It's been a pretty dark and miserable winter in New York City. Compound that with all the bad news out there, and it's understandable that most of us just want to hide under the covers 'til spring.
But I hope this post will encourage you to make plans with friends and leave the house. In early January, we hosted our first official Purse event of 2026 with our friends at Copilot Money. Nearly 50 women (and a few men) gathered at Maman on West 18th Street in New York City to spend a few hours crafting vision boards for an abundant new year.
It was such a joyful afternoon! Photos by Marissa Alper.
It was magical! There was so much good energy in the room. We laughed and talked and crafted and sipped cocktails.
I love how serious everyone looks while they were working on their vision boards. Photos by Marissa Alper.
Recently, I was listening to an interview with Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, where she talked about how you should host the event you want to attend. When we put together Purse gatherings, we try to be so intentional with every detail, from the timing to the location to the activity. We recognize our readers have busy lives, and it means so much when they choose to spend their time with us.
I spent more than a month gathering all the crafting materials. I reached out to a Purse reader who owns Mood Janesville, a boutique stationary store in Janesville, Wisconsin, to see if I could order 75 packets of stickers for the event. Even though it was that sleepy week between Christmas and New Year's, she was able to fulfill the order (with the help of her interns, aka her mom and stepdad). We love every opportunity we can take to work with women-owned small businesses and friends of The Purse!
It's the little details that make an event so special. Photos by Marissa Alper.
This event wouldn't have been possible without the support of Copilot Money. Their whole team was so wonderful to work with.
Someone told me that January is "vision-boarding season," but I'd argue that there's no bad time of year to spend a while thinking about your goals and/or doing crafts with friends.
I also believe there's never a bad time to think about how you might leverage your finances to make your dreams a reality. Even though we're more than a month into 2026, it's not too late to make some big and small financial goals for the new year.
If you're looking for a tool to help you make those plans, Copilot Money is offering Purse readers two months free when they sign up using the code THEPURSE at checkout.
We created so many cool and inspiring vision boards during the event. Photos by Marissa Alper.
But my biggest takeaway from the afternoon is that I always feel so happy when I'm surrounded by Purse readers. It's truly a privilege to be a part of this community.
A big thank-you to all you wonderful readers and friends (and friends who are readers and readers who have become friends!) who came out on a cold January Sunday!
It was just the best afternoon! Photographs by Marissa Alper.
I've got a ton (and I mean a ton) of magazines in my basement storage locker. Can we make this a regular event? Should we take it on the road?
