Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to 2020 with hope and excitement. It’s a new year and a new decade and I’m about as excited as a kid in a candy store. The possibilities are endless, and I have miles to go before I sleep, so bring it on. This January we at Red Barn Mercantile and Penny Post have a lot to look forward to – all the folks returning with their Everyone’s a Winner Envelope, a new collaboration with Alexandria’s finest wedding vendors (more on that to come!), I’m participating in a live podcast at the Atlanta Gift Market, Tashira Halyard’s always inspiring bullet journaling workshop at Penny Post, and another Makers Mile. That’s right. Last year’s Makers Mile was so successful that we wanted to bring it back again this year.

Now, you know I’m not one for resolutions. They are usually based on shame and the litany of short comings we think we have, so to avoid that negative self-talk I don’t make them. Instead, I look for new ways to enrich my life by setting new goals and pushing myself in new directions. That’s what the Makers Mile offers. It’s a wonderful chance to learn new skills and have a leisurely weekend with friends shopping, dining, and strolling throughout Old Town.

Just like last year, both Penny Post and Red Barn Mercantile are partnering with fibre space, Stitch Sew Shop, and AR Workshop, to bring you this fantastic event. From January 18 - 20 we will bring you a weekend of fun in-store “make and take” projects and enamel pin collecting. Register by ordering your Makers Mile totebag, stop in all of our stores over the weekend to try out a new skill, and then collect your flair when you make a purchase of $25 or more (or you can purchase them for $10 per store, while supplies last).

We are especially excited this year, because one of our favorite paper people, Katie Gastley of Idlewild Co., designed the bag and the pins. We sold out early last year so register today to get your spot on the Makers Mile!

Here’s to new years, new decades, and new skills!!