Blue Waters Studio & Emporium

09/04/2026

To celebrate the last week of this year's , the prizes are extra special-- they have a combined value of $70.

Just waiting for you to find--a beautiful olive wood charcuterie board with loon engraving and a set of engraved sketchbooks so you can explore your own creative side.

One is hidden near Emily and one near Outing. Please take only one and leave the others for someone else to discover.

To give a little bit back to my hometown community, I hide a handcrafted gift each somewhere in the area. It will NOT be in someone's private yard.

If you find it, please post a picture of you with your treasure on the Outing FB page with the hashtag .

Also for all of you who are not near enough to participate don't despair--I hope to have an online event for you soon.

Blue Waters Studio is about more than art. It’s about celebrating community, embracing curiosity and discovering little moments of wonder in everyday life. I often tuck quiet details into my artwork for people to discover, so I thought it would be fun to bring that same spirit into our wonderful community. Consider this my small way of saying thank you to a place that has brought me so much joy.

Here’s to finding a little wonder where you least expect it. -Betsy

08/31/2026

Come see me next weekend at Arts off 84. I will be at Site 5, near Longville, Saturday and Sunday.

08/31/2026

It has been a busy week. Here are just a few of the pieces I finished this week.

I am building up unique hand-made creations for upcoming art fairs.

08/29/2026

Good morning! Have you been honing your observation skills?

Sorry for the delay, but here is this week's # .

For my local friends this week there are two gifts, one in Emily and one in Outing. Please take only one and leave the others for someone else to discover.

To give a little bit back to my hometown community, I hide a handcrafted gift each somewhere in the Outing-Emily area. It will NOT be in someone's private yard.

If you find it, please post a picture of you with your treasure on the Outing FB page with the hashtag .

I am Betsy Skagen, artist and owner of Blue Waters Studio & Emporium in Outing.

Blue Waters Studio is about more than art. It’s about celebrating community, embracing curiosity and discovering little moments of wonder in everyday life. I often tuck quiet details into my artwork for people to discover, so I thought it would be fun to bring that same spirit into our wonderful community. Consider this my small way of saying thank you to a place that has brought me so much joy.

Here’s to finding a little wonder where you least expect it. -Betsy

08/28/2026

Ope.

I'm so sorry. Due to personal events, I am going to be a day late hiding this week's .

Assuming there are no hiccups, I will hide and post it tomorrow.

To make it up to you, I will hide two treasures-- one in Emily and one in Outing!

08/27/2026

I borrowed this from another artist, Marguerite Beneke because it is so fitting.

08/26/2026

🪶 I know this is ridiculous, but it took me three weeks to find the right quotation for 🪶 Soar: Meadow.

Insomnia at 4 a.m. today proved helpful and I finally struck gold. 🪶

08/26/2026

Every now and again, someone still buys a Rebel Loon. ❤️

I just want you to know that I’m still donating 10% of every Rebel Loon sale to MIRAC.

I do wait until a few sales have accumulated so I can make the donations in clumps, rather than sending a bunch of smaller donations.

So if you buy a Rebel Loon, a little piece of that rebellion is still going to an important cause. ❤️ - Betsy

08/23/2026

Thr Soar series represents places or moments in time where a feather might be discovered.

I know of at least one person who figured out from my clue what the next Soar feather will be called. How about you?

Did you know birthdays were always a big celebration in my family? One year, for my February 17 birthday, my mom took me and a bunch of friends to see…

08/23/2026

I am working on the third Soar Feather (in addition building up my inventory for upcoming art fairs). Last night, Cliff and I sat by the bonfire pulling tiny bits of metal and nails out of old frames. It is a tedious process that requires patience and a surprising amount of brute strength.