Big Box vs Cloth, Paper, String

During the government shutdown, I had an abundance of free time, and did not have a long commute each day. I did all the crafts, but after a few weeks, I needed to get out of the house. Helpfully, Facebook suggested a DIY event st a local big box hardware store. My kids used to go to the Make and take workshops there when they were little, so I signed up and eagerly waited for the day to come.

I had a great time at the workshop, but noticed a few things that were similar to the workshops I offer in the Cloth, Paper, String studio, and a couple things that were very different. So I wanted to share them with you.

First, the things were the same:

1) The staff hosting the event worked hard to put together a good project. It turns out that the corporate planned project was actually kind of lame. The local staff tasked with presenting the workshop knew that the people coming to the workshop would want something better. So the staff scrapped the lesson plan and instead prepared three real life options at different price points and technical difficulties to demonstrate. In the Cloth, Paper, String studio, I work hard to plan projects that I think our community of crafters will like and that teach fun new techniques. Every workshop takes hours of project planning, design, and preparation. And I love every minute of it, because I know I will soon be sharing it with you!


2) The instructors were really eager to share their knowledge and skills. It was snowing on the night of the workshop. When I walked in, the instructors were so welcoming and happy that I was there. Between the two of them, they had so much knowledge about the tools and supplies. They answered all of my questions about the project, and also answered some questions about other projects I had underway at home. I also love to help people have successful crafting experiences. I have decades of personal knowledge and experience in many crafting mediums, but I also have access to a worldwide network of professional crafters to draw on when I don’t know the answer to your questions.

3) Small classes mean personal attention. I mentioned the snow. In the DMV, snow means all activity stops. However, as a Montana girl at heart, I was not deterred by the snow. The other seven people that signed up were not so brave. I was the only student! And we had a great time anyway. it was also reassuring to learn that even with all their corporate resources, advertising budget, and reputation plus being located in our very populous suburb, they attracted only eight attendees to this workshop. My biggest event was 12 students, but we most often have between one and four people. This means I am able to give personal attention to each person and ensure that they master the techniques and successfully create their project.



Now for the differences:

1) The workshop is not designed to be a hands on workshop.  The advertisement for the “DIY” workshop was a little misleading. The instructors ask for volunteers to help with various stages of the demonstration, but for the most part, it is just that, a demonstration. In the Cloth, Paper, String studio you do ALL of the crafting (though I have been known to tie a bow here and there). I prepare projects and instruction to teach you new skills and techniques that you can use in the studio and at home.

2) You do not leave with a finished project. The instructors demonstrate building one project, and at the end of class, they often give the finished project to one of the attendees as a prize. The advertisement suggested that I could purchase the supplies and build my own project, which I could do, but I couldn’t build it at the workshop. Because I was the only student in the workshop, I was luck to both build the whole project, I also got to take it home, so it turned out great. But it would have been a completely different experience if the other registrants had shown up. When you come to a Cloth, Paper, String workshop, you will have the supplies to do the project advertised, and you will take it home when the workshop is over. Every. Single. Time!




3) You have to buy all the tools and supplies to make the project at home. Normally, if I wanted to actually build the project demonstrated at the workshop, I would not only have to buy the wood and hardware, but I would also have to have the saws, hammers, and screwdrivers on hand. All to make the project I thought I was going to make at the workshop. However, when you craft in the Cloth, Paper, String studio, I have all the tools! (my husband is nodding in agreement) In my workshops you use my supplies to create your projects. No need to amass huge collections of tools and supplies. But if you already have a craft room and want to build your collection, or learn how to use what you already have, I can help with that to.

All in all, I had a wonderful experience at the big box DIY workshop. I left with a great whiteboard that helps,me stay organized during my studio work sessions. And I also left with more confidence and pride about what I offer in the Cloth, Paper, String studio. I want everyone who comes to craft in the studio to have a fun and successful creative experience, and I think most, if not all, would say they do just that. If you’re in Northern Virginia, I hope you will join us in the studio and see for yourself.

Blocking Your Hand Knitted Treasures

Whether you’ve just finished your first hand knit project, or you are hand washing that great sweater you bought last season, “blocking” your knitted item while it dries will help it maintain the intended shape and fit. 

Blocking can seem intimidating, but it’s quite easy. 

Here is what you need:

• good quality hand wash detergent 
• T-Pins (optional, but very helpful)
• A large towel 
• Foam core poster board (this is optional), or blocking mats if you're fancy

First, carefully hand wash your knit item. Use cool water and minimal detergent. 

Rinse thoroughly and gently squeeze out as much water as you possibly can. 

Then spread out your item flat on the towel in the general shape you want it to be. 

Now roll up the towel and knit item together, like a jelly roll cake. 

Now this part is fun. You need to press out the water. I like to step and walk on the rolled up towel to squeeze out more water. You can do this a couple of times with more dry towels if you are having difficulty getting the water out. 

Now that your item is just damp. Unroll the towel. You can swap out for a dry towel if yours is too wet. 

Carefully lay out your knit item in the desired shape. Be sure to flatten any edges that might be rolling up. Using pins to hold various edges in place can help. 

Then just let it dry! Sometimes, I will flip the item over after the top has dried and re-set the pins to make sure both sides are the right shape and lay correctly. 

Once the item is completely dry, it is ready to wear or share. 

If you love this vest, you can make it to. The Bamboo Shell pattern is available from Purl Soho here

https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2014/07/20/lauras-loop-bamboo-shell/ 

Rooted in Nature - Thinking of You

Here is another card using the Rooted in Nature Stamps. 

I used the tree stamps on a very vanilla mat to make my own forest back ground. Then I used the framelit and a small scrap of very vanilla to cut a single tree. 

The Z-fold of this card is simple to make. Just score your 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” base at 4 1/4” and score again at 2 1/8”.

Fold the 4  1/4” line to make the card middle or spine. Then fold the 2 1/8” score back toward the spine. This makes the Z. 

Then you just adhere your card front to the half front of the base. It’s easiest to apply your adhesive to the card base and set your mat down on it then trying to guess where to stop applying adhesive on the mat. 

Assemble the rest of the card as shown and voila! Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. 

Rooted in Nature - Beautiful Oak

I love the tree image in the Rooted in Nature stamp set. It reminds me of a tree I used to drive past often when we lived in New Mexico. 

That tree was just there by itself, in all of it’s gorgeousness, in the middle of nowhere. It seemed so persistent, and strong, and present. I loved the tree so much, that I stopped on the highway one day before we moved away from New Mexico to snap a photo. 

What a  perfect image for a card you might need for a friend going through a hard time. 

This card is very simple to put together. 

I used a 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” Early Espresso card base scored at 4 1/4”. I embossed the front of the card by loading only the front side into the embossing folder, then ran it through the Big Shot. 

I stamped the tree image on a piece of very vanilla, then carefully tore the edge (tearing toward myself) to make a ragged edge. I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the bottom edge and secured it with a glue dot. I added an embossed leaf in Crushed Curry and adhered the whole bundle to the front of the card. I added a greeting to a very vanilla mat and adhered to the inside. 

So simple, yet so beautiful.

What’s Up In October?

October is my favorite month of the year! I love fall foliage, costumes and candy, and my birthday is in October! October is also the month I created Cloth, Paper, String! This year, I will be celebrating five wonderful years of building this creative community. 

Since October is so great, I have a plan to celebrate all month long, and I hope you will join us. 

What would any great birthday celebration require? Probably games, presents, good memories, maybe some crafts, and of course, cake!

Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and here. Join in the fun by adding photos or comments  on the post, and I will be giving away prizes all month long. Prizes will include handmade cards that you can use to send to the people you love, and of course, free craft supplies. 

On Mondays, your challenge will be to #makeacardsendacard (#MACSAC). Each week, I will have a theme, announced on Facebook live, challenging you to send a card to someone. All you have to do is make the card (or use a handmade card from your stash), mail it, and post a photo in the comments of that week’s Monday #MACSAC post. Be sure to post your photo of the card front, or even the stack of cards in your mailbox by Sunday of each week. 

On Tuesdays, I will be encouraging you to try a new craft or technique. By the end of the week share how it went in a comment on that Tuesday post. 

Wednesday’s are game night! I will post a quiz or question. Just add your answer to the comments and I will choose a winner on Thursday morning. 

Thursday’s are for memories, #TBT. I will be sharing a few of my favorite Cloth, Paper, String memories, and would love to hear some of your memories along the way. 

Friday’s are fun-days. Each Friday, I will post a new creative challenge for the weekend. Complete the challenge by Sunday evening, and tell us about it, or post a photo in the comments to the Friday challenge post. 

Every Saturday, I will post a Saturday Special. Now I post Stampin’ Up! specials when they are abounded. But these Saturday offers are discounts or deals, just for you. 

Finally, Sunday’s will be our Prize Patrol. This is the day when I tally up all of the challenge results and comments, and draw the winners. Most prizes will be mailed by the following week, though some will be mailed by November 1. 

Are you ready to party all month long? I am! And I’m excited to have you help me celebrate five years this amazing Cloth, Paper, String adventure. 

It’s a Jungle Out There Kids!

Yesterday was Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day! This is a great day because there are a lot of adorable, fresh faces at the office, and the kiddos are learning about the real world of work. I always enjoyed bringing my kids to the office to help them understand what it is I really do in my day job. I do “policy”. This is really hard for people, even adults, to grasp what I really do. It’s not like being a pilot, or a police officer, or a waitress.  It isn’t implicitly understood what my function or output is. But I think what I do is very interesting and fun and important. Coming to the office gave the kids context for what my job is, and helped them appreciate how and where I spent my days.

Of course my kids are grown now, so I miss binging them in for the day. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy when my colleagues children come to the office. In fact I was very excited to learn that a colleague was bringing her two young boys to a meeting early in the morning. To make sure they had a productive day, I made them padfolios and business cards to help them get through the rest of the day.

These are super simple to replicate. I used a 8” x 10 1/4” piece of cardstock scored at 5” and 5 1/4”. I glued that to a small note pad to make the cover. Then I made a 5 1/2” x 4 1/4” Night of Navy mat. I stamped and used watercolor pencils and a blender pen to color the Animal Outing* stamp set  images on a 5 1/4” x 4” whisper white base.

I used a 5” x 5” square retired DSP and the envelope punch board to make the inside pocket that held the printed business cards. Assembly was quick and easy. Coupled with some crayons and the boys made it through at least one meeting taking “notes”.

*The Animal Outing stamp set is in the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog, and available starting in June. Sign up for my mailing list if you would like a new catalog when it’s available.

On Stage!

I’ve just come home from one of my favorite weekends of the year, On Stage!

On Stage is a twice a year creative refuel from Stampin’ Up! It is chock full of fun, crafting, and creative inspiration. Of course we do some business related work as well, but fun is the main event.


This past weekend, I got an exclusive early look at the new 2018-2019 Stampin’ Up! Catalog (Want one? Request one here). I got to try out some of the beautiful and innovative new paper crafting products headed our way. And I get to pre-order some of those products and will get to play with them for weeks before anyone else.

I met new friends and reconnected with long time friends. I learned new techniques and have a notebook full of ideas to share with you.

And I got spoiled. Seriously. Spoiled, with a capital S! So many treats and freebies. I can’t decide which are my favorites.

So stay tuned.  I’m going to be sharing so much of the On Stage awesomeness over the next few weeks, and months. And I’m planning to run out of ideas by the fall, just in time for the next On Stage (which BTW is the big 30th anniversary party for Stampin’ Up!).

Does attending On Stage sound like fun? Why don’t you join me in November? Contact me for all the details.