August 2024 | Classes & Events | Community Instructor Spotlight
Say Hello to The Pats!
Both local residents, Pat Piper and Pat Szymanowski have a passion for creativity and paper crafts. With combined backgrounds in retail and merchandising, bookkeeping, hairdressing, teaching, and school administration, Pat and Pat love working with people and learning new things, whether through each other or their students.
Pat Piper’s mother taught her the art of card making and paper crafting when she was young. Through her mother’s love for crafting, sewing, and card making, Pat’s passion and appreciation was also borne. Pat Szymanowski first learned card making about 20 to 25 years ago from a fellow card making friend and teacher, Chris Smith, who also occasionally teaches at 577.
The peaceful nature of 577, as well as their past positive experiences taking our educational programs, piqued their interest to start teaching their own crafting classes. Since late 2022, Pat and Pat have taught Creative Card Making about once a month, offering beautiful and original handmade greeting cards for folks to enjoy crafting. They would like their students to know that they can create amazing cards. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or even look like everybody else’s; these cards are supposed to look handmade! In their interview, Pat and Pat mentioned one of their goals for their classes: “For people to walk away saying it was fun, I learned something, and I actually made this!”
A large part of 577’s mission is cultivating curiosity and lifelong learning, and Pat and Pat welcome this curiosity and learning wholeheartedly! They are excited to teach more technique-driven sessions where folks learn how to create cards from scratch, including how to cut down all the pieces and parts of a card.
Students are often curious and ask, “How do I start this? How do we go from these plain papers to a finished card?” They are also excited to create new cards upon the seasons’ changes with new colors, designs, and sentiments. Over the last year, they branched out and began offering 2D card making and shadowbox classes with fun colors, designs, and frames.
Fun Facts about The Pats – Pat Piper’s hobbies include paper crafting, sewing, and learning her new Cricut machine. Pat Szymanowski enjoys gardening, spending time with her dogs, paper crafting, painting, and trivia, and is also an avid reader, delving into mysteries, sci-fi, romance, and biographies. She also says being a mother and grandmother is one of her favorite things.
Pat and Pat delight in 577’s welcoming atmosphere, the fun and knowledgeable instructors, and the “wild but well-kept” nature of our gardens and grounds. They would like everyone to know that “It’s comfortable here. Come try it, you don’t have to be perfect. We all start somewhere.”
Interested in taking a card making or shadowbox class with The Pats? Register for one of their upcoming classes:
- Creative Card Making: Join us for an evening of creating together! Create five (5) seasonal, all-occasion cards. Learn the best stamping techniques, how to apply card-based adhesives, and fun ways to use various card-making tools. Completed cards are perfect for sending to friends and family. Participants will explore new techniques and receive plenty of support, making the class enjoyable for both experienced cardmakers and beginners, including those who have previously attended these classes. All supplies are included, and all are welcome. Offered Thursday, August 15 and Thursday, September 5, on both dates classes are 6pm to 8:30pm
- Create a Fall Shadowbox: Create a fall-themed shadowbox with whimsical images in seasonal shades of burnt orange, metallic copper, and teal. Participants will learn how to stamp, color with alcohol, heat emboss, compose their image, and use various tools & adhesives. Cost includes a 9″x9″ shadowbox and all other supplies. No experience is required, and all are welcome. Offered on Thursday, September 12, 6pm to 8:30pm
