It was hosted by my lovely (and very energetic and organised) friend Roz. The hotel was a De Vere hotel and it was a fabulous venue. Very light and spacious, really nice bedrooms and a very, very comfortable bed and pillow. Apparently the food was fabulous too. Unfortunately I didn't get to sample any :( I have been suffering with a bad tum now for so long it has become normal, but since the beginning of summer things have got worse and worse and only seems to ease when there is nothing in there. Big thanks to Roz for being so caring on Friday night, to Kirsty for swapping around her class from Saturday to Friday and to everyone else for their concern for my health over the weekend. Being in such great company and having the additional comfort of shopping at Sarah's shop also helped ;) (note I have since been to the doctor who has given me new anti nausea tablets, taken some bloods and I have also taken it upon myself to cut gluten out of my diet - OMG I feel a different person - hope this lasts!)
The girls who attended the retreat were all so lovely and really up for having a great time. There were lots of jokes and laughter all weekend which helped perk me up too!
Anyhow, back to my classes ... I needed to take photos as I want to add them into the instructions I am sending out to all the delegates. This is so that anyone who didn't complete the class on the day or who wants a reminder of the various techniques involved, can have all the information at their fingertips. So they will be emailed out either today or over the weekend for anyone who is impatiently waiting for them.
My first two projects were sponsored for the most part by 7Gypsies, using two packs of 8x8 papers (Classic and Outback) I thought they worked really well together so bits of both appear on both projects. Both are a departure for me as I am usually a 12x12 girl through and through.
I have to admit I found the acrylic base rather daunting to start with, but once I had it finished I love it! The whole page is based around this beautiful quote I found on the internet and I found it in a week that I have been advised by school to apply for a Statement of Special Needs for my youngest daughter, so this became quite a heartfelt project for me. The envelope has been left open to allow for a personal letter to be added. (I'm not such a big believer in hidden journaling but sometimes it is totally the right approach.) Credit to Sharia Braxton for her ‘Stay on the Path – Swirls’ product available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3274 which was used to create the quote in the swirl shape. And look at that gorgeous butterly. I had been umming and aahing over buying the Cuttlebug cut/emboss die for ages and I am so glad that I did!
The second project also uses a quote and features a paper weaving technique (which is rather easy but really effective) and lots of stitching (sorry, girls!). The little tag on the front opens out to allow for a little journaling or more photos.
Making Memories sponsored a further two classes by providing project packs featuring the Funky Vintage range. I love this range but it can be quite overwhelming with the bold colours and busy patterns. The kit came with LOTS of stickers too so I made a point of trying to use them in various ways on my pages.
Sorry that these pages are looking a little on the tatty side. They were created on a paper background as opposed to card and obviously they were handled a lot as they were passed amongst the delegates.
My make and take projects were sponsored by Pebbles Inc. I don't know why, but we don't see much of their products over here, which is such a shame as the quality of the papers, stickers and ribbons is absolutely fantastic! For those who attended, the word document for the calendar will be included with the instructions so they can print out and make more. They are such a cute little size and would make great gifts for work colleagues and so on.
The little take out box features a little butterfly I punched out of plasma and heat embossed. I have a thing for butterflies at the moment (which is probably evident from my projects this weekend!)
Phew! I will be back tomorrow with more news and perhaps some more pretty things to look at if I can be bothered to photo some more of the huge pile of pages sat on my desk waiting to go into albums.
Oh and a little by the way, the Color Combos challenge for this week is missing because Janet has had some family issues to take care of which have taken her away from home and the computer, but keep an eye out as there should be a new combo up next week as usual.