Mystic Mill Valley

09/11/2026

Fall classes are 🔥
What are you signing up for?

09/10/2026

Sign up for a class in our amazing studio!

09/08/2026

Hi,

September feels like a second January, but somehow even more full speed ahead.
And I’m not sure I mean that in a good way.

School is back. Work is busy. The studio calendar is full. My calendar is full. The kids’ calendars are full. There are school emails, appointments, meetings, calls, practices, classes, pickups, drop-offs, trying to squeeze in a date or two somewhere, and somehow a million tiny things that all need to happen at once. (Are you exhausted just reading that? Because I am...)

I am very much back in the mix. And mentally, I am still on vacation.
After such a loose, travel-filled summer, I am having a little trouble adjusting.

I find myself looking at my calendar and realizing that almost everything on it is something I need to do for work, for my kids, for the house, for someone else.
So I really am trying to put myself on there, too.

And I don’t necessarily mean some elaborate self-care routine or blocking off an entire afternoon. I know that kind of time is not available to everyone, and it isn’t available to me either.

Sometimes it is a five-minute walk around the neighborhood with the dogs.
Five minutes writing.
Sitting outside for a few minutes (doing accounting, of course).
Making something, even if I only have ten minutes.
Or putting a class on the calendar so that I know I will actually stop everything else and go.

I’m really trying to pay attention to that right now. Trying not to let every open space immediately get filled with another thing I have to do. Or, if I am going to fill it, maybe filling some of that space with something creative.

I’m trying to leave a little room for myself. To say no a little more...
As someone I know says, I am in my “season of no.” (Hard for a recovering people pleaser, but I’m working on it.)

I am so happy to be back in the studio, and there are so many classes coming up that I am really excited to take. We are also working on some really cool classes for fall and winter.

Putting a class on the calendar is the only way I actually make the time for it and can make it happen. Same with seeing friends these days. If it isn’t on the calendar, apparently it does not exist. Combining the two? Win.

So maybe September is less of a fresh start and more of a reminder.
The calendar is going to fill up either way.
I just want to make sure I am somewhere on it too.

And hopefully some of that time is spent making things, seeing people I love, and actually enjoying the life I am running around trying to manage.

Hope to see you in the studio. I’ll be there!

With love,
Andrea

HERE IS WHAT IS COMING UP IN THE STUDIO:

Other classes coming up in the studio this month:

Tues., Sept. 15th (6:30-8:00pm) - Summer New Moon Sound Bath & Energy Healing Ceremony (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/art-of-intuition/HOUKY6RA6LASETPXZYTBEQMI)
Wednesday, September 16th (6-7:15pm) - Art of Intuition (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/art-of-intuition/A6UPO5NOZCQKOGPIPW3X2RWQ)
Thursday, September 17th (6-8pm) - Q***r Craft Night (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/queer-craft-night/GJ3YWKUR6RLNSJN2QBKQBZ43)
Sat., September 19th (10-11:30am) - Stitch Society (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/stitch-society-a-fiber-arts-gathering/5CNQGIBGRIMPP7Y6DCGJHYTN)
Saturday, September 19th (2-5pm) - Polaroid Emulsion Lifts (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/polaroid-emulsion-lifts/6P6U2EJJETNPC3F3IU5EKIWD)
Sunday, September 20th (4-6pm) - Autumn Equinox Vision Boards (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/autumn-equinox-vision-boards/DSG7MBGRNER5PNGNH74IHM6Y)
Tuesday, September 22nd (6-8pm) - Observational Drawing (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/beginner-drawing-observation-drawing/6U2EKDOLV7OTGVRYFFCVRWP3)
Thurs. Sept. 24th (6-8pm) - Daily Art Journaling (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/daily-art-journaling/FXHFTTPAXYVE2TF3P5KF7V4K)
Friday, September 25th (6-8pm) - Paint and Sip (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/paintandsip/7MJSUBF7DL6CJGB6CKU7LYDW)
Saturday, September 26th (1-5pm) - Photo Embroidery (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/photoembroidery/TLHGW5YFANFTG7DS5K347B2I)
Saturday, September 26th (7-9pm) - Phono Finish Pop-Up Kissa (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/phono-finish-pop-up-kissa/WVPEF3JCPQVYNKHLVU5NWIYJ)
Sunday, Sept. 27th (10am-1pm) - Turkey Wing Whisk with Wrapped Handle (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/turkey-wing-whisk-with-wrapped-handle/KJVX2DEE5W7OGB5NH2WWJ2YK)
Tuesday, September 29th (10am-12pm) - Beginning Watercolor (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/beginningwatercolor/OZFYFCOZQCSSVFDPANGMAFAA)
Wednesday, September 30th (6-7:15pm) - Art of Intuition (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/art-of-intuition/A6UPO5NOZCQKOGPIPW3X2RWQ)

And now every week!
Wednesdays - Sensory Studio for Minis + Caregivers (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/sensorystudio/5B33I27RXLXNN4FMIQJNZFND)
Fridays - Movement for Minis + Caregivers (https://www.mysticmv.com/product/movement-for-minis-caregivers/V5JEB3ADB6PZHC4CDVRBTRFK)

FOR THE KIDS

Click here for an update from MYSTIC!

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.