Thursday, November 15, 2012

celebrating the handmade...



"The Arts and Crafts Movement was an aesthetic movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Begun in Britain by social reformers Walter Crane and John Ruskin, and designer William Morris, it was a reaction against the tastes of the Victorian era and the "soulless" machine-made products of the emerging Industrial Revolution. Their belief was that good design correlated to the notion of a good society. Workers under hardship by the working conditions and machines found in factories often created goods that were poor in design and quality. The movement's aim was to re-establish a harmony between architect, designer and craftsman, and to produce handmade, well-designed, affordable, everyday objects. These products would enhance the lives of ordinary people while providing fulfilling work for the craftsman."  {Source}



This fall we took a road trip to East Aurora, NY
to visit the Roycroft Campus.
It was founded by Elbert Hubbard in 1895,
after having met William Morris and discussing
"...the 'ideal' return to pre-industrial society where
all household items were handmade."
That's all I needed to hear, to know it is a place
I must see...






We visited several of the buildings, including the
Roycroft Inn--all amazing--as were the beautiful,
handcrafted items found in the museum and in the gift shop!
~~~~~
Of course, no trip to East Aurora is complete without
a visit to Vidler's 5 & 10...

...and a stop at a unique cafe for something
good to eat...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, ladies, for stopping by this week to enter
and congratulations to the winner, Deborah!



~Deb


8 comments:

  1. wow! That's beautiful! I'm all about baby steps when it comes to homemade and handmade...I made pasta from scratch the other day for the first time

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mmm, homemade pasta sounds wonderful--it's been so long since I've done that!...Deb

      Delete
  2. I love Arts and Crafts. Those doors are either very big or very short. The handle seems to be awful close to the ground but I do love the hardware on them. Always wanted to get a craftsman home but not in the cards for this lifetime. Did you buy anything?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The doors are very big! I didn't buy anything, though I would have loved several items I saw. I did come away with a lot of inspiration as I saw some great sea glass earrings--I have a jar of sea glass and can't wait to try making my own...Deb

      Delete
  3. This sounds like a perfect place for you with your love of handmade. My friend Sue Mair is a master artisan there. Her husband Robb is a docent for school groups. We haven't been to Vidler's in years but always enjoy "poking around" when we go.

    http://www.scherenschnitteoriginals.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did find several things at Vidler's, including some autumn leave cookie cutters--they have a great selection!...Deb

      Delete
  4. How great to be able to visit Roycroft. I'm on the west coast, so that's something I can only read about, but imagine my astonishment at finding a set of Roycroft candlestick holders at the Goodwill some years ago! The Craftsman era has alot to inspire, doesn't it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am from Western New York also and love Vidlers (but it has been a while since I've been there). I have never been to Roycraft but will make it a priority real soon.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking time to leave a comment--I love reading each and every one! I will try to answer any questions you have in the comment section. Due to the amount of spam, I am sadly no longer able to accept Anonymous comments....Kindly, Deb

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails