Thursday, December 1, 2011

Wow!

What a fabulous turnout we had for Helen Knaupps artists reception/exhibit!  The shop was brimming with happy people, good music, good eats, and the smell of hot apple cider!


Everyone who went home with one of Helens Santas or Snowmen left with a smile on their faces.  Each is truly a character unto itself.  But not to worry, we still have a nice selection of both Santas & Snowmen for your Christmas gifting! 

The lovely dragon tile piece by Stephanie Petershagen found its forever home on Saturday as well.  It will be missed by many, but the new owner is thrilled!  If she brings me pictures of the final installation I'll post them.  It was an extraordinary work of art!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, an uneventful black Friday experience and that your Holiday season is off to a wonderful start.  Ours has been a blur up to now, but this too shall pass.  

Come see us at the shop, have a cuppa and check out all the fantastic vintage Christmas goodies and the locally crafted ornaments that we have for you this year.

Sincerely,

Dee, Paulette, and Elizabeth 

p.s.  The candles smell amazing!  And, we have the copper and resin pendants in!!  :-)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thanks are in order...

Dolores, Paulette and I want to take a few minutes of your time to say Thank You to each and every one of our many loyal customers.  Thank You , to each of the many wonderful and talented vendors who came and went throughout the years, and Thank You more than you know to the ones who came and stayed.  The emotional support that your loyalty provided was invaluable.  We truly cannot thank all of you enough.

We wanted to wait until we had spoken personally to each of the current vendors before we made any official announcements on the blog or in public.  It is with some sadness that we tell the world that Creative Kharma will be closing its doors at 4 pm, December 31st, 2011.

We want to say that this closing is not a business failure in any way.  We are leaving feeling quite a sense of accomplishment - in fact.  We took an empty space with white walls and a very sterile feel and turned it into a place that is cozy and inviting.  We've kept the doors open through crushing economic times.  That's a success, no matter how you cut it.  But, realistically, things change.  In our lives, in our businesses, and in the community.  The uncertainty is the primary reason we decided to close now, on our own terms, rather than wait til it got to a point where we had no other choice.

All is not lost when the doors close however.  Crows Nest will still be hosting events, and we have a few other things up our sleeves.  AND, We are going out with a bang, not a whimper! 

This Holiday Season will be exciting, with the recent addition of new rubber stamps, handmade papers, scrapbooking supplies/embellishments, and artists tools and books galore to our ART SUPPLIES!!  And, tons of new art from Helen Knaupp and Stephanie Petershagen - I've just gotten 30 new pieces of art jewelry completed (and poured 6 dozen Holiday Scent candles) - Dee is bringing in more of her wonderful flaxseed heatwraps - the shop has been re-set & re-vitalized, with Christmas trees galore to be loaded with vintage and art ornaments.  We're jazzed and ready for the hustle and bustle to begin!

Don't miss the Art Exhibit, to be held November 26th (Small Business Saturday).  Come meet Helen Knaupp, have some spiced cider and check out how great the shop looks!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Shuffle shuffle shuffle...

It's pretty well constant, the shuffling that goes on in any small shop.  Each item in or out causes a ripple in the cosmic pond, thereby making the placement of all other items "off" by just a hair and a half.  Good thing we love playing house!  *smile*

We're in the midst of the BIG shuffle, resetting, getting ready for the Holidays, so if you come in and it looks like a bomb went off, please pardon the mess - it's simply clearing the way for the wonderfulness to follow!  :-) 

AND, wonder of wonders - Helen Knaupp has graciously chosen our shop to exhibit her original art.  Her carvings are FABULOUS, and priced to collect.  The exhibition will be Saturday, November 26th, from 10am to 6pm. Come meet the artist!

 Having brain fade at the moment, can't seem to get the postcard graphic to save in a format that I can upload.  So...next time!  :-)  Have a fabulous weekend - enjoy the sun St Helens!!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

April? Really?

I am flabberghasted.  Astounded.  And yes, even a little ashamed.  Last post was April?  It's mindboggling how fast the time went. 

Even more astounding is that (shhhh!) Christmas is just around the corner.  I simply cannot believe it. 

I'm checking in today because we're planning for the Holidays now, and was hoping for some customer feedback about 1) what you've loved but wished we had more of from previous seasons, 2) what you've seen out in blogland or at sales that you really wish we'd offer locally handcraft, and 3) we'd really be appreciative if our candle lovers would let us know if there's a scent you'll be making bulk purchases (6 or more pints) of - so we can plan accordingly.  (New page with many of our scents has been posted.)

I personally would appreciate it enough to offer one free pint candle (your choice of available scents - a $9.00 value) for every 6 pint order pre-ordered/prepaid by December 1st.  Nothing is worse than knowing exactly what you want and finding that the place you've always gotten "it" from is sold out.  (Except maybe being the one to have to tell you that we already sold out of your pre-planned, already checked off your list, but at the last minute gift purchase.  :-/ )

Sooo...leave me a comment, or call the shop and let us know what you want to see this Holiday season at Creative Kharma.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

A Sunny Day

How amazing, the difference in ones outlook a sunny day can make.


For the first day in seemingly ages, I feel energized and optimistic. The shop has had a mini-facelift, and the feedback has been fantastic. Thanks to everyone who has been so kind as to tell us how wonderful the shop is. You may not know, but those words are the ones that keep small business owners going in these dismal economic times.


I hope each and every one of you is enjoying this fabulous sunny day in whatever way makes you happiest! Happy Easter from all of us here at Creative Kharma!!



Friday, February 25, 2011

We're on Yelp!

Check it out: Creative Kharmas Yelp!

I love this concept. There is a Smart-Phone app that allows you to search for local businesses that have what you need, and, the best part - if you "check in" at the business - many businesses offer special discounts for checking in. To take the concept even further, businesses can offer rewards for customers with multiple check ins!

Yelp! offers customers the ability to write reviews and rate local businesses like many other online business pages, however, Yelp! takes it a step further by listing businesses with more listings and better ratings higher in search results.


If you have a business, take the time to claim your business page on Yelp! You can monitor your page views, recommend other businesses you love, and you have total control over the content on your page. And it's free! Life is good!


And in parting, I had to share this amazing ledger page. I can't for the life of me remember where I found this, so if you know could you please comment so I can give credit where due. If you use this image, please share by uploading a picture of your completed project and post a link in the comments section. I'll pull all the links in a few weeks and re-post the image and the links to your completed artworks. (I'm hoping to figure out how to use linky's!)

Have an absolutely fabulous weekend!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

More Online Goodness to Share



One of our ab-fab vendors, Debbie, offers some mind blowing deals on mixed media madness at Creative Kharma, but did you know she also has an Etsy shop where she sells her original art? The creator of "Bling Diva's" - (retro darlings who wear your necklaces when you can't) - Debbie does lots of original pieces with mid-century flair. Check out her shop, Altered Edge Design, newly listed in our Wall o' Fame over there ---->

One of our newest vendors is Amy, of Clothespin Cards. Her cards are pretty darned fabulous, made from upcycled vintage goodness and hand typed on her trusty vintage typewriter. Please click her blog link in the sidebar and check out her awesome greeting cards, then pop into the shop to pick up a few and to check out the other vintage goodies Amy has brought.

Take a look at the art of Helen Knaupp as well. She's an amazing artist who works in watercolor/gouache and makes fabulous carvings of birds and Santa's. (View her Oregonian article by clicking the button in the sidebar.) Her work is available at Creative Kharma and at the Real Mother Goose. http://www.therealmothergoose.com/collections/collections_knaupp.htm

That's all for tonight, but I'll be back soon with more great stuff.


Have a fantastic rest of the week!