UPDATED 5/7/16: THE LUCKY WINNER IS TRICIA BARBER! Thank you for all the lovely comments everyone!
Gosh, how is it Wednesday afternoon already? WOWZA! I was in a crafty time warp for a few days and it was wonderful! I spent four days at a lovely craft retreat hosted by my amazing friend Brenda Walton. She invited a few of her crafty friends for a marvelous time in her studio from Friday through Monday. I've never been to a retreat like that before. It was great to be able to slow down and know that we had plenty of time together…. We crafted, stayed up really late, ate great food, laughed, took lots of pictures, went on a road trip, laughed some more, crafted some more… It was really such a nice time. Brenda and her awesome husband are truly gracious hosts. They make you feel so welcome. I am so very grateful to have been invited. I really want to share photos of our time together with you. Each crafty gal brought a project, or projects to share and that was really fun. Somewhere along the way I stopped and thought to myself "how did I get so lucky?" It's now been ten months since Crafting and Blogging became my full time job. I am blessed well beyond what I deserve!
I brought my Idea-ology Charm Bracelet project to share with everyone and they loved it. All the bracelets came out pretty and unique. Tim Holtz supplied the products for us – huge shout out to Tim and Mario for that. And, they sent enough items so that I could share one of the bracelet kits with one of YOU as a prize! (Read to the end of my post to find out more). I'll just start with some photos and share more as I go along….
Sharyn brought Brenda some beautiful Lilacs from Washington – on the plane! The smell was divine…
Here we are so giddy to be at the beginning of our long weekend….waiting for everyone else to arrive. That's me in the back, Sharyn, Brenda and Debi.
This is how I packaged everyone's bracelet project kits. I got the gable boxes at The Container Store and stamped them using stamps from Simon Says Stamp and Concord & 9th. (Links below also) I added a bit of pink confetti in the bottom.
This is what the bracelet kits look like – and what is part of the prize giveaway! YAY!
Here we are making our bracelets. We used alcohol inks to dye the gumdrops gems and the stars, and then glued everything together with Glossy Accents. The charms were attached to the bracelets using Tim Holtz Jump Rings. I bought the chain part at Michael's in the jewelry section. This is a super fun project that doesn't take a lot of time. The links to everything I used are below in case you would like to make one! (Great group project!)
Here is my finished bracelet!
I loooooove this photo of all of our creative hands together!! These hands do a whole lot of crafting!!
Debi hand painted these amazing cookies for all of us! Personalized with our initials! They were very tasty, too….although it was hard to eat these little pieces of art.
The group got a little bigger on Saturday! Brenda, Me, Cathe, Sharyn, Gina, Vicki and Debi. Thanks to Brenda's husband for always taking such nice pictures of us silly girls!
Cathe brought a fantastic project so we could make boxes for our bracelets. We painted boxes and then used vintage stencils and texture paste to make them fancy and beautiful.
Some of Cathe's cool stamps she brought in her bag of tricks!
So, this is what our table looked like at MIDNIGHT as we thought it was a good idea to make pressed flower items! Sharyn brought all of these gorgeous pressed flowers from her garden. She also brought vintage music and book pages to put the flowers on. What a neat idea….ready for framing and so pretty.
My favorite were these pressed dogwood flowers. Sigh.
Then Brenda got out all the fabric, felt, suede, leather, thread…. buttons….and we made softies animals!
Did I mention what a fabulous hostess she is? Well, I'm going to mention it again. Look at this beautiful breakfast. How nice to sit down and eat meals as a group with no hurry or worry. It really hit me that this is something I do way too infrequently.
On Sunday we all piled in the 'party van' and went on a road trip to Port Costa to the Theatre of Dreams and then on to Berkeley. We wanted to take the out of town ladies to some of our favorite places! (See my previous posts on Theatre of Dreams HERE and HERE). It was fun to see these places through new eyes and it was a great day!
Some of Wendy Addison's amazing creations….
Debi, Sharyn and Brenda being adorable!
The hostess with the mostest!! In her lovely studio.
That's all! Somewhere along the way I put my camera down and just had fun! Sorry that some photos are missing of our finished projects! Sometimes I get too carried away! LOL. Debi works for Spellbinders and they were very nice and sent us some tote bags and awesome products. I'm including some of them in the prize package along with the bracelet kit.
In order to be eligible to win the prizes in the photo, please leave a comment on this blog post. Tell me what would be the project you would bring to share at a craft retreat! I think we can all have fun seeing everyone's ideas. Maybe you will be inspired to have your own craft day or weekend! I will draw one lucky winner on Saturday evening and notify you via email.
Thank you for following along with me today. Have an awesome day! XOXO I'll be back here on Sunday as part of a cool blog hop celebrating the birthday of one of my favorite stamp companies! I'll be on the SSS Blog on Sunday too, with a Mother's Day card! See you soon!
Comments
61 responses to “A lovely crafty weekend retreat! (And some prizes!)”
looks like a wicked fun weekend 🙂 hmmm… what project would I bring? maybe we would make a set of birthday cards with a simple distress ink smooshing. We could play with all different color combos!! 🙂
I love the bracelet a lot when I saw it on your blog earlier. That would be a great project. Thanks.
I cant believe how much fun you all look like you had! I love the bracelets, I’m definitely in love with them but its because I metal stamp too. I would love to get together and have a group like this. I think If I did one of the first project I would bring is a wood jewelry box or picture frame so everyone could learn to wood burn. I think it is something everyone should learn. It makes great Christmas gifts and ornaments and its so versatile!
Wow, sounds like such a great time. I would probably bring a decoupage project. I love decorating items with all of my beautiful papers.
Thanks for sharing.
Ang
Wow looks like you had an amazing time I’d bring watercolors and h2o twinkling watercolors for everyone to play with and be able to create bg and colour flowers up with them
What a fabulous and creative, special weekend you had! Your bracelet project turned out beautifully!
I spy a fox die in that prize and I would LOVE it! Had a very special stuffed animal fox named Lopki when I was growing up! Still love foxes!
Pushed the ‘enter’ by accident before I finished! I have some very special vintage buttons I am saving to make bracelets with! The buttons were my Mom’s and I want to do some memorial pieces with them. Have been looking on Pinterest for inspiration, trying to decide how I want to use them. That would be the project I would share!
Wow, what a fabulous weekend! I bet coming home was hard to do. All of the projects looked amazing, too! If I got the chance to participate in a weekend like that, I would probably pack my Grandmother’s wooden spools, some wire, lots of pretty papers and embellishments and make little photo holders.
What a fun time! Looks like you all had an utter BLAST! I’d bring my alcohol inks, sticky backed aluminum sheets and some Tim Holtz charm fragments along with some of his vintage style DP to make some adorable charms. Great for adding to bookmarks and the like.
Looks like you gals had a super fun time. If I had to bring some crafty thing I would bring some clear glass Christmas balls to be decorated with alcohol inks. A bit messy but fun to see the final result. Oh and a bunch of decorative ribbons to hang them with.
goodness i would love to either host or attend a crafty weekend like this. what a lovely group of women! i have hosted crafty evenings before where i had my guests prepare stationery kits that included about 6 or 8 cards to send with decorated envelopes and lots of bits and bobs included as well.
your bracelets look like so much fun; i think i may have raved like a crazy lady the first time you posted about the one you made. fantastic use of tim’s goodness (his products, i mean!). anyway, thanks for sharing this peek into your wonderful weekend retreat!
I would make card kits – my sisters love to craft. I did this recently with my mom and she loved it! I love your stories and adventures! Thanks for sharing with us! Thanks for the give away!
Hmmm it would totally depend on who I was crafting with. For little ones I would bring my fairy friends,made of beads and pipe cleaners. For my grown up friends it would be all my cards. I have mad weekends with my buddies where we did peeler beads for hours!
I wish I could have a fun weekend like you had. None of my girlfriends make paper crafts so I would bring my stamps and dies and teach them how to make some simple cards and hopefully they would get hooked like me.
Gosh! I don’t know. I’d probably bring a perpetual birthday calendar to make. I made one years ago with a group…and had a blast!
Loved your pics from your retreat!
Do you know where Sharyn finds her vintage sheet music–I have a project in my mind. You already know I’ve been doing “art days” with my pals twice a month for over 20 years now. Our husbands call them dessert days, but what do they know? Anyway, just wanted to comment on your lovely post, but if I win you can surprise some other lucky gal.
What a fun weekend you had!!! I like to get together with my friends and we mod podge pretty paper napkins on terra cotta pots. They all turn out so unique and I LOVE to give them away with a cute little plant inside:)
What a super great and fun time you had..AMAZING and such a great thing to organize…
LOVE all the photo’s….you all look so sweet and creative!
I have done so many hobby’s so I could bring a lot ..would depend on what the others would like…could teach quilting…dried flower wreaths..pottery making….jewelry making..(with pearls)….making flower arrangements…make stuffed animals..,make felt items..make bread figures and wreaths….and off course ..stamp..and make cards!!!!
So when can I come and join you all…just joking..wouldn’t dare to fly that long flight..
Hugs Holly.
Wow! It sounds like the next best thing to heaven!!
I would bring the supplies for 2 projects! I would bring all the supplies to make mixed-media door hangers. And shadow box frames with tons of supplies to make a mixed-media project.
So fun!!
Omg looks like you all had lots of fun. I wish I had a group of crafty ladies in my area that I can craft with. I have to say that I love the bracelet, and I had no idea you can alcohol ink the gumdrop gems and the stars, brilliant. If I were to bring a project to an event like this I would like for all of us to make a flip book. They are the new thing right now and I’m having fun with them.
Crafty hugs,
Rosa
My email reyesrosa4@sbcglobal.net
Love it. I get together with a good friend often. We decide ahead of time whether we are smooshing, stamping or die cutting. Our projects are seasonal. A trip to the local paper store is a must! Thanks for sharing your weekend and your friends!
After reading this post and seeing the beautiful photos, I wish I had been with you lovely ladies. I would have brought materials to make a little scrapbook to capture the gathering.
** Wanda, what is the photo of colored rectangles that’s between the cookies and the hands? **
What a wonderful retreat! I’d bring a box project – perhaps a matchbox box to make, and we could use my Instax camera to take Poleroid (instant) pictures of the group to put inside the box. They fit perfectly. : )
Oh – ignore my question! It’s a box of paints! (Duh) LOL
How I love this idea! My 3 nieces always look forward to arts and crafts at auntie’s. They would receive something and also give back. We would create cards to forward to others, teachers appreciation, mothers and farhers day (nursing homes/veterans hospital).
Wow! What an amazing weekend. I think some kind of a multi media card set would be a fun project. Thank you for sharing.
Looks awesome, I would love to do something fun like this. I would bring lots of flowers to create a card, frame…. I am glad u took time to do this, what an inspiration!
What a wonderful group of friends and great weekend together. You are so blessed to have such talented friends. Thanks for sharing. I would bring along a card to make using new techniques with an old shabby chic look. I enjoyed Your Weekend!
Wanda, this looks like the absolute most perfect day! Crafty friends and fun creations. And thank you for being an enabler. I love that scripty font so much that I had to go straight away and purchase it from Concord & 9th!
Love the idea of a crafty weekend. Very inspired! I’ve been dabbling in photography and making mixed media cards using photos of butterflies and flowers, so I’d share that kind of project.
Hi Wanda, it looks like a good time was had by all! Great projects and a fab. prize!
I would bring the paper & punches to make a cute bird house/treat box. (I made this a few years ago and its still my fav. project I have made so far.)
I use it as a candy box on the table every time my friends come to “play”. They want to make one as well. It has a shingled roof that comes off and the bottom of the birdhouse has an acetate window with a bird sitting in front as if he is on his way in.
What a splendid looking weekend you had, what a dream. If I could have a weekend like that I would maybe like to make tags for all occasions, or bookmarks, any style, yet simple and elegant.
How fortunate you are to have a great group of friends to spend a lovely long weekend with. Crafting for the whole weekend even makes it better! It seems like it was just yesterday you made your decision to quit your job and start crafting full time. Looks like it was the right decision! I so look forward to reading your blog with your beautiful pictures and great projects.
Oh my goodness everything there looked beautiful and fun! I don’t know what I would have done with myself, giddy yes. I can’t get over bringing the hydrangea on board a plane!love it!
Tfs, and nice photos. You’ll have to scrapbook your retreat.
I just LOVE all the projects you got to work with. Perhaps my favorite were the pressed flowers. Nature is BEAUTIFUL!! What project would I have brought? Well, I’m mostly about card making, so I probably would have brought card making kits. These days, I love trying to find small ways to brighten people’s days so I really enjoy sending random, “just because” cards to make someone smile.
How much fun everyone was having! If I were going to a craft retreat with friends, I would bring small vintage suitcases. I would love to see how everyone would design it. I think they are wonderful for storage. Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures!
I love love those bracelets! Hmmm….one project I would share pop up/3d cards using the big shot 🙂
I always love a good retreat with my crafty friends! Unfortunately they are so far from me, I only get to see them every other year. Each time I bring different supplies & ideas for a fun crafty weekend. This year, I brought all my dies (which I have hundreds) and a couple of us did die cuts. Some were for their scrapbook pages and the rest were for them to take home. I cut quite a few for a friend who recently underwent cancer therapy to make it easier for her to keep creating her beautiful cards. 🙂
What a lovely way to spend time with friends. I would show everyone how to make a felted Christmas Tree. Made with felted wool, a dowel, wire, glue and florist tape. Similar to vintage feather trees.
Enjoyed reading about your awesome weekend…. thank you for sharing and loved your bracelets! Good Luck to some very lucky winner!
What a precious visit you had with your talented friends! Looks like it was an inspiring, soul nurturing time. Thanks for sharing! The bracelets came out great!
That looks like a wonderful weekend! Such gorgeous projects and I didn’t even know cookies could be handpainted.
If I brought a project it might be to make a fun giftbag/box and tag set for a birthday or for Christmas. I’m always running around in need of those at the last minute! Thank y’all for having the giveaway 🙂
Wow! That looks like it was an amazing crafty weekend. Shopping at the end is icing on the cake! It would be so hard for me to pick just one project to bring. I also like jewelry making and little sewing/stitching projects. But I would probably like to make some kind of a shaker card or Christmas ornament. I would feel more comfortable teaching something I have more experience with. Thanks for sharing all the fun with us!
Wanda, what a lovely time to spend with crafty friends.
Wow! Amazing projects!!
What would I bring to a craft weekend?? Hmmm…that is a hard one. Probably a project using Tim Holtz products, such as distress crayons and watercolor paints. Something with butterflies.
Oh wow! This looks like you had such an amazing experience! It also looked like you were with a very talented group of ladies.
Hmm, I would bring everything for people to make beaded Christmas spiders.
What a lovely idea to have a crafty retreat with creative ladies. I would bring a card kit(s) using distress stain, ink and crayons (my new passion) Tim Holtz dies&stamps and a few Elizabeth Craft Designs pop up dies. Throw in a dash of paper and embossing folders and it’s the perfect recipe for fun! Good Luck everyone!
What a lovely time you all had – so fabulous!! On my last crafty retreat I took little notecards to stamp and make, and I also brought mailboxes for each person made out of gable boxes!! I encouraged everyone to write each person a little love note!! Turned out so fun and so cool!! I LOVE crafty retreats!! I will definitely do something like this again!!
Wanda, I am so jealous of your crafty get-togethers! How can I join??
I have an amazing die cut for a special card with lots of spaces for flourish and stencil effects, and very girly.
Your jewelry is wonderful, thanks for the opportunity to win the kit.
Take care girl!
Thanks for sharing your photos – I really enjoy all the photos you post. Since I really love Halloween, I would bring a trick to treat pail (see through plastic paint can type) to covet with stamps, stickers, decoupage, etc. and then fill up the finished pails with treats.
I have a group of close friends and we go off for 4 days to scrap and craft together every January so I know how fun it is! Loved seeing all the peeks of your favor bags, the kits, and of you working on your bracelets. What a great idea to use alcohol inks to customize!!
My friends scrapbook but asked me to show them some card making techniques so I would make up a 2-3 card kit with card bases and goodies like washi tape, enamel dots and twine. We would do heat embossing, die cutting, and stamping (of course!). All my favorite things
Wow, what a fabulous weekend! I can’t even imagine having so many friends to do something like this with – it must be amazing. I’m a card maker, but I think I would love to put together some type of a mini photo album kit for everyone to work on. I think photos are so important for our kids to have to cherish later with their own kids.
What a wonderfully lovely time! I’m sure it was delightful, refreshing and stimulating! I think I would bring an ancestor (found or real) related clipboard or journal project.
What a fun craft get together you had! Looks like you had a blast shopping, visiting, crafting and showing off your bracelets afterward too. I would put together a craft project with gift bags and tags, and baked goodies to tuck into them. I love to bake AND to craft!
Wow! Looks like lots of fun for you and your friends! I would bring felt or fabric to make a project. We would make a Christmas decoration or some sort of jewelry item. Of course there would be lots of food!
What a wonderful weekend of creating with dear friends! We laughed, talked, sang and shared resources, tips and techniques. It’s delightful to craft with you, Wanda darling. You inspire me every day! xoxo
What an amazing get together – so much talent in one place! And, a fun side trip too. Thanks for sharing the fun with us. Your bracelet kit looks like lots of fun & oh those pretty dried flowers. I would probably bring some kind of rubber stamping project or maybe something fun with wool felt & embroidery. Thanks so much, big hugs!
Wow! You guys had the best time and made the best bracelets. I found myself perusing the parts and thinking “I could make those” and I don’t usually think beyond the card!
Oh, what a lovely time you had with these super fun ladies, Wanda! I love seeing your pictures. =D Now you’ve got my wheels turning! It would be really hard for me to choose what to take…it might be baked sugar cookies and the ingredients to make royal icing and my decorating bottles, which is so much fun…it might be lapel pins made from fabric, fun foam or salt dough (with acrylic paint to paint on the foam or baked dough)…or it might be ice resin and pendants!!! I. Have not tried ice resin, but would love to. LOL. Thanks for such a great give away and sharing your fun retreat.
https://paulettesrpettypapercrafts.wordpress.com
Wanda, it looks like you all were having such fun! I would like to have a painted flower pot get together and Im actually thinking of doing this at our next family function. I would provide the little pots, brushes and an assortment of paints. Also everyone would be given a little succulent for their painted pot. It would be awesome to see what designs everyone comes up with. Enjoy your blog so much and its so awesome you are getting to do what you love!
I am liking your jewelry kits Wanda! What a lovely retreat! Thanks for sharing the photos and inspiration. If it were today, I would bring fabric, candles, ribbon and bling, make pretty burned edge flowers and put them on a Kentucky Derby Hat! Oh I would probably have to share a beverage as well! Ha!
Congratulations Tricia!