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

Handmade Sketch Book

Hi all, just wanted to share with you a quick project I made tonight. I have many many sketch books but I wanted to make a pretty one for my bedside as I often draw last thing at night or first thing in the morning.

I used the new Anna Griffin Cecille Collection in 12x12, some handmade papers, the Bind It All and some canvas paper inside.

Have you ever thought about making your own sketch pad? Give it a go and I would love to see what you have created!

Also if you are stuck about what to put inside your sketch pad why not take part in our weekly drawing challenges!

Cathy

The Crafty Adult Craft Club New Format and Dates

New format and Dates for Adult Craft Club

Hi all,

Please note that these will be the Adult Craft Club dates for the summer are

Saturday 8th May
Saturdy 5th June
Saturday 3rd July
Saturday14th August

Craft Club will take place from 2pm to 5pm and will cost €30 inclding all materials.

The craft club is paper craft technique focused and will include tutorials that can be used in cardmaking/ scrpbooking/ altered art etc.

Places are limited so please book early!

Thank you

Cathy

Junior Summer Camps

Junior Summer Camp Dates at The Crafty Alley Shop

11am to 12.15pm (Thurs, Fri & Sat)

1st to 3rd July
22nd - 24th July
29th - 31st July
5th - 7th August
26th - 28th August

€20 for three days or €7.50 for one day

Includes all Materilas
Please book early are places are limited

April Kit design Team Creations Video

April Kit Creations Video