get to know the amazing alex

Alessandra Cave is not only an incredible photographer, but approaches her work with an open heart and keen eye for composition. In addition to her long list of accomplishments, Alex is about to add author to her name with her first book due out later in the year. (We can't wait!) We have had the privilege of having Alex teach at two of our Makerie weekend retreats and are thrilled to welcome her back to Colorado for a magical day on the farm for our last summer event of the season! Her Home Sweet Home workshop will guide students in capturing a visual narrative of what life at home means to each person and capturing the beauty of the everyday, a gift that will last far beyond the class itself.

Get to know the beautiful Alex below!

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SARK is at the top of my inspiration library. When I first read Sark back in 2000 or so, my heart was split open. Meeting her later in 2003 was life changing. She is one of those people that walks around with a sparkly wand, touching people in a magical way.

A summer hike you love. 

Tennessee Valley near Mill Valley. It's a gorgeous walk with winding trails that overlook meadows and mountains, and it replete with wildflowers, frogs, lizards and pretty smells like eucalyptus and sage. It has sweeping views, a lagoon, and it ends at the ocean!

A favorite summer vegetable. 

Arugula & Avocado (I love them all year round, but especially in the summer!)

Favorite food hangout in town. 

San Francisco has so many good spots to eat and it is impssible to pick just one favorite place. But I'm really loving Off the Grid, which is a weekly event where lots of the amazing food trucks in town gather in one place for the evening. It's always a fun, relaxed way to feast outdoors. 

Water play scream summer.

A risk you’re glad you took.

All of them. I'm all about 'healthy' risk taking. Sometimes it takes time for a risk to shape into something good, but the journey makes us come out the other way feeling stronger.

A favorite gift you’ve received.

As vain as it sounds... My iPad. I just love that little thing! :)

What you love most about what you do.

It is the fact that I "love" what I do.

The most challenging or difficult part about what you do.

The challenge is that I can never turn it off, because I love it so much, I am always thinking, plotting, planning and living it.

The lesson I keep learning.

To let go.

Favorite go to outfit.

Sweater, jeans and boots.

Daily practice.

Patience. Kindness. Self-love.

Any tricks for finding life balance?

I think balance is a myth. But I do believe in becoming more aware of what feels good and making more room for it. I'm always so amazed at how wrapped up I can get with things that do not matter to me at all nor make me happy. So my goal is to always stay connected to what I'm inviting in and make more room for what feels right and joyful.

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Thank you Alex! 

meet the magnificent kristin

Where do I begin to tell you about Kristin FitzGerrell? Do I start with her unending creative way of thinking, or tell you about the magnificent art she creates for her Studio 22, or the fact that she was the very first person I shared my Makerie idea with and has been a most valuable sounding board ever since? Well I could share a million more things I love about her, but also wanted you to get to know this creative superstar who will be teaching our fabulous Color & Collage workshop in a few weeks. Trust me, you will not only come away from this class with a modern, useful pantry chalkboard, but take home abundant inspiration for dozens of other projects too. It's a very special honor to have Kristin teaching for us, as she was truly one of the main reasons I found the courage to begin with to give this whole Makerie idea a try.

Meet the magfinicent Kristin below!

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The Life of a Bowerbird, Sibella Court is at the top of my inspiration library.  

A summer hike you love. 

Mary White Trail north of Boulder, with my youngest Emma, my favorite hiking buddy in the whole world.

A favorite summer vegetable. 

Japanese Eggplant 

Favorite food hangout in town. 

Pizzeria Locale (happy hour!)

Jammie days with NO plans scream summer.

A risk you’re glad you took.

Saying 'I am an artist.'

A favorite gift you’ve received.

An old truck from my sweet husband.

What you love most about what you do.

It allows me to be 100% me.

The most challenging or difficult part about what you do.

The vision on an artwork and the piece itself don't always match up. Being ok with that moment is often times tough.

The lesson I keep learning.

Less is really more.

Daily practice

Gratitude. 

Any tricks for finding life balance?

Slowing down for the parts that matter and skipping a few of the parts that don't.

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Thank you so much sweet Kristin! 

the makerie story by creativebug

The Makerie from Creativebug on Vimeo.

This deserved its own post. Thank you SO much Creativebug for sharing the heart of what the Makerie is about.

a brand new beautiful partnership!

Today we are thrilled and honored to announce a brand new partnership with Creativebug. We now have an official 'Makerie Channel' to bring you a taste of the Makerie experience all year long, featuring online classes by four of our outstanding teachers ~ Cal Patch, Elke Bergeron, Molly Hatch and Tamar Mogendorff.

The very first moment I layed eyes on what Creativebug was doing I knew they were up to everything good. I was immediately attracted to the professionalism and aesthetic of what they had built, and also equally loved the care and thoughtfulness that went into sharing each of the teacher's stories and the personal experience that created. Have you seen their outstanding roster of teachers and the wonderful variety of workshop offerings, including kids? It is second to none!

When we began discussing a partnership, it seemed like such a wonderful fit to work with the Creativebug team to bring the Makerie experience online, which included sharing our story too. Being quite shy at heart, the scariest part of it all was having to be in front the camera and try to describe all the Makerie meant to me. Coming from a girl who can barely breathe when faced with public speaking of any kind, you can imagine how difficult this was for me, but the talented Creativebug team made me feel really comfortable and it was actually fun! (no, I never thought I'd say that!) I am truly excited about the trailer they made and how they managed to capture the essence and heart of what the Makerie is all about.

So here we go! An enormous thank you to the Creativebug team for all their hard work and to our magnificent teachers who did double duty Makerie weekend to bring you their awesome online workshops. We hope you enjoy them in your own cozy homes and do tell us what you think! We'd love to hear.

Happy Weekend!

xo

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! ;)

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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

meet the marvelous mia ~ owner of two hands paperie

Mia Semingson is a creative dynamo ~ every way you look at it. Not only does she own the best paper boutique in town ~ Two Hands Paperie ~ but she's an extremely talented artist too who also happens to teach incredible workshops at the likes of the esteemed Anderson Ranch. It has been so much fun getting to know Mia and her awesome team over the past year, working together on our Makerie weekend retreat and events surrounding it. We have been truly touched by her generous support and the countless volunteer hours she gives to the Makerie and we are more than thrilled to have her teaching a pretty spectacular Pajaki Paper Chandelier workshop for our July Summer Series event. You can create endless, beautiful paper lantern designs that would clearly brighten any space ~ just ask Design Sponge!

The marvelous Mia took some time to answer a few of our fun questions so you had the chance to get to know how fabulous she was too. 

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All of Sophie Calle’s photo projects are at the top of my inspiration library.  

A favorite summer vegetable. 

Anything from my garden! Especially fresh tomatoes and basil.

Favorite food hangout in town. 

Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place... Locally owned by three sisters, amazing food and fun atmosphere. They also cater to many different dietary needs.

Making ice cream in our backyard with our old fashioned ice cream maker screams summer.

A risk you’re glad you took.

Buying Two Hands Paperie three years ago. It has been an amazing adventure.

A favorite gift you’ve received.

My eight year old wrapped up a Christmas gift all by himself this past holiday season and it included a handwritten card with a drawing of our family and a piece of chocolate from his Halloween loot.  A gift from the heart!

What you love most about what you do.

There is never a dull moment. I get to meet so many wonderful creative people in our shop. I am constantly being inspired by our customers.

The lesson I keep learning.

To confront issues head and not put it off.

Daily practice

I write one or two sentences in a five-year journal about my son.  I love to read my entries every once in awhile and I look forward to passing it on to him when he is older. 

Any tricks for finding life balance?

Take time of for yourself. Spend time alone doing the things you love.

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Thank you so much Mia! 

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!