Junkie fest 2019 Event Information

Hello everyone!

Thanks for being so patient as I worked out all these bits and pieces. This is the largest Junkie fest yet! It has been quite the labor of love to organize and structure this event. There were "just a few" more details to confirm than there were for the first casual Junkie fest in 2015 at my house that had only 18 attendees! While there may still be a few little tweaks and adjustments in these details over the next few months, I finally have the information you have been waiting for.

For those that just want the facts:

June 26 -29, 2019

A 3-1/2 day package-only event, offering:

a group class package of 12 hours of class instruction

class products

8 meals

Make and Takes

gifts and prizes

Event fee $665

Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center

Plymouth, Minnesota,

located approximately 30 minutes northwest of the MSP airport

(Please don't panic! A large number of rooms have been reserved in an event room block. 

Rooms in this discounted event block will become available and the event discounted rate

reservation link will be posted on the event registration page.)

Event registration will begin March 25.

(This is the tentative date. I will advise of any changes, ASAP)

And now for those that want ALL the nitty gritty details: 

(keep in mind, slight adjustments may occur)

Junkie fest 2019 is a 3-1/2 day crafting event which will be held June 26-29 at the Minneapolis West Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. This venue is located in a western suburb of Minneapolis approximately 30 minutes northwest of the MSP airport. This full-service conference center hotel is set in a beautiful park-like setting, with outdoor activity areas, a state-of-the-art fitness and spa area with pool and sports courts, and ample parking.

This year's Junkie fest event features classes, Make and Takes, card-making challenges, and lots of social time to relax as well as get to know fellow crafters and craft industry leaders. This is truly an event where you will find those who share the joy of crafting and sharing with others. There are many amazing people and companies that are supporting this event with their time, talents and amazing products.

There are eight different class package options to choose from at registration. Each class package includes 4 hours of class instruction per day, per attendee, for a total of 12 hours. Limited seats in additional classes are available for purchase for an additional fee of $50 per 2-hour class, $100 per 4-hour class. The two hour classes are 8:00-10:00, 10:30-12:30, 1:30-3:30 and 4:00-6:00.  Classes run concurrently in 4 classrooms, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The event fee of $665 includes your 12-hour class package, 8 buffet meals, (Wednesday evening, breakfast and lunch all three days, and Saturday evening's closing dinner), make and takes, social crafting time, the opportunity to win amazing prizes, learn from talented teachers and from each other, and create long-lasting friendships with crafty people from around the globe. The event fee does not include transportation, lodging or a nominal $10 registration processing fee.

Your Junkie fest weekend begins on Wednesday evening, June 26th, with check-in and social time from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the hotel lobby. At that time, you will receive your event gift/swag bag and event folder that contains your weekend schedule and class tickets. A light meal will be provided at that time as well and a cash bar will be open during this social meet-and-greet time. The Official Welcome and program will begin at 7:00pm in the general session room. Teachers and special guests will be introduced, weekend schedules and questions will be addressed, games will be played and prizes donated by generous sponsors will be raffled. The welcome night festivities are expected to conclude around 10pm.

A Breakfast Buffet is included in your event package and is served from 7-9am each morning in the event foyer area. Classes begin at 8:00am. The general session room will be available throughout the day and can be utilized when your classes are not in session.  This room will be open for social crafting with your friends and special activities and hosted card-making events will take place during  the day as well.

Buffet-style lunches will be available to you each day (Thursday - Saturday) and are included in your event package. You may enjoy lunch at your leisure anytime from 12:00-1:30pm in the hotel restaurant. 

Afternoon classes begin after the lunch break at 1:30pm.

The last class each day concludes at 6:00pm. Evening meals on Thursday and Friday are not included with your event package, but the hotel restaurant and bar offers an extensive menu as well as some quick grab-and-go options.  On Friday evening, the hotel restaurant offers an optional pasta and salad buffet for $20 if that's more your thing for dinner.

Hosted Make and Take sessions will be offered in the general session room on Thursday and Friday evenings from 6-10pm.  And for those that could use a little inspired crafty retail therapy, the Craft Mall will be open from 7-10pm.  Event teachers will be provided a small retail space where you'll be able to see and purchase some of their amazing products.

Saturday’s daytime schedule will be the same as Thursday and Friday, but the event will conclude that evening with a Closing Banquet.  Social hour with a cash bar begins at 6pm that evening. Then we will enjoy a closing ceremony as a group with dinner, a group photo, a short presentation. We'll wrap up the event with closing remarks, recognitions, and lots of prize giveaways.

The eight class package options are:

And the daily schedules: 

(Please note that group packages can be distinguished by color; as well as classes by number)

Now, here's a bit more about those teachers and classes:

Angela Magnuson and Whitney Magnuson, of Unity Stamp Company, join us from New London, MN. Angela and Whitney will be teaching a great class (class #s 112, 212 or 312), using their amazing Unity stamps and some mixed media techniques. For this class, you will need to bring a heat tool and a detail scissors.

Taylor VanBruggen is the owner and creative director of Taylored Expressions, a papercraft company designed to share joy and inspire creativity. For over 10 years she has been offering her own unique product designs along with hand-selected tools and techniques for cardmakers. When not designing products, Taylor finds great joy in teaching, inspiring others to create and share their handmade cards, and making new crafty friends! Taylor and her husband Jon live in central Iowa with their three children, Madelyn, Charlotte, and Henry, and are blessed to work alongside each other. Taylor's 2-hour class (class #s 122, 222, or 322) will be focusing on interactive cards; shakers, sliders, spinners, and swingers. You will create four cards featuring Taylored Expressions interactive accessories like their On a Hinge die, On the Right Track dies, and discs. 

Alexandra Renke is an amazing artist and entrepreneur that I met at Creativation in 2018. Her amazing watercolored paper collections, delicate dies and unique stamps made me fall in love at first sight. Alexandra will be joining us from Roesrath, Germany! Alexandra began her career in 1998, producing and distributing a variety of stationery products for both companies and for retail. She opened her shop in Roesrath in 2013, and has developed it in to a very well known center for scrapbooking, handicrafts and as a gift shop. She began her online shop, World of Experience in 2014, and in 2016 entered the world of wholesaling, so now we are able to find her amazing products in stores and online shops here in the U.S. too! Her fresh, light and extraordinary designs for card making and scrapbooking are loved by artists around the world. You will absolutely love her 2-hour class (Class #113, 213 or 313) where you will be introduced to these amazing papercrafting products and learn to create various cards in the known Renke style!! You will need several ink pads for this class, specific colors to be released closer to the event date.

Lydia Fiedler joins us from Austin, TX. Lydia will be teaching a 2-hour Watercolor Techniques class (class #s 134, 234 or 334) using Daniel Smith watercolors. You will learn properties of and benefits of using artist quality watercolors, and learn how to create washes, blend colors, and add texture. You will also be using products from Picket Fence Studios to create your own watercolor masterpieces. Supplies needed for this class are: various sizes of round artist-quality watercolor brushes, (especially #2 and #4 round), two water containers/cups, a paper towel, an absorber cloth and several 5" x 7" pieces of Fabriano Artistico Cold Press watercolor paper to practice on. Daniel Smith watercolor sample dots will be provided for use in class, however if you prefer to bring your own artist grade watercolors, you may.

Gina Krupsky and her daughter Rina Krupsky, of Gina K. Designs, and Village Paper and Ink, join us from Greendale, WI. They will be teaching a 2-hour mixed media card making class (class # 114, 214 or 314) which incorporates beautiful Gina K. Designs stamps and stencils and Gina K. Designs/Thermoweb mediums. You can be guaranteed to have great time crafting, learning and laughing as you create multiple cards with these two talented and hilarious women. 

Elizabeth John, of Love from Lizi, is joining us from the United Kingdom. Elizabeth has put together an amazing Exclusive Junkie fest Love from Lizi Kit. In this class (class #s 121, 221 or 321), Elizabeth will be teaching how to use themed card kits to create numerous cards and tags. Sometimes card kits can seem intimidating; often people just don't know how or where to start! In this class, Elizabeth teach techniques and strategies for getting started, how to use all the pieces, even small scrap pieces of cardstock and patterned papers, to quickly and efficiently create cards and tags. She will demonstrate how to use the various products, embellishments and mediums included in the kit, and teach various design layouts that you can apply to many of your future craft projects.

Christopher Alan of Brutus Monroe in Pittsburgh, PA, joins us to teach a 2-hour Mixed Media in Cardmaking Class (class #s 124, 224 or 334). In this class, you will be introduced to and learn how to use the three top-selling Brutus Monroe mixed media products: Chroma Glaze, Aqua Pigments and Glitter Glaze. Christopher has lots of secret Junkie fest surprises in the works for the projects you will create in this class; including some not-yet-released products and even some never-to-be-released exclusive Junkie fest-only products!

Debbie Olson, from the Thinking Inking blog, is joining us from the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan where this South Carolinian transplant has been living the past twenty years with her “Yooper” husband and their eighteen-year-old son. She was introduced to paper crafting in late 2000; and found being able to use her graphic design background on a smaller format was perfect. In addition to paper crafting, Debbie's talents include stained glass, sketching and rendering with Copic markers, and travelling and teaching Copic classes. Debbie is an amazing Copic artist and teacher, and she will be offering three different levels of Copic instruction throughout the weekend. A 2-hour beginner level (class #201), a 2-hour intermediate level (class #202) as well as a 4-hour advanced class (class #301). Please double check to ensure you have chosen your preferred class level! A limited number of class marker kits will be available for shared use. A list of markers that she will be using in class will be provided closer to the event date for those who prefer to bring their own markers.

Kathy Racoosin from The Daily Marker, is joining us from Maryland and will be teaching a 4-hour mini-session (class #103 or 203) of her famous Coloring Road Trip! She will be sharing her favorite coloring tips and tricks with you as you create a book of banners that you can use as reminders or on cards. You will leave with new inspiration, skills and simple, but genius tips and techniques that you can apply on all your future coloring projects. For this class you will need colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, a #6 or #8 round watercolor paintbrush and water cup, a small palette, and a small towel or absorber (to dab water off of your brush).

Stephanie Klauck, designer for My Favorite Things, joins us for a 2-hour interactive card making class called Swing & Shake with My Favorite Things! Interactive and innovative are on the menu with this class (Class #131, #231 or #331), that will teach you how to move and shake…your cards (insert laugh track here). MFT has a plethora of shaker products and you’ll learn how to best utilize them. Your card will shake like a maraca when we’re done, with NO leaking beads. After that, we’ll tackle a card that includes a swinging component using our exclusive mechanism. Prepare to be amazed. Of course, in true MFT fashion, they will provide you with great instruction, fun giveaways, and likely some comedic relief. 

Sue Doherty from Therm O Web is joining in on the fun from Chicago, IL, to teach three sessions of a Deco Foil™ class (class #’s 132, 232, 332). Learn and explore ways to create using Deco Foil™ products, including the new Flock and Metallix™, in card making. 

Effie Cho from The Ton Stamps is joining us from New York and will be teaching a 4 hour class (class #101 or 303) on watercoloring floral stamped images. In this class, she will teach basic to intermediate watercoloring techniques to create a beautifully detailed floral project. 

Maria Colosimo is the owner and designer of Kitchen Sink Stamps. She is joining us from California, and will be teaching a 2-hour class (class #133, 233, or 333) where you will learn how to line up your layering stamps, how to choose colors, and learn tips and tricks to manipulate limited ink colors for layered stamping success. You will also learn easy masking techniques as you create multiple projects in this class. You will need your MISTI and a pair of small detail scissors for this class.

Emily Loggans joins us from Greendale, Wisconsin to teach three sessions of Hand Lettering classes. I'm sure you have seen her gorgeous and relaxed style of hand lettering on several of the  Gina K. Designs stamps sets recently. (Emily has a passion and talent for lettering and designs for Gina, as well as teaches classes and is one of the amazing customer service specialists at Village Paper and Ink.)  In Hand Lettering for Beginners (class #111 or #211), you will learn about various writing instruments and tools, and be introduced to the angles and orientation of your pens and papers. This introductory class will provide lots of tools and time to practice with the alphabet to learn to be comfortable with basic strokes and flourishes. In Hand Lettering for Beginners Part Two (class 311), Emily will continue with teaching how to connect your letters, introduce Bounce Lettering and explore additional font styles. All products and materials needed for these lettering classes are provided.

Laura Gallimore, from the Crafty Not Shifty blog, joins us from the United Kingdom. In her classes (#123, 223 or 323) you will be making 4 cards using supplies from some of her favourite companies including Lawn Fawn, Altenew, Hero Arts, Concord & 9th and more. Your cards will vary in style with interactive elements, creative stamping, stencilling and ink blending. Laura hopes you will join her for this fun filled class, she can’t wait to meet you all.

I'm so excited for this event, and for these amazing teachers that are traveling from near and far to spend their weekend with all of us. I'll be sharing more information in the coming weeks about special guests, the make and takes and the generous people and sponsor companies who help make this event happen! I sincerely hope you'll join me for a weekend of crafty fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bring my friends for social crafting or make-and-takes?

• No, this event is NOT open to the public and only registered attendees may take part in classes, social events, make-and-takes, etc.  If you have friends who would like to join us, tell them to register!

I can only make it for part of the event.  Is there a discounted rate for partial attendance?

• Junkie fest 2019 is a 3-1/2 day event package.  There is no discounted rate for partial attendance.  

What happens if the group I want is no longer available?

• Registration is on a first come, first served basis.  There are a limited numbers of seats in each group option and once all seats have been taken, no additional seats can be added.

What happens if the extra classes I want are no longer available?

• Like registration for the groups, there are limited seats available for additional class purchases.  Once those seats have been taken, no additional seats can be added.

I’ve paid for my registration, but now I cannot attend.  How do I get a refund?

• No refunds can be provided once your registration is paid for.  With approval, event packages may be transferred should you not be able to attend.

What do I need to bring for classes?

• Basic class supplies that may be required will be posted as the event date gets closer.

I don’t plan to eat the meals that are included in the event package.  Can I get a discount?

• The cost of meals has been factored into the event registration fee.  No discount will be provided for any guests who elect not to participate in the meal package offerings.

Will you be able to accommodate my dietary restrictions?

• The venue catering services is planning some vegetarian buffet menu options and will also be able to provide options for those with common allergies or sensitivities such as gluten, dairy, etc.  While it may not be possible to accommodate every specific need, reasonable attempts will be made.

Is there a discounted room rate?

• A large block of rooms has been reserved for this event, at a discounted room rate of $119 per night plus applicable taxes.  Room discounts will be available for standard rooms with two- to four-person occupancy including single and double Queen, single King as well as standard double rooms.  The discount booking link will become available when event registration does (around March 25, 2019).

Does the hotel have any suites?

• The hotel has no double suites.  It does, however, have a few King suites, but they are not included in the discounted rate.