WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — DIY in the Junction brought out families looking to get crafty and enjoy the shops during a sunny Saturday.

Eight shops participated in the event, each on choosing a craft that aligned with their stores theme. Coffee Cats had a make your own cat toy station and The Spice & Tea Exchange provided a Tea Steeping 101 class.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory had a dip-it-yourself station, allowing families to enjoy some chocolatey goodies without all the mess in the kitchen.

“Oh, it’s just a lot of fun. I think that people look at some of the things that we’ve got in the case, and they don’t realize that this actually does take a little practice to get that drizzle down and to get the dabbing down,” said Meredith Smith, shop owner. “It’s just fun to experiment, and it set up a whole lot easier than trying to put this together in your own kitchen.”

The Historic Valley Junction Foundations works to preserve the history of the Valley Junction district by bringing together the community with events just like this and hopes to bring the event back in the future.