gift bags on creativebug

It's the count down to Christmas, and if you haven't started wrapping your gifts- it's time to start thinking about it! I have a great new class that was just released on Creativebug. I show you how to make two kinds of burlap bags- a boxed edge stand up tote and a frayed edge bag that features weaving. Both elevate the gifts your giving and are quick and satisfying. Bonus- they cost nothing (or close to that!). They also double any gift you give because they are re-usable. Whip up several at a time and put the wrapping paper away! You can check it out right here.*

*I'm an affiliate with Creativebug, so if you sign up by linking over from here, I receive a little "something".  Thanks so much!

creativebug giveaway!

Can you believe the end of the year is upon us?! 2013 was a year of acceptance and transformation for me. My anchor has been maya*made. It was the tool that kept me grounded in creativity and optimism. You all were some of the best inspiration! To thank you for your love and support, I am teaming up with my favorite folks at Creativebug to offer a special giveaway:

How would you like to win two FREE 3-month subscriptions to CreativeBug?! One for you... and one to gift your best friend, or sister, or mom!

How fun is that?! What a great present and fabulous way to begin the new year- making stuff and learning new skills with the most amazing video workshops available (if I do say so myself). There are so many to choose from... and let's not forget that you could be making burlap stockings or upcycled pouches with me!

How do you enter? From now until Tuesday, 12/17 at midnight:

1. Leave a comment here about some new crafty skill you'd like to learn in the new year.
2. For another entry into the drawing hop over to Creativebug and check out the classes offered- come on back here and share which one you can't wait to take.
3. Want your name thrown in the hat once more? Go follow mayamade on instagram and comment on any pic with the hashtag- #mayamadecreativebuggiveaway

I'll announce a random winner on Wednesday, December 18th... just in time for last minute gift making and giving! Good luck and thank you!

"falling" for creativebug

Come visit me on CreativeBug with my thoughts on autumn in New York. Click here.

SFGBB and CB

image courtesy of SF Girl By Bay

Happy Monday! It's always so lovely to start the week with a bit of happiness... my first email of the day was a cheerful note from my friends and creative bug.  Two of my favorite hometown sites had just joined forces for a Monday blog post. SF Girl By Bay  is currently featuring not only creative bug, but also my newest workshop: the upcycled pouch. Seeing how my little yellow pouch was used for a contrast pop of color was inspiring, as well as exciting. All of the photos are just stunning. Do check them out, as I'm sure you'll want to make one of everything she highlights today.

SF Girl By Bay is also offering a discount to creative bug's subscription rate to all of her readers right now. It's a perfect time to join and learn how to make something new!  Hop on over- right here!

upcycled pouch::creativebug

I am so excited to announce my latest online workshop with creativebug!

This upcycled pouch has to be one of my favorite projects ever, and I'm positive you're going to feel the same way about it. They're reinvented out of Tyvek mailers and inspire total customization. Look at the three samples above... each one is totally unique, no? Make them in any size, shape, or color... and print to suit your mood and style. The options are truly limitless... you'll find you can't stop stitching them!

 Last summer I taught this workshop at Teahouse Art Studio and loved showing even the novice sewists how to install a zipper by hand. Everyone was thrilled at what they could create without even a sewing machine! Now I can teach YOU... even if you're half way across the world! That makes me incredibly happy! I love how creativebug makes it possible for us to "hang out together in your home"... just add paint and a zipper or two!

You can now sign up for one workshop at a time (a la carte)... the upcycled pouch is only $9.95! This is a sweet deal- and I can't wait for you to start zipping up a bunch of pouches for all of your little necessities... and couple for your friends too! Want to watch the video intro (where I tell you all about it)?  Click here.

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the story

 I loved getting this video in my inbox yesterday! You've heard me gush on about Creativebug. The reason? The people. The talented artists and crafters that are featured are matched by a stellar team of fellow artists that work behind the scenes to make magic. This new video gives a peek into that backstory, from how and why it was founded to who holds the camera... and some glimpses of how fun it is to work with all of them. I make a cameo appearance about 2 minutes in. Just the thing I needed to make me giggle, as well as remember how incredible last November was. 

So grab a cup of something, take a 5 minute breather, and enjoy! 

Creativebug - the story of a creative startup from Creativebug on Vimeo.

Now, I'm all fired up to go make something... maybe a little passionate burlap crafting! Ha!

by the chimney with care...

 Yup- it's me again. wink. wink. More videos for you! Your reception to my trailer was so monumental for my spirit! Blowing you all a kiss right now! For every comment so far, I've responded here.

It was fascinating to read what it was like for you to hear my voice. I've felt all along that we were having a conversation... but perhaps we just crossed the threshold to an even deeper connection. This is always my wish in every relationship I forge. So, of course, I want that for us as well. Here's to CONNECTING wherever we may be.

***

So, let's talk stockings! I've made several of these coffee sack beauties every year for my etsy shop. They sell quickly, and I never have time to make more. Therefore, it seemed like the perfect project to teach you how to make with Creativebug this December. It's a great way to learn how to work with burlap and performs one of my favorite magic tricks... transforming an old sack into something "earthy and sophisticated". The template is provided and was based on the same stockings my mother made when I was girl. My daughter now has mine! I like a stocking that can hold a decent amount and doesn't hijack your hand every time you reach in. This one holds a pound of coffee perfectly.Why not use it as a gift bag for your favorite coffee lover? Add a bag of beans and a sturdy mug (or mason jar and cuppow!)... and you're sure to make someone very happy! You can visit the intro to the Burlap Christmas Stocking workshop right here.

reinventor

Hey, there!
 Do you know what today is? Holy moly it's Trailer Day! My Creativebug instructor trailer is now live and ready for you to go visit. Instead of feeling utterly vulnerable and shy, as I had expected- I am proud and grateful. This mini documentary (totally what it feels like to my mom!) is more than a simple introduction... it was crafted so that each frame literally has a story behind it. I have no idea what it will be like for someone who doesn't know the details of my life, but for those that do it is amazing how seamlessly so many facets of my world and history are woven together.

So here's inside scoop for you:
The San Francisco hill top is Bernal Heights. I grew up at the bottom at Precita Park, and my best friend lived at the tippy top. We played on those very rocks (with that sweeping view) every week for many years of my childhood. It was our fort and playhouse, the set for all of our imaginary play and adventures.

The street I'm walking down is to my old house on Precita... and it's where all of the old photos are taken from, too. I hadn't been back in years... but it's still exactly the same. It was kind of unbelievable to open the very gate I remembered swinging on when I was 5.

The murals? They were the backdrop of my girlhood. My neighborhood is renowned in San Francisco for its murals- they were and still are an integral part of the area's identity.  The artist for the one in the trailer lived down the street from me, and since I played with her daughter she painted us in. You can find out more about the Mission murals right here at Precita Eyes. We lived directly next door when the founders, Maria and Luis Cervantes, moved in...  it's still there providing incredible education and culture to the city. Some things don't change.

And then there's all of  the pieces of my grown up life and the country side that is such a contrast to those urban roots, but very much the expression of who I am today. It will look very familiar to you if you visit here frequently, but it's real- not a frozen snapshot.

***

And of course, since synchronicity is always at my side, it's not surprising that this week marks when the real reinventing of myself begins. My legal separation from my children's father is now official. The next chapter is really here. I've tried to be so strong, but last night I had a bit of overwhelm... a fragile moment when I thought- how the hell am I going to do this all by myself?  Raising two kids, building this business, running a home, making it fun, keeping it real, helping others, doing good... you know-  LIFE!

And then I woke up to this trailer... this gift.! This reminder!

Thank you to the Creativebug film crew (Debra, Fernando, Daryl, Danny, and Kelsey) who helped me to see myself and gave me my own words to answer any doubts I might ever have. Now, you'll just have to go watch to hear what they are!
xxx,
Maya

click here

holiday burlap bunting!

I hope your weekend was filled with love. I spent a couple of unhurried  days in the New Hampshire woods with some of the most important people in my life: my grandparents and aunt & uncle.  It was the perfect respite in between all that has been... and what is now before me in this new year. I'm stepping back into my own shoes to be who I am meant to be. That has meant working super hard behind the scenes to nurture some creative projects and a few dreams for maya*made... and finally a couple are ready (or almost ready) to be revealed.

 Let's begin with today's totally exciting announcement, shall we?

My first video workshop with Creativebug just launched, and it's a gift... that means it's FREE, folks! I can't tell you how awesome it feels to offer you my Burlap Bunting as a present! It's such nice way to thank you for your friendship and support... and to get you all making one of my favorite ways to express your favorite word or display a holiday message.

In this workshop I demonstrate exactly how I print and stitch burlap "flags" and take you through a bit of coffee sack deconstruction 101. There's also a great bonus... my brand new variation with numbered pockets. They make such a great little count-down/advent calendar ready to be filled with treats or love notes. Every year I'm inspired by the count-down calendar season, and it's so fun to have a fresh one to share, once again. 

So, grab a cup of tea and head over to my kitchen (seriously!) for the introduction right here. Then come visit the amazing San Francisco Creativebug studio, where the brilliant Courtney Cerruti designed a set just for my workshops! You can do so and view the entire class, from start to finish, by joining Creativebug on this page. Choose the free option or buy a subscription and have access to a huge array of phenomenal classes with a cast of superstar instructors (still pinching myself that I'm one of them!!). You're sure to have all the inspiration and how-to's needed for *handmaking* your way through the holidays... and beyond! 

 I can't say enough about how much I love EVERYONE at Creativebug. Love! I know I sound a bit over the top and even slipping into "infomercially" with my "join now"gushing, but seriously these folks are IT! They're revolutionizing the creative world and giving everyone all over the planet access to such beautiful and well-crafted videos. I'm delighted to be a part of something so GOOD! The integrity, effort and thought that they put into everything they do is tangible. You can also feel how much they honor the spirit and soul of every instructor, by celebrating them with exceptional trailers that tell such intimate stories about these lovely makers.  I'm a bit nervous/excited/butterflies to see mine someday.

So let's get cutting, sewing, and printing... 'cuz it's that time of the year!

grateful

Here's some insight into last week's adventure... via instagram. (username: @mayamade)

I landed in my favorite city and hometown during a heatwave. I went from our first snow to 80 degrees in a matter of hours. oh, San Francisco in November! It was incredible and thrilling- a true gift as we gear up for our long winter out east.  I was so fortunate to be working with the amazing folks at Creative Bug. I am in love with each of them, and feel so honored to now be part of their family. I'll share more soon, but my lips are sealed until then.

I ate tacos for almost every meal... had to fill up on the real stuff, and the Creative Bug "headquarters" are adjacent to my old neighborhood... and down the street, so to speak from my Dad's. Crazy! Serendipitous!

Paid a visit to SCRAP. That is a post in itself... scheduled for later this week. Here's a peek at my haul of rescued treasures...

It was one of the best weeks of my life. I kid you not. I felt so seen, and the world felt beautiful. Bliss was at my side constantly. After how my 2012 began, my gratitude for this kind of ending to the year has no words. It's just a deep knowing and thankfulness that no matter how dark it gets, if you keep truth in your heart and never stop reaching for the light... it will find you! And who knows... you may even be more on top of the world than ever before!

As much as I love... LOVE my city, you know how happy I always am to come home to my nest.

We got right down to work, because the warm weather followed me back, and there was a last opportunity for farm chores. Nothing like mucking out a chicken coop to bring you down to earth... in the best possible way. Grounded, I am. And so are my favorite helpers, who love HOME just as much as I do!

And just in case I needed a bit more acknowledging of the goodness of HERE... a little more rejoicing in the great community we have, our friends called us over for a spontaneous bonfire last night. Staring into the flames, I counted my blessings- there are just so many. In this month of gratitude, I feel full and at peace for the first time in so long. My hope in sharing it with all of you, is that it gives anyone else experiencing the darkness and despair (that is a part of each of our stories at one time or another)... HOPE. It really does get better!