With interests in mid-century design, pop-culture and craftsmanship Sam Knopp creates functional ceramics that are playful, minimal and richly tactile. Excited by the materiality and process of ceramics she researches and develops her own clay-bodies and glazes putting them together in unexpected combinations to explore the relationship of surface to form, manufactured to handmade, and function to sculpture. 

A graduate from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (BFA 2013), she was the recipient of the Circle Craft Graduation Award and the BMO First Art Award for BC. Pursuing both a functional and sculptural practice she has exhibited work in Canada and the United States in 2015 she was awarded the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Emerging Artist in Craft and Design. Since returning home to prairies she has set-up a full-time studio in the village of Irma  is currently working towards a solo exhibition at the Stony Plain Art Gallery. 

Paper Blush was founded in 2012 by Camrose resident, Tracy Ness. Tracy works with individuals and businesses to showcase their personality or Brand at their special events. Tracy’s passion about stationery and creating products that evoke an emotion started out as a hobby that turned into a business. She has a keen understanding of what an individual desires when it comes to their event. Her thoroughness and attention to detail from the invitation through to event day is astounding.

We are a family business located in Alberta, Canada. Every piece is custom cut to order in our small home workshop by a husband/wife team working hard to help decorate your home!  

The majority of our cuts are done with Baltic Birch Plywood. Thanks to the nature of the wood grain, each piece has colour variations, which makes it unique. 

I am a visual artist that loves painting in acrylic, but also adding interest to paintings with mixed media elements, such as gold leaf, metallics, graphite and pastel. I am inspired by the beautiful Canadian prairies that I live on. I love to paint landscapes, wildlife, livestock and florals.

The main home for my art is here on my website and on social media.  However, you can see some of my art on display in couple local cafes: Jam Tarts in Killam Alberta, and The Wooden Spoon in Sedgewick Alberta. Both places are so gracious to hang my art. Oh yeah, and they have amazing food, so stop by and have a bite if you are going through!

Most of the time though, I am busy being a Mom and a wife! I couldn’t ask for more.

I have always been interested in drawing, and discovered a love of other media during my Residential Interiors course at the University of Alberta. I am a self taught artist who loves discovering and exploring new techniques in all mediums including watercolor, acrylics, pastel, oil, and mixed media, as well as the ancient art of encaustic painting (painting with beeswax).

Also…I love COLOUR!

My newest paintings centre around the natural beauty found in flowers and landscapes, explored in an abstract and impressionistic way through the use of color, big bold brushstrokes, and abstract mark-making. My goal is to impart a feeling of happiness and joy within the viewer. While these paintings are primarily acrylic or encaustic, I often use other media such as oil stick, pastel, graphite, and oil pastel, as well as incorporating found objects and paper within the paintings to give a feeling of whimsy and interest to the work and to the space where it is hung.

I believe that creativity is in all of us – it is just our fears that hold us back!

Rebel Ridge Soaps is a home-based business based out of Hardisty, Alberta, Canada that makes several different bath products but specializes in handmade artisan soaps.

The Flagstaff Scottish Club is located within Flagstaff County, Alberta. We are proud of our Scottish heritage and aim to keep our culture thriving across the world. We welcome any and all citizens of our community to our events, regardless of their heritage.

Business has always been a huge passion for Shila Bishop. She opened a hair salon 9 years ago in a building with an abundant amount of space. After seeing so many extremely talented artisans throughout the Flagstaff Region and surrounding areas, she decided to utilize her space by featuring and selling local handmade products. Rural Root Collective brings you the best local handmade shopping experience under one roof and connects you to all the creative businesses you love!

Five generations ago, back in 1905, Prairie Soap Shack owner Jessica Mose’s family came and settled on a farm which is now part of Flagstaff County. Jessica has a deep appreciation for the land we live on and all of nature’s abundance.

At a young age, she was taught about our native wildflowers, plants, and trees which developed into a bigger interest in her adulthood and eventually turned into her business. She handcrafts all-natural cold-pressed soaps, balms & salves using many local prairie ingredients. Prairie Soap Shack’s ingredients originate from many natural sources; from family raised beef for tallow to wild yarrow in her pasture for balms to her organic vegetable & herb garden. Prairie Soap Shack does not use any synthetic or artificial ingredients, and Jessica takes pride in creating products that are connected to our roots in the Alberta prairies.

Our lives seem to get busier and busier nowadays and with all the different information out there, it’s hard to know what is healthy and if we are making the right choices for ourselves and our family. Prairie Soap Shack keeps life simple by making soap, balms, & salves with the same techniques as thousands of years ago. They use high-quality oils, botanicals, and essential oils to make their products -so not only are their recipes free from synthetic & potentially harmful chemical additives, they are healthy for you too! Using passed down knowledge, reference books and guides Prairie Soap Shack uses local and handpicked wildflowers, plants, herbs, and resin to create beautiful and useful products for the whole family.

Sweet Three Designs offers a wide range of jewelry made from various materials to suit a range of styles. The business was born thanks to the advice and contributions from other local businesses in the Flagstaff Region. Collaborating between businesses is imperative to the success of small local businesses. Sweet Three Designs collaborates within Flagstaff in many ways such as ordering materials from others, teaming up for design ideas, advertising, and promotion.