The entrance to The Old Mill before the bridge project.

“Is he ever gonna open that Mill?"

This is the question that I have been asked almost daily since The Copper Frog opened in October of last year. Sometimes I feel like putting up a billboard with the answers or at least a F.A.Q. section on my website.

I understand the frustration completely. However, my frustration may take on a different angle having the knowledge of just how much has been going on within the Mill to try to get a CO for the past 14 months when the county gave the Mill owners the key back.

I have heard the constant work going on inside the Mill, since I opened six and a half months ago. I have seen the inspectors come and go, then the re-inspections, the brick-layers who made the Mill ADA accessible, the sheet rockers who built the fire-safe walls, and of course the landlord working tirelessly to bring the Old Mill back to life once again.

So many people, like myself, want the Old Mill to come back to our town. It has stood for hundreds of years, a central historical landmark that has become much more than just a building. It has carved a firm place and woven itself into the memories of generations of locals who call this place home as well as the many people who simply love to come visit it.

So, what is the hold up then? We have a top-of-the-line award-winning restaurant, Coltello’s, waiting in the sidelines, to open up where The Black Forest used to be (coltellorestaurant.com). Not to mention, open up a charming cafe on the lower level of the Mill that would filter out onto the terrace for Al Fresco dining. We also have a wonderfully creative vintage shop, Green Lace Lion, waiting to call the second floor home (greenlacelion.com). Both of these companies are ready to go and have just been waiting for the green light.

I know I am a dreamer, and I am not very well versed in politics, but I just always assumed that everyone who lived in this town, especially the people who run it, would want what is best for the town. It’s not hard to see how the Mill’s closing 4 years ago has negatively affected the town’s economy and presence. If you drive through the town now, with new eyes, as if you have never seen it before, it is simply a shadow of the thriving creative community that once brought so many people to move here to raise their families, or to visit to stroll the quaint sidewalks for the day.

So we wait. I hear of things that don’t pass inspection. The owner fixes them. I hear we are just waiting to hear back from the borough. Weeks go by. Still waiting to hear back from the borough. There are problems they say, but they don’t know what they are. We need to wait to find out. We can’t fix them until we find out. They say they are not trying to delay things. But we need to wait. The town engineer won’t call back. Apparently he is on billable hours and won’t get paid overtime, so we should not expect him to call back.

Now I find out today, that the Borough has called back. They have decided that the Mill owners need to start from square one again with the entire approval process. This includes putting a new $3000 into escrow to cover the expenses of the whole process for the borough and notifying everyone who lives within 200 feet of the Mill of their intentions. Apparently, the handicapped ramp and the patio that attaches it to the Mill entrance were not on the original site plan. The ramp was built in lieu of the stairs that once stood, but were washed away by Hurricane Irene. The owner made the mistake to take it upon himself to think making the Mill ADA accessible might be a good thing. The required width of a handicapped ramp is slightly larger than the stairs that once stood, and of course the patio that allows for wheelchair access into the Mill entrance takes up more space as well. Months ago, when the borough said this was a problem because it was not on the site plan, the owners did go through the expense of having a new site plan with the ramp and patio drawn up. Now the borough is concerned about the parking issues that this new ramp and patio will cause. Cars can still park in front, however, the traffic going behind the Mill has only the width of one lane to travel. According to the Borough, this is a concern.

At this point, I really don’t understand what our local government is going to accomplish from starting at square one again. Are they really going to make the owners remove the ramp and patio and make the building not ADA accessible? If not, it seems completely redundant to start at the beginning. It is simply hurting the town, and denying the businesses waiting to come in. Not to mention the businesses may not wait. I just can’t figure out why they would not do everything in their power to have this Mill open as soon as possible for the betterment of the town. There doesn’t seem to be any logic in it, so it makes me start to wonder if there are other more personal motives involved.

Until I became a local business owner, I had no idea of how difficult it was to get something done in this town. There is a lot of red tape you have to go through to get approvals and it just doesn’t seem that the town does anything to facilitate things. There seems to be this whole inner workings segment of our town government that no one really knows anything about. It is a sad realization to come to as a small business owner when you are investing in a dream. Case in point, did anyone have any idea what’s going on with the opening of the Mill before this letter?

The way I see it, there are two paths that this town can choose to travel down for our future. Either everyone can work together for the betterment of the town, local businesses will start to come back in and this town will hopefully once again be the charming quaint village it once was, or the remaining few of the struggling existing businesses will finally close their doors, no new businesses will come in, the Mill will remain closed and our little town will become a rundown empty town.

I wrote this letter because I feel that our townspeople should be aware of what is happening and because I believe that there are many people who live here that want what is best for the town. The next town council meeting is next Tuesday May 21st at 7pm in the Borough Hall. I urge our community to take an interest, ask questions, and work together so we can get the Old Mill open again! Thank you for your time.

Ericka O’Rourke

First Annual Summer Solstice Soirée!

Old Mill Solstice 2013 © Ericka O’Rourke
Limited Edition prints available.

The Copper  Frog's
First Annual
Summer Solstice Soirée
Sat June 29th 2013
5pm — 9pm

Join us at The Old Mill in celebration of the season . . .
Live music by Philadelphia Singer / Songwriter Jeanette Lynne
Check out her debut album “You’ve Got Me” at
http://jeanette-lynne.bandcamp.com/
New summer-inspired art, pottery, gifts, and art jewelry by local artists, complimentary refreshments, door prizes & more!

“Summer . . . the warmth of the sun and the long, hot days continually remind us of how good it is to find a balance between intense activity and lazy, idle hours doing nothing.” — Cait Johnson

The Copper Frog Gallery features fine art & photography, handmade jewelry, ceramic art & pottery, stained glass, metalwork, unique gifts and more . . . all handmade with a focus on local and regional artists.

ACEOs!

Art(ist) Cards Editions & Originals

An offshoot of Artist Trading Cards are the “Art(ist) Cards, Editions, and Originals” (ACEO). ACEOs originated when some artists began to create cards to sell, in addition to trading among themselves.

Artists from all over the world are creating, and now selling these little gems in different mediums and of different subjects. Watercolor, Oil, Acrylic, Colored Pencil, Pastels, Pyrography, Pen and Ink, Sketching, Collage – the sky is the limit. Abstract, Surrealism, Outsider Art, Impressionism, Expressionism -every style you can think of – and then some!  Every interest and subject is covered! Extremely collectable Pocket Art, you can’t stop at just one!

The only standard requirement for an ACEO is that its height and width measurements be 2.5” x 3.5” (64×89 mm), either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) orientation. The sky is the limit for every other aspect of the art.  The size, 2.5” x 3.5”, is exactly one-quarter of 5” x 7” (127×178 mm) – a common size for photography and illustration. This means artists focusing on 5” x 7” artwork can easily scale-down their works to exactly 1/4 size (using photo-manipulation software) to create ACEOs. Else the basis of printed ACEO can later be modified with other methods – such painting or inking-over the base image.

There is no standard thickness for ACEO but people customarily make them thin enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.  While some people are sticklers for archival qualities, art does not necessarily have to be “forever” so many people use whatever materials fit their artistic needs, irrespective of those materials’ longevity. Cards are also sold either as originals or editions. Edition cards are either limited or open ended and run and are commonly priced around $5 while originals are often priced around $20 but can be priced as high as the artist sees fit.

A number of the artists at The Copper Frog will begin selling both ACEO editions and originals at the gallery . . .  many in the $5 collectable range as well as originals.  They make very  nice framed accent pieces of art as well. Mats and frames sized specifically for them are available.  Expect to see art cards by Ericka O'Rourke, Elise Hollandsworth Hartmann (aka The Dark Faerie), Andrée Lisette Herz, and more.

We look forward to hosting a ACEO show and swap later on in the year . . . open to all artists who wish to participate . . . . stay posted for more details!

David Leight Jewelry at The Copper Frog

David’s art career officially began after his formal training from the Pilchuck glass school, founded by Dale Chihuly, for the first time in 1999.  There he studied the art of shaping and polishing under Mark Taylor.  From this experience and work in the class David developed a unique style of cutting crystal based on his observations of crystal and ice and strived to exemplify their characteristics and enhance light in his creations. While attending college he began showing his work in local galleries and evolving his style. In 2004 after graduation, David attended Pilchuck again and continued to improve his sculpture techniques.  His style became more detailed and precise.  Then in 2004, David got his break.  He was commissioned to construct a five-foot sculpture of the Google logo out of his crystalline style for the office’s co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.  This enabled him to move to San Diego and open up a studio.

Now in San Diego, David started to focus on smaller sculptures, candleholders, paperweights etc. At a farmers market in May 2005, a young lady asked David to transform one of the custom paperweights into a pendant, and that was it, when she put it on, piece just looked “Wow”.  David found his calling.

Now in his 8th year David creates his internationally recognized and award winning LeightWorks Crystal Jewelry™ line.

Using his original techniques, each piece of fine optic glass and natural quartz crystal is hand cut and cold-fused with titanium inside to produce the prismatic glow of color from within then finished with handcrafted sterling silver and/or gold designs around.

As a result each piece of jewelry is unique, glows on your skin, changes color depending on the movement or light and even adapts to your outfit.

These one of a kind pendants, earrings, and bracelets are purely designed to enhance your light and color, bring original style, and have a simple elegant and fantastic attention grabbing quality to all who wear them.

From one Old Mill across the Atlantic to ours!

Hand-made pewter frog pins and pendants have traveled over from metalsmith Marek Woznica, who interestingly enough works as an engineer and caretaker at an Old Mill specifically Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire UK to support his personal metal artisan studio!

 
Vance Organic Mixer Non- GMO Soy Candles are now in!
These make you dream of summer beaches & tropical vacations! Organic flavor oils and pure essential oils combine to create mouth watering candles that smell just like the drink name implies. The recipe for the drink is on the inside of the label! 8 oz. Burns 30-45 hrs. depending upon elevation and humidity levels5 Flavors - Pina Colada, Tom Collins, Ben's Mojito, Black Raspberry Vanilla Shaker, Strawberry Banana Daquiri.

And Lastly . . . More Stars!
We have lots of new colors and WHITE! In the shop now!

Creative Living | A Paper Bag Floor?

by Ericka O'Rourke

When we first started getting the Mill Annex ready for The Copper Frog, we had quite a bit of work to transform the space which had been beaten up pretty badly by being used as a construction office for the bridge reconstruction project. We decided to tear up the mud caked commercial carpet and start from scratch. I had a specific look in my mind that I really wanted to create to go with my natural and organic vision for the gallery.

Paper bag floor in The Copper Frog

A handcrafted paper-bag floor fit the bill perfectly!  I would be able to go right over the existing sub-floor and it would work wonderfully with any irregularities in the floor. It would be durable, hide dirt, be easily cleaned, and most of all, would give me the look I wanted.

While somewhat labor intensive, putting down the paper bag floor was a relatively simple and inexpensive process. The most expensive part was the polyurethane needed to seal it.  The amount you needs depends on your square footage. I used at least 7 gallons for the gallery floor which is roughly 48 ft by 19 ft.

Here's what you'll need
- paper bags or rolls of kraft brown bag paper (enough to cover your area with plenty of overlapping)
- gallon or more of white glue
- 5 gallon bucket for making glue mixture (50glue/50water)
- Water-based polyurethane.
- Optional * roller on pole, paint roller grate and 5 gallon bucket to hold poly while rolling. Applying the poly using these materials really saved a ton of time.
- Optional* grit additive for final layer of poly if texture is preferred. I found the floor to be ultra slippery and so this step was a necessity for the gallery. I picked up 1 bag of this additive that you mix directly into a gallon of poly at the hardware store for $5.
- Optional - water-based wood stain and rags to add a nice final aging and bring out the textures.

To start, you'll want to tear brown paper bags or rolls of brown paper. Keep the pieces with the straight edges on them for the perimeter of the room. Crumple the ripped paper into a ball for texture and dip the pieces of brown paper in a 50/50 mixture of white glue and water . . . I used the large gallons of Elmer's and mixed a huge batch in a 5 gallon bucket so I could easily dip my crumpled up paper and wring it out right in the bucket. This part was very messy and fun! Spread the wet paper on the floor surface and smooth out any air bubbles as best as possible.

One interesting thing I noted, was that a higher glue content in your glue/water mixture did highlight and bring out the wrinkles in the paper while a higher water content left a more flat less wrinkled look when dry. Functionally both worked fine though. The higher glue content also took longer to dry.

Keep overlapping the paper with the glue mixture until you have your entire area covered. Now is the time to be patient and let this layer really dry. An important note here is, that no matter how smooth the paper was when you first put it down, as it dries, it will bubble up all over the place. It will look horrible and you will be sure that you messed something up. Trust me, this is just part of the drying process! It will recede back down and look completely smooth and flat all on its own. Do not do anything, just let it be.  Make sure to let it dry completely. I let our floor dry for 2 weeks, but I am sure it would not need that long.

After your base is all dry, you can begin with your first sealing coat of polyurethane. Make sure to used a water-based as there is something in the oil-based that is not compatible with this process and it doesn't work as well. Not to mention, you can avoid breathing in the fumes.  The first coat will get sucked in like a sponge, and the second...but after that, you should start to see your gloss taking hold and the poly will start to go on a lot quicker and will not require nearly as much to cover the same area as the first 2 coats. The more coats, they quicker they slide on. I ended up doing about 8 coats all over and put a grit in the final coat. While my kids were really enjoying breakdancing on the floor, I knew it was an accident waiting to happen to an unlucky customer. The grit worked wonderfully.

I decided I wanted more variation in value and color on the floor, so I used a water-based wood stain and just lightly rubbed it around to accent the perimeter of the floor and randomly all over the room. The stain gave the floor the aged look I wanted as well as brought out the wrinkles and edges in the paper.

We have been walking and dragging stuff across this floor for about 6 months now and it is holding up wonderfully!  I'll probably do a quick coat of poly to maintain the finish once a year, but that is because of the high traffic. Overall I am extremely happy we opted for this technique and would definitely recommend this as a flooring option.

Vance Candles at The Copper Frog

More about our sustainable candles.......Did you know that even most "natural" soy candles contain synthetic fragrance? Synthetic Fragrance is made from Petroleum and Phthalates. Both of which, when inhaled or applied to skin, have been shown to cause cancer, headaches, asthma, disease and a variety of other maladies. When we found this out, it became our quest to create "The Perfect Candle". Not only are our candles handmade with Renewable, GMO-Free Soy, but they are 100% vegan and made with only Natural, GMO-free and ORGANIC ESSENTIAL OILS and ORGANIC FLAVOR OILS, have a low smoke, cotton & paper wick & come in American Made containers! And these candles burn amazing! I hope that you, too, will be as excited about our candles as we are! It is so wonderful to feel good about burning candles! As if these candles weren't awesome enough......ALL Vance Family Soy Candle Labels are printed on unbleached or recycled paper & are crafted in Vancouver, WA, and 100% of our containers are made in the USA. Also, we ALWAYS HAVE and ALWAYS WILL Donate At least 10% of Profits to Charity. Now available at the Copper Frog!