Meadow Lark Dusk Mini Album for Timi

It has been so long since I posted a mini album and as 2010 soon will be drawing to a close I thought I would post my last one. This was for Timi as part of The Scrapzville Swap.

Timi look away now as it is going in the post to you finally tomorrow but here are a few of the pages.

Brrrrr...time to put the stove on!

Cathy

Bo Bunny Noel Kit

Hi all,

I havent had a chance to post anything about our last two kits as they sold out before they reached the web but I have managed to make up a couple of extra November kits this month as so many of you have been asking for it. These kits started shipping early last week and went out fast but the Christmas elves at the shop (managed to rustle up a couple more...thanks Eb and Clare!)

Oh and if one of each of the Bo Bunny Noel papers is not enough we also threw in some brand new Tim Holtz goodies and some stunning Prima too...We will be aalso be using this stunning collection in part of our Handmade Christmas Workshops at the shop so stay tuned for details.

We only have a couple so please email me or call the shop on 0646630800 and we will get it sent to you asap.

Here are a couple of images to show you the Christmas Scruminess in this kit!

 Here is a picture of the papers in more detail from http://www.bobunny.com

You will notice that our website http://www.craftyalley.com is down this week at that is because we are soon going to be putting up our brand new website which has been in the planning and designing for months. We are almost there so keep an eye out here on the blog and of course on Facebook where most of the Crafty Alley action goes on to follow the new website updates.

Wishing you all a lovely November

Cathy

Change in class for tomorrow

Hi all, instead of the planned Candle Making tomorrow we have decided to change it to Knitted Christmas Decorations by request! No need to book, just show up with your size 4mm needles at 12.30 am. Price will be no more than €15 and possible less!

This is a workshop for adults of 16 years and over. Prior knitting experience is required for this one.

Hope to see you there

Cathy

A Knitted Christmas Gift Workshop Sat 6th Nov

As part of The Crafty Alley Shop Handmade Christmas Gift campaign for 2010 we will commence our season of workshops this Saturday, 6th November form 12.30PM to 14.30PM. The cost of the workshop is €20 which includes materials but please bring along your own size 10mm knitting needles. We will be making this stunning Patons Curly Scarf pattern. As well as this you will take away a little knitting kit for an additional gift which can be made at home.

This workshop is limited to 6 participants so please book early by calling the shop on 0646630800 or emailing us.

Thank you

Cathy

Autum Workshops at The Crafty Alley Shop *Updated*

Hi all,

I just wanted to post the provisional Autumn Workshop Programme.

More details to follow.

***New*** Cathy's Handmade Christmas Programme
This is a new workshop I have designed to encourage people to make their own Christmas Gifts this year. At the end of the workshop as well as having beautiful finished handmade gifts, you will also have acquired new handmaking skills.

€20 per workshop

The provisonal programme is as follows

6th Nov - A Knitted Christmas Gift
13th Nov - Candle Making
20th Nov - Wall Art / Ceramic Painting
27th Nov - Christmas Cards (make up to 70 cards in two hours!)
4th Dec - Christmas Mini Book
11th Dec - Jewelry Making
18th Dec - Handmade Gift Wrap

Children's Autum Workshop Dates (11.00am to 12.15pm) €7.50pp

18th Sept
16th Oct
20th Nov
11th Dec

Adult Cardmaking Classes (2pm - 4pm) €20pp

18th Sept (finished)
27th Nov

Killarney Scrapbooking Crop

5th Sept (finished)
16th Oct (finished)
4th Dec

Dublin Crop (All provisonal dates)

11th Sept (done)
Next Dublin Crop to be confirmed

We will also be hosting a ten week Patchwork and Quilting classes by Nikki Foley, a Knitting Workshop on the 9th Oct with Carol Fellers and Oil Painting with Tina Reed on Tuesday Evenings.

(Captiva Wrap for Knitting Workshop with Carol)

I am also delighted to announce that Mairead Sharry will be doing a Felting Workshop on Monday 27th Sept from 11:00pm to 13:00pm for €20 including tuition, all materials and tea and coffee. Places limited and deposit secures place.

(Example of Felt Work by Mairead Sharry)

All of the above workshops are on a limited amount of places so book early to avoid disappointment by calling 0646630800.

Thanks

Cathy

Not to be missed!!

Hi Ladies,

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st August, Robyn Correa will be teaching our card making class here in the shop.
Now, as you know, Robyns' cards are pretty amazing and we have ONE space left!!

So, If you are free tomorrow afternoon from 2-4pm and would like to learn some of Robyns' techniques, give us a call - 064 66 30800

August kit.

Hi Everyone,

The August kit is flying out of the shop and I just want make sure that anyone who has ordered the previous kits gets a chance to buy this one.

So, if you think you'd like one give me a call on 064 66 30800 or you can place your order on our website www.craftyalley.com

Happy scrapping ladies!

Felicia x

Autumn Workshops at The Crafty Alley Shop

Our Autumn schedule of classes are starting to come together and I have a couple of dates already that you can put in your diary.


1. Patchwork and Quilting with Nikki Foley at The Crafty Alley Shop (running Mon mornings from Sept for 10 weeks. 2 hour class for €120. Places limited so deposit of 50% secures place. We are so delighted to have Nikki teaching at the shop.

Nikki Foley has been involved with patchwork and quilting for nearly 20 years.

A qualified teacher, she has a lot of experience with students at all levels.

She contributes to many of the patchwork magazines, and has had her work published in a series of 7 patchwork books. Also she travels around ireland to teach to groups and guilds. A number of her textile quilted pieces have been exhibited in Ireland, France, Germany , America Canada and the UK.

2. I am so over the moon to announce that knitting teacher and designer Carol Feller (www.stolenstitches.com) will be teaching a one day workshop at The Crafty Alley Shop on Saturday 9th October. Carol teaches both internationally and nationally and her stunning patterns are renowned for their unique stitching techniques. Please register your interest by emailing shop@craftyalley.com or calling us on 0646630800

3. Killarney based artist Tina Reed will also be teaching oil paining in the shop Tuesday evenings. I can personally recommend Tina's class havin attending a couple of her workshops. You can book directly with Tina and for more info visit her web site http://www.killarneyartholidays.com/

(Yep thats me in the white hat...not one of my most fashionable En Plein Air Outings ;-))

Email us at shop@craftyalley.com to reserve a place for any of the above as all places are limited.

More classes to follow!

Cathy

Cork's Pink Auction

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know about a fantastic project that I am going to do and I hope you might join me too!

This year I will take part in Cork's Pink Auction .

I have copied this info directly from their blog so please take a read

The Pink Auction is a creative textile auction to raise funds for and awareness of Action Breast Cancer, a part of the Irish Cancer Society. All auction items will be pieces of high-quality textile art. The auction will be held on Sunday, the 10th of October 2010 (10-10-10) in Cork City, Ireland.

The Pink Auction
Sunday, 10 October, 2010

The Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork City, Co. Cork, Ireland. 

Pink Auction 2010 seeks donations of high-quality, sellable textile art, including but not limited to: Crochet; Knitting; Lace; Weaving; Quilting; Felting; Batik. This can come in the form of: Fashion; Creative textile jewelry; Quilts; Blankets; Shawls; Bags; Wall hangings; Mittens.

Get Involved! It doesn't matter if you are a student in secondary school, a fashion designer, or a hobby artist, your generosity makes a difference! Here are some of the ways you can help make this event a success:

• Sew, knit, quilt, crochet, macramé, or create a creative textile piece to donate to the auction.

• Plan a ‘Make-A-Square’ event in your school, community or group of friends. These one-off events will be held all over Cork through August, giving friends and community groups a chance to knit, crochet, felt, quilt, or even silk paint or batik a square that will be part of a larger auction item.

• If you have a café, pub, restaurant, or public space offer to host a ‘Make-A-Square’ event.

• Donate clean unused yarn or fabric to be used by fibre artists to make an auction item.

• Spread the word!

If enough of us are interested we could host our very own "make a square event" and one of the Friday morning group meetings in the shop. Otherwise please feel free to make an individual piece and get in touch with the organisers by emailing PinkCork [at] gmail.com. 

Also - I will give a discount to yarn being purchased for this event. More details on that to follow. 

Cathy

Art and Craft Summer Camps

Hi all,

If you are visiting Killarney this summer or know somebody who is then you might be interested in the kids art and craft summer camps we are running.

You can book in for one class for €7.50 or 3 classes for €20. Each workshop runs from 11am to 12.15pm each day.

Here is an outline of what we will be doing but this can vary and change but will give you a good idea. 

July
22nd- Card Making
23rd- Paper Bunting
24th- Painting Boxes

July
29th- Flower Boxes
30th- Bird houses
31st- Mask Making

August
5th- Vases
6th-Stone painting
7th- memory book

August
26th- Exploding box
27th- Painting Canvas
28th- Milk Carton Pencil Holders.

Face painting will be included in the Saturday workshops

So drop the kids off and enjoy a ramble around beautiful Killarney and we will ensure the kids have a fun and creative time....

Book by emailing shop@craftyalley.com or call 0646630800

Spread the word!

Thanks

Cathy

The Great Big Summer Crafty Alley Paper Sale!

Hi all,

To make room for all the new paper releases due in later this summer we are holding a vey unique 2 day paper sale across all the cardmaking and scrapbooking section.

This Sat & sun we have taken a whopping 20% off all papers and cardstocks. Also to say thank you to all our Ning, Facebook and Blog friends we are giving you guys an extra 5% off. Thats 25% is total. All you have to do is say "Sending Online Crafty Love" when buying either online at http://www.craftyalley.com/specials.php or buy phone +353(0)646630800.If you buy online we will refund the 5% extra (excluding postage) to your account.

***Please not as the sale will run simultaneously in the shop and online all papers will be sold on a first come first served basis. To avoid disappointment you can always phone in your order on 0646630800 as we will have real time stock quantities available***

So what are you waiting for - spread the online love to your friends and get stocked up on some fab paper goodies.

The sale is opened now!

http://www.craftyalley.com/specials.php

Cathy

This Saturday's card making class with Michele Roos

Hi all,

We are delighted for our very own guest designer  Michele Roos  to be teaching this Saturday's card making class at the shop.

Michele is a very experienced and talented card maker and we are sure you are going to be in for a treat as Michele shares some tricks of the trade. Michele will be teaching how to make easel and punch framed cards (examples below).

All materials will be provided for the workshop so just bring a long your basic tools such as ruler, craft knife and scissors and adhesive. The cost of the workshop is €15

If you have not already reserved your place you can do so by emailing the shop or calling us on 0646630800.

See you Saturday!

Cathy

Preview of July kit

Hi all, thought we would give you a preview of the July kit which will begin shipping this week. The kit will be up for sale by Wednesday but in the meantime if you wish to reserve one email shop@craftyalley.com.

This kit is based on the gorgeous Prima Water Colour and Shabby Chic collections with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and various altering items.

We love it and hope you will too!

Cathy x

Crafty Knit & Stitchers...

Hi Ladies, during the summer we will be running art & crafts camps for children. These run in three day blocks, one of those days being Friday.
Now, because we'd miss you if you didn't come and knit with us, we are inviting you to come on Wednesdays for those weeks.
The dates are Wednesday 30th June
21st July
28th July
4th August
25th August.
Hope to see you here with your needles! We will be here on Fridays as usual for all the other weeks.
Happy Knitting!

This week's roundup! Phew....

I cannot belive it is Sunday night and that a new week is about to start. The last one was hectic but fun, productive and happy! It started last Monday when I ran 10k as part of a Marathon relay in Cork city with four other fab girls. The whole day was such fun and I am looking forward to our next run.

Then I worked very hard finishing a cardigan I was knitting for my Mam for her birthday last month. It was hard knitting chunky in this warm weather but I was happy enough with the finished piece. No more chunky though this summer. I am now knitting a sweet owl in Artesano's 100% luscious alapaca - Inca Cloud and loving it!

Then it was World Wide Knit in Public Day WWKIP at the shop on Saturday. After a quick run to the cake stand to pick up some delicous cupcakes the girls and I took out the chairs, needles and sun glasses and knitted in bliss for a couple of hours in the baking sun (I have the sun burnt shoulders to prove it!).

Then it was time after much avoidance to finally get to know the new sewing machine I bought last year. I found it so hard to adjust from my old manual Singer to this new computerised Brother but finally today, I sat down and did it, and was thrilled with the results! I got a book from the shop called "Sew a metre" and made a cool needle roll. I think I will make one for my paint brushes next.

So that was most of the week in a nutshell. Oh also my little girl had the chicken pox, I started some very special "flying lessons" with the amazing Kelly Rae Roberts and I got to meet the lovely Nicole in the shop after nearly three years and I had a gorgeous night out with my fab hubby to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.

This week coming is looking hectic but fun already!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Cathy

Pictures from Craft Club

Thanks to all the lovely ladies who joined us for a really fun crafting afternoon....and a special welcome to Coleen and Marnie who joined us for the first time. Thanks also to Ann, Marge and Clare for making another craft club date great and sharing all your gorwgoues work.

Oh and before I forget - it was also great to meet one of my design team members in person on the day - so thanks Katie for popping in and I hope the rain has not put you off future trips to Killarney!

Cathy

World Wide Knit in Public Day

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the World Wide Knit in Public Day outside The Crafty Alley Shop in Killarney this year on Saturday June 12th from noon onwards.

Started in 1995 the World Wide Knit in Public Day is a fun event to promote the art of knitting and allow fellow knitters to get together and have some fun and show knitting is for everyone! This is the largest knitting event run in the world and shows that knitting can be a community activity.

After hosting the WWKIP day last year we launched our Friday Morning Crafty Knit and Stitchers which has been a great success and has brough many lovers of yarn and needles together. The group has also contributed to charities and their enthusiasm and helpfulness to new members and each other is amazing. This is a great way to meet new friends and knit over a cup of tea for a morning - bliss!

If you would like to take part come along on the day with your needles and yarn and join in - as simple as that. It may be advisable to bring an umbrella just in case. If it gets too wet we will move the event into the shop.

There will also be special discounts and promotions in the knitting section of the shop for everyone to enjoy on the day.

Over the last year we have been building up a yarn section with plenty more to come in time for the big event. You can even purchase online through our new yarn section of the website.

Please email the shop at shop@craftyalley.com or call us on 0646630800 if you and your friends would like to take part!

For more information World Wide Knit in Public Day please visit www.kipday.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Cathy

Craft Club this Saturday 5th June

Hi all,

Just a reminder that the Craft Club is on this Saturday in June and I cannot wait for you to see what we will be doing. I have brought some fresh ideas straight off the plane from France and we are going to be doing some amazing layouts.

You will need to bring photos and we will be dedicating this class to 12x12's like you have never seen before!

Also a hint for one of the projects is that you will not be using adhesives but it will be a fully layered project so disarm your ATG guns and put that pritt stick away for w while while we have fun without our gluey friends. Don't worry if you have adhesive withdrawal symptoms even thinking about it you can use your favourite adhesives for the other projects we will be doing on the day!

So email myself or the shop if you want to sign up and see you Sat from 2pm to 5pm.

Cathy x

Card Making Class

These are some of the cards that were made at the card making class today. Its amazing how much I didn't know about cardmaking, Yvonne has a quick and easy way to do everything. The baby boy and girl cards were really sweet, all I need now is a friend to have a new baby!
All in all it was a great morning, Thank you Yvonne for sharing your knowledge!

Card Making workshop

We're pleased to announce that Yvonne Lovejoy is giving another cardmaking workshop!
For those of you who haven't met Yvonne, she is an amazingly talented lady from Cornwall. The three hours will be packed with information, designs and a good giggle!
Date: Wednesday 26th May
Time: 10.00am -1.00pm
cost: €25.00
Venue: The Crafty Alley Shop
Places are limited, so please call us on 064 66 30800 to book a place.

Plein Air Painting in Killarney

Hi all, I wanted to share with you what I got up to last weekend. I decided to have a little painting "me" time so I booked in on a Plein Air Painting weekend with local artist Tina Reed. I painted with Tina last year and had loved it and the challenge of plein air painting with oils in Killarney was too good an opportunity to miss. Oils are still quite a new medium to me but I now adore them and find I am reaching to the oil tubes more frequently then the acrylic tubes these days but it depends on what I am working on.

The setting was the Lake Hotel in Killarney which has stunning views. As you can see the day started off quite dullish but we watched our paint palette get brighter and brighter over the weekend and the magnificent colour change on the mountains (Torc and Mangerton were our main focal points) and the lakes. We had it all, swans, boats and also some very interested patrons from the hotel having a gander at our work. 

I shared the weekend with 6 ladies and Tina our teacher. Everybody was at different levels in painting from people painting for the very first time to some very talented experienced painters. 

We painted mostly with palette knives but as a brush lover I did sneak in the did brush stroke throughout the weekend. 

One of the bonuses of oils (which I used to consider a negative in my impatience) is the slow drying time which allowed me to work on the painting in more detail when I got home. The composition in its vastness was quite challenging but very interesting. I haven't quite completed a masterpiece yet in oils but slowly but surely I am learning more and more with each project. 

If you fancy a weekend with a difference I would highly recommend Tina's courses. And for those of you looking for regular oil painting classes we are honoured to have Tina teaching Tuesday evenings in our own workshop room whilst she builds a new studio in the stunning Clydagh Valley.

Thanks Tina and to to the lovely ladies I met over the weekend. I hope to see you back on a course very soon.

Cathy

Yarn and Needles Summer Sale

Attention all you lovely knitting and crochet lovers. This weekend (Fri, Sat and Sun - 21st -  23rd June) we are giving extra special promotions on wool and needles both in store and online. There will be a minimum of 10% and up to 50% off some selected yarns to make room for new yarns arriving shortly so spread the word!

Mosaic Chair

Hi all, well I have had another lovely weekend. Yesterday we had the Craft Club in the shop where the ladies made a Bo Bunny Friendship album . I will share some pics later in the week.

Today I decided to finish off some projects I started earlier in the year. I had two mosaic projects - a chair and a mirror. I had placed the mosaic on the chair but had not finished it off but yippee today I did! This was an old black chair with a wooden seat. I added the ceramic and glass mosaic to the center of the chair. I then added gesso to the rim of the chair and painted in acrylic red. The metal back and legs of the chair were sprayed in bronze. Now I have to decided where I will put it. This chair makes me very happy just looking at it so I hope it does for others too! Hope you all had a lovely weekend too....Cathy x

Paper Bag Mini Album

Paperbag Mini Album for Dee

Hi all - this is a collage of the paper bag mini album I made for Dee as part of the Scrapzville Swap. This is actually a remake as sadly the first album never arrived to Dee. The packaging arrived damged without the album inside. The theme of the swap was an album incorporating a line from a song that had the word love in it. I chose "A song for Ireland" as Dee had asked for an album to help her remember a holiday she once had over here. It would have broken my creative soul to try and copy the first album so I started on a new blank page for this one. I really hope Dee likes it. You can also see a video which shows you the images in more detail here.

Cathy

Saturday's Classes.

Hi Everyone, this Saturday (8th May) please note the times of the classes:

Junior Craft - 10.30-11.45 AM - Places still available, please call us to book a space.

Jewellery Class - 12.00-1.00pm - Full

Craft Club - 2.00 - 5.00pm - 2 places remaining.

See you Saturday!!

Vintage Findings May Kit Now Online

Hi all, 


I am delighted to announce our latest kit which is based on Making Memories Vintage Findings Range.

In this kit you will get 


This month we bring you an amazing kit based on the Making Memories Vintage Findings Range. In this kit you will get 

• 3 Bazzill Cardstock in 12x12
• 1 Sheet of Vellum 12x12
• 1 Prima Paintable 12x12
• 8 Double Sided Vintage Findings Paper 12x12
• 1 Polka Dot Ribbon
• 2 Lace Ribbons
• 1 Butterfly Ribbon
• 1 Scalloped Chipboard Piece
• 1 Card and Envelope
• Darkroom Door Art De Fleur Thumbnail Images
• A Magic Mesh Roll
• A Distress Stickle
• 2 pots of gems
• Tim Holtz Swivel Clasps, Fragments, Hinge Clips
• 1 Large and 2 Small Prima Flowers
• Vintage Findings including Envelope, Labels, Tickets, Stamps, Flower Pin and Garment Pins
• 2 Cut Piece of Fabric (Red and Ivory)

The value of this kit is well over €50 but we are selling it to you for just €30!

Don't forget to see what our design team are doing with this kit by visiting The Crafty Alley Design Team Blog


Cathy