Artist To Visit Warsaw

Marjolein Bastin, creator of Nature's Sketchbook for Hallmark, will be in Warsaw April 12 for two events.

She will appear at The Party Shop in the Kmart Shopping Center from 9:30 a.m. to noon greeting patrons.

At 2 p.m., a tree will be dedicated in her honor in the Warsaw Biblical Gardens, east of the Center Park Pavilion.

Trained at the Academy of Arts in Arnheim, The Netherlands, the Dutch artist's line of stationery, greeting cards, home decor items and gifts are among Hallmark's best-selling offerings.

Nature's Sketchbook designs are a bestseller in Warsaw, too. Bastin's visit to The Party Shop is a result of the store's selling the most of her product in the Indiana, Michigan and Ohio region.

"It's an unusual opportunity," said Party Shop owner Dorothy Snyder. "We've really believed in Nature's Scrapbook. With the world in such a frenzy, she brings a softness to our home and our world.

"We're still pinching ourselves because she's coming to Warsaw."

The dedication of a willow tree in Bastin's name is open to the public and is a way for The Party Shop to offer the community a thank-you.

Snyder said many local folks are collectors of Bastin's products and art.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook asking how we got her here," Snyder said.

"She has a following because she is so unique, her little birds are so darn cute. The product is always rolling in and then rolls right out the door. Who can complain about that?"

The Snyders promoted a Natures Sketchbook lamp that sold for $49.95, worrying that the price might have been too much. Soon they couldn't keep the lamp in the store and, although it's been discontinued, they still get many requests for the item.

A new item, a perpetual calendar, will be available at the special event April 12.