Hey hey hey – you know what month it is if we are offering a wreath class! Dang how did November arrive so fast?
November & December are very full times here at Cultus Bay Gardens. Our large, yet intimate Winter Arts & Crafts Market is fast approaching with 27 vendors offering a wide selection of items.
The Friday right after Thanksgiving always kicks off the market.
November 25, 26, 27 and December 3 & 4
Saturday, November 26, Brita Fisher will offer a wreath class – back by popular demand!!
For more information, and to register for Wreath Making with Brita Fisher click this link.
There is still time to register for the super fun, traditional German cookie making class, with the incredible Tekla Cunningham, whose main hat is extraordinary musician. She’s also a fantastic baker, as is her dad, who taught our strudel class pre-covid. ( Yes he’ll be back to teach again.)
Musician and baker, Tekla Cunningham is teaching Springerle and Gingerbread Cookie Making on November 12th.
And do make note of that great apron she owns! I have one too ( adore it! ) and they are made by EH Works ( Erica Hanson ) who will have her fabulous items at our Winter Market.
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Erica Hanson of EH Works will have totes, napkins and her incredible aprons at the Winter Market.
Kirstin Marie of @The Herbal Workshop will be a first time market vendor with us. Both and art major at UW and farm school education later, she’s been making soap for over 10 years. She’s also the manager of the Tilth market on Whidbey. She loves making good smelling bath products to help people feel relaxed and happy in their skin!
Sasha Polonko of @girlpots lives in Oak Harbor, and will be coming to the market directly from an apprenticeship in Latvia! She has also studied in Italy as well as assisted at Cook on Clay. While completing her degree in International Affairs she took ceramics classes on the side, eventually deciding to direct all her energy into ceramics. In her own words:
“My mission was to create clay and glaze that everyone would be able to have access to, given how generally unaffordable and inaccessible it is to participate in pottery as a craft. I made all of my clay from slip and other clay materials found in nearby riverbeds and created glazes from reed ashes and seaweed found on the shores down my street.”
Sarah Slovensky of @hoffeltco will return to the market with her embroidery kits and prints and cards of her paintings. She designs all her embroidery and has been a teacher here pre-covid.
Renee Boyce of @freelandartshack will be with us again with a new line of ornaments as well as some mandala rocks and a bit of jewelry. Her precise painted dots forming mandalas don’t seem possible to do!
Jamie Conners of @cahmera_embroideries will return with her amazing embroideries on up-cycled clothing. Jamie was a delightful presence at our Summer Market so it’s good to have her back.
A Surprising and Heart Warming Story:
We went to Oak Harbor to receive our booster covid shots. Knowing it would take awhile standing in line, I brought my crafts with me – the crepe paper I sew up as the first step in my ornaments.
This interesting and somewhat crusty vet was behind me in line. After awhile he asked what I was doing. I’d already ascertained he was not only a Vet but had been a federal agent, got rid of his computers, used a cell phone sparingly, and had some strong opinions.
I told him I was sewing the paper in order to make ornaments. His reply:
“I used to do that when I was a kid with my grandmother” I inquired if she was German and indeed she was. He said his grandmother told him to do it so he did! They hung them on the Christmas tree as is.
I mentioned I combined two craft techniques – making what are called ramilettes with various papers to represent flowers – it is a Hispanic tradition. And I applied them to the center of the German circles.
His reply:
“Oh I know what those are!” I was dumbfounded – I’ve never met anyone who knew what they were. I asked, “How did you know what they are?”
He said he’d been married to a Mexican woman and they lived in Texas and the family made the paper ramilettes. He never knew what they were called but knew what they were when I described them
This whole story just made my day ( and I think his as well! ) I finally asked if I could take his photo and use it in my email newsletter. ” Oh sure, I don’t care what you do with it.”
So my notions of what I perceived I saw in line, was altered by his not so apparent story. It was so darn sweet. We also talked about hunting & cooking after the ornaments broke the ice.
Here are some of the ornaments @maemaesew I’ve made and the one on the left was one he was holding up! Ramilettes became even more special to me after my exchange with that wonderful man.
Had to share Tom’s pepper curtains in the sun porch. At the recent ramilette class I taught everyone loved them so much I thought I’d share this delightful look and fall harvest.
Tom will be selling some of these strings of peppers at the Winter Arts & Crafts Market – they all have some heat to them! @tomfisherwoodworks
End on a flower note! Got to make some wrist corsages for Elsa Layman and her friends for homecoming. Elsa is our honey & necklace vendor, managing hives at her family home in Clinton. Super fun since I’ve known Elsa’s mom long before she was born and now get to make her something beautiful for a high school dance.
Hope you get to meet her when you come to the market in a few weeks!
Mark you calendars!
November 25,26, 27
December 3 & 4
hours 10 am-4 pm
Hope to see you on one of the weekends.
Mary Fisher
wwwcultusbaygardens.com
7568 Cultus Bay Rd
Clinton WA
360-579-2329