All posts tagged: shop local

beadazzled.

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Short story: I found a bead store and bought a bunch of beads. I hope Bebe doesn’t eat them. Owned and operated by Lilian Leung, this Solano Avenue (Berkeley side) shop – Beadazzled – boasts two rooms of beads and findings, handmade jewelry (by Lilian!), and a space to create. On this visit I reupped my collection of Miyuki beads, memory wire (love this stuff!), and nylon jewelry cord (which I actually use for making garlands). I also learned that kids like to put stuff up their noses – Lilian shared that her grandchild once put a bead up their nose. D’oh! As far as crafts go, Bebe and I have drawn together, painted (more on that soon!), and he’s seen me work on a couple macrame pieces. I hope one day we can craft together with tiny materials, hot glue, and scissors. 🙂 Hurry, name some toddler-friendly (beaded) craft projects!

christmas gift packs.

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You know me – I love creating gift packs! Here’s a gift pack idea for Christmas. Gather: baskets, shredded paper filling, and locally sourced treats. What’s great about giving gifts in baskets is that the recipient can either use the basket in their home or reuse the basket to give a gift to someone else. I had a few red baskets that I was previously using for craft events but was ready to give away. Here are some tasty items I found locally! Siren protein snacks made in San Francisco. These are plant based, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Covered almonds by Feve Chocolates, also made in San Francisco. They give 5% of their profit in micro-loans to cocoa farmers. Hubby and I picked up an extra pack of the chai spiced almonds for ourselves – yum! Jamnation jams are so delightful and punny. They were my booth neighbors at the SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium last year and they let me try all the flavors. Wineforest Wild Foods rubs from Napa. Don’t the flavors sound exciting! …

sample sale.

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Jenny Lemons had a sample, seconds, and vintage super sale earlier this month. I snagged tickets to the VIP shopping hour for a less crowded shopping experience and first pick at all the goodies! There were lots of Jenny Lemons clothing for sale, plus other local designer goods like Nettle Studios and Harumi K. Also, limited edition Frankie (that’s Jennie’s pup!) tops. Jennie and co served light bites and bevvies, too. These mini cinnamon buns were so tasty. And everything in the shop was 20% off. Ooh la la! Shopping spree! Can we talk about these supah cute ceramics, too? In June, I’m scheduled to design the Jenny Lemons window display and host a pennant workshop for craft night, so I had a little pennant photoshoot after shopping. Eee, can’t wait! Support small! Support local! Support handmade! And more Jenny Lemons fun to come in June! 🙂

write that down.

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New stationery store alert! Write That Down in Walnut Creek has everything lovers of the handwritten note are looking for! They carry some of my favorite things, like Letterfolk letter boards. Plus a selection of pens, cards, notepads, notebooks, calligraphy kits, … …books, list notebooks, coloring books, totes, wall art, … And since it’s Valentine’s season, lots of fun love day gifts and goodies. Here’s my haul: a pencil case by R.P.S (because can you ever have enough pouches?), a pack of banana thank you cards by Paula & Waffle, and self-adhesive wax seals by the Social Type (so clever, right?) Write That Down just opened last month, and they are adding crafty workshops to their schedule, too. Check them out!

shops of DC.

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DC adventures continue with shopping! Union Kitchen My favorite souvenir shopping happens at local markets. I love finding the “made in [insert place of vacay here] items.” Union Kitchen is a boutique market that carries lots of locally produced goodies, most of which unfortunately I could not bring home this time around (luggage constraints) but look! Stuffed bagel holes! Pickled jalapeños! National Museum of Women in the Arts We didn’t have time to visit National Museum of Women in the Arts, but we did have time to visit the museum shop! I think it gave us major FOMO though. A collection of women empowerment, women made, and inspo… Salt & Sundry Salt & Sundry is a cute gift shop in the Logan neighborhood. Soft light, home goods, jewelry…. It was less easy to find the made in DC items (or maybe there just wasn’t a lot of them), but I did score some made in DC chocolate bars! Little Leaf Little Leaf is a sister store of Salt & Sundry. It. Is. So. Lush. The …

tokyo farmers market.

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The Tokyo Coffee Festival we visited happened to be next to a farmers’ market, and you know how much I love farmers’ markets! This one was held at the United Nations University campus in Aoyama. There were a handful of vendors – lots of veggies and fruit, local honey, flowers and plants, and food trucks. Everything was perfectly packaged, neatly organized, and super adorable. Look at the carrots! Why are they so chubby and cartoon-like? Also spotted: wasabi! Yay, produce! Where are some of your favorite farmer’s markets? Share below!

oh hi.

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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 …

nectar bath treats.

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The whimsical and colorful body products at Nectar Bath Treats make it feel like Spring year round! My friend and I stumbled upon this shop while strolling around the Las Vegas Strip. Body products shaped like fun desserts! Soap that looks like ice cream and macarons, pies and popsicles, and loofas shaped like ice cream in cones. So deliciously cute! They have at least two large shops on the strip (in the LINQ promenade and Venetian shops) and they ship all over. And guess what! This is a local, Las Vegas-grown business. All of the products are made in Las Vegas so obvi this was going to be the shop where I purchased all my souvenirs. I picked up some macaron soaps and a bath bomb. The scents are so good. Have you spotted any fun Las Vegas-grown shops? Share below! And Happy Spring!

good morning, lakeshore.

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I love being a local tourist! Here’s a quick Saturday morning guide to the Lakeshore neighborhood in Oakland as explored by me and my crafty friend Angel and her littles! There are a number of food places in the area, but we brunched at Shakewell for some Mediterranean cuisine. They’ve got fun things on their menu like fried chicken and churros, chilaquiles, and shakshuka. Just a short trot south is the Grand Lake Farmers Market, where there is a bounty of fresh produce, prepared foods, music and dance, and knife sharpening services! And what maker friend weekend hangs would be complete without a trip to a shop that carries locally-made items? We visited Bay-Made which is filled with lots of plants, art, and home and body goods. We even spotted some of our maker friends’ goods in the shop. There’s lots more to see and eat in the area; you can discover and enjoy a lot of fun finds in just a couple of hours!

wunderfaire.

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Another show in the books! I’m on fiah this craft season, and it’s getting easier and easier for me to just pop in somewhere with one cartload of goodies, meet all the fun people, then roll out. One of my favorites – Wunderfaire – was last week at IDEO. They went with a wonderland theme for their 10th annual event! This year was my second year participating. The show is open to the public, but it’s largely an event for IDEO staff to shop small for the holidays. Plus, the booth fees that are collected are always donated to a local organization. This year all the booth fees went to Rebuilding Together San Francisco, an organization that provides safer and healthier living situations through home repair and renovation programs. My booth! I set up so fast I had some time to visit maker friends and meet new ones ~ Timmy Mays (I met her at a West Elm Local event!), Moonwalker Things (I totes Instagram stalked her! :)), and Batsu/Maru! (we met and even did a crafty …