Since opening our doors in 2015, our shop + studio has hosted hundreds of creative workshops and classes! The goal has always been to create a community here in town, serve those who are seeking more creativity in their lives as well as to showcase and support our instructors who are artists + small business owners too! 

We took a long pause on all our in-person classes starting March 2020 and resumed them in a new format in Oct 2021. We shifted our focus with intention - intimate and smaller class sizes so students can get more one-on-one instruction and an overall elevated experience inside our brand new workshop studio. Our new workshop studio space is a designated and separate room filled with natural light, it's a dream space to be able to work in! 

One of our biggest commitment is to only bring the very best workshops to our workshop calendar.  We take care to create exciting curriculums, source quality materials and on the very top of the list is to ensure all of our instructors provide an amazing experience for their students.

Here's a look at how our workshop space as changed over the years!

Then....

vs. now...

And now the best part! are a few of our "regulars" you'lll see rotating through our calendar! We asked them to provide some insight to our workshops so you'll get an insider peek to why we think our classes are the best!  

We hope to see you at an upcoming workshop soon :) 

Anna Muniz from WatercolorATX

Anna is the artist and owner of Watercoloratx, based in Austin, Texas. Her work is inspired by the architecture and character of her hometown, Austin.  She creates detailed and personalized watercolors based on Austin and specializes in custom and stationery watercolors. She has taught numerous Watercolor Architecture workshops and will be teaching this Summer's Foodie Watercolors, and the Watercolor Pet Portrait workshops. All of her workshops are great for beginners and a very relaxing time!

Audrey Jahanian + Zaid Gallo from 7th Street Candle Co.

Audrey and Zaid are the founders and owners of 7th Street Candle Co. They specialize in small batch candles and use Texas grown aromatics and plants by partnering with local businesses and farms around the state. They teach candle pouring classes in order to share their own apothecary with students and help them craft their own custom blended candles.Audrey and Zaid are the founders and owners of 7th Street Candle Co. They specialize in small batch candles and use Texas grown aromatics and plants by partnering with local businesses and farms around the state. They teach candle pouring classes in order to share their own apothecary with students and help them craft their own custom blended candles.

 

Pei Sim from The Paper + Craft Pantry

Pei is the owner and founder of The Paper + Craft Pantry. Her workshops specialize in watercolor florals, embroidery, and more! Pei considers herself a curious creative who enjoys dabbling in a variety of mediums. She enjoys sharing her love of art through botanical subjects, flowers, plants and nature. She teaches Watercolor Loose Florals workshops, Intro to Embroidery workshops and other classes throughout the year.

Why do you like teaching?

Anna: I love getting to see people who've never used watercolors start to play with them and have fun! Everyone's work always turns out so cute and I love seeing students take photos of their work to share with their friends and family. 

Audrey & Zaid: We love teaching simply because our business started with Audrey teaching Zaid a new tactile craft. Getting to share that experience with students is one of the better reasons we love to instruct these workshops! Everyone gets to customize their own aromatherapy blends and the room always buzzes with new ideas and fresh fragrances.

Pei: Getting to share my love of creating in our studio is one of my favorite parts of having our shop and studio space. I feel like as adults, it can be hard to prioritize time for yourself and coming to our workshops gives you the time, space and support to do something for you!

How do you prepare for workshop day?

Anna: In the days before a workshop, I gather all of the supplies together and make sure everything is there. There are brushes, palettes, paints, paper, erasers, and more to organize! The final touch is putting together the booklet that goes along with the class and prepping any templates that might be needed. On workshop day, I set up the supplies for each student at their spot and review my plan for the class!

Audrey & Zaid: Workshop prep usually begins weeks before the day because we have to check that we have enough inventory and supplies to give the best experience to our students. The week leading up to it is all about getting those supplies divided out for each student attending, and catering to the theme of class. Workshop day is usually a blur of packing the car up and unloading, having the most fun telling all our bad aromatherapy jokes, and sharing all the tips and tricks to make one a successful candle maker. Then take-out. Because neither of us want to cook dinner after a full day like that! 

Pei: Workshop prep starts months in advance sometimes. From concepting a curriculum to creating samples, photographing pieces before ordering all the supplies before the workshop. Workshops tend to go by so fast! Students are often shocked that they've spent several hours creating and to me that's a good sign of a fantastic class!

What do you look forward to on workshop day? And what is one of your favorite workshop memory?

Anna: I most look forward to seeing the students excited to paint! I love when they start working on their composition and they get so focused on working.  

My favorite memory is when at the end of the first Foodie Watercolor workshop, the students all clapped for each other as they held up their finished postcards! Everyone was so supportive and excited about their watercolors of croissants, ice cream, pizza and more!

Audrey & Zaid: Saying hello and catching up with the amazing team at P+CP! We appreciate the kindness and care the team all put into workshop day (and every other day for that matter). And getting to share our craft and silly jokes with new students! 

One of our fave memories is when Audrey led the students through a meditation before an intention setting candle workshop. All of our workshops are memorable and one of our favorite recent traditions we've made is using everyone's leftover scented wax from class into one collective super scented mystery flavor candle.

Pei: I love seeing the transformation of a beginner student who may be a bit  hesitant at the beginning of class turn into someone who is confident by the end of the workshop! 

It's hard to just pick one favorite memory of workshops! It's been magical knowing so many students are repeat workshop attendees. We have current students who have been taking workshops with us since we first opened in 2015!

Hope you had fun going down memory lane with the photos of our old/first workshop studio space as well as getting to know our workshop instructors and process :) 
 

 

 

 

Pre-P (aka Pre-Penelope/Pre-Parenthood), I had cultivated a habit of setting not just yearly goals but monthly ones. 

These "mini" monthly goals felt way more digestible and less overwhelming. It helped me set the tone for each month and allowed me to focus on a few things. The notable difference in my monthly goals lately is that I moved my personal goals on top of the shop goals. While this may seem like a small thing to do, it visually and mentally reminds me that first and foremost, I need to prioritize myself and my personal life before work. 

As a small business owner, it is both a blessing and a curse to love what I do so much that it's easy to put work and the business above what I personally need. 

The way I have been writing out my monthly goals resemble my daily to-do list. I only pick a few things, no more than 5, to focus on each month. If I accomplish these 5 things, I can always move on to do more as well as always have permission from myself to do absolutely nothing else. 

I love writing out my monthly goals on a piece of notepad paper and I usually washi tape it to my cork board in my office so I can look at it daily. I have also taped it to the inside of my notebook so you have the option and flexibility of moving it anywhere you want!  

Here's the notepad and pen I am currently using + loving - because a crisp and fresh sheet of paper + a good writing pen is really the best :) 

Do you set monthly goals? If you do, share them with me! 

While it feels 100% like Summer here in Austin, it's technically still Spring and we wanted to give y'all an insider peek at some of the a-MAY-zing stationery in our shop! 

I always love finding new stationery for y'all and it's extra exciting when our team is just as excited - that's how I know it'll fly out our doors :)  In case you are new around here, this blog post is perfect since you'll get to know a bit about our team while seeing what some of our current favorite goods are!

Pei

Favorite Color: Currently it’s lilac/lavender

Favorite Season: Winter (Christmas!)

Hobbies: Naps

Fun Fact: I was born in Singapore and am a citizen there! I also still have a crush on Justin Bieber

I love all pens but lately, this pen has been my favoite! A pro-tip is to swap out the ballpoint ink inside for the gel refill! I am also a big fan of this pen and pencil storage container; it’s actually in my bag right now!

Pei’s Favorites:

Card: Lucky Horse Mushroom 

Pen: Ballograf Ballpoint Pen

Notebook/Notepad: P+CP Plant Doodle Weekly

Office Supply/Desk Supply: Penco Pencil Case

Wild Card: Shop Small Sticker

Anna

Favorite Color: Sea Foam Green

Favorite Season: Fall

Hobbies: Watercoloring, drinking coffee, listening to music

Fun Fact: I have had chronic hiccups since high school.

I love adding pops of color to my desk! This swirl pad is inspiring and helps keep all of my notes in one place. I enjoy writing with the artline pens because of how smooth, sleek, and cute they are. It’s hard to choose just one color! These scissors are also useful for all sorts of small craft projects and they’re easy to store!

Anna’s Favorites:

Card: You Are the Reason I Believe in Love 

Pen:Leuchtturm Drehgriffel Ballpoint 

Notebook/Notepad: Moglea Swirl Pad 

Office Supply/Desk Supply: Acrylic Gold Scissors

Wild Card: Trinket Dish

Meg 

Favorite Color: Olive Green

Favorite Season: Fall

Hobbies: Going to the movies, embroidery, watercolor, lettering + illustrating on my iPad, and playing Stardew Valley

Fun fact: My husband and I drove to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. We had never done anything like it before and it was a really cool experience!

I love this task pad because it keeps all my daily to-do’s in one place! These pens are some of my favorites because of the minimal look, the fine tip, and fade-proof ink, and bonus: the curated color palettes are super fun! This washi tape is my go to for sealing my snail mail, hanging up art prints, and taping notes inside my notebook or planner.

Meg’s Favorites:

Card: You Deserve All The Nice Things

Pen: Emott Pen Set

Notebook/Notepad: Shorthand Task Pad

Office Supply/Desk supply: MT Washi Tape

Wild card: Postage Candle

Aislinn 

Favorite Color: Yellow

Favorite Season: Fall

Hobbies: reading, writing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, random crafting, and eating anything seafood or pasta

Fun Fact: I wrote my first novel in high school and my first play in college.

 

I’m very picky with my planners but found that this undated one works so well for me! These pens are also great for everyday writing or color-coordinating tasks in my planner. The magnetic storage pouches have no limit of use; one of them holds my important adult papers and another one keeps all my stickers together!

Aislinn’s Favorites:

Card: You Did It 

Pen: Sarasa Vintage

Notebook/Notepad: The Completist Weekly Planner

Office Supply/Desk supply: Storage Pouch

Wild card: Plant Stamp Washi tape

Have you used any of these or already own some of this? Tell us what's your favorite and why in the comments! 

p.s. Having to choose just a few things was so hard! Now we understand the tough decisions you have to make when you come into our shop ;) 

What’s better than trust falls and awkward team building activities?

Pretty much anything else! I felt like we were long over for a team retreat since our team has grown so last month, I hosted our first annual team retreat! I thought it would be a fun opportunity to get to know each other outside of the shop, think grown up version of a sleepover and with crafty themed activities, oh and of course food and snacks!

It really doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was the lone employee and worked every day by myself before slowly adding one person, to now (as of the date of this blog post publication) a team of 4 (including me). Our team feels like so much more than just employees or retail associates, these women feel like a part of the shop beyond just work. They keep the shop running day-to-day as well as ensure every single person walking through our door gets the very best experience! I firmly believe in investing in the people who invest in you, or in this case your small business. This getaway was a small way to treat them to a mini vacation!

I found a cute rental house near the shop and took this as an opportunity for some team building exercises and a much needed “get-away” for relaxing and self-care. From single word activities to paragraph scenarios and even painting,  it was really great to discover similarities and cohesiveness within our individual personalities.  

Top 5 creative ways to connect as a team + small business:

Team Building Activity #1: Word Clouds 

A lot of larger corporations do this! Instead of voicing the words, we set a timer and wrote down all the words that personally resonated with us before going around the room to share what we wrote. We all shared words that we wanted to associate with our team, as well as the shop. Supportive, trusting, and comfortable were among the words we shared with each other while comforting, inspiring, and oasis were used for the shop. 

Take it up a notch: Instead of using a generator online, you can design it using handlettered fonts to create an art piece for all the participants!

Team Building Activity #2: Your Best Day Ever 

I’m a big fan of writing down a “vision” or your ideal day. In this case we focused on a day at the shop. Start out by writing a couple of sentences about how you want your work environment to feel, how you want to feel around your coworkers and, of course, write about how you want every guest to feel in the shop. 

Team Building Activity #3: Draw-Your-Team

Getting to know your team through doodling! With the help of markers, colored pencils, pens, and more, each of us took a piece of paper and drew a little picture of what the person to our left reminded us of. You rotate papers every turn until your’s comes back to you. At the end of it, we all got a little collage of doodles that represented us in each other’s eyes. Everyone had the opportunity to share and elaborate on why they drew the different doodles for each person.

Team Building Activity #4: Group Abstract Painting

Start with piece of watercolor/mix media or thick paper and an assortment of paints and brushes. Give everyone a minute to paint whatever they want on their paper with the intention that everyone is going to paint the same strokes and shapes on every piece. The goal is to create art together and at the end of the exercise, you will have multiple (almost identical) pieces of art. 

Team Building Activity #5: Clay Play!

Using ovenbaked polymer clay, everyone pieced one color to mold into a small shape or charm for each person on the team.  Once baked, the clay cures and each person will have a set of clay charms that represent every person on the team. 

Tip: Simple shapes are easy and fun - use toothpicks, skewers and any other every day tools. 

These exercises (besides having fun and getting crafty) was to show that we can have our own ideas and interests but also bring them together to make something just as great. We all produce things differently but that’s why each person has something to offer to the team and each other.  And of course, there was a lot of laughter and conversations that helped us all get to know each other better. 

A few other fun extras: 

I got everyone matching sweatpants as well as matching gel nail clings + face masks - naturally I forgot to snap a photo of all of us in our cozy sweats!

In addition to spending time at the rental for our team building activities, we also ventured around town together and ate some delicious food from a few locally owned spots in Austin:

Huckleberry Seafood Truck: A bit of everything did the trick for us because everything on the menu is delicious. From Shrimp Po’ Boys to a Seafood Platter, we were full and happy for the night.

Dolce Neve: Their S. 1st location is tucked inside a cute little bungalow and we all enjoyed some delicious gelato! Because there's always room for dessert! 

Josephine House: We checked out of our airbnb and ended the morning over brunch. This charming spot in the Clarksvile neighborhood has both indoor and outdoor seating plus a small menu. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast before wrapping up our retreat!

I’m so glad we got to take this little trip together and have a day where we were able to hang out and do things aside from work. Because we’re a small team, it’s so important to me that we are always functioning together and checking in with one another on how things are going. This trip was a great way to connect with each other personally while also sharing our goals for the shop. It was also a great way to show the girls some of my favorite food places as well as to our first ever shop location off of 6th street (a couple of the girls on our team joined after we had moved)! 

So, in case you are looking for some fun alternatives to team building or just want to check out a few new local spots, I hope you enjoyed this post!

2022 Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Tiger 

Last month we hosted our first ever Lunar New Year festival alongside Kathy Phan. We sat down to plan this community event in the Summer of 2021 after we identified a gap and need for a Lunar New Year celebration within the East Austin creative community. Our goal for the event was to showcase Asian-owned small businesses while carving out a space to celebrate Asian culture.

Our First Annual Lunar New Year Festival In East Austin

On February 6th, we got to ring in the new year with over 20 other Asian-owned small businesses and 1500+ attendees from our community here in Austin. This festival was important to me because it was a fun way to celebrate the Year of The Tiger and also an opportunity for those who are unfamiliar with this Lunar New Year to learn about this culturally important celebration. Although it’s commonly referred to as the Chinese New Year, a more inclusive term in the U.S. is to call it Lunar New Year as this holiday spans various countries and takes many different names, including: Seollal in South Korea and Tết (or Spring Festival) in Vietnam. 

A portion of our vendor fees went directly to benefit the Austin Asian Family Support Services which is an amazing nonprofit organization created for helping Asian families in our city.

In addition to our vendor market, our festival consisted of kid-friendly activities including a specially crafted coloring sheet designed by Steffi Lynn, a book reading of “E is for Egg Tart” by the author/illustrator, Jessica Lam, an interactive aerial set up by our neighbor Sky Candy and last but not least, the amazing lion + dragon dance performance by members of the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team.

The overwhelming response leading up to this event showed both Kathy and I just how important it was for not only the Austin community but to all the amazing vendors. Many of our vendors shared that it was a memorable event for them as it was the first time they have been at an event where they were showcased alongside so many other Asian-owned small businesses. Our vendors felt represented and had so much pride in getting to be a part of this event; many told us it was their best market and pop-up to date.  It felt really special to co-host an event that allowed our vendors to feel such a sense of pride with their heritage and culture as well as for our community to be a part of. The importance of supporting small businesses doesn’t end with our event, check out our 2022 Lunar New Year Festival vendor line up below and go give these incredible women your support!   

2022 Lunar New Year Featured Vendors 

• Artful Peaks @artfulpeaks
• Catie Lewis Art @catiegl.art
• Coming Up Lily Co @cominguplily
• Cookie Wookie Kitchen @cookiewookiekitchen
• Gan Bei Gals @ganbeigals
• Ginably @ginably
• Greater Goods Roasting @gg_roasting
• Hanwriting @hanwriting
• Have a Nice Day @haveanicedayy_
• Jessica Lam @eisforeggtart
• Leslie Espino Art @leslieespinoart
• Logan Ceramics @logan_ceramics
• Mibellarosa Floral Artistry @mibellarosa
• Pink Sloth Baking Co @pinkslothbaking
• Kathy Phan @shopkathyphantastic
• Sky Candy @skycandyaustin
• Solid Soaps @solid.soaps
• True By Brandi @truebybrandi
• Year 901 @year901

A Huge Thank You

We are so incredibly grateful for all of you who showed up to our festival, it was by far our biggest attended event to date! We couldn’t have done it without our amazing shop team as well as volunteers. Our vendors who took a chance on this first event, local friends, influencers and media who shared about this event as well as Stef Shapira with Stef Shapira Consulting who supported us with marketing this festival!

And last but not least, our neighbors + fellow small businesses at Springdale General who celebrated with us!

Next Year’s Plans

Kathy and I have already met to regroup post festival and have made all the notes for our 2023 plans. We hope you had an amazing time at our first annual festival and we cannot wait to continue this annual tradition for years to come! 

2022 Lunar New Year Festival Photos 

All photos by Kelly Zhu Photo

Tis the season to shop small!

I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person who shops all year long and squirrels away little gifts for friends + family. It feels a little more intentional when something I come across any time of the year feels like it belongs to someone I know vs. the rushed or hurried fervor that comes with shopping only during the holidays. 

A fringe benefit of living in Austin as well as hosting pop up markets at the shop is that I pretty much get to shop small in a very convenient way! 

I'm going to share a quick list of small businesses I personally supported this year both for gifts as well as for myself :) 

• This large cozy candle and this one both by 7th Street Candle Co. I love their all natural ingredients plus these scents are wintery without being too overwhelmingly Christmas. 
• I snagged a pair of these handmade earring studs as a holiday gift for a friend by Ashdel.
• I loved this crossbody leather bag in this color by Purse & Clutch but opted for the black leather because of tiny toddler hands. It'll be the perfect on-the-go, handsfree bag when we travel in a couple of weeks 
• I got this plant propagation station from Awkward Auntie for myself :)
• This baseball cap from Frankie Jean is going to be a really cute gift for one of my cousins. 
• This sticker and this one from Kathy Phantastic are going to be cute little stocking stuffers this year. 
• I have been eyeing these mini paintings from Little Green Press and got one of her cards for a plant loving friend. 
• Got more than one of these pins from Meg Ya Look because I know of someone who would love this and also needed one for myself. 
• Snagged another pair of earrings as a gift from Chauncey & Co Co plus this cute sticker for P 
• Got a print is going to go in our upstairs guest loft and had a hard time choosing just one because all of Pen & Stem's art prints are beautiful 
• I picked up a similar wall hanging from Flourish Fiber Art as a gift for someone who is expecting a new baby and also got P a minimal white + gold one. Her keychains would be sweet friend/co-worker gifts! 
• Every Texan needs these postcards by Mazapan Paper Co. They're so cute!
• I got this cute pouch by Brit Drot for P, she's been into rocks + crystals lately and it's perfect for corralling them in one place plus it's cute! 
• Almost every year, someone I know will get some felt flowers from Zella & Kay as a gift. I love that they are everlasting and handmade by quite possibly the best human on earth.
• Jollie Ollie makes some of the most fun stationery and other home/every day goods - I got some pins, an ornament and a cute enamel mug. Her shop is closed now but bookmark it to check out next year!
• I got some of WatercolorATX's stickers and pretty much all of her watercolor stationery and prints would be amazing holiday gifts!

Some other small businesses I love:

• In addition to collecting mugs (Evan says we have too many but what does he know?), I also apparently enjoy collecting well made wood charcuterie boards. I got this one from Post Oak Carpentry and it's made by 1/2 of the sweet couple who have been writing/sending cards from our shop to each other over serval years. 
• For everyone who loves self-care and is interested in natural ingredients, Sam Wish is my favorite go-to for all the things. I swear by this essential oil blend when I'm feeling under the weather. 
• I've been "accidentally" collecting Eliana Bernard's miniature pottery and ceramic pieces over the past year and let me tell you what a happy accident that has been. So of course I got one of her mini tile ornaments. 
• Maisie & Willow Fiber made some really sweet holiday ornaments. Got one for P's Christmas tree this year!
• I love my Settle Ceramics latte mug so so so much. It's something that I use specifically around the winter months and it just feels extra cozy when I'm drinking coffee! 
• I've been eyeing this truly aesthetically pleasing wood board for so long and was so excited to finally get one for my self during the studio tour from Warwood Made. 

While this list is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive of every single small business I love and support, I'd like to think it's a good starting point for anyone looking to discover some new small business brands. 

And maybe I'll make a goal to make a larger list. Possibly before the month of December. #goals

p.s. I can assure you with 100% certainty that these small businesses (myself included) and even those not mentioned, are so beyond grateful for your support, purchases and orders. Every single day but especially during this holiday season! 

So if you’re still looking for a few last minute holiday gifts, just scroll up and click on some of those links and you’ll likely find just the perfect thing ❤️