Art Walk Saturday, May 31st 1-6 pm!!!

Exciting things are happening on Madison Avenue, we are M.A.D. about art! We will be having our inaugural M.A.D. Art Walk on Saturday, May 31st from 1-6 pm. What is M.A.D.? It is the acronym for the newly formed Madison Arts District. The west end of Madison is teeming with great places and CG is proud to be a part of it! We will be offering make and take crafts all day long, projects for all ages from kids to adults. And don't forget, parking is easy at CG, we have a huge public lot directly behind the store. Our block is featuring CG, Goddess Blessed and the grand opening of Victoria Stanbridge Photography. Further down Madison are many other participating shops so plan to make a day of it. Questions? Email craftygoodnesscleveland@yahoo.com. And don't forget to like us on facebook!

Sugar Skull Wall Art Class

Who loves sugar skulls? CG does!!! Make your own wall art to spruce up your pad. All skill levels welcome! Must prepay in store or send paypal to craftygoodnesscleveland@yahoo.com to secure your spot. $10 per person, class size limited to 8 people.

Class Times:

Saturday, March 8th: 1-2:30 pm
Wednesday, March 19th: 5:30-7 pm

New Classes for February!

***Click on the Individual Classes Tab for list of by appointment classes***

***Pre-payment required***Pay at CG or send via paypal to craftygoodnesscleveland@yahoo.com***

Friendship Bracelets 101: Beginner-level
Saturday, February 22nd 12-2pm
Margaret Gardner, instructor

$10($12 if you want to keep the clipboard)
Learn how to make a timeless classic. Friendship bracelets never go out of style, and choosing the colors is half the fun! Learn how to tie the basic friendship bracelet knot- the forward knot- and create your own 3-color diagonal stripe friendship bracelet for yourself, or to give to a special friend. A beginner level class for ages 10 and up. Over-achievers may also learn the backwards knot and make a chevron bracelet! All supplies provided. Take home your own clip board for $2 extra!

Amigurumi Basics: Intermediate-level
Wednesday, February 26th 5:30-7:30pm
Margaret Gardner, instructor

$30
Amigurumi, the Japanese-originated style of crocheting stuffed toys, is super popular, and very fun! Learn how to crochet your very own “kawaii” (“cute”) fiber friend in this class. Students will learn the techniques of crocheting in the round, single crochet, increase, decrease, making a starting ring, basic pattern reading, stuffing, and sewing pieces together. Basic crochet understanding and experience is required- Understanding of terms such as “Chain,” “yarn over,” “draw up a loop,” and “single crochet,” are a must, and novice experience such as making a hat, dishcloth, scarf, basic afghan, or similar are helpful. All supplies provided.

80's Craft Party TOMORROW! December 11th!

Instead of a Christmas Party, lets kick it old school with a Craft Party celebrating all those awesome 80's crafts! Friendship pins, friendship bracelets and more! The cost will be $10 for supplies and snacks. You can drop off payment at the store or paypal to craftygoodnesscleveland@yahoo.com. And if you want to show up with crimped hair and talk like a Valley Girl, all the better! Like fer sure, it will be gnarly!

Erie Shore Greyhound Adoption Benefit Saturday, July 14th!

It's a dog eat dog world...gotta help the pups! Our July Crafting for a Cause will benefit the Erie Shore Greyhound Adoption Agency. We will be having dog themed crafts for all ages throughout the day:

1-3 pm Story & a Craft(ages 3 and up)
We will begin by reading Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman(a Dr. Seuss Protege) and then tying in what we have read by crafting a party hat.
$6 per child

2-4 pm Fleece Dog Toy(ages 6 and up)
Dogs just love to play tug of war...make them a fun tug of war toy out of fleece! Very easy to create, great parent/child activity.
$6 per person

4-6 pm Sewn Dog Toys(ages 12 to Adult)
We will be crafting toys for our favorite dog! Create a fun toy using simple sewing. Not sure how to sew? Crafty Goodness will help you!
$6 per person

A portion of the class fees will be donated to Erie Shore.

As always, thanks for helping a great cause!

Luau THIS Saturday!

Do you like to buy local? Do you like to craft? Do you like cupcakes? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, stop out at CG this Saturday from noon to 7 pm. Along with a few neighboring businesses, we will be having a Luau!

Events:

1. Drop In & Craft
~Kids can decorate a tropical fish bank
~Teens/Adults can make a fun pair of flowery summer earrings
~Adults can make a summery glass tile pendant, kids can make a domino pendant
Each project is only $5 each, so bring a friend!

2. Fairy Garden Raffle
Local artist Kara has created an adorable Luau-Inspired Fairy Garden. Each purchase will get you a ticket into the raffle. Additional tickets can be purchased for 25 cents each.

3. Children's Raffle
Each child who stops in will be entered to win a very cute candy dispenser! Two will be given away!

4. Each person who attends will get a free gift just for stopping in.

There will also be snacks & cold drinks!

To find out about the other businesses who will be participating, click here. Everyone is within walking distance, so make a day of it!

Mission Small Business: Voting ends June 30th!

Chase & Living Social are giving away twelve $250,000 grants to small businesses around the country. In order to be considered, a business needs 250 votes. Voting is very easy, please click here, log in through Facebook and search for Crafty Goodness in Ohio. Wouldn't it be awesome if CG won some money??? I think it would!

If CG wins, lots more classes could be added...and who knows, maybe we'll move to an even a bigger location! A bigger location would mean we could accept even more local vendors. Right now we are up to 85 amazing people, ranging in age from just out of high school to grandparents.

So if you could, please take a minute to vote and help support local artists & crafters. Thanks for the support and don't forget to buy local!

June Project Martha: Success!

 Our first Project Martha was a great success!  A bunch of crafty ladies got together to see if we could in fact tackle a project out of the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts...

 There was a lot of folding involved in the Origami Patio Lights...

In progress...  

But the result was...

FANTASTIC!!!  Look at them lit up!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook to find out what project we will tackle in July!

Crafty Goodness Bridal Bazaar THIS Sunday, 4/22

Sunday, April 22nd from 1-5 pm
A wonderful selection of vendors will be on hand showcasing all things wedding related. Free admission!

Vendor List:

Buza Bags
-Custom purses/clutches for the bride & her attendants

Carol Lynn Salon Plus
-Full service salon for you & your wedding party!

Colleen Wilkins
-Custom wedding planners & more

Crafty Goodness
-Bachelorette Craft Parties

Creations by Arooj Ashraf
-Photography plus Henna Services

Images in Bloom
-Custom favors & gifts

LeafHopper Designs
-Heirloom bouquets, boutonnieres and eco-chic bridal accessories.

Looking for Pandora
-Bridal Jewelry

Thirstees Bridal
-Fun custom shirts for the Bride & Bridal Party

Tracy's Treats
-Cake Pops, Cookies & More

Wickwood Creations
-Bridal Candle/Floral Arrangements

Yates Apothecary
-Custom Blended Scents for the Bride & Bridal Party

Meet the Artist: Wayne Moon

Supporting local artists and offering a place to showcase their amazing work is the foundation Crafty Goodness was built on. With over 80 vendors, our second year is starting out great! Lakewood is such a wonderful community and I am so very proud to be a part of it. Our newest piece, an homage to the great city CG calls home, was created by Wayne Moon.



Now to find out a little more about him.

1. When did you start creating?
I am a self taught artist and started creating in 1982.

2. What is your favorite medium?
My favorite mediums are acrylic on canvas and mixed media.

3. Where do you find inspiration?
I find artistic inspiration in the works of the great impressionists like Camille Pisarro, Alfred Sisley, Banksy, and also street artists who display a degree of craftsmanship.



4. Do you do custom work?
I welcome doing custom work based on an individual's idea, or my suggestions. For example: an inspirational word, favorite saying, family name, neighborhood, hobby, activity. etc.



Be sure to check out the Lakewood mixed media piece soon at the shop, priced at $195.

Knit In! Crafting for a Cause

November Crafting for a Cause

Our November Crafting for a Cause is a Knit In!(or Crochet In!) It will be held on Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th from noon-7 pm. Bring yarn & needles and stop in anytime. We will be crafting to keep those who are less fortunate warm this winter. Knitters, crocheters & those who want to learn are welcome! Simple & quick scarf and hat patterns are on the menu, all can be completed rather quickly, hopefully in two hours or less using bulky yarn(think Lion Brand Thick n Quick, etc. & big needles.) Have a favorite pattern? Bring it! A selection of yarn will be available to purchase for a nominal fee, and needles/looms will be provided for you to use. Let's put our craftiness to good use!

If you know anyone who would be interested, please share the invite!

Here's the link to the patterns so you know needle size to bring/yarn:

Knitting Patterns

Crochet Patterns

To see photos, go to lionbrand.com/patterns.

Halloween Art Walk THIS Saturday!

Boo! Halloween is almost here! On Saturday, October 29th from noon-6 pm, Madison will be full of treats, no tricks at our last art walk of the season. Look for the balloons outside these participating shops:





Carol Lynn Salon Plus
15410 Madison
***OPEN 8:30-3:30 pm***
Handmade 100% Natural Pumpkin Facial Kits for sale with FREE Gift!

Crafty Goodness
15621 Madison
Free Goodie Bags for the kids
10% off all Halloween Merchandise
Halloween Crafts for all ages

Rockflower Studio
15707 Madison

Goddess Blessed
15729 Madison

Breakneck Gallery
17020 Madison

Over 100 different artists will be represented, with specials at each location. Visitors to the art walk will be entered into a raffle to win a cool gift basket full of Madison Avenue goodness. Passports for the raffle will be available at each location. Pick up your passport, get it stamped after visiting each and of course enjoy the local art! RSVP to the facebook invite here.

Meet the Artist: Forlorn Dolls

Crafty Goodness is very excited to be featuring a Forlorn Doll Trunk Show at our Halloween Spooktacular on October 22nd. Each amazing hand-sculpted doll takes between 20-40 hours to create. All the clothing is hand-sewn as well. The maker of these amazing art dolls considers herself "Lakewood obsessed" and not only lives in Lakewood but also attended college right here at Virginia Marti. She cites the "history, the architecture, the arts and community events have wrapped around us like a cozy blanket. The kind of blanket most people search their whole lives for. It's called home."



On to the interview...

Who is Forlorn Dolls?
I grew up in a home which nurtured my love of the arts. My oldest brother, Jeff, is a digital artist. And when we were younger he was always painting on the garage door and basement walls. His creativity later helped create the infamous dancing baby who sashayed its way onto Ally McBeal. You could say my parents encouraged us to be creative. In fact, unlike most parents mine wanted an artist in the family. I wanted to go into criminal justice. But my mom would smile down at me and say, "You could be a court sketch artist!"

When it came time to select colleges I had finally settled on Art. And my high school art instructors Sean Crum and Jim Messenheimer had worked to prepare me for the future. I had been accepted to the Columbus College of Art and Design and the Cleveland Institute of Art, but even with the scholarships I received the expenses of these institutions were just too much. So I attended Lorain County Community College beginning my studies in Fine Arts under the classic teachings of Reid Wood. Oddly enough, I made my very first sculpted doll in the LCCC Fine Arts program. It was a project I absolutely hated. But I still have the doll and he is staple in my studio. I went on to study Graphic Design under Dennis Ryan before I transferred to the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design in Lakewood to switch my studies to Fashion Merchandising. There were two courses which I feel lend so much to what I am doing now that were both taught by Barb Havranek: Textiles and History of Costume. If it wasn't for Barb I think I would be so lost in costuming the dolls.

I would say throughout my educated life I had five great influences which really have stuck with me. Each of the instructors I had brought something different to the arena which I have been able to retain and meld together with my own ideals to harness the Forlorn Doll style.


Your dolls are really amazing. How did you start creating them?
How I started making the dolls is actually a funny story, in a slightly creepy way. I have to admit first, that for several years I had actually abandoned art after I graduated college. I had felt burnt out and uninspired. Very lost. There was no direction.

My husband and I went to Salem, Massachusetts for our honeymoon two years ago. The morning following a weird paranormal incident which occurred during an evening walking tour we decided to cross over Boston to the home of the infamous Lizzie Borden. This was the house in which the gruesome axe murders of Lizzie's parents took place. It would be a change of pace from the busy tourist attractions in Salem, and a chance for our GPS to recoup from its demonic possession at the Salem graveyard. We arrived... it was cold, dreary and rainy; all the classic workings for a haunted tour.

From the street outside, the Borden house stands quite charming and serene. Inside as well it feels the same way. It's beautifully decorated, well-maintained and dutifully run by a exuberant young woman who takes visitors on an in depth tour of the home and its dark seedy past. What we never expected to see while there, however, was Lizzie Borden eighty-four years after she had passed.

It was in the old barn/shed, which now serves as the gift shop and ticket office for the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast that I saw her. I had been peeking around at merchandise while waiting for our tour to start. From the corner of my eye something unique and quite peculiar struck my attention. I didn't react instantly. In fact I hesitated a bit. I even turned to my husband and whispered to him about what I was seeing. I felt myself even grow anxious about it, overcome with curiosity and and assortment of other emotions I could not define in that moment. Finally, I approached the clerk's counter to get a closer look. Perched quietly and quite delicately like a lingering ghost from the past was this exquisitely handcrafted doll in the likeness of Lizzie Borden. She was so unusual and so beautiful.

Up until that point I had no interest in dolls, but I ask the merchant about her and how much to purchase the doll. Sadly, I was informed the Lizzie doll was not for sale but the clerk did explain she was a one of a kind art doll created by Joyce Stahl.

We had brought a laptop with us, so when we returned to our hotel that night I instantly went into research mode. I looked up Joyce Stahl's dolls online which parlayed into other doll artists. I had been inadvertently introduced to a new community I had never heard of before: Art Dolls. And of course there was so much terminology to be defined as well and a plethora of styles and mediums in which art dolls were constructed. When we returned home I jumped right into selecting the medium I felt would work best for my abilities and style and started combining everything I had learned from art and fashion into Forlorn Dolls.

In a weird little moment I had a little spark of direction where for so many years I felt lost an uninspired by art and even lost hope that I would ever find my way back into creating. And it's almost laughable, and people do laugh, when I say I was at a murder scene and that's where I found my inspiration. But I attribute finding that direction to Joyce Stahl. And at the beginning of this October we finally met face to face after a few months of emails, facebook and phone conversations and I was able to thank Joyce in person for being my inspiration.

To create something so amazing must take a long time, is it a long process?
This question always makes me laugh because when I first started making the dolls two years ago it was a very quick and painless process to make one doll. But as time has progressed and I have grown in my techniques (ie. improved my self taught sewing) it takes so much longer now. One full size doll, depending on the amount of detail just in the garments, can take between twenty and forty hours of work. The sewing is all hand done, no machines; so it is a very lengthy process.

What are you working on now?
I am working on many things at the moment. Aside from Halloween preparations, I have plans to start various projects which will include a series of Circus centered performers and fairytale themed characters like Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, but with the Forlorn twist. But next on my work bench is the Phantom of the Opera, a Victorian-styled alien, and a special large scale bridal pair which I started several months ago and had to put on hold while I was doing the summer shows. I have too many ideas running through my head at the moment and just not enough time to get started on them.

To see these amazing dolls in person and meet the artist, stop by Crafty Goodness on October 22nd. More information can be found here.

Hell on Wheels Craft Extravaganza

What do you get when you cross Mods vs. Rockers on W. 117th with the Car Kulture Show on Madison Ave? Hell On Wheels, obviously! Mods vs. Rockers is the ultimate scooter/bike rally, and the Car Kulture Show is the place to check out 1972 and older vehicles. Back in the day when cars were fun to drive, and looked it! August 20 will be a busy day filled with classic cars, hot rods, mopeds, bikes and of course crafts. Madison will be closed down from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. between Warren and Hilliard, and the bike rally will be going on from noon until at least 6 p.m.

The Cleveland Craft Coalition has come up with a brilliant plan to get people to check out both events: raffle off a gift basket. In order to be entered, just stop and pick up a map at- Spitfire Saloon (1539 W117th Street in Cleveland); Crafty Goodness (15621 Madison Avenue); Goddess Blessed (15729 Madison Avenue); Breakneck Gallery (17020 Madison Avenue); Keyhole Gallery (will be set up at a street booth on Madison)- and then visit 3 of the stops, how easy is that?

The prize basket is going to be amazing, Buckeye Beer Engine has donated a gift card to our cause so have a beer and some Plum Sauce on them. Crafty Goodness will be including some handmade goodness, while Breakneck, Thirstees and Spitfire will include t-shirts and other swag. Please remember, by attending this event supporting local art, you will be helping the economy right here in Lakewood. And that is a great feeling! View the Facebook invite here.

Rowdy Indie Craft Fair Sunday 8/14!

Crafty Goodness may be located in Lakewood, but we will be traveling down to Akron on August 14th for the Rowdy Indie Craft Fair. One of our vendors, Holden Allen(who makes the MOST awesome guitar pics)is the mastermind behind the event. When she said it would be a day "full of art, music, food and awesome people" I said sign me up! I will be in great company, Zween will be there with her recycled goodness. Make sure to stop by her table and check out her wares, especially her weeble wobble owl crocheted from plastic bags. I am pretty sure it is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Candice of Tattoo1981Ink will also be there, and if you haven't seen her toddler dresses, shame on you. They are made from the cutest vintage fabrics, completely adorable. Trust me, you need to buy one. One of my fellow Lakewood shoppe owners will also be in attendance, Therese from Keyhole Gallery. She recently celebrated her one year store anniversary, and when you stop by her table you will see why: her art is amazing. From dichroic glass rings to amazing fascinators, she has it all. Those are just three of the vendors who will be selling, there are over twenty more listed on the website. Crafty Goodness will have a table set-up with a selection of our wares, plus a craft table. For sure we will be sewing hair clips and making glass tile pendants, which are both hits at our Thursday Drop In & Craft sessions at the store. Sundays are always so boring, but this day will definitely not be! Make sure to rsvp to the facebook invite here because this in an event you should not miss. Buy local, buy handmade!

Art Walk on Saturday, August 13th

Crafty Goodness, Rockflower Studio and Goddess Blessed will be hosting an Art Walk on Saturday, August 13th from noon to 6 pm. Come and check out all the great local art found on the Western end of Madison Avenue. All three shops feature acrylic & oil paintings, mixed media pieces, photography and so much more from many talented artisans who live right here in the Cleveland area. We invite all the attendees to decorate our sidewalk areas between our stores, chalk provided at each location. Let's bring Madison Avenue alive with art! There will be many events planned throughout the day, great for all ages. Facebook invite here.

Individual Shop specials:

Crafty Goodness(15621 Madison)
10% off local art
10% off all classes registered for during the event
Craft Projects all day long
www.craftygoodnesscle.com
www.facebook.com/craftygoodnesscleveland


Rockflower Studio(15707 Madison)
20% off all classes registered for during the event
Watercolor/Acrylic Painting Projects
Snacks
www.rockflowerstudio.com


Goddess Blessed(15729 Madison)
10% off local art
Pastries by a fabulous local baker
www.goddessclessedinc.com
www.facebook.com/pages/goddess-blessed-inc/126176568214

Zydeco Bistro will also be attending, serving a Creole/Cajun themed menu with locally grown vegetables. Or in other words, extremely delicious fare! Find the event on Facebook, search Madison Avenue Art Walk. Many more events are in the planning stages for the holidays, like us on facebook for all the details: www.facebook.com/MAMALakewood.