Libby:
I tried getting crafty last night. I cleared a corner of the dining room table,
I found a piece of construction paper that was mostly unscribbled and a few
abc* crayons. Sadly, Sara’le wouldn’t share the smelly sticker she got at the
doctor’s office today
*already
been chewed
Brocha:
You should check out Creative Chabad Crafts Open Studio! I bet you’ll love it!
Libby:
Creative Chab- what?
Brocha:
CCC OS, right here in Crown Heights! You pay $20 and you get an hour to play
with all the craft supplies you want to create whatever you want. And the first
time you go you get an extra 15 minutes, just to check out the stash!
Libby:
You mean I won’t have to unbury my table? And I can have a fresh sheet of
construction paper all for myself?
Brocha:
Yup and yup! The craft area is well-stocked, organized and roomy. And Miriam
has more than just construction paper and more than just paper. She has
adult-style, quality supplies- only a handful of pompoms and no pipe cleaners!
She has papers in a ton of colors and styles and patterns, and quite a few are
special papers, like metallic, vellum and shimmery vellum. She has lots of
paper-crafting supplies, like stamps and stickers and heat embossing powders
for a touchable, glossy effect (5) and ribbons, twine and threads (5), and
bling. And she has a die-cutting machine!
Libby:
A what machine?
Brocha:
Die-cutting. It cuts out perfect shapes of paper and other materials, like your
basic hearts and stars and circles, or more interesting shapes, like borders or
frames or flowers. She has a neat flower die set (1) that once you put it
through the machine you can use both the innies and the outies! And the machine
also embosses (1) different designs, so they kind of pop on top of the paper
& look & feel 3-d
Libby:
Maybe I can finally finish some of the kids’ baby books! And it would be nice
to create a stash of greeting cards, like happy birthday cards, thank you, just
because…
Brocha:
And even Shana Tova or mazel tov cards! Miriam has a nice collection of
Chabad-friendly Jewish and Hebrew supplies (5)! And you can make your own
envelopes (1), with the envelope punch board
Libby:
So maybe I can make some posters for my classroom
Brocha:
And by the way, CCC OS has supplies for lots of different crafts (5), not just
paper crafts! Mosaics, paints, gift packaging, hair accessories, paper marbling
and more
Libby:
Oh, gosh! This is starting to sound really complicated
Brocha:
Don’t worry, Miriam will give you as much guidance as you want or she can keep
quiet. Just let her know what you want
Libby:
This is sounding really nice! I can think of a few projects I’d like to make
(2+)! I'm just wondering, would you know if I can bring any of the kids along?
It might be a nice way to spend some quality time with them
Brocha:
Up to 3 people at a time can go, but you can only bring Zeldie for now. You
gotta wait until Shira has her bas mitzva before she can go. Oh, and don’t
bring Levi! The studio isn’t really a baby-friendly place and if he’s awake for
more than 10 minutes Miriam will automatically charge an extra $10 baby-sitting
fee
Libby: That’s good to know about the girls, although it’s just too bad about
the baby. I guess I’ll just really have to enjoy myself! But when can I go,
with all my free time?
Brocha: Miriam has hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Just reserve by noon of the day
before at the latest and she’ll probably be happy to have you
Libby: And her husband and kids don’t mind?
Brocha: She’s not married and she has her own apartment, no roommates
Libby: Hmmm, maybe we should try to find her a shiduch
Brocha: Nah, let’s keep out of her private business, at least for now. ‘Sides, if
she gets married she might not be able to continue offering Open Studio
Libby: Ok, fine. I’ll keep quiet for now. Now, how do I get in touch with her?
Brocha:
I'll send you some links, just gimme a sec'. And, hey, maybe we can go together
one day!
CreativeChabadCrafts@gmail.com