Falling for Friday // 3-29-13

Happy Friday y'all!

Last weekend I was in lovely Ventura, Ca and I shared all my fave things to do in Ventura, check it out here! This week I am going to share my fave things from Craftcation! There are so many things I love about Craftcation, so I will be making this a series of posts through out the next couple of weeks, so I can share all of the goodness with you!



Craftcation :: Part 1
1. The location::
We were are the Crowne Plaza hotel right at the end of Ventura Pier where (1) you had a view of the ocean from any room, (2) you were able to head out for a walk along the boardwalk, which was as at our front door, and (3) it was in walking distance to everything: the beach, downtown, city hall and more. Ventura is all about the arts and was so welcoming to all of us makers...it is a real treat.

2. The community::
Markers was the word of the weekend and that is what we came away with, a community of makers. You can take a look at #makers2013 and #craftcation on Twitter or Instagram to see all the wonderful makers and creations that this community offers. This year I was much more prepared to network and make new friends because I have been longing to find my creative community close to me. Thankfully I have found them and I will be sharing most of them in my Craftcation series posts.

3. The workshops::
So many great workshops and so many ideas for new workshops next year that it is impossible to pick just one you want to go to! There were about 6-12 classes going on at the same time for four days straight! That is a lot of love and knowledge to be had and shared. So I will also be highlighting some of my favorite workshops and the craft classes I enjoyed while at Craftcation in this series.

4. Our fearless leaders::
Let me to introduce, Delilah and Nicole! There are no words to describe how awesome these two women are. They are so inspiring and without them Craftaction would not have been born and that is a sad thing to think about. Their own stories are amazing, as well as their story as a partnership in business with Craftcation and Patchwork. For sure check out their crafty businesses!

Here is a little story: I moved to Santa Ana almost three years ago and literally right around the corner from my house was this cute little store called The Road Less Traveled, this is Delilah's store. One day I had a little time to finally pop in and check it out...I was in love at the first step in. One side of the store had all these handmade goods made by local artists, and they other half was a classroom with a giant calender of workshops on the wall. Oh yeah, I liked this place. I signed up for the newsletter and low an be hold a few months later there was Craftcation in that newsletter and the rest is history. :)

5. The wealth of knowledge::
The wealth of knowledge at Craftcation about crafts, business, web, food and motivation is out of this world. With all the classes available and all of our favorite "craftelebrities" (as Nicole calls them...love it!) in one place - there is nothing you can't learn. They want to help and are so willing to share their expertise that you feel so welcomed into learning new things to make your business work. Then when you are ready to take a break from all the business classes you can pop into a craft class to just have some fun or learn a technique you have always wanted to learn! I am still processing everything I learned.

Follow along with this series under my craftcation tag in the side bar under Labels. It is going to be fun and I promise to share some of the good knowledge I learned from my fave craftelebrites!

Enjoy!
xo,

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52 Lists // Week 12 // Home

This week in the 52 List project we are thinking about what it means to be home.


"Home is where ever I'm with you."
- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.”
- Lauren Myracle

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
- Gary Snyder

Home is a place of comfort, a safe haven from the world happening around us. It can be a person, a place, may places, and many people. I know I have more then one home. Then there are those wonderful things that feel like home and remind us of home, that are hard to live without, especially when we are away from that place. Here is a list of all the things that are home and feel like home.

Week 12
things that feel like home.


jimi hugs.  pets.
my bed.  memories.
my sister.
my parents.
NAC.  the ocean.
road trips.  my car.
a comfy sofa.  blankets.
my bed.  my pillow.
trees.  camping.
antiques.  photos.
art.  historic paintings.
the sound of cooking.
the smell of cinnamon.
the color white.  green.
christmas.  artichokes.
the sun on my skin.
a breathe of fresh air.
maple cabinets.
my creations.
flannel. cozy fires.
red.  enamelware.
the beach.  hot chocolate.
the smell of coffee in the morning.
pride and prejudice.
mammoth in the summer.
the california coast.

The kitchen always ends up being the heart of a home...I know ours is, we spend so much time there. Growing up in my parents house...it was all about the open downstairs living space...all center around the kitchen. So a lot of things that feel like home have to do with these two places...the colors, maple cabinets, antiques, cooking, food, sofas and big blankets to snuggle up to a fire with.

Nature has always felt far more like home then any building, besides my own house, that is where I want to be.  Whether I am on the water, in my car with all the windows down and sunroof open, or in the woods exploring...these places feel like home. But really none of these place would be the same without the people I have experienced them all with.


That is when people become home...my parents house will always be home because of the memories and relationships built there with my family. My sister will forever be my soul mate, because miles can never move those feelings of home with family. But then what about the new life we make for ourselves outside of our families...those become home too and eventually another family is created. Place like NAC for the community and escape it offers and then a new house, the one I have made with Jimi. This home took a little bit getting used...possibly about 2 years, but now it is my home, not only because it holds my bed, my pets and my creations, but it also holds my heart. This is not about a place, it is about a person. Jimi...one kiss to forget the world, one hug to send it all away and one look to know that this is what home looks like.


I found this list to be comforting and one that I can see growing over my lifetime as new people, places and things become familiar and eventually home. It is an ever present reminder of what is truly important in this life. So, what feels like home to you? I am looking forward to what everyone comes up with.



Enjoy home!

 52 Lists Project with Moorea Seal


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Falling for Friday // 3-22-13


(1) Pete's // (2) Busy Bee Cafe // (3) Betty Belts // (4) The Pier // (5) City Hall


Today I am featuring my favorite things to do while I am here in Ventura, Ca.
Right now I am in Ventura at the Craftcation Conference! You can find out more here.

Ventura, California
Ventura is located about an hour north of Los Angeles, Ca and about 40 minutes south of Santa Barbara, Ca. It is a beach town known for its great surf and their wonderful downtown area with great food and shops.

Here are my favorite things to do in Ventura!

1. Pete's Breakfast House
We always leave so early to go to Ventura, so the first thing on the list is always breakfast.
And it is always Pete's!

2. Main Street - Downtown Ventura
Shopping and Dining
Antique Stores
A good lunch - Busy Bee Cafe, Nature's Grill
Craft shops - Betty Belts, Superbuzzy
Fun retail stores

3. The Pier
Paddle
Watch the surfers
Enjoy the beach

4. The Architecture
Gorgeous buildings all around town that are so hard to miss.
The Mission San Buenaventura
Ventura City Hall building

If you ever get the chance to go or enjoy it as much as I do, you will find it is a great place for some R&R. Who doesn't love some of that?

Falling For Friday


Happy Friday!
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Craftcation 2013...Here I Come

I am so excited to be off to Craftcation this morning for a weekend in Ventura with a ton of other bloggers and crafters alike !

Ventura, California

 Here is the low down...

Craftcation
Indie business and DIY Conference in Ventura, Ca
March 21st - 24th, 2013
Put on my Nicole Stevenson and Santa Ana's own Delilah Snell :)
A retreat to inspire, network and build a craft business community

Here is a little video recap from last year...


Craftcation 2012 from Letter Box Films on Vimeo.


So this weekend I will be posting all over twitter, facebook and instagram when I can! Come follow along with all the fun @maddiedierkes on twitter and instagram. You can also follow @Craftcation for more conference fun and to learn more about it all.

Tomorrow, I will be featuring Ventura, Ca on Falling for Friday featuring all the best and fun things to do while you are there. It is a great California coast town, and I have loved it ever since I was a little kid, when we would go as a family.

What will I be focusing on at Craftcation?
There are so many classes to choose from that is hard to pick one sometimes, but here are few of the workshops and classes I will be for checking out. Over the next couple of weeks I will share some of the things I have learned at Craftcation, the outfits I wore, the friends I made and so much more! I am excited to share with you all!!!

Check out the full schedule here!

Classes:
Bookkeeping for an indie business
Getting to know your digital SLR camera - I just got a Canon EOS Rebel T3 over the weekend!!
Blog Perspectives
When to hire a professional
Those who can do, Teach!

DIY Workshops:
Soy Candles 101
Needle Felting !!! Love to needle felt, so I am excited to do it again.
Traveler's Daybook with the lovely Amy Tan :)
Networking + Notebooks - networking while making a notebook for the weekend =
perfect way to start off this conference!

Stay Tuned!

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52 Lists Project // Week 11

52 Lists Project with Moorea Seal

Week 11
list your essentials.


jimi.  family.
friends.  community.
the cats.  a dog.
my bed.
love.  trust.
forgiveness.
understanding.
strength.
creativity.
sleep.  me time.
coffee.  water.
loyalty.  respect.
acceptance.
inspiration.
the ocean.  the sun.
camping.  adventure.
nature.  veggies.
a calendar.
peace.  silence.
sticking with it.
light.  soul.
knowledge.
laughter.  smile.

Challenge
Get some R&R. I need it this week.

Happy Listing!

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