Workshop SF - My Happy Place — All Things Loverly

Oct 18

Oct 18 Workshop SF - My Happy Place

My neighborhood of NOPA (North of the Panhandle) is filled with gems, but one of my favorites is a special creative oasis called Workshop SF. I walked by it one day, took one glance at their window display, and was instantly hooked.

Workshop SF is a DIY school, a place that offers fun and creative classes almost every day of the year. Their teachers are all makers and entrepreneurs in San Francisco. You know - the fun, bold, and fearless dreamers that SF is known for. Once you enter the workspace, you’re instantly surrounded by paints, brushes, colorfully decorated chairs hanging from the walls, in-progress sewing projects, and a flag that says “Drink Beer, Make Stuff.” Which basically sums up how awesome and laid back this space is.

Every class I’ve taken so far has been super fun and engaging, but here are some of the ones I’d strongly recommend:

Flower Arranging:

This class was taught by the founder of Home Sweet Flowers. She was incredibly energetic, spunky, and clearly in love with flowers. We were able to pick our florals and then made two arrangements out of them: a hand bouquet and a table centerpiece.

Agate & Geode Jewelry:

I took this class with my sister-in-law Kerry, and we made a date of it by bringing wine, cheese, and crackers! This class included cracking our own geodes, metalwork, and gold painting. Once we learned the basics, we were able to make a lot of pieces. I went home with a few pendants, a couple rings, and a gold painted baby geode, because why not?!

Pie Making:

The founder of Revenge Pies taught the class. She was a firecracker! Sassy, funny, energetic, and a darn good teacher to boot. Before this class, I had NEVER EVER baked a pie from scratch before, and now I’m hooked. I left the class with a ready-to-bake pie, which my husband and I then devoured in just a couple days.

Modern Calligraphy and Letterpress:

I had to travel to Emeryville for this class, as the letterpress machine was located in Western Edition’s studio. The calligraphy instructor was the founder of Traveling Calligrapher. I can’t say enough about these instructors - they all had a great energy and rapport with each other, they patiently went over the basics of calligraphy and letterpress, and at the end of the class, I got to make a few holiday letterpress cards and go home with a full calligraphy set! I still use the set today to practice and love it!