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art workshops

Hello from HANDMAKERY!

Happy Back to School! We hope you’ve celebrated a savory + sweet + splendid summer! At the end of May, HANDMAKERY: A Children’s Art Studio received approval to proceed with in-person/in-studio/imaginative ~ Summer {hand on + mixed media + magical} Art Camps, navigating under NEW safety protocol. In early June, our studio hosted our first summer camp ~ TINY HOME ON TREND for children 6 & up, with many more constructive + creative + childhood-centered camps to follow! Every camp was on a waiting list and we can’t even begin to thank all our lovely locals for all their small business support! Looking back, it may have been one of the most magical + memorable summers with makers on Main Street! Creativity and childhood was completely celebrated in our colorful community of Carbondale, Colorado!

Focused on the forefront of safety in the studio & success for all artists this summer, HANDMAKERY stepped away from social media to take a fresh breath of mountain-air, but we’re incredibly excited to reconnect and soar into our ~ SCHOOL YEAR {hands on + mixed media + magical} ART WORKSHOP with a summer of safety and success in our painter’s pocket. We’re looking forward to re-kindling creativity & connection with YOU on Instagram.

Many of our specialty art workshops have recently launched for early bird enrollment. Definitely message us to get on our lovely ~ Local’s List. We’re thrilled to continue {in-person + in-studio + imaginative} art programming this fall, applying & adapting our experience from summer in the studio! You can simply learn more about our studio safety on our website. On a side note, be sure to also look for us in the upcoming MOUNTAIN PARENT!

Summer brought sunshine + smiles + simplicity + savory moments + soulful celebration + simple reconnection + satisfying success for all artists in the studio. We’re excited to give you a glimpse into our makers in the mountains, with momentum for magical moments!

YES, indeed! Even with mysterious masks, everyday was most mesmerizing! Would you believe, not one artist ever complained about wearing a mask all summer!?! Truth. We were amazed!. Artists were completely focused on the miracle of being a maker and it was magical! The studio buzzed with crafty-n-creative bees. Being back together again was absolutely the BEST!

In addition to instructing summer workshop in our very own sweet studio throughout the summer, HANDMAKERY also had the opportunity to create an online workshop for art educators around the world for our friends at Deep Space Sparkle in Santa Barbara, CA. This workshop was based on our in-studio/virtual springtime workshop for local kids ~ artful + abstract ASSEMBLAGE on canvas. A few precious pieces pictured by parents, above!

We also had the artful opportunity to teach another fun-filled summer workshop of printmaking (in-studio/in-person) to children at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, CO. Would you believe our printmaking workshop, titled well over a year ago, was called ~ Dancing Behind the Mask!?! Literally, before anyone even knew we’d truly be dancing behind masks today! We can’t even wait to see what’s around the creative corner this upcoming year school year!

All precious projects, radiating laughter & L-O-V-E, and created in our {hands on + mixed media} summer art camps… we’ll share DIY STYLE on our blog throughout this upcoming year! Be sure to stay tuned for more creativity-to-come focused on a creative-n-crafty + imaginative + playful childhood!

Tag us on Instagram with your indoor + outdoor creative spaces and colorful + clever creations.  We’d absolutely LOVE to see what you’re making and creating inside and outside!  As always, thank you for following our artful adventure on Main Street in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District!  Send us a note!  We’d love to hear what you’re thinking, dreaming, envisioning, and of course, our favorite ~ CREATING!

Much love and happiness creating in this creative + colorful world, filled with collaboration + connection + community + arts & crafting! Happy School Year!

Summer for our family was filled with colorful Colorado ~ close-to-home camping, fun-filled photography, river floats & creek fishing, small-sized celebrations (my sweet daughter 11 and my beloved grandfather 91), creating in the studio with creative-n-clever children, road biking on the Rio Grande, a few favorite hikes, peach picking, paddle boarding, and more micro-adventures in the mountains! What have you been up to this summer!?! We’d love to know! …and YES, we just had to show you our artful overalls!

xo Ami

Creative Family Art Workshops

UPCOMING ART WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS:

SESSION IV ~ artful + abstract ASSEMBLAGE on canvas

Starting the week of February 17th ~ SIMPLY ENROLL

SESSION V ~ a TOUCAN’S TRIP to TAHITI in TIE-DYE

Starting week of April 13th ~ SIMPLY ENROLL

ART WORKSHOP DETAILS FOR KIDS:

  • Hands-on + mixed-media
  • 4:00 – 5:30 PM
  • 1x per week/6-weeks
  • Tues or Wed or Thurs offerings
  • 5 years & up!
  • A celebration + mini-exhibit on the last evening for families & friends!

A PEEK INTO MINI MAKERS:

SESSION IV ~ mini Makers Mornings

Starting week of March 16th ~ SIMPLY ENROLL

SOMETHING TO HOOT ABOUT:

A CREATIVE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION:

MOUNTAIN PARENT MAGAZINE + LILYBART + HANDMAKERY

See PHOTOS of this full + festive + fun + feathery + flavorful + flock of friends at FIRST FRIDAY ~ February in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District for a MOUNTAIN PARENT MAGAZINE Reader Appreciation Party in our traditional MAKE & CREATE + 30 Drawings with guest artist ~ LILYBART!

OUR DIY IN MOUNTAIN PARENT MAGAZINE:

Our handmade upcycled DIY ~ SNOWY SNUGGLY OWL in MOUNTAIN PARENT MAGAZINE.

OUR RECENT DIYS ON ART BAR BLOG:

Sculpture with Kids ~ Ugo Rondinone Artist Study (Part One and Part 2) on Art Bar Blog! Discover how we used magnets for these mini monuments with kids!

BOOK A CUSTOM + CREATIVE CELEBRATION:

No date is too early to BOOK a custom + creative + childhood celebration on our Events Calendar!

SAVE THE DATE ~ FIRST FRIDAY MAY:

Be sure to pencil in the annual FAMILY BLOCK PARTY in downtown Carbondale | Colorado as we’ll be there creating in our outdoor art studio!

JOIN OUR SUMMER WORKSHOP LIST:

Get on the EARLY BIRD LIST for summer!

STAY CREATIVELY CONNECTED:

Follow our blog for more inspiring process-based art projects!  As always, thank you for following our artful adventure on Main Street in the heART of the Carbondale Creative District!  Send us a note anytime!  We’d love to hear what you’re thinking, dreaming, envisioning, crafting, creating, and celebrating!  Much love and happiness in this creative + colorful world, filled with collaboration + connection + community + arts & crafting!  

Tag us and say hello @handmakery Instagram with your colorful creations, celebrations, and shares!  

Much love,

Ami

A Fairy & Gnome Celebration for 40!

We recently hosted a magical + maker birthday celebration with 40 little artists in our children’s art studio! A Fairy & Gnome Enchanted Land Celebration for a sweet lil‘ one turning SIX! Definitely the largest celebration to walk though our Main Street door in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District. Take a peek inside this precious party with a plethora of lil‘ people! Indeed our studio felt cozy but also so crafty and creative as it completely captured childhood!

Knowing our hands would be festively full, we reached out to our good friend and photographer ~ Hilary Brock to capture this colorful celebration and oh my how she captured all the delightful details of this dreamy day on camera! Hilary, thank you for working your photography magic, you’re so talented!

For this creative childhood celebration, we took insightful inspiration from our awesome artist friend and LA studio owner, Meri Cherry and her ~ Fairy Gardens for Kids. Meri always makes miracles happen with mini makers. Meri gave us complete creative confidence for this celebration, connecting and chatting through Instagram. With a few artful additions, a mushroom masterpiece and wondrous whimsical treasures, this process made all makers feel creatively confident and gave them time to connect and cheerfully chat as they celebrated!

Giggling guests arriving and picking out their creative spaces.

A little one caught in the magic of mixing in the morning light.

The studio starting to fill as guests began artfully arriving.

The birthday girl getting the process started with a smile in Sunday’s sunshine.

All hands were on deck, both big and small.

Birthday wishes were sparkling and seen inside the soul to later be shared in a birthday song.

The mix of ages made this creative event completely captivating.

Selecting artful treasures was a happy highlight as each proud artist personalized their piece.

The morning light seemed to sparkle, shine, and create its own song & dance surrounding the marvelous mini makers.

Fairies and gnomes seemed to become artfully alive, appearing around the tables.

A maker and her sweet mama caught in a magical moment.

The whole family jumped into the artful action of this creative + crafting + community celebration in downtown Carbondale|CO!

A photo precisely about the pieces on point to protect the enchanted land.

Fairies lit up with sparkle-n-shine as they flew above the tables, taking in all the magic of the makers caught in the moment.

Creative, cozy, childhood, celebration, crafting, community, chaos, captures, collaboration, connection, Carbondale Creative District, children, and coming together in colorful Colorado with cheer!

It’s all about the process, the details, the experience, and the memories that will forever stay in the mind and heart of the makers.

A delightful-n-dreamy rainbow cake baked by the birthday family, both bright and brilliant.

Sweetness + smiles + stargazing + sunlight on a super Sunday in the studio.

A closeup capture of a mushroom masterpiece including both fairy & gnome, a beautiful butterfly taking flight, a pathway on point, and an enchanted land all handcrafted by a clever child.

Tag us @handmakery with your colorful creations and celebrations on Instagram!  

Follow our blog for more inspiring process-based art projects!  As always, thank you for following our artful adventure on Main Street in the heART of the Carbondale Creative District!  Send us a note anytime!  We’d love to hear what you’re thinking, dreaming, envisioning, crafting, creating, and celebrating!  Much love and happiness in this creative + colorful world, filled with collaboration + connection + community + arts & crafting!  

Much love, Ami

DIY Painted Paper Lantern

May’s First Friday always brings our entire community out for the annual ~ Family Block Party!  Friday evening we hosted ~ DIY Painted Paper Lanterns in our outdoor art studio from 4 – 8 PM.  Take a peek at a quick video clip to music!  Cheers to a wide-open canvas for all ages to explore!  A huge thank you to everyone for joining this festive event in downtown Carbondale | CO!  Take a peek at all the magic in our outdoor studio!  By the end of the night, all 130 paper lanterns were out of sight, heading home for colorful + creative delight!  Connect with us @handmakery on IG for the next creative + community + colorful happening!

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Forever Fishbowl

Excited to share with you a project recently dreamed up, designed, created, and of course, constructed in our very own downtown art studio!  Take a BIG splash into our ~ DIY Forever Fishbowls!  This project was created, carried out, and creatively constructed in several of our mixed age, six-week, after school, hands-on + mixed media, art workshops creating with young artists!

Beyond excited to also announce hands on + mixed media + NEW ART WORKSHOPS START NEXT WEEK for a wide array of ages!  Hop on over to ENROLL AT HANDMAKERY.COM as spaces are quickly filling!  While visiting, peek at new photos on our site and IG feed!

As you can clearly see, artists used a wide array of mixed media to bring their vision to life!  Below, you’ll discover all you need to create your very own ~ DIY Forever Fishbowl.  The big + beautiful bonus, you’ll never send a fish into fishy heaven, EVER EVER EVER again.  YES, this fishy will truly live F-O-R-E-V-E-R and children LOVE this fact!  Like, XOXOXO times a million or LOVE for a lifetime!

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Art Workshops + Weaving with Kids

Happy New Year!!!  Looking back, one of our most favorite workshops for children included ~ wee Wondrous Weavings on Wooden Looms!  Oh my, the possibilities of textile design!  These mini-masterpieces were created by 6 – 10-year-old artists!  Our NEW ~ 2018 Winter Art Workshop Brochure is hot-of-the-press!  Workshops start early January, yes this week and they’re filling up fast, just hop on over to our simple SIGN UP!  If you’re looking for hands-on + mixed media + creative expression + an artful highlight to each week + a chance to meet new families and friends JOIN US + ENROLL TODAY!  You can also connect with us on Instagram @handmakery to keep an eye on what we’re creating in the studio from special art events to birthday parties, and of course everything in between at our NEW art studio located at 449 Main Street in Carbondale | CO in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District!

WORKSHOPS + CLASSES + CAMPS

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Opening Night on Main Street!

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We hope you’re enjoying the last days of summer!  Have you heard the news!?!  HANDMAKERY just moved to Main Street!  We’ve been working all summer to get our new studio up, running, and ready for HANDMAKERY’S Opening Night Celebration ~ First Friday, September!  We’re so excited to be located in downtown Carbondale | CO!  We’ll now be located in the heart of historic downtown at 449 Main Street, in between flowers, yoga, coffee and across from piping hot pizza, sounds tempting, right!?!  Yes, we definately have the BEST neighbors!  We’re incredibly excited to be part of the community and the Carbondale Creative District!

Summer involved planning, designing, constructing, ordering, organizing, and decorating our new studio which we LOVED!  Highlights of our new space include: being nestled in the heart of the community, 14′ ceilings, timeless wood floors, historic charm, a crisp + clean + modern flair, natural lighting + big windows, all our favorite art supplies, and maybe our favorite element…  a teeny-tiny restroom!

PLEASE PENCIL IN + JOIN US:

September 1st | First Friday 4 – 8 PM

HANDMAKERY’S Opening Night Celebration + First Friday ~ FREE Art Making + Suprise Giveaways + Studio Tour!

STUDIO SNEAK PEEK EVENT:

We hosted a ~ Studio Sneak Peek + Free Kids Art Making last Thursday from 4-6 PM!  Several families + creatives came to tour the NEW studio and out-on-the-town to create ~ a wondrous wearable~ to shine + showcase + sport + spotlight around town on ~ First Friday, September 1st!  We had 100+ people attend this spectacular evening event!  A HUGE thank you to everyone that attended our first event!  The support for mini makers on Main (…and coming soon BIG maker events….including adults, ladies, couples, family + friends) was incredible!  See additional photos of the sneak peek in this week’s Sopris Sun newspaper on page 8!

Take a peek at our video-clip gone-wild over on Instagram, highlighting all the artful activity of our ~ Studio Sneak Peek!

At the ~ Studio Sneak Peek, artists created {hands on + mixed media} Owl Feathered Necklaces using cardboard, beads, jumbo pipe cleaners, markers, glue, stickers, string, sparkles and more!  Everyone had a great time in the studio!  Over the last several years over on Instagram, I’ve admired Wendee Wingfield, a local + Roaring Fork Valley photographer.  Wendee RSVPed to our event, I couldn’t even believe it!  We had never met before but when she walked in with her five children, I was beyond thrilled to finally meet Wendee and her children in person!  Wendee Wingfield generously sent me a gorgeous collection of photos she took of the ~ Owl Feathered Necklaces her children created in our NEW art studio on Main Street.  If you’re not on IG yet, it’s a fantastic place to meet new friends with similar interests!  Find us on IG @handmakery!

Take a glimpse at Wendee’s Wingfield’s photos below and discover her amazing talent + beautiful collection over on IG @wendeewingfield!  You’ll be amazed at what she sees through her lens and the life she creates!

Photo credit (below): Wendee Wingfield Photography

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Ice Cream Truck Sculpture

Warm weather brings childhood memories of an ice cream truck sounding and strolling neighborhood streets.  In our recent workshop ~ BEEP BEEP! SWEET TREATS, artists created ~ Ice Cream Truck Sculptures!  Love that we still have a few days to celebrate and soak up summer!  The workshop week was spectacular and our mini makers were beaming to exhibit their one-of-a-kind creations.  Along with an ice cream truck, each artist also created a mini picnic table and  handmade sweet treats for imaginative + interactive play!  Turn it up and take a peek at our short + sweet clip to an ice cream truck melody, highlighting the wondrous week!

You may have seen our Collaged Ice Cream Cones created with children in our outdoor art studio for a recent downtown event.  My friend Bar Rucci, over at Art Bar Blog was a huge inspiration in creating these paper sprinkled + cherry topped cones.  Take a look at her fantastic process creating Paper Mache Ice Cream Sundaes and Cardboard Ice Cream Cones!  Here’s a little secret, Barbara has a beyond inspiring book coming out this fall which I’ve had the opportunity to preview (cover to cover) and preorder ~ Art Workshop for Children: How to Foster Original Thinking with more than 25 Process Art Experiences.  All I can say is reserve your copy today, it’s truly one of the BEST BOOKS for creating with children that’s ever hit the printing press.  Personally promise it will be a studio go-to and gem that you’ll open again and again!

On a side note, Handmade Charlotte just shared the cutest + tiniest + tastiest treat, Gingerbread Ice Cream Trucks!  Maybe you’ve also seen Hello Wonderful’s DIY Pretend Play Ice Cream Cones using plaster?  Just a wee bit in love with both ideas!

Enrollment is currently underway and filling quickly for our 2016/17 School Year {mixed-media + hands-on} Art Workshops.  Follow our artful adventure on Instagram and Facebook, would absolutely love to connect, collaborate, and create community through children + creativity!

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Camping Under the Night Sky

Happy Summertime!  Hope you’re enjoying some much deserved outdoor time with family and friends venturing in the GREAT outdoors!  We’re definitely soaking up and savoring summer and heading into the mountains for camping getaways!  Excited to share with you these outdoor + camping + canvas + landscape paintings created in our recent children’s workshop, SPRING IS IN THE AiRTIST!  This mixed-media painting was inspired by one of our favorite wanderlust painters, Katie Daisy and her beautiful piece, Let’s Sleep Under the Stars!  Take a peek at Katie’s inspiring paintings and our painting process with children!  Thank you @katiedaisy for your painterly inspiration, adore your style, whimsical spirit, and passion for the outdoors!

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Workshops + Community Happenings!

HANDMAKERY-2015-16-WORKSHOP-SCHEDULE_WEBSITE

Join us for our 2015 SUMMER + 2015/16 SCHOOL YEAR ART WORKSHOPS + COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS!

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