Cards above from: Fresh Baked Paper Goods, Sprout Studio, Ugly Baby and La Ru, Christine Haynes, A Truly Enormous Journey, Blu Penny, Vitamini Handmade, Make and Takes, Sienne Josselin
It’s official: Craftcation is the BEST conference I’ve ever attended. It’s rare to find an environment that’s simultaneously welcoming and nurturing, but that’s exactly how I would describe my time in Ventura. I took business classes that were packed full of valuable information, chatted with other bloggers who were honest and insightful, and best of all, met passionate and talented makers.
Taking note from Lisa Congdon’s keynote (which absolutely blew me away!), I decided to challenge myself and take workshops revolving around things I had never done before. Not only do I feel refreshed creatively, but I also feel more confident in my ability to experiment with new mediums. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk and embrace the abyss! Here are a few snippets of what I made:
I discovered a new love for embroidery. It’s something I’ve always avoided because I thought it was too time consuming, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love the free flow nature of it and how forgiving the stitching can be compared to cross-stitching. One of my most peaceful moments of the trip was stitching this number while soaking in the ocean view.
Brittni of Paper & Stitch taught us how to make fresh flower accessories. That’s right, the type of pieces dreams are made of! I’d wear this piece in my hair everyday if I could.
The most intense workshop by far was dress making 101 with Christine Haynes. But by intense I mean amazing. This was my first experience with a sewing machine, and I am proud to say that it won’t be my last. Christine was so sweet and so fun that I instantly fell in love sewing and even started of dreaming of other items I wanted to make. After 6 hours of work (split over two days), I walked away with a lovely tunic that I’ll be wearing non-stop. If you ever get the chance, you absolutely must take one of her classes or make one of her patterns.
Last but not least, Jennifer Lake taught a really fun workshop on how to make terrariums. I am so happy this guy made it back to SF safely because I LOVE it. I have a feeling that this will be just the start of my collection.
I can’t thank Delilah and Nicole enough for putting together such an amazing event. I’m already counting down the days for next year!