What’s better than crafting with a friend? Kaiti Bohacek and Tara Groth will tell you it’s running a craft party business together. With Craftshop, the Madison-area friends host workshops and events that encourage others to embrace their creative sides.
Kaiti is a daycare director who lives with her husband Andy, six-year-old Harper and four-year-old Brooks in Verona. Tara, meanwhile, is a nurse practitioner who lives in Cottage Grove with husband Clayton, seven-year-old Sullivan and four-year-old Sydney. The two grew up in Mosinee, and even played on their high school hockey team together.
When both relocated to south-central Wisconsin, they reconnected on social media and bonded over a love of house projects, DIY endeavors and crafts.
“She’s the only one of my friends who does,” says Tara.
“She got all my craft texts,” adds Kaiti.
Soon, messages about the latest creative adventure turned into a conversation about starting a business together, a side gig they could take on at their own pace while they also worked full-time and raised kids.
Their first Craftshop event was in early 2015. They had “total strangers” over to Kaiti’s house for coffee, desserts and to make Valentine’s Day crafts: a heart-embellished pillowcase (see the how-to below!), a felt heart banner and a wood palette “love” sign.
Since then, they’ve hosted workshops and parties in other spaces, from homes, businesses and clubhouses to places like Toot + Kate’s wine bar in Verona (with a new workshop coming up in March). And they’ve found great support in other like-minded businesses, such as Revel, the downtown Madison craft bar.
“It’s fun to meet other people who are creative,” Kaiti says.
Tara and Kaiti scour Pinterest and DIY blogs for fun and interesting craft ideas, like decorative signs, yarn hangings and floral crowns. They’ve led a bachelorette party in making nail-and-string art, a group of teens in creating Waunakee sports signs and an extended family through sign designing during a holiday get-together.
At times they have to remind crafters that handmade items are meant to be one-of-a-kind.
“We’re sometimes therapists,” Tara says, “saying it’s okay that it’s not perfect.”
“The best part of this is it isn’t perfect,” adds Kaiti.
HEART STENCIL CRAFT
With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, Kaiti and Tara are sharing how to make their favorite kid-friendly heart craft!
SUPPLY LIST
• Paper (regular printer paper folded in half is just fine)
• Paint (specifically red, pink and white craft paint)
• Pencil eraser or small circle sponge brush
• Stencil (you can cut a heart out of construction paper, or choose a plastic stencil)
• Tape
TIME TO COMPLETE
Approximately 45 minutes (accounting for dry time between colors)
DIRECTIONS
• Fold your printer paper in half.
• Cut out a heart from a piece of construction paper to use as your stencil. Put a piece of tape behind it and place it on your piece of printer paper.
• Get your paint ready! Dip the eraser of a pencil in the paint.
• Use the paint on the eraser to dot around the heart. Go crazy — there is no right or wrong way!
• Wait for the paint to dry. Remove the stencil.
• Write a cute message on the inside of your valentine.
• Give to your valentine to a loved one, or tape it up for a cute display!
– Photos by Tara Groth.