Arts & Crafts Show Coming to the Merrell Center

By Sammie Dwyer.
The Sami Show Marketplace is an arts & crafts affaire extraordinaire at the Merrell Center in Katy. It is coming to Katy on July 19th & 20th, 2008. Admission is $5. for adults, children under 12 are admitted free. Shoppers can browse through fine art, original pottery, gems and minerals, sports prints and precious children’s clothing all in one marketplace.

“I didn’t mean to do this,” explains artist and dog lover Sharon Rue when asked how she got started painting pet portraits. “I retired a few years ago and I love playing in paint, just never had much time to do it.” Two years ago, when she wanted a special anniversary gift for her brother and his wife, she knew that a portrait of their beloved dog, Cozmo, would be the perfect thing. “Since I didn’t know a pet portraitist, I took a cue from my heroine the Little Red Hen…and I did it myself,” explains Rue with a determined grin. “It turned out better than I expected!” she adds. That first painting lead to many others and today her easel is rarely empty of work in progress.

While most of her paintings have been of dogs, she recently completed a large canvas of a Persian cat for a local attorney. “I told my dog Rocky it was an owl and he seemed OK with that, “ quips Rue.

Rue will be showing her work and accepting orders at the Sami Show Marketplace at the Merrell Center in Katy. She is just one of dozens of artists and crafts people showing everything from original jewelry designs from India, brilliant stained glass art, and primitive folk art to prints of Houston landmarks, largeTuscan-inspired paintings and whimsical horse tire swings.

The Merrell Center is located at exit 740 off IH 10 in Katy. The show will be Saturday, July 19 from 10 – 5 and Sunday, July 20 from 11 – 4:30. Admission is $5. for adults, children under 12 are admitted free. Admission coupons are available at www.samishow.com. For more information, e-mail info@samishow.com or call (512) 441-7133.

Some Fine Crafts & Products Available at the Show

Stained Glass: Margaret Villarreal, a stained glass artist from Bossier City, La. (she’s a retired Air Force aircraft crew chief!).

Handmade Pottery: Carrie Forcade from Houston will exhibit and sell her beautiful handmade pottery, one of a kind pieces and some crosses.

Tuscan Oil Paintings: Liming Xu from Farmer’s Branch, TX. will sell hand painted Tuscan oil paintings that resemble tapestries and beautiful mirrors.

Scrapbook Supplies: Mark Donnelly, the scrapbooking guy…..sells scrapbooking supplies at unbelievably low prices….one of our show’s most popular booths!

Floral Designs: Wyvone Heath from Houston who does beautiful floral designs.

Horse Tire Swings: Cowboy Bill selling sturdy yet whimsical horse tire swings,

Purses & Table Runners: Nona Peterson from Elgin, Tx. sells beautiful table runners and lovely purses she makes from designer upholstery fabrics. Each purse is one of a kind and her booth was one of the big favorites in our previous Katy shows.

Unique Window Art: Pam Pickering and Don Hohensee of Houston are artists who work in copper, wire, bells and crystals to create unusual window art.

Photos & Maps: Dalio Vela of the Houston Landmark Gallery will be showing maps, sport sprints and prints of Houston Landmark Buildings.

Glass Art: Marinell Hebert and Robby Brockoff return to the July show with their exquisite fused glass art. They make gorgeous fused glass plates, trays, bowls, wine bootle cheese trays, night lights and whimsical piggy banks. Their work is brightly colored, functional and very decorative.

Original Greeting Cards: Johanna TIngling sells greeting cards she makes from her own original floral photography. She is from Katy.

Polish Pottery: Lucille Maggi and Nancy Dicenso from Pottery Plus sell Polish pottery.

Handcrafted Jewelry and Purses: Shirlee Avis from Kingwood will show and sell her handcrafted jewelry and unique boot purses.

Minerals and Fossils: Mark Willy from Pflugerville, Tx will exhibit his fossil and minerals….amethyst geodes, geode bookends, fossil plates, agate and quartz.

Jewelry Boxes and Collage Art: Diane Cook from Katy will exhibit her embellished cigar jewelry boxes, mixed media and collage art.

Children’s Clothing and Gifts: Mary Meegan of Houston will show and sell her delightful Children’s clothing and gifts from her company The Cottage Clothesline.

Monogramming and Personalization: Leja Jones of Houston who will customize your t-shirts, tutus and other items. Monogramming and more.

Photography: John Brady of Salado will show and sell his fine art photography, miniature photography and original note cards.

Handmade Christmas Stockings: Lillian Simmons of Richmond brings a touch of Chirstmas in July to the show with her handmade Christmas stockings.

Primative Folk Art: Elizabeth Stuart, also of Richmond has a lovely display of primitive folk art; Handpainted pictures, boxes, shelves, crosses and casserole carriers.

Handmade Crosses: Jan Barrett of Alvin makes handmade wooden crosses.

Indian Jewelry: Shri Mohan and wife Shoba sell exotic jewelry which is handcrafted in India by Shoba’s family. She regularly visits India to choose designs and consult with her family on the latest fashion trends. Because they make the jewelry, the prices are incredibly low, and the jewelry incredibly beautiful. Shri and Shoba are also Katy residents.