Holi-DIY: Festive handmade products from around WNC

"Pro tip: Go see Floating Action whenever possible," writes photographer Rich Orris on his blog, UnofficiallyAsheville.com. Here's the thing: Multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer Seth Kauffman's touch can be heard on albums by Benny…

It starts with that first construction paper garland, or popcorn-and-cranberry chain, or pomander ball (you know, an orange studded with cloves and tied with a ribbon for a closet sachet):…

"For me, Dax is redefining blues music," wrote Henry Rollins (he of Black Flag, spoken word and massive biceps). "Even though he plays his songs through the guitar-bass-drums model for…

If you made a word cloud from a conversation with sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, “community” would be the most heavily weighted term. Music, art, family and travel are all…

In business years (as opposed to dog years or lightyears) that first trip around the sun is not for the faint of heart. It takes a sharp plan of action…

“People need to laugh, especially around Christmas,” says Bombs Away Cabaret performer and coordinator Amber Shehan, (aka Iona Traylor). The performance troupe’s mission is to restore burlesque to its comedic…

Celebrating the music, life and Dec. 21 birthday of composer/engineer/visionary Frank Zappa, Project/Object puts on a rare show. The lineup includes founder Andre Cholmondeley (a recent transplant to Asheville) with…

Looking for a different kind of holiday shopping experience? Sifting through Elle Erickson’s vintage, handmade and generally offbeat clothing and accessories at her traveling trunk show isn’t the kind of…

Each year, the Asheville Downtown Association challenges local merchants to show their festival spirit by decorating their shop windows in seasonal style. It’s exactly the sort of contest where everybody…

There’s something about the smell of gingerbread that transports me back to childhood, at home on winter break, baking walls and roof pieces in the oven with my mom and…

There is a little stone building on Tunnel Road in east Asheville. To me, it has always been a cool-looking building, but nothing more. Historically, it was a meeting place…

In the Oct. 29 issue, we looked at the life of a food truck owner from two different perspectives: the newbie (Roaming in the Raw) and the old-timer (Gypsy Queen).…

This is the last week for diners to enjoy Chef Daniel Wright’s creative comfort food at the Tomato Jam Café; the Biltmore Avenue breakfast and lunch spot closes on Friday,…

Betty Sharpless drives a van adorned with flowers, an “Outrageous Older Woman” bumper sticker and a red kayak perched on top. She’s one of those instantly likable people who emanates…

Six years ago, John Langlois sat in a counselor’s waiting room and began to fill out a standard intake form. At the time, he was a 50-year-old, local family physician…

A new Asheville City Council met Dec. 10, with Esther Manheimer sworn in as mayor, Marc Hunt chosen as the new vice mayor, three development decisions postponed and neighborhood leaders…

I’m writing today in regards to a story I recently saw in The Mountain Xpress [“Buncombe Commissioners Set Bar High for Carbon Reductions,” Dec. 17] and felt it necessary to…

I visited healthcare.gov on the Internet, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, I am now, at age 63, covered by health care insurance for the…

Twenty-seven innocent people were killed in the Newtown, Conn., tragedy — 20 of those victims were children. In the year since the Newtown shooting, 11,126 people have died from gun…

I live downtown and first noticed the increase in sandwich boards on the sidewalks this summer. Then I noticed the other obstacles that restrict and narrow the use of the…