I've been flying in the clouds...literally and figuratively. I'm just home from ArtBliss, reflecting with a concoction of white lavender tea and honey in my hands and, wow, was it an inspiring, uplifting, amazingly positive event. The first thing I saw, upon arriving in my room, was a thoughtful gift, adorned with the Inaugural Event logo...boy, do I love this logo! So very patriotic and clever...perfect for a D.C. event. Well, very close to D.C., anyway, we were in beautiful Sterling, Virginia, about 20 minutes away from the Capital.
Our amazing hostesses, Cindy Wimmer and Jeanette Blix, made me feel just like a queen and I'm thrilled to have had the chance to explore Washington, D.C. if only a little. I've always thought it would be a great experience to visit our nation's capital but it never occurred to me that it might actually happen.
Jeanette and Cindy
Friday night, Jeanette and Cindy arranged a meet and greet...so much fun. I loved having a chance to talk with the students and many of them stopped by my table to chat. It amazes me how y'all reach out to me, know me from my blog and my work...and want to talk about it, make me comfortable...maybe even take away a little piece of me through my jewelry. Thank you for that!
It was a pleasure meeting the very talented ArtBliss instructors Lesley, Kerry and Melissa.
Saturday, I discovered that my lovely class assistant, Annabella Wewer, and I had met before, some years ago at a week long workshop in Seattle. It's so funny, we were in Seattle for a week and were so busy, each in our own creative fugue, we never got a chance to connect. I was glad to run into her and have that opportunity again.
I debuted my new class, Link Love, and consider it to be hugely successful. It's cram packed with tons of technique, which the students really responded to. All their shining potential, their creative energy, wafting around the room...they took away enough to keep them very busy for quite a while!
The students were really the stars of this event. What an outstanding group of women. It was a happy, chatty art weekend among friends. Most of us were meeting for the first time but the retreat was such that everyone was familiar and friendly.
And, their work...oh, what pretty things they made! These are a few lovelies from my Crowned Gems class.
Right now, I'm still basking in the warm glow of their excitement. It's the very best thing to be able to pass along a little of what I've learned and I love being in class. Thank you, thank you to all of you who joined me there!
Cindy and Jeanette were kind enough to share a few extra way-cool ArtBliss canvas bags with me. I'm giving them away just as a way to spread the excitement about this retreat. If you'd like to have one, leave me a comment on this post (make sure to include your email) and I'll randomly choose two winners. Did I already say how much I love this logo?
Photos of D.C. to come...




