MAKING STUFF: How does craft time work in your household? Do you send the kids into the den with some pipe cleaners, construction paper, and glue, while you sit down to catch up on some emails? Or does the family sometimes pitch in together to make a magical fairy sparkle paper condo that's covered in seashells and glitter? If you're group is the crafting sort of group -- or aspires to be -- your ideal family getaway weekend is night: The Fourth Annual Crafting Community. It's set to get creative from Friday, Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs.
BEYOND CONSTRUCTION PAPER: We're not saying that you won't come across a big stack of classic construction paper at the gathering, but be prepared for a diverse number of you-make-it, DIY-pretty options. Clare Vivier, a handbag designer based in Silver Lake, will be in the house giving demos on leather accessory-making, while Rene Holguin will lead a course on designing a family crest. (Shouldn't every family have its own proud and colorful crest? Maybe with the dog on one side and the parakeet on the other?) An underwater photography workshop and skateboarding sessions are also on the merry menu of crafty craftiness. The point is this: Families work together, parents with kids, meaning that you'll both vacation together in lovely Palm Springs and have some interesting and offbeat goods to show for your road trip.
GETTING ON BOARD: Packages for a family of three start at $1,500. Or you can win a chance at the weekend via Babble. Yeah, you're crafty and yeah, you want to pass that love of yarn and glitter and trimming and sequins and homemade earrings along to the little ones, as well as your affection for a desert weekend away. You can do both at once over the Ace-Crafty-Family-Make-Stuff hoedown. Can we get a hee-yaw!?
