CRAFT - Leesburg

We’re back from a brief summer social media break and ready for the beginning of the school year, are you? Time to jump back in - mark your calendars for these awesome upcoming events! Tickets are all on our website, grab them now to save your spot!

Quick announcement - we have another party happening this afternoon so be sure to stop in before 1:30 if you’re trying to do some art shopping today 😄

Happy almost-birthday kiddos! We will be open from 12:30-3:30pm only tomorrow because we have parties in the morning and afternoon! A couple families are celebrating special days in the shop - the first with a sensory crafts party and the second with tie-dye! Interested in reserving the space for a celebration of your own? Email [email protected]

Have you ever wanted to learn crochet but didn’t know where to start? Join us and instructor Nellie on the evenings of the 12th and 13th for a crash course in all the basics! We will learn how to start projects, basic stitches, crochet hook technique, and more! Yarn and crochet hooks are included in the class fee - $75 for both days. For teens and adults. Questions? Email [email protected]

Do you have a bored teen at home? We have the antidote - sign them up for this fun Sticker Snaps workshop with .young.creative!

This workshop will contain 🤳 all the tips for how they can take their phone photography skills to the next level 🎨 how to edit cool designs over the top of your images to make them more graphic ✨ and printing customized stickers out of your teen’s designs that they get to keep.

Must have a device that can take pictures, download the free canva app, and connect to Bluetooth. This one is going to be so much fun, don’t miss it!

Click in our bio or the comments to sign up!

Events this last week of July/first week of August!

Crafters’ Night : 1st Thursday Every Month, 6-8pm. Bring whatever crafts you’ve been working on or get a kit from us and join in some community craft time. This is a great opportunity to meet other crafters, socialize, and maybe learn some new techniques to try for yourself! Feel free to bring your dinner with you or order it from a nearby restaurant for a relaxed evening of social crafting. $5 entry fee.

Kids’ Story & Craft Hour : 1st Friday Every Month, 9-10am. Join us August 2nd for a reading of The Met Frieda Kahlo: She Painted Her World in Self-Portraits by Amy Guglielmo. Afterwards we’ll be making our own self-portraits! Enjoying the story is free, supplies for the portraits are $3 each.

Charm Party with : Join us for a DIY charm bracelet or necklace bar! $10 saves your spot - then select your choice of jewelry from the drop-down menu so we know what to prepare for you. Each bracelet and necklace comes with the first charm included, all others are $4 each. All items are nickel- and lead-free and gold plated. Attendees will get a small bit of air-dry clay and metal eyelet to experiment with making their own charm as well! All ages welcome, a great caregiver-and-daughter workshop!

Sticker Snaps with .young.creative : Learn how to take out-of-the-box, imaginative photos using the camera on your phone with photographer and creativity coach Beryl Young of Be Young Creative! We’ll dive into basic photography concepts like storytelling, perspective, negative space, and aperture. We will then use the free Canva app to turn the photos into whimsical fun art that will be printed as stickers to take home. Ages 12-16 - must bring a phone, tablet, or some other device to use in the class.

This fall we’re running a class series all about the history of women’s contributions to and depictions in art - with a hands-on component! Classes include a presentation and activity - from the Venus statues of ancient art to Yayoi Kusama; from the nuns who created many illuminated manuscripts to the amazing story of Edmonia Lewis, a Black woman who began her art career during the Civil War and eventually became an internationally-renowned sculptor… there are so many incredible, rarely told stories out there. Come hear some of them in our Women in Art History class series!

(Register for as many classes as you’d like - they’re all individual so you’re not paying for any classes you can’t make it to. Perfect for teens and adults. All are up on our website now!)

We want to encourage your young artists! And what is more exciting than having your work featured in a “gallery” just like the pros!?

Check out the Kids Art Gallery page of our website (www.craft-leesburg.com) to submit your young artists’ work to hang on our walls for the whole month of September. Must be age 18 or younger to participate, artwork must be framed to be hung (any basic frame will work!).

We will have a reception that artists can invite family and friends to on September 7, from 1-3pm, with light refreshments and fun for all. Have any questions? Let us know!

It’s always so fun to see what kids end up creating with our art carts! This castle is fit for a queen! 👸🏼 🌸

Stop in any time during regular business hours to enjoy time with an art cart - $10 will get you 90 minutes of open crafting time! Cool off in the a/c, get crafty, leave your creations here to dry while you run over to to get some ice cream, and then come back to pick up your art! We’ll take care of the mess for you 😉

Tomorrow evening from 5-7pm join us in Leesburg for an earring making workshop with - customize your own dangle earrings! Includes enough supplies to make two pairs, tickets are $50 - open to ages 10+ (although those on the younger side may need parental assistance with jewelry pliers). Tickets below:

https://www.craft-leesburg.com/upcoming-events

Appointments 1 — CRAFT Find a workshop…Or a class, or an upcoming event that speaks to you - we’ve got lots going on! Below you can find our events that require tickets - scroll to the bottom for a list of all our upcoming events (some are free!).Click here to jump down to our recurring events(Psst… the best way to ...

Back when I first met and our good friend Danni beach days meant sunburns and day-drinking…. Now they mean re-applying sunscreen on squirming toddlers and kicking yourself for not stopping at the Dollar Tree beforehand because the same bucket sets at the surf shop are $14 for some reason?! 😭

I’m thrilled to have friends who make art, life is so much more colorful doing it with them. And super proud to have friends who really believe in their art and the power it holds.

I’ve always been a dabbler in different mediums but my real strength lies in Producing, and Craft is an exciting venue for Josh and I to explore different ways to help elevate the arts in our community. It’s especially exciting to get to host our friends doing their cool things in our space, so it’s time to shout them out!

Annie is launching - Northern Virginia’s newest live music curation and artist services company - and we’re celebrating with a launch party on August 9th at Craft! Tickets are $12 to come and hang with us and enjoy tunes from Colin Cutler (), Sunny Boy (), and Annie Stokes ().

She’s also crowdfunding to finish her fourth studio album and has some awesome giveaways included! If you’d like to get tickets to the launch party, and/or find out more details about how you can help bring this new album to life check out https://linktr.ee/AnnieStokes

And if you’re a fan of the performing arts - tickets are on sale now for The Crucible at directed by our amazing friend Danielle Guy, whose vision for her productions is always so brilliant and well-executed. The themes of this show are always so timely, I can’t wait to see her take on this American classic. (Also, the PERFECT show to make us even more excited for the fall - the best season of all.) Do you want to come on a Craft field trip with us to see The Crucible? Comment below or DM us, we would love to get a group together!

What is your creativity fix going to be this week? You feed your body and exercise your muscles - feed your soul too!

We have TWO chances for you to get creative with us on Saturday, take your pick: paint pouring or earring making workshop….or maybe both?! GG Empowers will help us unlock our inner child, soften the self-critic, and have a ton of fun pouring swirling paint designs. Workshop attendees will get to make two canvases to take home for $35. .empowers .makes.art

Or would you like to do an earring making workshop with the talented and bubbly - beads and tassels, wire-wrapping and more, customize them to your liking! Attendees will get to make two unique pairs of earrings, $50.

And coming up in the beginning of August - come out for a charm party with and/or sign your teen up for Sticker Snaps with .young.creative - a phone photography workshop that’ll end with teens printing their designs as custom stickers! Check out our website for all the info and ticket sign-ups! www.craft-leesburg.com/upcoming-events

Thank you to everyone who came out today to make some paw print keepsakes and help collect food/supplies for the Loudoun pet pantry!

We will be closed tomorrow for a beach trip - but if you missed out we do still have 2 more paw print and frame keepsake kits ($22) and several more mess-free paw print stamp pads ($8). Thank you for coming up with this idea, it was so fun to spend the afternoon petting pups! 🐾

The Loudoun Pet Pantry (LPP) is a partnership between Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC), Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS), and Loudoun Hunger Relief (LHR) to help keep pets in loving homes by providing food supplies to families in need. If you’d like to learn more about what they do and how you can support their efforts visit:
https://humaneloudoun.org/programs/loudoun-pet-pantry/

On Monday we’re going to be closed for a little beach trip with shop friend/collaborator and the fam… 🌞🌊

But before that we have this weekend! Bring the furriest members of your family by this afternoon for pet keepsake crafts! 10% off to anyone who brings a donation for the pet pantry supply drive sponsored by 🐶🐱🐾 DM us if you have any questions!

Save your spot (https://www.craft-leesburg.com/upcoming-events) or drop by on Sunday from 2-4pm for pet keepsake crafts. Pet-safe ink pads for simple paw prints, or imprint dough and frames for a beautiful way to put your love for the furriest member of the family on display! (Bring them with you - we’re a pet-friendly shop!)

We’re joining forces with to collect donations for the Loudoun County pet pantry as well. Their mission is to provide resources that will help keep pets in loving homes, but donations drop significantly over the summer and are currently running low! Bring something to contribute and we’ll take 10% off your keepsake craft!

Drop off your kids to do crafts with us while you enjoy a night to yourselves! What do slime, kinetic sand, splatter paint, foam paint, and bubbles have in common? …They are awesome sensory crafts that are TONS of fun for kids but probably not something you’d be thrilled to have end up all over your house! Leave the mess to us! Just make sure they wear clothes that can get messy! Pizza and drinks provided. Ages 5-9 - just $50, sign up on our website!

We get to collaborate with such awesome folks! Workshops with all of these ladies are now up on our website - find all the details and ticket sign-ups at www.craft-leesburg.com/upcoming-events and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

In addition to these events some other tickets currently available are for:
Parents’ Night Out: Sensory Crafts
Aviation Crafts Mini-Camp
Crochet for Beginners
Vinyl Record Art Night
Of Art and Mindfulness

Don’t miss out on the fun, join us for an all-ages Splotchmonster workshop with and - back by popular demand! $50 includes the class this upcoming Sunday and all the materials included, including the watercolors so you can continue working on more creations at home! Visit our website/🔗 on page to sign up!

This weekend - back by popular demand! Come learn how to craft your very own completely unique Splotchmonster creature in Steve Loya’s innovative watercolor style. Fun for all ages so you can come by yourself or bring the whole family to get creative! $50 includes all supplies including the watercolor palette you’ll get to take home to keep making more of these adorable little monsters with big personality!

Click the 🔗 on our profile or visit www.craft-leesburg.com/upcoming-events to get tickets!

T-Swift sticker by number books have arrived …Ready For It? If these fly off our shelves before you can grab one Don’t Blame Me! You might end up feeling like you Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve gotten one. 🎤💃

We’re switching our hours up for tomorrow! Open at 9am (come craft with us before the parade!) and closing at 1pm to enjoy the afternoon. Stop in with your kids anytime in the morning to do this quick and easy fireworks painting for free (while supplies last). 🎉🎇🇺🇸

This Friday from 9-10am - join us with your little ones for Craft & Story Hour! We’ll be reading about the invention of the hot air balloon (free to listen!) and painting our own mini hot air balloon garlands ($5 to craft!). Bring your coffee with you and come join in the fun!

This week, come out and join us! Typically our Story & Craft Hour and Crafter’s Night events are the first Thursday of each month, but with it being the 4th we’ll be moving those to Friday! This month we’ll be reading Up and Away: How Two Brothers Invented the Hot-Air Balloon by Jason Henry and painting hot air balloon garlands.

Need some crafts for the kids’ table at your Fourth of July barbecue? Just stop by - we’ve got it all from sidewalk chalk and tie-dye kits, to sketchpads and paint sticks, to solar print paper and more!

Sorry for any inconvenience - we’re finishing up our Sensory Crafts Mini Camp tomorrow so we’ll only be opening at noon! But then you can come in and get our newest craft kit - paint your own wooden hot air balloon garland! These are SO cute, and this is also the craft we’ll be doing at our next Story & Craft Hour from 9-10am on July 5th!

(Yes, Story & Craft is usually the first Thursday of each month, but we don’t want to conflict with the 4th of July parade! 🎉)

Sensory Crafts Mini-Camp is off to a great start! Today we customized some slime, played with foam paint and splatter paint, created with clay (which we will paint later), and played some games!

Next up: making our own salt dough, bubble art, kinetic sand, more painting, and calm down jars!

Want your 5-9 year old(s) to join in the fun? Send us a DM and we can get them signed up for Wednesday and/or Thursday!

Look for the sign on West Market Street and you’ll know you’ve found us: downtown Leesburg’s all-ages arts and crafts studio.

How does it work? Well, we have arts and crafts supplies if you’re just looking to shop. But we also have a craft kit menu if you’d like to sit down and cool off for a while with a creative project. We have everything from paint by numbers to crochet or embroidery kits to macrame to clay …and more! We also have Art Carts that you can rent for up to 90 minutes of time with our bulk art supplies if your family would prefer a more open-ended art-making experience.

You don’t need to reserve time to come by and make a mess (that we’ll happily clean up for you - keep that out of your house!). You just need to stop by whenever we’re open (10am-5pm Thursday-Monday, 10am-4pm on Sunday), our craft tables are first-come, first-served.

And if you’d like to see what classes or workshops we have coming up those are all on our website at www.craft-leesburg.com

We still have a few spots left in our Sensory Crafts Mini-Camp this week! Sign your kids ages 5-9 up to join us from 9:30-11:30 this upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to create and play with foam paint, slime, kinetic sand, salt dough, colorful bubbles, and more! All of the info is on our website under “Upcoming Events”. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have!

Thank you Matt for the amazing photos - all credit to 📸

Come join in the fun today and test your paper folding might as we compete to see who has the greatest paper airplane skills! Whoever gets the furthest distance with their paper airplane will win a $25 CRAFT gift card! We will also have a vote for coolest design which will earn a $10 gift card!

All paper airplanes need to be made at CRAFT. Paper airplane construction time will run from 3-4pm, with the contest starting at 4pm. Paper provided. All ages welcome. Pre-register on our website or register on arrival, $5 to participate.

Many arts and crafts classes will walk kids through creating a very specific project with the goal of having all the end results looking pretty similar. And that’s great! Often those projects are a fantastic way to teach kids different art styles and show them what they’re capable of creating.

However, kids tend to get a LOT of structure already in their day-to-day lives, especially during the school year. Some of our favorite workshops to run are ones that are a little more open-ended and driven by the kids’ own imaginations. It’s amazing to see what they can come up with on their own when given the supplies, encouragement, and just a little help when asked.

For example, last night at Parents’ Night Out: Box City we had one crafter who realized a fuzzy pipe cleaner would make the perfect spiral slide from the second floor of their box house to the first floor - she also created a felt pocket so the inhabitants would never lose their ID or credit cards. Another crafter decided that our box city needed a restaurant and the kids collaborated to help make the tables and chairs - and Mr. Robert, the server for patrons. A crafter wanted to build a home for their pool noodle doll and turned one of the flaps of her box into a picket fence that would pop-up when the house is closed.

All of the kids noted that dollhouses rarely have trash cans and recycling bins which are important, so they made sure to include those (as well as toilets - they had their priorities in order). One of our crafters decided they wanted to make a multi-room play-place for their cat. We watched her struggle with a roll of duct tape for a moment and then it clearly dawned on her that the crumpled up wad of tape in her hand would make a great ball for her cat to swipe at. So she began installing cat toys made out of duct tape and extra fuzzy pipe-cleaners in her box. Oh, and of course we realized Box City would need a Mayor - an election was held, Mr. Panda won and was quickly outfitted with all the regalia of his new office.

Free-range play and creativity time are so important, not just for kids either - for everyone! We love being a space to help facilitate that for all ages.

At last month’s Parents’ Night Out event kids were able to get storytelling and illustration tips from local children’s book designer to begin creating their very own books with Illustory kits. Lila signed up because she is very excited to be an author someday - and she just received her first bound book back from the company, great job girl! We love seeing how the finished product came out!

If you have any young authors in your life who you’d like to encourage we still have some Illustory kits in stock. Just fill them out, mail them in the included envelope, and your child’s printed book will be mailed back to them!

Our next Parents’ Night Out is tonight and we still have a couple spaces available if you’re feeling like a date night is needed! Tonight’s theme is Box City - kids will be using cardboard and their imagination to construct and decorate their own little (recyclable) box houses and amenities. 5-7:30pm, drop in/drop out as needed - register on our website!

Anyone traveling to a National Park for summer vacation? Comment below with which one you’re visiting!

These woodless watercolor pencils are a lot of fun to play with! They look very similar to traditional watercolor paints except you can color directly onto the paper and then wet the pigment afterwards to transform it to a watercolor look and texture. This is a great medium if you’d like to experiment with watercolor painting but struggle to be precise with a brush. Your paper or pad can also be painted with water directly and then colored over with the pencils for a more intense pigment!