Welcome To The Crafty Peoples Club!

Hi, I’m Marlena!

I’ve always been a creative person. I love art, music, photography, dance, and pretty much anything that gives me a chance to create, express myself, or make something beautiful.

I’m also a mom to a very creative little girl who absolutely loves making things herself. Some of my favorite moments with my daughter are honestly the simplest ones, sitting together making something, talking, laughing, getting a little messy, and seeing what we come up with.

That’s a huge part of why we wanted to start The Crafty Peoples Club.

Together, my daughter and I wanted to create the kind of space where creativity comes to life. Somewhere kids can come after school, make something really cool, listen to music, meet other kids, laugh, get messy, try new things, and simply have fun being creative.

Because this isn’t about being the “best” artist or making something perfect.

It’s about giving kids the freedom to use their imagination. To try something they’ve never done before. To express themselves without worrying about whether they’re doing it “right.” To build confidence, discover what they’re capable of, and experience that amazing feeling of looking at something and thinking, “I made that.”

And as a mom, I especially love creating another opportunity for kids to put down the screens and actually connect with each other.

My hope is that they come here excited about the craft, but leave with so much more: new friendships, confidence, memories, and a place where they feel like they belong.

Come to create. Stay for the friendships. Leave with more than you made.

I’m so excited to see what we create together.

A Little More About Me...

My love for the arts started when I was young and has followed me through pretty much every chapter of my life. I attended a performing arts school before going on to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and creativity and understanding people have always been two of the biggest threads running through everything I do.

I’ve spent many years working with children, including working as a nanny and teaching behavioral and life skills to children on the autism spectrum. I’ve also created and hosted mentorship groups for women, bringing people together around connection, personal growth, and community.

Creativity eventually became a huge part of my professional life, too. For more than a decade, I’ve worked in the beauty and creative industries with bridal makeup, and family photography. Today, I also work in project development and operations for two salons, where a big part of what I do is take ideas and figure out how to bring them to life.

But out of all the things I’ve created over the years, some of my favorites have been the things made around a table with my daughter.

And that’s really the heart behind The Crafty Peoples Club, combining my love of creativity, connection, and community into a place that my own daughter and I would be excited to walk into every week.

We come to make art. We leave with so much more.