house wren studio

fall 2015 workshops in vermont

It's almost time for our spring Vermont retreats and the questions are already coming about plans for the fall. Happy to announce that our next pair of Vermont weekends will be this September. We are so honored to have two amazing guest artists joining us in southern Vermont! 

The first is September 17-20 with Kaari Meng of French General.

The next is September 24- 27 with Jenn McGlon of Noodle and Lou.

Cannot wait to host and share our weekend experience with each of these creative, much-loved artists. More info and details to come. We will be accepting emails regarding sign-ups beginning June 22, but just wanted to let you know what's ahead.

For now it's home-stretch prep for our sold out weekends with Rebecca Sower and Mary Engelbreit. This time next week we will all be gathering on the porch for the first time. It's going to be so much fun!

this spring in Vermont

We are making the final plans for spring in Vermont and the next pair of back to back weekend art/craft retreats.

Our first weekend getaway is May 28-31. The second weekend is June 4-7. 

As before, both are held in private homes in southern Vermont about 4 hours from NYC. We will have special guest artists joining us for each weekend.

Rebecca Sower is our friend, guest and teacher the first weekend.

Mary Engelbreit is joining us the second weekend.

Hard to choose, right? 

Please read about past events here and here or click on the category "vermont getaway" (right sidebar) and scroll through the posts recapping all the events.

If you would like to join us, we recommend that you begin by investigating transportation options from your area. Air travel is through Albany airport, an hour from the houses. (For a small charge, we will have a driver picking up air travelers at 3 pm on Thursday and then returning them to the airport at 11 on Sunday.)

Limited spaces are available each weekend and we think they may fill up quickly. If you would like to join us, please send an email to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com. We'll let you know when your space is confirmed and you can book travel plans then. Everything - room and board, crafts, adventures, materials, giftbag - is included except travel costs and personal shopping.

It's an amazingly good time, start to finish.

And oh, it's also lambing season at Tammy's farm!

Meleen and I can't wait! Looking forward to seeing old and new friends this spring in Vermont. 

and finally, the winner

Thank you all so much for entering the giveaway! The lucky winner of all those pretty, crafty things is Virginia!

Info to come on the spring event. Happy autumn, friends!

 

vermont getaway giveaway

After each of our Vermont retreats, we offer an extra gift bag as a giveaway to readers. Our generous friends and sponsors sent the prettiest things to share with you. Please visit their sites and shops and consider your holiday shopping lists while there. 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and one winner will be chosen next Friday, October 31. 

We are planning our next pair of retreats, May 28 - 31 and also June 4 - 7. Save the date(s)! Details to come. 

From Melissa Schulz, a custom-crafted charm necklace. One side says MAKE, the other says CRAFT. 

From Dimensions, a stitch kit designed by our friend, Amy Powers.

From Jone Hallmark, a tiny handcut paper banner to unfold and hang or use in a journal.

From Prairie Point Junction, a selection of wool felt squares to cut and stitch.

From Mary Engelbreit, an illustrated holiday journal and pen.

From Rebecca Sower, a packet of journal bits to dress up a page or project.

From Tammy at Wing and a Prayer Farm, a needle-felted acorn from her wool fiber flock.

Thank you so much to our sponsors and to all of you for visiting, commenting and expressing an interest in our craft retreats. We enjoy it all so much!

Write to us at [email protected]. Spring in Vermont is gorgeous and we have lots of fun planned already!

oh, vermont!

Here we go - a round-up of our 4th and 5th art retreats in Vermont. (Next one is in the spring.)

 

Amazing Meleen!

On the eve of a hard frost, Robin brought her garden flowers from Massachusetts for each of us.

I celebrated my 60th birthday! Meleen, Tammy and Loretta surprised me with all kinds of treats including this garland of hearts collected from each guest and all stitched together!

Tammy's Lemon Pavlova for 15!

We made felt cottages from bundles and bundles of felt and vintage fabrics I brought from my studio.

Old family photos found their way into doors and windows.

Loretta led a fantastic mini-workshop on watercolor sketching the first weekend.

At Tammy's farm, we met 5-day old Lincoln, surprise Indian summer lamb born to Lily. (Well, we didn't really meet him because Lily was wisely determined to stay far away from us. Good mama instincts.) 

Tammy made pumpkin whoopie pies for our afternoon farm visits.

Meleen decorated her side-by-side homes with seasonal accents.

Old and new friends for everyone. 

Meleen's adored home cooking starts with breakfast. No one misses it - or any other feast. Tammy sends over daily scones and biscotti (and fresh pies for dinner.) And her own honey! She says she has no idea what her bees feast on, but I can tell you, it's sweet and delicious!

Tammy taught us how to make needlefelted acorns and pumpkins the first weekend. The wool we used was from her own fiber flock.

Each weekend, we had the enormous pleasure of a small group discussion with local author, Megan Mayhew Bergman, author of Birds of a Lesser Paradise and the forthcoming Almost Famous Women. 

The photo opps and Instagrams were flying! (Search our group pool: #meleenandcharlottesvermontgetaway)

We made felt cottages both weekends as the main craft. Loretta called it journaling with felt. Each one so unique to the maker.

Our sponsors gave us beautiful gifts and goodies.

 

We had guests who were cousins, sisters, and mothers and daughters as well as lifelong friends from past retreats.

Weekend One left welcome notes for Weekend Two. Lucy brought the idea and notecards. Love that!

Tammy's needlefelted ghosts and folded stars.

 

Weekend Two and visits from Debbie and Sarah Jane afforded us the chance to learn to spin.

Hmmm. It's hard. Like rubbing your belly and patting your head.

Another local friend, Greer, brought us her homemade maple syrup and told the story of its making. Some of it was still warm in the container from the morning boil.

Tag saling and local adventures start bright and early! Perfect weather for anything.

Always making. Stitching, planning, engineering.

 

Jenn collected fallen feathers from the chickens at Tammy's farm. She washed and painted them and then made her own raven. Yeah, she really did!

Mended Tammy's 20 year old overalls. (Legend has it she wore them in an article with Mick Jagger.)

Talking, laughing. Porch sitting and stitching in the sun. 

Guest artist Nina taught us how to weave-wrap exquisite mermaid hearts. 

Trying to remember the timeline of the two back-to-back weekend retreats we just hosted in Vermont is already a challenge, but I've decided that the blur is like the wool spinning through Tammy's fingers. It is somehow all wound up together into an endless magical strand spooling up on the wheel. I can tug at it and unwind bits and think about different moments, but in the end, it's all meant to be part of something bigger. (Have you noticed how much I love the fiber metaphors for our events?) So beautiful in a skein, I want to knit a big sweater out of the whole thing and just wear it every day. 

Huge thanks to Meleen and John for sharing their homes with us, to Tammy who brought us to the farm twice for needlefelting and spinning and for baking endless goodies (read her blogpost here), to Debbie and Sarah Jane for teaching us to spin wool from the sheep and goats milling around us, to Greer for her homemade maple syrup and Megan for her insights and wisdom regarding writing, publishing and embracing the lives we lead. Thank you to Loretta for the mini-workshop in watercolor sketching and to Nina for her guest workshop in weaving mermaid hearts. Thanks to the sponsors who showered us with goodies (all detailed in the next post with a GIVEAWAY!).

And most of all, thank you, thank you to everyone who traveled far and wide to attend one or the other of the autumn weekends. You made each one an oversized cozy sweater knitted up with love and laughter to get us through the winter.

I'm wearing mine. Every day. xoxoxo

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!

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!

vermont sponsors and a giveaway

As you know by now, one of the things we do for our retreat is prepare gift bags that are placed on each bed before guests' arrival. Each is full of the fabulous goodies donated by our generous sponsors. There is always one extra which we offer here as a giveaway. 

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment here - on this post only - and we will choose a winner July 3rd. Here's the scoop-

 

Pam Garrison designs and makes a multitude of beautiful things and is well known for her art journaling. She and Amy Hanna are leading an art journaling retreat in Italy this fall. There are spaces available still. I wish I could go! She gave our guests postcards, a darling stitchable sampler and a bouquet of posies.

Amy Hanna is a jewelry designer and author whose work has a timeless elegance. She incorporates vintage materials into each piece. We love these little charm bracelets she made for each of the guests. She is co-teaching with Pam on their Italian adventure this fall.

Jenni Bowlin is a designer and manufacturer of unusual, charming paper accessories for journaling, scrapbooking and crafting. We love this collection of ephemera she sent along. The ladies had so much fun using her graphic black and white vintage pieces in their handmade books.

Syd McCutcheon is a painter and master crafter living in California. For years, she has led a cooperative art center where she teaches painting and sells her work. She is leading a retreat to Oaxaca, Mexico this fall. (I want to go on that one too.) She made everyone little felt flower pins.

Sugartown Greetings is a division of Wild Valley Design, the family enterprise of Lindsey Smith. Her darling graphic cards are sweet, simple and super cute!

Maggie Natarelli of Raised by Design made a pair of geode magnets for each guest. We had a chuckle when a few ladies thought they were earrings. Wish I'd gotten a photo of that. Maggie is an up and coming designer, foodie, blogger and etsy seller. (And my daughter ♥. Love her. A lot.)

I made needlebook kits for the guest bags. Took all day for me to do it, but I finally got the nerve to cut up this old cutter quilt. It was the right thing to do and the kits have instructions and bits inside to make a creative folding needlebook.

Some of you asked in the last post what was Vermont Snow. Meleen made this yummy treat for each guest (I'm sorry there wasn't an extra for the giveaway - or for me). It's a pretzel dipping sauce with the flavors of Vermont maple syrup and more.

Our greatest thanks to the kind folks who help us make our guests happy. They were so delighted with everything and we appreciate your kindness so very, very much! 

So, please leave a comment here for the giveaway.

Our next event is September 25-28. We have added a second date and weekend. September 18-21.

Write to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com to be on the list to notify. We will be doing that soon so don't delay as we are expecting another sold out event. The prettiest time of year in Vermont!

vermont spring getaway wrap-up

 

 

Like the two before, our spring getaway was completely wonderful. The prettiest weather we have had yet. Seems we have a rhythm to it now. The days and nights flow together in a sweet organic way, each one memorable for the little and big events. 

We did so many things.

Making art in the art room, batiking on the porch, dyeing fabric in the yard. Eating, eating, eating and sipping coffee or wine as we got to know each other better. Afternoon adventures to the farm where Tammy shared her largest and littlest loves with us. We took turns holding Samson, the brave, sleepy kid. We watched Fred shear the sheep and tell his scruffy anecdotes of life on the road as a visiting shearer. Home again there was late night crafting in the art room, early-bird tag sales with John, day to night cooking with Meleen.

Looking at the image of Tammy's handmade nesting ball, it strikes me as a perfect metaphor for our cozy gathering. Fourteen different women contributed their own stories, skills, laughter. Each one brought something unique and lovely to the group and each one took away something cherished and new to weave into their lives at home. 

It was fantastic. All of it - just so much fun.

And of course, there was always pie!

Next one is this fall: September 25-28. edit: We have added a second date/weekend. September 18-21.

Write to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com to be on the contact list. I'll be back soon with a post about our generous sponsors and a giveaway!