Home and Garden happenings throughout Sonoma County for the weekend

SANTA ROSA

Holiday Craft Faire & French Cafe

Friends Home, a Quaker-inspired elder community, is hoping you'll begin your shopping spree with its craft fair Nov. 17.

There will be a range of items to choose from –– children's books, art and international clothes. Expect to find these goods with a handmade touch.

They'll be knitted, quilted, baked, sewn, fired, planted or carved. There will also be good eats with a resident-created Bake Shoppe.

Meanwhile the Francophiles will enjoy the French Cafe where they can linger over an espresso and listen to guitar and French songs.

Yet another colorful attraction will be tables of Guatemalan handicrafts displaying blouses, belts and backpacks.

The profits raised from these particular items will support the Mayan Scholarship Fund, which has been helping Mayan youth in Guatemala get a college education for the past 45 years.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friends House, 684 Benicia Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-573-4508, jhowell@friendshouse.org.

Unity of Santa Rosa is also holding a small crafts fair to help you get a jump start on handmade holiday shopping on Saturday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with refreshments available on a donation basis. 4857 Old Redwood Highway, Santa Rosa (across from Molsberry's Market.) For more information, call 707-542-7729.

SANTA ROSA

Floral designs for the holidays

Melinda Wolcott, an expert in floral arrangements, will be showing the Santa Rosa Garden Club how to make holiday creations Nov. 26. Wolcott will implement basic design principles with readily available materials.

Her goal is to inspire others to make the arrangements without being intimidated by the process. Wolcott is a member of the Santa Rosa Flower Arrangers Guild. Three years ago she moved from Connecticut to Healdsburg.

She has lived in England, Italy, Singapore and Washington, D.C., which has broadened her appreciation for design styles. 1 p.m. Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa, Santa Rosa, gardenclubevents@yahoo.com.

OCCIDENTAL

End-of-the season clearance sale

The Occidental Arts & Ecology Center is opening its doors today and Sunday before it pares back its inventory and hibernates for the winter. It's offering deep discounts in time for you to plant your favorites before the winter rains. The OAEC nursery's mission is to teach people about biodiversity and the importance of preservation by offering a selection of rare plants. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., OAEC Nursery, 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, 707-874-1557, oaec.org.

You can send Home and Garden news to Staff Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Send items at least three weeks in advance of your event.