Sizz Handmade

🌈 June is shaping up to be a colorful month of creativity, community, and weaving! 🧶

Join me, Sarah B***k of Sizz Handmade, at several upcoming events throughout Schenectady this month:

✨ Saturday, June 6 | Schenectady Kids Arts Festival | 12–4 PM
Celebrate Pride Month with Community Rainbow Weaving! Help create a collaborative woven artwork while learning the basics of weaving in a fun, family-friendly environment.

✨ Saturday, June 13 | Calling All Aspiring Weavers! | Mabee Farm
I'm excited to partner with the Schenectady County Historical Society for a hands-on textile adventure. Families will explore the fascinating history of wool, linen, and h**p, discover historic fiber tools, watch live weaving demonstrations, and weave a bookmark to take home.

🎟️ Free for SCHS Family+ Members
🎟️ $10 per family for non-members
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents/caregivers must remain with their children during the program.

✨ Sunday, June 14 | Art in Bloom at the Schenectady Greenmarket

I'll be continuing the Community Rainbow Weaving project as part of Art in Bloom. Stop by, add a few colorful rows, and help create something beautiful together while celebrating creativity, inclusion, and community.

✨ Friday, June 26 | Free Weaving Workshop | 6–7 PM
Join me at The Brouwer House Creative Pop-Up Shop + Gallery for a free beginner-friendly weaving workshop. Learn the art of tapestry weaving and discover how a few simple materials can become something extraordinary.

Whether you're interested in fiber arts, local history, community art, or simply trying something new, I'd love to see you this month. Let's celebrate creativity, connection, and the colorful threads that bring us together. 🌈🧶

🔗 Registration information and event details are available on the Events page of my website.

✨ A little update (and a lot of gratitude) ✨

It turns out my original date needed a gentle nudge—thank you to the many kind eyes in this beautiful community who let me know that Schenectady Art Night is May 15 (not May 20 💛).

So I’m so happy to share the official invitation…

Join me for the grand opening of my new first-floor gallery and shop space at Brouwer House Creative
Friday, May 15 | during Schenectady Art Night

This space feels like a quiet expansion—a place to gather, to touch, to see the work up close.

I’ll be sharing:
• a small collection of one-of-a-kind tapestries
• handspun tapestry yarns
• and a limited release of weaving kits (once they’re gone, they’re gone)

It means so much to be growing this next chapter right here, surrounded by people who truly show up for one another.

Come wander through, say hello, and celebrate this new beginning with me ✨

Well said Deb! Leah of Sweet Sprig is a soapster rockstar and has a strong sense of ethics that permeates her brand. You inspire me! Looking forward to participating in your book club, which is super fun, and seeing you evolve! Jay Street is a perfect next step!

The new year will bring changes to Brouwer House Creative. After Christmas, Leah LaFera’s Sweet Sprig retail shop and work space will be closing. Leah and Potato Pup will relocate in late January to 166 Jay St. in the heart of downtown Schenectady. This is a terrific opportunity for Leah to expand her following in a wonderful new location and I wish her so much future success. I will miss her advice, her friendship, and the comforting scents of her amazing soaps and candles but I’m sure they will linger along with Leah’s influence in the house for some time to come.

With Leah’s departure Brouwer House Creative is transitioning exclusively to fine art studio spaces. The house will be open for tours during the bi-yearly Stockade Walkabout and other neighborhood events but there will no longer be regular open hours or a retail space. Of course you may contact individual artists to arrange personal studio visits for artwork purchases.

I will remain part of the Brouwer House Creative community but in a new studio. I am moving downstairs to the first floor “Library” room, Leah’s previous production and office space. Change comes just in time for my knee, which has been complaining on a regular basis about climbing the stairs to my current studio. I am looking forward to setting up my studio space and getting to work on new paintings for the New Year!

Three days of weaving, laughter, and letting the materials lead.

Spent a beautiful weekend at Catskill Weaving School with Dee Clements of Studio Herron, who came all the way from Chicago to share her magic. 🌾

She said my piece looked like an artifact, which felt like hearing my hands remember something ancient. I’ll be keeping that one tucked in my compliment chest for a good long while. 🧺✨