The Creative Connection

Who would've thought that last month's magazine can become this month's latest fashion? This class is all about ReMaking your scrap materials and turning them into something new. We'll start with fun and easy gift bows made from the pages of a magazine, which will dress your gifts in upcycled style. Then we'll make paper beads, which you can turn into earrings, a necklace, and even a fancy wrist cuff. Best of all, you’ll ReMake these projects all by yourself. The book, ReMake It, is filled with 95 awesome recycled projects from the stuff you usually scrap. The magazine gift bow and beads are only the beginning of giving your garbage another go. After you start ReMaking It, you’ll never look at trash the same way again!  ..more »

Saturday Afternoon Class-Registration Closed. Friday Afternoon Class-Open. Create a sweet winter scene on the backside of an 8” x 10” wood-frame stretched canvas. With this project we’ll use a vintage paint-by-number image reproduced onto fabric, mid-century Kodak slide frames with black & white winter photos, a tiny bottle brush tree, cotton, and mica snow. Add your own tiny photos if you’d like and spell out a special holiday message or family name with customizable pennant bunting. The instructor will supply:

• 8” x 10” canvas
• Vintage Paint-by-Number winter image on cloth
• Vintage Slide frames
• Mini vintage photo images
• Clear acetate
• Vintage ledger paper
• Bleached bottlebrush tree
• Cotton
• Mica dust
• Alphabet Pennant sheet (17 spaces max width for message)
• Baker’s twine
• Name label
• Mod Podge

Friday Class-Registration Closed. Saturday Class-Open. Join Betz White in refashioning a castoff garment into a fun new accessory, the Reversible Bucket Hat, in any size from toddler to adult. Students are required to bring their own materials that suit their style. The $15 kit fee, payable to the instructor at the time of class, includes a sewing pattern, felt, and interfacing. Knowledge of basic sewing machine operation is required. Sewing machines will be available, but feel free to bring your own.

Registration Closed -We'll be learning: Types of ribbon; Satins, grosgrain, French woven. Types of fabrics uses for wired edge ribbon. Ribbon widths; standards in the industry. Bow tying:

• the basic bow
• the double ribbon bow
• the multi-ribbon bow
• the embellished bow
• the creative bow.

RIBBON = PROFIT

• How to decorate a Christmas wreath using ribbon
• How to decorate a spring wreath
• How to use ribbons & bows in a bridal bouquets
• How to use ribbons on packages

Open discussion;

• Ways to use ribbon
• Different techniques to bow tying

Join us as we fashion a truly beautiful and decidedly romantic bracelet. Starting with a 1 1/2" brass cuff, we will decoupage gorgeous paper and tulle to the front, and lovely wool felt on the back. We will then layer on the lace flowers, appliqués, beaded posies, and assorted bling to create a true showstopper! Everything you need to complete this project will be provided. Feel free to bring extra bits to truly personalize, if you wish.  ..more »

Friday class open. Saturday class closed. Add a little bit of customized pretty to your outfit while showing off your own handiwork!

Every day in our studio, we create custom bouquets, accessories, and dresses to reflect our brides' unique styles, and now I am sharing some of our favorite techniques with you. In this class, you will learn to make a beautifully embellished headband with a garland of buttons and hand-embroidered felt flower. Each kit will also include vintage ribbon and buttons from my personal collection to customize your project. Once you learn the process, you'll be able to recreate these headbands with any of your favorite materials at home. These make fabulous presents for friends, family, even bridesmaids!

Laurie Meseroll, lifelong artist, will show how handmade materials can bring an entirely new dimension to your work. You will prepare products from scratch and learn application methods for a variety of handmade materials. Laurie's formulary includes lavender rice paste, blood orange cold finishing wax, cold process brush soap, astral-projection creativity oil artist-care products, essentially-altered acrylics, and so on. Finally, you will use your freshly made materials with some new techniques to create an original piece of studio art! As Pablo Picasso said, "Painting is just another way of keeping a diary." Skill Level: No prior painting experience required but if you are already a pro, you'll learn new tricks!  ..more »

Friday Class-Registration Closed. Saturday Class-Open. Come learn how to make one of MODKID's top selling sewing patterns from the designer herself! Our Sun & Surf Tote is perfect for a trip to the beach, swim lessons or a day at the park. It’s big enough to hold a couple of towels and has plenty of inside and outside pockets for all of your smaller items. It features a padded strap for comfort and a button & loop closure for easy access. Best of all, it is the perfect size to use as a diaper bag or a market bag, while being stylish and unique! Each student will complete the tote as pictured using Patty Young's "Sanctuary" fabrics. Basic sewing knowledge is recommended.

A kit will be provided at the start of the class that includes:

• Sun & Surf Tote sewing pattern
• Enough fabric to complete the tote exactly as pictured
• Fabric will be from the Sanctuary collection by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics
• Fusible interfacing, stabilizers and fleece
• Plastic canvas for bottom of tote
• 1 large decorative button
• 2 large snap-on grommets
• Sewing thread
• All items will be beautifully packaged in a MODKID signature bag

You know those cute vintage books you hang onto because the covers are so great? Let's turn them into clutch handbags! Bring a sturdy, thrifted hard-cover book with a 1-2" wide spine and a few treasures to decorate it with. Your favorite clip-on earring or a big button makes a darling clasp! If you would prefer it as a shoulder bag, I'll show you how to engineer that too. All skill levels are welcome.  ..more »

Join renowned folk artist, Laurie Meseroll, as she uses favorite poetry as the departure point to compose lyrical mixed media paintings. In this class, you will implement a variety of techniques to create stylized, non-traditional folk art figures. Laurie will demonstrate, share tips, and processes for blending different elements to create and focus the poetry of a painting for the soul and the eyes. You will enter this class with simple tools, but leave the class with your own personal, poetic, masterpiece. As Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen." Skill Level: This six-hour course is for artists of all skill levels.  ..more »