I Met a Yellow Daffodil

I Met a Yellow Daffodil Kristen McCauley, Senior Manager of Education and Interpretation “When the bulbous plants break through the crust of winter, then Spring, evasive, whimsical and wild in her ways, cannot be gainsaid.” The Craftsman, March 1914. In early spring, the bright pink and yellow blooms of spring ephemerals spread like confetti over …

“The only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” -Winnie The Pooh

“The only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” -Winnie The Pooh It’s officially fall, and around here that means the air is getting cooler (slowly), leaves are starting to change (eventually), and the honeybees are visiting asters and goldenrods …

Peach Season

Peach Season By Kristen McCauley, Senior Manager of Education and Interpretation Don’t you just love the summery sight of a bowl of brightly colored, fresh-picked peaches on the kitchen counter? It’s peach season here in NJ and we’re looking at the history of the New Jersey peach, and its connection to Gustav Stickley’s early twentieth …

Craftsman Kitchen: A Treat for Valentine’s Day

Craftsman Kitchen: A Treat for Valentine’s Day By Kristen McCauleySenior Manager of Education and Interpretation “The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne,” This quote gets a prominent place in Stickley’s Log House, hammered into the copper hood of the living room fireplace. It’s the first line from “The Parlement of Foules,” by …

Christmas Decorations from Winter’s Garden

Christmas Decorations from Winter’s Garden By: Kristen McCauleySenior Manager of Education and Interpretation Nearly every December (2020 being the notable exception), we decorate the Log House based on ideas about the Christmas holiday as told through articles in Stickley’s magazine, The Craftsman. In the magazine, Stickley advocated for the use of natural decorations, promoted products …

Craftsman Cocktail: Quarter Sawn Oak (Whiskey Smash)

To celebrate “Fall For Stickley” and The Craftsman Gala, we ‘re serving up another Craftsman Cocktail! Our jauntily named “Quarter Sawn Oak” is a variation on a classic Whiskey Smash, a fruity drink similar to a Mint Julep. Though it appears in earlier bartending manuals, it isn’t given the name “Smash,” until Harry Johnson’s “New …

Tropical Storm Isaias

On Tuesday, August 4, Tropical Storm Isaias brought significant and unanticipated destruction across New Jersey. In the early afternoon, high winds ripped through Craftsman Farms and brought down a massive tree onto the Log House Annex, which, since 2008, has served as the museum’s educational program space. This space, which was to become the museum’s …