SHOP SMALL SHOP LOCAL – FIND THE UNIQUE, HANDMADE GIFT FOR THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE – SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL
Hello Friends!
We had a great event in the Holiday Fair this weekend at SHS. Fantastic chance to meet and catch up with old friends and raise money from some of our irresistible crafts.
If you missed it you can still find that unique, handmade gift for a special someone. Remember the mottos we go by: SHOP SMALL SHOP LOCAL. And of course it is more meaningful if your gift has extra meaning.
If there is something you have seen before and it is not pictured here let us know… we may have more things lying around. Most things can still ship, and we will of course continue after the holidays to keep expanding our reach.
Check here for cards made from recycled, handmade paper, part of our Trash-to-treasure project:
Mr. Danny’s famous soap is another of our marvels. Tallow is made here from suet rendered onsite, and then becomes the most basic, old school white soap that lathers well, unscented and just plain does the trick. Of course there are adjustments and additions for several different versions, but our Witches’ Balm is just plain soap.
$5 per bar, apx 4 oz
Please check back, as items will be added and removed with sales and changing interests.
As is tradition, our Holiday Appeal is also in full swing–you may have already received your letter in this regard. If you like, you can send or click to help us out with your holiday donation. The winter is already chomping more budget than we can handle!
1. Captains package: One night stay at Salem Inn; 2 tickets to world renowned Peabody Essex Museum; 2 movie tickets to Cinema Salem: $30 g/c at Goodnight Fattys. Starting bid $175 Bid increments $25, so next bid should be $175 etc or BUY NOW at $375
4. Hand formed from copper wire. A clear coat protects the earrings from tarnishing. Opening bid $25 following bids in $10 increments. So next bid should be $35, for example. or BUY NOW at $50 SOLD SOLD SOLD2. Tickets for two to North Shore Music Theater’s renowned production of A Christmas Carol Minimum bid $80 bid increments $25 or BUY NOW at $150
PLEASE NOTE SEVERAL ITEMS HAVE BEEN SOLD AT BUY NOW OPTION
Also please visit other posts where gift ideas are available.
SHOP SMALL SHOP LOCAL!!
Bid on any of these items [click on picture] and or check back for more! If it somehow isn’t working please email mr. danny danielpatrickwelch@gmail.com. Donations and payments can be made by clicking on the donate button on the right sidebar.
[NOTE]: Please keep checking back! We are adding items as we go. Also note that we have added our BUY NOW feature, since people have seemed reticent about waiting in the past.
5. Pendant is hand formed from copper wire. Handcrafted one of a kind pendant by Delpfine Welch Designs. Bid in comments. Starting bid $60. $25 increments. Or BUY NOW at $125 SOLD SOLD SOLD
Some items from our Fall auction, so that people can bid from anywhere in the world! Please tell your friends and help spread the word–we will be adding to this list as more items become available. Most can be shipped, and while some are more locally based, they can also be used as gifts for friends who live nearby or who may visit in the future. Follow to our Auction Album here Facebook and place bids in the comment section for each photo. We will be changing and adding bids to each item. Payment can be made either through check or through paypal. Happy browsing!
6. Wood burned wooden bracelet by Ms. Julia Starting bid $15 Bid increments $5 or BUY NOW at $15
Some of these items are also available in our online store or on site, so please feel free to browse here and share with friends. There are a bunch of fine gifts for the holiday season.
8. Pendant is hand formed from sterling silver wire. Chain is sterling. Handcrafted one of a kind pendant by Delpfine Welch Designs. Bid in comments. Starting bid $35. $10 increments. or BUY NOW at $657. Handmade pot by Mr. Danny. 4/12″ deep x 9″ wide. Bidding to start at $35 $15 increments or BUY NOW at $659. Handcrafted one of a kind bracelet by Delpfine Welch Designs. From the artist: “I bead crocheted the bracelet with tiger eye beads. I cut the tiger eye stone and set it in sterling silver. The bracelet is just over 7 inches long” Starting bid $100 $25 increments. or BUY NOW at $199
3. $50 g/c to Anchor Pub & Grille; 2 movie passes at Cabot and free Popcorn+ Starting bid $50, following bids in $10 increments, so next bid should be $0 and so on or BUY NOW at $100 SOLD
11. Lovely Day in Salem: Tour on Famous Salem Trolley, $25 at Salem Cheese Shop and $10 gc at Captain Dusty’s Opening bid $25 following bids in $10 increments. So next bid should be $35, for example. or BUY NOW at $6512. Day (and maybe night?) in Salem: $100 gc to Hawthorne and Nathaniel’s Tavern, 2 tickets to world renowned Peabody Essex. Opening bid $60, following bids in $20 increments. or BUY NOW at $140 SOLD SOLD SOLD13. Delicious Bagels $25 gc at Bagel World and 2 tickets to world renowned Peabody Essex. Opening bid $20, then in $10 increments. or BUY NOW at $4514. Day or Weekend: $100 at Hawthorne/Nat’s, $50 at Jaho Coffee Roaster and Bakery, 2 tickets to world renowned Peabody Essex. Opening bid $100, then in $25 increments. or BUY NOW at $175 SOLD SOLD SOLD15. Terrarium lovingly made by Ms. Julia, the Plant Doctor. Opening bid $25 then increments of $10 or BUY NOW at $5516. Beachside dining year round on Nahant Causeway! $50 at Tides Restaurant and Pub. Opening bid $30, then in increments of $10 or BUY NOW at $50 SOLD SOLD SOLD17. Ninety-Nine 99 restaurant $25 plus 2 tix to Cabot Cinema and 2 free popcorn. Opening bid $35 then $10 increments. or BUY NOW at $60 SOLD SOLD SOLD18. Fabulous Turner’s Seafood $25 then 2 tix to Cinema Salem right next door! Great night! Opening bid #30 then $10 increments. or BUY NOW at $50 SOLD SOLD SOLD10. Salem weekend package: One night stay at Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suites; 2 movie tickets to Cinema Salem: $25 g/c at Turner’s Seafood Valued at $275 Starting bid $125 Bid increments $25, so next bit should be $150 etc or BUY NOW at $275 SOLD SOLD SOLD
Keep checking back since we are still adding new items, people may be buying or bidding on others, etc. Such as this new one!
19. Gift card at downtown favorite Bambolina Opening bid $30 then $10 increments or BUY NOW at $50
Who among you still does the old school thing of actually *mailing* cards to family, friends, clients and others at Christmas and New Year’s. Everyone is familiar with the famous Christmas Letter tradition. And there have been so many digital and online “cards” that many people forget how we all used to revel in the annual fun of trading our holiday greetings.
It’s not a competition, of course. But it’s that time for year, maybe for Christmas, maybe another holiday or the turning of the year, when people send each other cards. And like it or not, we all fret over them, deciding, comparing, reminiscing and whatever. So order yours here!
Doves of Peace and Joy $4 each set of 5 $15 place order hereThe Forest (or the Trees) $4 each set of 5 $15 place order hereWe The People $4 each set of 5 $15 click and place orderHands Raised Together $4 each set of 5 $15 click and place orderSwimming Fishes $4 each set of 5 $15 click and place order
Our cards are made from our handmade, recycled paper, part of our “Trash to Treasure” initiative More here Trash to Treasure at Greenhouse School | Scoop News Holiday designs are pictured here and include The Forest (or the trees), We the People, Hands Raised Together, Doves of Peace and Joy, and Swimming Fishes.
$4 each, 25 for $75. To order send to
danielpatrickwelch @ gmail.com
or contact through the Greenhouse School Alumni page here:
Payment can be made by clicking the Donate button.
Envelopes are also recycled, made from grocery bags or other upcycled materials. Trash to Treasure!
Each card is completely unique and original. Friends will be amazed and made to feel special and loved. And there is nothing more old school than our envelope made (cleanly and smartly) from a repurposed grocery bag. They can be mailed through regular first class mail like any other card. When we say HURRY and order while you can, we’re not expecting a tidal wave of orders. But we’re not a factory, and we won’t be able to keep up in time for the holidays for an endless stream! See photos below and other posts Special Handmade Recycled Cards and other items – Green House School to get an idea of how our handmade cards and envelopes came to be.
On request, we can add a label to personalize your choice with your company or service logo.
Our “Cards With Cats” are very popular and also still available. Please also scroll here and on links provided to find more of our art and craft items for gifts and collection. Article: GREENING UP the Holidays With a Little Help From the Kids | OpEd News Soaps, ornaments, jewelry, art pieces…you name it. Please help spread the word, the link and the excitement. Thank you!
Absolutely adorable greeting, thank you, personal note cards. Handmade, recycled paper. Our Trash to Treasure Collection. The Salem version: cute, Halloween silhouettes of cats and pumpkins. EVERYONE LOVES CATS!! Please share and repost!
Shipping $2 or $3 depending on weight. Can be mailed. Handmade recycled paper, our Trash to Treasure Collection. Oh and they’re made in SALEM.. did we say that…
QR to order included here. Message or comment address. Share link to post, scroll page for more info on project. Proceeds benefit school.
From Salem for October and Halloween and SalemOctoberHalloween and Salem!!
You need to buy some! And share the link so other people can too! Spread the word.
$2 or $3 shipping depending on weight. Can be sent anywhere. The perfect souvenir of SALEM in October! This set is specifically designed for the Halloween Capital of the World, with cats and pumpkins instead of trees and birds. They are absolutely beautiful.
See pictures here showing the process: Mr. Danny making paper with students. Mostly Mr. Danny, sure, but it’s
QR code to purchase with debit or credit card
a new generation…they’ll get the hang of it.
HELP us make this go viral! If you can transfer the link to other platforms PLEASE do so. On your own site, insta, youtube, anywhere and everywhere. Also if you know of a shop that might carry them for us.
The Topsfield Fair is a huge part of the opening of any school year at GHS. As has become tradition, students this year brought home blue ribbons in everything they entered, both individually and as a group. Fourth, fifth and seventh graders all won first place in the postercontest following this year’s “Farm to Table” theme.
Entries require a lot of work, and our year round schedule gives our students a bit of a head start as they are raring to go once the traditional calendar says it’s the new school year.
The pumpkin display exhibit showed off our own theme of The Addam’s Family, with each specimen designed as one of the famous and well known characters. This was the same design we used in our float for this year’s parade (see parade post).
It is always thrilling to watch the projects come together under Ms. Julia’s prodding, cajoling and inspiring tutelage. Alums who return and see current kids working are always taken back in time to their own experiences in the same contests. The hectic pace, the thrill of waiting to hear… it is quite a spectacle.
Our students made a small splash along Loring Avenue today with their spirited Halloween Parade. “With the public schools closed, I guess we’re the only ones doing it this Halloween,” says Mr. Danny. “It makes sense. We just can’t refuse–not too many people remember this but it was my mom who started the whole thing.” He is referring, of course, to Ms. Welch, School Founder Patricia Jennings-Welch, who taught first at Horace Mann and Carlton. “I remember in the early 1970’s. I was going to Horace Mann and she would come marching through the whole school with her little kids. My classmates laughed and embarrassed me; but now I look back on it fondly.”
Well it is almost here. That glorious date November 1 when we can all catch our breath, if only for a week before launching headfirst into “holiday season” (what has this been?)
Halloween is a special time for us. Most of these traditions were initiated by Ms. Welch, the school founder and Mr. Danny’s mom. As most of you know, she taught for years in the Salem Public Schools before founding the school. She pioneered the whole Halloween Parade tradition back around 1970, leading her charges through all the classrooms and hallways at Horace Mann singing “Who Will March Along…?” This was years before Salem became the Halloween Capital it is today; later almost every school in the district would follow suit.
The school year so far has been remarkable for an unprecedented explosion of art, even among all the other academics. Ms. Julia said recently that these kids have done more art in this season than any other class has in an entire year. The outpouring of creativity and sheer labor is impressive. And this time around, much of it is visible to the 25,000 vehicles who pass by the school on 1A every day (or in this case, night). It really is wonderful to see the school lit up like never before.
Making the spider’s nest was the highlight of the week. Kids had a blast. Still not completely content with the lighting.. but I don’t want to get caught in the web! Charlotte will have to wait–it will need fixing after all this rain anyway…
More lights, more detail. Plus the spider nest. Charlotte’s Magnum Opus. Gotta see it at night. Great welcome to Salem for those coming into Salem up 1A. Kids are doing a great job.
All lit up.. or getting there… Still a bit more detail to add, tighten up lighting etc but still cool. Kids were dying for a night time pic.
From the painted pumpkins to the sculptures involved to the posters to the aliens driving the car to the lights, the whole school has been intimately involved in every step of the process. It is hard to grasp the awe of watching it come together and seeing all work as one. Breathtaking… and exhausting, of course.
Topsfield Fair was back with a vengeance, Oct 1 –11, and so was the Greenhouse pumpkin exhibit machine. It is difficult to express adequately the level of intensity and creativity that goes into this project and others like it. What amazes me (Mr. Danny) in particular is how Ms. Julia manages to keep it fresh, new and exciting after 20+ years of entering this competition.
It is artistic masterpiece on a whole different level to juggle, weave and fine tune all the variables: making sure students at all levels are engaged and contributing in a meaningful way. This means balancing the complexity of design and implementation so that the middle schoolers are challenged, while keeping sufficiently simpler tasks for the young ones to feel important and included in the final product.
In the end, the magic of modeling, cajoling, guiding and then letting go has to be honed so that students know they have produced excellent work together and by themselves. This last is most important, and lacking in much of American art instruction, where the height of children’s “creativity” and (therefore “art”) is simply being allowed to do what they want—without instruction, guidance, mentoring, etc. The whole thing plays out as if art begins and ends with post modernism, and Picasso never had to complete anatomical studies or sketch out, plan and develop his ideas. Nonsense.
For us, this project, our approach to art, and to education in general can be seen through the same prism. This toggle leads to true lifelong learning, and produces incredible results. It also may be why our kids are still creating their own art to decorate their apartments in med school. Quite poetic.
Even though we had to skip the trip to the fair and the parade due to staffing and covid concerns, we none the less still scrambled, pouring our energy into decorating the school like never before.
Nature Bats Last, but Greenhouse School Bounces Back
The microburst that ripped through Salem Tuesday evening, July 6, was apparently quite selective in its choice of targets. GHS was among those hit.
The wind blew down several sections of the school’s fence and destroyed the canopy where graduation was held only a couple weeks ago. It also blew out several panes in the school’s greenhouse building and warped one of the main top window vent frames, which is difficult to access and fix.
But the most dramatic damage was a large tree which was uprooted and fell crashing into the back yard. School officials say they couldn’t have been luckier in the way it fell, falling away from the building and missing the neighbor’s boat and garage by inches. The Directors’ car, which is usually parked next to the tree, was uncharacteristically absent.
It did, however, manage to pull off the back stairs and rip out the door, which will require extensive repair. But school resumed Wednesday morning without missing a beat. The kids enjoyed playing on the downed tree (safely, of course), painting in the back yard, and the traditional Wednesday cookout, a summer staple at the year round school.
“With all the disruption we’ve had over the past year, we think it is important just to pick up and keep moving. Kids need to feel like things are normal, and so do we!” Says Director Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde.
It was simply odd how some things were left completely intact. The mail bin, a flimsy plastic bucket Welch usually takes in at the end of the day, was exactly where it had been left. Glass on patio tables was left intact next to the crumpled metal frame of the canopy.
Silver linings and the spirit of Uncle Swilly
In fact, despite the fairly serious damage, there is a bit of a silver lining and a neat story to lighten the mood in the wake of the disaster. “We have hated that tree for years. It’s too close to the building, and we wanted it gone,” says Director Dan Welch, Ms. Julia’s husband. “Given the kind of miraculous way it fell, my wife is convinced it was the Spirit of Uncle Swilly in action.”
Uncle Swilly was the nickname of Will Fontaine, whose niece and nephew Autumn and Travis attend the school. Sadly, Will passed in February at a young age. Before the pandemic, he had been active in helping trim back other trees on the property with other parents. This large tree was next on his hit list. So in a way there is a bittersweet poetry to it.
The school has recovered from flood, fire, burglary and every imaginable misfortune over the years and lands on its feet. Welch’s final take: “We like to look at it like Monty Python’s Black Knight, who gets all his limbs lopped off by King Arthur and just says, “I’ve ‘ad worse.” Parents and friends have offered support in the cleanup.
However, you can see that we made it look a bit too cheery. It really is a serious situation, and on review, the enormous wind/hail deductibles demanded by our insurance policy means there is really not much help there. We are looking into other solutions, reaching out to SBA, and so on.
Who among you still does the old school thing of actually *mailing* cards to family, friends, clients and others at Christmas and New Year’s. Everyone is familiar with the famous Christmas Letter tradition. And there have been so many digital and online “cards” that many people forget how we all used to revel in the annual fun of trading our holiday greetings.
