I am known as Miss Wondersmith and I love hosting parties for strangers. I invite my guests in lots of unusual ways, from hiding invitations in public places to sending my social media followers on a treasure hunt!
My gatherings are inspired by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and I consider every aspect of the experience, from the handmade glass and ceramic dishes I create to the feasts made of foraged plants to the ceremony and structure of every event.
This is my way of making the world just a little bit brighter. By creating experiences that could have walked out of the pages of a fairytale, I am showing others that it's okay to believe in magic because it really does exist! The best way to find wonder is to create it, and I love doing exactly that.
More info: thewondersmith.com
"Geode" - A Treasure Hunt Feast In A Cave
This event was held deep below the earth's surface in a natural cavern in Kuna, Idaho
I made ceramic geodes and tucked invitation scrolls in them, then hid them around a music festival for curious attendees to crack open and discover
This event, "Nyctophilia", was about celebrating the beauty of darkness
We dined out of textural black dishes, ate with blindfolds on, and learned how to dance in the dark,
"Blue Pool" was held at (and inspired by) the Tamolitch Blue Pool in central Oregon
I hid eggs with invitations inside them along the trail for hikers to discover, then we gathered above the sapphire waters for a feast of cakes and other treats baked in real eggshells and served in handmade glass bowls filled with feathers.
"Love Letters" was celebrating the joy of the written word
Guests earned their place at the table by submitting a love story in 10 words or less. We gathered in the sunlit sagebrush to enjoy brunch, a discussion about expressing love, and to create our own ceramic keepsakes to gift to someone else.
"Grovfor" was an interactive installation hidden in the back of a brewery
I made confectionary mushrooms flavored with foraged plants for the guests to "hunt" out of gnarled roots and mossy settings.
"Grovfor" was about the mischief and adventure of mushroom-hunting
For my event "Shipwreck," I hid messages in barnacle encrusted bottles and left them on the beaches of Camano Island WA for curious beachcombers to discover
At "Shipwreck" we enjoyed a feast of mermaid-inspired foods, served out of handmade sunken ship vessels
I even made my crown to celebrate the ocean's wonders.
At the end of "Shipwreck," we went to the shores to send messages off into the ocean
I couldn't resist jumping in for a chilly swim.
"Moss Gazing" was a celebration of the wonders of the forest floor
We dined on a feast of wild plants, served out of glass and ceramic dishes on a porch transformed into a wooded wonderland.
For "Lady Fern's Soiree," I wanted to attract curious strangers, so I painted some ferns purple and wrote my invitations on them, then hid them in clusters of real ferns near Eugene, Oregon
The hikers that were curious enough to investigate were rewarded with an invitation to a magical all-purple party.
Here's a huckleberry cheesecake I made for the event
Here I am as Lady Fern, preparing one of the all-purple dishes to serve my guests
"Ephemera" was all about late summer nostalgia
I posted a treasure map on my Instagram with clues hidden all over the city. Those who completed the hunt were able to attend an ice cream party with an interactive installation of glass and ceramic barnacles and share stories about their own favorite childhood memories!
We hung up our depictions of wonder in an art gallery so visitors could share some of our joy the next day for a surprise exhibition
"Ember" was held in the charred remains of one of the country's largest forest fires
It was a gathering to talk about embers as a metaphor for something you must choose to bury or fan back into flames.
I hid my invitations in self-help books to attract those looking for a conversation about change
We dined on foods that looked blackened and charred (but were actually delicious) and shared our own struggles and triumphs with the other strangers gathered there.
I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into the magic I create
