Hey friends!

Wow, there have been so many milestones over the past couple of months and big news to share that it’s hard to know where to begin! 

Let’s first start with the fact that Andrew and I are finally married! Our wedding in Santa Barbara at the Carousel House was an absolute dream! We hit the jackpot with the weather and loved spending time at the beach with family and friends. Although I don’t want to have to plan a wedding ever again, the entire weekend was so special and definitely one of the happiest days of my life. Shout out to our parents for making our wedding weekend dreams come true.

Following the wedding, Andrew and I went on our honeymoon and traveled to Naxos (Greece), Copenhagen, and London. For all you pottery nerds, we got to visit Studio Arhoj (twice!!) in Copenhagen and it was absolutely magical! We sent home lots of goodies and special keepsakes to remind us of our trip.

Since returning from our honeymoon, some exciting changes have been in the works. If you’ve been following along for a while, you know how much we love Santa Barbara. I went to UCSB for undergrad and have been trying to get back there ever since! This brings me to my next piece of exciting and bittersweet news…

We’re moving to Santa Barbara!!!

I’m very sad to be leaving CSMA and the community of students that I have had the honor of teaching there for a year plus but extremely excited for the new opportunity I have in Santa Barbara. I’ll be working for an art education company called Deep Space Sparkle as their Community Member and Experience Manager! Although this is a step “away” from ceramics, I am so excited to be in a position that will challenge me intellectually and provide me with new opportunities to learn and grow.

Although we didn’t find San Mateo to be a long term spot for us, I wouldn’t have changed our decision to live here. You all welcomed me and my biz with open arms and for that I am so thankful. Leaving LA truly allowed my business to grow and your love and support of my work has been incredible. We will be sad to be a little farther away from family, but it just means we will have to visit often! I’ll definitely still plan on attending events in the Bay Area and staying connected with the community I’ve built here. It’s not goodbye but see you soon!

I had planned on attending the Hayes Valley Head West Marketplace event this coming Sunday, as I received a community booth scholarship spot, but am unfortunately going to be unable to attend. I’m currently writing this blog laid up on the couch and recovering from a small medical procedure (hence the lack of communication this past week). This is extra frustrating because this event was going to be my last Bay Area in person event of the year. With the impending move I did not want to overbook myself and feel extra stressed during the holidays. If I had to find a silver lining it’s that I will be having a small restock in the next week or two, which allows all of you, no matter where you live, to shop for some new items and help me purge before we head back down the coast! (We have so much to pack…)

While change is never easy, I am beyond stoked to be back by the ocean and nervous excited (that’s a thing right?!) for what’s to come. Sakai Harts & Crafts might be taking a bit of a back seat as I settle into the groove of my new full-time position but I do not plan on stopping my biz completely. If anything, I think this change of pace might allow me to be more intentional with my time and inspire me to continue to build on my skills and hone in on my style. 

Thanks for being here! Let me know if you have any SB recs in the comments below. I can’t wait to re-explore what will be our new hometown very soon!

✌🏽💛🍊 Michelle