Explore the World of the Blog

I’ve been reading up on contemporary potters lately, and I’ve been delightfully surprised by what I’ve found. I’ve found a great diversity all over the globe, and one of the best sources I’ve found is the ceramicstoday.com. We are so impressed with them that we’ve added them to our Resource Link Section of the blog in the right margin. There are a lot of excellent resources in that section, that art enthusiasts will find useful. I point this out because we are building a website that we want art enthusiasts, collectors and newbies to the art world to use and enjoy.

As I’ve mentioned before, we have also added a few choice associate links below for items that embrace the spirit of Creative Consumerism™, but which are not available on our site. I was just shopping for shoes myself on simplysoles.com. Their classy shoes embody an artistic spirit that isn’t easily found.

Favorite image today is a surprise. Click here and see! Hint: (it’s new to the site). Enjoy the treasure hunt--Ruth

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Swell Sake Set

Sake Set - Andrew Jackson Pollack

To tell you the truth, I’ve only tasted Sake a few times, and I’m severely allergic to fish, cooked or uncooked, so I’m missing out on the whole Sushi Sake rage that everyone seems to enjoy. That’s not to say it is not a fascinating cultural experience. For instance I came across an article recently that explained how the shape of a sake cup will influence the way the sake tastes. For instance, a cup with little angle needs to be tilted a lot. This makes the sake flow slowly from the tip of the tongue then spreads to the rest of the mouth, making the sake taste sweeter than if you used the traditional small sake cup that causes the sake to flow quickly over the whole tongue.

If your sake cup has a wide lip, the sake spreads quickly to the sides of the tongue and your sake will tend to taste bitter. A cup with a smooth finish is best for refined, more sophisticated sake. That’s why this fine sake set created by glass artist Andrew Jackson Pollack is particularly ideal sake set if you are a connoisseur of sake. Know someone that loves Sake? Then buy this one-of-a-kind set. Perhaps that someone is yourself, all the better. --Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Take Another Look

We are so excited about the new look of our newsletter. All it takes to start a business is a lot of optimism, and a bit of denial, but building one into a success takes time, energy, lots of money, patience, stamina, and a bit of bull-headedness. All these things I come by naturally. In my lifetime I’ve started three or four businesses and they’ve all been a success. Not because they’ve made a lot of money, but because I’ve had so much fun working on these projects. What does this have to do with the new look of our newsletter? Everything! The updated newsletter shows we are making progress toward turning Buyoutsidethebox.com into the kind of quality project we had written up in our business plan, after dreaming about it of course over meals, through sleepless nights and days that raced past without the proper attention to watching the lizards scampering outside our window.

Something new we’ve added to the site are the affiliate vendors you’ll find on the right side of this blog. Take a minute to peruse those sites. The products complement and embody our own creative consumerism spirit.

If you’d like to receive a copy of our new, improved newsletter just click here. On the left side of the home page you will see where to sign up.

Everyone that visits the site comments on how beautiful it is. Those comments are better than money in the bank to me. I am so proud of the excellent artists we represent and as we grow, so does the long list of artists who sell their work on our site. Check out this beautiful painting by Portugeese artist Alberto D'Assumpcao.


"Antagonism" - Alberto D'Assumpcao

What is your Gift Giving Style?

RoZark Roasterie
Eric Dandurand


Nick Childs

Okay….I’m just going to ask. Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I have. I haven’t done a lot, but I’ve started. Some people get disgruntled by the pressures of the upcoming holiday season. I know I used to when I was a working mother with small children, loads of presents to buy, and very little time and money to do shop with. Each freshly wrapped package had its own message of mixed blessings. But the truth is I truly love giving, whether it is a present or a kind word, or an ounce of compassion, or a sympathetic ear. Whatever your beliefs are, there is usually a certain time of year when gift giving is a part of the ritual of the calendar year. Here are my thoughts on gifts:

Gifts are not only about what is under the gift wrap, but a gift says many things about the giver and their relationship with the receiver of the gift. Some people agonize over each gift, trying their hardest to supply something that will be warmly received by the recipient that they either would like to have or need. In this case gift giving is about trying to please and even about being acknowledged for the sensitivity to anticipate the needs of the receiver.

Others pour money into the situation and express their generosity through the size or worth of the packages, while still others just show up with something because it is expected or the right thing to do.

We all have our methods of being obtuse if we are the gift receiver. “Oh, you don’t have to get me anything,” you’ve heard people respond when asked what they would like for their birthday. Some people really feel this way, but others just say it to appear modest or humble. Some of us mark our calendars months in advance and drop not so subtle hints so that our loved ones will stay on the right track.

Everything on our site at Buyoutsidethebox.com is handmade by an artist or artisan, and I am so very proud of all our selections. Our artists set their own prices and I am proud to say they’ve done a very good job. Absolutely every item, and every piece of art is set at a very fair price. So, I ask you when you have the next opportunity to select a gift for someone you love, think of us first. We have something for everyone’s price range, from hand-crafted writing pens by British craftsman Nick Child to artisan-roasted coffee by Rozark Hills Roasterie to the finest oil or watercolor paintings by our many renowned artists.

To make this whole process easier for you and yours, we have added a wishlist button that will enable gift givers a decisive choice to give their loved ones something they truly desire. This is a wonderful asset to those who want to give appreciated gifts.

As an added bonus, we have added some complimentary shopping buttons in the sidebar of this blog. These are companies we think offer excellent products that reflect the “Buyoutsidethebox” philosophy of consumerism, but are products we ourselves do not fulfill. For instance the mineral makeup by Urban Apothecary is sweeping the nation because of its natural properties for beautifying your skin.

As always, if you would like to receive our newsletter to stay informed of our latest additions please write us at: info@buyoutsidethebox.com and write subscribe in the subject area.
Happy Holidays a little in advance--Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Awareness - Setting the Stage for Art

Bridge over the Pond - Diana Bradley

It’s Friday, and this has been a very bad week for writing. Business tends to interfere with what is important sometimes. Alas, we all have to eat. As I sipped my “lattie dattie” (as my husband likes to call it) on the deck, waiting for the wildlife moment of the morning, I scanned the September issue of Architectural Digest. I came across a featured Russian designer by the name of Andrei Dmitriev. Wow, I really like his style. The author of the article, Joseph Giovannini describes Dmitriev as a “specialist in an environmental charm bordering on the wistful.” Dmitriev, who has no formal training in design, in fact before “perestroika,” he was a Russian philologist specializing in French language and literature, has a style unfettered by such disciplines.

I’ve always been attracted to interior design that is aware of its environment. Interior design is a spatial art medium all its own, where art and utilitarian objects blend to form a space where the living organism is comfortable within that space. Each space is as different as the person who resides there, whether they put their own ensemble together or hire a professional to do it for them.

For instance, art is an essential element in my living spaces, but I'm not a formal person. My dogs are also an important part of my life, and consequently the one light colored chair I own, is soon on its way to be reupholstered. Ach, what was I thinking? Because I am a casual person does this mean I can't enjoy sophisticated art in my home, of course not. It's all in how I put it togther. Every detail says something about who I am just like the clothes I wear.

Take note of this wonderful watercolor by San Francisco artist Diana Bradley, as you go about your day today. Meditate on its beauty and behold the light of the spirit that created it. Happy weekend….Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Ms. Santa Poses for Southern Living Magazine

Saxy Santa - Ellen Hobgood

Check out the September issue of Southern Living, specifically the Weekend Living Section entitled Slide Show: Ozarks Getaway. Buyoutsidethebox.com artist Ellen Hobgood is featured painting outside her gallery on the streets of Heber Springs in a Norman Rockwell pose. She is often seen wearing as much paint as she has on her easel, and is an icon in this little Ozarks burg. You know her on our site for her wonderful renditions of Santa Claus, this year’s editions soon to be out in original or giclee form. The article can be seen online, or purchase the magazine at your local newsstand or grocery store. Have a great Labor Day Weekend!—Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved