Elite Event: Make & Mingle @ Sticky Art Lab

Any opportunity to craft and get to know my fellow elites has me sold — especially since I’m fairly new to the area and was looking for an opportunity to connect with new people!
Sticky Art Lab is really a great little space to get your craft on. The space is cozy, well designed, and I could see their craft nights being great for a variety of occasions.
We spent the night creating map coasters and munching on a variety of sweets and drinks. I kept an eye on which maps folks dove for, which turned out to be a pretty great icebreaker in itself. There was an awesome variety of materials and the instructors were excellent.

TL;DR: I can’t remember the last time I had fun playing with glue :)
Another wonderful elite event. Sticky Art Labs, a small crafts activities center on University was a wonderful host to us this evening. Nique and Erin G. provided us with 2 full hours of entertainment giving us the opportunity to make some great keepsakes for the home.
Had the opportunity to mingle with a few new elites, and a few veterans, and everyone was just delightful as usual. Some scrumptious snacks and a few glasses of vino didn’t hurt either.
We were tasked with creating our own set of coasters using essentially reclaimed materials. Marble/​Stone/​Tile samples, as well as reclaimed road maps came together to make some wonderful art projects. The instructions and steps were clear and simple, and we ended up with some great items to take home.
I’ve already mentioned the establishment to a few friends, and now some friends and I are planning our own arts and crafts night. Hope to be back here soon for more inspiration!

Nique and Erin G. you ladies are awesome for putting together this amazing event. It was so relaxing and refreshing to attend this event after work on a Thursday, cocktails and arts n crafts make for an interesting night.
I was quite excited yet optimistic once I walked through the door, I’m not much of a crafty person so that worried me a bit but it was my first event that I had attended where I didn’t bring a plus one. I showed right at 7pm and the place was pretty full so I grabbed a seat and looked around in awe. There were a few familiar faces but tons of new Unilocalers I haven’t met as well.
The goal for the evening was to make these awesome map coasters and get to mingle with fellow Unilocal Elites, I had a blast! We were give granite/​marble tiles as the base for the coaster, along with various maps, felt cloth, colored paper, scissors, GLUE and blow dryers. I loved that we used maps for the design for the coasters because this made for a great conversation starter we all talked about where we lived, came from, wanted to visit and it was interesting getting to know most of the people at my table and hear about their background. The project was a bit messy with the glue and such but it was fun and actually took me back to my elementary school days.
This event really brought me out of my shell and comfort zone more than ever and it really made me want to do more arts and crafts type things, I feel this type of event should be a once a month or maybe even twice a month thing. Once again thank you Nique and Erin G. for putting together this fun event and thank you to Sticky Art Lab for allowing us to get messy, get creative and have some fun on a week night!

This was so fun! A big thank you to the owners, Erin and Rachel, who made this such a new and wonderful event. It was also great to meet Nique for I think the first time. She was such a great hostess, and made sure that everyone was having a great time. As always, we were served refreshments — wine, cookies and other snacks – and got to take home Unilocal symbol shaped ice cube trays. We were also able to meet other fantastic Unilocalers and make new connections.
I haven’t made crafts in such a long time, so this was a great way to get my creative juices flowing. Each person was allowed to make up to 4 map coasters using old maps, tiles and glue. I chose the world map, which had lots of really great colors to take advantage of. I really loved combing that with see-​through pieces of tissue and trying to make something artsy.
Since I live in Berkeley, this was a fairly convenient location to get to, for those unfamiliar with the area, the 51B goes down University, almost right to the front. I think this was a great idea, creating an adults only crafts night! I’m so excited for my next Elite event!

I have been desperate to get out of my head and to actually make something with my hands. I’m not a naturally inclined DIYer, and the amazing thing about living in Berkeley is that there seem to be more and more opportunities to have someone take you by the (clueless) hand and show you how to be productive.
I loved making coasters at this event. Such an easy task and so useful! I enjoyed looking at the maps and going down memory lane, remembering places I’d been in different cities and honoring them on a tile.
I would love to come back here for more workshops.

How fun, doing crafts while sipping on wine is a delightful way to spend an evening. This lab is a wonderful place to come to and cut paper, covers your hands with glue, and come home with a masterpiece. The room was filled with talented Unilocal crafters.
We created map coasters at this event. The check in swag was a Unilocal ice tray. These both are very useful items. I can put ice in my drink and put the glass on a stylish, one-​of-​a-​kind coaster.
They offer workshops and open lab for both adults and children. I plan to come back soon; I rather enjoyed getting glue on my hands.

I love artsy Unilocal events! Even if the craft doesn’t turn out how you hoped it would, at least you had good food, drinks and company. Instructions were clear. Snacks were plentiful. And, I liked the variety of materials you had to choose from (marble, granite, porcelain tiles… maps of the world, national forests, major cities, and suburbs (for some reason everyone kept passing on Fremont? jk!)) It was a lot of fun and thank you Rachel, Erin, and Nique for making this all possible!

This was my first Elite event in the East Bay so I was concerned with being early/​on time. I come from LA where everyone shows up late to everything. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people waiting outside the event.
I appreciated the intimate size of the event. People including Nique were quick to top off beverages and everyone was incredibly friendly. I’m always hesitant to go to events without plus ones but this one was a perfect one to go to since you are busy trying to follow multiple steps.
We made 4 coasters using an assortment of sizes (there were rectangular and mini tiles). I actually made 100 personalized photo coasters as wedding favors about a year ago so I thought I know everything there was to know about coaster DIY. Guess not! Great tip: smooth with the tongue depressor and dry with a blow dryer! I don’t know how neither occurred to me. The Yes paste to glue the felt to the tile was much easier to use than the tacky glue I used that was impossible to squeeze out of the bottle! Sometimes you just have to leave it to the professionals!
Thanks Rachel for opening the doors of Sticky Art Lab for us. I definitely plan to check out another Make and Mingle event or drop by for an open lab.

Getting crafty with fellow Unilocalers is mighty fun. We were greeted with sweet and salty treats along with wine or soda. Mix and Mingle is held every third Thursday. Last night was the debut.
We made coasters using old tiles, maps and felt. Sticky Art uses recycled materials to create something new. Up cycling is fun. It costs $ 25 for all of the materials, instruction and adult beverages.
This was a fun way to get to know some fellow Unilocalers. It was also nice to see a full house of crafty Unilocalers.
The first step was to cut our maps and use Mod Podge for the first layer of our coaster. The next step was the Yes paste. The last step involved a really sticky goo that I cannot remember the name of right now.
Overall, the final product was delightful. I now have South Bay and one New York coaster to share with visitors. Erin and the owner did a wonderful job teaching us. Nique was an excellent hostess. It was nice to see Nique participating with the rest of us.
Thanks Sticky Art and Unilocal for introducing me to another East Bay gem.

What better way to spend a Thursday night than doing arts and crafts with fellow Unilocalers? I got nothin’. =D I truly enjoyed this study break at Sticky Art Lab designing one-​of-​a-​kind coasters that I’ll use every day.
Thank you to Erin G., Rachel K., and Nique F. for putting together a wonderful craft night. I met a few new Unilocalers at my table and got to sip on wine and munch on the most delicious lavender shortbread cookies.
Whomever came up with the map idea — kudos. In between the layers of mod podge, glue-​encrusted fingers, and hair dryer breaks (lol) we were easily able to converse about traveling, where we’ve been, and where we want to go. Awesome ice breaker for anyone. I am a big fan of this Make & Mingle concept at Sticky Art Lab — I have a feeling it will be quite successful once word gets out!

Fantastic event! So much fun! This Unilocal Elite Event took place at Sticky Art Lab, this cool art studio on University Avenue in Berkeley. Sticky Art Lab hosts a monthly Make & Mingle event and Unilocal Elites were able to participate in the event’s opening night! During this event, we made map coasters using old travel maps, tiles, and felt. Rachel and Erin were our hostesses and they were amazing and so helpful! In addition to crafting, we also had snacks and, of course, wine! I had a wonderful time and will definitely be back to check out more of Sticky Art Lab’s Make & Mingle events. Thanks to Nique for another great Elite event! Love the Unilocal ice cube tray!

Bring on the art supplies!
Thanks so much, I had a blast getting sticky, as well as making some new friends.
The 21+ Make & Mingle concept is wonderful and I wish you all the success.
We should all take occasional moments out of our hectic lives to embrace our inner child and get a little dirty with a good art project. Doing it on a school night adds an extra little thrill. Adding in new friends makes it even better.
Changing the lighting half-​way through was a great touch. We needed the bright lights to find all our supplies in the beginning, but after we’d gotten to know each other it was nice to switch to a more intimate environment.
I’m thrilled with my home-​made coasters, and look forward to returning to the sticky lab again soon, with family in tow.

Thanks Erin G., and owner Rachel K. for hosting such a wonderful event! Also shout out to Nique F. for another great event! It was so much fun! After tonight, I finally figured out why this place is called «Sticky» because everything gets so sticky!
So each person made four coasters today while enjoying some delicious snacks and wine to give us some creativity! We first chose our maps. I just grabbed the Washington D.C. one that happened to be in front of me. Other Unilocalers got cool ones like the world map, the California map and etc. We got to pick the tiles we wanted, which ranged from small squares to medium sized squares and then to even larger rectangle tiles! We traced our tiles onto the map, cut them out, paste them into the tiles, and put one some more layers of mod podge. We also had the choice of adding our own personal touches with the paper provided. I love how everything we used were basically recycled material. Yay for being green! The drying of the coats took some time and turn into more mingling time with the fellow elites at my table.
After everything dried, you can now glue, which happened to be named «Yes,» on a piece of felt on the bottom to hold the coaster. Then, the final coat was put onto the coaster to add that glossy feel to it. And ta-​da, your very own coasters in which you could use when guests are over, along with the awesome ice cubes from the Unilocal ice cube tray! Woohoo!
I had so much fun tonight! I really enjoyed meeting new people and just mingling. It was the whole point of the event, right?! It was such a great event! Both Erin and Rachel did a fantastic job explaining everything and making sure we’re doing what we were supposed to (or not hehe).
Sticky also have regular open lab for children on a daily basis. They also have cool monthly events, too! They will be making coasters again later this month and then dream catchers the next month! You can also host parties, field trips for kids or whatever events you like here. It’s an awesome place!

«I’m all sticky!»
Yes, that was the outcry from someone at our table. And it’s true. The glue was getting everywhere.
Our mission on this Thursday evening: to make map coasters. I loved getting artsy and crafty with my fellow Unilocal Elites. It reminded me of kindergarten, that magical year of infinite imagination and wonderment in art class. It was fun to have a chill night of cutting, gluing, pasting, and rubbing elbows with the fine folks of this fair site. I did not partake, but there were several bottles of wine and a tray of cookies there for us to munch on. I snagged a bottle of soda and a bag of pretzels, and walked away with a pretty sweet Unilocal ice cube tray!
I was not feeling incredibly social, as I had been having a bit of a bummer day, but I made small talk as I pieced together my coasters. I think they came together quite nicely, but I don’t want to brag. I liked that there was one East Bay map (one which I quickly snatched up) but I wished there had been more San Francisco maps for the other guests. Still, such a creative idea. Sticky Art Lab was a really great time! Sticky fun for everyone.
Nique F. is a superstar and rocked her hostess duties once again. Rachel and Erin did a great job of making sure everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves. Kudos to you ladies!
Sticky Art Lab offers classes for children and adults. I highly recommend signing up for one. It made me feel like a kid again, especially peeling off the glue that was stuck to my fingertips. They are just a hop, skip, and a jump from Republic of V.
It was super great to meet the few of you I did talk to. Hope to see you at more events!