are complete. The full, three-hour studio experience at Board & Brush is an adultsonly outing and works great as a way to reconnect with kids who are home visiting from college. If your kids are younger, consider trying the DIY Home Kits available from Board & Brush. Similar to the adult version, kids choose their design and colors, which are packaged for pickup at the studio’s downtown Monterey location. Projects at Board & Brush generally cost between $40 to $80, and take between 90 minutes to three hours to complete. DIY Home Kits for kids and families run $25 to $30. Chapman’s studio is located at 458 Alvarado St. Just down the street, Locally Lit Candle Bar is a DIY creative space that swaps wood for wax. Locally Lit (now at 269 Bonifacio Place) plans to move to Alvarado Street in June, to a location above Twisted Roots Smoke Shop. Locally Lit offers a casual, allages experience in its creative space, explains candlemaker Johnny Foster. Foster, a YouTube-taught candle entrepreneur since 2021, provides a wide range of vessels and scents ready to hold wax, flowers and sparkles, and decorative charms or crystals on top. The reservation-based service at Board & Brush provides structured assistance, while Locally Lit delivers a more spontaneous atmosphere. “I get to know what they like and guide them through the steps,” Foster says. “But the only assistance they get from me is the making of the blend.” Foster maintains a wall filled with fragrances to explore, including fun, unusual fragrances like exhaust fumes and grape soda. Fresh, classic scents like citrus agave and white tea and ginger are among Foster’s favorites. Kids ages 8 and up can make a candle of their own, either from hot soy-based wax or a “sand wax” product that is safe for all ages. “If they can make chocolate milk, they can make a candle,” Foster says. Progress Not Perfection paint parties (left) and Monterey Board and Brush (above) offer a range of craft projects that are fun for the whole family. 16 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® FAMILY 2023-2024 NATURE BOAT TOURS Safari ELKHORN SLOUGH Enjoy Playful Sea Otters, Curious Harbor Seals, Boistrous Sea Lions & HUNDREDS of birds from a relaxing, stable pontoon boat.
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