Dearest Friends of The Crafting Cottage,

As I mentioned in last week's Musings, our beloved Paper Crafting World is going through some turbulent challenges. Another wonderful small business, Avery Elle, has closed. Boom. Some of these companies are not even bothering with typical "Closing" sales.

PhotoPLay Paper & Stamps closed without a farewell sale. Avery Elle just closed without a farewell sale. Each day I fear what small company will be sending out an email simply saying, "Thanks for the past xyz years. We're closed now". Boom.

Two Paper Crafting Magazines closed without much warning. Boom.

American Crafts was one of the HUGE companies that started swooping in and buying up several small paper crafting/stamping/scrapbooking companies. Then, American Crafts only wanted to deal with the Big Box stores - pushed us small independent paper crafting shops to the side. Guess what? American Crafts struggled and was then bought out by Nicole Craft Brands. Boom! (Kind of served them right in my humble opinion)!

Earlier this year, we saw Spell Binders purchase Hero Arts.

It's been head spinning trying to keep up with what company owns what company.

It would appear that companies such as Scrapbook.com and Spellbinders are trying to keep some of these company's products available by purchasing whatever inventory companies such as Avery Elle and PhotoPlay have left. I'm sure, in some ways - it helps avoid the Tariff nightmares if a company is simply purchasing inventory from another American company.

And - let's be honest about what all of us are dealing with cost-wise in terms of basic groceries, gas, medicines, rents/mortgages, utility bills, insurance, etc.. With the holiday season just weeks away, we all need to budget our dollars to enjoy the holidays with festive dinners and gatherings with friends and family.

Having said all that, I will be sharing in this week's Musings how I am trying my best to, once again, adjust the sails in these current rocky times, and position the Crafting Cottage to not only be a place for crafters to escape the stresses and challenges of today's world - but I need to navigate the business side of owning the Crafting Cottage, too. That's the "not fun" part of owning a business.

One of my personal goals is to celebrate being in business for 25 years!!! That means, I need to make it to the month of May, 2028!!! The Crafting Cottage survived COVID thanks to so many of you supportive Crafting Sisters! I came up with Clubs and Kits by mail and you joined those clubs and purchased Gift Certificates and simply forwarded your weekend deposits to the next year's dates - that kept the "lights on", as they say. I am so grateful and thankful for my Crafting Family!!!

I am also currently chatting and meeting with family, Crafting Sisters and others as I bounce off some of my ideas and plans for the 2026 year of adventures at The Crafting Cottage. I will be sharing some of my decisions already made and being implemented in this week's Musings.

I have pictures to share from last week's Craft 'n Chat.

Plus details for the upcoming Craft 'n Chats in November.

And so...

...On to the Musings!!!

Last Friday, three Crafting Sisters arrived at the Cottage to enjoy several hours of crafting bliss.

Eva, Cherrie and our newest family member, Jenni, spent over six hours creating hand-made Thanksgiving and Christmas themed cards and tags.

A big Thank You to Jenni for bringing her homemade Brownies for us all to enjoy - and we did!!!

I was thrilled to see Jenni taking advantage of the Tool Room's selection of large dies as well as some of the thin metal ones, too.

Eva's Christmas cards are to the left.
Cherrie's Thanksgiving cards are above.

The joy and simplicity of creating gorgeous, classic style cards.

Jenni discovered the tree die and the ornament die and used those dies to cut out beautiful patterned papers for her cards.

It is amazing how much can get done when one is away from all the distractions at home.

The laundry, house cleaning, preparing dinner - not here!

I also enjoy seeing how quickly and easily "Crafting Sisters" share ideas and cheer one another on.

The Crafting Cottage's Year of 2025 is winding down in mid-November. Why??? You may ask? Well - if I'm to be bloody honest - it's because I have a LOT of work to do at my home to get it ready for my daughter, Tara's arrival on December 7th. THEN, my son, Patrick will be coming home for Christmas and I don't understand why he claims he can't sleep on his bed when it's piled way up high with bedding, blankets, pillows, sheets, shoes, and all sorts of clothes being sorted for donations. What's the problem???? :))))))

We also have friends and family from the UK flying over to spend time with us in December and January - so - you know how it is - all of a sudden, it's like when you're going to sell your home - you start fixing it up and painting and doing all sorts of things to make it look great. Why you didn't do it WHILE you were living there??????

When: Friday, November 21st, 10:30 AM till 10:30 PM

AND
 Saturday, November 22nd, 10:30 AM till 10:30 PM
Cost: $25 per person per day

Extra Day: Sunday, November 23rd, 
 11 AM - 4 PM

$15 per person

Here is your opportunity to finish up any last minute holiday projects. You will have access to tools galore, dies, papers, stamp sets and a shopping discount to purchase anything you might need to finish off those holiday cards – such as ribbon, papers or other embellishments.

• Plenty of table space and a comfy office chair
• Ample lighting
• Access to the Tool Room
• Light refreshments and access to the Beverage Center
• Shopping discount
• Holiday themed goodie bag
• Try out some of the Make 'n Takes set up for the event
• There is an opportunity to reserve a room to stay at the Crafting Cottage. For details and/or to reserve your guest room please send an email to me (Georgiana) at: info@thecraftingcottage.com

Please note - to save Crafters $$$ - it is a "No Frills" offer to stay overnight at the Crafting Cottage and you may be sharing a room vs. having a single. The overnight fee of $50 provides your towels and shower gel, shampoo and creme rinse. A basic "Continental Breakfast" will be offered for Saturday and Sunday mornings. All other meals are on your own.

Deadlines! Deadlines! - PLEASE register for one, two, or all three days of the Craft 'n Chat by

THIS Saturday, November 1st.

Click on Friday, November 21st to Register for this date.

Click on Saturday, November 22nd to Register for this date.

Click on Sunday, November 23rd to Register for this date.

Please click on the word "Overnight" if you would like to stay overnight during one or more of the Craft 'n Chats. This will direct you to sending me a message via email. I will respond to your email.

Weekends are already booking up at the Cottage for 2026 and I am thrilled!!!

I have posted on the website as well as updated the Calendar as to which weekends are available and which weekends have been reserved already.

Month of January & February are not available for any group bookings for 2026.

Please note - the following 2026 weekends are already reserved:

March 5th - 10th, 2026 - Group of 4

March 27th - 29th - Crop & Create Event

April 9th - 13th - Group of 6

September 17th - 20th - New Group of 3-6

October 1st - 5th - Group of 5

There are lots of weekends available in the months of May, June, July, and August to book. I highly encourage groups to visit the website's calendar page to easily see what weekends are available to book.

As of this Musings - the following weekends are still available with links to reserve.

March 20th - 22nd, 2026

April 24th - 26th, 2026

May 1st - 3rd, 2026

June 5th - 7th, 2026

June 19th - 21st, 2026

July 10th - 12th, 2026

July 24th - 26th, 2026

August 14th - 16th, 2026

August 28th - 30th, 2026

September 4th - 6th, 2026

October 16th - 18th, 2026

November 6th - 8th, 2026

Once everyone in your group agrees on the dates - get your deposits in before another group beats you to it. Please understand Deposits are NON-Refundable unless the Crafting Cottage has to cancel your weekend.

I do my best to help groups out - but please understand - one person's deposit does not hold a weekend. Everyone planning to attend must get their deposits in at the same time. I usually request the names of the group planning to book a specific weekend. If crafters start paying deposits for the same weekend that are not part of the first group - I will give the first group a shout out that they need to get ALL their deposits in - other wise - first group to fully pay their deposits gets the weekend.

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Some updates to the Cottage will be taking place over the next few months. I will happily share pictures as the projects get completed. These updates will benefit Crafting Guests staying at the Cottage as well as the many wonderful Crafting Sisters that attend

Craft n Chats, Workshops, classes and themed events.

For those groups that are "repeat guests", they will be happy to know that the Lock Box System will be returning. Groups will be assigned a special code to unlock the box holding the key to get in to the Cottage. On check-out day, the last crafter to leave is responsible for locking the door and placing the key back in to the lock box and making sure the box is locked up.

A new option for crafters staying at the Cottage will be a "Menu" of classes they can choose from for their group to take during their stay for a nominal fee if they would like. More details and information on this coming soon.

"The Times, they are a-changing..." - Bob Dylan

For better or worse - the times are definitely changing for all of us. As such, once again, like the boxer in the ring ducking and dodging the continuous punches from a relentless opponent, I am trying to stay on the balls of my feet and avoid being knocked out.

I love my business, the Crafting Cottage. I love being creative. I LOVE being around creative people. And if those creative people also have a great sense of humor - I love being around them even more!!!

That is why I enjoy hosting Craft 'n Chats and similar themed events. Expect more to be scheduled. I also enjoy staying overnights in the Cottage with crafting friends. Expect more of those fun times to be scheduled.

I have been contacted by individual Crafting Sisters out there that tell me they are not "part of any group that would book the Cottage," but they would love to stay overnights and craft the hours away. Those are the special events I will be scheduling where individuals will be able to join fellow individuals to stay at the Cottage for a night or two. New friends are usually made during these special weekends - so look for more of those type events to be scheduled.

One of the biggest changes I'm making - and it took me a long time to just stop stalling, postponing, hemming and hawing about it is - I'm not going to have a dedicated retail shop at the Crafting Cottage location in Painted Post anymore. Those days are behind me.

I will be moving retail goodies to the booth at The Shoppes at Oldies But Goodies. The Shoppes has been such a wonderful partner for the Crafting Cottage. They have the staff. They have the ability to heat in the winter and use air-conditioning in the summer. They have a large parking lot, are easy to get to AND there are so many awesome fellow vendors there, too!!!

The Shoppes at Oldies But Goodies have set and regular hours:
Mondays: 10 - 5

Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Closed

Thursdays: 10 - 5

Fridays: 10 - 5

Saturdays: 10 - 5

Sundays: 10 - 5

I will be creating classes, workshops, kits and Mail Order Clubs with the products I currently have.

When I am hosting an event, or teaching a class, I will have retail products available to purchase for those attending.

For groups staying at the Cottage, they will find basic items for purchase on the Honor System such as adhesives and ribbons by the yard and special "Bargain Bin" items. Since many Crafting Sisters drive out to Michael's or Hobby Lobby when they stay at the Cottage - they can stop over at the Shoppes at Oldies But Goodies, too, to check out the more unique crafting products such as stencils, dies, stamp sets and more. The Shoppes is located in between the Crafting Cottage and Michael's! Perfect!!!

The back building's future plans will be to host special workshops (when the weather isn't too hot or cold) until I can afford to have a Mitsubishi Heat Exchange unit installed which will be far more cost effective for my business.

What I hear from many of you out there are sentences such as, "I don't need any more craft dies....I have so many right now - many I haven't even used yet" or "I could open a craft store of my own with all the stuff I have at home....", etc.. I get it. So do I! As a matter of fact - I have almost as much at home AS I have at work!!!

While chatting with my family and friends about the current state of where all this is - it occurred to me that, like my own family - we have all been saying to one another over the years, "We don't need anymore 'things' - we would appreciate 'experiences' instead." So, that is what we've been giving each other instead of "things". We will treat each other with gift cards to the movies or the theater or to a wonderful restaurant. We'll "gift" each other mini-trips - like to a ball game or a weekend get-away. Experiences vs. "things".

And "experiences" are what Crafters are looking for. Crafters want to learn new and clever ways to use the supplies and products they already have. Crafters want to spend time with fellow crafters to share ideas, inspirations and to cheer one another on.

Sooooooo......experiences are what I will be focusing on for Crafting Sisters in 2026!!!

In many ways, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I've finally given myself permission to stop trying to bring back a full-time retail shop at the Crafting Cottage. I can't do it all myself and I can't afford to hire any help. These are the times we are in right now. So, I am now free to focus and spend time on the areas that I can do and benefit the Crafting Cottage best.

I have been asking some of the Crafting Sisters out there to be a part of a "Designing Team". We will meet, and together, we will create samples and kits. Having a team or two of "Designers" will help me get samples and kits designed, assembled and ready to be sold via the booth at the Shoppes at Oldies But Goodies - but also by mail.

I have also been chatting with several crafters who are interested in teaching workshops at the Cottage. Variety is the "spice of life", as they say. Look for classes and workshops in areas beyond basic card-making and scrapbooking. There will be some mixed media, painting and a few surprises!!!

Again - to help crafters save some money while enjoying activities and events at the Cottage - I will be offering "No Frills" options. These options will range from crafters providing their own sheets (and making their own beds) to crafters providing snacks to share during events to crafters providing supplies for sharing Make 'n Takes with fellow crafters.

"Face Time" shopping appointments!!! WAIT - WHATTTTT????? - Yes, my friends, in 2026 - I will be offering crafters an opportunity to shop AT the Crafting Cottage from the comfort of their own home. Snowstorm? No problem. You live across the country? No problem. How will this work?

1) You contact me via email to schedule an appointment.

2) During the Face Time meeting, I will take you around the Crafting Cottage's Studio Building where thousands of papers, dies, stamps, etc. are located.

3) When you see something you are interested in - I put it to the side for you.

4) At the end of our session, I'll ask if there was anything specific you were looking for.

5) When you are finished "shopping" - I will send you an invoice with the total of your products.

6) If you are local, we can arrange front porch pick up or I can ship your goodies to you.

For crafters from far away - your items will be shipped.

There will be opportunities to receive FREE Shipping and special Member Discounts, too!

Imagine - a "Personal Shopper for Your Crafting Needs!"

More details on all this in the next few weeks.

Since I no longer need to spend time or worry about trying to get the retail shop back up and running in a way that would allow crafters to easily and safely navigate the aisles or make sure it's warm enough inside during the winter or cool enough in the summer months - it will be just me dealing with whatever condition the shop is in as I move the camera around and answer questions with the crafter I'm working with on FaceTime.

I escaped last week with my hubby and daughter, Brianna, to Arizona! We were celebrating Brianna's 30th birthday (even though her birthday was in July). No way were we going to go to Arizona in July, my friends!!!

Brianna had spent several weeks in Sedona, Arizona during one of her college terms and was so impressed and touched by it - she always wanted to return. Brianna also wanted my hubby and I to "experience" Sedona.

What an amazing experience. We did it all. We hiked the Red Rocks, went for a full day tour of the Grand Canyon, went star gazing at night, ate at several awesome restaurants, had our Auras photographed, met with a Psychic and so much more.

The landscape kept me mesmerized. As the sun worked its way around, the light would change on the rocks constantly.

As for "wildlife", we saw deer with donkey shaped ears, a lizard here and there, Javelinas (which are pig/boar looking animals), a skunk, but thankfully - no snakes!!!

We had adventures.

My Brianna has no fear of heights. As such, when we went on the day long tour of the Grand Canyon - to the delight of our Guide - Brianna was willing to climb down and onto several "open" ledges. Was I a wreck while she did these explores??? OH YEAH!

I don't have a fear of heights - as long as there is something to hold on to. I can climb ladders, walk on flat roofs - that sort of stuff. Walking along an open cliff with uneven ground, rocks and pebbles.....No thank you!

Brianna and I took a class together. It was a "Spirit Animal" painting class. At the start, our instructor, Lori, placed three decks of cards in front of us. We were to "feel" which deck called out to us and then, spread out the cards (face down) from the deck we selected. Brianna selected the Beaver and I had selected the Falcon.

We had two hours to paint our chosen Spirit Animals. We were not allowed to "copy" what the animal looked like on the card - we had to paint freestyle....which was a challenge in and of itself. Where does one start???

Our instructor, Lori, gave us some pointers throughout the two hours - such as how I could create more "feather" movement and for Brianna - ways to show the Beaver's fur patterns.

Since we got back home, Brianna had already been painting some more on her own. We went to Michael's to pick up some paints, brushes and canvas. I'm so happy to see Brianna enjoying this new form of artistic expression.

I was very relieved when all our air travel went without a hitch. Of course, we no longer fly to Newark for connecting flights.

Below are just a few other photographs I managed to get on my phone - on my PHONE! It is incredible what our phones can do these days - n'est pas????

I got a huge kick out the humor I found everywhere. T-shirts, magnets, posters and all sorts of other "souvenirs" showed how Arizona laughs at itself.

I can't believe how much we did in just a week. I had never been to Arizona before. It is such an incredible place to explore. We saw so much. We visited the very artsy village, Tlaquepaque, and went in and out of almost every shop and gallery. Sooooooooooo many cool, cool shops and talented artists. I have been inspired by my visit and will be sharing some of the ideas in 2026 via workshops, etc. at the Cottage.

I am also glad to be back home. I am a homebody and even though we arrived back at our house at nearly 11 PM last Thursday night - I was happy to head to the Cottage for the Craft 'n Chat event that was the very next day on Friday.

Even though the Winter Themed Workshops Weekend is not going to take place this year - I appreciated all the emails and texts from many of you sharing the reasons why you couldn't attend. At least, I knew - the interest was strong. As such, for 2026, I will be scheduling these kind of events again and again. I also heard from some crafters out there that they would like to see more events/classes/etc. scheduled for Sundays. I'm happy to do that - as long as my Buffalo Bills are not playing!!!!

For this coming week, I have a couple of gals coming to check out the Crafting Cottage. I met them at the Hamburg Show in August. I am looking forward to showing them all the goodies in the Tool Room and how it all works.

I've got a crafting buddy stopping in later this week, too. We will have some fun chatting and catching up with one another. Amy's work schedule makes it impossible for her to ever participate in weekend happenings at the Crafting Cottage. She is one of my top crafters to participate in the various "Mail" Clubs that I have. It will be so nice to see her in person.

My next plan of action will be getting projects created for the upcoming Craft 'n Chats. These projects will be set up throughout the Cottage for participants to enjoy. Remember - the November Craft 'n Chats are the best opportunity for you to get your holiday projects finished up!!! Gentle reminder here -

DEADLINE to Register for the November 21st, 22nd and/or 23rd

Craft 'n Chat events is

THIS

Saturday, November 1st!!!!!

In the meantime, stay strong. Stay healthy. Stay safe. Have a fun and candy-filled Halloween weekend. Remember - no calories in candy at Halloween time!

And, as always...

...Stay Crafty My Friends!!!

Cheers,

Georgiana

The Crafting Cottage

info@thecraftingcottage.com