Grand Opening & Patchwork Recap

Leading up to last weekend, we wondered more than a couple of times what we had gotten ourselves into...a pre-opening party, grand opening day, and Patchwork Long Beach...in 3 consecutive days!? Ready or not is was time for our close-up! Without the tremendous generosity & help of so many friends and family, there is truly no way we would have pulled it off. I'll leave any further sappiness to personal thank-you's! At least tears of gratitude can't smudge internet writing!

A couple of pictures actually exist from the grand opening festivities! We were so caught up in the moment, that these are all we have to share. Our (big) little banner at the top left actually doubled as the backdrop to our Patchwork booth as I'm sure it will for many future events. All it took was some crocheted chains stitched on a drop cloth and the fabulous bunting made by Jessica at Beerandbaking.com (not only did she make the awesome arrow cookies and honeycomb candy at the bottom, but she's a crafty one too!). The pre-opening party was such a hit, our favorite little customer had to take a rest in our comfy lounge area.

Grand opening Saturday was just as fun, but maybe a little windier...we were able to capture our sandwich board (made by Grandpa!) before it's corner was chipped clean off in a gust! Inside, however, we were crocheting and letterpressing up a storm and giving tours of the space! If you didn't make it in last weekend, don't fret, we are always happy to show you the space!

By the time Sunday rolled around, we were running on pure adrenaline. As our first craft fair booth (can you believe it!?) it came together pretty smoothly, but it's amazing how easily things can become disastrous. For example, how did I not realize until the last minute, that there was no way all of our supplies were going to fit in my little Ford Escape? Or that finding your destination can be a matter of having a navigator or not! (Thank you Megan, Jessica & Sean for all your help!!). Our letterpress was a big hit and we still have the gift tag linoleum blocks at the studio if you didn't get a chance to try it out that day. If you did miss the Long Beach show, there's still one more in Santa Ana on the 25th! 

It was so great to meet so many new people over the weekend! If you entered our drawing, keep an eye out on Facebook and in your e-mail as we will be announcing winners soon!!

-Lauren

GRAND OPENING!

Our Grand Opening is finally here! Join us on Saturday, November 10th, to check out the studio and do some fun DIY-ing! We'll be raffling off some great prizes too! We hope to see you soon!

**Please note that we have a big little typo on our official website, and our correct address is 2035 Placentia**

Sorry for any confusion!

Here Comes Halloween!

Get in the spirit and come by this week for two awesome events! First up is a costume workshop/swap on Friday. Come and share ideas and inspiration or show those last minute people how it's done by finishing your costume in the studio. For the swap, bring in those old cat ears or batman cape and see what they're worth to someone else (trade only, please). Friday night we'll be carving pumpkins like mad (scientists!) and we hope you'll join us. To make the night even better, bring in a stencil you've made to share with the group (we can photocopy here). We look forward to seeing you!!

We Love: Imperial Yarn

If you haven't seen this yarn yet, we bet you'll love it at least as much as we do. Right now, we're stocking the Columbia 2-ply mulespun and super soft Erin 3-ply worsted in some seriously beautiful vibrant and neutral colors! We also have some fun options with their Anna cotton/wool twist and the bulky Native Twist and Lariat skeins for amazing texture and quick knits! Hurry and check it out before I buy it all up myself! (Don't worry, we plan on having these beauties around for a long time!)

-Lauren

It's Happening!

We’ve been living so in the moment, that only this moment did we realize to announce…our soft opening is THIS FRIDAY!!! We are so thrilled to share with you not only the fruits of our labor, but of the family and friends who have given so generously countless hours of brain-racking and manual labor!! We hope you will stop by this weekend and help fill the studio with the creativity its been waiting for!

The studio is an evolving space that is ready for you to use and hungry to suit your needs. As we continue to add to our inventory and workshops during our soft opening, we hope you will pardon any quirks and kinks and let us know what you think!

Our new website is on its way, but Workshops are here now! Please check back as we add the Calendar and Workshop descriptions to the blog here and our Facebook page! Workshop registration is available by phone and in store.

Hope to see you all soon!!

Craftcation 2013

We are so excited to be a sponsor of Craftcation 2013! If you haven't read my earlier post expounding the many virtues of this unique conference, Craftcation is four days of indie business lectures on how to start a crafty business, maximizing social media, blogging, in’s & out’s of indie craft shows, etsy, wholesaling, merchandising, accounting, legal issues, branding, website design, marketing on a budget, and more (whew!). And for hands-on fun there are plentiful DIY workshops such as knitting, printing, sewing, canning & preserving, photography, small batch caramels, needle arts, jewelry, embroidery, and bookbinding. Oh, did I mention the awesome extra events like yoga, pop-up shows, cocktail socials and more? We benefited so greatly from the professional and peer advice and networking of the 2012 conference that we can only imagine how they will top it this time!

Whether you are looking to start, maintain or grow your indie business or take a break from your routine and learn new skills while networking, it's an event not to be missed. Registration opened September 1st, so be sure to sign up before it sells out!

Lauren

Womannequins

Last week we took another trip up to LA, this time with stops at PGM and the fashion district to pick up some dress forms for the studio and some awesome knit fabrics for the shop! Not only do we love the dress forms we got, but the PGM warehouse was a treat in itself, so many shapes and sizes (we can't wait to expand to men's and children's soon)!

Below is a snapshot of our shiny new purchases in the back of the cargo van (that's right, we're renting so many trucks lately, I just might trade in my sewing machine for a big rig!).

More progress photos coming soon on our facebook page!

-Lauren

Flea Market Finds & Other Exciting Additions

We braved the 110° scorcher this past Sunday for a trip to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and although delirious from heat and piles of shiny objects, we were lucky to pick up a couple of great pieces for the shop. The magazine rack on the left will showcase some great craft reads (you can catch a glimpse of our display shelving-in-progress behind!), while the awesome black storage cabinet is awaiting its use designation...so many possibilities!

And.................machines are arriving!! Take a look at our shiny new additions below, the Baby Lock Grace sewing machine, Brother 5234PRW serger, and Baby Lock Evolution coverstitch (this machine is amazing, two words...Air Threading!).

Commence drooling.

We have a location!

We are one step closer to opening our doors...now that we actually have them! After an exhaustive search, we stumbled on this space and got that fuzzy feeling inside. We love it's industrial feel with wide open workspace and can't wait to see it filled with creative projects! Here are a few pictures of our little remodel, courtesy of our friend Simon Rotkopf.

 

You can't miss the giant work table in the bottom right image, but what you can't see is the equally giant cutting mat covering the top! We are beyond excited to begin filling the space with the equipment of our (and hopefully your) dreams. More pictures to follow as we progress and add furniture and machines!!

Patchwork Santa Ana

Last weekend we attended the super awesome Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival in Santa Ana. This year's new Arts District location was amazing with each unique booth tucked between the beautiful architecture and liveliness of the neighborhood. With live music, crafts, and special touches throughout (i.e. a bike valet!!) I could have stayed all day.

There were so many amazing vendors...a few of my favorites being Fruition Jewelry, with gorgeous metal worked jewelry that would be the perfect staple to any wardrobe, Yellow 108, whose booth was as charming as their sustainable (and especially fashionable) hats, and Reclamation Dept with their reclaimed rubber bags for the arm and bicycle...seriously awesome! We had the pleasure of saying hi to Delilah and Nicole as well, the amazing ladies who are the brains and, i don't doubt, the brawn behind Patchwork and Craftcation (happening again Spring 2013!).

If you missed the Santa Ana Patchwork, there's still one more for this Spring on June 10th in Culver City!

Lauren

Cinco de Derby

With the Kentucky Derby falling on Cinco de Mayo this year, the party possibilities were plentiful and my friends did not disappoint, throwing a hats-required Mexican-Derby fiesta. I love any excuse to make a costume, so I went to work immediately on a Mexican themed derby hat!

The original hat had a great woven pattern, 

but I had some more exciting fake flowers in mind...

Shaping the brim to get a classic derby silhouette,

I used a light wire around the edge and tacked the brim up with some thread. 

I think there are better techniques out there, but it did the trick!

 A few tissue paper flowers later, with some tulle because it just wasn't quite loud enough yet!

Having made it fairly last minute, I would have loved to try some other techniques on shaping the brim and added more craziness, but I'm pretty pleased with the results! Just trying to figure out if I will ever get to wear it again...

Lauren

Knitting al Fresco

After a leisurely Sunday lunch with family, the dishes are done and there's just enough time to enjoy some knitting on the balcony with a crisp breeze. I'm loving daylight savings time!

I picked up this amazing organic wool & superfine alpaca yarn in Italy but, as usual, had trouble committing it to a project. The first attempt was a scarf, but the variation in the thickness of the yarn was creating a really unintentional popcorn look. I've finally found a nice balance of stitches and the thicker part doesn't pop out as much on the knit side (vs. the purl side). It should be a lovely, albeit small, pillow when finished (and blocked!). This yarn has convinced me that it's better to start a project and take it apart rather than have its wasted potential buried in my closet.

On a side note, I bought a loaf of bread earlier this week and while the crust usually forms a nice crest on top, this one was exceptional...it made a bunny shape! 

I almost felt bad to toast it!

Happy Easter!

Lauren

Back From Craftcation & Full of Inspiration

Now that my head has stopped spinning from the goldmine of information I received this past weekend, I’m happy to revisit my trip to the Craftcation Indie Business & DIY Conference in Ventura. It bears repeating from post numero uno, that it was PHENOMENAL!! After 4 days of what were essentially business workshops, I still feel like I was on vacation. My only regret is missing out on some of the awesome hands-on sessions ranging from sewing and textile surface design to jam making and fermentation. The creators and organizers, Delilah Snell & Nicole Stevenson put together something really special of which I am in awe of and truly grateful for!

So, how did my weekend begin? After eagerly waiting for the day to arrive, my partner in crime, aka mom, and I set out on the road for the 2-hour journey up the coast. Pulling up to the hotel where the conference was based, I was overcome with giddiness, ironically not because of the weekend at hand, but because it immediately struck a chord with me:

This is where they filmed Little Miss Sunshine, ha!

At check in we received amazing gift bags filled to the brim with awesome stuff from the sponsors.

After the very first panel we attended we knew the weekend would far exceed any expectations we had. Delilah, Nicole, and Angharad (of The Urban Craft Center) provided invaluable insight for a start-up indie/diy business. Angharad, especially, was extraordinarily generous with her advice, thank you again!! If you make your way to Santa Monica, her shop is bursting with creative inspiration! At the BBQ and opening celebration that night we were greeted with abundant food, drink, music, and speeches with the opportunity to meet fellow diy-ers.

Craftcation lost no momentum as the weekend progressed and I was inspired by the surroundings, people, and information….

the view from City Hall & new friends,

the Hollywood frontier on Main Street,

even finding beauty in the train tracks right outside my hotel room…

What's more, I got to attend a panel and lecture by one of my favorite artists, Jenny Hart. Her embroidery art is exquisite, and her Sublime Stitching patterns are so fresh and fanciful! I can’t resist including a picture of her Camp Out pattern I stitched up for my nephew's first Thanksgiving (we go camping every year!).               

So with the skies beginning to weep, I too was sad to leave, but excited to put to use everything I gained to help make Creative Outlet Studios an amazing space for community & crafting. If you have the opportunity to attend Craftcation next year, don’t miss it!

Lauren

And So It Begins: My First Blog Post…..Ever!

It has taken me a long time to come to terms with writing a blog, saying “hello world, listen to me,” but the time has come and I’m finally ready to begin. A thought occurred to me recently, that I have always had a blog (called my mind) from which I post (via talking) on a daily basis, often minute to minute. So how am I any worse off writing than talking? I’m not; simple as that! I realized that the key laid somewhere in who I was talking to and finding my voice accordingly. Where in the past I crafted rather solitarily (minus a slew of Craftster posts!), I have a new community to craft with and talk to via Creative Outlet Studios. I expect the online community of crafters will join the physical community at COS and vice versa, and I could not be more ecstatic to open dialogue and share with you on here and in the studio, as I have evidently been primed to do all along!

With these realizations and a PHENOMENAL weekend at the Craftcation Conference in Ventura (post to follow!), I look forward to this new beginning. I hope you’ll stick around and see how it goes!

Lauren