Mystic Mill Valley

09/01/2026

Hi,

I’m still up in the Nevada City / Grass Valley area, and there is something about being here that is really inspiring. The nature. The physical space. The energy of the area.

I have been hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, spending lots of time in the water, and generally doing a whole lot of naturing. And making a ton of art inspired by nature. I even got to go to the Yuba River to collect sticks for branch weaving and rocks to turn into jewelry, which was so cool.

I need more naturing in my life.

Which is funny because I live in Mill Valley, one of the most beautiful places, surrounded by nature. But it is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to spend time outside and enjoy it. To go on the long hike. Sit by the water. Walk somewhere just because. Sometimes it takes leaving home to remind you to appreciate what you have right there.
Stop running around so fast and actually enjoy it!

I also love being around so many creative people here. It is one of those places where you can feel the creative energy around you, and it makes me want to make more too.

I keep thinking about how much our environment matters.

Sometimes changing where you are, getting outside, being around people who are making things, or simply giving yourself a little more space can shake something loose.

I am coming home with so many ideas and so much creative energy.
And luckily, there are SO many opportunities to make things at MYSTIC this fall.

Eva, our wonderful Studio Manager, has been putting together such an amazing roster of classes, with even more on the way. Every time I look at the calendar, there is something else I want to take. I have already signed myself up for a bunch this fall.

I am so grateful to Eva for all the work she puts into making the studio what it is, and to our entire amazing team in the shop for holding everything down while I have been away. They make the shop and studio feel magical, and I truly could not do any of this without them.
Also, if you have not been in the shop in a while, come on by!

So if you are craving a little creative energy of your own, come take a class with us.
I’ll see you back at MYSTIC very soon. And hopefully I’ll see some of you sitting next to me in class this fall.

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

FOR THE KIDS

after school art starts soon! no school camps are posted. check out more here (https://www.mysticmv.com/shop/youth-classes/JSHCFIBEWG47Z2PXW2T4MCNI) .

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!

08/25/2026

Hi hi,

I got out of town yesterday. Again. Yes, I know, am I ever in town? Lately...no.

But I really felt like I really needed this trip. It was harder than usual for me to come back from Portugal this year and I haven't felt completely settled since I've been back.
So this week I am in Nevada City for an art retreat, taking some classes at Wolf Craft (https://wolfcraftcollective.com/) , a local art studio here. I extended my trip a little on either side of the retreat to give myself some time alone, in nature, without much of a schedule.
Things I deeply need right now.

If you have been reading these newsletters for a while, you might know that I try to journal every day. I usually pull a Wild Unknown tarot (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/wild-unknown-tarot-deck-and-guidebook-the-kim-krans/2465?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true) card and/or a card from my There Are No Coincidences deck (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/there-are-no-coincidences/CDXWXDGY7DMDHUQTJARRSLS2) (both available in our shop) to give me something to think and write about.
And somehow, I keep pulling the same card from the There Are No Coincidences deck. A coincidence? Apparently not. Trippy? YES! I have even written about this card here before, and this morning I pulled it AGAIN.

23. Portals.

(Although I subconsciously typed "Portugal" instead of "Portals" when I started writing this newsletter, which feels appropriate.)

Portals is about shifting your vantage point by choosing to step into a different state of mind or a new reality. It talks about courage, tenacity, an appetite for adventure, and the idea that "this is just the beginning."

Apparently I really, really need to hear this message. Again.

And maybe I am finally listening. Or at least trying to.

Today I'm exploring a new town (that already feels magical), going hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking somewhere I've never been before. I'm bringing my portable watercolor set and my camera and letting the day unfold a little.
It makes me nervous, but I think that is kind of the point.

Later this week, I'll be taking art classes I've never taken before, making things I don't know how to make, and spending time with a group of people I've never met. Also a little scary.

There is something about stepping outside of what is familiar that shifts things. Sometimes you have to change where you are, what you're doing, or who you're doing it with to see things a little differently. Maybe even to be a little more present.

And you definitely don't have to leave town or go on an art retreat to do that.

Take a class you've been curious about. Try a material you've never used. Go somewhere you've never been (even if it's just a new hike or a cafe you have never been to). Make something you're pretty sure you're going to be bad at. Talk to the person you've been wanting to connect with.
Do something that makes you just a little uncomfortable.

Maybe there is a portal there.

I think that is one of my favorite things about taking classes. For a few hours, you get to step into someone else's world. Try their process. Use different tools. Sit next to people you might never have met otherwise. You don't have to know what you're doing. You just have to be willing to walk through the door.

So that's what I'm doing this week: trying new things, making art, spending some time alone, spending some time with strangers, getting outside, and hopefully getting a little uncomfortable.

And seeing what is on the other side.

Maybe this is your reminder to find a little portal of your own this week. Come take a class with us. Try something new. See what happens.

I'll let you know what I find on the other side.

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

FOR THE KIDS

after school art starts soon! no school camps are posted. check out more here (https://www.mysticmv.com/shop/youth-classes/JSHCFIBEWG47Z2PXW2T4MCNI) .

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!

08/21/2026

open 7 days a week!
come visit us 10am-6pm

amazing sign by 𝕀ℝ𝕀𝕊 𝕊𝕂𝔸𝕋𝔼𝔹𝕆𝔸ℝ𝔻𝕊

08/19/2026

New workshop alert! Very excited for this one…
TURKEY WING WHISK WITH WRAPPED HANDLE

08/19/2026

Come hang in the studio! The line up is looking 🔥

08/19/2026

Have you ever tried weaving? It’s such a meditative medium.
Join us for our next tapestry workshop!
Link in bio.

08/18/2026

Have you always wanted to learn the art of Sashiko/visible mending.
Learn to give your clothes new life. Join us in the studio.
Link in bio.

08/18/2026

How is it already back-to-school week?

I am totally still in summer mode. I almost forget my newsletter again...

This summer somehow felt long and incredibly short at the same time. We traveled a lot, spent so much time with family, and had very few real schedules.

And now, suddenly, school starts this week. Work is busy. Calendars are filling back up. Routines are returning.

There are parts of that I am really looking forward to. I really missed the studio this summer and I am excited to be back in it more.
(I also can't wait to deep clean the studio post summer camp)
I miss making things alongside other people. I miss taking classes. I miss having actual time carved out to create.

I'm already starting to find my way back to that. I did some bedazzling (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/bedazzle-your-book/VB2BQZVVQIWTSWU2FR5EQI2E) last night and had so much fun! It was incredibly time-consuming for something involving such tiny little rhinestones, but also so satisfying. (Join us for the next...) (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/bedazzle-your-book/VB2BQZVVQIWTSWU2FR5EQI2E)

And next week I'm heading to an art retreat that I am REALLY excited about. A few days actually dedicated to making art, with nowhere else I am supposed to be.

That's what I'm realizing I need more of as we head into the school year: actually putting creative time on the calendar.

I know I talk about this all the time, but I do need the structure that the school year will bring. If I don't actually carve out creative time, everything else tends to take over. I like to think I don't need a lot of structure, but the truth is, I actually thrive when I'm super busy and my days have rhythm to them.

Schedules aren't necessarily bad. Sometimes putting something on the calendar is exactly what allows it to happen.

And speaking of schedules...

ART CLUB (https://www.mysticmv.com/shop/kids-art-club/3ABPDALSTC2H6JFCESMMM3B4) starts back up at the end of this month!

We're so excited to have kids back in the studio after school. It's a place where they can make things, experiment, work on their own ideas, hang out with other kids, and have some creative time built right into their week.

And if your kid needs something creative immediately, Miss Laura (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/art-with-laura-playing-with-triangles/FCIECWNHT56JXKBO2RA45BES) is back in town and is teaching an after-school class (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/art-with-laura-playing-with-triangles/FCIECWNHT56JXKBO2RA45BES) on the very first day of school. Honestly, after sitting at a desk all day for the first time in months, making some art sounds pretty great.

There are also so many adult classes coming up that I am excited about, and I am personally planning on being in the studio a lot more this fall.

That's my back-to-school resolution.

More making.
More studio time.
More actually putting the things I want to do on the calendar instead of hoping I somehow find time for them.
More art adventures!

Come make something with us.

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

FOR THE KIDS

NOW HIRING!

Full-Time Kid's Art Program Lead & Retail Associate (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

We're looking for a warm, organized, creative person to help lead and grow our children's programming while becoming a key part of our studio and retail team. This is more than a job—it's an opportunity to help shape a thriving creative community.

LEARN MORE HERE (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!

08/11/2026

Hi,

I missed last week's newsletter. And I'm okay with that.

Honestly, I've been in a bit of a funk since getting back from Portugal. It felt extra hard to leave this year.
My heart and home have always been there, and six weeks somehow felt both incredibly long and nowhere near long enough.
And I know I keep harping on this, but I also love Marin. I love Mill Valley. I love MYSTIC. I love my community here.
It has been so nice to see so many of you since I've been back.
I think both things can be true. You can love where you are and still miss somewhere else terribly. You can be grateful to come home and also not feel quite ready to be back.

Apparently my solution to all of this is to get on another airplane. I'm literally writing this from one right now, headed up to Whidbey Island to spend some time with the other side of my family before school starts again. I feel incredibly fortunate that I get to give my girls, and myself, this kind of summer. We are planning lots of kayaking, hiking, family time, and, of course, lots of art making. I always feel inspired on Whidbey.
Actually, I think I am just generally inspired by bodies of water.
In my ideal world, I am forever sitting on a good porch with my journal, watercolors, and a good book, staring at the ocean or a bay.
Truly my happy place. Maybe it is the space. Or the quiet. Or just being able to stare at something bigger for a while. Whatever it is, being near water always makes me want to write and make things. And I really need some of that right now.
I was only back in town briefly, but I managed to process SO many new orders while I was there. The shop is SO stocked right now. I also got to host Collage Club (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/collageclub/AURSG73DDGSWJ62YEMMYFMXV?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true) last night, which felt really good.
And then I turned around and headed to the airport bright and early this morning. It was a bit of a whirlwind.

As much as I have loved this very full summer, I am also starting to look forward to coming home on Sunday, having a little more calm, and spending more time in the studio.
I really, really miss it. I want to make things. I want to take classes. I want to see all of you. I want to settle back into MYSTIC for a while.
So come see us in the studio. Take a class. Stop by the shop and check out all the new things that arrived while I was gone.
I'll be back Sunday and am looking forward to seeing even more of your faces.
And as always, thank you for reading these little notes every week (or almost every week). I am continually surprised and humbled when someone tells me they read them. It means a lot that you take the time to be here.
See you soon.

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

FOR THE KIDS

Fall programming is here! Summer camps are filling up! Sign up today!

NOW HIRING!

Full-Time Kid's Art Program Lead & Retail Associate (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

We're looking for a warm, organized, creative person to help lead and grow our children's programming while becoming a key part of our studio and retail team. This is more than a job—it's an opportunity to help shape a thriving creative community.

LEARN MORE HERE (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!

07/28/2026

In two short days, I'll be on an airplane headed back to California.

And if I'm being honest, I'm not ready. I'm pretty sad.

The last six weeks have absolutely flown by. It has been so wonderful to spend time with my family, to spend so much time with my girls as they experience this part of their heritage, and to live for a little while without much of an agenda.

Here, we walk almost everywhere. Or we take the train. I rarely get in a car. We decide what we're doing as the day unfolds instead of planning every hour.
Life feels slower.

I know part of that is vacation (even though I have actually been working while I've been here). But I also think part of it is Portugal.

I love Mill Valley. I love MYSTIC. I love the community we've built together. I genuinely miss all of you.

But Portugal is woven into who I am, too.

Every year when it is time to leave, I feel torn between two places that both feel like home.

There is a Portuguese word that I have always loved: saudade.

It is not really translatable. People often translate it as "longing," but it is so much more than that. It is missing someone or someplace while also feeling grateful that it exists. It is carrying love, nostalgia, joy, and sadness all at the same time.

I think that is exactly how I feel right now.
I already miss Portugal before I've even left.

And at the very same time, I'm looking forward to being back in California, unlocking the shop, seeing the team, catching up with all of you, and being back in the studio making things together.

Maybe that's one of the strange gifts of loving more than one place.

No matter where you are, a part of your heart is somewhere else.

I imagine many of you know that feeling too.

Maybe it's another country.
Maybe it's the town where you grew up.
Maybe it's your grandparents' house.
Maybe it's a person.
Or maybe it's simply a version of yourself that only seems to appear in a certain place.

This trip has filled me up in so many ways. Portugal and my family have always been a huge source of inspiration for me. I have a notebook full of ideas, a camera full of photos, and beautiful architecture, museums, and artists still swirling around in my head, and a renewed excitement to get back into the studio and start making things again.

So while I'm feeling saudade as I finish out my last couple of days here, I'm also looking forward to seeing so many of your faces again.

See you very soon.

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

FOR THE KIDS

Fall programming is here! Summer camps are filling up! Sign up today!

NOW HIRING!

Full-Time Kid's Art Program Lead & Retail Associate (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

We're looking for a warm, organized, creative educator to lead and help grow our children's art programming. This is more than a teaching position—it's an opportunity to shape a thriving creative community and become a key member of our studio team.

LEARN MORE HERE (https://www.mysticmv.com/kids-art-teacher)

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!