By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Do you love to scrapbook or make crafts? Would you like a place to meet new friends who love to work with their hands as you do? Would you like a place where you can spread all your stuff out and work/play all weekend without any interruptions?

The Scrapbook and Craft Group of Columbiana United Methodist Church is the place for you to be this Friday, March 30, from 6 p.m. to midnight and Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more than 10 years, a group of talented ladies have met for fellowship and a time to work with their hands on hobbies they love. Sue Eddins and Kathy Corbitt began the group as an outreach program for Columbiana United Methodist Church on Monday nights from 6-8 p.m., still ongoing. In August 2008, Eddins, Corbitt and Agnes Poole went to a scrapbook convention, spent a lot on money, traveled a long way, learned a lot of new things and had a great time. They all had the same idea — to do this closer to home. The first Scrapbook Weekend began in September 2008 with about 20 ladies attending.

Jamie Barnes attended that first weekend and has been attending ever since.

“It is just fun,” said Barnes. “Instead of spending money for conventions, we use our money for supplies. We feed off each other by brainstorming and sharing ideas.”

All kinds of crafts are done by the ladies: scrapbooking, making cards, crochet, knitting, sewing, cross stitching, couponing, painting, stenciling, needlepoint and more.

Upcoming dates for 2012 Scrapbooking and Craft Weekends are: March 30-31; April 27-28; May 8-19; July 27-28; Aug. 24-25; Sept. 21-22; Oct. 19-20; and Nov. 16-17. The group does not meet in June or December.

Cost is $7 per day ($14/weekend), which pays for rent of the church. There is a covered dish dinner Friday night and pot luck lunch Saturday. Each attendee is to bring a dish to be served for each meal. Bring your supplies and tools for your personal projects including your Xyron, Cricut, Fiskar scissors, sewing machine and any gently used supplies and tools you may want to sell.

Come this weekend and craft to your heart’s content, make some new friends, and just have a Girl’s Night and Day Out having fun! Call Sue Eddins 670-6985 or email Kathy Corbitt KathyCorbitt@aol.com so that enough tables are up for you to work!

Phoebe Donald Robinson can be reached by email at phoeberobinson@bellsouth.net.