After skipping 2020 (ugh, don’t need to explain why) I was back in full force in 2021. I started a new job the previous year at Autodesk, a 3D design software company. Partly to be contrary, I created an analog makers’ space where no computers were allowed. This idea also reflected the reality of daily life in 2021, when we were still making homemade bread and crossing the street outside when approaching people on the sidewalk. It’s hard to think about how hard that time was to live in.

Step inside to try some soap-making, knitting activity, garden tending, or DJing shenanigans. Or you can just use the tool library to make something random with your hands.

“Glissando” is the name of my exceedingly occasional brand of homemade soap and candles. Here, you can sample some mini soap or follow the recipe to make your own. Be careful with the lye!

All kinds of random materials were used here: a chunk of concrete from our back patio was repurposed as the sidewalk. I used a branch from a bush to fashion the tree. I nailed some nuts and bolts to the pumpkin walls that I found at the bottom of our tool kit. And I relied on my versatile set of plastic estate sale dollhouse furniture to help set the scene.