HobbyCraft Creations moves to host craft parties for kids

Hobbycraft Creations, a studio cum shop that trains people in craft making alongside selling art and craft materials; is now adding glamour to kids birthdays through craft parties where they help kids make craft items be it jewellery or doing decoupage on little boxes that they can then take home and use.

Joanita Coellho, the institution manager, says kids are tired of face painting and bouncy castles, and helping them come up with a gift item makes them not only go home with a concrete item but also 'learn a craft in the process.'

The centre has jewellery and decoupage packs , which they help the kids to make gift items during a birthday ,either at the studio or at a person’s home depending on the number of kids attending the party; as the studio comfortably accommodate just eight kids.

The institution has also moved to weddings and is now helping in making unique bridal jewellery, wedding invitation cards and thank you cards, gift boxes for voucher gifts which can later be used as chests, as well as other unique favours. This year, the institution won an award for the best new service/product during the Samantha bridal fair held in February.

The idea is to personalize according to ones theme, says Joanita, and one can buy beads at very reasonable prices, be it classic beads, glass pearls, fresh water pearls,…depending on ones budget, then one is taught how to make a bracelet or a necklace using different techniques.

Started in 2006, Hobbycraft Creations also offers classes to both kids and adults in decoupage, card making, Mosaic, scrap booking and jewellery making.

Rita Rogers, who started the institution, says she did so because she 'found a niche,' as there was nobody stocking any craft materials and could not find any whenever she wanted to do some craft, which is her hobby; and had to wait until she traveled to the UK to buy them.

‘There was also no training centre anywhere or some kind of 'little art school' where anybody could learn the skills.’ She said.

‘The idea is personalize your items," says Joanita, and ‘there is no right or wrong,’ but rather what one likes.

‘This brings out the creativity of the person.’

The school cum shop now stocks materials for jewelery making including beads, fresh water pearls, plastic pearls, card making papers in various colors and print,various shaped paper punches, rubber stamps, paper crimpers for embossing papers , scrap book sheets,Wooden blanks, glass plates, bottles,paints and paint brushes among others.

The institution is the only one of its kind in Kenya, and the sole agent of Heritage, the largest art and craft shop in South Africa. It also holds the franchise for Feeling Inspired, which specialises in beads and beadwork; and is also the sole distributor of Swarovski in Kenya, stocking a number of designs and colours of the crystals for jewellery making as well as crystal buttons.

Classes for kids are for those aged from ten years, but have also trained kids from as young as seven; with the age limit being because the young ones have less concentration span and do not sit still for long.

The studio teaches decoupage on Mondays, advanced card making on Tuesday, Mosaic on Wednesdays , Scrap booking on Thursdays and Jewelery making on Fridays. with sessions
Joanita says one can learn almost all the skills in a two hour session, but decaoupage and mosaic are time consuming.

Decoupage and jewellery classes are the most popular classes among kids; but some also take scrap booking though this is not very known in Kenya. Scrap booking involves making one's album pretty by putting a photo on its own page so that ‘each photo tells its own story,’ The shop stocks albums and scrap booking sheets for this.

The studio also hosts kids from Korogocho once every month and teach them some craft skills. The kids belong to a club where they go every weekend ‘to keep them out of mischief’ and Hobbycraft has volunteered to take 8-10 kids every month and train them
Rita says she hopes by December they will be able to make Christmas cards and sell them too raise some money.

Located at Muthaiga Mini-Market above Barclays Bank, Hobbycraft Creations opens from 9.30-5.30 Monday to Friday, and from 9.30pm-3pm on Saturdays; but the classes run from 9.30am-11.30am,12noon-2pm and 2.30-4.30pm Monday to Friday. Charges are Sh500 per session for kids and Sh750 per session for adults; and advance booking is highly recommended.

Contact Joanita Coellho or Faith Kamau on 0727 329963, 0724081056 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to book for classes or for more details.