There are plenty of us who want to be crafty, but just don’t take the time to do it. I was once one of those! Back in March of ’08 I started a craft club because so many of my girl friends had said that they too would love to do crafty things if they had the accountability to do it and someone to show them how.
My mom was involved in a craft group when I was little so I bombarded her with tons of questions about what to make, how to pay, when to meet, how many people to invite etc. Then I tailored it to fit what I thought our group would like. I’ve had a lot of you ask me about our craft club (we call it “Create”), so I thought I’d pass on some tips if you’re interested in starting your own.
Getting Started
I started the club totally by word of mouth. I didn’t want anyone to feel obligated, and I wanted to open it up to anyone who may be interested. Plenty of the original group members have brought friends who I didn’t even know at first. I emailed some friends, told them the info and just said come if you are interested. We started with a group of about 4 or 5 and now we’ve grown to about 10. It’s a good size. Any larger might be too much. It’s a great group… some beginning crafters eager to learn and others with specialities who are ready to teach.
Our First Meeting
For our first meeting we made Paci clips this is a great first craft because it didn’t take too long then we used the rest of our time together to talk about our plans for the future of our club. I asked each person in attendance to bring 2 or 3 ideas for something they were interested in making (with pictures or an example if possible) then we all voted on the projects we wanted to do and the months we wanted to do them. We discovered that it was best to take a break during June and July because everyone’s summer plans were so crazy. Here’s a link to the crafts we’re planning on doing together this year: Create ’09-’10 Schedule. At that meeting we also decided who would like to host each month.
How It Works
What We’ve Made
We’ve made some things I would have never tried on my own (like homemade lip gloss!) and I’ve learned some awesome new techniques. There is something about being with a group of friends that makes messing up perfectly fine and that is so freeing! Here are just a couple of my favorite crafts. If you want to see posts of more, just search “Create Craft Club” in the search window in the top left of your screen.
Love this idea! I soo need to do this! Love your blog by the way, I have found all sorts of neat ideas. 🙂
hey hey- i just gave you an award- I LOVE your blog and have gotten so many great ideas! have a great day!
Fun group! So nice that you’re consistent!
oh thank you for this post!!!!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
ps. i am giving away a little girl skirt on my blog, picking a winner at the end of the day!
Thanks for the information. I have thought about doing something like this, and this is a good start.
I've thought of starting a crafting club myself! I think it would be so fun, and interesting! I like your ideas on having a diff't hostess every month.
Awesome blog on how to start a craft club. I am looking to start one here in NH, maybe meet once or twice a month. Even thinking about making things to sell at craft fairs and donate the proceeds to a local charity. At least now I have some direction to turn! Thank you!
What a great idea. I'm the Creative Activities Coordinator for my MOPS group, and I'm always on the lookout for quick, inexpensive, mommy-centric crafts. I think I've hit the jackpot! I've pinned this link to my Pinterest "craft room" board to share with my fellow crafty mamas. Thank you!
~Ginny
http://pinterest.com/ginnycoon/craft-room/
Hi Sarah,
I just started an online craft club and googled info on tips and advice and came across your site. I have thought about doing an in home club for young married and moms. Reading your post has given me great encouragement.
God Bless!
That's awesome Rene' email me with any questions you have. I'm happy to help!