The Crafty Mariana Podcast

In this solo episode, Mariana opens up about the part of business no one talks about: the prep phase. After months of quiet content, she shares why she's been building behind the scenes, what imposter syndrome looks like when you're "not doing the thing yet," and walks through the full rebuild of her workshop business ahead of the Europe launch in July, from decluttering the studio to rebranding, researching new markets, and finally building proper systems before the business starts running.

What we cover in this episode

✎ why she's been quiet on content and what the "prep phase" actually looks like
✎ the difference between retrospective content and creating from inside the build
✎ why most of what she's learning right now doesn't translate to her usual audience
✎ the imposter syndrome of being in preparation (and the trap of hiding in it)
✎ closing the studio: the physical aftermath nobody warns you about
✎ inside the rebrand: why clarity work comes before design work
✎ how she's researching the european market three months before arriving
✎ what to actually look at when launching workshops in a new city (venues, days, timing, tone)
✎ finding the gap between what already exists and what you can offer
✎ building infrastructure before activity, the opposite of how she's done it before
✎ documenting processes she hasn't run yet and writing SOPs for a business that doesn't exist
✎ a reframe for anyone in their own prep season

Resources for your workshop business

📌 Free Guide: How to Start Your Own Workshop Business [link here]

Stay connected with Mariana

🌎 Website: craftymariana.com
📷 Instagram: @craftymariana
📩 Exclusive content, resources, and deals: craftymariana.com/newsletter

Let’s make this interactive

Have questions or topics you want covered in future episodes? DM me on Instagram or email hello@craftymariana.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a workshop friend. And if something landed for you, send me a message with your biggest takeaway :)

Do you want to learn how to turn your crafts into sold out workshops? Join the Crafts Workshops Academy IN THIS LINK

In this episode of the Crafty Mariana Podcast, Mariana sits down with Nodlaig Caffrey, founder of The Paper Petal Studio in Ireland. Nodlaig specialises in creating breathtaking small and large-scale crepe paper flowers — from delicate bridal pieces to giant six-foot installations — and has built a creative business that now spans bespoke commissions, weddings, brand activations, corporate workshops, and an online academy.

Nodlaig shares the full story of how she went from leaving the corporate tech world in 2009 to raising her four children, before accidentally stumbling across a TV segment about crepe paper flowers in 2016 that completely changed her path. She talks honestly about the early years of self-teaching, the confidence shift that came with stepping back into business after years at home, and how local networks and mentoring helped her build a real business around her craft.

The conversation gets into the nitty-gritty of running a multi-stream creative business: how she structures her week around big milestones, how she pre-cuts templates with a cutting machine to make corporate workshops viable, the moment a TikTok video during COVID went viral and led to a DIY kit launching in five languages, and how she's now expanding into an online academy. Nodlaig also opens up about the perception challenges around paper flowers, the loneliness of doing it all solo, and the dream of one day opening her own gallery.

Whether you're a workshop host, a maker, or a creative entrepreneur navigating multiple revenue streams, this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and inspiration.

What We Cover in This Episode:

✎ Leaving the corporate world to raise four children
✎ Discovering crepe paper flowers by accident on TV
✎ The years of self-teaching, trial and error at the kitchen table
✎ Finding the right materials (and why Cartotecnica Rossi changed everything)
✎ Building confidence to re-enter the workforce as a business owner
✎ How local networks and enterprise office mentoring shaped her early years
✎ Using COVID as a time to restructure and grow her skills
✎ The LinkedIn post that led to her first London corporate workshop
✎ Why pre-cut templates make corporate workshops financially viable
✎ Structuring her week around milestones, content, and outreach
✎ Going viral on TikTok and turning it into a multi-language DIY kit
✎ The launch of The Paper Petal Studio Academy
✎ Building signature and premium wedding collections
✎ Why every creative needs a network (and permission to start)
✎ The dream of a gallery exhibition within the next year

Connect with Nodlaig & The Paper Petal Studio:

✎ Instagram: @thepaperpetalstudio
✎ TikTok: @thepaperpetalstudio
✎ Website: www.thepaperpetalstudio.ie
✎ LinkedIn: Nodlaig Caffrey
✎ Email: nodlaig@thepaperpetalstudio.ie

Resources for Your Workshop Business:

📌 Free Guide: How to Start Your Own Workshop Business

Stay Connected with Mariana:
🌎 Website: craftymariana.com
📷 Instagram: @craftymariana
📩 Get exclusive content, resources, and deals: craftymariana.com/newsletter

Let's Make This Interactive! Have questions or topics you'd like me to cover in future episodes? DM me on Instagram or email me at hello@craftymariana.com!

Do you want to learn how to turn your crafts into sold-out workshops?
Join the Crafts Workshops Academy — LINK HERE

In this episode of the Crafty Mariana Podcast, Mariana sits down with Pru Raymond, a fiber artist, knitting educator, and author from South Australia. Pru has taught over 200 workshops across Australia and internationally, specializing in technique-based knitting classes that help students level up their skills.

What started as community workshops alongside her full-time teaching career has evolved into a thriving business built on collaboration with yarn stores through her signature "Stackable Knitting Retreat" model. Pru opens up about the leap from educational consultant to full-time creative entrepreneur, the systems that keep her business sustainable, and why she still supplements her income with university teaching - and why that's totally okay.

This conversation dives deep into the reality of building a creative business, the power of venue partnerships over owning a studio, and how to design workshops that create lasting transformation for students. Whether you teach fiber arts or any other craft, Pru's strategic approach to workshop business will give you so much to think about.

What We Cover in This Episode:
✎ Pru's journey from high school teacher to full-time knitting educator
✎ Why she chose to quit her permanent job - and what happened next
✎ The "Stackable Knitting Retreat" model and how B2B partnerships work
✎ Teaching 66 workshops in one year while traveling across Australia
✎ Why venue collaborations are more sustainable than owning a studio
✎ Designing technique-based classes vs. product-based workshops
✎ The reflective practice structure that transforms learning outcomes
✎ How to manage different skill levels in one workshop
✎ Creating a portfolio career: why supplementing income isn't failure
✎ Systems that scale: color-coded calendars, databases, and boundaries
✎ The Yarn Store Passport and building an ecosystem around your craft
✎ Cash flow strategies for workshop teachers (50% deposits FTW)
✎ The magic moment when an entire workshop enters flow state
✎ Why reconnecting with childhood creativity is so powerful
✎ The analog movement and what it means for workshop businesses

Connect with Pru Raymond:

✎ Instagram: CLICK HERE
✎ Website: CLICK HERE
✎ Upcoming workshops & events: CLICK HERE

Resources for Your Workshop Business:

📌 Free Guide: How to Start Your Own Workshop Business
📌 Free Spreadsheet: Figure Out Your Numbers!

Stay Connected with Mariana:

🌎 Website: craftymariana.com
📷 Instagram: @craftymariana
🎨 Facebook Community: Crafting Workshops Community
📩 Get exclusive content, resources, and deals: craftymariana.com/newsletter

Let’s Make This Interactive!

Have questions or topics you’d like me to cover in future episodes? DM me on Instagram or email me at hello@craftymariana.com!

Do you want to learn how to turn your crafts into sold-out workshops?
Join the Crafts Workshops Academy — LINK HERE

In this episode of The Crafty Mariana Podcast, Mariana sits down with Tyler (aka Dr. Lemco), a Montreal-based creative, entertainer, and founder of Dr. Lemco’s Creative Club. What started as an experiment in hosting art sessions in cafés and bars quickly evolved into a thriving creative community — and now, a brand-new physical studio dedicated to making art, building connection, and having fun.

In this episode of The Crafty Mariana Podcast, Mariana sits down with Tyler (aka Dr. Lemco), a Montreal-based creative, entertainer, and founder of Dr. Lemco’s Creative Club. What started as an experiment in hosting art sessions in cafés and bars quickly evolved into a thriving creative community — and now, a brand-new physical studio dedicated to making art, building connection, and having fun.

Tyler shares the real story behind building a creative business from the ground up: from years working as a content creator and host (including some very unexpected projects!) to deciding it was time to stop building for others and start building something of his own. He opens up about the shift from digital to in-person experiences, the lessons learned from hosting workshops in borrowed spaces, and what it actually took — financially and mentally — to open his own creative studio.

The conversation dives into the realities of creative entrepreneurship: managing energy, building community, pricing experiences, and embracing imperfection while figuring things out along the way. Tyler also shares his philosophy of “figure it out as you go,” and why selling creative experiences — rather than just art — can be a powerful and sustainable business model.

Whether you’re a workshop host, artist, entertainer, or someone dreaming of creating your own creative space, this episode is full of honesty, humour, and practical insight into turning creative passion into a real-world business.

What We Cover in This Episode:

✎ How Tyler went from digital content to in-person creative workshops
✎ The moment he realised live creative experiences were “the thing”
✎ Hosting workshops in cafés and bars vs. having your own studio
✎ Building community through consistent, in-person events
✎ The emotional and logistical realities of opening a creative space
✎ Why selling experiences can be more sustainable than selling art
✎ Learning business skills (and numbers) on the fly
✎ The importance of vibe, energy, and environment in creative events
✎ Managing creative burnout and finding your “sweet spot”
✎ Putting the cart before the horse — and figuring it out as you go
✎ Advice for creatives who want to build something of their own

Connect with Tyler / Dr. Lemco:

✎ Instagram: CLICK HERE
✎ Website / Creative Club: CLICK HERE
✎ Upcoming workshops & events: CLICK HERE

Resources for Your Workshop Business:

📌 Free Guide: How to Start Your Own Workshop Business
📌 Free Spreadsheet: Figure Out Your Numbers!

Stay Connected with Mariana:

🌎 Website: craftymariana.com
📷 Instagram: @craftymariana
🎨 Facebook Community: Crafting Workshops Community
📩 Get exclusive content, resources, and deals: craftymariana.com/newsletter

Let’s Make This Interactive!

Have questions or topics you’d like me to cover in future episodes? DM me on Instagram or email me at hello@craftymariana.com!

In this solo episode, Mariana reflects on the biggest lessons from 2025 after opening a studio, navigating major health challenges, and rethinking how she runs her workshop business and the Crafts Workshop Academy. She shares three shifts: build for sustainability (not intensity), choose clarity over endless ideas, and remember that workshops are a community business. Plus, a glimpse into 2026: travel, collaboration, hiring support, and expanding Field Notes.

What we cover in this episode

✎ a quick recap of 2025: opening a studio, health challenges, and the reality check that followed
✎ lesson 1: stop building for intensity and build for sustainability
✎ protecting your energy as a real business asset
✎ the peru reset: what shifted after time offline and away from the noise
✎ lesson 2: clarity is more valuable than ideas
✎ the shadow side of always seeing how things could be better (and how it affects satisfaction)
✎ lesson 3: a workshop business is a community business
✎ why people don’t just buy a craft, they buy a feeling
✎ what to expect in 2026: systems, hiring, collaboration, and travel starting July
✎ Field Notes: the vision for documenting and analyzing workshops around the world
✎ a life-first reflection: what do you actually want your life to look and feel like?

Mentioned in this episode

✎ a related episode on the “two lanes” of workshop businesses (community-first vs experience-first) [episode like here]
✎ sign-up to the Crafts Workshops Academy [in this link]

Resources for your workshop business

📌 Free Guide: How to Start Your Own Workshop Business [link here]

Stay connected with Mariana

🌎 Website: craftymariana.com
📷 Instagram: @craftymariana
🎨 Facebook Community: Crafting Workshops Community
📩 Exclusive content, resources, and deals: craftymariana.com/newsletter

Let’s make this interactive

Have questions or topics you want covered in future episodes? DM me on Instagram or email hello@craftymariana.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a workshop friend. And if something landed for you, send me a message with your biggest takeaway :)