10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, May 10, 2019
crafts
Getting crafty with it New party offers unique wood-working experience
By JEFFARAH GIBSON
T
| Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net
his year has been an unexpectedly busy one for Leanne Key, who has been developing her handlettering company, learning carpentry skills, teaching private classes and launching her latest venture, the Make + Take Crafting Studio. This new undertaking which Leanne is particularly excited about is a pop-up crafts party that includes music, wine and good vibes held on a monthly basis at various venues. Similar to the popular paint and sip format, participants create a piece of art that they get to take home at the end of the night. This month, the venue for the Make + Take Studio session is Sherwin Williams at the Prince Charles Drive location on May 24 from 6pm-9pm. Each pop-up is hosted by an experienced facilitator who helps each crafter (inexperienced or seasoned) to create a wooden home décor piece with the help of stencils. “Right now our only offering is wooden wall hanging signs, but I hope to expand our project offerings in the very near future,” said Leanne. Working with wood is central to this experience. “The highlight of the experience is working with a piece of wood and taking it from a bland, boring piece of wood to creating something you will be proud to hang and show off in your home,” she said. No previous crafting experience is necessary for the party. “There is enough time allotted for each step and all of our crafty hosts are knowledgeable and patient. All of our crafting experience involves stencils, so there is no need to be afraid of messing up. The stencil does most of the work,” she explained.
Make + Take participants enjoy learning how to make art from a piece of wood. She encourages anyone interested to make an attempt at what she describes as a unique and fun activity. “There is joy in every step of a Make + Take experience. People always comment how therapeutic sanding wood is, and the truth is, it is. Paying attention to details always seems to calm everyone in attendance. Couple that with good wine, good
company and it’s bound to be a good time. It’s my hope that each event sparks someone’s crafting love and they continue to craft on their own,” she said. While Leanne works at offering this new craft experience to Bahamians, she is also continuing to develop The Nassau Script Company, her handlettering business.
The company started as a hobby in 2015, and by 2017 had turned into a full-fledged business. It offers a full range of hand-lettering and modern calligraphy options. From envelopes to wood, glass and mirrors, customers can request hand-lettered messages on just about any surface. Leanne said she was inspired by the beautiful calligraphy she was seeing all over social media. It seemed like almost every quote she saw posted was created with some inspiration from calligraphy, and she was compelled to try her hand at recreating artwork from Instagram. After several weeks of practice, she found her own style and started publishing her own completed calligraphy art on Instagram. The Instagram account gained traction and people started requesting hand-lettered pieces for almost every special occasion.