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.
So BIG GIANT THANKS to
Tim Holtz and Spellbinders!!
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!
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Congratulations Tricia!
Posted by: Teresa Doyle | 05/08/2016 at 10:27 PM
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!
Posted by: jan metcalf | 05/07/2016 at 07:21 AM
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!
Posted by: JoAnne M | 05/06/2016 at 06:37 PM
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
Posted by: Paulette Still | 05/06/2016 at 03:43 PM
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!
Posted by: Princess Judy | 05/06/2016 at 01:15 PM
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!
Posted by: Troy Louise | 05/06/2016 at 12:48 PM
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
Posted by: Brenda Walton | 05/06/2016 at 08:23 AM
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!
Posted by: Marlee S. | 05/06/2016 at 05:53 AM
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!
Posted by: shartl | 05/05/2016 at 10:17 PM
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.
Posted by: Monique Stam | 05/05/2016 at 08:12 PM
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.
Posted by: Becca Y | 05/05/2016 at 05:56 PM
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
Posted by: karenladd | 05/05/2016 at 05:21 PM
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.
Posted by: Toni | 05/05/2016 at 02:23 PM
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!
Posted by: Susan Viley | 05/05/2016 at 12:54 PM
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!!
Posted by: Taunya Butler | 05/05/2016 at 12:42 PM
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!
Posted by: Veronica Fairbrother | 05/05/2016 at 10:26 AM
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.
Posted by: Tona | 05/05/2016 at 09:43 AM
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.
Posted by: Jamie | 05/05/2016 at 09:15 AM
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!
Posted by: cassi | 05/05/2016 at 08:45 AM
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 :)
Posted by: renee m | 05/05/2016 at 08:22 AM
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!
Posted by: Sue Washburne | 05/05/2016 at 07:22 AM
Enjoyed reading about your awesome weekend.... thank you for sharing and loved your bracelets! Good Luck to some very lucky winner!
Posted by: Mario Rossi | 05/05/2016 at 07:13 AM
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.
Posted by: Tara Hoke | 05/05/2016 at 06:10 AM
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. 🙂
Posted by: Wahnita Hammond | 05/05/2016 at 05:49 AM
I love love those bracelets! Hmmm....one project I would share pop up/3d cards using the big shot :)
Posted by: Erica | 05/05/2016 at 05:35 AM
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!
Posted by: F Bond | 05/05/2016 at 05:22 AM
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.
Posted by: Lori B | 05/05/2016 at 05:17 AM
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.
Posted by: Lori Uren | 05/05/2016 at 05:08 AM
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.
Posted by: Joyce mcintosh | 05/05/2016 at 04:58 AM
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.
Posted by: Christine Lazarides | 05/05/2016 at 04:56 AM
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.
Posted by: Teresa Doyle | 05/05/2016 at 04:36 AM
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.
Posted by: Sue Stutzman | 05/05/2016 at 04:31 AM
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!
Posted by: Celeste Goff | 05/05/2016 at 04:15 AM
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!
Posted by: Patsy Ney | 05/05/2016 at 04:09 AM
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!
Posted by: Zehra | 05/05/2016 at 04:08 AM
Wow! What an amazing weekend. I think some kind of a multi media card set would be a fun project. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: Fran Smith | 05/05/2016 at 04:03 AM
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).
Posted by: Evelyn Vasquez | 05/05/2016 at 03:37 AM
Oh - ignore my question! It's a box of paints! (Duh) LOL
Posted by: Beth | 05/05/2016 at 03:30 AM
** 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. : )
Posted by: Beth | 05/05/2016 at 03:28 AM
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.
Posted by: Isabel Zito | 05/05/2016 at 03:10 AM
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!
Posted by: Teri W | 05/05/2016 at 02:56 AM
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 [email protected]
Posted by: Rosa Gomez | 05/05/2016 at 02:39 AM
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!!
Posted by: Beth Ross | 05/05/2016 at 01:25 AM
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.
Posted by: Holly Saveur | 05/05/2016 at 12:22 AM
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:)
Posted by: Carolee mccaslin | 05/04/2016 at 10:58 PM
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.
Posted by: Julie | 05/04/2016 at 09:18 PM
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!
Posted by: Chris | 05/04/2016 at 08:46 PM
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.
Posted by: Mary Ellen | 05/04/2016 at 07:43 PM
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!
Posted by: Liz mcallister | 05/04/2016 at 07:31 PM
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!
Posted by: tricia barber | 05/04/2016 at 07:16 PM