TheCoffeeMonsterzCo Workshops

 

I wanted to share some more photos from last weekend’s TheCoffeeMonsterszCo workshops and pop-up. Some of these are from Sean (thank you!) who was there for some of the workshops I missed.

 

This past whirlwind weekend, Helen from TheCoffeeMonsterzCo flew into town, taught several workshops, and brought lots of stationery treats for a pop-up in the shop.

 

It was a long and exhilarating and exhausting weekend, we’re so grateful for the long hours and hard work that the team put in preparing for Helen’s workshops and pop-up. Jon and the staff spent the week before counting items, assembling all of the packages for participants, setting up the shop and furniture for the workshops and then turning it back into a shop, and then doing it over and over again for all of the subsequent workshops. Even the shop kids got into action, Naomi helping to make washi tape samplers for the workshop packages, Caleb helping the staff to price tag some of the hundreds of washi tapes and other items for the pop-up. I didn’t think it was going to happen because the tracking was showing late delivery, but the chicken and tuna stamps arrived just in time, the day before the workshops, and I loved seeing a tiny bit of our shop cats on everyone’s journal pages.

 

The workshops were so wonderful, and it was terrific to see Helen in action and it was such an honour to see our shop filled to the brim with writing and paper and stationery enthusiasts. In this world of screens and Google calendars and the fast pace of hyper-productivity (although what would I know about that?) it’s heart-warming and encouraging to know that we paper people are still lurking about. You know that I love journalling and my notebooks, and it was so inspiring to hear Helen talking about her own journalling adventures, and her own tips and tricks to building up the habit, adding doodles into your pages, and ways to keep your pages creative and personal.

 

 

Lots of things leftover from the pop-up are now available online and in the shop, while supplies last, including these special vinyl stickers she made just for us.

 

 

***

 

It’s unbelievable that this has been another stop on this journey. There have been ups and downs, as there are in everything, and the future is murky as always, but while we are here, what a joy it has been, this weekend, this view from here. The weeks leading up to this, the hours and arrangements, and assembling the packages and the emails back and forth: to see all the tiny things that have been required to pull this weekend off sprout into life has been a wonderful satisfaction and gift.

 

Can’t wait to do it again.