There are HOW MANY craft fairs this weekend?

Word on the street, well, actually, heard at SaveMart on Fair Oaks Blvd. this morning is that there are 1,700 soccer games in the Sacramento-area today, Saturday. There are just as many craft fairs - well, almost. The Sacramento Bee's Living Here Home and Garden section has a great listing of craft-related events on page D2. There's even a separate story on St. John's 31st annual Holiday Show of Hands in Carmichael, but it's being elusive on the Web site edition. Also in Carmichael is the Sacramento Fine Arts Center's 15th annual Holiday Craft Fair, which continues through Dec. 12 (a Second Saturday event is planned). Craft fairs this weekend are located everywhere, including from Sacramento to Carmichael to Folsom, etc., and most of them aren't charging an entrance fee. If you want to get out of town, there's the Teddy Bear Show and Sale in Pleasanton, which is also free. Have fun! Enjoy buying handmade, and supporting our local crafts community. 

Teddy Bears, anyone?

"Walk Through a Winter Wonderland" of bears and collectibles at the 17th Annual Christmas Customer Appreciation Show 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 5115 Hopyard, (Highway 580), Pleasanton. Sue B. Bears of Sacramento writes, " It is more of a party than just a show. We'll still have door prizes and a raffle. The admission is still free and so is the fun. Meet friends, old and new, collectors and artists." The event is hosted by Debi's Bears, Bearee Collectibles, Denis's Den, Diana's Merry Bears, Jazz Bears, Sue B. Bears, Susie's Bears, Zucker Bears, with free appraisals by John Port. (As a little warning, beware that if you check out the Web sites, have a credit card handy as you'll want to adopt all of the bears, and probably Sinclair, one of the dogs on the Zucker Bears Web site.) Every once in a while, Sue from Sue B. Bears writes her customers about the bears and other animals she's creating. Here are excerpts: "Yummy Bear is this year's limited edition Christmas bear. He complements last year's little girl, Belle Noel, being the same diminutive 4 inches tall. But, he definitely has a pudgy tummy! You can tell by his name he has not missed any desserts! His fur is brown with black tipped alpaca/mohair. His wool felt pads each have a silk thread embroidered pink and red rose. His collar is a red glass bear necklace that also has Swavorski crystals in red, blue and gold. He thinks his tummy is constantly empty so he carries a cupcake, just in case he has hunger pangs. There is a limited addition of 12 and there are only five still available. ... Sammy is dressed for the next holiday party. She has a black mohair coat while her pads are done in red, magenta and pink roses. She has sparkly trim on her white and red dress. Her necklace matches, of course. ... I am hoping to finish one more Bixley bear for the show/party. You might remember he is the bear made from a turn of the 20th century mohair carriage lap robe. ...This will probably be the last one I can make from this piece of material. It's truly a piece of history!" For more information on the event, e-mail debi AT debisbears.com. 

'Girls on the Grid' Welcomes Events Listings - Yours, too!!!

Local article submissions, events, press releases and guest commentaries will be welcomed by Girls on the Grid, a "new lifestyle blog focused on the daily lives of professional women in Sacramento." Out and about over the long Thanksgiving weekend, many, many women were seen shopping on the craft fair circuit, so please get your events listings to this e-mail address: girlsonthegrid AT gmail DOT com. P.S. Please read about the women behind the scene. Their stories are shared in an interview-type format, including the question: "If Mayor Johnson ever asked." Among the writers/contributors is Mary Beth Barber, communications director for the California Arts Council, who's also involved in local theatre. 

Just saw this on IndieSacramento blog!

 

The Craft of Writing, Acting, Filmmaking

Valerie Fioravanti, a writer, writing instructor, coach in midtown Sacramento, announces the "debut of Sacramento's newest monthly reading series, focusing upon short fiction by writers from Sacramento and surrounding areas." "Stories on Stage" begins at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 25th Street, between Q and R streets, with a $5 suggested donation. Before getting into more of the who and what, Valerie has put out a call for writers, actors and filmmakers! Here's her summary of what's in the works: "Each event will feature two short stories, introduced by their authors and read by actors. The series will run on the last Friday of every month, beginning January, 2010. The first two featured writers will be Sacramento native Jodi Angel, author of The History of Vegas, on Jan. 29 and Bay Area resident Lori Ostlund, author of The Bigness of the World, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, on Feb. 26. Jodi and Lori will be paired with an emerging short story writer from the community." Additional details about "Stories on Stage" are on Valerie's Web site. 

Festive Craft Fairs Begin Today

The holiday spirit will be abundant with these craft fairs that begin today: Holiday Art & Craft Festival at Scottish Rite Center near Sacramento State University (1-7 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday; free to Crocker Art Museum members, or $6 adults, $3 children), Artisans Festival in downtown Nevada City (10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day; $3 admission supports Miners Foundry), Country Christmas Faire at Nevada County Fairgrounds (10 a.m.-5 p.m. today and tomorrow, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday; $4; children under 12 free; free parking), and Cornish Christmas throughout the streets in downtown Grass Valley (5-9 p.m.). 

Holiday Craft Fair Begins at SFAC

Sacramento Fine Arts Center's 15th annual Holiday Craft Fair is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays through Dec. 12 (closed Thanksgiving Day) in Carmichael. SFAC is located at 5330B Gibbons Drive 95608. Here's a map. On Sacramento Second Saturday Dec. 12, hours will be extended to 9 p.m. More than 30 artists and crafters are participating in this event. 

Too many craft shows this weekend to list...not really! Part II.

Now we're on to the Saturday-Sunday craft shows (please these lists are not inclusive, of course). Usually what's listed on The Craft Connection blog are the events submitted by event coordinators for The Craft Connection newsletter, a quarterly newsletter that features free calendar listings of events for artists and crafters. First, let's list the Saturday-only events. There's the Emblem Club Craft Fair, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, 6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento 95831; The Craft Fair - Holiday Shopping Spree, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Oakmont High School, 1710 Cirby Way, Roseville; the Fine Art and Craft Show, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at St. Mary School, Giovanni Hall, 1351 58th St. East Sacramento 95819; and the Harvest Festival and Craft Fair, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Rosemont High School, 9594 Kiefer Blvd., Sacramento. Nov. 14-15 events include the Holiday Boutique at Parkside Community Church, 5700 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento 95822. Hours on Saturday are 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; hours on Sunday are 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Out of the Sacramento area at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch is a Fall Faire. Hours on Saturday are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. A Sunday-only events is the Dragon Multi-Cultural Arts and Craft Faire, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, 6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento, and the Rancho Murieta Artisans Holiday Faire, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Rancho Murieta Country Club (see post from earlier in this blog). Another source of craft shows is Saturday's edition of The Sacramento Bee. Here's the listing from last week, but it's much easier to read in the print edition, and there's usually a heads-up on happenings for the next weekend too.

Too many craft shows this weekend to list...not really! Part I.

Let's start with today-only events, today being Friday the 13th, and also another of California's Furlough Fridays for state employees. The Winter Holiday Craft Faire is from 10 a.m.3 p.m. at the Serna Center Community Rooms, 5735 47th Ave., Sacramento 95824, and a Jewelry Sale, which features new, vintage and handcrafted jewelry, is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m at Sierra 2 Community Center, 2791 24th St., Sacramento 95818. Today and tomorrow will be the 10th annual Sandy's Country Crafts Boutique, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. both days at 10506 Italia Way, Rancho Cordova 95670. Continuing from last weekend is the Holiday Boutique, 213 Saddle Court, Folsom. Hours today are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Holiday Boutique, Book Sale to Benefit Sacramento SPCA

Dog-gone good prices with all proceeds benefiting the animals at the Sacramento SPCA are promised at the Sacramento SPCA Annual Fall Book Sale and Thrift Store Holiday Boutique and Sale Thursday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 6. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m-6 p.m. Sunday. The book sale will be at the Marketplace at Birdcage, located at 6187 Sunrise Boulevard, next to CVS Pharmacy. The boutique, also at the Marketplace at Birdcage, will be located at 6123 Sunrise Blvd., next to Starbuck's.