Arts & Shopping

Nature Nurtured

Polymer clay — transformed.In a word — stunning. How else to describe the wearable fine art of Kathleen Dustin of Contoocook?Dustin has taken a crafter’s medium without a fine art history and given it a shining presence. Polymer clay (Fimo)…

A Different Sort of Jelley

Sweet and Spicy! In a blind taste test, our staff compared four N.H. gourmet pepper jellies from around the state. Here’s what they thought and which one they liked the best.LollipopTreeSweet vidalia onions and bell peppers, combined with tart cranberries…

Atop the Rockpile

Wild weather, wondrous views and spring thaw soupIf you think a book about the Mount Washington Observatory is likely to be a real snooze, think again. Eric Pinder’s “Life at the Top” [Hobblebush Books, 2009, $16.95] is a great read…

Time-Honored Tradition

Jon Gibson learned his craft at his father's knee. And not much has changed about the pewtering process since Raymond Gibson opened Gibson Pewter in 1966 in Hillsborough Center.Continuing the craft alone, son Jon turns out traditional pieces like spoons,…

Decadent Sweets

Rich and creamy! In a blind taste test, our staff compared four N.H. gourmet chocolate truffles from around the state. Here’s what they thought. Ava Marie Handmade ChocolatesThe truffles from Ava Marie look good and are large but the chocolate…

Shout It Out

Featured Shop – Liv’n Out Loud• Hampstead Tell it like it is. It’s a new year and, although I am a writer who cringes at “first person,” I for the sake of underscoring this article will regress for one issue…

History Imagined

What happened to Louisa May Alcott in Walpole?In the summer of 1855 the Alcott family, including 22-year-old Louisa May, were forced to move to Walpole, N.H., due to poverty — a kind family member’s charity gave them a rent-free home…

Singing for Spring

Featured Shop – Duncraft • ConcordAccording to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the purple finch is the bird that Roger Tory Peterson famously described as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” While his description may be accurate, the purple finch…

Let's Put On A Show

If you thought the kingdom of online videos was divided between the Star Wars Kid and “Lazy Sunday,” welcome to the New World of the Web series. You could call it a tribute to the early days of television, when…

The Power of O

Can you find the secret to happiness on daytime TV?If you tune in to “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” you know the eponymous host gives lots of advice. Exercise. Diet. De-clutter your home. Read books. Buy leopard flats. On and on.…