I started out as a Hobby Demo with Stampin' UP!, a papercraft direct sales company which originates from the USA. I have always loved crafts, especially Stamping, Cardmaking and Scrapbooking, so becoming a Demonstrator was a no-brainer to be able to get my own supplies at a generous discount. That evolved into running a papercraft club and other classes in the local area, moving to online classes during the Covid 19 Pandemic. But the Pandemic didn't only mean moving my SU business online - it also gave me an opportunity to dust off my sewing machine and start making Face Coverings which then led to a friend from Church asking if I was able to make soft toys! She had seen a Memory Bear made from a child's School Uniform and wondered if I would be able to make one for her Daughter who was leaving Year 6. Always up for a challenge, I gave it a go, and LOVED making her bear. Word got around as my friend showed other Mum's the bear and pretty soon I had bags containing various uniforms all over the living room! And so - Studio@316 - Memory Bears & More was born. Over time I was asked to make toys using clothing from loved ones who had passed away, as well as a cushion from a Brownie Uniform and a Quilt from a friend's Grandaughter's baby clothes that she could have on her new, big girl bed!
My Husband, Ian, and I (along with our youngest son) volunteer at a Scout Water Activity Centre in London's Docklands - Dockland Scout Project. When they bought a rather large, commercial embroidery machine they were looking for someone who would be able to use it to embroider logos on the uniforms - and someone to maintain it. So, I offered to give it some house room with the agreement that (for a donation from each embroidery job) I could use it as part of Studio@316 as embroidery would compliment a new addition to the business - Garment and Apparel Personalisation Services using my newly acquired vinyl cutter. So - I now had three sides to my business.
During Lockdown, I started working with a great Business Coach, Claire Macpherson, and a group of very supportive business women on Facebook, which has been encouraging and enlightening in so many ways. I did a lot of work with Claire around who my Soul Client is, what their needs and wants would be and what I can do to help resolve those needs and wants, looking at all three aspects of the business. After much discussion I decided to have all three sides of the business under the one name - Studio@316 - but as individual ‘branches’ of the business with their own sections on here (studioat316.co.uk) and individual social media platforms (it was kind of running like that already, but there has been a lot of overlap which has been getting confusing, so I decided to make more of an effort to run these separately). The three branches became known as:-
- Studio@316 - Memory Bears & More
- Studio@316 - Garment & Apparel Personalisation Services
- Studio@316 - Stampin’ UP!
As a “born again” Christian, I had been wrestling with the feeling that I was being encouraged to include my faith within my business, and having discussed this with Claire and my family, I decided that I did want to do this. So, from August 2021 I will be including some more Christian faith-based projects in my Stampin’ UP! projects and tutorials, as well as items available through Studio@316 - Garment & Apparel Personalisation Services. I want to start doing more bible journaling and maybe starting a Bible study group based around paper crafting where we can join both hobby and faith in a creative way. I won’t be including my faith in everything, so there will be a mixture of Christian and secular projects for you to take part in.
Where will the business be going from here?
I will be restarting my ‘In Person’ classes again now that the Government COVID Regulations allow us to meet, starting with my regular Coffee and Crafts sessions on the first Saturday of each month (first one being this Saturday, 7th August) at Lyndhurst Chapel, Barnehurst from 10 am to 1 pm (UK time). For the foreseeable future, these will also be streamed as a Zoom meeting for those of you who may not be able to make it to Barnehurst in person. These sessions have a more relaxed atmosphere with lots of nattering but do also include a papercraft session. The cost is currently £8 and includes a full kit for you to join me in making that month’s project as well as unlimited Tea, Coffee and Biscuits!
I will also be continuing with my Class In The Mail which is scheduled for the third Saturday of each month, also at Lyndhurst chapel, from 10 to 1. These classes are held via Zoom giving you and opportunity to join a class without having to travel, which opens up these classes to crafters around the UK. The price of the kits for these classes varies depending on the kit – full details for each class can be found on my calendar at http://bit.ly/SUMagicLady (scroll to the bottom of the front page) and also in my Facebook group at http://bit.ly/SUWithStudioAt316
My last regular monthly class is my With Product Class which takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month – same times and also at Lyndhurst Chapel. Again the price of these classes vary depending on the kit.
I will be offering Early Bird Prices for all classes (not including Coffee and Crafts Sessions). To take advantage of best of these discounts, you will need to be a member of the Facebook group, so if you haven’t already joined, then pop over and register now using the link above. There you will also find free crafting tutorials written by not only myself but a group of very talented Demonstrators from the UK, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand! So you will have no shortage of inspiration. I am hoping that between us we will be able to create a caring and sharing community, so please invite your crafty friends to join us.
As for Studio@316 - Memory Bears & More and Studio@316 - Garment & Apparel Personalisation Services, I am fully open and taking orders for handcrafted Memory Bears (and other soft toys) using yours or a loved one’s clothing to create a lasting memory of a person or occasion - I have recently been making more of our Leavers Bears for those Year 6 Pupils who will be moving up to Secondary School in September, which has really been an honour to do. And don’t forget, I also make Quilts and Cushions as well - in fact I’m always up for a challenge so if it can be made from old clothes, I’ll give any pattern a try (the only thing I can’t do is draft a pattern myself, although if we end up with another lockdown, that may be something to learn 🤪🤣). I’m also still making Face Coverings for anyone who, like me, are planning to continue wearing them - I also have a new design coming out this week with nose bars which help somewhat with the steamed up glasses issues! I’m also taking orders for T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Hoddies, Bags, Water Bottles or anything else that can be personalised with Vinyl or Embroidered, so now is a great time to get new clothing etc for your community group or team. I do offer a discount to all Scout and Guide Groups, and give a donation to Dockland Scout Project from all embroidery orders as a thank you for loaning me their machine (I also maintain it and do their embroidery at ‘mates rates’!). Without their support, that side of the business wouldn’t be possible! Check out the Studio@316 Online Shop at http://bit.ly/StudioAt316Store for examples.
During August you may notice some changes to the design within my social media and other online areas as I implement the rebranding of Studio@316 so please bear with me as I get that all organised. If you do notice any glaring mistakes or faux pars then please do send me a message so I can sort them out.
A bit of background about me!
I have had a great interest in crafts of all kinds since I was a child - in fact my Mum swore I was born with paper and pens in my hands 😆, Over the years I have tried my hand a pretty much all crafts, but particularly enjoy papercrafts, and LOVE being able to share my knowledge with others. I have been married to Ian since 1998 and we have two boys (now young men) Joe and James - we all live with our Fluff Ball Flash (a ginger Tom) in Barnehurst, Kent. Joe is hoping to add a puppy to our Fur Babies in the near future, so that could make life interesting! As I mentioned, I am a "born again" Christian and as a family, we are all involved in the Scouts in various forms - in fact, Ian and I met through Scouts when we both became members of the Queen's Scout Working Party! I have had various careers including Paramedic and Driving Instructor, but had to give those jobs up due to ill health. Being unable to manage a conventional, 8 hours a day job working for someone else, I became self employed so that I could manage my own time, and be able to rest if needed.
Which brings me to a more personal note - sorry if I'm oversharing but I want to be upfront all my clients, past, present and future about the issues I have around my health. This is not meant to be a pity party for one, but it is more to raise awareness of how my health impacts on my business, especially as a Sole Trader who has many hats to wear, most of which are behind the scenes and not obvious to you, my Soul Clients. So, among a number of issues, the ones which have the biggest effects on me are Depression, Behcets Syndrome or Disease (BD) and Fibromyalgia (FM) - both of these are autoimmune conditions so my body will fight against itself, especially if I get an infection or virus (if you haven’t heard of any of these, I’ve linked their names to some information). Both BD and FM affect multiple areas of the body and symptoms vary from person to person as well as on a day to day basis. For me, my main issues are Chronic Fatigue, inability to control body temperature so symptoms increase with extremes of weather like the recent heat wave we had which completely floored me and I spent much of the time sleeping! I also get lower back pain, headaches, chronic pain particularly in the joints but also in other areas, “Fibro fog” or “Brain Fog” which can result in slurring my speech, forgetting words mid conversation or even what the whole conversation is/was about which can make for some entertaining craft demonstrations 🤪🤣 - think Ethel Skinner from the early Eastenders episodes 🤪! I get ulcers (both mouth and in places where a lady really doesn’t want an ulcer 🥴🤪), nausea which can mean I am unable to take my head off the pillow without feeling sick (for me this is definitely the worst symptom as I can have panic attacks when vomiting 🥺). Some of these are constant symptoms (like the fatigue and joint pain) and some arise during ‘flares’ so I don’t really know how I will feel from one day to the next (or even hour by hour at times). I am definitely a ‘people pleaser’ and hate it when I am unable to complete orders without delays or I have to cancel classes at short notice - which then doesn’t help the depression. But at these times I really do have to put my own self care first. I’m hoping that, as my Soul Clients, customers like yourself can make allowances for delays or cancellations/last minute changes, and give me the time to rest and repair when needed.
As I said, this is not meant to be a blanket excuse or attention seeking, just to make people aware of possible issues when choosing to work with me. Also, as someone who has really hit the bottom with regards to mental health, and could very easily not be here if it wasn’t for the support of my family, friends and the Nurse Practitioner at my Drs Surgery, I want to let my clients know that it is ok to not be ok! I know it’s something which has become a bit of a cliche on Social Media, but that doesn’t make it any less true. If you or anyone you know needs support, I’m here and I’m a great listener (and know how to keep a confidence when needed 😜). Just reach out - it’s not easy to do but having some support makes a huge difference!
Well - if you've managed to get to the end of this page - CONGRATS!!! and thanks for taking the time to get to know me, and Studio@316 a little better.
Stay safe & Happy' Stampin'
Barbara xx
BTW - if you'd like to be kept informed about any aspect of Studio@316, you can sign up for my Mailing Lists HERE.
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Babs