DLR Photography-Photography by Dani lynn Redgrift-Berthelot

Had a couple of visitors this morning.. :-)

Happy Friday... Tried my hand at "ice bubbles" this morning... unfortunately it just wasn't cold enough and a tad windy but still had fun... despite several mouthful of soapy water... my technique left a lot to be desired.. Learning experience... right?

Did you know... At Gateway To the Arts we love Easter? Rumour has it the Easter Bunny may be making a special ‘in person’ appearance at the Co-op closer to t...he big day, but until then we are helping the bunny out! We are crafting some cool and fun kids baskets featuring Easter goodies and art projects, some more grown up baskets for mom and dad, and some curated Easter art baskets for gift giving! We’d also love for a few sponsors to come on board and sponsor some seniors activity baskets that we will curate and deliver to either local care homes or seniors residences to help curb the boredom Covid is bringing... (a 40$ donation will ensure 3 baskets get delivered to some deserving seniors). Keep your eyes posted for all of our custom pricing and baskets but I can tell you our basic kids Easter and Art baskets can be pre-ordered for 20$ each. And our seniors basket sponsorships begin today please message for details and we will send you a photo once the baskets you sponsor are ready to go. Our artists are getting busy on Easter and spring art but here is a sneak peek at some of our craft and candy fillings!

Happy Family Day! Happy Monday! The birds have been a tad scarce these days... too cold maybe? Washing dishes this morning I saw a couple of chick a dees at the bird house so I quickly added some sunflower seeds... I attracted a Nuthatch as well. (Don't get too many of those! ) No jays lately ... :-(

Happy Wednesday... half way through the week! 9 days till Christmas day! The count down is on at Gateway to the Arts! On Friday our Christmas Tree Auction will go live at 9AM Friday December 18th and it will close at 5PM Saturday December 19th. The funds raised will go towards helping a few local families struggling with serious illness this holiday season. So far the tree includes: A fresh Blue Spruce Tree from Walker's Tree Farm A 10-week session at North Bay Gymtrix (...195.00 value) Four gift certificates from Lou Dawgs valued at 100.00 A gift certificate and baking platter from Oak East Eatery A package of kids outer wear, stuffed toy and back pack from Jr. World A photographic print on metal from DLR Photography (200.00 value) Print by artist Melinda Shank (300.00 value) Mandala Painting by artist Karrie Emms (100.00 value) Crochet gifts by Shelby Watson (50.00 value) Gift from Acclaim Sound and Lighting (TBA) Dragonfly Welded Piece From Artist Mike Gardiner (25.00 value) Christmas Tree Art by Moe McGuinty (40.00 value) Chainmaille Jewellery set by Dreamweaver Jewellery (50.00 value) We are constantly adding to the tree and will continue to do so until the auction goes live if you would like to donate or your business would we would love to include you! I am so pleased to donate to this AWESOME cause! My print is from Lake Superior. It is 16 x 20 on metal. See more

Work in progress!

It has been such a struggle not to be able to take pictures... I love being able to sit in my sun room and enjoy my morning visitors of jays and chickadees... Yesterday my wonderful husband set up a chair... the heater and my camera on my tripod and opened the patio doors for me.. and voila... I even had a new visitor, a nuthatch. That is a first to the deck. :-) Didn't last long but I did enjoy the fresh air and sunshine!

At Gateway To the Arts we want to truly support community and embody the true idea of neighbour in northern Ontario. We are running a Christmas Fundraiser, our... goal is to raise 1500.00 through the sale of ornaments by our talented artists, facemasks by Pauline Brown, Donations from local businesses and the auction of a loaded down fresh Christmas tree with prizes and gifts to and from local merchants. You might be wondering what we are going to do with the money... I’m glad you asked! We will be working hard to provide Christmas to one, two and maybe even three local families who are battling with serious physical illness during what will be an already rough season given Covid. Some things to consider... people with serious illness fall into the 1% of the population who are extremely compromised. That said going to the store, going to cut down a tree or even going window shopping can put them at such a serious risk that doing even the groceries for the holidays will be a challenge. So we want to use these funds to give Christmas to a few of these people. But we need your (their friends, families and caregivers) to help us. If you know a family going through a serious illness this season please let us know their story and how to contact you by december 18th so we can choose a few families to help. To nominate a family for the Gateway To the Arts Co-operative Christmas Fundraiser please send a brief write up about them and their situation to [email protected]. Confidentiality of our families will be at the uttmost priority (we will not release any recipient information without their express permission)