Upcoming Christmas workshop for crafters to ‘sparkle’
By LOIS KINDLE
Sun City Center residents Nellie Brock, left, and Mary Goniwicha shop for glitters at a previous Sparkle N Sprinkle event. Area crafters can shop for supplies at the company’s Christmas Open House & Crop from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce, 1651 Sun City Plaza.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
It’s the holiday season, and area crafters are as busy as Santa’s elves making cards and gifts for family and friends. They’re sure to need lots of supplies and maybe even a tip or two before they complete their holiday projects.
Sparkle N Sprinkle — an internationally known online company specializing in all things card-making, scrapbooking and paper crafting — is hosting a Christmas Open House & Crop in the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce banquet room. The event is on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s an awesome workshop for crafters who want to socialize with each other, learn new techniques and play with our products,” said owner and founder Margaret Myers, of Ruskin. “I only have room for 60 in the workshop, but anyone can come and shop in our mobile store, which will be set up on-site all day.”
Workshop participants are invited to bring a project, rent four feet of table space (for $15) and bring a potluck dish. Optional make-and-take classes, door prizes, manufacturer’s gifts, snacks and beverages will be included. An RSVP to margaret@sparklensprinkle.com is required. You can also register online at www.sparklensprinkle.com.
Myers, 72, was a legal secretary for 30 years. At a huge family gathering in northern California in the late ’90s, one of her nieces brought some paper, ink and rubber stamps for the women to make greeting cards as an activity.
Sparkle N Sprinkle’s Christmas Open House & Crop workshop has room for 60 participants. Space is available by e-mailing margaret@sparklensprinkle.com, or visiting sparklensprinkle.com.
“She owed two thank you cards so she sat down and, much to my surprise, created them,” Myers said about her niece. “She had been told all her life she had no artistic ability.”
The experience made quite an impression.
“I had such a warm, fuzzy feeling to have successfully made something creative,” Myers said.
In a moment of serendipity, the following Monday the office manager where she worked invited Myers to attend a paper-crafting convention.
“I was excited to see all the products that were available and how easy they were to use for making handmade greeting cards for my family,” she said. “So I took some classes.”
From that experience, Myers decided to start her own company so she could teach others to do the same thing. She was 53 at the time.
You can learn to stencil with glitters to make your own greeting cards at the Dec. 9 Sparkle N Sprinkle Christmas Open House & Crop.
“Sparkle N Sprinkle is an internet-based business where customers can create scrapbook pages and greeting cards and buy crafting products,” Myers said. “I manufacture and sell rubber stamps, mix and blend all the glitter, embossing and flocking used to embellish projects.”
Her team of artists create stamp images for members all over the world. And she has a worldwide design team who use the rubber stamps and accessories to make sample products. There is a free, instructional blog on her website, sparklensprinkle.com.
From 2012 to March of this year, Myers tried owning a brick and mortar store in Ruskin but found it wasn’t cost-effective.
So now she’s back to focusing on her expansive website, which offers all kinds of products, hundreds of instructional videos, tips and techniques, event calendar, the blog and more.
Mary Vetter, of Sun City Center, looks over the Sparkle N Sprinkle mobile store display at the last workshop at the chamber.
“If you want to stay connected and be the first to learn about new products and techniques, “like” our Facebook page, subscribe to our YouTube channel or newsletter, follow our interactive blog or join our Pinterest page,” Myers said.
“This is not a one-woman show,” she’s quick to point out. “I’m so blessed to have so many women from all over the world who help create all the beautiful projects we offer and share their techniques and ideas.”
She also has three employees who help her operate the company’s Ruskin warehouse at 2107 College Ave. E., Ste. 3, and two of her four children provide technical and creative support. The business has grown so much, other companies now buy its products, Myers said.
But no matter how large her company gets, Myers’ simple philosophy continues.
“I just want to make people smile and feel proud of themselves,” she said.
For additional information, visit Sparkle N Sprinkle online or call 888-901-9173.
IF YOU GO:
What: Sparkle N Sprinkle Christmas Open House & Crop
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 10
Where: Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce banquet room, 1651 Sun City Center Plaza
Cost: $15 for a four-foot table space, free admission to shop
Information: sparklensprinkle.com, or call 888-901-9173
Area crafters will find all kinds of crafting supplies and more at the Dec. 9 Sparkle N Sprinkle Christmas Open House & Crop.
These are samples of the kinds of greeting cards registered workshop participants can make at the Dec. 9 Sparkle N Sprinkle Christmas Open House & Crop.
At right Pat Johnson, a manufacturer’s representative, teaches stenciling with glitter to LeeAnn Stinchcomb, of Sun City Center, foreground left, and Candy Kremann, of Ruskin. Make & take classes like this will be offered to registered workshop participants at Sparkle N Sprinkle’s Christmas Open House & Crop workshop Dec. 9.
Cookie Salter, of Ruskin, cuts paper to make a shadow box background for photos of her dad’s grandkids. You can bring something like this or any paper-crafting project to Sparkle N Sprinkle’s Christmas Open House & Crop workshop Dec. 9. An RSVP is required.
