🌵 Well, Hello November!
The Halloween decorations are coming down, the holiday shopping season is picking up, and our New Mexico makers are getting ready for one of the busiest times of the year!
This week, we're celebrating incredible local artwork, welcoming a talented new artisan, sharing where you can meet one of our Founding Artisans, and introducing some exciting resources to help our creative community get ready for the holidays.
We've even got a little something free for our makers!
Grab your coffee, and let's see what's happening around New Mexico.
🎨 Worth the Drive: A World of Color
If you love beautiful artwork and discovering New Mexico talent, here's something worth adding to your November calendar!
The Pastel Society of New Mexico is celebrating the incredible talent of local pastel artists with exhibitions at Expo New Mexico.
A recent Albuquerque Journal article highlights the artists, their creative work, and the wonderful variety of pastel art being showcased.
We especially enjoyed seeing Weems Gallery celebrate the story and the talented artists involved, including Sarah Blumenschein and John DeSpain.
It's another wonderful reminder of just how much artistic talent we have right here in New Mexico.
📍 Expo New Mexico, Albuquerque
📅 November 6–29, 2026
Article credit: Albuquerque Journal. Shared by Weems Gallery in celebration of the Pastel Society of New Mexico.
🫧 Meet the Maker: Blue Coyote Soapworks
Let's give a big New Mexico welcome to Lisa Johnsen of Blue Coyote Soapworks!
We're excited to introduce one of the newest members of the New Mexico Artisan Collective.
Lisa creates beautifully handcrafted soaps with colorful swirls, gorgeous designs, and plenty of personality.
But she doesn't stop at soap!
She also creates colorful fused glass soap dishes that turn an everyday item into a little work of art.
We love discovering makers who bring creativity into everyday life, and Lisa certainly does that.
Whether you're looking for a thoughtful handmade gift or something special for yourself, Blue Coyote Soapworks is worth discovering.
💙 Let's give Lisa a warm New Mexico welcome!
And if you see Lisa's welcome post on our Facebook or Instagram pages, stop by and show her some love!
💜 Founding Artisan Spotlight: Handcrafted by Twyla
One of our favorite things about the Collective is getting to know the talented people behind the creations.
This week, we're catching up with Twyla Caudill of Handcrafted by Twyla, one of our Founding Artisans!
Twyla creates unique handcrafted jewelry, beautiful beadwork, resin art, and other one-of-a-kind treasures.
From her Route 66-inspired creations to her detailed jewelry designs, Twyla brings her own creative personality to everything she makes.
And here's your chance to meet Twyla in person!
🛍️ HFC Craft Show
📅 Saturday, November 21, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Heights First Church of the Nazarene
8401 Paseo Del Norte NE, Albuquerque, NM 87122
Twyla will be joining several members of the Diamond Art Group for this indoor craft show.
It's a wonderful opportunity to meet local artists, discover unique handmade gifts, and get a little holiday shopping done.
Be sure to stop by, say hello, and let Twyla know you heard about her through the New Mexico Artisan Collective!
💜 Follow Handcrafted by Twyla on Facebook and Instagram to see her latest creations and upcoming events.
We share artisan discoveries, upcoming events, creative ideas, and all kinds of things that make New Mexico special.
🎨 From the Creative Toolbox: You Don't Have to Be a Content Creator to Sell Your Art!
You started your creative business because you love making things, not because you wanted another full-time job creating social media posts!
Sound familiar?
Here's a little reminder:
You don't need to post every day, master every social platform, or spend hours creating content to market your handmade business.
Start simple. Take a few great photos of your work, share the story behind what you create, and make it easy for customers to find you.
💡 This week's creative business tip:
Choose ONE product and share three things about it:
What inspired you to create it?
What makes it special?
Where can someone purchase it?
That's three simple ways to connect with potential customers without creating something new every single day.
Your creativity deserves to be seen, but your marketing shouldn't take over your life.
Find this article and more practical advice in our Creative Business Blog.
From the Creative Toolbox is our new newsletter feature sharing practical tips, ideas, and resources to help New Mexico makers grow their creative businesses.
🛍️ Maker Minute: Holiday Marketing Just Got Easier!
The holiday shopping season is here, and we've got a couple of things to help our New Mexico makers get ready!
Between creating products, preparing for markets, and keeping up with customers, finding time to promote your business can feel like another full-time job.
That's why we're excited to introduce two resources designed to make marketing a little easier.
🎁 First Up: Our FREE Holiday Marketing Toolkit!
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are right around the corner!
Not sure where to start with your holiday promotions?
We've created a FREE Holiday Marketing Toolkit filled with practical ideas to help you get organized, showcase your handmade products, and connect with holiday shoppers.
Inside, you'll find ideas to help you:
Plan your holiday promotions.
Create engaging social media content.
Showcase your handmade products.
Prepare for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Market your business without adding more overwhelm.
Whether you're selling online, at local markets, or both, this guide is designed to help you make the most of the holiday season.
And yes, it's completely FREE!
Know another maker who could use a little help? Please share it with them!
🎨 Introducing Modern Muse Artisan Templates!
We've also been busy creating something special for our creative business community!
Meet Modern Muse Artisan Templates, our new collection of ready-to-customize Canva designs created to help artisans, makers, and small creative businesses promote their work.
Because creating beautiful handmade products is one thing. Finding time to create beautiful marketing materials is another!
Whether you're announcing an upcoming craft fair, showcasing a new product, promoting a holiday sale, or simply keeping your social media looking polished, these templates give you a beautiful starting point.
No graphic design experience required.
Customize the designs in Canva with your own photos, business details, colors, and messaging.
🌟 Psst... Something Creative Is Coming!
We've been working on something behind the scenes, and we're pretty excited about it!
The New Mexico Artisan Collective is growing, and we're creating a new space just for our creative community.
Introducing The New Mexico Maker Community! 🎨
A place where New Mexico artists, artisans, makers, and crafters can connect, share ideas, ask questions, celebrate their wins, and learn from one another.
Because building a creative business can sometimes feel a little lonely, and we believe it's better when we do it together.
Whether you're just getting started or you've been creating for years, we want this to be a welcoming place to find encouragement, inspiration, and connections with fellow New Mexico makers.
We're still putting the finishing touches on everything, but stay tuned!
We'll be sharing more details right here in Made & Found in New Mexico.
And trust us, we're just getting started! 💛
Modern Muse Artisan Templates
There’s one more way we're helping our artisan community save time and make their businesses shine!
Visit the our site to preview the collection and grab your templates.
Less time designing. More time creating!
And stay tuned! We're working on more digital products and resources to help New Mexico's creative businesses grow.
📅 Around New Mexico: Mark Your Calendar!
There's always something creative happening in our beautiful state!
🎨 November 6–29 | Pastel Society of New Mexico Exhibitions
Expo New Mexico, Albuquerque
Discover beautiful pastel artwork created by talented New Mexico artists.
🛍️ November 21 | HFC Craft Show
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Heights First Church of the Nazarene, Albuquerque
Meet Handcrafted by Twyla and other creative vendors at this indoor craft show.
Looking for more local markets, festivals, and creative happenings?
Are you organizing a market or craft fair?
We'd love to help more New Mexico shoppers discover your event!
Visit our website to submit your upcoming event and connect with our growing community of artists, makers, and handmade enthusiasts.
Until Our Next Adventure…
As we head into the holiday season, here's a little reminder.
Behind every handmade creation is a real person with a story, a passion, and a whole lot of heart.
When you shop from a New Mexico artisan, you're doing more than purchasing something beautiful.
You're supporting someone's creativity, their small business, and their dreams.
And that matters.
Whether you're a maker, a market organizer, an art lover, or someone who simply appreciates beautiful handmade things, thank you for being part of our growing community.
Shop small. Discover local. Support handmade.
Until our next adventure,
The New Mexico Artisan Collective 💛
Know someone who loves New Mexico art, handmade goods, or creative business tips? Forward this newsletter and invite them to join us!
P.S. Know someone who loves New Mexico art, handmade goods, or creative business tips? Forward this newsletter and invite them to join us!