December Reflections from the Studio
Winter is settling into the Kickapoo Valley, slow and quiet this year. Snow on Main Street softens everything, asks us to draw closer, to choose intention over urgency, and to make space for the things that help us feel human.
Curios & Notions was born out of that exact impulse. A studio where practical craft meets the stories that carry us through generations. What has surprised me most since first opening the doors is how quickly people stepped or into backed from the rhythm of my artistry. Some of you have come to thread needles, trade fabric, ask questions, sit with a project, or simply take a breath.
Thank you for that, it's why I am around.
This month, the studio and myself look a bit different, a bit quieter. I move slower. Projects are more meaningful, full of spirit. And that spirit began shaping the next chapter of the space.
Why Create Together, Especially Now?
Winter is a time when communities either draw together or drift apart. Rural places like ours know that we rely on each other. Even the most independent households still need a pair of hands, a warm place to gather, or a shared skill when something breaks.
Craft has always been one of the ways communities stay connected. Practical, useful, generational crafts like mending a shirt instead of buying a new one or piecing a quilt with someone’s old work clothes, maybe teaching someone to fix their backpack or stitching while talking through life. Making plans and sharing not just food but history and stories at the same table, as family.
This is the kind of work that creates belonging.
I reclaim that kind of making.
Slow. Purposeful. Rooted.
Something that strengthens us individually and collectively.
A Studio That Holds Many Cultures at Once
Our space is small, but the stories it holds are not.
Here, sometimes cultures overlap and sometimes they sit right near to each other like a patchwork quilt.
This year, we’re opening the studio nightly during Kwanzaa — not to “teach” the holiday, but to share meaningful pieces of it; principles, symbols, creativity, and community presence are the foundation. It’s an offering to the valley, a moment to gather, and a window into traditions rooted in resilience and repair, themes our studio embodies year-round.
What’s Coming This Month
A few things we’re excited about:
Small-Batch Craft Kits
We’re introducing a new round of project kits this month starting with Kwanzaa and Patchworking Stories.
Each kit includes a small printed guide and materials with history behind them.
Kwanzaa Week — December 26–January 1 (5–7 PM)
A nightly moment of gathering, reflection, candle lighting, and craft.
Come for 5 minutes or stay for the evening.
Patchworking Stories Together — January 3, 2026 from NOON to TWO PM.
A workshop that blends hands-on patchwork with storytelling and reflection. Gentle, grounding, beginner friendly.
Memberships Now Open
We’ve introduced a simple membership system to help sustain the studio and keep workshops accessible. Tiers range from $5–$150/month, with a Solidarity option for anyone who needs it.
Why Support the Studio This Winter
People often ask what the studio “is” — store, school, workshop, culture space.
It is all of those, but the purpose is simpler:
This space exists so that people, including my own kids, have a place to create, rest, and build skill without cost being a barrier.
This winter, that support matters more than ever. Growingly, sustaining a rural arts-and-learning space requires community participation like memberships, donations, kit purchases, or simply showing up.
Every bit of support keeps the doors open in a season when creative work helps people feel less alone.
Every bit of support has mattered to me the whole time, Thank You for being part of curios and notions!
Looking Ahead
This season, I'll be adding more kits, online classes, maker rentals, youth project days, seasonal community dinners, an expanded tool library, an improved, more cohesive studio layout, and a fully updated website with booking and kits.
For now, though, just grateful to be here and present. Working, mending, sharing, and welcoming people in during the darkest part of the year fuels me.
Thank you for being part of this space.
Julia
Curios & Notions
205 Main St, Gays Mills
