Elizabeth Fraser, Organizer of the Art Sale, With One of Her Pet Paintings Today.  On the left is “Zoe” and Calvin on the right who passed away several years ago.

A Wine Bag from Studio of Alice Kate by Design – Just one of Her Line of Soft Furnishings Made From Imported British Linen With a Nautical Theme.

Elegant Lamp Shades Made by Alice Kate by Design on Display Today.  She Makes the Lamp Shades of British Linen.

Novel Lobster Claw Bottle Openers Made by Kai Evenson, at Merrymeeting Clay, Bath. Merrymeetingclay.com

If you shopped at the Annual Art on the Hill Holiday Sale this weekend, the chances are that you have no more shopping to do – that’s because there is really something for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Elizabeth Fraser, the organizer of the event  for www.SEAportland.org, said the holiday sale is 13 or 14 years old – she can’t remember which, but it has become a tradition for people from all over the area to attend.

She is well known for her Pet Portraits which are treasured by pet owners everywhere. A Pet Portrait makes holiday and birthdays special!  For more go to:  www.fraserartstudio.com/petportraits.

That’s not all that Ms. Frazier is known for, however.  She lives in the Congress Street house on Munjoy Hill with the distinction of being the oldest on the Hill.  It was built in 1829 and a shipbuilder named Henry Homer lived there she said this afternoon.

Sales were brisk this afternoon for  the novel lobster claw bottle openers because of their appeal for beer drinkers.  Kai Evenson, said he got the idea several years ago.  He and his wife, artist Jacqueline Brown, who teaches visual arts at Bowdoin College, created the mold.  Evenson said they are high fired stoneware and take about two weeks to produce.

This season he has already attended a dozen similar art shows on the east coast.  He has succeeded in placing lobster claw bottle openers in Archipelago, (Rockland),Lisa-Marie’s as well as similar venues in New Jersey.  Kai majored in compute science and anthropology at Hamilton College where the couple met.  They live in Bath.

Another innovative new vendor  who deserves recognition is Alice Kate.  She makes lamp shades of 100% British linen.  Alice imports the material from the UK where she works with three designers.  She visits the UK a few times a year to order material for her lamp shades and also visits her family and home at the same time. Kate looks for patterns that resonate with Mainers because they feature nautical themes. .

Alice is from Scotland.  So, she values her trips back to the UK on business as well as to visit her family members there.  Before she came to this country, she worked as a private chef.  She traveled all over Europe serving her clients whose names she can’t divulge. She is a graduate of Leiths School of Food and Wine.  In Arizona, she was director of sales for a major hotel group – IHG.  Alice lives with her husband and two daughters in the area.

This blogger found the lamp with red lobsters crawling all over the linen shade so irresistable, she purchased one for $75.00.   (See above left photo).

Please visit www.alicekatebydesign.com  or at 207 747-7915, Falmouth..