Winning Ticket Drawn For Becky Kidd Custom Pet Portrait!

A work in progress.

This evening the winning raffle ticket was drawn for a custom pet portrait by Becky Kidd. Becky so generously offered her talent to help raise money for Animal Action Rescue. Tickets were purchased from AAR's web site and also at the shop. The shop raised $100 for AAR, in addition to the tickets purchased on their web site. All names were tossed in the jar and the winner is..................
Alyse Monticello, who purchased her ticket via AAR's web site.
Thanks to everyone for a fun time at the shop and for helping raise a little money for Animal Action Rescue. A big hug to Becky for sharing her talent to help this worthy group of great animal folks!

Becky Kidd Pet Portrait Exhibit Scrapbook

Digital slideshow created with Smilebox

Who Let The Dogs Out? Meet Dog Portrait Artist Becky Kidd, Sat. Feb. 19 At The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques

Invite created with Smilebox

Art Opening Saturday Feb 19, Meet Dog Portrait Artist Becky Kidd

Anyone who knows me, knows how I love dogs! So I am beyond excited about the next event at the shop!

Snellville artist, and former antique dealer, Becky Kidd, will open her exhibit of dog portraits on Saturday, Feb. 19th. Come meet Becky on Saturday, from noon until 3pm. She loves dogs and all animals, so bring photos of your pets and brag a bit! Her art will be on display through the following weekend, Saturday, Feb. 26th.  Visit Becky's blog for more information on custom pet portraits!

Becky has donated a custom pet portrait to help raise funds for Animal Action Rescue, one of my favorite dog rescue groups. $2.00 enters you in the raffle. You can enter as many times as you like. Visit the shop, or go to Animal Action Rescue's site, to enter the drawing. Winner will be e-mailed by Monday Feb. 28th and info posted here on Monday.

There are some great events in Old Town the next two weeks!

Meet the artist Becky Kidd on Feb.19th.

Then on Feb. 26th, Old Town celebrates Arbor Day in the park. Event starts at 10am. The City of Lilburn and the GFWC Lilburn Woman's Club invite everyone to join in the festivities, and help plant a large Elm Tree in Lilburn City Park.There will be kids nature activities, plus an interpretive nature walk along the Greenway Trail. Read more about Lilburn's Arbor Day on Patch.

After the celebration, come to Main Street for live music at the shop. "Questionable Characters" rocks! Your feet will feel like dancing!

Visit my neighbor across the street, Antiques In Old Town, for coffee and shopping and a raffle for a tree of one's own.

All the shops in Old Town say "welcome"!

Antiques in Old Town

Old Town Flowers and Gifts

The Yellow Rose Bridal Shop

The Enchanted Forest

And of course, my shop, The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques.

As always, free coffee and cookies at The Little Shop of Arts And Antiques. Shop hours Thurs/Fri/Sat 11am to 5pm.

Lilburn Welcomes New Arts-Oriented Business to Main Street

Great post on the Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch by Pat Gabilondo. Thanks for coming by and visiting! You can view the article here and it is re-printed below. Feb 8, 2011.

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Barth, the new owner of The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques which opened last month in the heart of Old Town, Lilburn at 94 Main Street.     There is no easy way to describe Barth.  She is a published author, an artist, a dog rescuer, a blogger, a jewelry designer, an antique dealer, a passionate supporter of the arts, and now an entrepreneur.   On her 60th birthday she bought herself a 1979 Stingray Corvette – on a whim.  She has now packed all of those special talents into a little corner of Lilburn where she wants to provide local artists, musicians and authors a non-traditional place where they can feel free to express themselves and share their own talent with the community.   “I have found a little piece of heaven right here in Lilburn” Barth said. “I want this shop to generate positive energy and good will.”   At this time she is booking approximately two events per month, but her long-term plan is to have some kind of book signing event every Saturday. When the weather improves, she plans to invite musicians to play on the lawn outside the front door.   Mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters will love her newly established Children’s Corner, which is chock full of books and gifts for the younger crowd.  Her ‘Time in a Garden’ line of one-of-a-kind jewelry creations are made of vintage recycled jewelry parts and most contain some form of watch components.      Barth’s passion for the arts spills over into other areas of her life, including rescuing dogs and actually adopting six of her own.  All of the proceeds from the store’s opening day were donated to Friends of DeKalb Animals, an affiliate of Animal Action Rescue.   The next time you are driving through Lilburn’s Old Town be sure to stop by The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques and introduce yourself to Barbara, grab a cup of coffee and ask about her life. You’ll be glad you did. Store hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Author, Marion Davis, Book Signing At The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques

Posted from the New Book Journal

Meet the author on Saturday, February 12th. “Tis Agony to Part” was written when she was sixteen. The story of Anne Clark a simple Irish girl, but when fate took an unexpected twist, she found herself living a life she never dreamed she could.

Feb 10, 2011 – The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques, 94 Main Street NW, Lilburn, Georgia, 30047, is hosting a book signing, meet the author event, on Saturday, February 12. “Tis Agony to Part” was written when Miss Davis was sixteen years old and published in 2006. The author is in her early twenties. She is an inspiration to those who wish to write.

“Anne Clarke was a simple Irish girl, but when fate took an unexpected twist, she found herself living a life she never dreamed could come true. From surviving the great Famine to a dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and adapting to life in America, Anne Clarke will lead you through a story you will never forget.”

In the author’s words: “Coming from a home-schooling family, my eight siblings and I have always focused heavily on self-education. I began reading historical fiction in order to better remember certain events and dates in time. However, I found that I greatly enjoyed the genre and began writing my own short stories. Several of my siblings and I started college at a young age, and this allowed me to incorporate literary learnings in my gradually-improving writing skills. I finished my first book–Tis Agony to Part–at age 16. At age 19, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, and at age 20, I finished my Master’s Degree in Linguistics. I am currently completing the last stages of my second novel, a sci-fi mystery that takes place within a small 1800s town in rural Georgia.
The story began when I was 15. In the living room, my family had an old nautical painting that was picked up somewhere along the way. Nothing was known about the piece; it simply depicted a ship struggling through a roiling ocean with various structural dimensions and elements noted in the margins. Wanting to solve this mystery, I decided to research the ship’s history, eventually finding the manifest on an online database.  There was an interesting story here. The British Queen was on its way to New York, carrying 228 passengers, mostly Irish emigrants. After a two-month wintry voyage, the British Queen finally neared the northeast coast of America–only for the weather to push the ship off-course, about twelve miles away from Nantucket Island. On Nantucket Island, an area that had nearly become a ghost town, the alarm was sounded after a watchman spotted something amiss in the distance. The islanders came together and created a rescue plan: two brothers, skilled sailors, took their schooners out into the choppy December seas. In an amazing maneuver, they were able to guide their crafts up against the sinking ship and pull the passengers to safety. Back on Nantucket Island, the islanders took the emigrants into their homes over Christmas.  Many of the emigrants later continued on to New York. Some stayed in Massachusetts. However, a few families listed on the ship’s manifest had no descendants claiming this voyage as part of an incredible ancestry. The names of these survivors had simply vanished from history. In response to these disappearances, I decided to create my own story: a beginning and an end to the tale of an Irish family in search of better days. The tale of the Clarke family now lives on in its entirety in my book Tis Agony to Part.”

Located in the historic Old Town section of Lilburn, Georgia, The Little Shop of Arts And Antiques is continuing its series of art openings and book signings on Saturdays with this latest event.
 

Book Signing Feb. 12 - Meet Author Marion "Abi" Davis

This is a very special event and I am anxious to meet the author. Marion "Abigail" Davis wrote her first book at age sixteen. It was published in 2006. Abi is in her early twenties and I can't wait to hear her talk about the inspiration for her book and writing/publishing at such a young age. She is an inspiration.

In her own words:  "Coming from a home-schooling family, my eight siblings and I have always focused heavily on self-education. I began reading historical fiction in order to better remember certain events and dates in time. However, I found that I greatly enjoyed the genre and began writing my own short stories. Several of my siblings and I started college at a young age, and this allowed me to incorporate literary learnings in my gradually-improving writing skills. I finished my first book--Tis Agony to Part--at age 16. At age 19, I received my Bachelor's Degree in English Literature, and at age 20, I finished my Master's Degree in Linguistics. I am currently completing the last stages of my second novel, a sci-fi mystery that takes place within a small 1800s town in rural Georgia."


Her story behind the book:

The story began when I was 15. In the living room, my family had an old nautical painting that was picked up somewhere along the way. Nothing was known about the piece; it simply depicted a ship struggling through a roiling ocean with various structural dimensions and elements noted in the margins. Wanting to solve this mystery, I decided to research the ship's history, eventually finding the manifest on an online database.

There was an interesting story here. The British Queen was on its way to New York, carrying 228 passengers, mostly Irish emigrants. After a two-month wintry voyage, the British Queen finally neared the northeast coast of America--only for the weather to push the ship off-course, about twelve miles away from Nantucket Island. On Nantucket Island, an area that had nearly become a ghost town, the alarm was sounded after a watchman spotted something amiss in the distance. The islanders came together and created a rescue plan: two brothers, skilled sailors, took their schooners out into the choppy December seas. In an amazing maneuver, they were able to guide their crafts up against the sinking ship and pull the passengers to safety. Back on Nantucket Island, the islanders took the emigrants into their homes over Christmas.

Many of the emigrants later continued on to New York. Some stayed in Massachusetts. However, a few families listed on the ship's manifest had no descendants claiming this voyage as part of an incredible ancestry. The names of these survivors had simply vanished from history. In response to these disappearances, I decided to create my own story: a beginning and an end to the tale of an Irish family in search of better days. The tale of the Clarke family now lives on in its entirety in my book Tis Agony to Part.

Invite customized with Smilebox

Scrapbook of Feb. 5th Emilie P. Bush book signing and Steampunk meet-up

Make a free digital scrapbook

Shop Getting Dressed Up For Book Signing Tomorrow!

Spent the day chatting with folks from Patch.com. A great group for neighborhood advertising. In between visits with folks, I spruced the shop up, added more new items and a touch of steampunk in honor of our guest author Emilie P. Bush tomorrow!
A sneak peek of how the shop will look tomorrow when I open the doors at 11 am!

Chenda in our front window! View from inside. Another mannequin is looking out with Emilie's book!

A little steampunk look and cards by Pam King Photography.

Some steampunk for Valentine's Day. Art cards by Audrey Frank. Just the perfect one-of-a-kind design for your special Valentine!

A new selection of cards by Audrey Frank came in this week. Already they are selling well!

Lots of vintage Valentine charm necklaces, charm bracelets and other girly delights!

Need a purse? Lots of ice cream color leather for spring and my favorite, vintage western look and tooled leather Mexican handbags! Who can resist a chair with Mickey on it either?

Vintage oriental lady lamp base and late 1800s floral oil painting!

My newest mannequin watching over the shop at night.

Moving to the second room!

A mixture of vintage pieces and my children's book cupboard!

My favorite old farm table full of vintage silverplate!

Vintage art is tucked everywhere!

Can't wait for tomorrow. Rain or shine, it will be bright at The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques when we greet Emilie P. Bush!