Studio Getting Area's Creative Juices Flowing

Pat Lee believes in some of the wholesome things in life, such as having fun with your family and doing something engaging and rewarding together.

That belief serves as the bedrock for Lee's business, Made By You Crafts Studio, a new North Hampton business that provides creative minds and families with an opportunity to enjoy themselves while getting elbow-deep in fabrics, paint and glitter.

"It's about seeing the growth of creativity," said Lee — who also serves as North Hampton's deputy town clerk — about her business. "We want to provide an atmosphere that fosters creative growth."

Lee said Made By You, located at 104 Lafayette Road, is a walk-in arts and crafts studio that allows anyone with an artistic itch to come in, grab supplies and decorate, build or design their own masterpieces — and then walk out with the item the same day.

The business offers pre-fired clay figurines and objects, carved wood, sewing and jewelry-making supplies, scrapbooking and quilting tools and materials, tie dye and mosaic ingredients, the prerequisite overabundance of glitter and glue, and much more to fuel customers' imaginations.

Lee said her business also has countless step-by-step guides for projects of varying degrees of difficulty for someone looking to create something of which they may never have considered.

"We're kind of open for whatever you want to do with our supplies," said Lee, who added individuals can also rent space in the studio for a small fee — around $10, which includes access to the business' supplies, tools and materials — if anyone doesn't want to work on a project at home or doesn't have the required ingredients.

Made By You opened in January, and Lee said business has steadily increased as "word of mouth" from customers and individuals participating in themed birthday parties at the studio — the most popular portion of Lee's business so far — has spread through the area.

Lee used to work at a crafts business in North Hampton, and she said she recognized the closure of that studio left a void in the area because she said there weren't any businesses offering flexible working environments that allowed customers to create something and take it home all in one day.

Lee said she already had much of the project "embellishments" in her home when her daughter, Krista, 25, who helps run the business, suggested the duo open a studio together because of that void, which Lee said she hopes to fill for years to come.

So far residents have been accepting of the business, which charges between $6 and $25 a project depending on difficulty and the type of supplies. That amount covers the cost for all supplies, and Lee said there is no time "cutoff" or limit for how long customers can work in the studio.

More information about Made By You is available here or by calling 379-2347.

The studio is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.