Artists from the Weisenberg Lowhill Historical Society had a reception Nov. 1 titled, “Work of Our Hands.”

There were 10 entries with the artists on hand to discuss their work.

Wine by Hackett Winery and snacks were offered at the Friday night reception.

Snacks were provided Saturday and Sunday when the show was open from noon to 3 p.m.

Everything from standard paintings to note cards, books and Fraktur designs, as well as two little cotton sheep that were being worked on at the event, were presented.

Alida Phillips has been making cards since she went to a “Stamping Up” party.

She became a demonstrator and began making cards herself.

She works in a stationery store. Phillips was an elementary teacher in the Northwestern Lehigh School District.

After trying many crafts, she settled on paper arts and has a studio designed for the needs of paper crafts.

She enjoys meeting children of the students she taught and keeps in touch with the community through membership in the historical society.

Tanya Zimmerman makes soaps. She had been involved with crafts such as sewing, painting, decorating, knitting and cooking.

Then her husband, Mark, suggested she make soap like his grandmother used to make.

She learned from trial and error. The cold process homemade soap takes four weeks to cure.

All ingredients come from her garden and kitchen. She makes the essential oils from dried flowers.

Tanya Zimmerman said the soaps are nondrying on the skin. She sells through Facebook and does not go to craft shows.

Her Himalayan soap made with eucalyptus and oatmeal she recommends for insect bites and rashes.

Springerle cookies, made with molds, were a German tradition brought to America.

Ann Wertman has about 200 of the molds. Originally they were hand carved and the cookies were designed for treats at special events during the year.

Today the molds are filled with paper clay, which is much like papier mache. The designs are for holidays, especially Christmas and other religious uses, but include birds, fish, a rooster and many others folklore designs.

Springerle means “little knight” correlating with the early theme of making molds of horses and riders.

Wertman’s designs are not edible. She helps decorate the Liberty Bell Museum tree and the 1803 House in Emmaus for Christmas.

Baskets in the Woods and Deb’s Glass Creations were exhibited by Debi Zvanut.

She began basket weaving 32 years ago and added glass to her crafts 12 year ago.

She teaches in adult education classes at Northwestern Lehigh, holds home classes and does one-day crafts at the Banana Factory – one-day because of the distance so people can take their product home the same day.

She has been teaching at the Hamburg Art Alliance.

She points to a witch and says she tries to do something new every year. She does basic basket weaving but does seasonal items for variety. A glass tray decorated with candy canes has been sold.

She comes home from The Great Allentown Fair with prizes every year.

Russell Dotterer has been doing woodcrafts for 25 years.

Here is my prize, he said, picking up a rolling pin made with multiple pieces of wood of different varieties and colors.

“It took hours and hours to make,” he said.

He made it for a classmate. The rolling pins sell for $90.

Russell laughs and says his workshop is in his wife’s garage. Her car sits outside.

He keeps buying wood and looking for pieces of different colors and grain. His name is burned into each piece of his work except for oak which has too strong a grain.

A spalted maple has lines caused by wood that was burned and then thrown in a swamp until it is partially rotten.

Marianne Allen and JoAnna Freund, Gene Allen’s daughter, were making cotton sheep for themselves.

Nancy Handwerk said she was always interested in photography. When she sees something that catches her eye she will stop and take a picture.

In the beginning, they were given away but then she started incorporating them into note cards. The photos on her cards are all original.

Some have borders and can be cut out and framed

Handwerk has special “save the date cards” such as for weddings or other special events but her favorite is nature pictures.

This was her first show but she has been taking photographs since she was a teenager. She travels with her son and takes lots of pictures for memory’s sake.

She likes the colors of fall and especially when water is included.

Sylvia Conrad was cross-stitching a table runner as she manned the craft work of her daughter Jennifer Lynn Fink and some of her friends.

Fink has a studio at Geranium Hill. She does Frakturs and other paper-oriented items. Jennifer enjoys helping others develop their art abilities.

Mary Ann Hayes authored some books which were also being offered.

She is a retired English teacher from Brandywine Area School District.

After writing a book she contacted Fink who is a graphic designer in addition to her other work. Between them they found Suzanne Oswald, an illustrator.

The graphic designer is the last person to work on a book before it goes to the printer. Fink studied designing at Kutztown University.

She will make Fracturs for special occasions such as a wedding or birthday gift.

Jeanne Stock exhibited her work in pastels. After a 40-year career in art direction and graphic design she is finds it rewarding to do her own work.

She studied pastel painting at the Baum School. She attends pastel workshops at Longwood Gardens and locally.

Stock has been a member of the Bethlehem Palette Club, Lehigh Art Alliance and Parkland Art League since 2015.

She made many rewarding relationships with colleagues and clients. Her work that is displayed has been made into cards.

Gene Allen enjoys painting local scenes before the land is taken up with warehouses, parking lots and housing developments. It is something that upsets him about this beautiful land. He lives in Stines Corner.

He taught at Emmaus and Kutztown University and after retirement began teaching painting at the Fellowship Community in Whitehall and at Moravian Central Church.

He said it is a good way to end teaching and hopes he can continue for a while.

Allen had his first show in 2004 and primarily works in acrylics.

David Altrichter was a journeyman, machinist, mechanic, carpenter, plumber and jack of all trades.

As such he became a toolaholic. He bought new and used tools and wonders what some of the old ones were used for.

“My artwork is historic by nature,” he said.

His interest in Weisenberg Township came through his great-great-great grandfather, Jacob Mummy, who served during the Revolutionary War at the battle of Fort Washington.

He exhibited a design made from keys which he named the “Keys of Our Lives.”