November CoLLaGE College

Our second session of Collage College was terrific!  What a great bunch of creative participants!!!  I was delighted by everyone's work and just plain enjoyed hanging out with 8 fantastic ladies, including the best partner ever, Chris. (Chris, below, is holding up an actual Mag Rag!) (And notice how cute our students are...)

I've noticed a pattern with our 2-night classes:  in the first class, the students are fairly reserved and it's really hard for me to read if they are enjoying it or if they even 'get it' or if they are overwhelmed or ???  In the week between classes, then I'm convinced they have 'gotten it', because I watch as their little copper-wrapped efforts turn into darling pieces of art.  By Class #2,  they arrive and talk about how much they've been thinking about the possibilities with collage and soldered charms since the previous week, and some even dream about it! And it's waaaay more obvious that they are enjoying themselves.  Plus, they get to see their finished, soldered, shiny charms that were slaved and fussed over in Class 1, and that gets everybody revved up for fun.  And then, by the end of Class 2 in which everyone is so much more confident and experimental, we're all a little disappointed that there isn't a Class #3 the next Tuesday! Anyway, it's fun to observe the dynamics and the comfort level people feel as they get more involved in the process.  I LOVE having these classes and am really looking forward to more in 2010!!!

Here are pictures from Class 1--we had both experienced crafters and several novices, old friends and new.

Working away...

Now on to Class 2!

Showing off their handiwork:

Doesn't she look sweet?:

Now see how sneaky she is?....stealing her sister's charm as she looks the other way:

Meanwhile, the other students are slaving away at their awesome coasters:

And here are the final products:

 

I didn't realize until posting this how Louise captured the word "nightingale" in the sheet music----I think this one is so pretty:

Actually, they are all beautiful!  I'm just so sorry that I didn't get any close-up photos of all the completed little charms this time--just slipped my mind, and now they are spread all over Portland.  I found some new decorative initials and love how they turned out.

Thanks again to everyone who attended November's classes!  Hope to see you at some upcoming classes for more fun!  If you would like to comment and are having difficulty, and/or do not have a Google account, just click on 'comments' below, and then click 'anonymous' on the menu and leave your name at the end of your comment.  I'd love to hear from any readers---it's great to get feedback on these blogs!

And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I know I have much to be thankful for!

Halloween Class was a Hoot!

I'm a little late posting about our Halloween Class--too much candy distracted me!  The bowlful of treats is almost empty now, thank goodness.  Very few trick-or-treaters braved our steep hill, so much was left over.  It's so hard to resist those "fun size" candy bars---since they are so tiny, they must have hardly any calories, right????

Our class had 5 goblins who showed up ready to make some spooky charms.

There was a lot of cutting and pasting going on, and witches and owls were flying all over the place.

I made a new friend who is crafty and clever:

 

And saw old friends who keep showing up at every class :-)

It was a great, ghoulish group!  Chris and I are always thrilled by the wonderful stuff everybody comes up with.

I hope everyone had a chance to wear their spooky jewelry as October came to a close. Thanks to all of the attendees for a terrific class! 

Now it's November already (!) and our regular Collage College sessions start up again one week from tonight.  Chris and I are having a blast putting on these classes, and tweaking them a little as we go along.  We've added a second Holiday Ornament class that filled almost immediately,  and we're busy brainstorming projects we want to do in the new year.  Keep checking back here for updates!

I think I need to have a tiny little Snickers now.....