Owner Li Zhang also owns the A&C Supermarket on South Wilmington Street in Raleigh, but this new store will be much bigger at just under 50,000 square feet. This 34-year-old businessman was born in China and immigrated to Winston-Salem as a teenager so he knows how to combine the best of east and west!

Besides offering one of the finest selections of produce and seafood in our area, Li Ming’s Global Mart will stock products for Asian, Hispanic, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. The international food court and coffee shop sound tantalizing with choices of sushi, Chinese dishes and baked goods.

Now remember you heard it from me first: Durham is on its way to becoming a first class international city! It’s one more reason why you’ll love being at home here.

Picture courtesy of Flickr and FUNKYAH.

Artists new to the tour this year include hand-tooled wood furniture creator Elia Bizarri, acrylic painter Cassini and jeweler Billy Mason. Also new are Kim Werfel who specializes in pastel portraits of animals, pets and people and Carol Kroll Tinsky whose works include sculptures and pendants.

Chatham Studio Tour dates & times:
1st weekend – Saturday, December 4 & Sunday, December 5, 10am-5pm
2nd weekend – Saturday, December 11 & Sunday, December 12, 10am-5pm

For more information on the 18th Annual Chatham Studio Tour, click here.

Come join in a holiday tradition!

Start your tour at the Durham Arts Council, located at 120 Morris Street. Look for businesses with the large red dot in the windows – they display everything from the watercolors of Freeman Beard to the stained glass boxes of Jodi Bock. Or you may be intrigued by the jewelry created from the findings of ancient tombs, shipwrecks and heirloom collections crafted by Desiree Delong.

Hear the Rhythm and Blues strains of Tyrand, the Latin beat of Luego and the jazz of Lady Jaisun. As you meander around each corner, a new adventure awaits.

Admission is free. Everything is within walking distance, but a free shuttle service is available. Detailed maps of all Durham Art Walk sites including information on artists, sites, special activities and performances will be available at many Art Walk locations and in the Herald-Sun newspaper on the Saturday before the event.

When: Saturday, November 20 – 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday, November 21 – 1-5 pm
Where: 120 Morris Street Directions
Download Art Walk Map Here

Walking is good exercise. Walking and being inspired is even better. Happy inspired walking!

Take time to appreciate the fanciful furniture of Keith Allen or the lovely representational paintings of Ginny Chenet. Cathy Kiffney has an incredible array of colorful clay and concrete sculptures. She may also be commissioned to create a custom tile work for your home.

Don’t miss Riley Foster’s whimsical recycled metal sculptures created from dilapidated farm equipment, worn out auto parts and discarded metal tools. Using materials that would’ve otherwise found their way to landfills, Foster creates certain pieces with springs that move when touched or unique pieces that move with the wind.

For a complete listing of artists involved in the 2010 Orange County Open Studio Tour and maps to guide your adventure, click here.

So get out your walking shoes! The walk concludes this weekend, on November 13 from 10-5 and November 14 from 12-5.

Don’t forget to look for the “best in show” of exhibitors – who are both local and national. See the latest in trendy, exceptional gifts, personalized products, art and sculpture, jewelry, handbags, gourmet food, party supplies and even frou-frou frills for your pets. Plan a “Girls Day Out” and meet your friends at the Frill Seekers Cafe. Truly a “Frill a Minute”, as their tagline says.

Another great feature of Frill Seekers Bazaar is their Pay it Forward Fun’d Raising Campaign that supports the Autism Society of NC during this holiday season. It’s a great cause – and you’re going to find great shopping too.

Nov. 4, 2010, Thursday Opening Night Benefit 5 PM – 9 PM will support the Autism Society of NC
3 Day Holiday Market Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Nov. 5 – 7, 2010
Friday & Saturday 10 AM – 7 PM & Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM

Happy shopping!

The evening of October 8th is the next one scheduled, and the artists featured have incredible, creative, must-see pieces. From 6-9 pm, meet Chrstal Hardt an artist from Roxboro, NC whose new acrylic paintings are being featured at North Carolina Gallery. Don’t miss Durham artist Madelyn Smaeok’s mixed metal jewelry and wall icons inspired by cicadas also at the NC Gallery.

If fashion’s your thing, you’ll want to pass by Uniquities where Ella Moss’s Splendid Trunk Show will take center stage. Footwear aficionado? At Roulette Vintage, Jewelry artisan Kitty Siegel will show her extensive collection of Vintage Cowboy Boots from the 40′s, 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and 80′s for both men and women. Boots will be available for purchase that evening.

Find out how arts in our own community can benefit arts (and education) in another one. Kyla and Renata McConnell initiated The Peru Project which promotes literacy, education and the arts in Peru’s rural Andes mountains. A silent auction featuring many artists from the community will be held at the Fleet Feet Gallery to benefit this project.

I’ve only given you a sampling of what’s available on October 8th! For an extensive list of each artist and participating business, click here. To find your way to the various galleries, click on 2ndFriday Artwalk map.

See you there!

A couple of weeks ago her kids decided to celebrate their mom’s birthday and their parents’ anniversary and make home-made ice cream — but wow! What homemade ice cream! Peanut butter! Chocolate! Mango! We’re making ourselves hungry, and we know there’s not ice cream like that available for miles – not since the “Inside Scoop” closed in Chapel Hill! A special cake had been ordered, and Vivian knew just where to get the perfect chocolate cake…..and more importantly, what to write on top. After much thought and gathering of advice from various friends and relatives, she chose “To my better half” to celebrate her marriage, her husband, and the fact that she’s been married half her life. We’re not giving away numbers here because we want to have a job next week – although honestly, if you ask Vivian, she’ll tell you. Or you can look at the picture and guess.

So – here’s to Crazy Viv – with all the fun, all the spontaneity, and all that outside the box zest you bring to our lives and the lives of others. Happy birthday, Vivian, and Happy Anniversary Vivian and Sim! May you have many, many more.

From your very sneaky help – K and S

Chapel Hill and Carrboro have once again demonstrated a great spirit of giving, and I thank all of you who were a part of it.

It was a lot of fun helping in our group from Keller Williams Chapel Hill, too! The Thursday before Red Day about then of us helped to prepare Table’s front yard for a beautification project. Thank goodness there were strong men there with shovels, because the earth was very hard and it took a lot of work to dig out old plants and weeds. We added topsoil, getting ready for planting on Friday. And – make sure you go by and see – it’s gorgeous!

On Friday, I skipped the planting, because I went around my neighborhood with biodegradable Red Day bags. I visited 91 houses, knocked on doors and dropped off bags to collect from my neighbors. I’m actually a permanent collection point for my area, because Table doesn’t run out of its need for food. If you would like to continue to contribute, or if you haven’t had a chance to take anything by, it’s not too late! Take your food to Keller Williams, 1516 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, or to TABLE, 205 West Weaver Street, Carrboro.

Thank you again!

The following foods are being collected:
Canned tuna and chicken | Peanut Butter and Jelly Jars
Canned Carrots, Corn, and Green Beans & Fruit Cups | Crackers (Regular, Graham, Animal, Cheese)
Non-Refrigerated Chocolate Milk Boxes (available at Sam’s and Costco) / Juice Boxes

Drop your food off on or before May 13th at
Keller Williams, 1516 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
or at TABLE, 205 West Weaver Street, Carrboro

You know that food is near and dear to my heart. And it’s distressing to me to know that children in my own neighborhood are going without food. Please join me in this effort!

Thanks for your help!

Vivian AKA Crazy Viv

PS Please provide regular sized canned items that are not yet expired. No glass please.
Items can’t be too heavy for the children to carry in their TABLE backpack. Tax deductible monetary donations and your loose change are also gladly accepted. TABLE, Inc. EIN: 26-1471735. Join us for TABLE’S OPEN HOUSE on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at their office at 205 W. Weaver Street in Carrboro. Learn more about TABLE and what they do at www.TABLENC.org. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me for more information about this food drive. Thanks so much for your participation!

Earth Day isn’t until Thursday, but UNC has lots of stuff going on to celebrate this whole week. Here’s a glimpse of the fun things happening today:

One of the most exciting to me is the Used Items Swap. Sponsored by Epsilon Eta, the environmental honors fraternity at UNC, the swap is a place that you can bring something you don’t want, and swap it for something you do. One man’s trash can become your treasure – theoretically, at least! Head over to Polk Place from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the swap.

Also at Polk Place, farmers from the Carrboro farmer’s market will be selling their wares on the quad. Fruits, vegetables, baked goods – all locally grown or prepared – will be for sale. Plus you’ll get to meet some people who really do know the Earth!

The Rams Head Dining Hall will be dimming the lights for lunch – and handing out free glow sticks so you can see what you’re eating. Dinner with the students is $9.35, or free if you are a student and not a real estate agent like me!

So head over to the campus and find out all the other fun things you can do to celebrate the Earth!

Happy April!

Crazy Viv