Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "arts and crafts"

Annual Holiday Art & Craft Festival November 25-27

2011-11-21T22:32:51Z

Nearly 100 regional artists and craftspeople will offer their unique creations during this year’s annual Holiday Art & Craft Festival. Presented by the Crocker Art Museum and the Creative Arts League of Sacramento, the festival is held at the Scottish Rite Center, located across from the main entrance of California State University, Sacramento, at 6151 H Street.

This year’s offerings will include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, gourmet food, holiday items and more. Impress your friends and family with local handmade gifts while supporting local artisans and the Crocker’s exhibitions and education programs.

Attendees can also enjoy delicious treats by Ambrosia Catering. For those who want to capture the holiday spirit, there will be a Victorian Santa Claus available for a vintage photo opportunity.

The three-day festival begins November 25, the day following Thanksgiving. Festival hours are 12 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27. Admission is free for Museum members, $6 nonmembers, and $3 for students and seniors. Parking is free of charge.

The Crocker Art Museum was the first art museum in the Western U.S. and remains one of the leading art museums in California. Established in 1885, the Museum features one of the country’s finest collections of Californian art, exceptional holdings of master drawings, a comprehensive collection of international ceramics, as well as European, Asian, African, and Oceanic art. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Thursdays. Every Third Sunday of the month is “Pay What You Wish Sunday” sponsored by Bank of America. For more information, call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Disclosure: Kathleen Richards has been a fan of the Crocker Art Museum since her very first visit in fourth grade, and she now serves as the Crocker's Marketing Coordinator.

IndieSacramento hosts Etsy Party & Craft Supply Swap

2011-06-13T02:35:49Z

Everything was pink, sparkly, floral and cute at the Etsy Party & Craft Supply Swap on Friday in Fremont Park.

The event was part of a “global craft party” orchestrated by the e-commerce site Etsy, and hosted by Amy Cluck of IndieSacramento. All handmade enthusiasts were invited to attend.

Tables covered with vintage floral sheets and topped with handmade goodies were drenched in contrasting golden specks of light and early evening shade, adding even more charm to the already charmingly intimate gathering.

There was a “MacBook photobooth” with handmade props to wear while taking silly photographs, plenty of free swag like Etsy buttons, heart stud earrings from Sweet-N-Salty (Amy Cluck’s online store), chocolate mustache pops with polka-dot ribbons tied to their sticks and miniature bottles of bubbles.

A cupcake fondue allowed individuals to dip bite-sized cakes into vanilla or strawberry frosting, then cover with their choice of colorful sprinkles from three decorative bowls.

The only way this event could have been any cuter was if it had started raining baby ducks, tiny kittens and fluffy puppies.

As individuals arrived, they placed craft supplies to swap later on in the evening into a pile.

“I’ve wanted one of those things forever!” one attendee exclaimed, pointing to a screen-printing kit. “It’s already on my Christmas list this year.”

She ended up with it, too. Other treasures found in the swap pile were sewing patterns, rubber stamps, fabric, beads, puff paints, a plethora of different textured yarns and craft books.

After the swap, handmade enthusiasts mingled, ate treats and enjoyed the warm weather. Just as the party was winding down, there was a raffle.

Yours truly was the winner of a Sublime Stitching embroidery pattern entitled “Unicorn Believer.”

And after IndieSacramento’s magical Etsy Party and Craft Supply Swap, perhaps I do believe in unicorns.

Sacramento Craft & Flea Outdoor Market Opens

2011-03-29T01:34:16Z

This past Sunday marked the grand opening of the Sacramento Craft & Flea Outdoor Market that will be open every fourth Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $3 and parking is free. The market takes place underneath the freeway in the parking lots on 21st Street between W and X streets, one block north of Broadway. The location just happens to be the same location of its sister marketplace, The Sacramento Antique Faire.

The Sacramento Craft & Flea Outdoor Market is organized by the same Marketplace Director as the Antique Faire, Marylon Rose, who debuted a rather successful new marketplace despite the unpredictable and wet weather. Due to weather conditions, there were many vacant spaces where goods would have been, but cancelled vendors and smaller crowds didn't stop patrons from coming out and seeing what it was all about.

I predict a rewarding outcome in the future for the fourth Sunday marketplace. The spring and summer seasons are upon us and the outdoor and garden enthusiasts are seeking goods.

If you are one of the many people who sets their alarm early for the second Sunday Antique Faire to skim every aisle for the best deals on old time treasury, this new fourth Sunday marketplace may be different, but definitely worth checking out. Whereas the Antique Faire has purely antique finds, the Sacramento Craft & Outdoor Market specializes in handcrafted and newly manufactured goods.

The Sacramento Craft & Outdoor Market played victim to dreary weather, but it proved to be a success for Jay Beedy, owner of “Smart Rax” by Advanced Overhead Storage, which specializes in ceiling-hung storage racks for garages. Beedy plans on continuing his participation with the market.

“These kinds of markets are great for vendors like me.”

He showed me 10 pages filled with people interested and wanting more information about his product. Just as he was explaining his product to me, two men stopped at his booth and were in quiet discussion over his display.

“See what I mean!?” He exclaimed.

I did see what he meant. One sale of his “Smart Rax” covers the cost of his $50 fee per show for his 18 by 20 foot space. I have a feeling this market will score with the likes of gardeners, handymen, craft makers and homemakers around the area. When you go up and down the aisles, you may feel as if some of the vendors seem familiar, since some participated as vendors at the last California State Fair.

Although this market will be a happy home for vendors of handmade and newly manufactured goods, I still found a secondhand keepsake that I now wear around my neck. The Sacramento Craft & Outdoor Market has something for everyone.

Please visit http www.saccraftandflea.com for more information. See you fourth Sundays!

California Museum Hosts Kids Activities Weekly

2010-07-02T05:02:13Z

The California Museum launched its third annual Poppies, Butterflies and Bears Oh My! weekly summer program Wednesday.

The museum hosts an event offering hands-on art activities for children from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Wednesday. The program will run through Aug. 18 and is free with admission to the museum.

“Each week we do a different craft or activity related to the state symbols,” said Erin Crump, museum education and programs associate. “This week we're panning for gold, relating to the Gold Rush and history but gold is also our state mineral.”

Visiting children use pans to search for gold flakes from a container filled with water and sediment.

“It offers parents and children an educational experience here at the museum,” Crump said. “They get to come see firsthand how miners panned for gold. They didn't have money back then, so they used gold flakes to barter for different things.”

Thirty children along with parents and guardians attended the event. Crump said an average of 25 to 50 children attend each week.

“(My children and I) came to the museum a couple months ago, and they really liked it,” Jenny Di Paolo of Elk Grove said. “We’re looking for activities to do this summer.”

Jenny Di Paolo brought her children Audrey, 7, and Albert, 9, to try panning for gold.

“Boy, I love this stuff,” Audrey said. “I found 10 grams!”

After the activity, children can go on a scavenger hunt through the museum led by an activity sheet on state symbols.

“Most people know about some of (the state symbols) like the grizzly bear,” Crump said. “But we talk about the lesser-known ones.”

Future events for Poppies, Butterflies and Bears Oh My!:

July 7: Create a Dragon
Related to the museum’s exhibit, “Under the Dragon.” A crafts project to create dragons in celebration of California’s diversity and history.
July 14: Find Fossils
Related to the state prehistoric artifact, the chipped stone bear. Children can bring in items they would like to have “fossilized.”
July 21: Design a State Seal
Children can design a state seal based on their perception of California today.
July 28: Quail Cuties
Children can learn more about the state bird and design quail puppets.
Aug. 4: Make a Bear Flag
The state flag and its evolution will be discussed. Children can design their own flags.
Aug. 11: Build a Log Cabin
An activity related to California history. “While it's not a state symbol, it kind of relates to California's pioneer heritage,” Crump said, “and all the miners who came over here for the Gold Rush and everything that kind of helped settle California back in the 1800s.”
Aug. 18: Plant a Redwood
Children may create their own redwood tree with stencil designs.

The California Museum is located at 1020 O St. Adult tickets cost $8.50. Seniors (65 and over) and college students with identification get in for $7. Children (6 to 13) get in for $6. Children 5 and under visit for free.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is open from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. (916) 653-7524.

Photos:

1) California Museum exterior.

2) Audrey and Albert Di Paolo pan for gold.

3) Audrey and Albert Di Paolo pan for gold.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Harvest Festival is Back in Sac

2009-11-22T05:03:22Z

Fruit spreads, Christmas ornaments, handbags, hats and clothing filled Cal Expo during the 37th Harvest Festival Original Arts and Crafts Show Friday.

The festival is a weekend-long event with 270 arts and crafts booths and a variety of musical performances, from the Fargo Brothers and Tom Rigney and Flambeau to name a few, as well as food booths, such as Cocina Mexicana and Southwest Café.

Account Executive Liz Stigge said a crowd of about 15,000 is expected to attend throughout the weekend.

The Harvest Festival has nine shows, including eight in California, that are held in cities with a passion for crafts.

“We usually pick places that are routed in an arts culture,” Stigge said. “The whole series of shows has been around for 37 years, and the Sacramento show is almost up there with the original, which was held in San Francisco.”

The vendors come from all over the country and are hand-selected by a jury of about 15, which include members of the show management and a selected board of artisans.

To be part of the festival, all work must be hand-crafted and hand-made

Local food vendor Mark Brtek has been promoting his Singing Pig spreads and dips at the festival for 10 years.

“A lot of people come to the Harvest Festival every year, and you can count on the customers getting excited,” he said. “They just get a really good following. The Harvest Festival is always consistent.”

Brtek said he gets about 200 repeated customers every year.

Teri and Mark VanAirsdale, who have been attending the festival for about 20 years, said Brtek’s wine garlic mustard and the beautiful crafts keep bringing them back.

“We come back to see if there is new stuff,” Mrs. VanAirsdale said. “But right now I’m looking for Singing Pig, they have the best garlic mustard.”

The VanAirsdales said they do some Christmas shopping at the festival, and every year they end up leaving with gifts for family members and friends.

Other booths included Virgi Bondi's Eggstra Special Christmas ornaments, which are made from a variety of egg shells.

Bondi prides herself off her slogan "they'll survive a toddler and Christmas tree."

"I lacker all my eggs," she said. "I can also personalize the back of any egg with liquid gold."

Bondi is a local vendor from Roseville who has been showcasing her work at the Harvest Festival since 1994. Bondi said even though she is a local vendor, she still has various repeat customers every year.

Margie Waite, who has been attending the festival since 2002, was excited to see Bondi's booth back at the festival.

"I always try to come back and look for the different ornaments, specifically NFL teams," she said. " I collect them and put them on my (Christmas) tree."

Regular Attendee Nancy Church said she believes the Harvest Festival comes just in time for the holiday season.

“There is always certain little booths you go back to and look for,” Church said. “And I inevitably always find two or three Christmas gifts.”

Church and longtime friend Cheri Soden have been attending the Harvest festival for more than 20 years.

Soden said the festival not only gives her the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping, it also allows her time to spend with a good friend.

“It’s just something that we do together,” Soden said. “We even have a routine. We walk around the edge first and work our way up and down the center.”

Cal Expo will host the Harvest Festival through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $9, seniors admission is $7 and youth is $4.

For more information visit www.harvestfestival.com.

Photo Credit: Nallelie Vega

Sacramento Unity and Diversity Music Festival June 27th

2009-06-22T08:27:32Z

The Sacramento Unity and Diversity Music Festival originaly Scheduled for May 2nd was rained, so we were forced to reschedule. Festivites were ready to get started bands were lined up, vendors and food booths were ready to go. People started lining up at the gate and down it came.. The City of Sacramento allowed us to cancel this event and come back with more strength and blessings. We know this is going to be a one of a kind festival, one that Sacramento has never seen. There will be Reggae, R&B, Salsa, Soca, Gospel Rap, Praise Dancers, Rock, and Dance Toops. We are working to bring All of Sacramento together with one rythem, one beat, one LOVE. You can purchase your tickets online at www.ticketweb.com and look for the Sacramento Unity Fest. Tickets are $13.00 on line or at the beat record store on 17th and Jst or $20.00 at the gate . You can also go to www.sacramentounityfest.com . Here you can Voluteer or sign up for a vendors booth. We will be accepting information for next years festival for food, vendors, and Artist. You can keep up with all of our up coming event at www.calwestcultural.com . Cant wait to see you there and cant wait for next year...