Handmade Holiday Alerts
We love handmade things, and we love the holidays. We also hope you'll consider buying handmade this season, and so we'd like to share some of our favorite makers with you. You can sign up for the email version here.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! DIY Alert is taking the next two weeks off, because if there's one place you should not be on December 24th and December 31st, it's on your computer!
We'll be back in your email inbox on January 7th. Thank you so much for all your support this year!
SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) is looking for paid teachers for its after-school program at Gilbert Park Elementary. The program needs folks who can teach 2 or 4 days a week, from 3:00-6:00pm. Teachers are needed for: knitting/crocheting, writing workshops, ceramics, cob jewlery making, and recycled art. Classes begin in January.
If you have experience managing large groups of first through fifth grade-aged kids, email Mandy Hurley, or call 503-256-6531 ext. 5045.
If you need a last-minute gift for a creative person, how about a class? Linda Womack is an expert in encaustic - the art of painting with molten beeswax. She teaches a variety of workshops in her Portland studio and at national conferences. You don't need any experience - encaustic is a creative obsession that's easy to dive into.
Contact Linda for a gift certificate - and maybe, add a copy of her book to complete the package. Get more details here.
If you waited until the last minute to gift-shop this year (and it happens to the best of us), don't worry - you are not relegated to the mall! Instead, visit the second annual Winter Solstice Sale on Saturday at PSU.
You'll find a large group of local artisans selling great handmade gifts - many of them offering end-of-season specials. Not only that, the last Portland Farmers Market of the year is happening nearby. So, get the details right over here.
It began ten years ago, when two teachers started saving their leftover art supplies for other teachers to use. The idea caught on, and grew, and today Portland is lucky enough to have SCRAP.
No matter what you make, SCRAP has materials at unbelievably low prices. There’s paper, fabric, yarn, beads, holiday decor, and so many fascinating bits and bobs. And by making this stuff available, SCRAP saves 58,000 pounds of material from the landfill every year. Now THAT's green!
You know Portland’s craft culture has arrived when our beloved Crafty Wonderland holds its Super Colossal Holiday Sale at the Oregon Convention Center. Yup, it’s that big.
If you attended last year’s sale, you know that this Sunday will offer a mind-blowing array of creative locals, selling all kinds of awesome. The first 200 people through the door get goodie bags! And the OCC will give us all plenty of room to shop and chat. Get all the details over here.
Best gift ever: a new creative obsession. Like, for example, encaustic painting - Linda Womack has written a wonderful book for beginners - Embracing Encaustic: Learning to Paint with Beeswax.
The book covers basic tools and supplies, plus how to mix your own encaustic paints. You’ll learn six basic encaustic techniques to combine infinitely. Plus, a gallery of work and tips from encaustic artists. Order your copy online, or stop by Linda’s studio for live demonstrations on Thursday evenings until Christmas. More details here.
If you’re on a budget and trying to stay green this holiday, stop by The Knittn' Kitten. You can assemble a great gift for any friend there, with materials that were once part of someone’s beloved stash. We’re talking fabric, notions, yarn, buttons, and more.
“The Kitten” even has a lovely stash of vintage hankies, doilies, and table runners - all of them lovingly handmade. You can’t do better than to give these collectibles a new home for the holidays.
If you need a sweet little something for a special friend, check out these beautiful cuffs by Sue Selbie, from Union Rose. Sue scours antique markets, resale stores, and hand-me-downs for interesting fabrics, and then combines them with photographic transfers of leaves, pods, and grasses. The finishing touches: beautiful stitched details and buttons.
Union Rose carries handmade goodies from over 50 local artists, 13 of whom transform reclaimed materials like Sue does. Visit the store to see lots more.
This weekend, The Portland Art Collective presents its annual Open Doors Sale. This show offers some really unique
and beautiful fiber, glass, collage, painting, printmaking, and jewelry, and many affordable gifts under $20.00. If
you're looking for handmade goods with a bit of sophistication, this sale is for you.
The Open Doors Sale happens at the Multnomah Arts Center - while you're there, have some wintertime fun at the Multnomah Village Holiday Gala! Get more info over here.
