I was blown away this weekend. And since you know I love to tell stories…..
Boo and I were invited to the Ace Hotel…..
…..to take part in Crafting Community. It was right here in Palm Springs. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was excited to be a part of it. I’m always excited to try new things. “A window in time that cultivates creativity, fitness and imagination, offering a rare opportunity to decompress from the chaos of city life.” Yes please.
Saturday Boo and I were working at a table when the nicest man started helping Boo with a project.
Me: You look kind of familiar. Do you live in the desert?
Man: No, I’m from New York.
Me: Oh that’s a long way to travel for this!
Man: Well, I wanted to be a part of it.
Weird I thought. I know him from somewhere. Oh well. And we went back to creating. Turns out it was Todd Oldham. I guess I should have known he was there but I don’t read up on people ahead of time…..I like to just meet people as I meet them. And look what happened….Boo made an artistic friend:
Watching Todd work:
Kids were given a pair of shoes at the Converse station….a place to decorate your own personal pair of Converse using Karen Kimmel’s stencils:
Boo refused to eat lunch until she was finished with hers:
This is Ron Finley. I didn’t know Ron Finley, but I knew from the second I met him I was going to like him.
Me: I’m scared of driving in L.A…..the roads are too confusing.
(he rolled his eyes, I think a little exasperated)
Me: I can’t keep anything green alive. I have a brown thumb.
Ron: That’s just an excuse.
Me: I live under a rock. I’ve never watched a TED talk, oh except for one by Brene Brown.
Ron: I like Brene.
Here’s his TED talk…a guerilla gardener in South Los Angeles. Watch it. You’ll be inspired.
“if you’re not gardening….you’re not gangsta”
I’m going to watch more TED talks now.
Boo and Ron having a moment:
Mini herb gardens:
Random story: So Boo and I left the Ace hotel to go and see a few friends who live almost right across the street that we hadn’t seen in a while. As we drove through the parking lot of the hotel I passed the restaurant windows…..everyone in the restaurant seated at those windows was pointing and staring at us. I shrunk down in my seat. Boo waved back like she was the First lady of Ace. When I parked the car a few minutes later I got out and noticed that our mini herb gardens were sitting on top of the car. I can’t believe they didn’t fall off.
I love how the Ace Hotel was transformed. So many details:
There was never one second for boredom. Boo found something to do at every turn. She alternated between crafting….
….and swimming…..then she’d throw her dress back over her suit for the next activity.
That’s Karen Kimmel in the middle, Creative Director of Crafting Community. She is one super talented woman. Courtney, of Little Junebugs, on the right was so great with Boo…she taught her to make amazing paper flowers.
My favorite part of the community was that it revolved around families. There’s a look book with family photos and names to get people better acquainted. I learned to make macrame bracelets from a group of dads at this table. They came up with a great technique for fusing the parachute cord together with a lighter by using two pairs of safety scissors. Genius. I told them they needed to make a DIY video for YouTube and it would go viral. Look how into it they are:
Each station was a smorgasbord for anyone who likes to make things. Imagine being at a table where there is an unlimited supply of stamps, stamp pads, etc:
Everywhere we turned there was something new. Like a huge sandbox filled with hot-wheels on the way to the pool, right past where the skateboarding lessons were:
And a station where you could learn from the Scratch DJ Academy….but also to create spin art with old records:
And healthy snacks available to keep your energy up:
The supplies…..just look:
So much eye candy I felt like I didn’t want to miss anything:
Mr. LBB couldn’t go this year but next year I’ll get him there. After hearing every detail from Boo and I, he agreed that we would pick this as a vacation over the beach any day.
On Saturday night at dinner, I struck up a conversation with the woman sitting a few seats over. Actually I asked her what the bright light was in the sky. Because I have to know things like that. What planet do you think that is? She thought it was Venus. She said she works for Disney. I told her that I do some work for Disney. I elaborated and told her I write for Babble. She looked a little shocked. She told me her name. I told her my name. We both jumped up from our seats and hug. It turns out she’s Editor in Chief of Disney Interactive (Babble included): Catherine Conners…i.e I write for her. We know each other just never had a chance to meet in person. The world is crazy small sometimes. A friend told me that’s a Godwink….because what were the odds we even sat at the same table.
A few things:
1. “That was so fun. I did so much stuff it felt like a week.” -Boo
2. I live under a rock….but sometimes I do get out and meet people.
3. Community rocks….especially when you get to make stuff.
You can learn more about Crafting Community here.
Great job Karen, Stacy and Tait. Blown away.
I would have fainted just looking at all the crafting supplies…..just fainted dead away!
Isn’t Ron Finley great. Listen to him on the America’s test kitchen podcast. Awesome.
And totally awesome thing to get to do!!!!!! My whole family would love to do something like that. Community is awesome.
1. TODD OLDHAM, holy cow.
2. What an awesome, awesome experience for you and your little!
3. “Godwink.” I love that. I always just say “it’s a God thing!”
Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful experience for you and your little sweetheart … sounds like the perfect time … a little crafting heaven!
Thank you …. just for being!
What a great weekend!!!
The supplies. Oh my word.
And cross-stitched peg board. I have to remember that.
Hi,
Awesome day in palm springs. I too noticed the “bright light” in the sky Friday night. I live in LA and around 8 oclock it was in the west part of the sky. My friend had an app that you point at the sky and it tells you the planets and stars you are looking at. The one we saw so bright was Saturn but I think Venus was also visable. I wish I could remember the APP name. I think he said it was google sky?
Martha
wow what a cool event!
you guys did some fun crafts and met some really cool people.
and I just cannot help myself- is that a MiniBoden bathing suit Boo is wearing?
Ashley, this was awesome! 🙂
I love your blog and who you are, but, at the same time, I don’t love it. It reminds me that I am a total loser. I have no friends, most people can’t stand me and I don’t know why.
I do have 3 beautiful boys, though. So I guess I am very blessed.
No way are you a loser Lilliana…. plus if I had time to recap my whole day today you’d see that my days are full of ups and downs. Let’s see…one low point was having to hitchhike home from church today because I didn’t have a car. I think you should reach out to someone close to you and try to figure out why you think people don’t like you….sometimes when I think I’ve been snubbed it was just that the person didn’t see me. So sad that so many people are so busy these days not to notice those around them. Make people see you! Hugs.
lillianna, i just want to send you a hug. i feel like it must be so stressful for you to be raising your three boys feeling alone and isolated. do you think it might be possible that you are depressed? i only ask because i was feeling much the same way and i found that talking with my doctor was really helpful. when i was depressed, i saw things through a really narrow and clouded lens; and life is a really big picture with lots of things going on – not just the bummer stuff that i was stuck focusing on! please reach out to someone. best of luck to you. take care!
todd oldham!!! wow!!! that looks like the coolest place to go! i would love to go to something like that!!!
Wow. That looks like craft heaven! And the craft supplies! I’m pretty sure every crafter has a built in instinct to hoard craft supplies. : )
thank you for sharing the gangsta gardener!! i love what he promotes…
Hi there!
That looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing.
I got some questions.
Boo is drawing with left, but cutting with her right hand, if I saw it right on the photos. I just wonder, because my daughter just had a test on what hand-user she is. So it is quite interesting for me to hear about Boo’s story.
Is Boo a both-handed-person? Does she have had any introducing how to hold her pen and paper in kindergarten or school? How do you do it in America with lefthanded people?
A very interested mum from Germany, ines
Hi Ines,
I just read your comment and my son writes and throws with his left hand and cuts with his right as well.
My son never had a test, we just went with the flow.
The only issue we have …well at least I do, is that I can’t seem to teach him how to tie his shoes….haha!
I am a righty…
Ha! Adriana, I can tell you! To show him to tie a bow put a mirrow in front of you and he has to look in the mirrow! That easy.
For me it will be no problem, the woman who test my daughter told me, after asking her about bows, that I do it left. So I have just trouble teaching or right handed son, but my husbund will help him.
Thanks for your message. ines
Ok I’m embarrassed that I never noticed that my child cut with her right hand! I have no idea….I just let her figure it out….we haven’t done anything special for her just let her figure it out on her own!
Hi Ashley!
I just saw it, because I’m in the middle of “how the hell can I help my girl to go along with her left hand in this right handed world”.
As long as Boo has not problem with it, everything is alright.
Have a good time and thanks for your answer. ines
We had an amazing time at Crafting Community…thanks for the stories and the photos.