Firefly Handmade ~ what can I say but they are fantastic in every way
Fiskateers ~ how lucky we are to be treated to Fiskars products galore Makerie weekend
Hands on Hemp ~ our reusable fruit & veggie holders disguised as our goodie bags
Janome & Sew Vac of Boulder ~ thanks to both of them, every person in our sewing classes will have their very own machine & they'll be for sale at a discount at the end of the Makerie!
Julia Vandenoever ~ we just love her spectacular eye for photography & of course, her sweet smile
Joyfolie ~ thrilled for Jessica's lunch forum about turning craft into a dream business
Launch Grow Joy ~ another lovely, inspiring lunch forum featuring amazing ideas on how to get press for your handmade products
Old Glory Antiques ~ the amazing gift of a full scholarship again this year, outfitting our Cozy Creative Lounge and a gazillion other ways they have supported us!
Whole Foods ~ we've loved bringing creative kids projects to their flagship Boulder store!
Yoga Junction ~ offering two energizing, creative morning yoga classes
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Big love to each and every one of our sweetest sponsors! I just can't them enough for their beautiful belief in the Makerie.
the soup I made from Cannelle et Vanille
*image & copyright by Aran Goyoaga
We held our first Soup Swap for Makerie volunteers and supporters last weekend at Savory Spice Shop ~ the best spice shop around in our opinion. Each person was asked to bring a big pot of their favorite soup, their own bowl & spoon and a smile. We provided fresh bread from Cured (my new local love for bread), drinks & wine (generously donated by Holly), sweet treats (from Aran's blog), jars to fill with soup to take home, and crafty supplies to decorate and label them. I was amazed that everyone brought such a wonderful variety without any pre-planning and we had so much fun walking around the room tasting each one. Not only was it a warm and casual environment, but the people who came brought their kind spirits, an openness that I love and the sweetest desire to be part of the Makerie. I am constantly touched and surprised by how many amazing people want to help and I'm not sure I'll ever get over that. I am forever grateful for this and often don't know how to thank people enough, besides telling them a million and one times over. The Makerie is certainly an evolving event and each and every person involved is helping to shape and define what it is becoming. I have always said that the Makerie is something we're all creating together and I love the community that is forming because of it. To gather together with like-minded souls is a sacred part of what the Makerie means and it is one of the most rewarding parts of this endeavoer. When we have events like the Soup Swap, I'm reminded once again why I'm doing this and how much it not only means to me, but how many people are craving a loving, creative community in their lives too. I've been wanting to create an event just for our incredible volunteers and supporters and I think we found our nitch. In fact, the Soup Swap worked so well that we plan on making this an annual winter event! Special thanks to Laura & Kara for their amazing help in organizing our very first one. We already can't wait for next year!
p.s. Kara put together an awesome soup recipe booklet from the Soup Swap and thought it would be fun to share it with you too!
p.s.s. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us here. We'd of course love to have you!
Every single time I sat down to read and re-read our scholarship applications, I cried. There were nominations from mothers, husbands, best friends, sisters and amazing people who beautifully nominated themsleves. Each incredible story made this choice impossible really, as every single person is SO deserving of a creative weekend away. I wish we could give everyone a scholarship and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Reading the words about what attending the Makerie would do for peoples' lives gave me chills ~ the kind that turn into goosebumps and stay for awhile.
To those who submitted applications, if I were to meet you in person I'd give you each a giant hug to thank you for sharing your heart-warming stories with us about the heroes in your lives. They are all extremely lucky to have you, recognizing and honoring what they give to others and this world. What a gift that is in and of itself.
With all that said, it's now time to celebrate the winner of our 2012 Makerie Scholarship!
We are THRILLED to announce
** Karisa Cerullo **
as this year's scholarship recipient!
Karisa's story is one full of heart, courageous spirit and a genuine, deep love for creativity ~ much of what the Makerie is all about. A huge, heartfelt congratulations to Karisa and enormous love and gratitude to Old Glory Antiques and Prince Street Dry Goods for making this scholarship possible! We're honored to have Karisa as a participant at the 2012 event and now a very special part of our Makerie family. What an exciting day!
We are absolutely elated to announce our second Makerie Scholarship! Old Glory Antiques and their adorable new boutique Prince Street Dry Goods will be generously offering one full Makerie package (excluding travel costs) for the 2012 event. Starting on January 2nd, we are inviting nominations for a very special someone who would embrace the spirit of the Makerie. Do you know someone who is deserving of a creative weekend away, but maybe is unable to make the financial commitment at this time? The eligibility requirements to enter are simple for each nomination:
:: write us a letter under 500 words via email to play@themakerie.com telling us why this person would be a beautiful fit for the scholarship and what attending the Makerie would mean to them. And YES, feel free to nominate yourself! Be sure to include your contact information. Please know that all entries will be kept confidential.
:: financial need (we will work off the honor system here!)
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Scholarship Application Process
Mon, Jan 2 Email your nomination to play@themakerie.com (please use 'makerie scholarship' in the subject line)
Mon, Jan 16LAST DAY for nominations!
Weds, Feb 1 Scholarship winner notified! Yippee!!
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Awarding a Makerie scholarship means the world to us and one of my personally most cherished parts of our event. I just can’t thank Old Glory Antiques and Prince Street Dry Goods enough for their incredibly kind generosity in making this all possible.
We would be grateful if you could pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested in applying!
I am really (REALLY!) honored to share with you that the abundantly inspiring Amy Krouse Rosenthal is going to be part of the inaugural Makerie (and a big wonderful thank you to Old Glory Antiques for their help in supporting this!). Several years ago, I watched the Beckoning of Lovely for the very first time. It warmed my heart to no end, and yes, even brought tears to my eyes. I loved Amy's vision so much ~ her inclusiveness ~ her incredibly kind spirit ~ and the thoughtfulness that went into this entire project. It spoke so beautifully to the everyday person and left me thinking... why can't our world be just like the Beckoning of Lovely? Is it so difficult to be kind to each other? Does it really take that much to go out of your way to make someone's day? Why can't we make do with what we already have? Although this video featured the community that gathered in Millennium Park, it spoke volumes to me about our entire universe and the power we all have to simply make it a better place.
I have watched the Beckoning of Lovely countless times, shared it with everyone I know, and even almost sent in some 'things I made' for the chance to be part of the film.
This is what happened on 9/9/09...
and latest evolution of the film on 10/10/10....
Every lovely message in Amy's films leaves quite an impression on me, and always has me asking myself, "How can I be a better participant in our world?" To be frankly honest, when I began envisioning the Makerie, I had this tiny wish of her somehow being a part of it. I had no idea how, but our visions seemed so aligned with how I pictured the Makerie ~ celebrating the everyday person, inspiring people to be the best they can be and the ultimate takeaway...
"make the most of your time here"
Amy is a person who likes to make things.
Some things she likes to make:
Children's books.
Grown-up books.
Short films. TED Talks.
Salads.
Connections with the universe.
Something out of nothing.
Wishes.
And one more thing to add is that she will be making the coolest, live Skype presentation around just for us! In keeping with the messages in the Beckoning of Lovely, her talk will be called:
MAKE SOMETHING PRETTY
MAKE DUE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
THE MAKERIE 2011
I just couldn't think of a better person to help kick-off the Makerie than Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I am humbled, honored & seriously still pinching myself that this little dream I had has actually come true. I just know you will treasure everything she has to share.
Thank you Amy, from the bottom of my heart, for truly believing in what we are creating here and for your thoughtful, innovative idea of how to be part of our inaugural event. It means more to me than you will ever know!
P.S. Amy is leading the most incredible PUBLIC heART project at TEDActive this week. You must go & see!
We are SO proud and excited to announce the (very first ever)
2011 Makerie scholarship winner!
***********
Sara Guiffre
***********
Sara's third party nomination spoke so clearly about her incredible generous spirit, and how she has dedicated her personal life to serving others less fortunate. She has endured much more than the average person and her love for creativity has helped her persevere. In just one conversation with Sara, her genuineness and positive attitude simply shined. The quote at the bottom of her emails epitomizes what she is all about:
"Just make yourself lovely, there is nothing you can do about the storm."
What a beautiful way to approach life! A most heartfelt congratulations to Sara. We are so happy to have you at the Makerie this year and can't wait to meet you in person!
Thank you so much to every single person who applied for the scholarship and for sharing your heart-warming stories. I am already trying to think of ways to add more scholarships for next year! Here's to Old Glory Antiques & Common Threads for making the scholarship possible this year. Your support means the world.
We wanted to introduce our newest, sweetest supporter ~ Old Glory Antiques - urban home and design for Denver. Holly's boutique is always warm and inviting, where you will find a fresh mix of old and new combined in unexpected ways. I am just thrilled that Holly and I have the chance to collaborate together, as she is filled with such fabulous ideas and we have some pretty fun things up our sleeves! I really loved reading about how she started her creative journey, and you could too right here.
If you like cupcakes (or your loved ones do!) and love a sweet sale, then do come by Old Glory Antiques on Saturday, February 12 from 2 -4 pm. We will have DIY cupcake decorating and everything in the store will be 15% off. How lucky are we that it just happens to be customer appreciation weekend too!
We are incredibly grateful for Holly's generous sponsorship of the Makerie, including supporting our very first scholarship, and can't thank her enough for her sincere belief in this whole idea. SO happy to have Old Glory Antiques on board! Yippee!!
We are elated to announce the very first ever Makerie Scholarship! Old Glory Antiques and Common Threads are generously teaming up to offer one full Makerie package (excluding any travel costs) for the 2011 event. For the next two weeks, we are inviting nominations for a very special someone who would embrace the spirit of the Makerie! Do you know someone who is deserving of a creative weekend away, but maybe is unable to make the financial commitment at this time? The eligibility requirements to enter are simple (read none!), as we will work off the honor system here! All we ask is that you write us a letter via email detailing why this person would be a beautiful fit for the scholarship and what attending the Makerie would mean to them. (And YES, feel free to nominate yourself!) Please know that all entries will be kept confidential, and be sure to include your contact information.
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Scholarship Application Process:
Thurs, Jan 27 Email all nominations to ali@themakerie.com (please use 'makerie scholarship' in the subject line)
Thurs, Feb 10 LAST DAY for nominations!
Mon, Feb 14 Scholarship winner notified! Yippee!!
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We would be grateful if you could pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested in applying!
A HUGE heartfelt thanks to Old Glory Antiques and Common Threads for making this all possible.
