Paint Classes Temporarily on Hold While We Fight Cancer

Many of you have been calling and e-mailing regarding the art classes and I wanted to take an opportunity to let everyone know what is going on at The Candle Garden. About three weeks before Christmas I had a couple of bad results come back from recent mammograms and was scheduled for a biopsy right around Christmas. The biopsy results showed that I had two cancerous spots in one breast. I then had to go in for a PET scan. The scan results showed that there are other cancerous cells present but they seem to be in close proximity to the spots that were located on my breast. At this point I am scheduled to meet with a radiologist to discuss whether or not I need to receive radiation treatments before I am scheduled for a double mastectomy. If no radiation is needed then I am tentatively scheduled for the double mastectomy towards the end of next week, possibly Friday. I know that I have seen many of you in the store and have been able to share this with you personally, many others I have not been able to see or talk to personally. Because so many of you have been inquiring about the classes I decided that this was the best way for me to be able to let everyone know what is happening here. I am currently in the process of getting things around the store in order as I will likely be away for the next few weeks recovering from surgery. The store will still be open but the paint classes will be on hold until my return.

In the past I have survived both a stroke and heart surgery and am looking at this cancer as just another battle in a war that I am determined to win. I am fighting this with a vengeance and see this time off as an opportunity to rest and refresh my creative mind. I plan to return to work as soon as possible and come back with many fresh and new ideas! I truly appreciate the prayers of those of you who have already heard about my latest health battle. I covet all of your prayers and ask that you please continue to lift me up as I go through these next few weeks of medical decisions, surgery, and recovery. I will try to keep everyone updated on my progress via this blog as well as our Facebook page. And of course, I invite you to please stop by the store during my absence! I have several wonderful people who will be here working full steam ahead. They will also be able to update you on my progress and will have the latest updates regarding when classes will resume.

Karen

Aspen "Grace" Brown Fundraiser

Please join us on Friday night, December 10th for a fundraiser for Aspen Grace Brown. Aspen has been diagnosed with Tay-Sachs which is a fatal disease. You can read all about Aspen's journey by visiting her website. We will be working on a new Angel painting during this class. There will be refreshments as well as door prizes. The fee for this class is $40 with a portion of the proceeds going to a fund that has been set up in Aspen's name to help her family offset some of her very expensive medical costs. You can sign up for this class online or call the store during regular business hours at 256-739-9702.

Christmas Open House

Join us November 12 - 14 for a Special Christmas Open House. Register for door prizes and receive 10% off storewide. Have your child's picture taken with Santa! Santas hours are:

Saturday, November 13th from 10:00am to 4:00pm and
Sunday, November 14th from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

A professional photographer will be on hand and picture packages will be available for purchase.

Two Men A Smokin' will be here during the open house selling Boston Butts and Tenderloins. You may pre-order yours ahead of time by calling us at 256 739-9702.

Special store hours for the open house will be:

Friday, November 12 from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday, November 13 from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 14 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Join us for this special celebration and enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of Christmas in Cullman!

CORK & Canvas - Wine Tasting

We have a CORK and Canvas class scheduled at Vino's in Arab, Alabama on June 19th! This will be a fun event that will include a wine tasting. Be sure and pre-register for this class. If you pre-register online the fee for both the class and wine tasting is only $35.00. You can register the day of this event but the price will be $45.00. If you're looking for a fun girls night out you will not want to miss this opportunity! We will be painting "Colorful Clucks"!

We also have another fund raising opportunity for Relay for Life scheduled. Merchant's Bank will be hosting this fund raiser on June 8th. We will be painting the "Cross" for this class. Join us for a fun night which will include refreshments and door prizes and help support a worthy cause.

Painting Classes for a Cause

April looks to be a very busy month at The Candle Garden! Busy is good and a portion of the 'busy' is for a GOOD cause! We are hosting several Make It and Take It Paint Classes for various Relay for Life Teams during the month of April. A portion of the proceeds from each of these classes will go to Relay for Life. Each class is only $40. In addition to being able to leave the class with your own beautiful piece of artwork you'll enjoy light refreshments and will be eligible for door prize drawings during each class. Mark your calendar with the dates below. All classes are open to the public. We'll have the particular piece of artwork for each class posted on our online calendar within the next few days at which time you will be able to register for the class online.

April 24th - 11:00 am - Relay for Life Courthouse Team

April 24th - 6:00 pm - Relay for Life Courthouse Team

April 26th - 6:00 pm - Relay for Life CRMC Team

April 27th - 6:00 pm - Relay for Life Cullman Times Team

Come join us for one or all of these fun classes as we Paint for a Cause!!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here! We have a great selection of incredible gourmet food items that will be the hit of your Super Bowl Party. If you haven't tried the Raven's Chili Mix it is a MUST! This award winning blend of chili spices will have everyone coming back for seconds. We also have the Miller's Mustard...great spicy mustard perfect as a dip with pretzels or little smokies. Another easy appetizer is our Raven's Raspberry & Jalapeno Pepper Jelly. Simply spoon it over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers! How easy is that!!! Stop by the store between now and Super Bowl Sunday and let us know that you saw our blog post and we'll give you 10% off all our gourmet food items!!

Exciting New Additions for 2010!

Happy New Year! As we start the new year we would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all our customers for making 2009 a great year. We are VERY excited about 2010!

December was thankfully a very busy month for us! We are still trying to catch our breath! Our painting classes are well under way and growing by leaps and bounds. Look for the class calendar to be updated in the next few days... we will be adding a lot of new paintings.

Check the Saturday, January 9th edition of the Cullman Times. There will be a an article in the Friends and Family section on The Candle Garden.

We have been busy with our store expansion. The new addition should be ready by the end of January with a ribbon cutting scheduled some time around mid February. We are very excited about this addition to our store and about the added space that it will give us for our classes. If you haven't been by in a while we invite you to stop in for a visit!