CREATE in Lisle

Messy Sue's class

Wow- another mega trip to CREATE mixed media art retreat, with the car loaded to the gills. Literally, had to sit with my purse on the floor between my feet, as there was no room to put one more thing!

Classes were fabulous! Treated myself, and enjoyed Sue Pelletiers class to warm up for a great week of creating! Never been in such a messy room! Half an hour worth of creating, and the entire floor was covered with plaster powder! They broke out towels, and brooms and shop vacs and then the ever-bubbly and hardworking Sarah from Create was actually on her knees wiping the residue!

Happy Birds Sing class

Next day, my class with the lovely creatives who rose to the Happy Bird challenge! Amazing to me how we all start with the exact same materials each and every time, and yet, no two books look alike at the end of the day! Have to say, the class rooms were so nice and spacious! And that fun bubble plastic on the floor- whoo hoo! Love to step on it, because it sounds and feels like bubble wrap! My wonderful Mike was the toastmaster, watching carefully as the clays baked, so the artists could continue on with other tasks.

Dot and Nancy enjoy the nice large classrooms

After teaching The Happy Birds Sings Journal class all day, it was time to rush over and set up for vendors night! I was particularly anxious because we were launching my new line of polymer stamps. I am so thrilled to proudly say that the ENTIRE line sold out, and we took tons of orders for more in less than 3 hours! All the other goodies seemed to sell fantastically as well. Again- Mike, my hero, never looked up for the 3 hours, he was so busy ringing up sales! Thank goodness for him- I would be so flustered, but he was fabulously unfazed.

In person, it looked alot longer than the photo shows!

Our schedule said we had 1 hour to set up 16 feet's worth of our lovely goodies! I was a little stressed that we wouldn't make it, as we had so many bits and pieces, but it actually worked out just fine. At an antique shop earlier this year, I found vintage suitcases with the initials on them. The initials spelled out ART! Can you believe it? They called to me, and of course I snapped them up to vend with. They ended up being just what we needed for transportation and packing. Thank goodness they were a LOT lighter going home.

After we packed up that night, and got to eat dinner, it was about 1 am. I was exhausted, but it was a happy and fulfilled exhaustion!

Up early the next day to set up the classroom for teaching A Fluid Romance class. The lovely spacious room was soon filled to the brim with wonderful, open and creative students. The work that comes out of this class is always amazing, and I am always so happy to share these times with students, and experience their breakthroughs with them. I can't tell you how happy I am at the end of each day. Filled to the brim with happy bubbles....

Lots of room to move around and spread out creative treasures! Most came away with not one, but 2 completed projects! They got so excited they used their practice canvasses too!

We headed home the next morning, and got in around midnight. I've been unpacking and restocking supplies ever since. Art & Soul Portland is just a couple weeks away! I've also been busy writing up proposals for CREATE 2012. Hopefully, you'll see me in Irvine next May!