Upcoming Workshops at Creative Genius

Okay, so I have been very bad at keeping this updated. I have some pretty valid excuses/reasons for this but let's just say that summer camps, preparation for summer camps and the potential for moving the gallery all have kept me pretty busy since April. In between all that was a busy summer rolling right into a busy fall so there are no complaints on my end but I will recognize that I have not been faithful in my updates. That being said, I wanted to post some sample photos for some upcoming workshops happening at Creative Genius. More dates and workshops are being added all the time and there will be some new offerings showing up soon on this packed list of creative things to do.

Samples shown are for the following workshops:
Linoleum Block Printing Workshop
Stained Glass for Beginners
Stained Glass Pendant Workshop
Precious Metal Clay Workshop
Beaded Wire Cuff Workshop
Corrugated Metal Jewelry Workshop
The Art of Spirals Jewelry Workshop
Memories of Summer Jewelry Workshop

We also offer walk-in workshops for kids on many Saturdays from Oct through early May and by appointment too.
To view samples and upcoming dates for all our workshops, visit www.creativegeniusonline.com/upcoming_events.htm
To register for any of our great creative offerings, here's how to do so:
visit the gallery at 32 North Main Street in Medford, NJ
call Julie to register at 609-714-1131
Email Julie at jbaselloholt@verizon.net

Chrissy Caps Special Order

On Saturday, my stepdaughter and I worked on a special order for her Chrissy Caps. Chrissy Caps are necklaces and key chains designed by Chrissy and made from found objects and bottle caps. She uses all kinds of bottle caps in all kinds of colors and creates the insides using found objects, beads, glitter, pictures and all kinds of other goodies. We have sold many of her creative Chrissy Caps since she started making them in November of 2009.
This past week we received a special order for key chains using the logo for an organization. So Chrissy got to work this Saturday in the studio to create the key chains for the special order. She cut her chains, set up and chose the caps she would use and then designed her caps.

Our clients love these little goodies and they make a cool gift for just about anyone who can appreciate using materials that would otherwise end up in the trash to create clever art.
For more information about Chrissy Caps, give us a call at Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio.

Earning a Girl Scout "Camera Shots" Badge at Creative Genius...

This past Saturday, I got the opportunity to work with a great Girl Scout troop to help them earn their Camera Shots badge. This badge class combined some classroom learning along with hands-on interaction and the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves and take a lot away with them at the end. We got to look at the work of professional photographers and the girls got to analyze each others work as well.One of the enjoyable parts for them was learning how to be a storyteller with your camera. By working in pairs, they completed their hands-on projects (with some coaching from me).

Overall, it was a fun little session. And in just over an hour and a half, the troop had earned their Camera Shots Badge.

We have Photography Badge programs available at Creative Genius for both Juniors as well as Cadettes. The cadette program is a bit more advanced but both programs cover basics as well as additional lessons not required as part of earning a badge. Both programs were created by me specifically using Girl Scouts guidelines and badge requirements. Since I teach photography to kids and adults weekly, I have a pretty good amount of information to share and I also don't mind answering questions either.

And we also offer a great Junior Pottery Badge class in our studio too...

Once, a million years ago (give or take a few years) I was a girl scout too so I have a special place in my heart for all those great girls who want to try something new to earn their badges and gain the knowledge and sense of accomplishment that comes from learning something completely different.

Always something fun happening at Creative Genius!

The pictures below show the girls during the storytelling exercise. A lot of creativity was shown during this exercise...it wasn't easy at first but once they got into it, the looked like they were having fun.

Another Creative Genius giveaway and other assorted fun...

This week's facebook fan giveaway is this great little paperweight by Linda Thiltgen--a great addition to any desk! The winner of this little treat is Gina Desumma. Congrats, Gina!

We have some great new gallery pieces arriving daily (jewelry, beautiful wood, pottery and more) and we also have some great upcoming events and weekly offerings added to our schedule. Two monthly programs just added include ART FOR THE YOUNG ADULT, a great weekly painting and drawing class for teens and FROM SKETCH TO CANVAS, an adult painting and drawing class for anyone who wants instructor guidance and input as they create their masterpiece from the sketching phase through to the canvas completion.

Upcoming workshops include Stained Glass Pendant Workshop, Stained Glass for Beginners (make an 8x10 inch panel and learn techniques) and Precious Metal Clay with jewelry artist, Michele Grady. And that is just in April!

There is always something creative happening at Creative Genius...stay tuned for more details....

Past two weeks of giveaways...

So I got to visit yesterday with Pola Galie, the winner of last week's Creative Genius facebook fan giveaway. She even blogged about the new addition to her coffee mug collection, which was very cool.
And this morning, this week's winner was announced...Shirley Martin won the hand-painted martini glass that is this week's Creative Genius Facebook Fan Giveaway. Shirley was one of Creative Genius's first customers almost 7 years ago...how time flies....
Congrats to both winners...thanks for being fans...

NEW STUFF!

Some new arrivals have just made their way into Creative Genius and kept Reece busy unpacking for the better part of this morning and early afternoon. She's finally opened the last box and is done with the display part, which is usually the most fun. And now we get to share the new creations with our customers. That is always the most fun part!
Included in our "newness" are the following items:
Earrings, necklaces and bracelets from Ted and Mary Walker
Earrings and necklaces from Shining Creations
Matted, unframed photographs from Elaine Walsh
Wood creations including wall pieces, boxes and  furniture by Gary Edelstein
Linoleum and linoleum reduction prints by Diane Podolsky
and there's more....but you'll have to check out the rest in person...
Just a note that we'll be closed on Sunday in celebration of Easter...
Happy Easter from Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio!

Yes, another giveaway...

I just love giving stuff away....
I know that sounds a little strange, especially coming from a retail business owner during probably the worst economy this country has seen in quite some time. But I really love the feeling of people getting excited over something I am giving away. It makes you feel a lot more generous than your probably are in real life. :)
Here's a photo of our latest giveaway:

The lucky winner this week is Colleen Panetta...congrats, Colleen!

Our First Facebook Fan Drawing

We just entered our 400 + facebook fans into a drawing to win this really cool ceramic clock, valued at $ 95. And we just chose our first winner! Kristina Watson of Medford, NJ is the lucky recipient of the clock.

For future drawings, become a fan of Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio on Facebook....stay tuned for photos of future prizes, coming soon...