The Southern Handcraft Society (SHS) has five extremely active groups in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The Rickie Report asked Caren Hackman to investigate the history and current status of SHS. We include her interview with Pam Warren, President of the Delray Beach Pineapple Grove Chapter and photos. SHS is a wonderful arts organization to get involved with, be it the camaraderie, learning new techniques, or being able to sell your creations. SHS presents high quality crafted items, which often become family heirlooms, to be passed to the next generation. Anyone interested in preserving, enriching, and trying creative crafts is welcome to attend a monthly meeting to see if this is the organization for you!
Behind the Scenes
Southern Handcraft Society With Caren Hackman:
TRR: Tell our readers how SHS came into being.
PW:
The Southern Handcraft Society was founded in January of 1985. The founder, Laura Kluvo (also known as Laura “glue gun” Kluvo)* had envisioned fellow-minded crafters who would be educated through preserving and enriching creative crafts. Currently there are five groups in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, totaling about 190 members who meet once a month each.
Rustic board and two examples of the fairy doors designed and painted by Pam Warren
TRR: How did you get involved in crafting, and in particular with the Southern Handcraft Society?
PW:
Ever since I was a little kid I have enjoyed making things. I would make paper dolls and their clothes as a gift for my younger sister. Then, in Girl Scouts, my favorite badge to earn was “the dabbler”. It included sewing, painting, gluing and miscellaneous other “skills”. As an adult, crafting primarily involved sewing. I took a class at a quilt shop called “shadow quilting”. The teacher was Laura Kluvo and she asked me to join a group of ladies she was organizing into a crafting “club”. This was 1985 and the beginning of the Southern Handcraft Society (SHS).
A woman who organized large craft shows contacted Laura. The woman needed help to run the shows. The first show was held in a model home in the newly developed Woodfield Hunt Club division in Boca Raton. We all had things (mostly Christmas ornaments) for sale in the show. Within a couple of years that group of thirteen ladies had grown and totally assumed the running of the craft show. As it happened, I was the first chairman of our own show and by then we had moved the show to Patch Reef Park in Boca Raton.
Somewhere along the way I took a painting class and was totally hooked on painting. I have had a wonderful time learning and then sharing what I learned by teaching classes. I made it a point that as each of my two grandchildren turn three years old, I would start teaching them to paint with me. This is a part of what S.H.S. is about…we want to enhance our various fields of crafts and our enthusiasm to be creative with others.
S.H.S. has grown to five chapters in the Broward and Palm Beach County areas. Each of our chapters produces at least one large craft show annually; some have more than one show a year. Chapter members, as well as outside artists are juried into the shows. We are intent on presenting high quality crafted items. Each chapter, through the shows, creates the opportunity for us to sell our crafts. We, also enjoy social times and learning experiences at our meetings and at an annual retreat.
Witch doll and owl pot holders made by Judy Jensen; Ghosts on small gourds, designed and painted by Pam Warren
TRR: Can you tell us some stories from the early days with SHS?
Pam:
At the first show SHS put on, so many of the ornaments sold that member Maureen Hitch and I sat on the floor in the inventory room making more ornaments as quickly as we could in order to keep up with the demand!
Delray’s Pineapple Grove, the Delray chapter, took road trips during which members would work on crafts together. About 20-25 women went on one of our early trips to a hotel in Daytona Beach. The hotel welcomed the crafters and set up tables in the lobby for them. All of the SHS members plugged in their glue guns and began to work on projects. Apparently we over-taxed the electrical system in the hotel and all of the lights went out….but the hotel took this in stride and asked us to stagger our use of the glue guns.
TRR: Do you keep up with current style trends to keep your craft items relevant to today’s home décor?
Pam:
Yes! As styles change, the Southern Handcraft Society keeps up with the popularity of interior and collectable trends.
Paintings of lighthouses and an orchid on wine bottles painted by Pam Warren
Caren: What is trending now?
Pam:
Items that are utilitarian. No dust collectors. People don’t want to just purchase items to decorate their home. They are looking for unique utilitarian items such as piggy banks, decorative plates…items that are practical and unique. I enjoy taking classes from other crafters to discover new creative ideas. The fun of it is hunting for new surfaces to convert to “something else.”
Many people can’t get to the beach, but like to bring the “beachy” feeling into their home. SHS keeps track of color trends. The paint company, Deco-Art Americana, offers one and two minute demonstrations of the newest trending colors being used.
*Laura K taught a certain technique of quilting, but earned her name “glue gun” while showing how to put together ornaments. A touch of glue here, a touch of glue there and voila, the perfect ornament. She took great joy in spreading her love of crafts and hoped to share it with everyone.
Unfortunately, crafts “manufactured” in China are making inroads into the handcrafter work so the group makes an effort to stay one step ahead.
Nautical Santa with tree and shells created by Pam Warren
Caren: What sort of craft items are you currently working on?
Pam:
I pretty much paint on anything that doesn’t move – wood, metal, glass and fabric. I have tried to paint on plastic, but am not happy with the current paints and how they bond to the plastic surfaces. There is such a broad spectrum of plastic compositions and not all paints work with all plastics. I’m working on items for holiday craft shows. I’m not sure how many people realize that Christmas preparation begins in April for items that sell in October and November!
Currently, I enjoy painting cigar boxes, lighthouses on wine bottles, fan blades that are painted like giraffes. I have also had a great response to decorative table-top containers that I make by painting small discarded drawers and adding feet.
I’ve had a great response to my painted wooden bowls. I like to add a few tiny bugs painted on the inside. Flamingoes, nautical and beach themed items are all popular. Pam painted a 24” high Santa dressed in a rain slicker with a lobster coming out of a pocket, red crab on shoulder, holding a small X-mas tree decorated with seashells.
Two snowmen on candlesticks crated by Judy Jensen and a Santa painted by Pam Warren
For more information about SHS activities and membership contact:
For more information about Caren Hackman:
Caren Hackman is a graphic designer and fine artist living in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. and author of a book about Graphic Design and Good Business practice: http://www.carenhackman.com/book/.
Be sure to check out Caren’s wonderful artwork – Caren is a talented artist in her own right! She is a founding member of the Artists of Palm Beach County.
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