where to start?

image by Linda Winski

Gosh ~ where do I start?!? I'm often left without words after an amazing experience and I'm finding myself, once again, somewhat speechless. I'm still absorbing the abundant goodness that happened at this year's Makerie and frankly still pinching myself that it all was real. When you dream up something in your mind and then realize you're actually living it, it feels like a once in a lifetime moment you want to hold onto forever. (I think I will!) They came from far and wide ~ 18 states and three countries ~ and brought their open minds, kind hearts and a willingness to play. Each person not only gave them self the precious gift of time, something that is often difficult to carve out of our everyday lives, but also gave themselves permission to feed their creative spirit.

I feel like I could write a novel filled with gratitude to everyone who helped make our Makerie weekend such a special experience. I hope they all know how immensely grateful I am for their love and support and felt the need to mention them one more time. Here goes!

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My remarkable family ~ My husband Chris for his constant support and belief in my dreams (not to mention impeccable efficiency and organization ~ oh my!). My wee ones Owen and Mia for making my love for creativity stronger every single day. You should have seen their faces light up when I gave them a tour of the classes! I loved that so much. To Jim and Joyce, my sweet in-laws for coming into town to be with my babes. My mother-in-law even took a letterpress class and I've never seen her so proud of something she had made. Aunt Sue (from Bali!) for her errand running and being the pinch hitter all weekend. And my mom ~ oh my precious mom ~ for truly being in this together with me in every single way. She did more than you will ever know behind the scenes and her photographs of the weekend are gorgeous. Wait 'til you see! 

Terrific Teachers ~ Aran, Alex, Allison, Flora, Jenny, Liesl & Marisa ~ worked extremely hard to provide everyone with fabulous workshops and loads of inspiration. It was an awesome team and I feel so honored they believed in this little event of ours enough to want to be a part of it. I'm quite humbled to now consider us all dear friends.

Volunteers ~ Well if I could stand on a rooftop and shout 'thank you's' all week long, I would! I just can't get over the outpouring of support we had this year. The Makerie certainly wouldn't have been what it was with out the help of SO many sweet souls. Laura Kuhn, Kara Lundquist & Emily Clark were absolutely a dream to work with and the countless other volunteers who assisted teachers, baked Aran's cookies & Lillabee brownies, ran things from place to place, wrote signs, unpacked boxes, packed boxes, tidied up... oh I could go on forever... But what I cherished the most about our volunteers is that they made everyone feel loved and at the end of the day, I'm most grateful for that! 

Photography & video crew ~ I couldn't imagine a better way to capture the weekend with a more dedicated, talented team. Teryn Wilkes, Julia Vandenoever, Kevin Von Qualen & of course, my amazing mom Linda Winski came away with stunning images from every aspect of the Makerie. I feel so lucky that we now have this wonderful weekend documented in the most beautiful way. Did you all see the iPad slideshow we had at our booth at the Firefly Handmade Makerie Market? It was stunning and a huge thanks to Teryn for putting it together in lighting fast time! 

Super Supporters ~ Old Glory Antiques, Firefly Handmade, Fancy Tiger, Janome & Sew Vac, Fiskateers, Yoga Junction, Julia Vandenoever Photography, Launch Grow Joy, Joyfolie and Blue Heron Arts for their tremendous contributions to the Makerie. 

Yummy Meals ~ Comida, with their bright pink truck, was a wonderful way to kick off the weekend serving fresh, local and totally delicious Mexcian food. Eat Private Chef & Catering Co. who not only provided the most adorable boxed lunches we've ever seen, but gave us a true experience discovering and unwrapping each sweet surprise. And how delectable were our delightful Dish Gourmet lunches? Little did you know they ran to their shop and back lickity split for a special meal request we had mistakingly forgotten! Such awesome customer service! We loved our family style meals at the Chautauqua Dining Hall and the chef even served some dishes inspired by Aran (ahem... the arugula/fennel salad!). MM Local provided some fantastic local treats, while fresh coffee and chai from Vic's and warm muffins and scones from Whole Foods on Sunday morning felt like the perfect way to end the weekend. It was such a delight working with local companies we love, that's for sure! And while we're on the topic of food, someone even suggested putting together a Makerie cookbook. Wouldn't that be fun?

Our Cozy Creative Lounge ~ It was a huge hit all around. I'm so excited we now have the most inspiring Makerie library to share with everyone year after year! 

Colorado Chautauqua ~ How lucky we are to host this event in a most magical, peaceful and beautiful place. 

Our participants ~ Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a leap of faith to come. I adored meeting every single person. Always remember how uniquely creative you are and the abundant gifts you have to share with the world!

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The energy over the weekend was contagious ~ full of possibilities, connection, community and love. Making creativity a priority does that, I'm more and more convinced. So here's to you, here's to creativity and to another magical Makerie.

THANK YOU!

Much Love,
Ali

the sweetest supporters

I am grateful beyond words to the following people and organizations who are making this year's Makerie such a special one!

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Blue Heron Healing Arts ~ leading our very first mindful meal

Fancy Tiger ~  coolest pop up shop in Boulder

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 makerie crafternoon

gorgeous image by Teryn Wilkes

What a fabulous, fun day we had getting ready for the Makerie a few weeks ago! Over 25 people came by to help with the various prep projects for the big weekend. I'm still overwhelmed by the outpouring of time, generosity and love for this little event of ours. Will I ever get over that? I'm not sure I will. 


Another big, beautiful thank you to the following sweet souls:

Alli

Allison

Ayan

Becca

Beth K.
Beth S.
Chris

Elke

Holland

Holly

Jessica

Julie

Kara

Kate S.
Kate W.

Kim

Laura

Lisa

Liza

Luna

Mandy

Mariah

Nikki

Sara

Teryn

Toniann

Love to you all! 

our cozy creative lounge!

This year at the Makerie, for the very first time, we'll be hosting a Cozy Creative Lounge where people can gather at night, relax, read fabulous books and magazines to get inspired, and enjoy some freshly baked treats. We'll be making some of Aran's cookies, popping popcorn with special toppings from Savory Spice Shop, and baking some delicious brownies from Lillabee, a local love. We reached out to some of our favorite publishing houses across the country and local businesses to see if they wanted to participate and got quite an amazing response. A huge, heartfelt thank you to each and every one of them for helping us create our cozy inspired environment and for making our Creative Lounge debut one filled with fun, wonderful reads and adorable accents. Please see below for details on the incredible participating companies and local boutiques. We heart them all!

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Interweave is a wonderful company based in Loveland, Colorado that publishes great books and magazines focused on handmade crafting and art. They have generously sent a handful of their jewelry-making magazines. 

Check out Interweave on Facebook and Twitter, and browse through the Interweave Communities too. Their YouTube channel is filled with how-to videos and interviews ~ a great resource!

Modern in Denver is a beautiful design and lifestyle magazine featuring everything modern in Denver, Boulder and the Rocky Mountains. We're excited to share copies of multiple issues! They've been really supportive of what we're doing and we were honored to be interviewed on their blog last month. 

Find Modern in Denver on Facebook and Twitter.

Future Publishing has an awesome team of editorial crafters and publish a plethora of fantastic arts and crafting magazines. Mollie Makes, one of our favorite new magazines out of the UK, falls under their umbrella and we were just thrilled to be featured in the January issue.

Follow Future Publishing on Twitter and check out Mollie Makes on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and their marvelous blog.

Pure Green Magazine, a lifestyle and design publication, celebrates handmade culture & green living, just what we believe in too! We can't wait to take a peek at the current issues they are sending our way. 

Find Pure Green Magazine on Facebook, Twitter and via their beautiful blog.

Quarry Books provides high-end, beautifully designed, visual inspiration and reference books on art, crafts, food, pet care, and lifestyle topics for aspiring artists, artisan hobbyists, food enthusiasts, DIYers, and makers. They are providing a wonderful variety of their inspiring books for our lounge that we can't wait to explore. We love that they published books by two of our teachers ~ Jenny Doh's Creative Pilgrimage and Flora's Brave Intuitive Painting ~ which they will be autographing at the Firefly Handmade Makerie Market. How fun and special that will be! 

Find Quarry on Facebook and Twitter.

Quayside Publishing Group represents a dynamic group of imprints dedicated to providing quality print- and E-Books to its readers. Formed in 2004 upon Rockport Publishers’ acquisition of Creative Publishing international, the Quayside Publishing Group now encompasses Cool Springs Press, Creative Publishing international, Fair Winds Press, Motorbooks, MVP Books, Quarry Books, Quayside Distribution Services, Quiver, Race Point Publishing, Rockport Publishers, Voyageur Press, Zenith Press and Walter Foster Publishing. Visit their online bookstore here.

Visit Quayside on Facebook and Twitter.

Craftside, the wonderful blog for the behind-the-scenes peek at Quarry's crafty world, is certainly one to follow, and you can find them on Facebook and Twitter too.

Recipe For Press is a DIY guide to being your own publicist. The ideas presented in this book are quite valuable for anyone looking for ways to get more press for their products, and shared in a simple way that is easy to follow. We're excited to include a copy in our lounge and have a feeling you'll love it too.  As a side note, have you seen Amy's absolutely incredible Paper-Cut Project? You must see for yourself. 

Visit them via Facebook, Twitter and their blog. 

Roost Books is such a thoughtful company ~ all about finding inspiration and creativity in community and the natural world ~ a perfect fit for the Makerie and certainly at the heart of what we're about. They have been incredibly kind to work with and we are grateful to be able to share a wonderful array of their beautiful books. Have you seen the fantastic free projects on their web site? 

Find Roost on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Stampington & Company publishes over thirty beautiful and inspiring magazines about crafting and art. You are in for a treat, as they are sending copies of Mingle, one of their newest magazines for us to share.

Find Stampington on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and take a look at their YouTube channel as well. 

STC Craft has been been a generous contributor to our lounge, not to mention really wonderful to work with. They publish excellent crafting and creative books, including Liesl's ~ Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. Do check out their Spring 2012 catalog and find them on the web below.

Follow STC Craft on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Where Women Create features the creative spaces of inspiring women to nourish one's spirit and is filled to the brim with ideas. Some of the latest issues will such a wonderful addition to our lounge. 

Keep up with latest on Where Women Create through Facebook, Twitter and their blog,

We're also pleased to share copies of Where Women Cook, that will take you into the heart of every home ~ the kitchen! Amazing women are featured is each issue and we're thrilled for you to see for yourself. 

Find them on Facebook, Twitter and through their blog,

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Lillabee is a Boulder-based company with a great mission: to make food allergy-friendly & delicious baking mixes. They have been so kind to share their brownie mixes with us, which we will be baking fresh at our Cozy Lounge. Yummy and healthy are a perfect match in our book! 

Find the lovely Lillabee on Facebook, Twitter and via their blog.

Old Glory Antiques is a beautiful antiques and home decor store in Denver. They have been the best supporter of the Makerie in countless ways (including supporting our scholarship the last two years!) and continue to do so by outfitting our lounge with some cozy furniture and adorable accents to help us create a beautiful and comfy space. If you fall in love with some of their pieces, there may even be an opportunity to take them home! And don't forget to save the date for the Old Glory Antiques Fair coming in June ~ it's very best one in our state.

Find Old Glory on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to visit their delightful blog too. 

Wild Yarns is a sweet new Denver yarn boutique. They wanted to be part of our event and presented quite a lovely idea that we thought would be a perfect fit for the Cozy Creative Lounge. They will be setting up a DIY coffee cozy-making station, with pre-made felted cozies for participants to embellish and adorn. It will certainly be a fun, reusable take-away from Makerie weekend. What a generous gift of time and love from Wild Yarns!

Find them on Facebook and Twitter, and go visit their beautiful store in the Highlands in Denver.

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Thank you so much again to each of these generous companies and boutiques. We are truly grateful for their contributions and for embracing our Cozy Creative Lounge idea. We will most definitely see you there!  

an unsung hero

I wanted to take a break in the action to recognize someone that often goes uncelebrated ~ my husband Chris. He truly makes the Makerie possible for so many reasons:

~ He works very hard in an extremely busy job to support our family
~ He always has & continues to encourage me to follow my dreams
~ He has supported this whole idea from the very beginning, even when times were tough
~ He takes care of our little ones when I'm working late & often does bedtime all by himself (which is often this time of year!)
~ During this intense planning period, he never complains about my lack of making meals, but instead often makes dinner for me
~ He has to listen to me hem & haw over Makerie decisions ~ over & over again
~ He gets the play by play & always has his practical advice handy
~ His calmness is a saving grace during the stressful stuff that comes along with planning an event of this size
~ He even folds laundry ~ multiple loads at a time!
~ He is the most efficient man I know
~ He even organizes me (along with the kids' rooms, their toys & he even organized my grandma's sewing box once ~ not even kidding)
~ Did you know that when I came home from last year's Makerie, he had not only unpacked the car but had put every single thing away. Can you imagine coming home exhausted to find a totally organized & clean house? What an unexpected gift that was.

I just wanted to thank my husband for all of this and oh so much more behind the scenes that is hard to explain. He is the most positive person I know, does things in such a quiet way and never expects anything. It truly takes a village to put together the Makerie and I would never be able to do it without his constant love and support. I am a quite a lucky lady.

adoring mollie makes

Mollie Makes ~ living and loving handmade ~ has truly taken the crafting publication world by storm. This UK magazine is just full of lovely projects with an equally beautiful aesthetic. They were so kind to feature us in Issue #9 and we were quite thrilled to be included in such an incredible international publication. For those of you coming to the Makerie, I'm excited to share that they are very generously providing each of you with your own copy. Wait 'til you see it! We have a feeling you just might fall in love. And if that weren't enough, their U.S. distributor is also contributing some 'stitch kits' to the goodie bag and our Cozy Creative Lounge. It will be such a fun, interactive addition! For year-round Mollie Makes goodness, take a peek right here and here for print and digital subscription information. We adore Mollie Makes!

amazing alex

Alessandra Cave is just full of inspiration ~ every which way you turn. In addition to her genuine loving ways, she brings a wealth of experience from her career in the film industry, her adventurous travels and huge heart into her photography. She beautifully describes how her style reflects what she loves most in life ~ 'people, color, beauty, romance, bohmeian flair and a feeling of wanderlust, all wrapped in a soft light and sunshine glow.' It's not hard to see that she's over the moon in love with capturing images and we are just thrilled to have her back teaching two workshops this year ~ Your Life in Pictures & Shoot Your Craft. I adore our in-person conversations and of the many things I love about Alex, one of my very favorites is how she follows her heart and inspires others to do the same. 


Get to know the sweet, sweet Alex below!

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The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
I snuggle with my daughter and husband for a few minutes (or a few too many) in bed. I admit that I usually fuss a bit and have a hard time getting up, but once I'm up and with a hot beverage in hand, things begin to flow fast. In fact, mornings turn out to be my most productive time of the day after all.

A fun tidbit people would never know about you?
I studied and danced classical ballet for some 10+ years. Dance was my very first love.

Some favorite ways to relax?
I really love having some alone time to read, daydream, take walks in nature, journal and just wander on my own. Other than that, I really relax the most when I am back in my home country, Brazil. There is something about the laid back culture of just hanging out on the beach all day, chatting with your friends until your jaw locks from laughing so much, dancing forro (a typical dance), listening to bossa nova all night, swimming in warm waters, hiking in a tropical jungle, and eating lots of fresh juicy fruits, that does it for me every single time. Oh and the sunshine! I definitely need to be in warm sunshine to recharge!

What's for dinner?
For today I was thinking salmon, couscous and roasted veggies.

The best advice you’ve received?
Follow your heart. It's a staple, but still, our own head and general outside influence can truly slow things down.

What are you most excited about lately?
Right now I'm really excited about finding my way back to myself again. I have been jotting down several ideas since my daughter was born, and now I'm getting close to bringing some of those to life, such as my first e-course "shoot your craft" and a few book proposals.

A favorite spot you’ve traveled to?
So hard to pick one place only, but I must say that I have magical memories of Thailand back in the day, and especially of a little bay called Hat Tham Phra Nang. That little tiny place is how I'd always envisioned paradise would be like.

What makes you laugh?
My Brazilian friends and their very unique way of joking around and making fun of their own stories. And my daughter, of course, but I would say that with her is more giggling than laughing :)

Your favorite way to make someone smile?
Offer unexpected kindness.

What, in your mind, is a recipe for disaster?
Lack of sleep! No doubt.

Any tricks for finding life balance?
These days I'm trying to stay detached from the idea of balance and focusing more on trying to meet every moment with a bit more gentleness.

If the world ended tomorrow, what would upset you most about the person you didn’t get to become?
I don't think that I could be really upset, because I love the life I've created for myself this far, and I also have the comfort of knowing that I am always trying to move in the direction of my dreams regardless of the end result. I've always thought more in terms of "the journey is the destination" for my life goals anyway. On the other hand, what would make me really sad is if I did not get to see my daughter grow up to be the amazing woman I know she will be. I long for deep long conversations with her...

See! Isn't she amazing? Thank you Alex.