All posts tagged: shop feature

favor.

Favor in Berkeley is filled with colorful jewelry, treats, and gift items for all your fun friends! I visited last month during peak Christmas shopping times so they also had a great assortment of ornaments, too. There’s something to look at everywhere you turn. Take your time because there are some hidden gems – like felted mushroom garlands! And kitten zippered pouches and balloon animal ornaments! And appropriately inappropriate bracelets. And tequila necklaces. What a fun visit! The owner even treated us to bon bons and I went home with a mushroom garland. Have you visited Favor? Share your favorite gift shops below!

oh hi.

En route to Craftcation I pit stopped in Ojai for total fangirl moments! This was only my second time ever driving from Northern to Southern California on my own and my first time taking the ‘back freeway’ to Ojai – what an adventure! I almost drove the whole way non-stop, except I saw a vista and stopped for a photo. 🙂 When I finally made it to Ojai, I had three stops on my list (besides gas and a potty break!). First stop: Summer Camp. This store is so fun! I love that it’s filled with wanderlust goods (gimme all the things) and items made locally, I love the mural out back and the cacti that surround the grounds, and I love that this spot used to be a gas station (it still has the structure). Oh, oh, and I love that Ojai pun “oh hi.” I picked up one of their oh hi sweaters, plus a card and a locally made rope basket. Eee! My second stop was the Farmer and the Cook for …

bay quilts.

I recently found out about Bay Quilts and now I’m so excited because they carry so many fun fabric prints and they are close enough to my work that I can go during my lunch break! (Dangerous…) Here’s a quick peek inside. They hold classes upstairs in the workshop space. The ground floor houses fabrics and notions. The walls are decorated with sample projects and artist work. There were pretty, pretty prints everywhere. Spot the fried eggs and pandas! Bay Quilts carries quilting fabrics and on my visit I was in search of fabrics that they don’t carry (because they aren’t appropriate for quilting). But that’s no problem for me. I found everything else I wasn’t looking for…. 😂 I am in love with these fabrics, particularly the scissor print! Does anyone want to sponsor my fabric addiction? 

shop feature: long weekend.

Yay! I’ve had Long Weekend on my list of shops to visit for a while now and when I finally did, yup, you guessed it, I was a total fangirl. Look at all the pretties! The shop owners have curated items from near and far, and they’ve got a dreamy collection of art supplies. Pens, watercolor everything, …gimme all the pretty paper journals!  Eye drool… (Is that a thing?) They have a small art gallery in the back where they feature local artists’ work. On my visit the featured artist was Maria Schoettler. The cutest part of the shop (besides these lil figurines and the shop dog Charlie): they are only open on weekends! Come visit on your next free (long) weekend!

m.lovewell.

Paper goods and plant babies??? Dream store! On a recent work trip I found myself in Orange County so I scouted out some fun places to go frolicking. On my list for this visit: M.Lovewell. I strolled in fresh from the airport, luggage in tow. All the paper things. All the writing things. All the plants. I’ll take one of everything! I spotted some pins from my friend Angel of Design and Happiness. M. Lovewell has a workshop space in the back, too. Lots of calligraphy, macrame, and other pretty crafting happens there. I found a notebook for travel journaling, plus a few pens (of course!). In the area? You gots to visit!

bella vita.

Last weekend I had a Feed the Fish co Valentine’s pop-up at Bella Vita in Oakland. I set up a my 4-foot table with pennants, wall hangings, and flower crowns. And I brought lots of Love Day goodies. I met a few fans and made new crafty friends! Mimi from Hello Shiso was there – she creates the cutest clips! And Alina from Petals Poured Candles – she makes soy candles in so many scents! If you haven’t been to Bella Vita, you need to visit! The owner, Jennifer, curates the most fun items for her shop. Clothing, accessories, lots of gift ideas, and things for the littles…. Lots of local love happening here! Check out the dreamy inspo wall, too! Thank you to Jennifer of Bella Vita for inviting me to spend a Saturday in the shop, to all the supporters of local who braved the cold and the rain to shop small, and to my crafty lady constituency who always comes to see me at my crafty events! Feeling all the love!

knits & knots.

Here’s the yarn store I mentioned in my last post! Knits and Knots is filled with all the things! I’m not a knitter or crocheter, but I do love me some locally dyed yarns for special tassels and weaving work. When I stumble upon a yarn shop while on vacation I always ask where to find the special yarn. Shops usually carry one or two local brands. Here, they carry Storyteller yarn. I’m always inspired by the projects on display. Sometimes I wish I had this kind of craft patience. The shop also carries giftable items ~ cards, DIY kits…. PS And they are located behind Wildwood so you can get a double dose of shopping small! Do pretty yarns make you swoon, too? Share yarn tales below!

shop feature: apricot.

On my last work trip we stopped at a cafe en route to the airport and I stumbled upon a yarn store across the way. 🙌🏼 What a fun stumble! Apricot Yarn & Supply is tucked away in Loma Portal at Liberty Station. They carry lots of colorful yarns in different weights and textures, a handful of reference books, and knitting and crochet accessories. Look, so pretty! I found some Loome goodies, too! I chose three hanks of yarn to take home – I loved the textures and colors. The multicolored one is a locally hand-dyed yarn. Yay! These are going to be so perfect for some weavings I have planned. We didn’t get to see other parts of Liberty Station since we had to head to the airport, but I did get to snack on a cinnamon bun from Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe before heading out. Mmm. Looking forward to coming back to the area some time to explore more! Yarn update: I totes tangled two of the three hanks while trying …

shorthand.

The last shop in my Highland Park shop tour: Shorthand, a stationary lover’s dream! Oh ma gaw, this place is so fun! Stuff is organized by color! A section of pinks, blues, mints, mustards… They have journals with plain, lined, and graph paper; writing accoutrements; desk accessories; … and I saw a sign that said “Ask us about our left-handed notebooks” so I did, and then I bought a couple. 🙂 The shop also carries cards, art prints, paper, and ribbons…perfect things for gift giving! And they make a lot of the goods in-store in the back! (Party in the back!) I appreciate quality made paper goods, and if you do, too, you’ll love it here! I’m so glad I got to visit Shorthand on this trip! Check my Topo and Wild Terra recaps, too, for more Highland Park shopping.

wild terra.

After visiting Topo, I walked over to Wild Terra, which had caught my eye when I was looking for parking. I was drawn to the brightness of the shop – lots of natural light. I didn’t know what would be inside and I had to find out! Turns out, Wild Terra had just opened three weeks before my visit. They sell teas, spices and herbs, and lots of natural beauty and health products, plus art prints and some home goods. Wild Terra holds workshops onsite, too. (Big fan of workshops!) And they sell local honey. (Big fan of local honey, too!) The space is inspiring and the staff are very welcoming. They encouraged me to open up the jars to smell all the aromas. Mmm…I ended up getting some Earl Grey tea – the “Earl Grey Creme” – which was indeed creamy, even without adding any milk. Wishing you lots of good vibes and success, Wild Terra!