Showing posts with label byelke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label byelke. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

a super special sunday!

image by Teryn Wilkes

It was another fabulous day on the farm for our second Makerie Summer Series event presented by Whole Foods Market Boulder! The workshops were fantastic and the meals, once again, were filled with local, organic farm fresh produce and a whole lot of love. Beautiful boxed lunches by Eat Private Chef & Catering, served out of a vintage truck, were eaten on cozy, quilted picnic blankets under shaded trees while listening to the inspiring story about how Justins Nut Butter came to be. As the last workshops were finishing up, Whole Foods Wine and Spirits was ready with generous samples of delicious mixed drinks for the creative cocktail hour, served in cute jars for everyone to keep and later redeem for a free bulk item at the Pearl Street location. (so fun!) Meanwhile, hot pizzas topped with the freshest ingredients (roasted beets & arugula was a personal favorite of mine) were coming out of Dawn's gorgeous wood fired copper oven for appetizers, alongside a bit of rain but who said an afternoon rain shower would stop us? After the rain had passed, the skies opened up and made way for a truly gorgeous night to sit outside under the stars, pajaki's hanging overhead and sharing an incredible farm dinner among new friends and old. 

How lucky I feel to have the opportunity to work with so many people I admire and am inspired by. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the people and organizations below for making this experience such a wonderful one for all! 

To:

*each and every participant who came to play and for being pioneers with us on this brand new concept. What a wonderful community you made! 

*Emily of Tea with Lola for her creativity, calmness, adventurous spirit and for always just 'getting it.' I never knew working with someone could be this much fun! What a gift she has become to the Makerie!

*Whole Foods for being such a believer in creativity and for making so many incredible things possible with their generosity and amazing support. 

*Betsy and Mike ~ owners of The Lyons Farmette ~ for opening up their home and farm to us and for being such a magical venue.

*Eat Private Chef and Catering Co. and team, Crust. Rustic Wood Fired Pizza and Whole Foods for the outstanding meals

*our terrific teacher team who taught the most magnificent workshops ~ Allison, Elke, Mia, Shanti and Shannon.  

*Spoonflower for printing our adorable tea towel gifts, Dawn for providing the recipe and Studio Meez for designing them.

*Lauren of Justins Nut Butter for being our lunchtime inspirational speaker and sharing their story. It goes to show that creativity is everywhere, especially in hearing about the way those beloved squeeze packets were born. Even though Justins is my favorite nut butter already, I feel a closer connection to this awesome company and can't wait to keep adding their nut butters to our pantry. 

*Teryn & Cain for recording the day in such a beautiful way!

*Alyssa from Whimseybox for the great recap of the event. You were faster than me! ;)

..............................

What I know and am reminded of every time we do an event is how much people need creative time away from their busy lives. I can see it in all of the smiling faces and it makes my heart sing. It is such an honor to create such a space for people and we can't wait to do this again in August ~ the last of our Makerie Summer Series events. We hope to see you on the farm in just a few weeks time!

~xo

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

say hello to the adorable elke!


We are immensely delighted that one of our incredible past participants (for two years in a row), Elke Bergeron, will be joining Makerie weekend as a teacher this year! Elke comes to us right from our own backyard of Boulder, but has spent 10 years working as a designer in the fashion industry in New York City. All of her designs are handmade, modern and fabulous and very much reflect her beautiful creative spirit. We love that she says, "the best part about what I do is that I get to play all day creating things and there is no one telling me what ‘direction’ I should be going in. Every found object takes on a new life and you never know where it will lead you." This year, Elke will be teaching students how to make Modern Leather Accessories with everyday materials and we can assure you that participants will leave her workshops with some incredible pieces of their own!

Get to know the adorable Elke below.


...........................................................................

What is your favorite food obsession right now?
The whole "chocolate, caramel & salt" combination is incredibly tempting & I generally cave in.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
An artist. I don't think I actually thought what kind as long as I could make art.

What's for breakfast?
Kashi with lots of fruit & a nice spoonful of Noosa yogurt on top with a hot cup of coffee.

A wish that came true.
Being asked to be a teacher at the Makerie! When I went to the first Makerie I thought, "Now THIS would be a great job!"

A favorite gift you received.
An old rusty, beautiful, antique metal bucket that says "Slickery Axel Grease." It is truly unique & it's my favorite color!

A condiment you love.
Does truffle salt count? 

What you love most about what you do.
I like being my own boss. I get to change my mind about product without anyone telling me I'm going in the "wrong" direction. I truly get to make what I love. I also can't imagine not making things by hand. It is so satisfying to see the progress and differences when something is made individually one at a time.

The most challenging or difficult thing about what you do.
When you make something by hand, there are so many details. Even in something that may look so simple. Sometimes I have a hard time when I get to the end of a project and I still have to put on the labels or something. I also have a REALLY hard time with repetition and making the same thing over and over in the same fabric. That is probably why I specialize in "One of a Kind" & rarely make more than two in any given fabric/style.

______ is at the top of my inspiration library.
Vintage stores!

Any tricks for finding life balance?
Flexibility. Each day for me can be a different schedule so I sort it out in the beginning of the week and plan goals that need to be done by the end of the week. I try to work as much as I can when the kids are in school and be available to my family in the afternoons. If I keep that in mind I actually get quite a bit done without feeling that I'm sacrificing any one thing to much. I also find about an hour, early every morning to hike with the dog. That sets the right tone for the rest of the day.

Any trade secrets/words of wisdom you'd like to divulge?
Surround yourself with encouraging, positive friends & partners. Life is too short for pessimism. Anything is possible.

...........................................................................

Thanks Elke!