All Set to Be Crafty?

Are you ready to get your craft on tomorrow, at Catalyst Ranch?  We are! There will be 14 different crafts to participate in, goodie bags, door prize raffles every hour, and light refreshments will be served.  If you got your ticket, you should be receiving an email soon giving you a few more specific details. Any questions, email craftsocial [at] gmail.com.

Project Announcement - Paper Globes

These adorable paper globes, or kissing balls, are going to make your head spin.  Tradition states that in 18th century England, if an eligible young lady received a kiss on the cheek under the kissing ball, marriage would soon follow. While this tradition is no longer used, it is still a fun and festive symbol of times past.

This paper version of the cut flower, or greenery, Victorian version, stems from a somewhat newer tradition of creating paper kissing balls from the year's Christmas card intake.  Wouldn't these be great for a baby shower or a wedding?  Or strung along a garland? You can use any kind of paper, like old children's books, or sheet music, and we will be using paper from Stampology, our paper sponsor, at Saturday's Craft Social. 

Less than 24 hours to sign up, so what are you waiting for!  Ticket sales end at noon on Friday, January 21.

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Project Announcement - Cereal Box Gift Boxes

Looking for a great way to recycle?  Florence, of ReMix Boutique, will show you how to turn your old cereal boxes into gift boxes easily and in no time, using your own cereal box and your new Westcott cutting tool.  It is a great way to wrap small gifts, plus it provides a great way to continue crafting by also creating the packaging for your smaller projects. Come to Craft Social this Saturday, January 22 at Catalyst Ranch and learn for yourself!  Note: Please bring an empty box of your fave cereal for this project.
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Project Announcement - Chalkboard Cork Magnets

Come make chalkboard magnets using this chalkboard paint, and fabric covered magnets, for your refrigerator or anywhere. Plaid's chalkboard paint has added a whole new dimension to these cork rounds.  E-6000 adhesive makes it all possible. These chalk rounds also make great wine coasters for those who always seem to "forget" where they put their glass.  There's only one day left to buy your ticket for Craft Social at Catalyst Ranch, so don't wait!
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Project Announcement - Swedish Heart Baskets

The Swedish heart basket is usually made for Christmas, but wedding or Valentine's Day gifts can be spiced up with this traditional winter woven paper treat, with paper from our sponsor, Stampology. You will learn how to make the half circle and basket-weave variations, suitable for holding small gifts, tags or any lightweight treat, and learn how to customize for your own event or occasion.
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Project Annoucement - T-shirt Yarn and Reverse Applique Scarf

 

Tarn, Definition: Yarn made of upcycled T-shirts that can be turned into knitted, crocheted, or otherwise twisted or woven projects.  Didn't know this existed? Well come out to Craft Social this Saturday to learn how to make Tarn, then use it in a scarf project, make a pom pom, or learn how to upcycle t-shirts in another way, reverse applique. 

Kate will be teaching you the delicate art of reverse applique using several layers of old tshirts, embroidery floss and Westcott scissors.  We will have lots of clean t-shirts for you to use, but it you have a couple old faves you can bring those too.

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Sponsor Annoucement - Stampology

We welcome back our paper sponsor, Stampology!  Stampology is a stamping and card making store on the northwest side of Chicago that has been in business for 8 years, now under new management. Stampology specializes in a large variety of stamps from many different stamp companies. They also have a large selection of inks and hard to find ink refills.

Stampology has classes 3 days a week and all items needed are supplied, you can just show up! Classes range from those for beginners through advanced.  The store offers a variety of projects with a variety of techniques. They do private parties and their classroom is available to customers during non-class hours so you can come in and really spread out your stuff!
New items are brought in regularly and Stampology carries those fabulous Copic markers and they do refills for $1.00. They have a great team of designers (including some Craft Social alums - you know who you are) and always looking for and open to customer suggestions.

Thanks for all the wonderful paper that we will all be using at Craft Social on Sturday, January 22, at Catalyst Ranch!

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Project Sponsor Announcement- Maker & Maker Porcelain Pendants

We are very excited to announce an exciting project that pushes the boundary of craft and art. Andy from Maker & Maker will be showing you how to make a porcelain pendant. After making your pendant Andy will take your piece back to his ceramics studio in Chicago where he will fire it. The little elves from Craft Social will pick up your finished piece and mail it to you. Due to the customized delivery method there will be a small additional charge for this project. But it’s worth it, because no one will be wearing the type of jewelry you’ll be making at January 22nd’s Craft Social!

Maker & Maker is an independently owned, ceramic design company based in Chicago that focuses on the production of expertly crafted, limited edition, functional and sculptural objects. Three ceramic artists from Chicago who appreciated the value of quality design and local craftsmanship founded Maker & Maker in 2009. Ali Gibbons, Andy Hunt and Tim Woodbrey first met as students in the ceramics department at The School of the Art Institute. Maker & Maker released their first product line in December of 2010 and exhibited at the Holiday Renegade show in Chicago, where we at Craft Social, met them. Maker & Maker is constantly designing and innovating and are looking forward to releasing a spring collection in June of 2011.

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Craftster Does Tetris

Reliving an old childhood favorite via craft is classic Craftster.  That's right, we said Craftster, they're a sponsor for Craft Social and will be leading a project just for you!  These plastic canvas needlework magnets will remind you of Tetris pieces from your youth (or if you can't remember Nintendos and Gameboys, just imagine the stress of three-dimensional puzzle pieces falling  from the sky). Casey from Crafster.org will be leading this craft using the best industrial strength adhesive around, E6000 from Eclectic Products.  Everyone will be getting a little industrial goodness in their goodie bags, so don't miss yours.

Casey Buchanan, also known as jungrrl, is an Administrator for the website Craftster.org. Casey joined the website as a community member in 2004. In 2006, she was selected as a Moderator for the Crafty Business Advice Boards and then in 2008, she was hired as an official employee. Casey is a crafty dabbler, doing everything from cross-stitch to screen printing to quilting; she especially enjoys sewing plush animals.

Craftster is an online community where people share hip, off-beat, crafty diy projects and tutorials. The term "Craftster" means "crafty hipster" and draws upon the recent renaissance in crafting known as the indie craft movement.

Craftster is the largest online community for indie crafts and welcomes a wide range of craft types like clothing, sewing, knitting, paper crafting, ceramics, glasswork and jewelry. Recycling, reusing and upcycling are also popular craft techniques exemplified by the Craftster community.

Craftster was started in 2003 and has since grown to a membership of over 200,000 and over 1,000,000 visitors per month. Visit Craftster at http://www.craftster.org/.

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Project Announcement - Valentine Recipe Booklets

Miriam Smith and Lisa Avery, of Chicago-based LIMIRI LLC, the manufacturer of one of our sponsors, Quick Snippers, will be showing you how to create a sophisticated Valentine Recipe Booklet using the nifty tool the Quick Snippers.  This tool does it all for crafters on the go, a must for anyone's toolbox. 

Watch out for a suggested menu of simple and delicious recipes by Yasmina Ksikes Roignant of La Creperie, in Chicago.  You can use her recipes, or add your own.

Here is a sampling:

Smoked salmon, crème fraiche and chives crepes
Moroccan roasted chicken
Mixed berry crepe with white and dark chocolate

If your taste buds are watrering right now, you should head on over and get your ticket to Craft Social, on Saturday, Januaryy 22, at Catalyst Ranch.

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Project Announcement - Fabric Tape

Have you seen all adorable fabric tape around these days? Do you have tons of fabric scraps you can't seem to throw away? Do you like to use tape?  Well, you don't have to fly to Japan to get that cute tape, just bring your fabric scraps or use our stash and learn how to make rolls of fabric tape that can be used for anything from wrapping packages to home decor. We'll be making rolls of tape and showing you to how to make fabric stickers with the finished product, at the next Craft Social, this Saturday, January 22 at Catalyst Ranch.
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Sponsor Announcement - H&H Industries Desk Lamps

Our newest prize sponsor is H&H Industries featuring the Vi-Tek 93® PLUS Ergonomic Desk Lamp. We have been using the lamps at the Craft Social craft soom and love them, we want another one for the office!

The Vi-Tek 93 Plus bulb in the lamp is the only general-purpose fluorescent that simulates natural outdoor daylight. Now you can enjoy all the wonderful benefits of natural outdoor light on your desktop - or anywhere in your craft room or office! The adjustable gooseneck design lets you put the light exactly where you want it .You'll get 10,000 hours of maintenance-free light, 10 to 13 times the life of standard bulbs. Although covered by a one-year Free-Replacement Warranty, the Vi-Tek® lamp will last about five years in normal office use at eight hours for 250 working days a year. For quilting or crafting purposes, you shouldn't have to replace the bulb for over 5 years.

The benefits of the Vi-Ttek desk lamp are:

• Delivers 120 watts of natural light.
• Improves seeability and visual comfort.
• Provides near-perfect color rendition.
• Produces 28% less glare than conventional CFL's.
• Reduces computer screen glare.

The regular retail price of these lamps is $99.99, but for Craft Social friends and fans, you can email Len Tomasello, our dedicated sales rep, and receive a $10 discount. That's a top of the line task lamp for only $89.99 (+ applicable tax and shipping), much less than lamps of lesser quality, that have a shorter lifespan. This lamp is also available in a floor lamp and the manufacturer will also offer you a $25 discount on it as well, just contact Len for details.

We look forward to giving this prize away at the next Craft Social on Saturday, January 22 at Catalyst Ranch. We know whoever wins this awesome lamp will be a happy crafter!

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Project Annoucement - Vintage-Look Zinc Frames

Real zinc frames are so hot right now. You're seeing zinc furniture, zinc letters, and all things zinc in home decor. It looks so cool, but it's expensive. Come learn how to make your own using Mod Podge from sponsor Mod Podge Rocks and some household items at the next Craft Social, this Saturday, January 22.  Better yet, add some chalkboard paint to the background and you can have your own custom chalboard in a beautiful frame!

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Project Annoucement - Silhouette & Paper Cutting

Silhouettes are such precious wonders (how do you make those little cuts?).  Hint: you'll be using your newest Westcott tool.  Pye Squire of Cutting Art will show you how at this project table.  Bring a picture of your child, or pet, or even you, and she will show you how to transform it into a perfect silhouette and then maybe into a card or wall hanging.  Pye will also be teaching you intricate paper cuttings if a silhouette isn't your thing.

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Sponsor Annoucement - Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Attention all adhesive enthusiasts, (and let's face it, who doesn't use adhesive)! 3M's Scotch brand has generously sponsored Craft Social and provided us with numerous Scotch Advanced Tape Gliders (ATG for those in the know). Check out projects and more info on their Facebook page.

These things are fantastic, we've used them in our crafting and you can't beat them for strength of adhesive (with no bubbling) and ease of use, just a trigger pull glides the tape right onto your work surface.  With 36 yards of adhesive tape you'll be making less trips to the store to get more, so it's super convenient for bigger projects.  While a little tricky at first to load, our media sponsor, Craft Critique has a video showing exactly how to load this baby. 

3M and Scotch have given us adhesive to go with these ATGs and they include regular all-purpose, re-positionable, and acid-free.  Plenty of choices for our projects at Craft Social, on Saturday, January 22, plus a prize pack to go home with one of you lucky crafters at the event!

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Project Sponsor Announcement- PinBackAttack

Since leading a wild hit of a project at the June Craft Social, Alice and Kevin are back and are ready to crank out buttons and magnets with you again! By day, Alice is a Creative for Apple and Kevin is a video editor. By night, the two make quirky buttons for their Etsy shop, pinbackattack, and custom buttons for pinbackattack.com. They will show you how to make 1" recycled collage button fronts using pin or magnet backs. There will be a sampling of old books and maps available, but they welcome you to bring any images or graphics you may also want to use!

Sponsor Announcement - Quick Snippers

Special thanks to Quick Snippers for donating these handy little tools for a Valentine's Recipe Book project  at Craft Social on January 22nd, we can't wait to use them and create a very special valentine!

Quick Snippers is an innovative, new product from LIMRI LLC that transforms and combines 6 popular design scissors into 1 tool for the on-the-go artist. Offering convenience, portability, organization, storage and ease, Quick Snippers is a valuable inclusion in every craft kit. Plus, it's fun and easy to use. Creative cutting combinations are quickly at the tips of your fingers...or, more accurately, thumbs! Quick Snippers will allow every scrapbooker, card maker, crafter, designer and stylist to take art making to a new level.

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Chicago Craft Social - January 22, 2011 FAQ

Chicago Craft Social

Saturday, January 22

1pm - 4 pm

Catalyst Ranch

656 W. Randolph Street, 3W

Chicago, IL 60661

 

What is a Craft Social?

This fun-filled event is a chance to craft and meet amazing people. Whether you want to learn a new craft, meet like-minded crafters or hang out with your friends for the night and make cool stuff... Craft Social is the place. We have over 15 different projects in every genre of craft from paper crafting to ceramics. You will decide at the event which two projects you would like to make and then sit at a table and create. While hand crafting your nifty little project, you will meet new friends, professional crafters or maybe even someone who likes macrame just like you.

Will I know what the projects are before the Social?

Most projects will be in place before the Social and announced here on the blog a couple days prior to the event. Everyone will receive a guide of the event so they can navigate which tables they would like to join. Seating is limited at each table and there will generally be two "seatings" for each project so that everyone will have ample time to complete their craft.

What do I bring to the Craft Social?

Most projects require you to bring nothing but a smile but if you see a project in the list of projects that will be listed here on the blog next week, check to make sure that you are not required to bring any supplies in order to participate. Depending on the project table you hope to join will determine what you should bring along. We recommend everyone bring a pair of scissors and a friend (just make sure they register)!

Does it cost anything to attend?

Yes. The fee to attend the Chicago Craft Social is currently $25 per person and there will be limited availability at the door. On-site availability will be announced on the morning of the event on the blog. Everyone must register so that we can plan the event appropriately. We only have a limited number of tickets and space, so register early as this event fills fast. Walk-ins at the door may be able to be accommodated, but you should still purchase your ticket ahead of time to make sure you get a spot. There are no refunds but you can transfer your ticket to a friend if you are unable to attend.

Where is it?

Regarding our location, please note that this Craft Social will be held at our Sponsor, Catalyst Ranch. Catalyst Ranch is a fun and kitschy place to have private events, meetings, and more. Their staff is super friendly and extremely accommodating, and they love crafters. You'll love it when you see it!

Catalyst Ranch is located at 656 W. Randolph Street in the West Loop in the Haymarket Square building, between Des Plaines and I-90/94. Metered street parking is available as well as in a $10 validated System parking lot on Lake Street between Des Plaines and Jefferson. Get there by CTA: Green & Pink Lines/Clinton Stop, Blue Line/Grand Stop, Brown Line/Washington Stop.

Who runs the project tables?

At this event, we have professional crafters, every day crafters, craft businesses planned. We have some great companies and crafters who have generously joined in to sponsor a project. If you would like to be a sponsor for this event or an upcoming Craft Social or you are interested in becoming a project leader, email us at craftsocial(at)gmail(dot)com. This is a great way to connect with crafters.

Other Special Information...

No kids under 18 are admitted at this event (except nursing babies). With scissors everywhere, this would be no place for small children.

No alcoholic beverages permitted, again because of the all the scissor madness.

Some of our sponsors have generously donated some special gifts and everyone will receive a goodie bag when they arrive at the Social. Our Sponsors are being announced on the Chicago Craft Social blog, so stay tuned for more information about what we have in store.

All attendees will receive a raffle ticket upon arrival and you may enter to win one of our fabulous door prizes. Depending on your craft of choice there are lots to choose from and you will get to decide which one you would like to try your luck at winning.

If anyone has any other questions, concerns or suggestions... please email Craft Social at craftsocial(at)gmail(dot)com.

Sponsor Announcement - Mod Podge Rocks

Mod Podge Rocks and Amy Anderson is just about out our favorite blog and blogger here at Craft Social.  Plaid's Mod Podge will again be a sponsor of Craft Social and everyone in attendance will be getting a little taste of decoupage this time around.  If you've never Mod Podged before, get ready for some fun on Saturday, January 22.

We will have projects featuring innovative new Plaid products that you might not have used before, doing things that you might not know are even possible.  Thanks again to Plaid and Mod Podge Rocks for sponsoring Craft Social again!

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Blue Buddha Boutique

We are so pleased and excited to have Blue Buddha Boutique on board with us at the next Craft Social, Saturday, January  22, at  Catalyst Ranch.  This earring project is going to rock your world.

These earrings are one of Blue Buddha's most popular designs. Once you learn the basic pattern, have fun by varying the colors, linking additional components, or adding beads.  The earrings come together fairly quickly, but the variations are endless!

Blue Buddha Boutique, a diverse line of chainmaille supplies and finished jewelry, was launched by self-taught artist Rebeca Mojica in 2003. First operated out of Rebeca's spare bedroom as a one-woman business, Blue Buddha has grown to a staff of several full- and part-time employees, with interns and guest contributors helping the company thrive. Originally handling only local orders, the company now has customers in 40 countries and all 50 states. Blue Buddha prides itself on outstanding customer service, fast turnaround and of course, amazing chainmaille designs.

Rebeca Mojica has just released a new book, Chained: Create Gorgeous Chain Mail Jewelry One Ring at a Time and this website is the complete reader's guide to the book, with links to buy the book as well as supplies.

Media Sponsor - Craft Critique

We're super excited to welcome back Craft Critique as our media sponsor.  You can check out their review of our last event here.  Craft Critique is a unique site that offers reviews of craft supplies, tools, and materials so you can see them road tested before you buy.  Or, if you're like us, you can see what new things you don't even know exist, and then have to run out and buy them! Thanks for your continued support, Craft Critique, we look forward to seeing your next awesome review.

Sponsor Announcement - Westcott

We are so happy that Westcott has signed on again to be an official sponsor for the upcoming Chicago Craft Social on Saturday, January 22 at Catalyst Ranch.

Westcott has been around for over 140 years. Westcott began as a scissors and ruler company selling into offices and schools around the world, and because of its quality and innovation, is now the leading scissors and ruler brand in the USA and the first choice for teachers, professionals and students. Westcott’s award-winning products can be found in nearly every fine retailer in the U.S. and Canada.

Westcott has kindly donated a special gift for all attendees of the Chicago Craft Social on Saturday, January 22.

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