The Roots of Carmen's Veranda and Upcoming Classes

In 1988 Jane Beard and I started the Museum of Modern Rubber in response to what we perceived to be a need for "artsy and unusual" rubber stamps.  Most of what we had seen was pretty cute, traditional, pretty or mundane.  Combining her artistic expertise and my business expertise we dove into the world of art rubber stamps and our partnership lasted until 1994 when our priorities and visions were no longer in sync.  The photo above represents MOMR's first "manufacturing center" in my garage.  If you look closely, you can see my husband's motorcycle tire in the lower right hand corner.  I wish it were still so simple. 

In 1994 I resurrected the name Carmen's Veranda for my portion of the rubber stamp business and Jane continued on with Museum of Modern Rubber.  Carmen's had been a gift business that I'd been toying with since 1983 and I had a very fun logo as well as an established business, resale number, etc., so Carmen's became a rubber stamp company, too.

The vulcanizer is still in my garage but everything else is in a 1000 square foot "studio" in Anaheim.  It takes a lot of space to store show props, excess rubber, class materials, etc,. and over the years I've moved from my garage to a 2000 square foot warehouse and store, a 1000 square foot warehouse and sales office, both in Placentia, a portion of my friend's office in Yorba Linda, and when I was working full time, a 10 x 40' storage unit in Yorba Linda.  The "studio" is the showcase and warehouse for all my "stuff."  Day of the Dead images as well as scary dolls, craft books, supplies and rubber inventory share this dumpy little building and I try to spend one or two days a week organizing, purging and getting ready for the next rubber stamp convention.

Our first class in the "studio" is scheduled for Sunday, July 29, 2012.  Mary Jo McGraw is teaching an all-day journaling class (10 - 3) and Carmen's will be open to shoppers between 9 am and 5 pm.  The class fee is $40 and materials fee (for your journal) is $15.  Space is limited and we've already registered 3/4 of the students we can seat, so if you are interested, please contact me immediately by email: elainemadrid@att.net to reserve your spot.  Mary Jo is only in SoCal every couple of years and this 5 hour journaling class is a BARGAIN compared to some of the other classes being offered at retreats and stores in our area.  Don't miss this opportunity to have a great experience with Mary Jo and a fun day with other like-minded artists.

Other classes planned for Sundays in the next few months are the Steamp Punk Smash Journal and the Fiber-Wrapped necklace.  Please contact us to be placed on the mailing list for these and other events.