Local News

Craft, rummage sales offer up unique gifts
BY TAMMY KRIKORIAN, SUN STAFF WRITER
--See Image(s) Below--

Published on: November 26, 2005

Shopping for the person who has everything may be a little bit easier this weekend with variety of unique gifts available at sales put on by the Arizona Historical Society and the Yuma Potpourri Artists that continue today.

The Yuma Potpourri Artists annual fall art and craft show will continue today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Yuma library lawn, 350 S. 3rd Ave. The Yuma County Historical Society will also continue its rummage sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Molina Block, 272 S. Madison Ave., in the largest adobe building still standing in Yuma, and also one of the oldest.

A wide range of gifts and trinkets are on sale at the show, including beaded flowers, wind chimes, hand-painted ornaments, woodworking, jewelry, faux flower arrangements, lawn signs, knitted covers for tissue boxes and aerosol cans, coasters and more.

Craig Iamon, a glass blower, is the newest member to join the Yuma Potpourri Artists, a collection of 50 to 60 artists which originally formed about 30 years ago to put on craft shows.

Iamon moved to Yuma from New York four months ago for a change of pace. He makes beads, pendants, perfume bottles, vases, jars and pipes — some of which are also on sale at the Kind Connection, 2431 S. 4th Ave., where he works part time.

"It started out as a hobby," said Iamon, who began working with glass about two years ago. "I did solely rely on glass in New York for about six months before I left."

Sales were fairly slow Saturday morning, but Iamon caught the attention of some browsers by working on a large bead, or implosion.

"It’s one of the ones that looks like there’s a flower coming through," he said.

A few tents down, Mike Stegeman was manning a booth for his wife, Joyce Ann Stegeman, who does rosemaling.

"Rosemaling is an ancient Norwegian folk art," Stegeman said. "It originated in Norway about 400 years ago. All of what you see here is decorative folk art. In the United States, we call ours tole art."

Stegeman said the art could be anything from "cutesy paintings" to "chunky things like this," pointing at a mirror with a hand-painted wooden frame. There were also cookie jar lids, framed paintings and other knickknacks available.

Hunter, president of the Yuma Potpourri Artists, said the fall art and craft show has been held annually for at least 25 years.
Hunter, who only uses one name, was selling earrings and necklaces made of small wood carvings, as well as miniatures, his primary line.

"I cut them all by hand on a scroll saw and sit there with tweezers and a bottle of glue putting together the scenes," he said.
A few blocks away, a rummage sale was under way.

Karen Roberts, administrative assistant for the Arizona Historical Society’s Rio Colorado Division, said all of the items for sale had been donated and all of the proceeds would go toward the Sanguinetti House for upkeep in the museum.

"Who knows what we get — it’s always a big mystery," Roberts said.

Items on hand Saturday ranged from shoes, clothes and toys to records, games, books, mesquite wood logs, Christmas decorations, napkins, tablecloths and old glass bottles.

"We have lots of things," Roberts said. "One of our board members goes out where they’re tearing down houses and takes doors and windows and things."

Roberts said part of the appeal of the rummage sale is seeing inside of the old adobe building. Some of the adobes have been replaced, but there are still remnants of rags from when there was a rag ceiling and a sponge-painted panel hanging where plaster was taken off.

Roberts said the next project for the Historical Society is to raise money for the Molina Block project, which would restore this historic building that once housed a hospital and later dentists’ and physicians’ offices.

Tammy Krikorian can be reached at
tkrikorian@yumasun.com or 539-6847.

ERIKA BIRDIE, of Port Angeles, Wash., looks at a tablecloth available at the Yuma County Historical Society rummage sale located at Molina Block, 272 S. Madison Ave., in Yuma. PHOTO BY JACOB LOPEZ/THE SUN

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