house wren studio

blue love and vermont artists

Our friend Loretta Marvel is giving a presentation on sketching and watercolors at our next Vermont retreat. Sept 18-21. I thought you would enjoy seeing her work. She has attended two retreats with us and each time, we have all gathered around her and asked if she would show us more. So in September, she will be there - and will share some of what she knows to get us started.

The second weekend September 25-28, Nina Bagley from Ornamental will be joining us for the weekend. On opening night, she will give a short presentation on jewelry design. After admiring her work for many years, I've gotten to know Nina better through Instagram. Meleen and I are so excited to have her come to Vermont and share some of her teaching wisdom.

She loves blue too.

And as you know, I am currently experimenting with blue cloth I woad dyed in France, adding stitching laid down in white. What a color combo to inspire!   

Would you like to join us in Vermont? 

Write to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com for more information on the retreats. We'd love to hear from you!

There will be many other colors and arts/crafts to love and yes, there will be plenty of .... Pie!

july postcards :: out of the blue

There's a summer storm brewing outside. It's rumbling in fits and starts like an old car trying to get up a rough hill. The ride down the other side is going to be fast and wild. Love these mercurial weather days in any season.

Ran across my stash of woaded linens from my trip to France a few years ago. Finding something to do with them has had me kind of stumped. But then I saw an old teacup sitting on the shelf and a solitary spool of white thread. I didn't have a lot of time and decided to stitch a quick silhouette of the cup. More than once I've struggled to imitate blue and white imagery from dishes. It's hard. Easier to riff on it and do what I could to capture the feeling. For a 45 minute challenge, it went pretty well. Then I did another. I have a lot of blue and white dishes.  

After a long dry spell creatively, it feels like that old car coming up to the top of the hill. The ride down might be crazy fun. Just need to keep my foot off the brakes.

autumn vermont getaways

Given the interest in New England's autumn weather and colors, we are hosting two weekend sessions of our getaway this time. The theme will be Houses. More to come on that later. 

Additionally each weekend features a guest artist.

The first weekend is September 18-21. Loretta Marvel of Pomegranates and Paper will share some of her techniques for sketching and watercolor painting.

And the second is September 25-28. Nina Bagley of Ornamental will share some of her techniques for jewelry design and mixed media. 

Here's the agenda.

*12 guests arrive on Thursday afternoon to Meleen's side-by-side vintage farmhouses in southern Vermont. Come by car or fly in and out of Albany airport (an hour away). We provide pick up and drop off within a window of time. (Details on that after we confirm your spot.)

*Thursday night cocktails on the porch, Meleen's home-cooked welcome dinner, guest artist presentations and craft room lights on until someone turns them off.

*Friday and Saturday: Home-cooked breakfast on the porch or in the great room. Art and crafting begins after breakfast. Delicious, seasonal sit-down lunch. The afternoon offers time to adventure locally or continue making. We generally visit Tammy's Wing and A Prayer farm at some point. Porch drinks and dinner. Another pie or two. Crafting lights on until .... 

*Sunday: Last breakfast and pack up for heading home. 

Here is a recap of last year's fall weekend. 

And the winter event.

And the spring event.

Everything is included except for personal purchases and travel costs. 12 guests plus Meleen and me. New friends, old friends. Memorable fun, good food, adventures, crafts and more. For more information, please write to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com. 

We'd love to hear from you!

giveaway winner

The lucky winner of the Vermont spring getaway giftbag is Laurie Jackson!

Thanks, everyone for visiting here and writing to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like to join us!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!