Launching Colleen's Craftworks, Inc.!

Here goes, big news:

I'm launching a new small business: Colleen's Craftworks, Inc.!

There is nothing quite like the comfort and warmth of a handmade blanket - one of my favorite parts of going home is wrapping up in one of my mother's crocheted or knitted blankets and reading a book, and one of my great joys has been to make such cozies for my own friends and family. I have decided to start a small business where folks can not only acquire handmade cozy items to warm up their homes, but can also learn to develop their own crafting skills.

Colleen's Craftworks, Inc. is a vehicle for me to provide that same warmth and coziness to others. This small business will provide the platform to accomplish four things:

• Provide a platform to sell my own designs (focusing on crocheted, knitted, and quilted items)
• Provide a rotating online gallery to showcase the work of other handcrafters who find themselves daunted by setting up an online presence
• Establish free crafting classes for the local community, with materials provided (this will help attendees overcome the initial cost that prevents many from learning)
• Establish and provide materials for Caring Craft-a-thons, where attendees will create care-and-comfort items such as shawls, blankets, hats, and other materials to donate to the ill, poor, and those in need of comfort and warmth

This endeavor allows me not only to combine all of my crafty dreams in one place, it also creates a platform for my other driving passion: teaching and encouraging creativity and the spirit of giving in others.

And so I'm starting a small business. (Even though I *have* a job I love. Even though we're about to do a cross-country move. Even though [insert all the reasons this is a silly idea].)

This sort of dream takes more than will, it takes the immeasurable support of my husband, who is gung-go on hauling in the direction of my happiness, and it takes a surprising amount of funds for incorporation, building a craft library, building a materials library, and getting the necessary equipment and notions. And so, should you be inclined, there are a number of ways for you to become part of the launch!

You can help me build the Colleen's Craftworks, Inc. See below for options to contribute to the launch campaign (which comes with cool perks!), send a gift certificate to our local used bookstore to help us build a craft library, or send something from our inventory wishlists (to make sure we have your favorite colors in stock!):

• Click here to see the startup campaign on Indiegogo! You can donate through this site and earn cool perks that range from coupons to handmade items, to getting an original design named for you or a loved one! This is also where you can find details about what the costs are.
• You can send a gift certificate to us for McKays Used Bookstore, a local bookseller located in Chattanooga and Knoxville with a lovely crafters section, to help build up the crafting library of Colleen's Craftworks.
• You can choose something from the inventory wishlists I've built for the company at Joann online or at Amazon. This gives you the chance to ensure that the inventory has your stamp on it, and your favorite colors in stock!

You can also help me start the company's online presence:

• Follow Colleen's Craftworks on Facebook and share the page with friends!
• Follow Colleen's Craftworks on Twitter at @collscraftworks and root the project on.
• Follow Colleen's Craftworks on Flickr here.

I am incredibly excited about this new chapter, and turning my part-time love into a small part-time business. My greatest of thanks to my husband Jed, my friends Mary and Scott, and to everyone who supported the fledgling idea.