I’m back again for the second time in the same week. I KNOW, I’m just as surprised as you 🙂 I have been getting a handful of questions about my adventure from last weekend and I wanted to get the information out to you sooner than later….so here we go!
Last weekend I piled in the car with a group of my closest girlfriends from Grand Forks and made the journey down to Fargo for an all day event hosted by the Unglued Market – a winter craft retreat – and heck YES it was just as amazing as it sounds like it would be!
Friday night we started off by heading to one of the best food and beer establishments in Fargo – Wurst Bier Hall. We enjoyed some appetizers together, both the pretzels and pierogies, and for dinner I went with the bacon flight (arguably better than a beer flight) and a side of the best sweet potato fries I have ever eaten. They are the perfect crispiness and I love the long crinkle style! This place opened up when I was in college in Fargo and I remember how much fun my friends and I had eating and drinking there. If you live in this area and have never been make sure you add it to your list of places to check out.
After our supper we headed over to Drekker Brewing’s brewhalla beer hall for a little pre-party action hosted by Unglued as a taste of the event that was to come the next day. I had never been to brewhalla before but had seen plenty of pictures and it was just as stunning as I thought it would be! A huge hall of a building with a loft and huge beams and wooden tables all dedicated to beer. They also have some fun arcade style games and bean bags which is a fun way to spend time with friends while there. They also have a huge outdoor area so I’ll definitely be planning a trip back when it’s patio season!
When we arrived we were pleased to find that we were able to get the crafting started early because they had a project for us to do in the room that was reserved for our group! We each got to stamp and decorate our own small tera cotta pot however we liked and then plant a sweet little baby cactus inside. I brought mine home and it’s loving being right by the sunny front window of my living room!
Saturday morning is when the real intense fun started!! The retreat was held at the local Sons of Norway lodge which meant Norweigan food all.day.long and it was incredible. After we registered in the morning we enjoyed a delicious Norweigan breakfast (give me alllll the Norweigan pancakes) and breakfast beers and mimosas provided by Drekker. If I could started every Saturday morning that way from now on that would be great :D.
The rest of the day was filled with crafting awesomeness. Each attendee of the retreat was able to sign up for 2 different workshops of their choosing before the retreat and then there were also free crafting breaks and other whole group crafts built in later in the day. The two workshops that I chose to attend were one on Punch/Rug Hooking and one on Embroidery. I instantly fell in love with the rug hooking and I cannot wait to continue making items with that technique and hopefully even selling some in the future! It was therapeutic but not something that requires intense dexterity like other knitting and crocheting seem to. I made an amazing rainbow to hang in my rainbow half bathroom which you can see below.
The embroidery class I definitely struggled with more but by the end of the two hours of the workshop I was feeling semi-competent. We made these mini embroidery necklaces which look like old school lockets. I will wear mine proudly because it’s pretty cool to rock something that you made yourself!
As I mentioned before the food that we were served all day by the Sons of Norway staff and volunteers was KILLER good. Lunch was sandwiches and an amazing dumpling based soup but the real showstopper was the indescribable piece of chocolate peanut butter pie that was for dessert. My mouth is truly watering as I type this….for supper we celebrated arguably the best holiday ever “National Meatball Day”. WOAH. We had amazing meatballs and gravy with mashed potatoes, carrots, and a great vinegar based coleslaw with MORE dessert. This time it was a light and fluffy chocolate cake. The Sons of Norway treated us like kings and queens and we definitely left as far away from hungry as possible.
Some of the general crafting time and the crafts that everyone participated in together were short and simple projects that are still a lot of fun! We made our own bath bombs/bath salt, our own soy-based candles, and were able to screen print our own small little art pieces. All of the items that you make you get to take home with you so how COOL is that!? Two other craft stations involved two local business – Wild Terra Cidery and Proof Distillery. It was a blast to learn about cider making and norweigan liquor from these two businesses AND do some tasting. Below is a photo of my cute little art piece that I screen printed with the theme of the weekend “hygge” pronounced HOO-GAH….yeah I KNOW….I’ve been saying it wrong my whole life and I’m ashamed hahah. I also took a shot of some of the fun sample glasses of cider from Wild Terra. I had no clue there were so many different types of cider and learning the difference between cider and beer and how they’re made very differently was intriguing.
To end out the full day of retreating (8:30 AM to midnight!!) we had an amazing night filled with karaoke and a HUGE dance/dance party in the bar at the Sons of Norway. They had a flower crown making station set up and the dance was luau theme so everyone was breaking out their grass skirts and Hawaiian style shirts for the party. When we woke up on Sunday morning my body (especially my neck from all of the headbanging hahah) was sore in places I could barely believe!
To close out the weekend we attended one final “add-on” event that Unglued had for us during the event weekend – a brunch at Wild Terra Cider Bar. Wild Terra is located in a beautiful building in downtown Fargo that the owners renovated – it was formerly a horse stable and it has such a beautiful structure. The vibe in there is so warm and welcoming and the upstairs loft area is filled with amazing vintage couches and chairs for group and casual seating. (Psst if you live in Fargo they host movie nights there weekly on a projector screen so make sure you check it out!) The photo below is the first floor and it has a stunning floral wallpapered accent wall. I had to take a picture because the morning light streaming in was so gorgeous!
Our brunch consisted of bottomless mimosa and a really fun “build you own” waffle bar. They had a TON of toppings to choose from but I was really in the mood for sweet so I went straight for the nutella and strawberries and then added in chocolate chips and froot loops for some crunch! Topped it all off with just a little bit of syrup and it was divine. For some savory-ness I had their breakfast potatoes with a generous serving of goat cheese which was SUCH a good combination. The fact that my breakfast elements ended up looking like a rainbow made my color-loving soul so happy and it was the perfect way to end the weekend.
All in all this craft retreat was one of the best and most memorable things I’ve done in a long time. Unglued and their team are such sweet and genuine people who will do anything to give the attendees a great experience. If you want to learn more about Unglued click here to be redirected to their website. Next time you’re shopping in Fargo make sure to check out their storefront – and if you’re a resident of Fargo or the surrounding area they host workshops and classes in their store location a few times per month which is a great way to expand your creative abilities and meet new people!
Last but not least….Unglued also hosts a summer camp (OMG!!!) that is a full weekend long event. They have hosted it for a couple of years and always over Labor Day weekend at a camp in the lake country of Minnesota. This year is the first time they are going to have TWO weekends and I am crossing all of my fingers and toes that I am able to get into one of the weekend to experience the awesomeness that is Unglued for 3 jam packed days.
Thanks so much for reading along with me!! Have a wonderful end of your week!
#sugarspiceandstylethatsnice
xoxo Jen
sugar, spice, and style that's nice 