Crafty moms offer a new twist on ladies nights out
Workshop participants are encouraged to have fun, make friends and be creative
A new series of ladies night out events with a crafty twist are coming up this fall in various locations in the West Island and off-island.
The brainchild of a pair of women from Hudson and St-Lazare, LaughDrinkCreate offers trendy jewelry-making workshops held in bars and restaurants in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Hudson and Kirkland, where women can try a new hobby, meet some new friends and unwind with a glass of wine.
The business was launched this summer by Melanie Garon-Duong and Cynthia Massa, who met through their children’s preschool in Hudson.
The idea came to them after Garon-Duong, who used to own a beading and jewelry supply store in St-Lazare, offered to lead a jewelry-making activity for Massa’s daughter’s birthday party last spring.
“It was like an epiphany,” GaronDuong said. “Wouldn’t it be nice for women if they had something like this to do when they wanted to get out, not just to go out for dinner, but to actually have an activity to do at the same time?”
The pair hosted their first events in Vaudreuil-Dorion in May and June, and began offering events in Kirkland in August.
“I think people really amaze themselves, they learn the techniques Melanie’s showing them, but they can also explore their creative side,” said Massa. “They have different style options, and they add their colours and their beads and their tassels.”
Four more events are already planned for this fall, including a fundraising event for the SPCA Ouest de l’Île on Oct. 4 at Cunningham’s Pub in Hudson and a workshop specifically geared for new moms at the Pure Pommette baby boutique in Vaudreuil-Dorion on Sept. 25.
Garon-Duong, who designs all the jewelry patterns used in the workshops, has created a maternity bracelet for Pure Pommette workshop that can be used to mark time. The wrap bracelet incorporates numbered beads that can be positioned to record the last time the baby was fed or given medicine for a fever, or any other activity a mom needs to track.
Tickets for the events cost $40, and include all supplies and instructions for making the jewelry. Participants are also free to modify the jewelry patterns to create their own designs, Garon-Duong said.
“There’s a story behind every piece when it’s made with friends, and there’s a proud feeling when people wear what they’ve made,” she said.