Chances are, The Crafter's Workshop is the first name that comes to mind when you think of templates or stencils. Over the past few years, templates have taken the papercrafting world by storm and The Crafter's Workshop has lead the way. Templates by The Crafter's Workshop are incredibly versatile, perfect for mists, inks, chalks, paints, sprays, gesso, texture pastes, and so much more. They have become a must-have item not only for paper crafters but for quilters, fiber artists, decorative artists, and mixed media artists as well.
The story of The Crafter's Workshop begins in 1997 when Jaime Echt opened a small paper-arts shop called The Crafter's Workshop in Elmsford, New York. Jaime and her team sold all sorts of papers and fine arts supplies and taught a variety of classes. People drove for hours just to shop and take the classes offered at The Crafter's Workshop. After a year in business, Jaime realized that there was just one thing missing from their store, and that was templates. In 1999, she introduced a small group of 1-inch lettering templates. From there, she moved on to other styles of lettering. The templates became a strong addition to the already-successful store.
By 2005, The Crafter's Workshop had been producing lettering templates on a small scale for six years. Things changed when Jaime launched a small line of doodling templates. They were a huge success. Jaime introduced more doodling templates at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show that winter. She was thrilled and overwhelmed by the popularity of her templates. Demand was so high that Jaime made the difficult decision to close The Crafter's Workshop storefront in order to give her full attention to manufacturing side of The Crafter's Workshop.
Demand for The Crafter's Workshop templates continued to grow. For the next six years, Jaime designed and created most of their new templates with occasional help from other designers. Then, in 2011, The Crafter's Workshop brought on the popular mixed-media artist Julie Fei-Fan Balzer as their first Signature Artist. Since then, they have added the incredibly talented and well-known Ronda Palazzari and Dina Wakley as their next Signature Artists. Julie, Ronda, and Dina have brought their own distinct styles to The Crafter's Workshop and have introduced countless artists to their templates. Jaime continues to design templates as well. To date, Jaime and the Signature Artists have created over 500 template designs, some of which come in multiple sizes. When asked if there are any templates in particular that have been the most popular, Jaime mentioned “Branches” and “Hexagons.” As for her personal favorites, Jamie said that she uses “Ferns” and “Solace” constantly for home décor projects. No matter what your style or taste, there are templates you will love!
While 12"x12" and 6"x6" templates are their main products, in 2012 The Crafter's Workshop branched out to start producing metal dies, primarily in 4"x6" and 3"x4". They have also recently introduced “Life Bits,” 3"x4" journaling spots designed by Jen Boumis for use with pocket-style scrapbooking. Like everything sold by The Crafter's Workshop, these new products are produced, packaged, and distributed in the United States.
The Crafter's Workshop has grown and changed a lot since producing that first letter template back in 1999, but what hasn't changed is their dedication to quality and care for their customers. The Crafter's Workshop remains a small, New York-based, family-owned business that focuses on combining great designs with great product to make customers happy. Their goal for the future is to continue offering beautiful stencils that artists and crafters love to use, and to encourage their customers to share their work for others to see. Jamie asks, “What fun is it to keep all that creativity to yourself?” Those of us who love The Crafter's Workshop products are blessed that Jaime continues to share her creativity with all of us.
See all the great The Crafter's Workshop products Scrapbook.com carries here.
