincides with the first annual Valentine's Fair in Oyster Bay, Celebrating America's First Valentine, and all things love..., organized by Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, and a group of other local businesses. Please see a list of all the festivities taking place in town during the Valentine's Day weekend.

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Birds at Think Long Island First

Today is the 226th birthday of John James Audubon. This prompted us to look for works represending birds in our store. We found quite a few.

Rooster by Christina Kneer. Matted photograph on paper.	Kingfisher by Bob Schiff. Wood carving.
Hello Spring by Cathy Nichols. Print on wood panel.	Sand Pipers by Don Dailey. Wood carving.
Feather pins by Mike Denaro. Wood carving.	Bird by Mollie Eckelberry. Printed card, hand colored.
Rooster by Jewelry 10. Ceramic pin.	Shovel bird by Tom Malloy. Metal sculpture.
Bird feeder by Sue Adler. Clay feeder with leather hanger.	Chicks by Gerry Corrigan. Matted photograph on paper.

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Instructive morning with three Long Island wood carvers

Three local wood carvers, Don Daily from Huntington Station, Mike Denaro from Oyster Bay, and Bob Schiff from Great Neck displayed their work, spoke about their inspirations, very different techniques, and occasional injuries, presented their preferred tools and materials at an Introduction to Wood Carving event at the store last Saturday.

It was a very instructive and fun morning. All three speakers were generous with their advice in the true spirit of the craft. All three have met with supportive fellow carvers in the past and now like to share their knowledge and experiences.

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Introduction to Wood Carving

Saturday, March 12th, 10 am - 12:30 pm

Do you know what veiner, fluter, or sloyd? You may have your chance to learn or to show off whichever the case might be.

Three local wood carvers - Don Dailey from Huntington Station, Mike Denaro from Oyster Bay, and Bob Schiff from Great Neck will conduct an Introduction to Wood Carving session at Think Long Island First on Saturday, March 12th, starting at 10 am.

Come join us and learn about the carving materials, tools, and varnishes. Bring your completed or ongoing projects to discuss with Don, Mike, and Bob.

This is a free event open to the public.

Sand pipers by Don Dailey	Ice fishing decoys by Mike Denaro

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Wood carving by Don Dailey

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Don Dailey's carving adventure started with his obsession with Rock and Roll - his first carvings were of electric guitars. It seems quite common for creative folks to develop interests in many branches of art. His involvement with music continued. Don, a composer, Emmy award winner for music for All My Children, creator of a meditation CD Inner Aura (with his long-time friend M.B. Gordy), is still frequently engaged in music post-production.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

In his professional life of a cabinet maker he became well acquainted with wood and its qualities. A subscription to Fine Woodworking magazine opened his eyes to other creative uses of wood. He experimented with wood sculpture by so called woodworm method, he drilled random holes in a chunk of wood and then discovered where wood would take him.

As a scout master of a local troop in Huntington he teaches scouts to carve safely. As a demonstration, he frequently makes neckerchief slides for the scouts, the hand grenade shaped one never fails to amuse.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Don creates various figurines like the wizard displayed in the photo on the left. Our store carries his Santas and other Christmas ornaments in season and we currently display his gnomes and birds.

Don carves in basswood and except for the rough work uses mostly hand tools. He strives to have his carving come off the tool. Sharp tools are his mantra.

Don's output increased greatly since he built himself a portable working table allowing him to carve outside his workshop. He now carves while he watches tv or relaxes on his porch on a summer evening.



Don started a blog The Sunday Woodcarver where he describes his creative process, tools, and techniques. He will be one of the instructors at the Introduction to Wood Carving event at the store on Saturday, March 12th, between 10 am and 12:30 pm.

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