Welcome to the (end of) Fall TBD Seasonal Newsletter 2024

We have had lots of new folks stopping by the showroom, and added many new names to the newsletter. Thank you for being part of our community! Whether you’re our next door neighbors in Vallejo, or half way across the world… we are grateful for you joining us! 

This newsletter will highlight a bit of what TreeBed Design has been up to, take a look at all the holiday additions (there is still time to find a beautiful gift), and look towards the new year! 

Classes & Workshops! Kristin and I have been busy this past year playing with a mix of different classes and workshops. From kids classes at the local library, taking Open Clay Table to our friends at the senior housing down the block, Monday Night Mug workshops, and some of our first one on one classes/creative coaching! The goal has been to find our lane for being creative while supporting others to do so as well! Thank you to everyone who has joined us, and we hope to see more of you in the new year! I'm excited to introduce a couple of new classes that could make great holiday gifts. One of those offerings is coming up Sunday 12/22... Coffee Origins: Honduras. I will be talking about my opportunity to visit coffee farms in Honduras in 2014, and I will brew you coffee from those farms offered by Ritual Coffee. There will also be a fun Intro to Coffee Class in the new year, or schedule a personal class to learn what ever coffee skills you are looking to know more about! Are you making ceramics at home and need a place to fire your work… we can help! Check out our kiln firing service form on the website, and see if we can finish off that creation of yours!

The Fall/Winter collaboration mugs are back in stock! These are a limited run... so get them while you can! And check out all the new items up on the website and in the Showroom!   Reflection The end of the years lends itself to lots of reflecting, and I'll be honest... this year has been pretty tough as a creative/small business owner. Nobody said this path would be easy, but geeeesh! I said earlier in the year that I was going to "go all out" to try and make things work... I wanted to make sure I was DOING the things I was dreaming up, and not just waiting on the sidelines for "perfection" to arrive. I feel like Kristin and I have been working really hard to try lots of things to keep all of our creative and community efforts moving forward! I am really proud of that... and REALLY tired. The new year will bring some evaluation of all that hard work. Time to look at what things still feel alive and what parts may need to be let go of... However, I am grateful for all of the connections we made in our community (near and far). My hope is that whatever direction things take, we continue to deepen our roots in all the parts of our work that feel nourishing to ourselves and the communities we are a part of.  With heaps of gratitude, - Micah/TreeBed Design

End of Summer...

This summer has been jam packed with beautiful events, travels, and new opportunities to lean into the creative journey of TreeBed Design. 

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over! This newsletter will recap some of the highlights of the last few months, and hint at some fun things to look forward to. 

TreeBed Design is adding a seasonal newsletter to the mix, and you can sign up right now! My hope is to send out information about what is happening with TBD, and form a deeper connection to... my story, process, and the products being created.

There will also be access to discounts, special releases, and you'll be the first to know about events/classes/etc! 

Nobody needs more email clutter, and I don't want to be another brand constantly shouting into the void of your digital world. It is my intention to add value to your connections with TreeBed Design, and better share the story of what is unfolding in my creative process... I want you to be a part of my community as I bring my creativity into the light!

Photo Story: Once upon a time (2007) I helped start a coffee house in the town of Spencer, IA... there was a presidential election going on, and that meant lots of action in Iowa small towns. We held a mock caucus to teach people how to participate in that process, and vote for the drink of their choice (I think the latte won ;) 

Shaky Tree Coffee was a magical little oasis of 3rd wave coffee (more about my connection to that for another story time), music/art, and community! The news article in the photo was about our mock caucus, and we hosted events for different candidates (including one with Joe Biden's late son Beau in the middle of a blizzard). I took this photo as a part of a Flickr challenge to take a self portrait each day for a year (before IG or the term selfie existed)... this was a pretty good one. 

Yes... it has been a while. The past year has been a doozy! About this time last year I was trying my best to hold onto my home/studio in Vallejo (of 14 years), and when that didn't work out... I found a beautiful spot to land in rural Napa on Mt. Veeder. I was nearly unpacked/organized, and ready to start building out a new studio (I had just done my first firing of my ceramic kiln)... when the devastating wild fires swept through and took nearly everything. I lost a great deal of my work, tools, instruments, etc (along with all my household belongings). Whew!

Which brings me to why I am so excited to be participating in Napa Makes tomorrow! I finally started making work a few weeks ago, and I get to share that work with people in a beautiful setting... while serving Ritual Coffee! I'm feeling so grateful that my time in this community is yielding such strong support for all of the things that I love to do. 

If you are in the area... please come and check out all of the amazing vendors (10am-4pm at the Oxbow School in Napa)! If you are far away... please keep an eye out for signs of life at TreeBed Design!!! 

It has been a busy year in the coffee world for me (thus things are a little neglected in the shop here)... However, I wanted to fill people in on some of the adventures that I have been up to, and signal new energy (and items) coming into the shop soon!

Tonight I will have the opportunity to talk about a trip to Honduras that I took with my coffee family Ritual Coffee Roasters. I was one of a handful of employees that was taken to Honduras to visit some of the farms we work with. It was an amazing opportunity to see the origin of coffee that I have served, and fill in the missing piece of how coffee gets to the cup. I have been working in the world of coffee for over 10 years, and it was truly and honor to see where the whole thing starts. The mountains of Honduras are certainly a picturesque location to deepen my own understanding of my coffee community.

I will be sharing about my experience on Slow Living Radio tonight between 7pm-8pm (and will be archived at some point I believe). The show is hosted by one of our lovely customers in Yountville! Check it out, and check back soon for new items in the shop!