Dabble Studios October 09 Newsletter

Customer Appreciation Month!

We'd like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to all our loyal customers, fans, and followers who have supported us this last year - October 11th is our 1 year anniversary!  So, now through the end of the year, we're celebrating in style....  

All Studio Drop-Ins are HALF OFF or
FREE if you buy your project here!

Can't think of a project?  Wahoo, you're in luck, we've put together a list of our top 10 studio projects.  Come spend an afternoon of fun and creativity with us!  Best of all - you don't have to clean up!  Children always welcome.

$10-15 Projects

Knit Coasters $15	Toddler Painting $10	Party Charms $10	Halloween Bags $15	Taggie Blankets $15

$20-25 Projects

Mosaic Frames $25	Scrap Albums $20	Amigurumi $20	Centerpieces $25	Clay Figures $20

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HOLIDAY PARTIES:
We're gearing up for the holiday crafting season!  Are you looking for a fun get together with friends?  Look no further - our one of a kind craft and holiday parties are packaged for every budget.  Some starting as low as $8/person for a party of 15!  Book early to reserve your space!  Click the photos below for a sample of our parties:

Holiday Craft Parties	Traditional Craft Parties	Children's Birthday Parties

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SUNDAY/THURSDAY KNITTING WORKSHOPS - GIFT GIVING 101



Gift Giving 101 - what could that possibly be, you ask?  It's anything you would give as a gift - bags, hats, scarves, or even socks....  How does it work, you might be asking?  Well, we're combining our Sunday and Thursday Knitting Workshops and these are the October dates:

Sundays, Oct 4 and 18, 1-4pm
Thursdays, Oct 15 and 29, 6-9pm

Each workshop is $10 or pay for the entire month of October and it's only $30!  So, what do you get for your $10?  Well, aside from the the obvious benefit of knitting with friends, you'll have access to hundreds of patterns in our library, our expertise in fixing those pesky holes and other "oopsies", as well as help in finding that perfect handmade project for your someone special!

Does it get any better than knitting for others?  Oh, and remember gifts can be for yourself too!!!  Feel free to bring yarns/projects from home - you do not need to purchase your yarn here for this workshop. 

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Thanks for checking out our October installment of the Dabble Newsletter!  We hope this newsletter finds you healthy, happy, and in the spook, scary, crafty spirit.  In honor of our wonderful customers everywhere, if you have reached this far in the email, then you receive a coupon for 20% off your entire next purchase in the Dabble Shop (excluding addi Click Needles)!  Just mention you saw this in the newsletter (save paper - don't print it out!)  Only one redemption per customer.  Cannot be combined with any other offers.  Offer expires Nov 1, 2009.  Feel free to forward to friends.  Please call, email or stop by if you have any questions!

Halloween is Coming!

Halloween is coming and in honor of this wonderful time of year, we've added Halloween Crafts to the shop - don't you just love this time of year?  So now, I have to share the story of this adorable little pumpkin with you all...

As you may or may not know, I've been busily (is that a word? LOL) working on getting our Crafts Parties on the website.  We've changed the way we do parties and I wanted to showcase all the different types of crafts we have.  Unfortunately, this necessitated making all the crafts, taking pictures of all the crafts and uploading them to the website - a HUGE job to be sure! 

One of our seasonal crafts is Amigurumi - soooo cute little creatures usually made from inanimate objects (food is my personal favorite).  So, I dutifully went looking for a cute Halloween pattern to create my pumpkin or ghost and I found a totally adorable one here.  If you love her pumpkin as much as I do...feel free to donate!  Here's a pic of the little guy - so cute!!!

So, I went about creating her creation and in the interest of time, I had to stop.  Man, 28 rows of 15 sts becomes a little tedious when all you want to do is take a pic to put on the website (I, of course, can't steal her pic). This is how far I got...only 12 rows!

So, I had to start from scratch...what else could I do?  And, then it happened...I had the most brilliant idea... I already had an orange ball lying around - from my Basket of Balls!

Notice the nice orange ball in the upper left corner... ?  It would make the perfect pumpkin!  Just make a little corkscrew, embroider eyes, nose and mouth, and voila, a pumpkin!  So, the moral of this story is look around before starting a project and keep an open mind.  You may be able to get the job done without a lot of needless effort.  And, if anyone takes our Amigurumi Seasonal Party - they'll be knitting it my way!  Just make a ball and add embellishments. =)  So easy!

Lovey Alli

Just wanted to quickly show off this adorable Lovey Alli!  I created & knit this lovey in just a couple days - it was so simple!  Since I have more pictures than words, I'll jump right in and show it off:

So, I think the next question becomes - "is it a girl or a boy".  I love the name Alli because it flows well with Lovey and of course, my daughter's name is Alexa.  So I decided to make her a girl, however, this is what happened when I tried that:

Okay, so girl Alli doesn't go over well, but I still like the name and I'm stickin' with it!  My next ones will be Lovey Ollie (the pig) and Lovey Elli (the elephant). =)  I know, isn't that the cutest???  Watch for those in the near future.

So, here are a few other shots of my little Lovey Alli.  Laid out flat so you can see how it's shaped:

 

Not so flat, so you can see how your child will see it.  This was a serendipitous design "flaw".  The lovey doesn't lie flat because I have a garter stitch and a stockinette stitch together, but I love the way it lies, so I'm designing them all this way:

 

Here's one of the back of Lovey's head, so you can get a feel for the detail on the head.  All of them are designed with this kind of detail.  It's a fun knit and such a sense of accomplishment when you're done:

And, here's the best shot of all - my little girl LOVES her Lovey Alli. =)  Unfortunately, I got this shot on a morning she had just woken up and didn't still have her jammies on, but it was too great of a shot not to show it off.  Please forgive her lack of clothing!!!  This is Alexa with Alli:

If you'd like to purchase the kit to make one of these adorable Lovey's for your child or as a Christmas gift (hint...hint...), just look it up under kits in our online store!  Enjoy! =)

Dabble Studios Newsletter - Sep 09

END OF SUMMER SALE!!!

Another sale, you say??? Yep, 40% OFF the following:

ALL Patterns & Books

ALL Beads

ALL Arts & Crafts Kits

Select Yarns - Yarn deals start at $2.50/skein!!!

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - August 28 & 29

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Sunday SOCK Workshops - Sept 6 & 13, 1-4pm, $25/each

Have you ever been intimidated by knitting socks, but really want to take your knitting to the next level? Well, here's your chance! Our 2 week sock workshop is the perfect way to learn how to construct a basic sock. The first week will cover knitting a complete "mini" sock and the second week will cover how to pick out a sock, how to size it for your foot, different ways of knitting the sock (toe-up or cuff-down), types of yarn, and how to start your first sock!!! Cost is $25/class or $45 if they're paid together. Price includes materials for your "mini" sock.

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We're making a change here at Dabble. We're hoping this will make our studio hours a little more convenient for folks. We'll now be open the following hours:

Tues-Fri 10am-6pm
Saturday 11am-5pm
* Wednesday Knit & Crochet has changed to 5-8pm
* Classes will continue to be scheduled every day at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

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BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY CRAFT PARTY EARLY!!!!
Don't forget to book your holiday craft party early - our calendar is filling up fast! Some suggestions we're already booking: Halloween cupcake parties, December countdown calendar craft party with the kids, holiday decorations (quilted table runners, placemats, center pieces, and food art - yummmy!), and scrapbook parties. And, remember, children are always welcome at Dabble - and what child doesn't love to express their creativity, especially with Mom or Dad there to cheer them on?!?!?!

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Thanks for checking out our September installment of the Dabble Newsletter! We hope this newsletter finds you healthy, happy, and in the summer crafty spirit. In honor of fluffy new yarn everywhere, if you have reached this far in the email, then you receive a coupon for 40% off one item in the Dabble Shop (excluding addi Click Needles)! Just mention you saw this in the newsletter (save paper - don't print it out!) Only one redemption per customer. Offer expires Oct 1, 2009. Feel free to forward to friends. Please call, email or stop by if you have any questions!

The Long-Awaited February (and January!) Email...

This is the what I sent out to customers:

What's New at Dabble Studios? Come check out the changes we've been making! Over the last couple months, we've been changing and rearranging some things. But we've kept the best of the best for you to enjoy... Here are some of the highlights:

SCRAPBOOKING THURSDAYS - FULL DAY OF CROPPING!!!!
Join us for a day of scrapping with friends! Supplies & equipment are laid out for a fun day of socializing and scrapping. Can it get any better? All scrap equipment & stamps are available for use. Bring a friend and create something memorable!
Table rental is $5/hr or $20/day - stay a couple hours or make it a full day! We're open 10:00am-9:00pm. Feel free to bring your own supplies!
**Reservations required.

NEW CALENDAR
Check out our new calendar! We've updated the calendar for March and April - we've added new classes, and rearranged some old ones. In addition to our regular classes, we've added a new Knit Textures class, Photography classes, and a new Basic Jewelry class - a fun bracelet/earring set which includes the price of beads! Click HERE for the new Dabble Calendar or click the links to the left for detailed class information!
**Remember, any class can be turned into a party or one-on-one class!

CRAFTY MOM'S CLASSES ARE HERE!!! TUESDAYS, 11am-1pm
Check out our Crafty Mom's classes. Even if you're not a mom - you know mom's, have mom's, and can benefit from the nifty things we create in the class. Have you ever wondered what to do with your earring collection? Have you ever wanted to make really stylish decorations for your home? Or, if you're a mom, have you ever wondered how some mom's just seem to know how to make crafty "stuff" for their kids? This class is for you!!! Class fee has just been reduced to $10/class, plus the cost of supplies ($5-10 depending on the class)! Click HERE for the upcoming Crafty Mom's classes and join us on our ever broadening adventure into craftiness...

Thanks for checking out the first installment of the Dabble Newsletter! We hope this newsletter finds you healthy, happy, and in the St Patty's Day spirit. In honor of St Patty's Day, if you have reached this far in the email, then you receive a coupon for 40% off any one item in the Dabble Shop! Just mention you saw this in the newsletter (save paper - don't print it out!) Only one redemption per customer. Feel free to forward to friends. Please call, email or stop by if you have any questions!