Mix & Make Crafty Hour tonight, plus We Make Stuff Saturday!

Come out tonight & make drink charms with us at Imperia! A fun way to unwind after work and unleash your creativity. $20 at the door - includes the crafting fun, plus a drink & a California roll! Imperia is downtown at 3rd & Colorado.







View our classes and sign up today!

Terrariums!

Beth A here, I had a Terrariums class a few weeks ago, and I've got another one coming up, so here are some pics to get you excited. The class is super fun and I left this little guy at Austin Handmade to keep Jason company!

You get to make a closed terrarium, as well as have the option to make an open container one too!

Next class is Tuesday Sept. 29 at 6:30pm Sign up! My awesome student Julia Riley, brought an adorable little squirrel to fit inside her terrarium.

Her three finished terrariums, super cute!Sign up!

Little Ones Can Get Crafty, Too!

Did you know that we have an ongoing Mommy or Daddy & Me class for kiddos ages 3-6? Yes, we do! It's called Storytime Crafts & it happens every Thursday morning from 10:30 - 11:30. It's great for parents looking for a fun, creative activity to do with their little ones. You get to hear a delightful children's story, then make a fun craft based on the theme, such as this handsome penguin. You can even enjoy a tasty breakfast or snack, because the class is held at Waterloo Ice House on 38th & Lamar.

And best of all, it's a great bargain! Storytime Crafts costs only $10 per session, or you can even buy a punch card and save: 3 sessions for $25 or 5 sessions for $40, per child.

The little ones will really enjoy being read to & then gettin' crafty. For example, at a session a couple of weeks ago, Kim read Cloud Boy, an adorable book by Rhode Montijo. After the story, everyone got to create cloud animals made of cotton balls on a felt sky, just like the cloud animals the main character makes. It was a great story & a great time!

So if you're the parent of a tiny tot, or know someone who is, gather 'em up & come on out for Storytime Crafts!

Rubber Stamp Carving

There is still room in this class next Wednesday evening. Such a flexible skill to learn.

I made all these stamps to work on a book making project. I used black ink and stamped them on white paper. Then, after the ink was dry, the images were scanned so they could be used on my digital projects but still maintain a hand made feel.


Rubber Stamp Carving - Adults - 8/26/09

Carving your own unique rubber stamps allows you to add a personalized touch to your paper creations. In this class you'll design and carve 2-3 small rubber stamps and create a set of note cards with them. Once you learn the technique, you'll be able to turn any of your artwork into a rubber stamp for use on stationery, gift wrap, your own business cards and more!

Here is a picture of the one tool you'll need to buy. I know I like to see what the tools look like before I shop for them. Makes it easier to know what you need :)

Fun with Altered Books

On Sunday I had the pleasure of sitting in on Beth A's Altered Books class where she showed a lot of cool ways to embellish and customize books that I never would have thought of. I had made some altered books before, but it was really interesting to see Beth A's take on things. That's what I love about taking classes - even if you've tried the technique before, there is always more to be learned!






Misti Webster shows off one of her beautifully altered page spreads

























Beth A demonstrated several techniques for prepping pages with watercolor. She taught us a slick method for adding pages to your book or repairing pages that have fallen out, too.

We also tried our hands at weaving pages together - fantastic!


All in all, this was a really fun class that would be a great springboard for anyone who'd like to create altered books. If that's you, check it out! We have another Altered Books class coming up on October 6. If you sign up for it (or any other class for that matter) before August 31, you'll receive one of our super-cool Stella necklaces. Be sure to take advantage of this special offer! Simply enter "augnecklace" in the coupon section at checkout when you enroll.

Stella's interior-its a concept!

Jen and Kim (along with their wonderful men!) put in a ton of work on our girl Stella this weekend. We got the second sub-floor put in, thanks Wes! And even more shining done! She's looking Stellar. Next up is installing the recycled wood flooring we bought off Craig's List, and begin moving on the build out. Here are some rough ideas for what we're planning:

On the left is a long bench that will double as storage and above it a peg board. In the front a bigger table and shelving on the right. Down the middle we'll put up a folding table for classes.

Here is the back, it'll be set up to do check out, or another work space during classes.
We're also painting, making curtains, and figuring out lighting. Anyone have some creative lighting ideas??

Behind the Scenes A Crafty Day

Beth H. is such a starlette.  Check her out getting ready for one of our instructional shoots.

One of the accoutrement of running The WonderCraft is that we get to try out all of the crafts and classes before we teach them.  So we'll occasionally get together and have crafty creative days.  Such fun!  We thought we'd give you a sneak peak into one of these days.  Enjoy! 

Could anything scream Beth A. louder than a crafty kit and pink wayfarers?

Fabric, paper, clay, and found objects...these ladies do it all!

Beth H. demonstrates the technique for her scrap fabric pomander class.

Jen made the most AMAZING pendant while getting ready for the basic polymer clay class.

A plethora of crafty supplies

 If you're like us and salivating over the thought of some crafty social time, join one of our super fun classes and come sit at the crafty table with us. 

http://www.thewondercraft.com/classes/

New Calendar and Demos & Events Blog Up

Yesterday we worked on a couple of new features for our website to make it easier for you to find the classes you're looking for and keep up with all of the cool things The WonderCraft has coming your way!

First, we have a handy-dandy new calendar up on our website that lists all of our classes by date, making it super-easy for you to see what fits with your schedule. We'll be adding all of our events & demos to this calendar as well (still working on that part).

Additionally, we've created a second blog, Crafty Demos & Events from The WonderCraft, that will be used solely as our events listing. We've got a lot of creative adventures on the horizon: demonstrations at craft supply stores, "make & take" DIY projects at festivals and craft fairs, happy hour classes & contests and more! You can subscribe to the Demos & Events blog to stay in the know and meet up with us all over town. The blog feed is also available for surfing on our website, on our Demos & Events page. There will be many occasions to get discounted admission by buying advance tickets online, so subscribe today so you don't miss out!

This Month's Special Offer!

Enroll this month in ANY class and get this necklace featuring our beautiful girl, stella for free!  This super cool necklace is made using a technique you can learn in our resin class!  Click here for details and to enroll.

Simply enter "augnecklace" in the coupon section at checkout when you enroll before August 31st and we'll send you one!  

Curious about what classes we offer?  Take a look at a full listing of our class offerings and search by topic, age group, difficulty, and even location here:

http://www.thewondercraft.com/classes/

Featured Class:  Scrap Fabric Pomanders - for Adults - 12/16/09

Turn those fabric scraps you've been saving into a pretty little hanging flower bunch. You'll have the option to make yours scented by including dried herbs or potpourri in the center, or leave it unscented. 

Schedule:

Wednesday, 12/16/2009, 5:30 - 8:30 PM

Location:

Austin Handmade
2009 South First St, Austin TX, 78704
512.383.9333
http://austinhandmade.com/

Click here to sign up for this class http://www.thewondercraft.com/classes/viewclass.aspx?Id=93