Arts & Crafts San Francisco Prepares For 16th Show

It has risen to become the largest Arts & Crafts show and sale in the West.

Over the course of the past sixteen years Arts & Crafts enthusiast and show promoter Penelope Cloutier has worked to build her show “Arts & Crafts – San Francisco” into one of the premier events on the West Coast.

She is bringing it back to the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco for the weekend of August 14-15, where she will assemble more than 150...

5 Ways To Spot a Refinished Antique

When it comes to Arts & Crafts furniture, an original finish is definitely worth more than the same piece with a new finish.

But with refinishers having access to original stain and finish formulas, plus the benefit of online and in-print advise from other refinishers, how can a collector know for sure that a piece has not been refinished?

Here are five things to look for:

#1 – Wear. No piece of furniture survives a hundred years without some signs...

Looking Out For Those Who Looked After Us

My father fell down the basement stairs on Saturday. He is 85 years old.

Luckily, he is alright. A big bruise on his hip, a few more on his left side, and a pretty nasty scrape on his head where he banged against the metal door. He was alone at the time and had decided to go down the recently painted basement steps barefoot – after using the garden hose outdoors. The combination of slick paint and wet, bare feet sent him tumbling – and me worrying.

I...

Making Lemonade - And Living With Our Regrets....

I was relaxing in my living room at the end of a long day, my feet propped up on a footstool, a glass of red wine in my hand, my eyes scanning our modest collection of Arts & Crafts furnishings, my head making a list of things I needed to do: replace a missing tack on my footstool, move the magazine stand that is now catching a full afternoon of bright sun, wipe the dust out of a copper bowl, put out a few more drink coasters.

Our Arts & Crafts...