There is a crafter inside each of us. Whether it’s knitting, or painting, or building, or bottle cap art, or whatever, I believe we all have creative juices and once in a while, those juices need to flow. That being said, there is a lot of work that goes into opening those creative juices flood gates! Where do I get supplies for the craft? How much do they cost? How the heck do I actually do this craft? Then Pinterest mocks me with its “easy” DIY’s and “simple” tutorials and I recoil from trying the craft at all. Sarah and Kat, two Calgary artists, realize how frustrating it can be to try crafting, and they understand the difficulty in answering those questions, where, how, what, wtf, and have put together the perfect solution— Maker YYC.
On April 5, my friend Chris and I went to Inglewood. Here, the Maker YYC Build-Your-Own -Terrarium event was happening! We found the place, 500 Cucina, a delightful Italian restaurant with a killer cocktail menu, because we all know that the only thing that could possibly make craft night better is an amaretto margarita!
Terrarium 101 began. Kat presented us with a diagram of the standard components of a standard terrarium and all of the various bits and pieces we would possibly need to complete this project. Of course, our terrariums must have dirt so the plant doesn’t die but Kat told us about all the other things we could put into our creations— sand, shells, sticks, moss, figurines, and anything else we damn well please! I was nervous! How would I decide? What if it looks bad? Kat read my mind and said, “the terrarium you thought you were going to make this evening? Forget it, because the one you are going to make is going to be even more amazing than you could imagine.” I just went for it. I put some white rocks in the bottom, then put in some dirt, and then replanted my little cactus. It was the most dangerous thing I’ve done in a long time, replanting a cactus. I added dried berries and pinecones and moss and some crystals and sticks, because why not?! Then a little bear figurine. It’s a ter-bear-ium now! I sat there and smiled.
It is clear that Kat and Sarah want to inspire people to let their creative sides see the light every once in a while. No more will I be intimidated by Pinterest. No more will I think, “I can’t do that, I’m no artist.” Everyone is an artist, we just need room to practice and try and fail and discover. Kat and Sarah and Maker YYC create that space.
Thanks for shining the light on my crafty side, Calgary!
Check out Maker YYC on their website, or on Instagram, to keep up to date about future events!
@makeryyc
Where the F is Beth? 