The Twelve Days of Christmas, Atlantic Beacon Gallery Sales & Fun

"The Shell Collector"

by Master Impressionist, Marcos Blahove

The Atlantic Beacon Gallery's

Twelve Days of Christmas,continues...
It's time for the next clue,

On the Third Day of Christmas,
My True Love Gave to me....
'Oui', French Impressionists!

and a Percentage off a Gift for thee...

Take 15% OFF
any one,

Impressionistic style Original Painting or Print
by one of our supremely gifted artists
who paint in a similar style to the French impressionists,
such as:
world renowned master impressionist,

Marcos Blahove;

and the very talented - Tricia Burr, Sue Gouse,

or yours truly, Debbie Brady Robinson

Monday, Dec 15th, ONLY!
The 3rd day of Christmas!

Or... be the first to
find the partridge on a ? and
get the item the partridge is on for Free!
(hint:it's still not in a pear tree!)

Sat, the 1st Day of Christmas, winner - won an item valued at $10

: ( Sun, the 2nd Day of Christmas, No Winner- item value $24

Mon, the 3rd Day of Christmas - item value $35
Who'll be the 3rd Day of Christmas Winner?

Watch for specials every day throughout the
Twelve Days of Christmas -
Each Day, the Special gets A Little Brighter!

FREE PARKING THROUGH DECEMBER 30TH!
786-9386
www.atlanticbeacongallery.com

Tybee's Shop and Stroll was a BIG HIT!

Yesterday, locals came out in full support of Tybee's island wide "Shop and Stroll"! Special thanks to eveyone who made the event such a great success! I appreciate our own

Atlantic Beacon Gallery artists; Tricia Smith Burr, Sue Gouse, and Jim Chirbas who created beautiful Art (plein-air style) at the easel while customers watched and enjoyed! The whole event was such a hit that we , at The Atlantic Beacon Gallery & Hall of Frames, have decided to extend the Sale and 20% discount

(on select Art, Gifts, & Shipping) through today, Sunday Dec. 07, 2008!

Thank you to everyone

who shopped and patronized Tybee's businesses!

“Over the bridge to Wally-World?”

by Debbie Brady Robinson (first pubished in the "Tybee Breeze", Dec. 2008)

It’s that time again, the holidays roll around every year regardless of the economy. Most of us turn our thoughts to gifts for family and friends. This year, perhaps more than most, times are pretty lean. The stock market is down, and the cost of living is up, credit has tightened; what’s the answer. Many will make that well traveled path, over the bridge to… Wally-World! Yes, indeed, Wal-Mart, where our money ends up worlds away from our local economy! This year, why don’t we all make a concentrated effort to support our local businesses; let’s shop with our friends and neighbors, and keep our money at home!

How lucky are we to live in this tiny little island paradise; and yet be so totally self-sufficient! Tybee has nearly every convenience; our own grocery store, three gas station/convenience stores, thirty or so restaurants/places to eat and drink, four churches, our own school, a post office, a Bank, real estate & professional offices, a pharmacy, Doctor, Dentist, two liquor stores (Oops, I should have listed liquor store before Dentist; it’s a prerequisite isn’t it?) Just kidding Dr. Owen! We’ve got a baker, a barber, and a candle stick maker – if you’re wondering where, you haven’t shopped Tybee enough! There are Art Galleries, retail stores and gift shops, a custom frame shop, new Shipping and Packing Center, and so much more! Truth be told, there is actually very little on Tybee that we don’t have! And, if we want it to stay that way, we better all invest our dollars locally!

My husband, Mark, and I have made a personal commitment to try and support the local economy by patronizing our local businesses. When I shop for groceries, for instance, if Tybee Market doesn’t have it, we probably don’t need it! Every Tuesday we attempt to slip in a little “date day” time. It used to be dinner and a movie across the bridge, but rarely now do we dine off the island. When we do, we try to dine in establishments owned by our friends and neighbors!

Mark and I are definitely planning to “spread the wealth” on Tybee this holiday season; including every restaurant on the island, but to do that, we need your help. A challenge to all my friends in the restaurant business; you shop with me, and I’ll eat with you – and I’ve been doing a fair amount of “that”, lately! Purchase a new building just prior to a real estate bust, operate a retail business in a struggling economy, and suffer through menopause – and you’ll find yourself a very well-rounded person… just like the ‘Pillsbury Doughboy’! :)

Shop & Stroll on Tybee Time!

It's Shop & Stroll this weekend!

Get ready for a great weekend on Tybee Island. Come on Out and get down~ get down to some serious Christmas Shopping... or, even for refreshements in between all that shopping. You know you're gonna work up and appetite! Need that special gift, here's your chance... Island style! Meet your favorite artist; pick up some great artwork, a painting or two, photography - Tybee's sunsets are breathtaking! Sea sculpture, and gifts of all kinds ~ right on Tybee Island. It's Shotp & Stroll ya'll, from one end of our tiny little island to the other! Pick up a piece of Art, or several prints, and select the perfect compliment in custom framing while your at it! Have it gift wrapped and shipped with a little note from Santa! From North to South, and East to West, our little 2 3/4 mile long, and 3/4 mile wide island paradise is going to be Santa's best helper this holiday season!

Ya'll come on out and join the fun~ 'cause nobody knows "Fun" like Tybee!



Shop & Stroll Official Announcement:

Shop & Stroll , and Campfire Roast Sat. Dec. 6th - 11am - 8pm
Grab our map and join Island businesses for refreshments, discounts, and free gifts!
Shop and Stroll to at least 5 locations to win fabulous prizes!

1. Each shopper will receive a Tybee Tally card upon visiting any participating merchant. Look for the signs!
2. Find the “coconut clue” in each location while enjoying free treats, gifts, and discounts. Have your tally stamped.
3. Enter your tally for prize drawings at Seaside Sisters. The more shops visited, the bigger the prize!
Drawings at 6pm

Enjoy roasting weenies, s’mores, and hot toddies around Doyle Landscaping’s cozy campfire starting at 4pm. Pick up a fresh cut tree while you’re there!

Music and twinkly lights will be everywhere
Deck the halls, y’all - Free Parking the month of December!

Pick up a map and Tybee Tally card at these Shop 'n Stroll participating businesses:

Atlantic Beacon Gallery
Beachside Realty
Benny's Tavern
The Gift Shack at the Crab Shack
Desoto Beach Bed and Breakfast & Desoto Beach Hotel
Doc's Bar
Dragonfly Studios
Doyle Landscaping
Fish Art
Gallery by the Sea
Hall of Frames Custom Framing & Shipping Center
High Tide Surf Shop
Irene Sullivan Gallery
Island Pottery
Latitude 32
MacElwee's Seafood House
Mogo Scooters
Ocean Plaza
Seaside Sisters
Sandy's by the Shore
Sting Ray's Seafood
Treasure Trove
Tybee Island Marine Science Center
Tybee Vacation Rentals
Wallybug!

We all Hope to See You There!

Watch us on the Savory Coast

We had a wonderful Holiday Open House, at our third Annual Holiday Extravaganza!
Thank you to all of those who came out to share in the fun . We had a full house; so many great friends came out in support! Don't worry, if you missed the show, you can see it on the "Savory Coast", and find out just what all the 'Buzz" is about! We have lots of goodies created by our 100 supremely talented artists; and many special sale gift items, too!

Watch us on the "Savory Coast", or view it now on your computer - just click on this link:www.synergyadpro.com/MOVIEREVIEW/ATLBEACGALL.mov

"The Savory Coast", seen on WSAV the local NBC affilitate, was on location filming! Special thanks to Bonnie Nesbitt, and Joan Schaaf. They were interviewed, on the spot with zero prior notice, by the Savory Coast. I can't express how appreciative I am for their wonderful comments! I must also thank Ritajane Eilchelzer, my right-hand extrodinaire - they took her by surprise, too! Kathy Strong, was hard at work in the frame shop when they snuck in the camera on her - I'm not even sure that Kathy knew she was on candid camera! Custom Framer, my husband, Mark Robinson was missing in action from the filming. I know he was hiding, he didn't want to appear on TV. I don't know why, he is a handsome devil, that man of mine! Thanks too, to the rest of our great staff who helped to make the evening such a great success; Valerie Beudreau, Charles Burel, Linda Cox, Denise Crais, & Chelsea Elliott!

And, of course, there would have been no event at all without our wonderful Artists!

To name just a few: Fred & Melinda Urvant - Fred with his great photographs (hopefully, Melinda will have some work ready for our March show!); Kathy Strong who is a great all around artist - (can't wait to see some of that new sculpture, Kathy!); Joey Aldredge Burel - Wow, Joey has been blowing us away for quite some time with her painted pottery, but you are not going to believe how fabulous her paintings are! Tad Tyhi, in addition to his beautiful oil paintings, out did himself with his fabulous new plen-air water color paintings of three houses on the beach. Come and see if your house is in the painting! Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out for the show! Marcos Blahove's stunning new Beach scene in oil (with the dog on the beach), delighted all! And his nude, is too exquisite to describe! Chelsea Elliott's painted wine glasses, and ornaments were perfect for the evenings event; and wait until you see her "Crab Dip" painting that was chosen for the winter cover of "Where to Eat at the Beach"! Way to go Chelsea!!

I sure hope that I haven't forgotten anyone that made it out to the show. There are just so many great pieces of Art, created by so many more of our talented artists - there are just too many to describe! Come on out and see for yourself!

ATLANTIC BEACON GALLERY - VOTED #1

The Atlantic Beacon Gallery,

Voted Best Art Gallery - 2008 BREEZY AWARDS!!

THANK YOU!!

"Staging", a new term for Artistic Flair!

(as published in the Tybee Breeze, Nov 2008 issue)

“The Big Bang Theory!

By Debbie Brady Robinson

We’re all tightening our belts, poised for the saving graces promised by the next administration! Americans have either been to the polls, or will do so very shortly, depending on today’s date. Collectively trembling at the knees a wee bit more than we would prefer to admit, the majority of the American people are in a wait and see mode. What, pray tell, is the next four years going to bring us?

History repeats itself in many ways. Bank failures, Wall Street woes, and unstable global markets force introspection. Spawned by every down turn, vast changes are reflected in society. The resiliency of the American people becomes apparent; free enterprise spurs creativity. New industries blossom- alternative fuel sources, hybrid cars, and going green, to name a few. Properties stand vacant with For Sale signs speckling every neighborhood! Houses aren’t selling, and everyone needs an EDGE! It’s odd how things evolve; whole new industries spring up. The old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” was never more of a truism than today!

A few years ago, well before the current serious economic turn of events, yours truly (artist/writer) began performing quasi decorating/artistic arrangement services for local clients. This service involves going into a “For Sale” property, assessing what might be coined “Awe Appeal" (combination of curb appeal and interior pizzazz!), and formulating a ‘color palette’ makeover plan to give the client the most bang for his buck! This modern day ‘Big Bang Theory’ is typically achieved by #1, the effective utilization of the client’s existing furnishings (old stuff!); and #2, the addition of a minimum number of additional accents (new stuff!). Solely in an effort to set the stage for that all important WOW Factor!

Little did I realize that my career was already beginning to evolve as a natural sign of the times. Yours truly had unknowingly become engaged in the business of ‘Home Staging’! Until very recently, the term ‘Staging’ might have been mistaken for a term used only in the Theater. The Wikipedia defines ‘Home Staging’, as “the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace... Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming it into a welcoming, appealing, and attractive product for sale”. The process of which, used to be achieved by ‘Artistic flair’, absent the title of interior decorator or designer!

Realizing that I had already been engaged in the profession of "Staging" for quite some time, I decided that I might as well go ahead and become certified – now that I was aware that there was indeed such a term! Ah, credentials… "Staging", one more line item on the old resume’! Artist, Artistic Flair, an eye for design… you’ve probably either got it, or you don’t! For instance, do not, under any circumstance, ask me to be a nurse – I faint at the mere mention of blood! Color, in any other form, now that’s a horse of a different … o.k., pardon the pun! So, if a certificate gives a little more comfort and confidence to a client, then so be it, “Certified Stager’ it is!

The wonderful thing about ‘Artistic Flair’, oops – I mean, “Staging” (regardless of the term) is that it’s great fun; and one gets to use all of the eggs in her artistic basket! My staff will be the first to attest that I, for one, constantly say; “if all I had to do was paint, be out front serving customers, and do displays (merchandising), I would be thrilled!” Staging allows me to incorporate all of the aspects of my job that I most enjoy; and it’s usually quite fast - I’m generally in and out within a matter of days!

Recently, I swapped out furnishings between all the rooms in a house, changed the color of a few existing accent pieces, through up a quick mural on an existing wall for a splash of color, painted a couple of pieces of old furniture, and tied everything together within three days! The total client out of pocket expense for the “new” objects purchased (fee withstanding of course) was less than $100! Now, don’t forget to read the fine print.. Not all cases are the same, prices may vary, can’t guarantee identical results… just kidding - the whole process of ‘Staging’ is really pretty painless! Viva La Artistic Flair!