Did you think everything gets quiet here when winter comes and we are only open on weekends?  You’d be surprised! Yes, of course we are still open for group tours and scout programs — but the Log House has been bustling with activity all week.  Volunteers are busily decorating for our annual Holiday Open House, taking place on the first two weekends in December.   During this event, the Log House will be decked out for the holidays in period style and with a focus on Stickley’s own ideas.  Utilizing holiday greens, pinecones, and the home’s forest palette, the decorations will bring nature indoors and spotlight the Arts and Crafts movement’s emphasis on finding beauty in simplicity and in simple materials.

For Stickley, a rich family life was a key part of his Arts and Crafts ideas, and this event addresses his values by providing a peek into Christmas preparations that would have been typical for a family like the Stickleys, including blending Victorian traditions — like making treat-bearing cornucopia and giving handmade gifts–with more modern trends. One vignette imagines Mrs. Stickley preparing to wrap a kimono, a fashionable gift–as was anything related to Japanese culture–for ladies at the time. The Christmas tree itself is a blend of Victorian and modern times, as it is wrapped with a short string of electric lights, which were the latest thing and quite expensive, but in a nod to custom, the tree also includes candles, which were traditional and still the most popular method for lighting a Christmas tree.

While celebrating the holidays, the Holiday Open House is also meant to provide respite during a hectic time of the year. On the porch of the Log House visitors will be invited to relax and enjoy hot cider and cookies, perhaps take a minute to work on a jigsaw puzzle or send holiday greeting to a friend.

 Join us for the Holiday Open House December 3-4 and 10-11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Or come for a sneak peek at the holiday décor during our annual trunk show, which opens at 11 a.m. on Black Friday, November 25.

What’s Behind the Closed Doors? is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Join us in a lively old-fashioned harvest celebration which honors the time when Craftsman Farms was a fully-functioning farm. Now in it’s 5th year, Fall Family Day is the Museum’s biggest and best-loved family program. Bring a blanket to picnic on the grounds and take in the colorful autumn beauty of Craftsman Farms. Enjoy a hayride. Try old-fashioned cider pressing. Watch or try your hand at woodworking, pottery and other handicrafts. Enjoy live music when you try “Square Dancing with Sue.” In between square dances, enjoy the classic fun-filled group game “Simon Says.”

Pumpkin painting will be a part of this exciting afternoon, with all children invited to pick and paint a pumpkin to take home. Fall Family Day wouldn’t be complete without the ever-popular Balloon Cow Craft or old-fashioned children’s carnival-style games, like rubber duckie ring toss, and sack and 3-legged races.

Delicious goodies, including apple cider, cider doughnuts, and a variety of tasty boxed lunches will be on sale from Apple Spice Junction. Visitors will also want to check in at the Museum’s General Store, which will sell a variety of souvenir and sundries.

The event will also feature an Open House at the Stickley Museum, which was the Stickley family home and was designed by Stickley to be the centerpiece of Craftsman Farms.

Fall Family Day is made possible by a generous grant from the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany Foundation.

When?
Saturday, September 24 from noon to 4 p.m.

Where?
On the grounds of Craftsman Farms

How Much?
$5 for Member Children and $7 for Non-member children
Adult admission is $7.
To defray the cost for entire families, adults accompanying children are admitted free.

More info?Call 973-540-0311

September 24 Fall Family Day to be the Best Yet! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Welcome to the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms!  
 

This 30-acre National Historic Landmark is the centerpiece of Gustav Stickley’s early 20th century country estate.  The Stickley family’s home, known as the Log House, was built in 1911 and is one of the most significant landmarks of the American Arts and Crafts movement.  It has been restored to its 1911 appearance and is operated by the Craftsman Farms Foundation as a historic house museum.  Tours of the Log House are available year round, as well as group tours for clubs, churches, special interested groups, schools, scouts, etc.  

The Museum also offers lectures, workshops, and numerous educational programs, plus two family days each year.   Off-site exhibitions are mounted and exhibition catalogues, which include new scholarship, are produced annually.   

The Museum’s growing collection includes numerous Stickley furnishings, many which are original to the Log House, plus textiles, pottery, metalwork, and archival materials.  In addition to these priceless objects on view in the Log House, an original Stickley bungalow has been furnished with touchable Arts and Crafts furnishings.  A visit to this bungalow, known as North Cottage, allows visitors the opportunity sit in the chairs and fully experience Arts and Crafts living.  Tours of North Cottage must be books in advance. 

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is committed to assuring that all individuals can participate in our programs. If you require the use of assistive listening devices or other special assistance please call at least two weeks in advance.   Five handicapped parking spaces are available opposite the Museum entrance, and the building is equipped with a fully handicapped accessible bathroom.  The historic Log House walkways are gravel, but have been graded to make wheel chair access possible.

Visitor amenities include the well-stocked Museum Shop, which carries handmade Arts and Crafts style pottery, tiles, jewelry, as well as books, magazines, and Stickley Museum souvenirs.  A guidebook to the history of the site has been produced and is available on-line and in the Museum Shop.  Beverages and packaged snack food are available for purchase and picnic tables are situated throughout the site.

About is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Our friends at KidsClub13 shared these great photos from our Fall Family Day.

Fall Family Day Slideshow is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Our Detective Tours, special investigative tours of the Log House at Craftsman Farms, are being offered on Wednesday afternoons through August 25, from 1:00 – 2:15 pm. This tour, for children aged 6-9 accompanied by an adult, is a great way to introduce children to Craftsman Farms. Using photo clues and flashlights, the tour explores life in the Log House when the Stickley family was in residence 100 years ago.  No registration is necessary. Just drop by with your young detective, and our guides will lead the investigation.

Free to Members and Member Children.

$5 Non Member Children and $7 Non Member Adults.

Detective Tours on Wednesdays is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Today the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 600 other museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010.

The Blue Star Museums program runs from Memorial Day, May 31 through to Labor Day, September 6, 2010.  The free admission program is available to active duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), which includes active duty Reserve and active duty National Guard.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national, non-partisan, non-profit network of military families from all ranks and services including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families.  In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life with civilian community and leaders.  Membership includes spouses, kids, parents, service members, veterans and civilians.

Operation Appreciation is an initiative of Blue Star Families that seeks to connect military families to the larger community.  Blue Star Families 2009 annual survey shows that 94 percent of military families feel that the larger community doesn’t truly understand or appreciate the sacrifices we make for the country.  Through initiatives such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Families provides avenues for the larger community to show that they do understand, in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of military service members, spouses, children and parents.  For more information, please visit BlueStarFam.org

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.  Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit Arts.gov.

“America’s museums are proud to join the rest of the country in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I cannot imagine a better way to do that than welcoming them in to explore and enjoy the extraordinary cultural heritage our museums present.”

The Stickley Museum is proud to partner with Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts on this nationwide project to show our appreciation for the sacrifices military families make and to offer them opportunities for education, entertainment, and family fun.

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms to Participate in Blue Star Museums is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Families are invited to our 3rd annual Spring Family Day on Saturday, May 1 from 12-4 p.m. Children can ride a pony, make giant bubbles at the bubble station, try old-fashioned games and races, and make May crowns, pinwheels, and other crafts.  All ages are invited to gather around the Maypole to learn the springtime tradition of Maypole dancing or take part in the cakewalk, featuring prizes from local bakeries and ice cream shops, including Atlanta Bread, Denville Dairy, Hot Bread, MaggieMoo’s, Mara’s Café and Bakery, and Panera Bread. Stickley Museum tours designed for children will be at offered.  And you won’t want to pass up fresh cookies, treats, and special discounts on Museum baseball caps.

Admission fees to Spring Family Day are $5 for Member Children or $7 Non Member Children; $7 for Adults.  In an effort to defray the costs for full family groups, adults accompanying children will be admitted free.

In the event of rain, call 973-540-0311 to confirm that the outdoor event will run as scheduled.

This event is made possible by a generous grant from the Kiwanis Foundation of Greater Parsippany.

Join Us for Spring Family Day! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Saturday and Sunday, December 5-6  & December 12-13 from 11-4 p.m.

Visitors are invited to stroll through the house and enjoy the candlelight and Christmas decorations at their own pace. The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms will be all decked out for the holidays as Stickley and his family would have decorated it in 1915.  The Christmas tree will sparkle with Bavarian glass ornaments that were the fashion at the time the Log House was built.  Evergreen garlands festoon the staircase and poinsettias, which Stickley described as “the Christmas Flaming Star,” will brighten the three fireplaces.

HOLIDAY CARDS: An exhibition of approximately 40 recently acquired vintage holiday postcards from the period will be on display along with an accompanying text.

LIVE MUSIC: Holiday music from the period completes the open house atmosphere.  On both Saturdays from 1:30 – 3:30 pianist John Baratta will perform authentic period music on the antique piano in the Stickley’s living room.  On both Sundays at 2:00 the Community Theater Performing Arts Company will sing holiday favorites and lead family sing-alongs!

ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN: Daily changing activities will be based on holiday celebrations in the early 1900’s and will include special times for children to make paper chain garlands and string popcorn.  On both Saturdays at 11:30 Children ages 6 -9 are invited to a special Story Hour concluding with a special Christmas-tree craft project.

CRAFTS: A trunk show featuring the high quality work of present day artisans from around the country will be open both weekends for your shopping pleasure.  These crafts include pottery, woodwork, jewelry, papermaking, block prints and more.  The exceptional work reflects the ethics of the Arts and crafts movement.

REFRESHMENTS: Gingerbread cookies and hot cider round out the open house atmosphere.

ALL-INCLUSIVE ADMISSION: Members: $4 Non-members: $8 (Free to children age 2 and under)

Join us for the Holiday Open House is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Celebrate the bounty of fall harvest! Fall Family Day pays tribute to harvest-time and to Craftsman Farms’ history as a fully-functioning farm in the early 20th century. Visitors will be able to take in the colorful autumn beauty of Craftsman Farms on hayrides around the grounds. The Ironia Reelers square dancers will perform and the event will also feature old fashioned cider pressing and demonstrations of handcrafts like embroidering and quilting. Craft activities will include pumpkin painting and balloon cows, in a lighthearted nod to the prize dairy herd once housed at Craftsman Farms. Families will also see the return of carnival-style games, like clothespin drop and rubber ducky ring toss. The tented General Store, selling apple cinnamon donuts, penny candy, old-fashioned toys, colorful potted chrysanthemums, and souvenirs, will also be open for the afternoon.

Fall Family Day is this Saturday from Noon to 4 is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

On Friday, the Stickley Museum Summer Camp wrapped up lively week filled with nature activities, crafts, games, stories, outdoor fun, and new friendships.

Campers went on a Nature Scavenger Hunt gathering leaves, pine cones, wildflowers, stones, and twigs. They used these natural materials in craft projects including leaf printing on fabric and creating handmade Nature Sketchbooks. They also learned how Stickley used and respected materials from nature. They learned about Stickley’s focus on craftsmanship and put these ideas into action making their own wooden clocks with parts donated by Schlabaugh & Sons. After learning about the pottery of the Arts and Crafts movement they used clay to make hand built pots.

Each day the campers got to know a different room in the Log House, and learned stories about Craftsman Farms history about the Stickley family. By the time they gathered for their end-of-camp ice-cream party, they were able to retell many stories about Gustav Stickley and Craftsman Farms.

Our Summer Camp Was a Hit! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms