Artifacts - Where Creativity Meets Magic and Every Corner is a Wonderland

Thursday, November 26, 2015
Good Evening friends!  I trust that everyone had a delicious day surrounded by the special people in your life.  I know I did!  I'm stuffed to the brim but can't rest until I get this post written .....for two reasons.  1) This is perhaps the most unique shop I've ever visited and 2) their Open House is this weekend and I wouldn't want you to miss it!  Thanks to my friend Amanda Crames, owner of my next featured shop, Schuyler Pond, for tipping me off to this one!

Of all the shops I've ever featured since I've been doing my blog, this one takes the prize for the most unique!  Holy cow....I don't know where you'd come anywhere close to anything like it.  Filled with everything from handmade crafts to antiques, to handmade jewelry...it's here.  Now you're probably thinking, 'What's so different about that? I've been to lots of stores like that."   No, no you haven't.  Not like this!   Let me give you a peek at just one little piece of what's in store...


If you think this looks typical, think again.  This is just the first space...there's another nook just past the blue bookcase, and then a winding path that snakes through - literally through - the store and all sorts of cool and eclectic merchandise.


Before I show you more, let me tell you a little about this shopper's paradise.  This is Artifacts - a teeny tiny treasure of a shop in Melrose, NY.  Unless you happen to have a passion for unusual lawn ornaments, you might just consider driving past, that is if you even happen to be on this particular road out in the middle of the country.  And if you were, here's what you'd see....


Artifacts is like opening a present wrapped in a brown paper sac - a present modestly wrapped but inside that present is the coolest gift you've ever received.  And inside that gift is hidden another gift, and another, and another, each one cooler than the one before.  That's how Artifacts is...one cool find around another, around one corner after another.  The only thing cooler than the store itself is the owner, Beth Cunningham, who is definitely the pied piper of collectors.  John and I spent a good 90 minutes exploring, taking photos and chatting with Beth - a woman whose layers run even deeper than the layers of merchandise she's managed to cram into one little building.  Beth graduated college with a degree in art and taught art in elementary school for 12 years and college for 25.  While working on her master's degree, she took a class in stained glass and as she says, the rest is history.  That career began in 1977.  Today Beth sells her stained glass all over the country and making beautiful stained glass is still her number one artistic passion...followed by a plethora of  other hobbies including jewelry making, treasure collecting, and probably any avenue of creative creation you can think of.  Consequently, her shop is filled with an abundance of all of the above - and her 'studio'  (also inside the shop) where she creates whatever her creative mind moves her to create.



A very popular item that Beth creates is jewelry made from old typewriter parts.  These 100 yr. old keys are used in necklaces and bracelets and are sold in the shop and wholesale.  Aren't they beautiful?

   Beth also creates these little wonders....


 Beth's husband, Paul, also shares Beth's passion for the art world.  His passion lies in taking old, discarded items and recrafting them into new, usable pieces.   According to their website, 'Resurrection is a constant theme at Artifacts' and looking around the shop, that theme is evident everywhere, as well as their love for everything vintage.  But....the shop is also filled with a ton of new and intriguing items, things you and I would never consider putting together in one shop, yet when Beth does it....everything just seems to magically feel right.  This is one unique shop.  I kept thinking, 'this is like being on a treasure hunt'.   You can look and look in the same direction for several minutes and keep seeing new things!  Honestly, I could go on all day, but you can go on their website and read all about this wonderful shop - that is out in the middle of nowhere but definitely worth the trip.  But a picture tells a thousand words so here's about a million that will convince you to go to Melrose this weekend for their Open House.





Click on any photo to view in a larger format.  Then click your 'back' button to come back to the blog.







Real old vintage ornaments - not new ones made to look old!



In love with these necklaces made from knives and fork tines, so they chime!




Check out this cool hand-painted pin!  Also comes in an elf and Santa!











Tibbs - the Artifacts Shop Cat

This is just a teeny tiny window into the world Beth & Paul Cunningham have created in their wonderland of Artifacts.  Find time to take a ride to Melrose - Artifacts is just minutes off of Route 40 - and do a little of your holiday shopping for pieces that will be unique and sure to please.  Their Open House runs all weekend.  They are located at 205 Pinewood Road, Melrose, NY.  Tell Beth I sent you!  Beth says the shop is open daily, but call before coming - just in case.  Links to their website and Facebook page are included below.  
Thanks for reading and next time, my feature store is another eclectic treasure....so stick around and come back soon to Life As I See It.

All Things Bright & Beautiful for your Holiday Magic at Faddegon's Nursery

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

If there were ever a title befitting my next installment in this Christmas series, this is it!  From the most elegant baubles to the equally elegant Adirondack themed accessories....Faddegon's Nursery has everything bright and beautiful for your holiday decorating and gift giving.  It is always one of my favorite places to soak up the holiday spirit.....and I confess....I never leave empty handed.  This year was no exception.   There's so much to share, so since we began with elegant, let's start there...
















Gorgeous, right?  But maybe you're more the old world sort, vintage, or traditional.  Not to worry, Faddegon's has everyone's decorating style covered.

You'll find hundreds of Old World Christmas ornaments!!















If you're looking for floral accessories, 


How about a magic wand that turns your Christmas lights on!  



Faddegon's also has a vast array of  holiday greenery - not just your usual poinsettia, amaryllis and Christmas cactus, but all sorts of unique arrangements like these.



New this year is Faddegon's Imagination Station, an area perfect for photo ops and fun with the family.  Filled with a train station, moving elves, tree decorating and more, this guarantees to be a fun stop for the kids.  



Faddegon's is also the destination for unique gifts for everyone on your gift list.  So whether you're looking for some new additions to your own holiday decor, or are looking for the perfect tree, wreath, or sleigh bells......Faddegon's has it.  On December 5th & 19th, Santa will be on hand serving up some fresh hot s'mores right off the fire pit.  Bring your camera and your kids for this unforgettable holiday magic.  If you're the hands-on type, visit Faddegon's on December 5th to make and take your own Kissing Ball.   Check their website for more information and details on these and other upcoming events.  And....if you're looking for just the right gift for that person on your list who has everything, I've got just the perfect gift......how about a bearskin rug?!?!   



He's a beauty, isn't he?  I'm telling you, if you can't find it at Faddegon's, it doesn't exist.  For the most elegant, shiny, sparkly, glittery, gorgeous holiday finery......go to Faddegon's today!  You won't be sorry!  Stick around....I still have a little more holiday magic up my sleeve.  Thanks for reading and come back soon to Life As I See It!


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