Inside a bustling art studio bursting with paint designs, fabric textiles, soothing scents and tiny trinkets lies an endless amount of opportunities to create an impressive DIY craft.
Pinspiration, a creative studio space, has become the newest go-to for anything from kids' birthday parties to stress-relieving getaways in College Station. There are candles, outdoor signs, canvas painting, and keychains, not to mention decorative crafts for every holiday. After deciding what to craft, lots of fun additions like buttons, feathers and beads are available to make a project more personalized.
Rows of paintings and wooden signs decorate the walls of the homey studio and whether you’re visiting with a party of 30 or on a date night, you can pick which craft you want to make for yourself, says owner Ginna Schoppe.
Ginna had always wanted to start a craft business “from the ground up,” but found herself immediately drawn to the Pinspiration franchise and their endless selection of craft kits. Some people want a challenging craft and others want a simple craft that they can still hang in their home and feel proud of, says Ginna. One of the crafts is “paint your pet,” where artists can bring their favorite pet picture and paint it on the canvas of their choice.
“They put their pet’s picture behind a glass and then they just color it in, it's so easy,” Ginna says. “Kids can even do that one. They give us a picture and we get a template made for whatever size canvas.”
Crafting at Pinspiration is about having fun and owning your personal style no matter the skill level, says Ginna pointing to a display of pop-art style paintings crowding one wall.
“My son painted the puppy up there and was upset because he didn't think it looked very good,” Ginna says. “I asked why and he said he saw one that an adult had done and said his didn't look as good. That hurt me, so all of the paintings on this side are done by kids so that they can't compare themselves to others with more
experience.”
Though kids' craft parties are their most popular event, it is not just kids that have fun at Pinspiration.
“Adults are starting to figure out that we’re here," Ginna says. “We’ve had bachelorette parties, baby showers, we’ve had team building events, Christmas parties ... We can do just about anything and we don’t have to just keep it in the studio, I can bring it to them.”
The location also features a snack bar and invites artists to unwind with a glass of wine.
“We’re BYOB and we are partnered with Downtown Uncorked Winebar next door, where we give a coupon for 25% off a bottle of wine,” Ginna says. “They have to go over there and get [the wine] and bring it back. We also have snacks here and are partnered with them for our charcuterie boards.”
Don’t be fooled by the soothing craft-making atmosphere, Pinspiration is also home to the splatter room — a place where chaos meets the canvas. Nestled inside the craft studio is a cosmic, glow-in-the-dark experience reserved for people wearing goggles and protective ponchos, prepared to attack a blank canvas and be splashed with every color of the rainbow.
After artists have had their fun in the splatter room, they get to take home their very own splatter painting. Booking the splatter room can be done as a party, a date night or just a fun get-together.
Personalizing a craft party is something Pinspiration is able to do using existing craft kits and party themes like boho and Neverland. If there isn't a craft kit, the Pinspiration team can make one, Ginna says.
“We never had a Harry Potter [theme] but somebody wanted a Harry Potter wand so we came up with that,” Ginna says. “We also decorate for the party, so customers don't have to worry about that.”
For young crafters, Pinspiration also hosts kids night out and spring break craft camp for the child who likes to keep their creativity flowing after school hours. Everyone is bound to find crafting inspiration in the shop, Ginna adds and invites all ages to check out an event, make a reservation, or just do a walk-in.
“I get people all the time coming in going, ‘I can't craft,’" Ginna says. “Everybody can craft. Everybody's creative. We just have to figure out what works for them and we help the whole way if we need to.”
