Getting stuck inside during the winter can put you in a creative slump. Luckily, these eight local DIY workshops are here to help you beat the seasonal slowdown, and spruce up your house and favorite spaces in the process.
2020 Vision Board Workshop
Sunday, Jan. 26, 10 a.m.-noon
If you’ve never cut and pasted inspirational magazine clippings in a colorful and creative montage, let us warn you: Creating a vision board at the start of the year can set you down a path of motivation, goal-setting and bigger dreams. Erin Condren wants to help you make your 2020 even brighter by helping you organize (get yourself a Goals & Intentions Petite Planner or add one to your ticket) and inspire yourself in the months to come. Bring your old magazines and get to work! // Erin Condren Mosaic District: 2905 District Ave., Suite 140, Fairfax; $26
It’s a Wrap – Jewelry Making
Sunday, Jan. 26, noon-3 p.m.
Revamping your closet in the winter isn’t quite as easy, especially when there are so many layers involved to stay warm! Learn to DIY a double-wrap bracelet using beads and leather straps and spruce up your jewelry box, then use those skills to make jewelry throughout months to come. You never know when a new favorite hobby could be right around the corner. // Star’s Beads: 139A Church St. NW, Vienna; $40
Paper Rose Wreath Workshop
Sunday, Jan. 26, 1-4 p.m.
Making crafts from reused items is so 2020. Get in the Valentine’s Day spirit by making a heart-shaped wreath made from vintage book pages, old hymnal music sheets or scrapbook paper. The 12-inch wreath is for you to take home, and the skills you learn will help you make handmade gifts and flowers for the rest of the year. // Hitchcock Paper Co.: 125 Mill St., Suite 6, Occoquan; $85
Hand Stitch Lavender Eye Pillow with Kate Blattner
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m.
Just in case you and your family have been facing your fair share of colds this season, Shop Made in DC is hosting a hand stitch embroidery class to make your very own lavender eye pillow. They may be smaller than normal pillows, but mastering the basics of hand embroidery will help you translate the skill into dozens of other projects through the winter. It’s something to keep you busy and something to relax you (and help calm those puffy or sore eyes!) until everyone can get back outside again. // Shop Made in DC, The Wharf: 10 District Square SW, Washington, DC; $65
Super Bowl Weekend Brunch and Blossoms with Alice’s Table
Saturday, Feb. 1, 1-3 p.m.
As if grabbing brunch and glasses of bubbly wasn’t a fun enough plan for a winter Saturday, how about adding in a floral design workshop? Bring your friends or ride solo on Super Bowl weekend to enjoy food and drinks while designing your own floral creations to take home. Once your done, you have the rest of the evening to explore local boutiques and eateries before a Sunday filled with football. // A Wedding Loft: 11B S. King St., Leesburg; $70
Intro to Watercolor Florals: Cacti + Succulents
Saturday, Feb. 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Never painted before? No worries. In this two-hour workshop, you will learn tips, tricks and techniques on how to create your own colorful and unique patterns of cacti and succulents on a blank page. Upon leaving the class, you will paint your own 5-inch-by 7-inch desert floral wreath, which you can keep for yourself or gift to a friend. You’ll also leave with easy ways to practice painting on your own time, a sample of the paint used at the class, watercolor paper and Kolbie Blume’s (owner of Writing Desk Creative Co.) desert botanicals workbook. What a way to channel warmer days in the winter months. // Steadfast Supply: 4238 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1245, Arlington; $85
Custom Candle Making and Sip Party
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7-9 p.m.
Weeknights are tough. You’re lagging through the week until you get to spend some time being creative and carefree on the weekend. But what if you could do that right in the middle of the week too? Head to Falls Church Distillers for a drink and learn to make your own artisanal candles with Direct Ops. You don’t have to bring any supplies (they’re all included!), and you get to choose your desired scent. You’ll get two hours to yourself (or with friends) to create something with your own two hands. // Falls Church Distillers: 442 S. Washington St., Suite A, Falls Church; $40
Stamp Camp!
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2-4 p.m.
Loading up on crafts supplies can break your bank account, and leave you feeling guilty when they get shoved in a drawer somewhere and no longer used. If you’ve ever wanted to create your own cards (especially right after a holiday of spreading the love), join Stamp Camp and leave class with eight hand-stamped cards, made personally by you! And if you decide the fun you have is worth investing in your own equipment, the class is free with a minimum $20 purchase. // Crafty Klock Studio: 14892 Ingalls Court, Leesburg; $20 (or free with minimum purchase)
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