Junk Bonanza

It's treasure-hunting time in Shakopee next weekend, when Junk Bonanza returns to town, bringing more than 160 juried vendors who transform castoffs and salvage into furniture, jewelry, accessories and decor. The twice-yearly event has become known as the nation's best roundup of vintage vendors.

Special visitors this spring include Cari Cucksey, host of HGTV's "Cash & Cari," offering presentations on how to spot the best stuff at estate sales — and get the best price. Other special events include the "Yard Party," a gallery of vintage yard and garden ware, and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshops.

Junk Bonanza will be held Thursday through Saturday at Canterbury Park. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, and 9 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Daily admission is $9. Early Bird tickets ($25) offer admission two hours early (8 a.m.) on opening day, as well as admission all three days of the event. For more information, including directions and a list of vendors, visit www.junkbonanza.com.

Textile garage sale

Picture a warehouse piled high with $40,000 worth of fabric, yarn, patterns, buttons and beads, plus sewing machines, looms, sergers and other specialty textile equipment. All will be for sale at the "Textile Garage Sale" at the University of Minnesota Reuse Program Warehouse.

All items for sale have been donated by the community for reuse by the community, with proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations.

You can beat the crowd at a preview sale, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, with admission of $25. The sale itself will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, admission $1. A silent auction of textile equipment ends at 2 p.m., followed by a 3 to 4 p.m. "bag sale" (everything that can be stuffed into a paper shopping bag for $2).

Watercolorist Emma Roberts

Sale items can be donated Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For information, visit www.textile­centermn.org/garagesale/

Spring seminars

Spruce up for spring, inside and out, with help from Gabberts. The furniture retailer is offering three seminars in the coming week. On Friday at 6:30 p.m., buyer Cory Hermann will pre­sent "The Outdoor Season," explaining current outdoor furniture fashions, improvements in weather resistance and color-fading. Designers Cindy Erdall and Deb Peterson will demonstrate how people are using outdoor furniture both indoors and out.

On Saturday at 1 p.m., Mark Masica from Hirshfield's and Gabberts' Jennifer Ball will discuss "Color Trends: How They Work in Your Home," sharing the latest in color trends and ideas for incorporating them into home decor.

Then on April 13, at 1 p.m., master gardener Betty Owen from the University of Minnesota Extension Service will share ideas for "Variety in Container Gardening," offering ideas for patio plants that will thrive for the entire growing season and provide horticultural therapy.

All three seminars will be held at Gabberts, 3501 Galleria, Edina. Seminars are free, but reservations are requested at www.gabberts.com or 952-928-3123.

Arts & Crafts pioneer

If you appreciate Arts & Crafts history and style, here's an opportunity to learn about a leading local figure in the Arts & Crafts movement. Emma Roberts, a Minneapolis watercolorist and director of drawing for the city's public schools, is credited with founding the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis. Minnesota author Sue Leaf will present a "character sketch" of Roberts, sponsored by the Twin Cities Bungalow Club.

The presentation will be held 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Covenant Church, 3141 43rd Av. S., Minneapolis. Admission is $3 (free for club members). For more information, visit www.bungalowclub.org.

Art in Bloom workshop

Want to create a floral arrangement that's a work of art? Bachman's will offer a workshop on floral design, tied to Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Workshop participants will learn some of the 19th-century history of the Saito Ippo Japanese screen "Flowers of the Seasons" and how to create an arrangement inspired by that work of art, using blooming branches, hydrangea and other materials. The workshop will be led by award-winning Bachman's floral designer Diane Enge.

Ticket price of $50 includes all materials needed for your floral creation. The workshop will be offered 6 to 8 p.m. April 23 in the Design Room at Bachman's on Lyndale, 6010 Lyndale Av. S., Minneapolis. Register at www.bachmans.com.

Kim Palmer