One of the current studio tenants at Gather Goods Co is Gretchen Campbell of Grow, Encourage, Empower. She is a therapist who specializes in teens, tweens and millenials.

One area that she feels is underserved but that she often prescribes to her clients is yoga and meditation, specifically geared toward people who identify as a “brown girl” themselves. She wanted to offer something here in the downtown Cary area, where though the population is diverse, there is a perception that you have to find events like this elsewhere. She wanted to create something like this in her own backyard, (or Gather Goods Co’s more specifically where her office is based), so every Friday in October she is hosting a yoga and meditation session aimed at “brown girls” and with a “brown girl” yoga instructor.

Here are pictures I snapped from the first event last Friday. If you’d like to stay in the loop for future events you can contact Gretchen on her website here.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

And here is the playlist from that event:

A few weeks ago I visited Katie Berman at her home studio in Durham, North Carolina. Katie is a textile artist who will be teaching the upcoming Punch Needle Embroidery Class at Gather Goods Co. in downtown Cary, North Carolina. The first class sold out so we added a second date on Saturday November 9th at 10am. You can sign up for it here.

Katie went to ECU for college and studied graphic design but somewhere along the line her passion for art turned toward more tactile fiber work. A talented seamstress, her leftover fabric scraps inspired her to repurpose and reuse them into art, and this exploring lead her down the path toward more textured fiber fine art.

In addition to fiber art, Katie also has a part-time job. One of the things we discussed when I went to her studio is finding value in ourselves outside of the traditional expectations of “full time artist” or the idea of wearing just one hat. So often, we see examples of people who seem to have it all doing something aspirational and we don’t seem to recognize that that is just one perspective of a person, and that also, we all have different paths that are most fulfilling to us. Some seasons, it is fully focused on one thing, some seasons, it isn’t, and both can feel equally gratifying and rewarding.⁠

Katie’s goal is to one day have a shared community space focused on fiber arts, until then, you can learn more about Katie as well as create a super fun craft with us in our Punch Needle Embroidery Class at Gather Goods Co. on Saturday November 9th at 10am. You can register for the class here.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

On Saturday October 12th at 10am, Durham, North Carolina textile artist Katie Berman will be teaching a class at Gather in downtown Cary, NC on punch needle embroidery. In this class we’ll walk through the foundations of punch needle embroidery and students will walk away with a piece that they can finish up at their leisure at home. Students can choose from one of three custom made designs for this class and will have the knowledge and skills to make their own in the future. You can sign up for the class here.

Punch needle is a technique that is similar to rug hooking that creates a raised textured surface from fiber with a tool called a punch needle. It’s an inexpensive and cathartic craft to take up as a hobby. You can make pillows, wall hangings and more with this process. Below are some inspiring punch needle artworks:

You can sign up for the punch needle embroidery class being held at Gather in downtown Cary, NC on Saturday October 12th at 10am here.

Images: Punch Needle Wall Art by Fall For DIY, Botanical Herb Punch Needle Art by Les Brindilles, Circular Punch Needle Art & Punch Needle Process by Ashley Rae Zibetti, Gray & White Textured Punch Needle Art by Blanc Laine

Back in 2004, before Gather, I started an event called The Rock & Shop Market as a place for local makers to sell their wares because there wasn’t anything like it out there for them (or me). It’s kind of hard to remember what that landscape looked like when these days it seems like there is a makers market everywhere you look. I hosted the event for ten years and through it met thousands of maker entrepreneurs aiming to grow their creative business. Sonya of Metamorphosis Metals was one of the original and consistent vendors at my juried markets, and in 2011 when tornadoes came through Raleigh and decimated homes in the Southeast Raleigh neighborhoods I commissioned her to make a custom necklace to raise funds for the Boys & Girl’s Club that was also affected in that neighborhood. She has been steadily growing and refining her business over that time and it’s been cool to watch as the city around us has grown and changed and evolved itself.

She’s teaching an upcoming earring making class at Gather in downtown Cary this Thursday April 11th at 6:30pm. It is sure to be a good time and you are going to learn a lot. Sonya has a distinctive metal style and she’s sharing that process in this class. You can register for the class here.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

Geometric metal jewelry is a trend that I don’t see going away any time soon. There is something earthy and beautiful about the juxtaposition of raw metal shaped into new forms. Make your own set of beautiful geometric stud earrings at Gather in downtown Cary on Thursday April 11th at 6:30pm with metalsmith Sonya of Metamorphosis Metals. In this hands-on workshop Sonya, a twenty year jewelry making veteran, will be teaching how to cut, shape, hammer and solder. Hope to see you there. You can register for the class here.

Images: Geometric Totem Shaped Earrings by Rare Bird, Brass and Silver Earrings & Brass Moon Earrings by Undergrowth Studios, Geometric Stud Earrings by Metamorphosis Metals, Brass Arch Studs by Kiki Koyote,Large hoop earrings by Annie Costello Brown

Bullet Journaling is a specific method of journaling that has taken the creative world by storm in the past few years. Lucy Kagan will be teaching about it as part of our Creative Journaling class at Gather on Thursday night. You can register for the class here.

Bullet Journaling as a concept was created by Ryder Carroll a designer who realized his particular method of documenting his projects was unique. Essentially bullet journaling is where you categorize your thinking into different lists and reference them by a table of contents but one of the main philisophical tenants of the method is that it is an analog way to document projects in a mostly digital world.

It has been a method that has worked particularly well for me. In addition to lists you can add all sorts of interesting things and ideas that you want to track and catalog. The beauty of the system is that once you have a grasp on the basic framework (which takes some digging in and applying) it is really customizable and logical. It’s a great system if you like things both organized but also have an abundance of creative output.

I especially love seeing how others use their own bullet journals and could search endlessly for how others are using them.

Here is a page found on wellella that helps her stay on target with mental health and wellness by tracking her gratitudes each day.

Here are some example lists from bujo.auslife on the bullet journaling site.

Of course this method appeals to me so much that I even created my own analog “goal tracker” about ten years ago that I still sell here. It is a simplified version of goal tracking and was created before the bullet journal method was a thing. What I love about the bullet journal though is you can have all sorts of lists and you can be as colorful, neat or messy as you want, the interpretation is half the fun.

Will I see you in Thursday night’s class? In addition to workshopping your own journal that we’ll provide you’ll learn three different creative methods: Bullet Journaling, Creative Journaling and Graphic Novel style Journaling. You can register for the class here.

It seems only natural that given Lucy Kagan, instructor of Thursday night’s Creative Journaling class at Gather in downtown Cary (register here), would have a penchant for drawing fairies, plants and nymphs given her family home. Growing up with a long line of gardeners, her environment seems to have made a strong impression on her and I can see why. There is something about being surrounded by thousands of living things, then nurturing, cultivating, observing and documenting them that conjures a certain magic and applies itself to your life.

Hellebore’s or Lenton Rose flowers shown here are one of the only flowers that bloom in winter and early spring. They prefer wooded/shaded spots and have colors ranging from purple to pale pinks and whites. They are perennials so they come back year after year and like many flowers look especially good in large clusters.

A gravel patio area at the back of the home holds a charcoal grill and some seating for dining al fresco as well as extra firewood. A vine covered trellis leads to a greenhouse attached to the side of the house which holds plants in progress, pots and other gardening implements.

Sticks from the yard have been collected over time and are being turned into a wattle fence which is done by weaving together branches into a basket pattern forming a natural and artistic edging and barrier. Beyond the fence is an enclosed compost area.

A cold frame shown here keeps cool season plants such as lettuces and greens incubated and warm during cold nights. You can see more of Lucy and her parent’s home here and her work space here. You can register for Thursday night’s Creative Journaling class taught by Lucy at Gather here.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

Recipe by Megan Crist
Photography and Styling by Michelle Smith

Well, our annual springtime teaser looks like it is in full swing with tomorrow being chilly again. Here we are about to be in the sweatshirt weather again, which to be honest, is fine with me. It means cozy comfort food like this Tomato Florentine Soup. I love this soup with fresh sourdough -or if you’re not vegan, these Cheddar and Herb Biscuits.

TIME 3 Hours

TOOLS

    large stock pot

    can opener

    chef’s knife

    measuring spoons

    immersion blender

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 diced onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon garlic

1 large chopped carrot

1 pound spinach, divided in half

(2) 28ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 quarts vegetable stock

¼ cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 pinch cinnamon

1 tablespoon oregano

1 bay leaf

METHOD

1. In a large stock pot, sauté onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in olive oil until onions are translucent and edges are starting to brown a bit.
2. Add remaining ingredients, but reserve half of the spinach. Simmer for 2 hours on low.
3. Remove bay leaf and purée with immersion blender to a texture of your liking. Alternatively, you can purée the soup in batches using a regular blender.
4. Stir in the remaining spinach when you are ready to serve. Garnish with a lemon twist or parsley sprigs.

As promised, here are photos from the wonderfully eclectic, art-and-portrait filled home of artist Lucy Kagan and her parents in Raleigh, North Carolina. Lucy is the instructor of the upcoming Journaling class at Gather on Thursday March 27th at 6:30pm. You can register for the the class here.

When I was here taking photos, Lucy’s Dad, a landscape designer and violin instructor, was in his basement workshop making new wooden steps for an outdoor walking path. Her mom, also a landscape designer, was at work but her presence was felt in the lush native gardens surrounding the property and in block prints of hers dotting the walls of the home.

This home previously belonged to Lucy’s Grandparents who, before living here, hailed from Massachusetts and spent part of the year there and the other half in the West Indies. The home is filled with portraits and paintings many of which were made by and feature family members. In addition, there are Meyer lemon trees and an abundance of well-loved houseplants and collected ephemera throughout the home.

Next up I’ll show a few pictures from their yard. Though there aren’t a ton of blooms to show since spring is still emerging, I can only imagine how lush and inspiring their cultivated patch of land around their home is in just a month from now.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co.

Lucy Kagan, the instructor of the upcoming Creative Journaling class at Gather on Thursday March 28th, is a talented artist and illustrator who grew up in a family focused on art and design here in Raleigh, North Carolina. After going to an arts-centric magnet schools growing up, she then went to Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD for all you art school nerds out there) and studied illustration & textile design. Following that she worked at both URBN and Martha Stewart where she designed products and repeat pattern designs before a wrist injury sent her back here to recover in the lush plant focused home of her parents – both landscape designers and artists themselves.

Lucy is one of those quirky, jill-of-many-trades types that resonates as a kindred spirit with me. In addition to her specific illustrative style, a sweet and whimsical watercolor look rooted in fairies and plants, she has printed and distributed numerous small publications, and graphic novels and sewn (and hand dyed with plants) a line of apparel including the top she is wearing in these photos.

In the Creative Journaling class that she is teaching she will be going over the processes of three different type of journaling styles and teaching you how to stay on track with making your own. The class will go into depth on three different styles: Bullet Journaling, Art Journaling & Autobiographical Comicbook Style Journaling. Students will walk away with a started journal and practice in each technique as well as productivity tips and tools. In a few months she’ll be teaching a specifically illustration based class at Gather as well so be on the lookout for that.

I so enjoyed photographing Lucy at her home base and have more photos to share in the coming days as well. I’m looking forward to carving out some time to express myself through this upcoming journaling class. If you’d like to join us you can register for the class on Thursday March 28th at 6:30pm at Gather here.

Photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co.