september camp create 2017

what a wonderful week we had at Camp Create!
i came home feeling so filled up!

we had two Vickis, two Taras and two Melissas! WHAT?? And a Shelly, a Sally & a Sandy!
thank goodness we wear nametags!

we always have generous and awesome sponsors!
I will write more about them in a few days and i’ll have a BIG giveaway of goodies too.
Dayspring – Benzie Design – Pitter Patter Art – Mercy House – Illustrated Faith – Courtney Walsh – Feather & Birch

i brought all the flowers from my very own garden this time!
so happy that we could USE them instead of just watching them die – like the other 75% of the garden is now.
zinnias & sunflowers are my favorite flowers!

and finally it came time for our campers to arrive!
it’s exciting when everyone piles into the house with all their luggage.
everyone is borderline nervous; thinking things like “i just flew across the US to sleep at a strangers house” and all of their friends & family asking “you’re going to kansas? for what?” But as soon as they get inside the nerves settle.
because #1 – everyone is super nice and welcoming and #2 – we hand them a margarita as soon as we can.
🙂

{{ sidenote: if you haven’t made the Meg-aritas that we serve – are you truly living your best life? }}
1 can frozen limade
8 oz. tequila (or fill the empty limade can up 2/3 )
4 oz. triple sec (or fill the can 1/3)
1 beer – 12 oz.
———————————————————-
put the first 3 ingredients in a blender.
fill blender with ice & blend until completely slushy.
then add the beer – mix it in with a big spoon.
enjoy!

i mean just look at those kind faces!
Camp brings such sweet ladies to the Craft House.

our speaker was Stephanie Holden all the way from Mississippi.
people online know her as Honey Holden.
she taught each day about the grace of God, how much Jesus loves us and how He has changed her life.
it was FANTASTIC!  I could listen to her for hours!
she brought “Honey’s Happies” for us at each session… little goodies to help us remember the lesson.
it was always fun to see what the Happy would be and that worked!
I can think of each one and remember the message!

she also had us write a letter to our 16 year old self.
It sounds simple enough but it’s challenging and very vulnerable to share out loud the real stuff you’d want to tell yourself when you were 16.
it is special to be in a group of women who open up & share their hearts.
it’s a privilege to be invited into that space and i don’t take that lightly.
these ladies… gosh!  my eyes are all teary just thinking about them!
it was beautiful & inspiring to see how God is always working in our lives in the good times and still in the really bad times too.
i loved doing that assignment – thank you for making us Honey!

we got creative and made some very fun projects!
this reverse appliqué pillow is so fun to make!
I love that there are a million possibilities of color & pattern.
i love that there is hand stitching and machine stitching.
and i love the combination of working together with felt & quilting fabrics.
Benzie felt is THE BEST.
I won’t ever use felt from the fabric store again! This stuff is a dream to work with!

i led a project that was inspired by my friend Laura at a Craft Weekend several years ago.
and i got to the miter saw so this was extra great!

we started with wood in all different lengths, widths & textures, some old chippy painted wood & even rulers.
they put pieces together the way they wanted it to fit & we cut loose ends off.
they choose their word sent from our sponsor Feather & Birch.
her font choice is perfection! i love this shop!
and then they covered the pieces in paint or paper or fabric.

seriously! how cute are these?!!
LOVE!

we also made these fabric scrap chalkboard wreaths.
these are so cheerful!

I invited Rachel Denbow back for camp because she is so great at teaching this skill!
she teaches weaving techniques and she even wrote a book about it!

they are weaving rockstars!
so fun to send them home with a new skill they hadn’t done before.

i invited Tara Royer Steele from the famous Royer’s Pie Haven in Round Top, Texas to teach us how to make pie!
is 16 cooks in the kitchen too many?
not at The Craft House!
we made two each of four different kinds of pie – two of them sweet & two of them savory.
and then we ate those pies…. YUMMMM!

and yes i did have three pieces of pie that day, thankyouverymuch.
when Tara finally comes out with a cook book i will be sure to share it with all of you!

we took our trip out to my favorite antique store & barn.
i’m always so curious to see what people find!
this time i brought home a stack of chippy wood – to make more signs!
there are many photo opportunities all along the way.




Kimberlee Jost takes great care of us in the kitchen; morning, noon & night.
we love pampering our guests with delicious meals and cleaning it up too – because i doubt that happens at home!

it’s called  B A L A N C E .
ha ha ha
thank you to my friend Tara for frosting cakes, chopping veggies, washing dishes and everything else you did for us all week.

these are fabulous women – every one of them in these pictures!
it’s a gift to be a part of their creative journey.
and a total JOY!

thank you to Honey, Tara, Rachel, Tara & Kimberlee for working so hard to put on an awesome week for our campers!

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our next Camp CREATE will be in April 2018.
registration information will be in the next week or so.
stay tuned….

 

🙂