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!

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!!

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.

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!!

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!

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!

Sharing

Creative Kharma is working to build a supportive community of artists and craftspeople. We are also committed to supporting other woman owned businesses and local artisans.

To that end, we will be sharing some of our best resources for supplies and also posting websites and blogs of local artists and artisans. Please take a look at our sidebar (to the right) each time you visit, we will be adding clickable logos for:

• Businesses who sell supplies for artists and artisans
• Blogs or websites of local artists and artisans
• Inspirational blogs and websites (and awesome give-aways)

Our first offering is our very own Miss Dee's new Esty Shoppe - Applegirl Studios. Her heirloom quality artist original porcelain dolls, art dolls, and porcelain "art doll parts" are top quality artisan crafted goods.

And the website of Corrine Byers, Articus Studio. Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be amazed. She always has fabulous goodies at fabulous prices. She offers inspirational photos of her art, several galleries, a guide to adhesives and "everything you ever wanted to know about paper".

From ATC's and bookbinding to jewelry and dollmaking - awesome stamps, unusual findings, polymer clay, tools, and so much more. Tim Holtz, 7 Gypsies, Lisa Pavelka, Inkadinkadoo, Judikins - it's a feast for the imagination. Microscope slides, metals, I just can't say enough about her selection. It goes on and on.

And if I can speak for a moment about my personal experience, I've bought from Articus since I discovered the website 3 1/2 years ago and have always found Corrine to be the nicest of human beings, the shipping is amazingly fast, the customer service is excellent. "Best of the Web" material!