All posts tagged: shop local

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 …

pigment.

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Next up in my San Diego tour guide is Pigment, a shop located in North Park – really close to Artelxia (OMG, go to both!). Everything at Pigment is beautifully made and merchandised; you could say there was too much too look at, but the tones were inviting and organized by color palette (You know how much I love when things are organized by color!) so it was easy on the eyes. Look around and spot housewares, accessories, shoes… …candles, so many plants and pots, … …cards, pillows, clothes and toys for baby and kid, and party goods. They have a succulent wall where you can build your own terrarium. Genius. And a living wall backdrop / in-house photo booth. Hi! I love, love, love the modern boho vibes with quirky colorful feels. I’m pretty sure I didn’t see everything because there was so much in the shop. It really felt more like an experience than a store; I could hang out in this corner and people watch on their cool chairs all day (until I …

have it your way.

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I’ve been getting some fun requests for custom projects. Here are a few of the felt funs I’ve been working on… My friend Tally Sue of Shweet Shtuf had her first craft pop-up and asked me to make a sign for her booth. She chose mustard yellow, grey, and white felt. Per usual, each letter was hand cut and I added some cute scallops. Thoey of Ecomonster asked me to make a matching set for her DIY workshop events: a garland, a pennant, and a wall hanging. She chose a color combination of mustard yellow, light pink, green, and white – plus colorful sprinkles! And scallops! I worked on a bachelorette party pennant pack in the bride’s favorite colors, complete with felt diamond. Bling, bling, y’all! I got a request for a birthday garland for a two-year-old’s dinosaur celebration! The red balloons were added to match the cake design. The balloon “shine” was Hubby’s idea. 🙂 Nina of Gooseberry Designs requested a garland for her show booths. She asked for blues and greens to match her …