East Plains United Church in Aldershot will be holding its 48th annual arts and craft sale on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The theme for this year is “Gnome for the Holidays”; expect vendors, baked goods, their classic minestrone soup, two auctions, and more.
There is a $1 admission fee that helps support the church and its programs (as well as being a way to track the number of people who attend), and marks the beginning of the holiday season for many in the community, says Patti Martin, one of the organizers of the event.
The sale takes place across the church’s two big auditoriums; local Girl Guides often act as runners between rooms and respite for vendors who need to step away from their tables. The silent auction portion of the sale — this year marks the 24th — sees donations coming in from local businesses and restaurants, and some items donated by members of the congregation. Martin’s mother was in charge of that first silent auction, putting the call out for church members to “Bring something!” and bids were placed in cans. “Now,” says Martin, “it takes up half the sanctuary.”
Then there’s the fine arts auction, which is separate from the silent auction; a local artist collects donations of all kinds of art, resulting in “a unique collection” for attendees to bid on.
You can browse gently-used Christmas items at the Spirit of Christmas Past room, or look through “Granny’s Treasures” to see what catches your eye. Martin describes Granny’s Treasures as “one up from a garage sale with one-offs of different things…there’s something for everyone.” There are also handicrafts made by a church group in the “Ladies’ Workshop” — and don’t pass up the chance to get a sweet treat at the bake sale and coffee station or a bite for lunch at the “Eats and Treats” area, featuring that minestrone soup, filled croissants, and desserts.
Of course, there are also the vendors. Over 45 of them this year.
Handmade wood items, lavender products, jewelry, birdhouses, soy candles, quilts, stained glass, rope bowls, all kinds of creative goods to consider purchasing as holiday gifts. Or just for yourself.
Laura Seki of Southridge Studio has had a table at the East Plains craft sale for about 35 years. In the beginning, she displayed her hand-knitted children’s clothing, but then went into paper crafting. Now Seki sells her handmade all-occasion cards and gift items (her stocking stuffers and table favours seem very popular, she notes).
The arts and crafts sale has long been popular, Seki says, though recent Aldershot growth has made attendance in recent years even better. And it’s the first holiday market of the year, “with something for everyone, really…for everyone’s tastes.” Seki has many repeat customers year after year, which she credits to Martin and Martin’s mother giving her the same table each year — people know where to find her. Seki can also be found on Facebook (@SouthridgeStudio) and Instagram (@southridgepaperart).
Also in attendance will be Theresa Struthers of www.sewingfun.com, with her colourful totes and bags. Some of her recent seasonal creations included cup sleeves in Halloween prints, and jack-o’lantern and mummy pillow covers, so stop by her table to see what else Struthers has dreamed up!
It’s A Small World will also have a table on Nov. 4. Janet Woudstra has been bringing handmade handicrafts from around the world to the East Plains event for several years. Woudstra has been operating her business since 2011, working with independent local artisans and groups and using fair trade principles, to bring beautiful one-of-a-kind items from Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nepal, and other countries over to this part of the world.
There is always a mix of returning and new vendors at the East Plains Arts and Crafts Show and Sale, as well. This year, Sue Stellings of the Social Butterfly is bringing her handmade resin coaster sets to the show for the first time. Stellings offers up colourful coasters with a variety of patterns; there are holiday themes (look her up on Instagram, @the_social_butterfly17, to see recent Grinch-themed coasters) and prints that work any day of the year, from florals to animals.
Another first-time vendor is Peek-a-Pouches, a Burlington-made product by Jen Rice and her mother, who are very excited to debut their product at this week’s show. Peek-a-Pouches are handmade sensory bags, each containing 20 fun items that are obscured by small pellets. Kids move the pellets around to discover each item, perfect for on-the-go games of “I Spy.” Each bag has an entirely unique set of items, which Rice sets up in a black box to photograph; her mother then types up the word for each item. The list gets laminated and attached to the bag so that kids can work on letter recognition alongside fine motor skills as they manipulate the bag to find each item and match it to the word and picture on the list.
Each bag is made up of a double layer of printed fabric on the back and framing a vinyl window on the front, through which the pellets and items can be seen.
Rice works with children with autism in a classroom setting, and developed this toy as a fidget they could use in class for a sense of calm. She has found that Peek-a-Pouches do indeed help kids attend to the teacher, and seem to hold their attention longer than other types of fidget toys. “Some kids will go back to it over and over,” Rice says. “[They’ll say] ‘I can’t wait to play with my dinosaur bag!’”
The kids also helped Rice test prototypes; a class of 4-year-olds were told, “Do your worst!” The current model survived attempts at ripping and biting them apart (though Rice says she stopped short of offering scissors!), though Rice and her mother do include a label with a suggested age of 3 years and up, given the small size of items inside the bags, just to be on the extra-cautious side.
So far customers have come through word of mouth, people they know, so Rice is looking forward to meeting the community, and hoping to excite people with their product. She is especially looking forward for children to see the pouches, to see what it is that the kids themselves are looking for, to be able to pick out their own special Peek-a-Pouch.
Rice loves creating each bag, from finding those small items (which might include little animal figures, buttons, or beads) to testing out the prints to see what customers like best. And she loves being able to work with her mom — “It’s so nice…that we can do it as mother and daughter!”
We’ve highlighted just a few of the vendors who will be at East Plains this weekend, and just as some vendors have been coming year after year, so too have many attendees. Martin notes that many people have their favourite areas already mapped out before they arrive: “Some people go straight to the bake sale, some go straight to Granny’s Treasures.”
Find your favourites — and maybe even some holiday gifts — at East Plains United Church Arts and Crafts Show and Sale (375 Plains Rd. E.) on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
