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While we’ve become more aware of self-care during the pandemic, taking time for ourselves can easily fade away as life picks up. Master Crafter DIY in Twinsburg is a place to focus on self-care by being immersed in creativity.
“When we slow down, we’re able to process things more,” says owner Michelle Hehr.
She knows creativity is good for the soul. The licensed professional counselor was a school therapist for over 20 years and often used creative modalities in therapy. She opened the shop in January 2020 as an empowering studio and craft store to help others find joy and peace through making.
The studio creates opportunities to bond by hosting private parties where individuals choose from about 50 craft projects that rotate seasonally, including farmhouse beads and resin tumblers. Master Crafter also hosts date nights that include a craft and a dinner, and family nights with a personalized craft.
Her splatter room has been such a hit during the pandemic that she’s considering adding a second room. Participants suit up, use shapes or tape to block off spots on canvases and throw nontoxic corn-based paint to their hearts’ content. They can make it a party with blacklights and music. Like at her classes, Hehr offers some instructions but doesn’t show examples so people can truly make it their own. She’s had bridal shower guests splatter a bride in a thrift store gown and a couple who celebrated their anniversary by splattering a canvas and having their kid add a handprint while listening to their wedding music. Participants have likened the experience to running through sprinklers for the first time.
“There’s some of that elation,” Hehr says. “It’s just good clean fun.”
Those who are remote can join Friday handmade happy hours on Facebook Live. She posts a drink recipe, and participants can shop creations from the on-site Polka Dot Shop, which showcases local makers’ wares such as Simply Crafty T-shirts that can be colored, washed and colored again. Hehr’s handiwork is also for sale, like artsy seasonal signs, adorable gnome statues and pods from her Positive Perks Coffee Co. she decorates with uplifting quotes.
Her goal is to make Master Crafter’s environment welcoming and inspiring, and that starts at the curb. The exterior is blush pink with eye-catching black-and-white striped awnings and a whimsical bicycle turned into a flower holder. Everything inside is handmade, from the shelves crafted out of salvaged wood and windows to the memorable bright pink bathroom decorated with flowers and cheeky phrases.
Each visit is a way to forge a new connection, even if it’s just checking in with yourself. Like the hand-painted affirmation above the studio says, “You are a masterpiece,” and sometimes it takes a moment to remember that.
“Whether it’s throwing paint, yarning with your hands, sanding a piece of wood or nailing string art, all those things can be stress relieving,” Hehr says. “It’s cathartic.”
9700 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg, mastercrafterdiy.com
