About Crafty Neighbor

Crafty Neighbor was formed in the summer of 2003 when then neighbors Stephanie McIntosh and Cindy Murray decided they wanted to sell products on the internet to make a little extra spending money. After a great deal of discussion and extensive product testing, the pair came out with their first two products: bath soaps and dog biscuits. The product line was expanded in 2006 with the addition of scrapbooking supplies, and again in 2007 when they began organizing crops and retreats.

Eventually, the dog biscuits were dropped from the product line and more kinds of products were added. Crafty Neighbor now carries a small sampling of handmade items and scrapbooking supplies, but our main focus is on crops, retreats, and scrapbooking cruises. It is our goal to bring more people together to help support the local paper-crafting community and the crafting industry as a whole.

Over the years, the personnel have changed as well. Christen Murray joined the team as an associate in 2007, and we have been blessed to partner with a number of other very talented artists who have helped us organize, coordinate, and teach at many different events. Our biggest change came in 2010 when founding partner, Stephanie McIntosh, opted to leave the company to pursue other interests, leaving Cindy as the sole proprietor of Crafty Neighbor. While her leadership will be missed, Stephanie is still with us in heart and will remain with the company as an associate for many of our special projects and events.

Crafty Neighbor is a partnership of women formed to support and promote the arts, crafts, and endeavors of women. It is our goal to encourage other women to explore their creative potential and to harness the talents and qualities that makes each of us unique.  We are dedicated to the support and growth of the craft industry as a whole, and hope to be a helpful resource of information and support to both crafters and craft businesses. We are always open to new ideas and suggestions.  If you have something special that you think you could offer to Crafty Neighbor, please feel free to contact us.

Products List

Cindy Murray

Cindy is a graduate of South Plains College, and has more than 10 years experience in corporate Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, and small business management. Retiring in 1993 to raise her two children, Cindy has devoted much of her time and administrative skills to Boy and Girl Scouting as well as numerous elementary, junior high and high school organizations.

Cindy inherited her love of scrapbooking from her mother, who has always collected trinkets and little bits of memorabilia throughout her life.  After taking her first amateur photography class in 1985, Cindy was thrilled to discover that it all went hand-in-hand with another favorite hobby – genealogy. Preserving her family memories eventually evolved into creating her own scrapbooks, and the rest is history.

Cindy began teaching scrapbooking classes in her home in an effort to promote preservation of photos and memorabilia in her son’s Boy Scout troop. Cindy looks forward to sharing some of the amazing and beautiful techniques she’s learned over the years, and hopes her enthusiasm will influence others to love the art as much as she does.

 

Stephanie McIntosh

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Stephanie worked in the field of accounting for almost 20 years before leaving to pursue a career as a personal financial advisor. Stephanie is one of the founding partners in Crafty Neighbor and has taught many classes and workshops over the years. She has designed many beautiful scrapbooks and has a special talent for altered items and découpage. Stephanie enjoys scrapbooking, sewing, watching football, and auto racing.
Christen Murray

You may have met Christen at a crop or your local scrapbook store. Whether she was working or cropping, you can be sure she was having fun. As a Visual Arts major at the University of North Texas, Christen Murray was drawn to scrapbooking and paper crafting of all kinds. Christen also studied graphic arts at South Plains College.  Christen worked at the Scrapbook Barn in Carrollton before it closed, and she learned many  skills and techniques while working there.  Christen's resumé also includes several years as an Assistant Manager of a local restaurant where she gained extensive knowledge in catering and party preparation and more than eight years as a team lead and call center supervisor at her current job. Christen's other artistic interests include jewelry making, painting, and graphic design. She loves anything Steampunk and is drawn to celtic and mystic influenced art and culture. Her sense of style is playful and fun, and she's not a bit afraid of bold color combinations and dramatic contrasts.

Brandi Reyna

Brandi Reyna is our newest addition to Crafty Neighbor and she's been making a huge impact as Cindy's new virtual assistant and a member of the design team. She's been busy posting sales and inspiration on the Crafty Neighbor Facebook page as well as working with Cindy on an exciting new project in the works for this fall.

Brandi has been crafting her whole life. She has taken advanced classes in photography and studio art. Brandi has always been a mixed media fan and she enjoys incorporating various mediums into her paintings and scrapbooking. She is a story teller and enjoys blogging, sharing photos on Instagram and Facebook.

An avid life-long learner, she has a degree in psychology and sociology and has studied art therapy. A giver at heart, Brandi has been teaching Special Education for the last few years and enjoys incorporating crafting and art-based activities with her students. Brandi has led bible journaling groups through Lifeway Christian Stores and has led journaling activities at a Michael's craft store. Since 2017, Brandi has been on the chair committee for Brazos Valley Worldfest, a local yearly multi-cultural event in Bryan, College Station. She has organized and led the volunteer team. Additionally, she has organized and led Kid's Village, the arts and crafts part of the event.

Brandi enjoys writing and has published articles through the Open to Hope Foundation. Additionally, she enjoys reading and encouraging others to enjoy books of various genres through writing book reviews on her blog, Goodreads and Amazon. Brandi is also a beta reader for several prominent authors. Brandi recently began assisting authors as a virtual assistant and looks forward to sharing her experience and expertise with Crafty Neighbor.