Are you near Chicagoland, IL, US? Then you’re in luck!
Esther’s Place Fiber Arts Studio, Big Rock, Illinois
Esther’s is introducing UFO Fridays, every Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.! Bring your Unfinished Fiber Object and have tea and chat while you finally get that project finished. Need a little help with a complicated project or pattern? Then UFO Fridays is the place to be!
And coming soon: The Julia Child Project- Inspired by the movie,... → Read the rest of this article
It takes a lot of faith to try and earn a living by making things by hand. Just ask anyone who is trying to do it, myself included. As a concept, that’s nothing new. But there are some who take their faith a step further and use it as a call to action to help those, who without the skills and opportunity to sell their handmades, might be left with no hope for the future. That’s the goal of Global Handmade Hope, a Fair Trade shop in Park Ridge, Illinois that is dedicated... → Read the rest of this article
As I approached Mojo Spa, its facade a pink and white confection on an avenue of stone, steel and cement, I couldn’t help but think of Good and Plenty, those licorice-flavored, candy-coated pellets that are always hanging out at the movie theaters with their floozy cousin, Good and Fruity. Little did I know how effectively I was being subliminally prepared to enter the shop, because once inside I was convinced that I had died and gone to a sweet and yummy pamper-me-now... → Read the rest of this article
There was a time when I would think of the big city, and certain words would automatically come to mind: fast-paced, progressive, industrial, crowds, anonymity, grit, grime. But now, having visited Sister Arts Studio in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, other words come to mind as well: community, families, connections, creativity. This is because I found a place in the big city where all those things take place, and from what I can tell, the big city loves it.
Sister... → Read the rest of this article
One thing leads to another. Or so the old saying goes. Your grandpa might have told you that when you were small, and maybe then you weren’t entirely sure of it’s meaning. Maybe you still aren’t, we’re not here to judge, but one thing can be agreed upon and that is that grandpas tend to be pretty wise. How many times have we started out with the intent to do one thing, and ended up doing something entirely different? Plenty of times. Just this morning I walked... → Read the rest of this article
