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Crafty activities and events in Washington State

???? Spring is just around the corner—it’s peeking at us, ready to bloom! ????✨ This season is all about fresh beginnings and growth, both in nature and within ourselves. Whether you’re a brand-new creator or you’ve been making and painting for years, spring is the perfect time to challenge yourself and nurture your creativity.

One of the biggest hurdles for any creator? Simply feeling creative. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I’m not creative at all—I don’t have a single creative bone in my body!” On the other hand, even experienced artists sometimes hit a wall, feeling uninspired and stuck. But trust me—losing your creative spark doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.

Creativity is like a seed ????

It needs water, sunlight, and the right conditions to grow. If a seed is left to freeze in the snow or dry out in the heat, it won’t sprout. The same goes for creativity—it doesn’t disappear, it just needs to be nurtured! If you’ve ever felt creatively blocked, the best way to break free is through action.

How do you wake up your creativity?

You have to get moving—experiment, make a mess, take risks, and embrace the process without fear. The hardest thing to do when you’re not feeling creative is to create, but that’s exactly what unlocks the flow again. Think of it like starting a rusty engine—it might take a few tries, but once it’s running, it hums along beautifully.

This is the heart of Artvana—creating an environment where creativity can thrive. Just like a plant needs water and sunlight, we need time, materials, and inspiration to create. That’s exactly what our paint-and-sip classes offer—a space where your creativity can take a deep drink and come back to life!

The benefits of rekindling your creative spark are priceless. Creativity seeps into every part of life—from your wardrobe to home décor to problem-solving at work. The more you practice, the more it flows into everything you do!

My Top 3 Ways to Jumpstart Your Creativity This Spring

???? Get Inspired – Inspiration is the fuel for creativity. Visit a local art museum and explore the colors, styles, and stories behind the artwork. What draws you in? What makes you feel something? Some museums even offer studio spaces where you can create on the spot! (Check out my recommended museums at the end of this post.)

???? Make a Mess – If creativity feels intimidating, start by playing! Gather any fun supplies—paint, glue, magazines, fabric scraps—and create a mixed-media piece with no pressure or plan. Just let go and see what emerges. Sometimes, the best way to find your style is to get messy and explore!

Art museums in Seattle Wa, Tacoma Wa

????️ Take a Class – If making a mess on your own feels overwhelming, take an art or craft class! Classes provide an easy, structured way to dive into creativity without having to buy supplies or figure things out alone. Plus, you’ll meet others and feed off their energy and ideas.

???? Remember: We all have creativity inside us. It’s just waiting to bloom! Stop telling yourself “I’m not creative” and start exploring. This spring, give yourself permission to create, play, and grow. ????✨

If you live in Washington State here are some of my favorite Museums and creative experiences you can enjoy today!

  1. Frye Art Museum Located in Seattle WA, Frye Art Museum is FREE and a great place to immerse yourself in art for a few hours, they offer sketch pads and pencils and have helpful and knowledgeable staff.
  2. Tacoma Art Museum Located in Tacoma Washington TAM is a fairly large museum focused on local art.  Some of their recent exhibits have included Chihuly Glass, Charles Petersons Nirvana, and Karen Hackenburgs Sea Change
  3. Seattle Art Museum Located in Seattle Washington this museum is large and boasts a number of ongoing exhibits including Yiirkala Art from Australia’s Top End, Impressionism in the Global Nineteenth Century, and more.

A visit to any one of these Museums in Washington State will be sure to inspire you! Enjoy!

Family friendly holiday events and activities

Hello, today we are talking about how to hand-make and get the MOST out of your Holiday season.

Sometimes the Holidays can start to feel like a rat-race of hustle and bustle, so today, we want to take a moment to SLOW down and review a few ways to make your Holidays and traditions feel more genuine, more authentic and more enjoyable!

Go fix up a cup of hot cocoa and settle in for this cozy read.

Move over mass-produced plastic gifts.  Step aside last-minute checkout aisle gifts.  This year we are bringing a personal touch to the Holidays and packing them full of genuine care and heartfelt details!  

Here’s how

More and more often we see an increase in the quick, cheap, and fast.  In everyday life and in the gifts available for the Holiday season.  It seems that everything is getting faster and faster, doesn’t it?  We want everything right now!  During a busy time of year like Christmas, the rush can feel unsustainable.  It can add more stress and steal our joy before you even know it.  How do we combat the ever-increasing pressure?

We have to make a choice.  We are about to give you some easy, accessible ideas to slow down your Holiday season and indulge in all the GOOD stuff that you don’t want to miss.

Have you ever been sifting through an old box in the closet or attic and found something hand-made by a relative or even by your younger self?  Perhaps it is a bit worn with age, clumsily signed in the corner in your childish scribble or a relative’s granny scrawl.  This piece of art likely isn’t perfect, but it’s probably loaded with information about you or your relative!  What details do you notice?  What story does it tell?  Already you can see that something hand-made carries with it, a specialness.

Hand-made art and gifts can be the catalysts that spark endless stories and memories.  Maybe you have heard things in your family like “Aunt Betty used to make marvelous crocheted blankets, before she got arthritis” Or “Grandma Lily used to make watercolors and always won blue ribbons at the state fair!”  Now, can you imagine your children sorting through a box just like this years down the road?

hand-make your Holidays with an artvana paint and sip in washington

How neat would it be for them to be pulling out hand-made Christmas ornaments made by YOU to decorate the tree?  Or discovering a painted canvas from one of their siblings.  Or finding photos from a paint party or craft night.  These pieces are not perfect, and we wouldn’t want them that way!  Hand-made items for your Holiday decor and hand-made gifts always bring an air of authenticity to the Season.

So maybe now you are thinking….“But I’m not creative and no one would ever want to see or have my crafts!” We hate to tell you that you are wrong!  Remember, it’s about being genuine and authentically you!  Maybe you are the weird Aunt that puts googly eyes on everything, or the Grandpa who is obsessed with Gnomes, that is what makes your items special, YOU make them special.  These are the hidden treasures that will be passed along in family and tradition, the things that will carry meaning as we pull them out year after year.  The things that will make us remember the important people in our lives and spark new stories and memories for generations to come.

There are so many ways you can get hands-on this Holiday season.  Here are some ideas to get you started, as well as some links to our Holiday Ornament Classes and Christmas paint parties.

Baking homemade goods

Homemade canned goods or bath and body products

Crocheted items such as hats, scarves or coasters

Hand-painted Christmas Cards

Hand-sewn or embroidered stockings

Hand-painted Ornaments

Hand-painted artwork and decor

We absolutely look forward to our Ornament classes happening in Washington each and every year!  If you would like to join the tradition you can join one of our classes below!  We look forward to making memories with you and you loved ones this Christmas.

Grumpy Gnome Ornaments Class Olympia – View Class

Winter Critters Ornaments Class Sumner – View Class 

Folk Ornaments Class Centralia – View Class 

Holiday Botanicals Ornaments Bremerton – View Class

Winter Critters Ornaments Lacey – View Class

VIEW ALL HOLIDAY EVENTS HERE 

hand-make your holidays in olympia washington

 

Hand-make your Holidays with Artvana

Hand-make your Holidays with and Ornament Class

Hand-make your Holidays with these special events

Hand-make your Holidays with an Artvana paint party

Hand-make your Holidays with a paint and sip

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painting to go kits art kits acrylic painitng kits

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