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Dearest Friends of The Crafting Cottage,
A new month and a new week to start our Craftiness. Apparently, we have six more weeks of winter which translates to six more weeks to stay indoors and craft, craft, craft.
GREAT NEWS! I have figured out how to attach the Cottage Musings to the Crafting Cottage's website. "Newsletter" now has its own page. I may or may not stop posting the Musings on Facebook. Many of you receive this Musings directly in your email box so don't worry - that will still happen. Just know that IF all of a sudden you are not seeing the Musings on the Crafting Cottage's Facebook Page - just go to the website and click on the "Newsletter" button at the top of the page.
This past week, I have continued to work on the updates to the Workshop room, the Tool Room and sorting the myriad of products ranging from stencils to die-cutting sets.
You know when you are cleaning up a room at home and attempting to "organize" it? You know how you get easily distracted by finding things you had forgotten about? Picture albums you discover and decide to take a "minute" to just quickly look through and then five hours later....
....For me, it's discovering boxes of products with a "Class-in-Progress" inside. I end up sitting down for a while to refresh my memory as to what the original plans were for that class. I'm reminded of just how much COVID impacted my business.
I hope to bring some of those classes back to life over the next several months at the Crafting Cottage.
I received a very interesting email from two of our Crafting Sisters last week. It intrigued me enough to take them up on their suggestion. It involves a CONTEST!!! How fun!! More details in this Musings.
The Papercrafters Purge Event is slated for Saturday, February 22nd. However, I am not sure where yet. We continue to adjust our sails as technological challenges, Bots, algorithms, etc. try to blow us off course.
So - my friends. On to the Musings...
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Two weeks ago, I participated in the Collins Group Virtual Conference. This used to be the paper crafting conference I would attend in person in Boston.
Via computer, I attended several classes, meetings and watched Make 'n Takes. All the companies participating in this conference designs their classes and Make 'n Takes and provides all the products needed to complete the projects. All the participating shops receive the box of products and supplies about a week before the sessions begin.
By now, many of you know that Spellbinders purchased the company, Hero Arts. I'd rather see companies combine to stay strong. These are two very popular and imaginative companies.
Sadly, Impression Obsession, closed right before Christmas.
I enjoyed being a "student" again. What I need to do is take the leap of confidence and start teaching virtually as well. I miss the personal connections, of course. But, I have been doing some research and there is a way to connect with crafters during a "live" class vs. a pre-taped class. I am going to experiment with both. In the meantime, if you would not mind participating in the quick mini-survey below - that would help me with my continuing research. Just click the link.
Thank you.
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Please visit the Crafting Cottage's Booth
located on the first floor
AT:
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Crafting Cottage Inn Musings... | |
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Lots of activity happening for 2025.
I will be hosting several "Retreat Weekends" this year. These weekends will be geared towards combining serenity and bliss with paper crafting pursuits. I will be announcing the first retreat dates as soon as I have confirmed some of the outside instructors.
Additionally, several groups have already booked the Inn. The following weekends are already reserved:
February 15th - 18th - Group of 4
February 21st - 23rd - Website Work & Retreat Planning Group/3
March 14th - 16th - Group of 4
March 20th - 23rd - Scrapbook & Cards Virtual Workshop Weekend Group/2
March 28th - 30th - Group of 4
April 26th - April 29th - Group of 3
May/June/July & August: Flexible availability for groups. Contact for info.
September 12th - 15th - Group of 4
September 25th - 28th - Creative Goddess Retreat
October 3rd - 5th - Group of 5
October 10th - 13th - Group of 4
October 27th - November 1st: Week Long Craft 'n Chat & Retreat Weekend
The Calendar on the website has been updated. Feel free to check it out to see what weekends are available for you and a group of friends to enjoy a relaxing, stress-free time crafting away.
Staying at the Crafting Cottage is a more intimate experience compared to the large crops held at hotels around the country. Throughout one's stay, the option to stay in one's pajamas for the entire time is fine. Order food to be delivered or enjoy "Crockpot" competitions with your fellow crafters. Guests staying at the Cottage have full use of the kitchen. Many guests bring a LOT of food so that they can just stay nice and cozy at the Cottage and never have to leave until it's time to head home.
Oh - and the Tool Room.....(more on that special room coming).
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Get Me Through the Winter Club
January's kit was filled with pre-cut "Postage" blank panels, a package with two different stencils for shading the panels or filling the panels with a variety of designs. The kit also included several blank A2 cards with envelopes plus a clear stamp set, plus "postage stamp" themed papers, ribbon and more!
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The stamp set, from Waffle Flower, had several great images and sentiments. | |
I have already heard from a couple of the club members and they are loving the whole postage stamp vibe.
Here are some pictures from our Pennsylvania crafter, Eva. One of my favorite aspects of Eva's cards is that she always decorates the inside of her cards as well as the front.
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The February Kit for the Get Me Through the Winter Club Members included a set of layering stencils with different flowers and a stamp set plus more blank cards and Postal Panels to create cards similar to those shown below which were the "Inspiration" cards. | |
I'm looking forward to seeing what our creative sisterhood will come up with. | |
The Creative Challenge Kit for January came with two different die sets to help create slots, pockets and tags with slots plus bright and gorgeous floral papers as well as basic cardstock, ribbon and pre-cut mini-album covers and interior pages. | |
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Those kits went out late in January - so I expect to start having members send me pictures of their projects in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to share what they send.
The February kits will be sent out at the end of this week.
Remember - you can sign up for the Creative Challenge Club anytime. To get more information - CLICK HERE!
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Mark your calendars for the following Craft 'n Chat Events!
Some of the events will offer "sleep over" options. Some of the events will have a minimum number of crafters needed to sign up. Make sure you check all the information before you register.
Online registrations READY now - just click the links that match the day or days you wish to join in the fun.
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Day Trippers' Craft 'n Chat
When:
Thursday, February 27th - Sunday, March 2nd
Thursday: 11 AM - 9 PM
Friday: 11 AM - 9 PM
Saturday: 11 AM - 9 PM
Sunday: 11 AM - 4 PM
Prices: 1 Day Only - $25 per person (Either Thursday, Friday or Saturday)
Enjoy 2 Days for just $35 per person
(Any two days in a row)
Enjoy 3 Days for just $50 per person
(Thursday, Friday & Saturday)
Sunday Only: $20 per person (minimum 4 crafters needed)
- What is included?
- Your own table with cushy office chair & ample lighting
- Full use of the kitchen - please bring your own snacks/lunch/dinner
- Access to the Tool Room
- Enjoy the complimentary Beverage Center which includes coffee, tea, ice, water and mixes for lemonade, ice- tea and hot cocoa
- A goodie bag including a coupon for a shopping discount
- A Make 'n Take Project to create and take home
To Register for the event you want - just click on the link.
Just Thursday - $25
Just Friday - $25
Just Saturday - $25
Just Sunday - $20
Looking to $ave some $$ - then register for more than one day. Your options are below. Click on the link that matches what you want to register for.
Click Here to register for 2 days - Thursday & Friday $35
OR
Click Here to register for 2 days - Friday & Saturday $35
Click HERE for THREE days - Thursday, Friday & Saturday - $50
For those who wish to stay overnight and craft the nights away...
A minimum of two nights is required Either Thursday & Friday nights
or
Friday and Saturday nights
Please contact me at: info@thecraftingcottage.com if interested.
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Starting Wednesday, March 5th in the month of March - every Wednesday night from 6 PM till 8 PM will be "Card Sharks" night. A great way to break up one's week.
Each Wednesday night, "players" will be dealt a set of blank cards. Additionally, each player will receive a special bag or box filled with a variety of products, embellishments, die-cuts and more.
Each "crafty player" will receive an envelope with their secret assignment. Using "the hand" each player was "dealt", they get to enjoy "playing" with their stash for about 1 1/2 hours. The final thirty or so minutes is spent "declaring" what each player was given and how they worked with the hand dealt to them.
Everyone goes home with a prize and more, including their completed projects.
Light refreshments are provided.
Card Shark nights are a way to not only break up one's week and get over the infamous "hump day", but players will get to use a variety of products, tools, inks and discover a variety of techniques, ideas, short-cuts and more. This is a very low key, low stress - let's just have some crafty fun time.
Card Shark Nights are $18 per person per night.
Register for one or all!
March 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th.
Register HERE for Wednesday, March 5th
Register HERE for Wednesday, March 12th
Register HERE for Wednesday, March 19th
Register HERE for Wednesday, March 26th
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"What do you mean by 'commercial grade' dies?"
This is a question I get from crafters.
In the Tool Room, you will find hundreds - yes hundreds of commercial-grade dies from the company, AccuCut. These dies are not like the thin metal dies that most of us are able to use easily in our own homes.
The Accu-Cut dies are made of wood, black foam and sharp cutting blades that are under the black foam. Using the large and heavy die-cutting machine from AccuCut - you can easily cut multiples of the shape you wish.
What kinds of shapes?
There are several dies that will cut a 12 x 12 piece of paper to become a lovely design such as those pictured. By cutting these 12" papers into a variety of shapes - you can add a little extra zip to your scrapbook layouts.
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Maybe you would like to create one of those interactive cards you've seen on Pinterest, or in a magazine or on YouTube?? Imagine if you could simply cut out ten of them in less than five minutes?
The card below is an example of one of the many interactive die sets you will find in the Tool Room. The card below is known as a "Cascading" card. To try and cut and score the papers on your own to create this card would take quite a bit of time.
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The card above was made using one of the "Stair Step" dies. There is another Stair Step die that has the steps going along the side of the card instead of down the middle. Choices, choices!
How about easily creating unique albums for scrapbooking or journaling???
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The beauty of these commercial grade dies is the ability to create some of the most time-consuming projects in mere minutes! You save time by having the heavy-duty dies do all the work. They cut the paper for you and even SCORE all the areas that need to be scored for you. BOOM!
But, hey - if you love using a ruler and Exacto knife and a ruler and spend the time measuring, lining things up, cutting, scoring, folding....you go for it!!!
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The Workshop Room Musings... | |
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Winning Categories:
Most Imaginative Idea
Most Hilarious Idea
Closest to the Actual New Layout of the Room
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CONTEST!!
Here's the challenge question:
How is the Workshop Room arranged NOW?
I have finally arranged the main Workshop room in the Crafting Cottage to not only accommodate six crafters BUT each crafter now has their own "station" complete with lots of "bonus" room to place their STUFF.
I have included pictures of the Workshop Room in many of its various "arrangements". I can honestly share that none of the pictured arrangements are the way the room is set up now.
Here was my challenge:
- Crafters should have at least 6' of table space. The maximum number of crafters is six for this room.
- Each "station" should be fairly equally desired. In other words - how to make each Crafter's area special so that one or two tables don't always become the "favorite" spot?
- There must be ROOM to MOVE around easily and room to bring stuff in and out easily.
- There are two entrances that can't be blocked.
- The fireplace area has a bit of a bump-out which prohibits having an easy walking path.
- The Crafters should be able to easily see one another - i.e. no one's back is to any fellow crafters.
HOW did I meet this challenge?
This contest idea came from two of your fellow crafting sisters. To enter the contest - draw on a piece of paper how you think I've arranged the tables.
Don't worry about perfection. Label what size table is where. I will assume a chair is assigned to your table. Take a picture of your design and send to me at: info@thecraftingcottage.com
The room is basically a rectangle with a marble fireplace at one end and several large windows on the other end.
One entrance into the room is next to the fireplace. The other entrance to the room is to the right of the large windows as you face them.
The pictures below show you a great deal of the various ways I've arranged the tables to accommodate all sorts of group sizes and needs.
Three categories to win in.
$50 Gift Certificate to the Winners in each category!!!
Winners announced
Monday, February 18th.
Deadline to enter is
February 13th.
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My dear friends, last Monday, I received the news about Sharon Klima, the owner of Buffalo Stamps, located in Buffalo, New York, suddenly passing away very unexpectedly at a hospital. Needless to say, her loss will be felt by her family, friends, her staff and all the many crafters from near and far through her kindness, generosity, creativity and joy of crafting.
I knew Sharon through our mutual ownerships of paper crafting shops in New York State. We attended many of the same trade shows and conferences. Sharon was a gift. She ran an incredible shop and touched so many people's lives in a myriad of ways. Sharon was so kind. A very talented woman who would easily guide you through a new technique or help you discover a new product you just "had to have".
For those who know the shop, Buffalo Stamps, but did not know this news and wish to donate to the charity that Sharon's family has suggested in her name, it is the American Heart Association. You can also visit the Facebook Page of Buffalo Stamps for further updates.
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One of our lovely crafters sent me an email sharing that she saw my list last week of my 2025 Crafting Resolutions. She said that she had created a couple of journals (mini-albums) actually. This was something that was a little out of her comfort zone. But, of course, she knocked it out of the park!!!
I will share most of the pictures of her finished album next week, but I wanted to include a sneak peek. The artist???? Sheila, from California!!!
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I made myself a list of "Crafting 2025 Resolutions". They are:
- Learn how to create "paintings" with tiny pieces of paper
- Create more than one mini-album (of any kind)
- Learn how to make Rice Paper
- Set aside one day a month to simply "experiment' with a technique I've seen on YouTube that I would like to try
- Register for some online classes/workshops or seminars
- TEACH a class online and have fun doing it!!!
I encourage you to make a couple of Crafting 2025 Resolutions. Share them with me by email: info@thecraftingcottage.com
Let's see where we are at the end of the year.
In the meantime - stay strong. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay in touch.
As always - Stay Crafty My Friends!!!
This week - I'm sending Hugs to all,
Georgiana
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