March news and events at The Creative Café

Hello friends! We hope you are doing well and are actively pursuing your passions in 2016! March is a special month for us because we will celebrate our one year anniversary of opening The Creative Café in Thalwil!! It has been an amazing journey that continues to evolve each day with new products, new collaborations and new ideas. And we have you, our customers and friends, to thank for making this first year so successful! Our dream really has come true and we want to celebrate with you on 12 March, so mark your calendar now! More information below! Who are the ladies behind The Creative Café? Top from left to right: Julie Blume (J Blume Bags, Tags & More), Rachel Izakowicz (Seize the Stamp), Nina Zetterberg (INDesign4U), Bottom: Daniéle Stalder (Jamais Vu), Jo Millar (Art Club Café) In the coming months, we will be profiling our Creative Ladies who run The Creative Café. For now, though, you can check out our "About" page on our blog. We are so thrilled that our little collaboration that started out at only being open two days a week this time last year has grown into a proper little business, with a wonderful selection of unique handmade items, art classes, workshops and a small café for those who just want to sit and enjoy a coffee and chat. We look forward to another exciting year ahead!  What's new in March?

New textiles for home decorating are here. Quilted cotton cushions and throws make lovely accents on your bed, sofa or chair. The texture makes the block printed pattern look really great. As always you can choose amongst a large variety of patterns and colors to create the look you like. Pop by the store and have a look. For more inspiration take a look at our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/INDesign4U

Easter will be here before you can say "Easter Bunny"!!!  Be sure to stop by this month to check out our new spring products, including adorable storage boxes, stamps and paper products, handmade cards, Easter bags for your little ones and much more!

New bio skincare products from Apoteka Havlik will be available at The Creative Café from 8 March! We have tested some of these products and they are amazing! Be sure to stop by on Saturday, 19 March and try them for yourself and meet Petra Peyer, the Swiss representative for Apoteka Havlik. She can tell you more about the products, how they are made and the benefits they have for your skin.

Workshops & Events in March

All events below can also be found on The Creative Cafe Calendar tab on our blog.

Pop Up Sale with DanishDesignKids: Sat., 5 March from 10:00 - 16:00  Looking for cutting edge kids fashion for your little ones at a reasonable price? Charlotte Bruun-Christensen from DanishDesignKids will be at The Creative Café on Saturday, 5 March and will have a selection of her adorable kids clothes for sale. You can find out more about Charlotte and see what she has to offer on her website www.danishdesignkids.com.

Birthday Card Workshop Thursday, 10 March (time is flexible during opening hours)   Do you have a new year's resolution to send handmade birthday cards to your friends and family in 2016? If you do, this is the workshop for you! Come any time during the day to make four birthday cards and a few tags if you have time.  Space is limited to 5 people at a time, so please register by 9 March so we know how many are coming and the approximate times. Workshop will take approximately 2.5 hours. Cost: CHF 40 per person To register, stop by the shop or e-mail us at thecreativecafe111@gmail.com.

One Year Celebration! Saturday, 12 March from 10:00 - 18:00 We are so excited that our little shop has been open for one year this month and want to share our excitement with you! Stop by on Saturday, 12 March and share some bubbly with us while checking out some new products. All products purchased on that day will be 20% off!

Pop Up Sale with Petra Peyer, Apoteka Havlik: Saturday, 19 March: 10:00 - 16:00   The surrounding nature is the source of a great power. PhMr. Karel Havlík knew very well that strained and damaged skin would be best helped by Nature itself. In making their cosmetic products, Apoteka Havlik draws on pure natural resources while respecting Nature and trying to learn from it. Be sure to stop by to meet Petra and try out some of these amazing skincare products. You can find out more information about the Apoteka Havlik products on their website here.

Art Club Café Every Friday: 9:00-11:00 & 11:30-13:30   Looking for a way to release some of your creative energy or maybe learn something new? Jo Millar has openings in her Art Club Café that is held in The Creative Café on Friday mornings. Inspiratio for March will be drawn from the Swiss artist Paul Klee. You can find out more information on her website here.

EASTER HOLIDAYS: SHOP WILL BE CLOSED FROM 24 - 30 March 2016 The Creative Café will be closed from 24 - 30 March in order to spend time with our families for the holidays. We look forward to welcoming you back on Thursday, 31 March!

Be my valentine - Free Printable

January has come and gone and it is already the first day of February!! Since February is the month of love, what a better way to start it than by sharing a free printable so you can make your own adorable Valentine's like the ones shown here!

They are super easy to make and you can add either chocolate hearts or paper hearts to your arrow.

Here's what you need:

- Free printable (link here): print out on an A4 sheet of paper (I use a 216 g/m2 grade paper) and cut out just inside the black line (or include the black line if you want to have an outline!)

- Pattern paper of your choice for the background: I cut mine approximately 6 in x 3 in (15.5cm x 7.5cm)

- Hearts - use your imagination here! I used a mix of store bought hearts (IKEA has packs of 36 patterned hearts), some that I punched using the Stampin' Up! heart punch, as well as little chocolate hearts. (Note: this is a great way to use up some of your scrap paper :-)!)

- Twine or ribbon to tie around one side of the Valentine

- Markers or watercolour paints to add a bit of color to the end of your arrow (this is optional)

Cut just inside the black lines on the printable and glue to the pattern paper. Color in the feathery bit on the arrow and then stick on your heart. I stitched the paper hearts to my arrow using my sewing machine to give it a bit more texture and have the arrow fold up on the edges. Use your imagination to jazz it up - glitter glue, textured papers,  and so on! The possibilities are endless!

Here are some more of my finished Valentine's...

If you like these, but don't have time or materials to make them yourself, you can drop by The Creative Café this coming Saturday and make some with me! Check out our workshop here for more information.

Have a great week!
Julie