Things to Do in Stratford

Initially, beading for Marja Veldhoen was just a hobby. The then-graphic designer started sliding down the slippery crafting slope more than a decade ago after discovering Cindy Jenkins' book How to Make Glass Beads. Soon, she was hooked. Marja shares her zeal for unusual looking beads and jewellery that springs from nature's influence with students through courses teaching the art of inventing handmade wearables from semi-precious stones, pearls, and glass. Her Bead blog keeps crafters abreast of events and promotions, which can include trunk shows, tax-free offers, and workshops on installing chic beaded garage doors.

Fluttering wings fill the sky in a flash of colour as more than 2,000 free-flying tropical butterflies take off across the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. Ranging in colour and size, the insects hail from both Costa Rica and the Philippines and include 40 different species, such as the Blue Morpho butterfly, the Emerald Swallowtail, and the Owl butterfly. With the help of a full-time traffic-control tower, the butterflies share the airspace with exotic bird species, while larger creatures such as red-eared slider turtles patrol the ground. Along with the flurry of flapping wings, the Conservatory buzzes with the giggles of children as they explore permanent exhibits on honeybees, and fill their tummies with treats from the Paradise Garden Cafe.

On Adrenaline Paintball’s vast indoor and outdoor fields, airsoft pellets or paintballs flick through the air. The 12 fields help a variety of playing styles to thrive. Combatants seek out their opponents while lurking through trenches littered with foxholes and sniper towers. Wooded areas encourage warriors to dart between trees. Scenarios challenge patrons to rescue hostages or destroy a target. Away from the multilevel forts, winding indoor compound, and concrete tunnels, the pro shop carries tidbits and gear for both airsoft and paintball.

For 25 years, the talented staff of Creative Art & Frame has encased art, posters, and objects in handmade and custom fitted frames. Bespoke squares team up with acid-free mats, acid-free foam backing, and high-quality glass. Customers can exhibit multiple pictures at once thanks to the shop's computerized mat cutter, which crafts custom picture holes. Specialty frame services easily enshrine three-dimensional display-worthy items, including all manner of sports memorabilia and collectibles such as the elusive albino Rubik's cube. Empty frames find embraceable images by perusing the shop's art canvases and prints.

Since 2002, the Women's Lifestyle Show has gathered exhibitors, chefs, and entertainers from across the country to delight audiences with two days of female-focused activities. Television personalities and acclaimed authors pair with other popular hosts at the main stage to dazzle onlookers with home solutions and beauty tips throughout each day. Rows of colourful exhibitor booths lavish wanderers with products and demonstrations by local spas and fashion boutiques, and the cooking stage grants glimpses of guest chefs sizzling and searing flavourful recipes to spark ideas for upcoming dinner dates, family meals, and tricks to teach robot maids.

The lively group of arts-and-crafts instructors at Lets Art Canada encourages students of all ages to express themselves through the visual arts with unabashed confidence and a focus on having fun. Their varied schedule of two-hour painting, drawing, and sculpting classes invites aspiring Michelangelos to act as the architects of their very own masterpieces using prismatic markers, paints, and lumps of clay. Lets Art Canada also hosts children's camps and birthday parties so kids can channel excess energy into making art instead of twirling in circles or digesting detention slips.