Special Discount Announcement - iLoveToCreate.com

If you didn't get to come to Saturday's Craft Social, you can still get in on some of the fun.  Shop iLoveToCreate for a special offer from Craft Social.  iLTC makes familiar products like Tulip® Fashion Art, Aleene's Tacky Glue, Kathy Cano-Murillo's Crafty Chica™ line, and Puffy products.

Just enter "Craft Social" in the keywords at checkout to get $5 off your minimum purchase of $15.  This offer expires May 1, 2011, so spread the word.  Thanks to our friends at iLTC for their generous support of Craft Social!

Prize Sponsor Announcement - VersaSpin 360

Craft Social is pleased to announce a last minute prize sponsor, VERSASPIN 360.  Tomorrow we will be giving away a VersaSpin360, three sets of Painters Pyramids®, and one set of Grabbers™.

VERSASPIN 360 is a unique and versatile project support system that allows you to securely elevate and effortlessly rotate projects to improve results, save time and save effort.  For projects that include wet paints, glues, clay and even cake frosting, the VersaSpin 360 allows access to all sides without touching the wet surfaces.  Many other diverse projects, including flower arranging and sanding or light machining, benefit from the secure and stable support VersaSpin 360 provides.

The easy-to-use VersaSpin 360 comes complete with both Painter’s Pyramids^® and Grabbers^TM, each offering specialized benefits across multiple projects.

PAINTER'S PYRAMIDS® provide non-stick, minimal touch support that securely elevates 'wet' projects involving the use of paints, stains, glues, etc.

•     Rounded, non-stick point makes only minimal contact with the object being painted or glued. 

•     Formulated of a proprietary high density polymer to which paints, stains and many glues do not adhere.

•     Allow you to complete all sides of a project in a single session.

  

GRABBERS™ provide significant contact, high friction surface support for any project or operation where firm placement is beneficial. Some examples include: light machining, sanding, flower arranging, cake decorating, etc. 

 USING ACCESSORIES INDEPENDENTLY

Painter’s Pyramids® securely elevate your project off the work surface so you can save time, save effort and improve results on many arts and crafts projects. Painter’s Pyramids can be:

• Used alone to elevate a project
  
• Mounted to a work surface
  
• Secured to one another
  
• Combined with Grabbers on slippery work surfaces

Ticket sales for tomorrow's Craft Social close today at 5pm so this is your absolute last chance to get a ticket!

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Complete List of Projects Announced

Are you coming to Craft Social, this Saturday, March 26?  If not, here is the entire list of projects to entice you.  Buy your ticket before ticket sales close at 5:00 pm CST, Friday, March 25.

So here's the round-up:

T-Shirt Headbands

Duck Tape and VELCRO® pouches sponsored by Westcott Cutting Tools

Button Box Fascinator by GoGo Craft, sponsored by Blumenthal Lansing

Polymer Clay Pens sponsored by Polyform

Free Form Ribbon Embroidery by Wrens and Roses

Needle Felted Pendants by LBO Studio, sponsored by Clover

Beads in a Bottle Tote sponsored by Tulip Fashion Arts

Spring Picture Frame sponsored by Quick Snippers

Paper Mache Letters by Food Wine and Mod Podge, sponsored by Plaid

Vintage Dimensional Necklace by Candie Cooper, sponsored by Plaid

Relief Printing by Fiori Falsi, sponsored by Blick

Fabric Trivets by Hydroxide

Fabric YoYos by Jackthemanabouttown, sponsored by Blumenthal Lansing

Tatting by Lisa Gordon, sponsored by Clover

Pinch Pots sponsored by Maker & Maker

Seed Bombs

Get your tickets now, last chance!

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Project Announcement - Seed Bombs!

Have you ever seen a vacant lot on the street and thought, that place could use some color, some life?  Well , there is something you can do about it.  Come make Seed Bombs, and precious up-cycled glass jars with us, this Saturday at Craft Social at Catalyst Ranch. You'll learn how to make these wildflower little grenades that you can throw around in some dirt and watch them bloom just a short time later.  After you've finished making your bombs, decorate a jar with Mod Podge, glass paint, and ribbons, in which you can store your bombs, for yourself or for giving.  Keep reminding yourself, Spring is around the corner!

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Porcelain Pinch Pots sponsored by Maker & Maker

 

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 pinch pot. After making your pot 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 $5 additional charge for this project, please bring exact change in cash.  It'll be worth it, because you will have your very own little pot with your finger prints on it to brag about.

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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Want to attend the next Craft Social THIS Saturday, March 26?

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Tatting Bookmarks Sponsored by Clover

This beautiful little knotted gem is called Tatting, and yes, you can learn to do this yourself !  Use this piece as a bookmark or just a decorative piece. Tatting seems to be a 19th century invention, although it seems to have grown out of the earlier art of knotting, which goes back to ancient times.  Stronger and smoother threads were developed in the early 19th century making it possible to make tatting easily, since the making of it puts strain on the thread.  By the Civil War, tatting was very popular in the United States and it stayed that way until the 1920s or 30s.  There is even a reference to tatting in Little Women.

Tatting seems to have been developed as a cheaper and easier method of making lace than the other ways that were known at the time. It is the easiest form of lace-making to learn.  Tatting is the only form of lace-making that cannot be replicated by a machine.  Tatting requires the human touch to make.

This project is generously sponsored by Clover.  Clover offers the best and innovative tools in sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery and felting.  Clover Felting tools and accessories and Tatting Shuttles will be used at this event.  For more information about Clover visit or follow them on Facebook (Clover USA) and Twitter (@cloverusa).  

Come learn this antique traditional craft, this Saturday, with Lisa Gordon, owner of Lisa Gordon Events, a full-service, boutique wedding and events planning service.  She is also the proprietor of Lisa's Laces.  Look for her on Etsy under that name in a few weeks.  Lisa has been tatting since 1982 when her sister brought home the skill from college.  Her sister had learned from her college roommate who learned from her great-grandmother.  Lisa enjoys keeping this old art alive and, especially, teaching it to other enthusiasts of the fiber arts.

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Project Announcement - Fabric Yo-Yo Headbands and Dog Collars

 

Fabric yo-yos are not your grandma's craft any longer. Let Debra Vaccaro of Jackthemanabouttown show you how to make a brooch or attach them to a head band or make a dog collar, all out of fabric yo-yos in bright spring colors.  This project uses colorful buttons sponsored by Blumenthal Lansing, and there is quite a selection to choose from.

Jackthemanabouttown is a hand knit shop full of fun animal shaped hats for infants to adults.  All designs are the work of Debra Vaccaro.  Lion hat was a second place winner in the 2010 Vanna White Contest.  All hats by Jackthemanabouttown can be customized for you - change a beanie into an earflap hat or choose a panda in purple.  The sky is the limit.  Check out Debra's etsy store for the cutest hat designs, ever!

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Project Announcement - Fabric Trivets Sponsored by Hydroxide

 

Anyone who works with fabric has lots of scrap material left over and you probably hate to see any of it go to waste. This project is a great way to use up your boxes of scrap material.  Julie Oh of Hydroxide will be helping you to make these triangle point shaped trivets with pieces of fabric. But these triangle forms are so much more versatile than just trivets.  You can make a seat cushion using the same idea, or decorate a headband or dress, heck even make a rug! So don't throw out your left over pieces of materials and instead turn them into one of a kind gifts for your family or friends.

 

Julie Oh, who will be leading you in this project, as a child, watched her mother sew and taught herself on lots of different machines in her mother's sewing factory. Julie and her husband bought a business where she worked as a tailor full time so she has been sewing professionally since 2001.  It wasn't until 2006, when she nearly sold out at a street fair that she really pursued designing and producing her own items. All the while studying to be a doctor and entering the Peace Corps, (now doesn't that just make you feel like an under-achieving crafter!)  

 

The name of her Etsy shop, Hydroxide, comes from her science background.  Julie sells her own designs of handbags and children's clothing and accessories on Etsy and is slowly getting back to sewing and designing again after two beautiful children. Julie's designs for Hydroxide are each unique one of a kind creations.   Hydroxide is an outlet for stress and gives Julie peace and satisfaction as  she shares her many talents with the world, and now, with you, at Craft Social on Saturday, March 26. 

Come out to Craft Social on Saturday, March 26 to learn from a master tailor.

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Want to attend the next Craft Social THIS Saturday, March 26?

Register Here Today to get your Ticket.

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Prize Sponsor Announcement - Eclectic Products & E6000

Eclectic Products, makers of E6000 adhesives, are sponsoring Craft Social again with an item in the goodie bags and a special prize with some of their great products. This stuff is amazing and works every time.  We hope you will enjoy using it as much as we do here at Craft Social HQ.  E6000 truly is the go-to product for permanent bonds on a variety of surfaces and we couldn't live without it!

For a chance to win this prize you must register for Craft Social, this Saturday, March 26, at Catalyst Ranch.

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Want to attend the next Craft Social on Saturday, March 26?

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Relief Printing Sponsored by Blick

Participants will get a down and dirty in Relief Printing 101 that will result in a print of their very own!. Each person is given a piece of linoleum and a set of carving tools. Participants then draw an image of their choice onto their linoleum and begin carving away!. After the carving is done, we roll ink onto the linoleum with a brayer and then transfer the image onto paper. Shazam! a magical print to take home and enjoy forever. Relief is a reductive process, so whatever is carved away will show up as a clean line.

Dick Blick Art Materials is sponsoring Craft Social for the first time, welcome! Blick Art Materials is the premier art supply source for professional artists, students, and teachers, and continues to be a family-owned business. Blick's annual Artist's and Educator's catalogs, more than 500 and 600 pages, respectively, are considered industry "bibles." They also offer hundreds of printable lesson plans and video workshops for teachers, and product videos for artists, to help them with their purchase decisions and techniques. Plus, they've expanded the reach of they're retail stores to most major urban areas, including Evanston Illinois, and they expect to add new locations every year.

Matt Nichols, fearless printmaker, resides in Chicago, Illinois and holds a BA in Art Practice from U.C.Berkeley and MFA from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Matt enjoys snorkeling, graphic design, and wood working. He also has a cat named Blanche that looks like a gargoyle.  Matt is one half of the print business and bag maker Fiori Falsi, along with Jessica Taylor Caponigro who has contributed to Craft Social in the past.

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Prize Sponsor Announcement - Westminster Lifestyle Fabrics

Westminster Lifestyle Fabrics is generously sponsoring Craft Social for the first time with a prize pack this time around with fabric and patterns from their FreeSpirit brand, and it's really cute!

Westminster Lifestyle Fabrics is one of the leading supplier of high quality fabrics and well-known in the textile industry for their creative, unique designs and talented, trend-setting artists.  Under the brands of Rowan Fabric (the fabulous Amy Butler designs for this line), FreeSpirit Fabric, Ty Pennington Impressions and Top Drawer, Westminster supplies retail stores with some of the finest fabrics in the market to inspire sewing creativity and speaks to a new generation of sewing enthusiasts. 

To have a chance to win this prize, you must buy a ticket and attend Craft Social, this Saturday, March 26 at Catalyst Ranch.

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Want to attend the next Craft Social on Saturday, March 26?

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Vintage Necklace sponsored by Plaid

Join professional designer, Candie Cooper, making her second Craft Social appearance, Saturday, March 26, to make a sweet necklace using Plaid's fabulous Flavor line along with vintage fabric, sealed with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.  You will learn basic jewelry making techniques, embellishing with charms and fabric, and leave with a piece that's packed full of Flavor and fun!

Candie never met a craft material she didn't like.  For the past few years she has been freelance designing for craft and hobby publications. Candie truly has a passion for sharing her love of making fun and clever objects with others.  She specializes in creating accessible mixed media jewelry and crafts with savvy design solutions and unique color combinations. In 2007, she single authored Felted Jewelry (Lark Books).  Designer Needle Felting (Lark) she co-authored with Terry Taylor.  In the Fall of 2009 Lark Books released Metalsmithing 101 for Beaders.  Candie's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and she designs for Plaid Enterprises.  Candie last led a project at Craft Social last summer when she expertly showed off Plaid's Simply Screen product line.

We welcome Candie back, because she's so talented, plus she's so stinkin' cute we can't resist inviting her all the way from Indiana to join us at Craft Social!

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Want to attend the next Craft Social on Saturday, March 26?

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Prize Sponsor Announcement - Tulip® Body Art™

Thanks to Tulip^®, self expression has never been easier and more fun!  Tulip^® Fashion Art introduces Tulip^® Body Art™, a comprehensive collection of temporary face and body paints and accents that allow you to celebrate your personal style in a very creative and unique way! With Tulip^® Body Art™, the world is your gallery and YOU are the work of art!

The Craft Social prize includes Glitter Tattoo Kit which makes over 70 tattoos lasting up to 5 days, Hypoallergenic Paint, Nature Stencil containing 25 stencil designs which are reusable and self-adhesive to use with body glitters and paints, a set of brushes to apply glitters and paints (or maybe just your face) with Tulip Body Art, a comprehensive collection of safe, cosmetic-grade face and body paint products that will allow you to celebrate your personal style like no one else.  Whether you’re a sports fanatic, dancing queen or party host, you’ll discover just how quick and easy Tulip Body Art makes creating temporary art on your body. Blur the lines between fashion, self-expression and makeup with Tulip Body Art!

Come to Craft Social, this Saturday, at Catalyst Ranch, for your chance to win this amazing new product line.

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Paper Mache Letters Sponsored by Plaid

Looking for a fun new piece of decor for your home?  These three dimensional little letters really make a statement!  Beginning with paper maché letters, Katie P of Food, Wine, & Mod Podge is going show you how to use Plaid products including Fabric Mod Podge, Apple Barrel® paint, and Folk Art Extreme Glitter to make these letters pop.

Use them anywhere from a monogram hung on the wall to a child's initial above his/her bed to a statement on a mantle.  Inexpensive and easy to make, these little letters give a personal touch to your home!

Chicago Craft Social will provide paper scraps and fabric scraps to Mod Podge the letters, and also will provide all paint supplies.  Feel free to bring your own paper or fabric if you want a specific look!  Letter selections are limited. Thanks to Amy from Mod Podge Rocks for hooking us up with all these great products.

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Quick Snippers Spring Picture Frame

Frame your Spring photo and create beautiful designed edges on scrapbooking paper and make accent flowers inspired by Christie Bryant of ScrapNArt Magazine, with Miriam and Lisa of LIMIRI, LLC, the makers of the Quick Snippers tool.

Quick Snippers, designed here in Chicago, is back once again as a sponsor for Craft Social.  Quick Snippers is an innovative, new product 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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Prize Sponsor Announcement - Crafty Tools from Clover!

Have you ever found yourself in the notions aisle of the fabric store, or looking at all the products there are for needle arts, and coveting all the little green packages from Clover?  Well, you're going to freak out when you see the prize gift basket that you can register to win at the next Craft Social, next Saturday, March 26.

This thing is jam packed with needle felting tools, flower knot tools, the Wonder Knitter, Create a Button, Pom Pom makers, Yo-Yo makers, Flower Frill makers, and Bow Makers, to name a few. Our kind friends at Clover are sending this basket just for you.

Clover offers the best and innovative tools in sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery and felting.  Clover Felting tools and accessories and Tatting Shuttles will be used at Craft Social.  For more information about Clover visit their website or follow them at Facebook (Clover USA) and Twitter (@cloverusa). I heard that the recent Favorite Clover tool contest on Facebook yielded prizes for everyone that entered, that's how nice Clover is.  

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Beads in a Bottle™ Tote Bags

The fabulous designers at iLoveToCreate®, have designed a special project for all of you attending Craft Social, on Saturday, March 26 at Catalyst Ranch.  Indulge your inner flower child with a bag that’s anything but old-fashioned! Create dimensional, colorful florals with Tulip® Beads in a Bottle™ Paints and Studs.  Everyone at Craft Social will be getting this cute tote filled with goodies, and then you can take your tote, and use this amazing product, not yet released to the market, and create your own beaded and studded creation, or follow the pattern to make this great springtime bag.

Tulip® Fashion Art is the most comprehensive collection of premium, high-quality color products for creating fashion and home décor fabric art.  Most well-known for “Puffy Paint”, the Tulip® Fashion Art brand has expanded throughout the past 30 years to provide fashion artists with multiple on-trend methods to add color to fabric, including a vast assortment of paints, dyes, embellishments, sprays and glitters along with inspiration, education and tools to make the experience easy.

iLoveToCreate® is also including a coupon in everyone's goodie bag so you can have access to all their products online that include the brands Tulip®, Aleene's®, Crafty Chica™, and Duncan.

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Needle Felting Sponsored by Clover

Needle felting is an easy, quick and portable way to craft.  Fashion jewelry, toys, home accessories and more.  Give it a stab!  Learn the basics, with Lindsay Obermeyer of LBO Studio and Clover tools, while you make a cheery red Gerber daisy pendant.  Perfect with a t-shirt or that flirty sundress.   

Clover makes so many crafting tools that you wouldn't believe it!  Craft Social HQ just received their entire catalog and it's amazing.  From sewing and quilting,to  needle arts like knitting and crochet, flower frills, puff dimensional quilting, pop-pom makers, to needle felting and embroidery, and many things in between, Clover's got you covered in the tool department.  You can find Clover tools at your local fabric, sewing, yarn, and craft stores.

Lindsay Obermeyer, your gracious project leader, is an author, educator, and artist with a passion for textiles. A natural born colorist with an eye for color, she started her first business at 13 with a line of hand painted ribbons.  Since then, she's owned a yarn store, worked as a ballet costumer, taught countless classes and workshops all while maintaining a full time studio practice.  Her work is in the permanent collection of the Swedish government and is shown at numerous galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Art and Design in New York. Her designs have been included in 6 instructional books published by Lark Books, making front cover of Designer Needle Felting with her stylish pillows.  Her work has been featured on PBS, the Home Shopping Network, and various news affiliates.  Her community artwork The Red Thread Project® has involved thousands of knitters from around the world and over 6,000 handmade hats donated to charity.

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Project Announcement - Free Form Floral Ribbon Embroidery

Come to Craft Social, Saturday, March 26 at Catalyst Ranch to create a beautiful ribbon embroidered project. Dominique D'Amico, of Wrens and Roses, will teach you how to use ribbon and chenille needles to create a one of a kind, and simply amazing,  piece.

Dominique was bit by the crafting bug early. Her grandmother got her started with embroidery and crochet when she was little and she's been hooked ever since. Growing up, she taught herself macramé, beading, wire-wrapping, and most recently, knitting. Anything to keep her hands busy.  When she isn't crafting, she loves hunting down vintage treasures for her Etsy shop, singing Karaoke, and engineering analog recording sessions.

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Project Sponsor Announcement - Polyform Polymer Clay Pens

Polyform is scheduled, once again, to sponsor Craft Social.  At the event, Saturday, March 26, you can learn how to make these awesome pens.  Turn an ordinary stick pen into a fantastic pattered conversation piece. Learn to create a simple millifiore cane to create your pen using Polyform’s newest colors of polymer clay. Join Iris, Polyform's national education manager, as she teaches you to make this easy and fun project. 

Founded in 1967, Polyform Products Company encourages a world of bright ideas by producing and distributing polymer clays that stay soft until baked.  The award-winning family of Sculpey^® brand oven-bake clays sets the standard for polymer clay and can be painted, sanded, drilled and more.  Sculpey is available in a wide assortment of kits, colors, styles, sizes and accessories.  

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