CraftWorks at Cool Spring Cool Spring Blog

Comfort food, conversation and camaraderie...

Linda Case — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:53:52 GMT

There were artists, teachers, prospective volunteers and just the inquisitive gathering on a brisk winter day at the CraftWorks Studio for comfort food and great conversation. Yesterday was our appreciation luncheon – no stress, no strain – just camaraderie. There’s something about this “Little-craftschool-that-could” that seems to attract the best and bring out the best. If you haven’t sampled a class or an event yet, come join us. Staff is working feverishly to create the best program ever for 2012. Coming soon….

Adventures of the mind...

Linda Case — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:07:08 GMT

Four adventurous women arrive at the Cool Spring Studio to learn to create art with polymer clay. They don’t know each other. One is an established artist. The other three have worked in other media over the years but are looking for a fun, accessible, innovative medium in which to express their creativity. It’s a two night class and they won’t depart at the appointed hour but keep working intensively. They come early and stay late. Community and camaraderie builds. They end the class with uniquely distinctive art pieces – some are special gifts for others – and the determination to continue enjoying the creative life. And that’s what CraftWorks is about.

the inside story on milkweed...

Linda Case — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:07:43 GMT

Most of us know – or think we know – about common milkweed. I’ve especially treasured it as the food for Monarch butterflies and I knew its toxic “milk” helped to protect the caterpillar and butterfly. But there’s more…the “milk” in the stems and leaves is latex and there have been many failed attempts to make rubber commercially from it. The fluffy seeds were used by native Americans to insulate their moccasins and was used in military life jackets in WWII. Its bast or inner bark fiber has been used for textiles while the oil from the seeds makes a very potent sunscreen.

what can you learn from a t-shirt or a tree?

Linda Case — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:27:12 GMT

A recent gift was a t-shirt containing Advice from a Tree (www.YourTrueNature.com). At first thought it is hard to think about what a tree can teach us other than that shade is a wonderful thing when it's 90 degrees outside. Here is what my tree t-shirt says: Stand tall and proud, Sink your roots into the earth, Be content with your natural beauty, Go out on a limb, Drink plenty of water, Remember your roots and Enjoy the view. And that is plenty.

mysterious appearances...

Linda Case — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:21:52 GMT

These cool wet fall mornings make the unseen appear – large spider webs everywhere in the fields. Dew drops outline them and often reveal the artist – the argiope or garden spider. They are large and spectacular with black and yellow abdomens and they perch on the zigzag “embroidery” in the center of the web. The zigzag patterns are called stabilimentum and reflect UV light thought to attract prey to the web. In the fall you may see the egg sacs on the web. The eggs hatch in the fall with 400-1400 babies who overwinter in the sac and emerge in the spring.

Three hundred fifty!

Linda Case — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:25:45 GMT

Those green tubes don’t look much like a forest but don’t let them fool you. Inside every one is a special young tree meant to grow and shade Bullskin Run to make it cooler and to strengthen the riparian buffer here at Cool Spring so that run off is slowed and better filtered. The tubes are to keep those incessantly nibbling deer away. There are 350 new trees and bushes along the creek, happily planted by many volunteers and planned and executed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the WV Division of Forestry. Come watch them grow…

Thank You Dolley Madison!

Linda Case — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:06:45 GMT

Saturday was cool, fresh and sunny - the perfect day for such a generous deed. The Dolley Madison Garden Club has “adopted” CraftWorks and has built three gardens. This was the day to install perennials contributed by their members’s gardens. We planted everything from a large nandina to anemone to lambs ear. Gardening is so much more fun when friends share it and CraftWorks is so grateful for their sharing.

Wanna dig?

Linda Case — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:51:25 GMT

After a gloomy week of rain, flood and drizzle, Saturday morning was beautiful. Cars started rolling into CraftWorks. The Master Naturalists were there to learn about wetlands and the Dolley Madison Garden Club arrived ready to prepare three flower beds for planting in October. We had a pile of composted horse manure (brown gold!) contributed by Jane and Dick Minard, shovels, wheelbarrows and (sorry conservatives) lots of Washington Post newspaper. In two hours, three large weedy beds were slumbering under their newspaper sheets with manure comforters. These will be wonderful

Friendship Gardenspopulated by plants grown in other gardens in the county. If you want to join us or just want to bring plants for the Saturday, October 8 (8:30 am) planting day, please do. We will be using non-invasive perennials. Can’t wait!

Fearsome predator

Linda Case — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:51:48 GMT

Getting the Haines Barn painted at CraftWorks came to a standstill because of a 1 1/2" wasp. Tanner, our land steward ran into a Cicada Killer Wasp nest hidden in a hole in the cinderblock. While they usually burrow into the ground to lay their larva, this group was inside the wall. At CraftWorks we love learning more about critters and it has never been easier because of the internet. Turns out these large, loud wasps feed on flower nectar but the females sting and paralyze the larger cicadas, straddle them and drag them to the nest to store as food for the larva. Female wasps can sting humans but rarely do. Males can make quite an aggressive show especially around mating time but don't sting. Keep your eye out for this impressive predator.

Young Artists Still Life Paintings

Thu, 19 May 2011 22:09:02 GMT

My first year teaching Young Artists at Craftworks has flown by! I can't believe how far some of my students have come with their artwork. Check out the video below for a glimpse into our Thursday afternoon painting and drawing class.

tapas, lost lady bugs, knockwurst and a drive-in movie

Aundrea Humphreys — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:25:48 GMT

The Taste of Two Rivers Fundraiser will kick off on May 12 at 7pm at Dish. Other feasts in May include, the Lost Ladybug Safari at Cool Spring, An Afternoon in Germany at the Bavarian Inn and a Retro 50's Drive-In Movie Night at the home at Jason & Kara Rolfe.

Many other feasts are planned through June, July and August. Please visit our website for more information and to purchase tickets. SEE YOU THERE!

The Stewards Stew: Volume II

Tanner Haid — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:55:31 GMT

Hello hello hello hello hello hello!

Alot of crazy and exciting things happening here at Cool Spring Farm.

Beginning next month, as part of the Bullskin Run Watershed Initiative, CraftWorks will be offering an innovative, energetic, and all-around enjoyable series of events titled Backyard Discovery. Each session involves hands-on education projects designed to increase student awareness of environmental issues through creative and fun activities where they will learn the concepts, ideas, and techniques to transform their own backyards into nature preserves. Participants will then be challenged to perform the activities in their own backyards and successful completion of challenges will be rewarded with gifts or coupons from local restaurants, businesses, and artisans.

This summer's line-up includes conservation poster contests, Cool Spring clean-ups, building gourd birdhouses, insect identification, stream sampling, soil surveying, and much, much more.

More will be coming soon, and we hope to see you all out there!

World Music

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:18:03 GMT

Here's a video clip window into the world of CW Young Artist's program! For this "World Music" lesson, we listened to songs form all over the globe. Kids also found the countries on a world map, and invented their own unique forms of action painting! Music was inspiration for these abstract expressionist paintings, where youth decided the shape, composition, and colors of the songs.

World Music! from Craftworks At Cool Spring on Vimeo.

Sustainable Living

Alex Beaulieu — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:40:36 GMT

Yesterday I went and picked up five chickens – a rooster and his harem of 4 hens – and brought them to Cool Spring Farm, where they have taken up residence in an abandoned rabbit hutch that Tanner converted into a coop. Chickens are really beautiful and I don’t think I ever realized it before. We’re going to have fun learning about our new friends and once they are settled, we’ll start collecting eggs of all colors. Sometimes I forget that eggs are not perfectly white ovals tucked neatly in cartons of six or twelve. They’re rose colored, green, and brown and perfect with their imperfections.

I’m really excited about learning how to live more peacefully with the land and less dependently on corporate retailers. Homegrown vegetables taste a hundred times better than the genetically modified, hormone infused, shipped from far-away-lands produce we have adopted into our lifestyles. Obviously, homegrown fruits and veggies offer a wealth of nutritional perks along with their great flavors. And chickens? Well. Don’t get me started on corporate farms. I think a home grown meal is far more satisfying knowing it is the result of the work of my own hands.

In conjunction with Oldest Stone Farm, Cool Spring Farm’s neighbor, we are working to create a community garden consisting of 8 16x4 plots. You can click here to see the garden design (created by Tanner Haid). Please join us! All are welcome, including kids who will get a kick out of the goat who thinks he’s a dog, the free range chickens, and many other farm animals residing at Oldest Stone Farm. It’s a learning process for all involved. ~Come Do~

Progress!

Alex Beaulieu — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:14:50 GMT

The few days of welcomed warm weather brought our construction crew out to Cool Spring where they began laying the studio foundation. Within a few short days, a foundation was built and the beginnings of our first floor are in sight!

Stay tuned for progress updates... and mark your calendars for June 4th - our GRAND opening celebration on National Trails Day!!! Lots of fun activities for the entire family, including guided nature hikes, LIVE music, vendors, and much more.

Shepherdstown Chalk Art Festival

Alex Beaulieu — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:08:04 GMT

CraftWorks and NCTC's Children's Tree House are pleased to announce the 1st Annual Shepherdstown Chalk Art Festival! This exciting, family fun event will take place on August 6th and 7th with a chalk making class, meet the artists event, and special environmental conservation lecture beginning on Saturday, August 6th and the main event taking place on Sunday, August 7th.

If you are an artist and would like to chalk a square, or if you would like to volunteer with setup and running activities during the event, please visit our website and complete applicable forms - www.shepherdstownchalkartfestival.org.

Businesses: would you like to support two non-profit organizations while participating in a fun event? Sponsor a chalk square by choosing from one of our three sponsorship levels ~ all proceeds benefit both the Children's Tree House and CraftWorks. Visit www.shepherdstownchalkartfestival.org for additional information or contact alexbeaulieu@wvcraftworks.org

The Steward's Stew: Volume I

Tanner Haid — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:52:08 GMT

Hi! How is it!

For all of those new to CraftWorks and the Cool Spring Blog, my name is Tanner Haid and I am the Land Steward for CraftWorks, and this is my blog, commonly referred to as the Steward's Stew. Within I will chronicle my adventures, mishaps, regular haps, events, and overall good times at Cool Spring.

I was joined this weekend by members of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society on a reconnaissance mission to learn the trails at Cool Spring so that in the Spring 2011 we can begin hosting monthly bird walks that will be free and open to the public in partnership with PVAS. Keep an eye out for those dates and we look forward to seeing you there.

Thanks for signing in, and from everyone here at the Steward's Stew, keep it cool, keep it crafty.

Artists and Business

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:46:19 GMT

CraftWorks has given me the opportunity to create a program for artists that can help lead them to following a smart business model. I hope that those that take the classes soak up new information and receive affirmation on the ideas that they already have. Our first Advancing Artists Academy begins this Saturday and I am excited and hopeful that this will be a successful part of the AMAZING things that CW is already doing. Hope to see you artist types and craftspersons there. It is going to be awesome! Thanks. Tara Sanders Lowe

Bullskin Run, A Washington Legacy

David Lillard — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:26:08 GMT

George Washington wrote fondly of the meandering Bullskin Run, which wends through our Cool Spring landscape -- land once owned by the first President. We at CraftWorks wanted to get involved in stewardship of the Bullskin, so when we discovered there was no watershed association for the creek, we decided we had to establish one. We're very excited to host a meeting of experts and volunteers, January 7, to scope out the process. Soon we'll begin inviting the people who live along the run learn more about his legacy resource and be involved in its long-term care.

We're breaking ground at last!

David Lillard — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:34:38 GMT

There were times that we thought this day would never come! It's taken more than a year in the planning process get our little studio on Bullskin Run to this point. Finally, the big equipment arrived today, and site work began. That part won't take long, because we're following green practices all the way. We're disturbing the land only minimally, one of green building's most important ideas. Visit this blog regularly to keep up with our progress..