The Urban Craft Center » Latest event

Regretsy Meets Club Etsy

rhea — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:40:03 +0000

April Winchell, author of Regretsy, hosted Club Etsy last night and it was an amazing turnout! The club night is usually about celebrating what people create and in a way, last night was about that too. It was also about poking fun at the ways we sometimes take ourselves and our ideas too seriously.

The most frequently asked question I get at our club nights is “how do I get my Etsy store noticed?”

One of April’s main points during her presentation was that while her website and book draw attention to people’s creations in a critical way, the response from people who embrace what is featured on her site often brings more attention to these artists and crafters than they might receive on their own. Personally, I’ve always been fascinated with counterculture and its ability to blur the line between low and high art.

April is no stranger to outsider culture herself. She hosted a radio show for several years, sharing unconventional music to her listeners that may never have been heard on a large scale. She genuinely appreciates what she points out as weird or terrible and in fact, her presentation included a slideshow of over 20 items featured on her site that now sit comfortably in her home.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of her book, we have several autographed ones for sale in the store! We even made April a gift in true Regretsy form. Just before we got to take a staff photo with her, April let me know that our gift to her had been “mysteriously stolen” during her book signing! While I wish we could have gotten a group photo with her wearing it, luckily, we snapped several photos of her right when I presented the very special gift, one of which you can see below.

Thanks again to April and everyone who made it out last night! We hope to see you at upcoming Club Etsy meetings on the second Wednesday of every month from 6-8pm.

Monkey Business!

Rachel — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:35:39 +0000

Last night we held our FIRST EVER sock monkey class at the Urban Craft Center! Each participant brought with them a pair of socks that were transformed into these kitschy little creatures. The studio space was full of creative energy and conversation as we worked into the evening. Everyone in the class went home with a new friend and the know-how to create their own sock monkey in the future! Be sure to join in on our next sock monkey making madness on August 25th from 5-9 pm!

Upcoming Classes

the ucc team — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:48:34 +0000

INTRO TO SEWING
Friday, Oct 23rd, 3-6pm
Friday, Nov 6th, 11am-2pm
Saturday, Nov 21st, 3-6pm
Saturday, Dec 19th, 3-6pm
Level: Beginner
Just starting out? Take Sewing 101 and you’ll be sewing in no time. Taught by special guest teacher Christine Haynes, you will learn all the parts of the machine, how to sew perfect straight and zig zag stitches, and what tools you need to set up your own sewing room at home. In addition, we’ll make a simple throw pillow for you to take home!
Additional materials list.
One Session Class:
$65 non-member, $60 member

RANDOM WOVEN SPHERE LAMP
Thursday, Oct 15th, 10am-6pm
Saturday Nov 7th, 10am-6pm
Level: Beginner
Create a breathtaking pendant lamp made from natural woven materials!
By the end of the day you will have created a 16” functional art piece. Special guest teacher Aaron Kramer will teach, from start to finish, the basics of weaving this unusual piece of home decor.
Materials included.
One session class:
$155 non-member/$150 member

AN ARTIST’S JOURNAL
Saturday October 17th, 10am-2pm
Level: Beginner
Recycle a hardbound book in a new way and create an entirely unique artist’s journal. Bring your ideas and imagination to life in a day of creative exercises with special guest teacher Kelly Kilmer. Apply techniques in layering, painting, collage and much more! Additional materials list.
One session class:
$65 non-member, $60 member

THE ART OF RESIN JEWELRY
Saturday October 17th, 3pm-7pm (PLEASE NOTE: This class has been changed from a 2 day class to a single day class)
Learn to make the beautiful resin jewelry necklaces you see for sale in our store! Special guest teacher Lynn Latta will guide you through the process to create your own one-of-a kind jewelry elements with a non-toxic, crystal clear jewelers resin. In this workshop you will focus on multi-layered techniques to create one complete charm or pendant. Materials Included. Students may bring small trinkets to experiment in their jewelry.
$65 non-member / $60 member

Sundays, Oct 25th & Nov 1st, 12-4pm
COIN STACKED BABY QUILT
Level: Basic sewing experience
comparable to Intro to Sewing
You can quilt! Special guest teacher Alissa
Carlton, will teach all of the steps to making a small scale quilt, from piecing the top to quilting & binding. By the end of the class, you will have made a modern, stroller sized quilt.
Additional materials list.
Two session class:
$150 non-member, $145 member

This Weeks Upcoming Classes

rhea — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:21:13 +0000

Yes, you should sign up for it! :-)
Knitting Series I, Thursday October 1st, 11am-1pm, $100 non-member
Hardcover Bookbinding I, Friday October 2nd, 10am-1pm, $85 non-member
Little Windows Resin Jewelry, Saturday October 3rd, 10am-12:30, $90 non-member
Molecule Jewelry, Saturday October 3rd, 3pm-5pm, $60 non-member

Needle Felting This Thursday

rhea — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:22:48 +0000

There are still a few spots left in our Intro to Needle Felting class, this Thursday, September 24th from 6-8pm. The class is $25 non-member/$20 member. Below is a photo from our August session. It’s always lots of fun and highly addictive!

NEW Class Added to Fall Schedule

the ucc team — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:30:42 +0000

The Art of Resin Jewelry
Saturday October 17th, 3-7pm (PLEASE NOTE: This class has been changed from a 2 day class to a single day class)
$65 non-member / $60 member

Learn to make the beautiful resin jewelry necklaces you see for sale in our store! Special guest teacher Lynn Latta will guide you through the process to create your own one-of-a kind jewelry elements with a non-toxic, crystal clear jewelers resin. In this workshop you will focus on multi-layered techniques to create one complete charm or pendant. Materials Included. Students may bring small trinkets to experiment in their jewelry.

Quilt Madness

rhea — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:54:25 +0000

After taking Alissa’s Coin Stacked Quilt class last month, we’ve been practicing our new skills by making lots and lots of quilts. Devon found some patterned hand towels and transformed them into quilt blocks and Jamie was perfecting the coin stacked baby quilt to give as gifts for friends and family.

Somehow the summer quilt bug caught on. Below is a slideshow of the amazing quilts being made in the studio this month. Click Here to see more of Flickr photos. Alissa will be offering her very popular class twice in the next session. The new schedule will be out in the next week – sign up for our newsletter to get the first look!

Youth Craft Camp This Month!

the ucc team — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:46:22 +0000

Urban Crafter Profile: The Writers Junction’s Eileen Gibson

rhea — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:59:39 +0000

I had a great time teaching the decoupage plate class yesterday! We sifted through vintage images and patterned prints and each person created a gorgeous collage on a decorative plate to take home. Two of the students in the class were Eileen Gibson and her cousin, Susan. When Eileen mentioned that she is opening up a small business called The Writers Junction, my ears perked up.

There are several small business in Santa Monica that are striving to build community through creativity, while providing a physical space to bring out the endeavors and ideas that can often remain isolated in one’s home. The Writers Junction is a membership based, shared workshop space that encourages just that.

Eileen (pictured above), and her brother Jay, decided to open the business together. Both are working writers who wanted a space apart from the distractions of home, dedicated specifically to writing. Why not just rent an office space you ask? Well, creative minds must think alike because, like The U.C.C, The Writer’s Junction wants to make people’s workspace a place of supportive interaction as well as a space to work independently!

Eileen says that, “The Writers Junction offers an affordable destination for work that is conducive to productive solitude, within a growing and supportive creative community. We create the quiet of a library, the society of a coffee shop, the focus of a daily office, and the camaraderie of a club.” What’s the biggest perk, you ask? The workspace is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! If you are a member, you can burst through the doors the moment your writer’s block subsides.

If you’d like to find out more about The Writers Junction, visit Eileen’s website HERE.

Book Signing and Fashion Show Photos

rhea — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:11:48 +0000

The event on Friday was a tremendous success! It was great to see so many familiar and new faces, all celebrating the handmade journey of U.C.C sewing teacher Christine Haynes.

Christine signed copies of her book, Chic and Simple Sewing for eager seamstresses who were able to get questions answered about starting a successful crafting business.

Groups gathered to learn one of our very favorite, addictive crafts: needlefelting. In addition, we had Yudu screen printing demos of images adapted from Christine’s book. People left with an elegant silhouette image, or a special event poster from the night.

Trunk Show pieces from Christine’s collection

The night ended with a fashion show with a fantastic group of models. Such fun :-)

Thank you everyone for being a part of our very special evening!