san fran-tasticness!

Heath Ceramics ~ heaven!

San Francisco. WHAT a city! I just got back from a long, amazing weekend there and thought it might be fun to share a few of the favorite things we did and places we explored. The main purpose of the trip was work related but we managed to squeeze in a bit of play time too! Emily and I had a fabulous meeting with the terrific and talented Creativebug team, shared a wonderful meal with our photography teacher Alessandra Cave and did some workshop research at an incredible Japanese bookstore's craft section {heaven!}.  Just meeting with the Creativebug team was an experience on its own! Visiting their creative offices (you can only imagine, right?) and seeing their talented team working together was incredibly inspirational and I couldn't be more excited to be collaborating with them on a special project that will be shared soon! It just so happened we were there for the San Francisco Etsy Craft Party, held at the Creativebug offices, which was such a fun coincidence. We not only made fun artist trading cards, but some new wonderful friends too!

So here's a little list of some of our favorites {with thanks to several sweet friends who recommended them!}

eats
Bar Tartine
Bun Mee
Greens
Mariposa Bakery
Pressed Juicery

boutiques & shops
Fillmore & Hayes Streets (many great shops found here)
Ferry Building
Heath Ceramics
Make Shift Society
Muji
Kinokuniya

I certainly left at least part of my heart there and can't wait to go back!

our etsy team holiday gathering!

What a marvelous time we had at our very first Etsy Team holiday party! Each time we get a group of people together for one of our events, it always refreshes my spirit and reminds me about the heart of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Every single person who has been involved in the Makerie in any way is amazing and I just can't believe the beautiful creative community that is being formed because of this little event we started. What a wonderful mix of people who came last night ~ volunteers, participants, one of our awesome local teachers, and even our Whole Foods contest winner ~ gathering together at Fabricate, one of our favorite local sewing boutiques, for some fun holiday crafts and yummy treats and wine. We made burlap wreaths (thanks to the super generous donation of coffee sacks from Conscious Coffees) and decorated cute burlap bags with colorful felt balls to wrap around mini-trees (inspired by the sweet idea from Sunset Magazine). There is something quite magical about getting a group of people together to make something with their hands ~ a quiet hum, some great conversations in between and simply an unspoken language of how meaningful it is to create something side by side, in person. It is truly the essence of what the Makerie means to me and I couldn't feel more honored to give people the gift of making creativity a priority, even for a short time. A huge thank you to Etsy for their wonderful support, to Fabricate for hosting us and to each and every person who came last night. You're the heart of the Makerie's creative community and I feel so very lucky.

our brand new etsy team!

After an amazing trip to New York last summer and the special, awesome opportunity to visit the Etsy offices, I came home completely inspired by the people I met and their incredibly energizing, creative environment. I loved learning more about their terrific team program while I was there and it made perfect sense for us to get a team together too. And so we did! We're super excited to share that our brand new Makerie Etsy Team is up and running! It's open to all past and present participants, teachers and volunteers (you need to be an Etsy member ~ either a buyer or seller or both ~ to participate) and a wonderful way to share ideas and our favorite Etsy finds. We will be using this platform to celebrate handmade and share the projects we're working on, as well as a place for current participants to coordinate retreat travel or perhaps even facilitate local gatherings. And speaking of gatherings, we're in the midst of planning our first holiday team event so it would be a great time to join in on the fun. We'd  love to have you! Go Team! 

smitten with the city

tamar's beautiful bird houses

Well what an extraordinary few days I just had in New York City and I am filled with inspiration from head to toe! Not only did I get to meet and spend time with the most incredible people ~ Tamar Morgendorff, Sweet Paul, Liesl Gibson and new friends at Etsy ~ but I was able to zip around the city checking out the abundant creative establishments ~ like 3rd Ward ~ I've had my eye on from afar. It was a jam packed couple of days and worth every bit of running around, train riding and biking all over the city. I loved finding inspiration in the most unexpected places... a window display, a type treatment on a restaurant logo, the beautiful packaging, creative merchandising and the thoughtful way so many of the boutiques are built out. I'm in awe of New York City ~ it's true.

Spending the afternoon in Tamar's studio was really lovely. I loved getting to know her and hearing about life as an artist. Just sitting in her space surrounded by her creations was an experience all on its own, as I've been such an admirer of her work and it felt rather special to get a peek into her world. Sharing a dinner with Paul and Paul, creators of Sweet Paul Magazine (a longtime personal favorite publication!) was such an unexpected treat, filled with great conversations, idea sharing and of course, a delicious meal. They have some amazing projects up their sleeves and are one dynamic duo, let me tell you! Getting the chance to spend time with Liesl and meet her adorable daughter was wonderful. She took me to the best breakfast spot and then to a few of her favorite shops ~ including ABC Home (gasp!). I think if I could pick a person to wander the streets of New York with, it would be her. She's so stylish in her own right and has quite a knack for noticing the little details of everything that I love too.

Having lunch at the Etsy headquarters was a most special experience. Just visiting the office was a thrill really! You can imagine how creative their space is, but what I loved equally as much is how well they take care of their employees and the company culture they have created. Twice a week they invite local chefs to cook lunch for their employees (yes, the entire company!). They call it Eatsy (I love that!). There are plants growing in felt pouches on the walls, they have knitted wraps around their air ducts, playful telephone booths for phone calls, the CEO's office is in the middle of everything, they're building a tech-free work zone for those who want some quiet time, there are murals everywhere, and most importantly, you can just tell the people who work there are happy and love what they do. At the end of day, what's better than that? A huge thanks to Etsy for having me for lunch. It was awesome all around!

My last stop was a visit to 3rd Ward. Have you heard of it? Well if you haven't I'm here to tell you it's brilliant. It's a multi-disciplinary workspace and education center where you can experiment, practice and polish your craft and creativity. (Tugging at the 'ole heartstrings here!) You can take a gazillion classes in everything from surfboard making to furniture upholstery to perfume blending, all in beautifully designed, functional spaces. They offer an uber cool coworking space and even have a photography studio available for any business needs. The possibilities here are endless and I just might have found my kind of heaven. :)

It was just such a spectacular trip and as much I love living in Boulder and couldn't imagine living anywhere else, I sure do feel alive when I'm in New York City and I can't wait to come back!

etsy global craft party!

Two blog posts in one week ~ we're on a roll! :) We wanted to make sure you knew about the Etsy Global Craft Party happening on Friday, August 24. It's a 'time to get to know your neighbors and come exercise your creative spirit. Craft Parties take place around the world when communities come together to participate in art, craft, design and DIY in every form.' What's not to love about that? Lucky for us Colorado folks, the fantastic Craftsy in Denver will be hosting one in our town. As a bonus, you'll get a sneak peek behind the scenes into the studios where crafting superstars record their segments. Click here for details and RSVP through Meetup here. It's going to be one fabulous crafty night!