Craftcation 2015

Craftcation 2015

This year I really wanted to experience everything that this amazing conference had to offer.  Craftcation 2014 I was in the middle of moving into a new house and I was 6 months pregnant so I literally stopped packing boxes, went to a class and then came home to continue packing. This time my husband took days off of work so that he could watch our son, which lead to him leaving to visit his family in Tennessee. Craftcation 2015 then turned into a complete "Staycation" for me and I really had a fabulous time and completely re-energized my creative thinking. 

Momma got all dressed up. 

Let's just begin with not being with my son for the first time. This was bittersweet. It was so nice to be able to shower, get ready without rushing and, dare I say it, be able to use the bathroom in peace. But that simple pleasure really didn't last too long because I kept thinking to myself I was hearing him cry while showering and it was difficult to be home alone because I would just be overcome with emotion. "MY BABY IS GONE!"

Fur kids were confused. 

Even the girls were confused as to what was going on, but they really liked that it went back to old times and they slept with me in the bed. 

Wine and cheese, please?

The conference began on Wednesday Night, I had signed up for a wine and cheese pairing at Paradise Pantry. It was so good and lead to ordering dessert for dinner. Meeting like-minded people is one of the best parts of Craftcation. I met up with some lovely ladies and we decided to get together for breakfast the next morning before classes started. 

Beignets for breakfast. 

My first class was a screen printing class at MAKE Ventura, we were able to screen print our own bags. 

MAKE Ventura Screen printing class. 

 Next was a Market Tote Bag class with Sew L.A.. I've been wanting to take a class with them but it just never seems to workout so it was awesome that they were offering some classes. It was fun to create a quick bag. There were lots of bags, at this point with the screen printed bag, this market tote and the two bags they give you at registration...I am up to 4 bags!!

Beach bag made with Sew L.A.

That evening they had a luau, complete with dancers. The littlest ones were the cutest. Just amazing. 

Hawaiian Dancers.

Okay, I'm going to be really honest and say that the one thing I was looking forward to was a dress making class with Christine Haynes where we were making her newest pattern, The Marianne Dress. It was a huge deal for me, so much so that I told my husband that if I could only go to one of these classes...THIS IS IT!!!

And it was AMAZING, and just when I thought it couldn't be better...I signed up for her clothing construction class too and was blown away by the tricks I learned in that too. Sewing Crush? For sure, it may be a little weird but I love all of her patterns and learning from someone who is so laid back and precise is lovely. 

Amber from Little Bird Shop and Christine of Christine Haynes Patterns. 

And in the midst of all of this sewing/craftiness...I met amazing women. A few I had met before, some I was following on social media and others I had just said hello and started conversations. 

One of the funniest introductions was during the Marianne sewing class, I was seated next to a lovely lady and we were having such a good conversation and over all enjoying our sewing experience. And then we realize that we knew each other from social media but had no idea "who" we were or that we were seated next to each other. It is funny how that works out. Please check our her etsy shop ThisLittleBirdShop. 

Another fun meet up was taking some ladies to a local chic bar to have dessert. Nothing more fun than dessert with friends. 

Dessert, yes please!

Amy Tangerine Mixed Media

Next was a Mixed Media class with Amy Tangerine that was fun. I signed up for as many classes as I could possibly attend. It was so good to have the time taken up so that I wasn't at home staring at baby toys and feeling lost. I did do a little bit of retail therapy and visited Super Buzzy Fabrics. Left with some cute deer fabric and a pattern.

Retail therapy at the fabric store. 

And finally I took two classes from Jenelle from Trashn2tees.  The first was an appliqué pennant class where I learned some new tricks with the sewing machine for appliqué. And the last class was a produce bag made from recycled t-shirts. She has an amazing book that is coming out soon, It is called The Upcycled T-Shirt Book and you can pre-order it on Amazon. 

All of my project from Trashn2tees. 

*Funny Story* The girl next to me got this t-shirt that said "The Black Keys" and she remarked that it was ugly and she couldn't imagine anyone wanting it. *GASP* Maybe she just wasn't into that genre of music but I was ravenous when she dropped that t-shirt because I thought it was AWESOME!!

So it was an overall amazing weekend. My two guys came home and I was just thrilled to see them and get back to our routine. I did get a text from the husband that is worth posting because it really was a nice for him to realize what it is like. 

I totally cried when face timing my son, it was rough. 

I hope to attend next year too, it was so much fun. Hope this encourages you to check it out and maybe attend. 

~Amanda