Coming Up Roses in El Cerrito

Roses are busting out all over in El Cerrito gardens! Our Blue Girl, Graham Thomas, Butterscotch, Sally Holmes, Ispahan, Electron, Heirloom, Double Delight … and many more … are blooming like gangbusters, so I’m extra excited this year about the 37th annual Celebration of Old Roses, sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area! Sunday May 21st, 11 am to 3:30 pm at El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane. The Rose Show and parking are free.The glorious heart of the event is the hundred-foot display of roses — everyone from expert cultivators to people with a few roses blooming in their yard bring cut roses to show. They’re grouped and arranged by type, the result an intoxicating display of scents and colors. You can buy heirloom and hard-to-find roses from specialty nurseries, and rose experts will be there to answer your questions.  While supplies last, children can get a free rose plant courtesy of the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area. Along with the roses, there’s an array of arts & crafts and rose-related goodies for you to view and buy as gifts for someone special or for yourself!

We’ve had a booth with our artwork & crafts at the Rose Show for the past twelve years! Look for us in the Main Hall, with the work that I make from my original rose & flower and nature-related photographs -jewelry, purses, boxes, vases, sachets, greeting cards, and much more! I’ll also have my upcycled creations – handmade bracelet cuffs, purses, phone and e-reader holders, all from fabric books and silk neckties.

Plus, while it lasts – a new batch of our sublime local honey. Many people swear by it to help their seasonal allergies.And! Honey Kissed lip balm, handcrafted by George from our honey and wax.

If you have any questions about the Rose Show, our honey, or Garden Delights Arts & Crafts, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com  Hope to see you there, with a rose or three!

Celebrate Roses in El Cerrito

The don’t-miss event for flower-lovers, gardeners and rosarians is coming up next Sunday – that’s right, it’s the 36th annual Celebration of Old Roses, sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area! This year it’s on Sunday May 15th, from 11 am to 3:30 pm at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of San Pablo Ave at 7007 Moeser Lane. The Rose Show and parking are free.The glorious heart of the event is the hundred-foot display of roses — everyone from expert cultivators to people with just one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to show. They’re grouped and arranged by type, the result an intoxicating display of scents and colors.  You can buy heirloom and hard-to-find roses from specialty nurseries, and rose experts will be there to answer your questions. Remember to bring your clippers and loppers for on-site tool sharpening. This year there will activities for children, and while supplies last, children can get a free rose plant courtesy of the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area. Along with the roses, there’s an array of arts & crafts and rose-related goodies for you to view and buy as gifts for someone special or for yourself!

We’ve had a booth with our artwork & crafts at the Rose Show for the past eleven years! Look for us in the Main Hall, with the work that I make from my original rose & flower and nature-related photographs -jewelry, purses, boxes, vases, sachets, greeting cards, and much more! I’ll also have my upcycled creations – handmade bracelet cuffs, purses, phone and e-reader holders, all from fabric books and silk neckties.

Plus, while it lasts – a new batch of our sublime local honey. Many people swear by it to help with allergies.And for the first time at the Rose Show, try our Honey Kissed skin lotion and lip balm, handcrafted by George from our honey and wax.

If you have any questions about the Rose Show, our honey, or Garden Delights Arts & Crafts, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com  Hope to see you there, with a rose or three!

An Evening of Poetry and Jazz with Jack Marshall

Jack Marshall, nationally- recognized poet and a resident of El Cerrito, will give a reading of his work to inaugurate the City of El Cerrito’s new Poet Laureate Program and to celebrate National Poetry Month in April.

A live jazz performance will accompany Marshall’s reading, to be held Tuesday April 12th from 7 to 8 pm, at the El Cerrito Public Library, 6510 Stockton Ave.

Born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents who emigrated from Iraq and Syria, Marshall now lives in El Cerrito. He is the author of the memoir From Baghdad to Brooklyn and several poetry collections that have received the PEN Center USA Award, two Northern California Book Awards, and a nomination from the National Book Critics Circle.

The City’s first Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term from September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2018. The Poet Laureate Call will be released during national poetry month on April 1, 2016. Interested? Click here to get more information and to find out how to submit an application.

The Evening of Poetry & Jazz is sponsored by the El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission and the Friends of the El Cerrito Library.

Arts Day Highlights

Celebrating local arts and artists, El Cerritans and neighbors enjoyed music, film, poetry, fine arts, hands-on crafting and more at the 2015 Arts Day Festival sponsored by the El Cerrito Arts & Culture Commission (ACC).

Calligrapher and artist Douglas Jones showed his paper sculpture “Barrett Bob,” which won the ACC ribbon at the El Cerrito Art Association annual art show.

String trio Florian Altvater on violin, Milda Martisius on viola, and Andrew Ritchie on cello, performers with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, filled the antechamber with lovely classical music.

Outside, the Del Mars played rousing surf music for an enthusiastic crowd.

We even had food art in the form of delicious and beautiful cupcakes by local gourmet cake and cupcake bakery Encorecake.

WhipOut! Food Truck , a favorite at El Cerrito’s Off The Grid on Wednesday evenings, fed the hungry artists and audience.

Chalk artists drew masterpieces on the sidewalk in front of City Hall.

ACC member Deb Danziger delivered an artist’s talk about her current exhibit in the City Hall Gallery Space, “Beyond & Below.” If you were wondering about the ACC’s banner (the first photo in this blog post), yes, Deb designed it!

For a hands-on activity, we reprised the upcycling creative reuse booth that was so popular at the July 4th Festival. We filled three tables with materials I scavenged from the El Cerrito Recycling Center and tools to upcycle the old books, fabric and other discarded or well-loved but no longer useable ephemera into unique treasures.

With a bit of glue, crafty hocus-pocus, and unlimited imagination, discards were transformed into stickers, envelopes, postcards, magnets, bookmarks, and more!

ACC member Paul Fadelli, who was on the sub-committee that planned Arts Day, admired creations made by his daughter and her friend.

For those who despair about the demise of books, I happily report that bookmarks were the most popular project by far.

Community Development Director Melanie Mintz helped a young friend sew an old button onto her bookmark, while Melanie’s daughter (at left) and Pinole Artisan Nan Yarborough (at right) worked hard on their collages.

A budding artist perused the offerings while her younger sister enjoyed a cupcake.

Deb’s son gave her a bookmark-treasure as an early birthday gift.

Local actor George McRae, an early advocate for the creation of the Arts & Culture Commission, discussed orchids and cephalopods with Richmond artist/crafter/chef Paula Shiu.

El Cerrito poet and spoken word artist Kirk Lumpkin entranced with a variety of poems in styles ranging from rap to lyrical which touched on local and global environmental and social issues.

ACC member Christopher Sterba introduced Kirk. Chris, a lecturer in the San Francisco State University Humanities Department, is working hard to develop a Poet Laureate program sponsored by the ACC. Stay tuned!

I missed a lot of the action, including film shorts by Les Blank, puppet show by the Puppet Company of Children’s Fairyland, a street photography workshop by Dale Mead, chamber music by the JCT Trio, and exhibits for El Cerrito’s Playland Not-At-The-Beach, The Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County, the El Cerrito Historical Society, the Shadi Holiday Display Committee. and Contra Costa Civic Theatre. And throughout, the head of Arts Day planning sub-committee and ACC Chair Ruth Cazden eloquently introduced acts, performers and artists.

Thanks to my wonderful husband George for his help and this photo of me at the upcycling nook, still neat before the tornado of creativity descended.

Hope to see you next year!

 

Upcycling Arts and Crafts

A different kind of Fourth of July parade marched through the El Cerrito Arts & Culture Commission (ACC) booth at the City & worldOne Festival: fair-goers of all ages and types stepped into our booth and walked out with the wondrous artworks and crafts they created from the discarded fabric, sad old messed-up books, and donated ephemera I gathered at the El Cerrito Recycling Center Exchange Zone.

Glue sticks swiped, scissors snipped, and our trusty li’l craft machine was busy laminating bookmarks and churning out magnets and stickers.

Postcards, envelopes, stickers, magnets, bookmarks, and collage masterpieces transformed by endless imagination rose from what most people would label as junk. Creativity flowed.

Smiles and pride in making new treasures from old discards abounded.

Some will be gifts.

And some will be kept as treasures.

Kathleen Glenn, the biggest booster of the arts in El Cerrito and owner of Glenn Custom Framing on Stockton Avenue, created a special bookmark.

Several generous people crafted postcards that the ACC will mail to Blue Star Moms, a group that puts the cards into care packages going to military service-members. These are some:

What materials are you using in your artwork and crafts that would otherwise go into landfill?
Click here to see last week’s blog post to advertise the event.

Celebration of Roses in El Cerrito

Happy Mother’s Day! My mom loved roses, and she would have swooned over the amazing profusion of blooms in George’s garden.

All our dear friends: Graham Thomas, Sally Holmes, Mr. Lincoln, as well as Ispahan, Electron, Sombreuil, Double Delight and more are blooming like crazy. George says it’s the chicken poop; I credit his green thumbs.

Whatever the reason, we’re really excited to show them off at next Sunday’s Celebration of Old Roses, our absolute favorite event in El Cerrito. Always the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 17th, 2015, from 11:00 to 3:30 pm. Sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area, the show is held at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of San Pablo Ave (the main drag in El Cerrito), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross is Ashbury Ave).  The event and parking are free, and it’s wheelchair-accessible.

The heart of the Celebration is an overflowing 100-foot display of all kinds of roses. Everyone from expert cultivators to casual gardeners bring cut roses to share and show off. The roses are arranged by type, so just by cruising the collection you’ll get a great education! Need a rose identified? Bring it along for an expert’s opinion. This year for the first time children can get a free rose plant courtesy of Tom Liggett and the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area, while supplies last!

Along with the roses there’s a great collection of arts and crafts and flower-related products for you to enjoy -your chance to stock up on gifts for rose and nature-lovers in your life. I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past ten years, and I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photos, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, decorated boxes, purses, cards, prints, and much more!

We’ll have our sublime local honey and all-natural beeswax candles from our beehives. If you can’t wait until the Celebration, you can always buy our honey at Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley, or contact me to arrange for pickup.

Put Sunday May 17th on your calendar — go to smell the intoxicating roses and then stop by our table to say hello. If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

In Celebration of Roses

It’s April, and that means the roses have taken over our garden!

All of our dear friends: Graham Thomas, Sally Holmes, Mr. Lincoln, as well as Ispahan, Electron, Sombreuil, Double Delight and more are blooming like crazy, so I’m really excited about the upcoming 34th Annual Celebration of Old Roses, my favorite event in El Cerrito.

 

Always held the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 18th, from 11:00 to 3:30 pm. Sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area , it’s at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of San Pablo Ave (the main drag in El Cerrito), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross is Ashbury Ave).  The event and parking are free, and it’s wheelchair-accessible. Last year parking was difficult because there was a swim meet going on, but that won’t be a problem this year!

The heart of the Celebration is an overflowing 100-foot display of all kinds of roses. Everyone from expert cultivators to casual gardeners bring cut roses to share and show off. The roses are arranged by type, so just by cruising the collection you’ll get a great education! Need a rose identified? Bring it along for an expert’s opinion.

Along with the roses there’s a great collection of arts and crafts and flower-related products for you to enjoy -a wonderful chance to stock up on gifts for the rose and nature-lovers in your life. I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past nine years, and I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photos, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, decorated boxes, purses, cards, prints, and much more!

George always brings a vase of roses, and we’ll have his wonderful handmade soap and all-natural beeswax candles from our beehives. For the first time we’ll also have honey for sale! Our new brand is “La Ferme Melliferalle” (the name celebrates the wild honeybees that moved into our hive and have been so hardworking and productive). If you can’t wait until the Celebration, you can buy our honey at Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley.

Mark May 18th down on your calendar — go to smell the intoxicating roses and then stop by our table to say hello. If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

Shop local! Holiday gifts at Village Shops

Searching for that perfect gift for the special people on your list? You can’t beat handmade arts and crafts by local artists to show how much you care. Village Shops and Galleries, 10330 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, between Eureka and Stockton streets, is full of wonderful original treasures with something for everyone (and yourself)!

We’re open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from now through Sunday December 15th, we’re hosting a Holiday Boutique with wonderful artwork and crafts by local photographer and mixed media artist Heidi Rand, of Garden Delights Arts & Crafts. Heidi has a wide range of handmade and original-designed gifts, at all different prices, including jewelry, wearable art, purses, scarves, cards and prints, boxes, home decor, books, and more!

Also – wooden bowls, boxes and pens by David Earls:

Mixed media and textile crafts and jewelry by Grace Taormina:

Handcrafted soap and beeswax candles by George McRae of Bubble Queen Soaps & Scents:

The walls are bursting with color, from resident artist Mark Canepa’s metal artwork and paintings to hand-pulled linocut and woodblock prints by Rich Fowler, vivid mixed-media paintings and jewelry by Rachel Taormina, paintings by Robert Amrhein, and much more!

There’s plenty of free street parking in front, and we’re a short walk from the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Come by to chat and see the wonderful art, we hope to see you soon!

Celebration of Old Roses, Sunday May 19, 2013

It’s Rose-O-Rama season in our garden! Our Blue Girl, Graham Thomas, Butterscotch, Sally Holmes, Ispahan, Electron, Heirloom, Double Delight … and many more … are blooming like gangbusters, so I’m extra excited this year about the 33rd Annual Celebration of Old Roses, the very best event in El Cerrito.

Butterscotch Rose bud

Always held the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 19th, from 11:00 to 3:30. Sponsored by the Heritage Roses Group, it’s at the El Cerrito Community Center, which is just a few blocks east of the main drag in El Cerrito (San Pablo Avenue), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross street Ashbury Ave).  The event and parking are free, and it’s wheelchair-accessible.

Graham Thomas rose

The heart of the Celebration is the 100-foot display of roses. Everyone from expert rose cultivators to people who just have one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to share and show off. The roses are arranged by type, so just by cruising the collection you’ll get an education in rose-ology! Have a rose that you can’t identify? Bring a bloom and get an expert’s opinion.

Heirloom Rose

In addition to the rose display, there’s a great collection of arts and crafts and rose-related products for you to enjoy -a wonderful chance to get gifts for the rose and nature-lovers in your life. I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past eight years, and I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photographs, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, decorated boxes, purses, cards, prints, and much more!

George always brings a vase full of the roses from our garden, and we’ll have his wonderful handmade soap and all-natural beeswax candles from our beehives. Go to smell the intoxicating roses, then stop by to say hello. If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

How are the roses blooming in your garden?

El Cerrito Arts Month pARTy!

What a blast! We had a fantastic time last night at the Arts Month pARTy put on at El Cerrito City Hall by the City and the Arts and Culture Commission. There was something for everyone. At one end of the hall, face painters and body artists extraordinaire Mike and Vickie Resso were busy from the moment they set up until the end of the evening, adorning faces and arms of kids and adults alike. Perhaps I’m biased, but this was my favorite, a Maori design tattoo which Mike painted on George’s face:

El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission Chair Joyce Hawley wore her orange face-paint proudly, in honor of Halloween and the Giants. Vickie Resso did a wonderful job:

Outside City Hall, the highlight of the evening was the installation of the first of 12 kinetic abstract copper sculptures by artists Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide. The wind sculptures were commissioned by the City for the San Pablo Avenue Public Art Project. Fabrication is still underway, with installation expected to be completed by early 2013.

Berkeley artists Russell and Ide spoke briefly about the project.

The Time Out Quartet provided lively jazz music in the room just outside the City Council chambers, which offered great acoustics.

Everyone had a blast posing with the crazy props, wigs, and costumes that photographers Shelly and Scott, of Photography for Good, brought along. Getting to take home the zany and fun photos that they printed out on the spot was a real treat.
Upstairs, in the City Hall Gallery Space, people were fascinated by the current exhibit of Oakland-based artist Shelley Gardner’s sculptures, which are made of a screen/wire armature that she covers with fabric, threads and dried natural materials.

Okay, one last photo showing face painters Mike and Vickie Resso working on two more happy subjects.