There’s something very fun about doing something creative as an adult. It’s rare we get to spend our free time making something, and for those who don’t feel they are naturally artistic, crafts can seem intimidating. However, the recent popularity of paint and sip classes has helped to pave the way for other creative and social classes, geared toward adults and guided by talented instructors – and one local business, Nola Love, is quickly gaining steam after recently opening its first brick & mortar event studio.
Nola Love offers themed create-your-own craft classes weeknights and weekend afternoons at 777 Minnewawa, Suite 24 in Clovis. Lead by Nola Love’s talented owner, Janice Keith, who has been creating beautiful home décor, clothing, accessories and children’s items for as long as she can remember, class participants pay just $20 for small group instruction and all the materials needed to create a custom craft project such as a monogrammed door sign, felt floral wreath, or set of glittered wine glasses. I first connected with Janice on Twitter and Instagram, and fell in love with her hand-lettering, vintage look signs and decorations. Her hats and infinity scarves are also really, really cute!
I asked Janice to share a little more with me about how Nola Love came about, including how it got its name and how she made the leap from making and selling beautiful crafts to opening a studio and hosting classes. “Nola Love comes from my time spent in New Orleans. (If you’re not familiar with the nick name for the city, NO stands for New Orleans, LA Lousiana) I’m originally from Clovis but lived in New Orleans for several years and evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. My love for that city runs deep.”
As far as her leap from crafter to instructor and business owner, she shared the following, “I’ve been doing craft classes out of my house with my friends for years. Seeing the success of the paint classes offered in town and around the country, and with the help of my friend who owns Cool Hand Luke’s volunteering his restaurant as my initial space, I decided to start offering craft classes. After several months of continuing to grow the “crafternoons”, I had an opportunity to move into my own craft studio space! I am now able to offer the classes on a daily/nightly basis as well as have a place to host private craft events such as birthday parties, bachelorette parties and bridal showers.”
Recent reviews left by Nola Love class participants such as the following, from Lupe Diaz, have been glowing, “I have attended a few Crafternoons and now Crafty Happy Hour. I love attending with a group of friends. I have used several of the crafts we have made in my home unlike the paintings I’ve made at other events and hide in my garage. Janice makes things fun and different every time! You just show up and she provides the rest!”
Janice says her 20 years of customer service experience gained from other positions held lends to providing a truly fantastic experience for her class participants. “I really take pride in providing an experience that allows my customers to not only walk away with something tangible that they make but something that they had a GREAT time making.”
If concerns about craft inexperience hold you back, Janice says you truly needn’t worry, “I love when customers come in with no craft experience, thinking they are not crafters! I make it my mission to ensure they not only have a great time, but also leave wanting to craft more. Plus, the classes I offer truly are for crafters of all skill levels.”
So, how ‘bout it? Are you ready to enjoy a super fun Crafternoon with Janice and a few of your favorite people? All you have to do is hop on over to her Facebook page to check out the schedule of upcoming classes, and email her to sign up. Updated monthly calendars are available on Facebook in advance of each month. As her business continues to grow, Janice hopes to expand to an even larger space and be able to teach larger sized classes. In the meantime however, definitely reserve your space in her popular classes in advance, and prepare to see just how crafty you didn’t even know you could be, while having fun with friends! (Oh, and if you truly, truly know you are not crafty but want to purchase beautiful, hand-crafted items someone who is crafty has already made, with love, be sure to check out the Nola Love Facebook page as well, as Janice continues to craft and sell her own projects, too – and they’re gorgeous!)
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