Thursday, February 23, 2012

Crafters Co-op Retail Store Update!

Crafter's Co-op will be opening on Monday, April 2nd at 10 a.m. at 910 Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA. This 1100 foot retail space, in an 100 year old building with a water view is the perfect place for crafting classes/workshops, craft supplies, studio time and a boutique for handcrafted crafted art items.

Crafter's Co-op is a unique craft store concept in that >50% of all supplies sold will be reclaimed, recycled or vintage! Everything we carry will keep eco-friendly and "green" in mind. Also, you may buy just what you need for a project, i.e. one tapestry needle, not being forced to purchase more than you need in lots of plastic packaging!

Our super reasonable studio fee of $3 for children and $5 for adults (middle and high school youth included) will include access to the following:

All of our studio tools, including sewing machines, die cut machine, wool/fabric cutters, stamps, yarn winders, drum carder, all sorts of fiber arts tools, rotary cutters and mats...and more!

Our 150+ craft book library. You can peruse these books to your heart's content and trace patterns/templates. No purchasing of expensive craft books for a simple pattern or template. We'll have comfy chairs and a cuppa tea for you while you browse. :)

For the little ones, there will be lots of markers, crayons, glitter, scrap yarns, stamps/stamp pads available for them to create cards for a loved one on deployment, an upcoming birthday, etc. Just purchase a sheet of cardstock for 10 cents and you'll have all you need!

We will also have co-op members scheduling and teaching classes in the following craft genres:
Fiber arts (all kinds, including spinning, weaving, rug making, kumihimo, felting of all types, knitting, crocheting)
Sewing
Scrapbooking and papercrafts
Recycled wool projects
Jewelry/Beading
2D (painting of acrylic and watercolors)

Please "like" our Facebook page of Crafters Co-op Oak Harbor to get daily updates!

We're so excited and can't wait to see you there!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Rugs, Rugs and More Handcrafted Rugs!

I adore handcrafted PRACTICAL items. And of these, rugs are probably my favorite. They are sturdy, yet provide a squishy soft comfort to your cold feet early in the morning, welcome guests as they enter your house and are often passed down from generation to generation.

Tomorrow I begin a new semester of volunteer teaching elementary and middle school children in fiber arts. These next 18 weeks, the students will explore many kinds of rug making....braided, prodded, hooked, sewn, looped, and much more. We will make "mug mat" samplers of each technique and then the students will individually choose their favorite technique to make a small rug of their own.

The first project? A sewn rug, using wool yarn scraps and recycled burlap coffee bag sacks. I can't wait!

Please remember to subscribe to this blog and to "like" our FB page at Everything But The Oink and our NEW FB page Crafters Co-op. Only six more weeks until the opening of the Crafters Co-op retail store, an upcycling craft store, class studio and craft artisan boutique.

"Outta the landfill and into your heart!"

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Crafters Co-op: An Upcycle Craft Store/Shop Opening!

PLEASE HELP FUND THE DREAM! Crafters Co-op is going to be an awesome, innovative craft store, combining classes, a craft library, studio space, supplies, and OOAK completed projects. It will uniquely FOCUS on reclaimed and vintage supplies of high quality at a reasonable price. (Cotton fabrics for $3/yd, NOT $10/yd and up.) Just need a needle, or a thimble, or a classy vintage button? Come in and just buy ONE.

The shop will be located in Oak Harbor (Whidbey Island, WA) at 910 Pioneer Way, with an unobstructed water view, 1100 sq. feet of studio, boutique and library space...and the tea kettle will always be on!

However, I need YOUR help. I'll be honest. I have planned this for two years, have spent 1000s of my own money and 1000s of hours of time in getting ready. Yet, I don't have a rich uncle (lol). We're going to go for "crowd funding" via PayPal. A secure, safe way to help Crafters Co-op get ready for it's April 1st opening! You will receive a gift certificate (available at the store as of April 1st) for 100% of your donation amount. So, you will be prepaying for wonderful classes, supplies, and service ALWAYS with a smile in a GREEN business on Whidbey Island. Not in the immediate area? We would still love your help in creating this upcycle store and will list your name in the store as one of the founders! Please be a part of "Outta the landfill, into your heart."

Donations accepted at Paypal, payable to: royalalpacas@aol.com (Dena Royal.) Have questions? Email me at that same address or message me on my personal FB page.

Friday, February 3, 2012

What's In My Sewing Basket Today: Tie Rug

I'm using a hand tie technique for this rug and while it is quite laborious, I actually enjoy the sensory contact with the handspun yarn yummi-ness!

This rug is being created for the MoNA (Museum of Northwest Art, LaConnor, WA) show/sale on March 17th. This is a fun way to use up many of my small skeins of handspun and hand dyed wool skeins.

What are YOU working on today? :)

EnJOY!

Please "like" our Everything But The Oink and our Crafters Co-op pages on Facebook.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wisdom Wednesday! Tips to Save Plastic from the Landfill

I'm starting a new feature.....Wisdom Wednesdays! This will usually be wise tidbits shared by others which I've enJOYEd reading about and learning from.....

Until I started recycling/upcycling fiber arts, I didn't recycle as much at home. But, fiber arts re-use made me more aware! We live on an island so I feel an extra sense of responsibility to not contribute to the landfill or to junk which may end up in the ocean. Plus, it's nice to not have to pay real dollars to the county dump to leave all that extra trash. ;)

I came across this website and it has helpful and interesting tips on how to reduce your plastics use. Hmmm....I never knew that chewing gum was made out of plastic. What's with that?!

While I'm definitely not there yet (eliminating plastic purchases), I hope to incorporate some more of these wise suggestions into my daily life. Please share what you learned from this website and enJOY your Wednesday!

http://plasticfreeguide.com/