Monday, August 29, 2016

Emilime Calligraphy Workshop




Event number two of the weekend, our first Calligraphy Workshop in the new space! Definitely had some more room to play with in the shop versus the first one I hosted in my living room (which was so fun, people were just a little closer!). After my wrapping workshop, I decided to give the U shape a try for desks in hopes that people could see and hear better. Seemed to work well and something I'm going to keep in mind. Emilee, the adorable instructor, had fun little place settings for everyone with their needed supplies. Her brand name, Emilime, adds cute touches of limes to her design, which I love!




For snacks and drinks, we did some delicious macaroons and I had ordered an extra small batch of the College Hill Deli hummus. Emilee of course has lime water as her signature drink and I played it up using my chalk board drink dispenser. Made for a cute table, I used the cute marble paint paper goods from the evening before since they went with the art class theme and added a great pop of color. Always nice to have some treats while you are hard at work learning a new skill!
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Emilee had her signature workbook for each student and walked them through the basics of techniques, supplies and then put them to work with practice sheets. With the desks setup in a U shape, she was able to easily walk around and help the individuals with their questions and struggles - some letters are difficult!







Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and hopefully they all learned something new! It is definitely a skill that takes practice and it is so nice having someone to help you get started. Calligraphy can seem intimidating, but once someone gets you the needed supplies and shows you how to properly use them, it can make a world of difference!




Sad you missed this workshop? Don't worry, we will have more! I am currently working on getting some more workshops on the calendar with Emilee: another 101 basics, a watercolor hand lettering class (personally excited for this) and a calligraphy flourishes class (so fun)! Make sure you follow us on social media or sign up for e-mails to stay in the loop on these fun events.

In addition to the Emilime workshops, I have other exciting news: Caddy from Caddy Corner Designs is coming back up again from Dallas for a fun Christmas Calligraphy Workshop! You can purchase tickets now to secure your spot in one of the two sessions we will be having that day. She is going to walk us through some basics with the letters for a refresh (or first go), plus numbers and tips and tricks for addressing your holiday cards - um yes please! So excited to have her back.

Thanks again to Emilee for teaching and to everyone who attended! I loved having you in the store and I hope you enjoyed learning the art of calligraphy. 

Lots of Love,

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Final Friday - Adam's Arts




This past Friday, we hosted our first Final Friday at the shop. Final Fridays in Wichita are a chance for local artists to work with local stores, galleries and event spaces to show off their work. Down Douglas Avenue and throughout downtown, people are able to pop in at different locations to purchase works of art on the last Friday of each month. A talented and unique artist, Adam Friesen, reached out to me months ago after the shop's feature in the local newspaper. His artwork is digitally created on the computer from scratch and he wanted to work together to show it off. When I first met with Adam, I was captured by his story. He has so much passion for what he creates and it was a joy to hear him talk through his pieces. Here is a brief clip from his website:

My name is Adam Friesen. I attended Maize High School and was a student at Maize Trans-Net from 2007 to 2010.   I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when I was very young.  While it made some things kind of hard and frustrating, I found that I really enjoyed working on a computer.  I never planned on becoming a digital artist - I initially wanted to make 3D games.  When I decided to create images for some of my games, it fueled a passion to create pictures.   I started making more of them and that’s how I ended up with more than 500 pictures starting from early simplistic works to more realistic, high-quality pieces.



We got Adam all setup and he was ready for the Final Friday! He had greeting cards, prints and framed prints for sale. I worked on setting up the food and beverages while he figured out how he wanted everything displayed. Once the party began, Adam greeted all the guests with excitement and made some good sales. He definitely has developed some salesman skills over the years and customers later told me how fun it was to hear about his passion for his work. Overall, I thought the night was a success and I was happy to hear that Adam had a good time in the shop!



Hummus from College Hill Deli - great for entertaining because they filled one of my bowls.
An art night calls for my favorite marble paint party supplies! Available in the shop.
We will soon be offering some of Adam's greeting cards at the shop, so make sure to check back in soon! You can also check out some of his artwork on his website: www.adamsarts.com

Thank you to everyone that stopped by on Friday night! It was so fun to see you and Adam and I appreciated your business and support. We would love to see you again! Also, a special thanks to Adam's parents who helped get everything setup and even made delicious brownies for the event.


Are you interested in being featured in the shop for Final Friday? Reach out! I would love to hear from you.

Lots of Love,

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Morning Craft & Breakfast - August





At the shop, we hosted another successful Morning Craft and Breakfast this past weekend! This time we made magical unicorns and horses. Does it get any better than doughnuts and unicorns? Each child made two and their creativity soared with all of the color options. The morning also included some delicious donuts from neighborhood doughnut shop Flying Donuts - which led to some chocolate covered faces.







Check out the beautiful creations:








If you missed out, don't worry, we are going to have one every month! September's will be on the 24th and more details will be released in a couple weeks. We also have a couple unicorn craft kits left if  you want to get in on the magic at home.

Thank you to everyone that came! Let me know if you would like me to e-mail you pictures.

Lots of Love,

Friday, August 12, 2016

Wrapping & Ribbon Tying 101 Workshop



Last night I hosted my first workshop for grown-ups at the shop, a class on wrapping packages and ribbon tying. It was so fun! I was a little nervous at first, but the fabulous group of ladies made things easy. I of course bribed them with drinks and snacks!




Every table was set with a sheet of beautiful Lark+Raven Sequin paper, tissue paper, ribbons, gift tag, boxes, tape and those yummy snacks I mentioned earlier. The attendees also had the option of purchasing some fancy gold scissors to use for the class. We started the evening by learning how to tie a ribbon so it goes on all four sides of the package. From there we went through helpful gift wrapping techniques and then onto making a loopy bow. It was a great night and I think everyone left with at least one new wrapping pointer. Each attendee was then able to pick a roll of wrapping paper, their choice, so they could go home and wrap up some pretty presents!





Setting up for a workshop in the new shop was so fun. I loved that I could setup individual stations, so each person had enough room to wrap their gifts. Attendees, thank you so much for coming and I hope you all had a good time! You all were fabulous students and I enjoyed your company. There will definitely be more upcoming workshops, so get your calendars ready and make sure to follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram to stay informed! You can also find details and purchase tickets on our website: http://loveofcharacter.com/workshops/

Lots of Love,