Seaside Sessions 2024: Another Great Time Was Had by All! (pt. 1)

It’s hard to believe that 8 months have passed since we welcomed our Creative Explorers to Seaside Sessions last March! As we’ve done in years past, in this series of blog posts we’ll share many of our favorite moments from our time together, featuring that special magic which occurs when creative women come together in an idyllic setting. We marveled at the display of amazing creativity, bonding moments, great bursts of joyful laughter, and the many lasting connections made. That’s the beauty of Your Creative Connection events—each year is different, but the results are the same; renewal, relaxation, and the revelation of self that comes from sharing something you love.

As usual, Penny and I planned to arrive at our favorite oceanfront house in Surf City, NC a few days ahead of our Creative Explorers to get everything ready for their arrival. We packed our vehicles, and amazingly, had room to spare (had we forgotten anything? Impossible! We have lists!),

Having learned the hard way from 2023, we did NOT spend 17 hours in the kitchen on the first day there (Penny’s genius idea of assembling and freezing the ingredients for Crock Pot meals reduced our on site food prep time immeasurably). To prepare for our guests’ arrival, we made beds, unpacked art supplies, moved furniture, assembled gifts and goodies, all while appreciating the ocean’s beauty. We were pleased to learn that the weather forecast for the week was sunny with mild temperatures—just what we’d ordered!

That view!

Wednesday: Check-In
Again this year, our Creative Explorers hailed from South Carolina, Minnesota, California, Virginia, and other parts of North Carolina; while some were alumnae, others were new to the Seaside Sessions experience. Everyone was eager to discover what the next 5 days would bring. Upon their arrival, the once-quiet house rang with exclamations of delight and many excited voices….and we were underway! After finding their rooms with doors festooned with personalized bookmarks created by Penny, and the 2024 gift of a Your Creative Connection tote bag, everyone assembled for the Welcome Arty Party, with our traditional menu of pizza and crudité.

Our first creative activity involved making peace flags using acrylic paint, stencils, stamps, and markers. After viewing the samples Penny and I had made, everyone set to work, and creative ideas flowed like the tides. It’s endlessly amazing to see the results of projects like this; where everyone is given the same materials, and no two finished projects are ever alike! Yes, more Your Creative Connection magic!

The creative magic and merriment continued into evening Open Studio time, after which, we hung the completed peace flags across the top of the windows, framing that spectacular view we all love so much. We wished everyone a good night’s rest, took one last look out at the gorgeous, moonlit sea, and dreamed of the full day of creativity to come….

Seaside Sessions 2023: Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 4)

…and just like that (insert fingers snapping here), it was our final day together. We started our day a little later, enjoyed a hot breakfast, and set our sights on learning more about The Business Side of Art.

The Saturday Salon
We were quite excited to extend the length of our retreat by one day to add both an opportunity for more depth to our offerings as well as ensure that folks who wanted time to enjoy the town of Surf City (and/or the beach) had a chance to do so before we all headed our separate ways on Sunday.
Michelle opened our first ever Saturday Salon with a look at establishing an online presence. She highlighted the services of Squarespace for web-site hosting, providing our guests with an in depth look at the various ways to illuminate one’s work online and offering tips and tricks for taking photos of finished work.
Integrating an online presence with an online sales portal can dramatically increase one’s reach. Michelle shared her experiences with Square (not affiliated with Squarespace) as both an ideal payment portal (for in person/festival sales and online payments) as well as a means to add direct sales to a website. With a Square account, one can set up a free online store page through their service.
After a healthy round of Q&A, Penny offered some insight on sourcing goods and materials for keeping creativity going. Guests were provided with a handy reference guide that featured all of the suppliers that we used in gearing up for our Studio Sessions at this event.
Note: because TECHNOLOGY, and we were all a bit tired from too many late nights, and (perhaps) the wee-est bit distracted by our surroundings - or, at the very least, a little “all of the above,” we managed to conduct our very first Saturday Salon without taking a single photo (insert face-palm emoji here). In lieu of that, we have included some favorites from our most lovely time by the sea.

Wrapping Up & Looking Ahead
Before we called the business of the day complete, we took a moment to look ahead to next year. While there are a few variables that remain unknown, we know that we are committed to providing this respite from the everyday again. The Class of 2023 has already signed on to be the majority of The Class of 2024! When we announce the final details of Seaside Sessions 2024, we will only have 4 spaces available. We will, of course, offer a waiting list. The most important thing is this: we will continue to offer creative experiences curated for women by women, and we revel in the thought of a full year to prepare just the right combination of mixed media magic for our new class of Creative Explorers to discover. Following a lovely and free afternoon, we feasted on lovingly handmade lasagna as our farewell dinner.

Greetings from The Class of 2023!

That’s all for now! We’ll be posting the Studio Sessions for Seaside Sessions 2024 soon. As always: be kind, live out loud, and never miss the chance to add a bit of beauty to the world with your art!
Until next time,
~ Penny & Michelle

Seaside Sessions 2023 Oh, What a Time We Had! (pt. 1)

It’s hard to believe that a month has passed since we welcomed our Creative Explorers to Seaside Sessions 2023. In this next series of blog posts, we’ll share some of our favorite moments from our time together which included boundless creativity, uproarious laughter, lovely bonding moments, and numerous examples of the absolute magic which occurs when creative women gather in a gorgeous setting.

Penny and I traveled to our lovely Surf City NC oceanfront venue a few days in advance of the Creative Explorers to ensure that everything was ready for their arrival. We were ever so thankful for the existence of the elevator, as we made numerous trips from vehicles to the third floor, bringing in equipment, art supplies, food, and special gifts. During this prep time, we made beds (10), spent hours in the kitchen (17 in one day!), prepared delectable dishes for the week (with intervals of singing Motown hits, and a bit of dancing), and transformed the living area into a workspace for all of the creative activities to come. As we worked, we gazed at the wondrous ocean and sky right outside the wall of windows, knowing that everyone would be as entranced as we were at the sight (we even spotted pods of dolphins, and we hoped they’d reappear during the week so everyone could see them too. They did.).

The sky was an amazing lavender here; which was among the many moods of the ocean we witnessed during our incredible time by the sea!

Gifts galore!

Your Creative Connection embroidered tote bags were the first of many gifts our Creative Explorers received during Seaside Sessions 2023. We love our colorful, satiny butterfly ribbon!

Wednesday: Check-In
As each woman arrived, the level of excitement and anticipation increased. Our Creative Explorers came from as far away as California and Minnesota, with others hailing from South Carolina, Virginia, and other parts of North Carolina, ranging in age from 17 to 77!
Once everyone was settled in, we gathered for the Welcome Arty Party.
After dining on pizza and crudité, Penny and I officially welcomed our guests, and shared our excitement and gratitude that the time had finally come for us all to be together. I began our nightly Creative Exchanges by gifting everyone her very own stencil, courtesy of our fabulous sponsor: StencilGirl Products. Here they are, in the hands of their beaming new owners!

Thanks to StencilGirl Products, we have new stencils to try!

Our first evening’s creative activity centered on designing bookmarks using watercolors and markers supplied by another one of our generous sponsors: Royal Talens. Penny and I showed the bookmarks we made by following the instructions provided, and others we created in our own ways which produced even more interesting effects. Then, ideas sparking, and supplies at the ready, everyone set to work.

Working on bookmark designs with watercolors, stamps, and markers from Royal Talens.

The finished bookmarks were spectacular! We’re always amazed at the variety of results when a group is given the same materials and instructions—each artist’s work reflected her artistic vision and her approach to the use of materials supplied—a hint of the creative magic to come was revealed on just the first night. Several hours of open studio time rounded out the evening, and we had to encourage several Creative Explorers to leave the work area so that we could mount the surprise Penny had in store for the next morning….

It's March: Time for the Great Reveal!

Happy March! The countdown to Seaside Sessions 2023 is at three weeks, it’s time to show you the results of the planning, experiments, missteps and successes on the road to creating the finished product for my Studio Session on Wednesday, March 22: An Embellished Hinged Wooden Book Box.
The box measures approximately 7 1/2” x 9 1/2”. I’ve used paints and inks as the background colors (more on my initial error doing this below), with adhered paste papers and marbled papers to the front, inside, and back.

Front cover of colorful wood book box

Front of book box with paste paper and marbled paper design

Designing

To showcase the variety of paste papers and marbled papers I’d made, I decided to use geometric shapes which ‘spoke to’ each other. After figuring out the design on paper, I chose my favorite papers to use for each shape. As you can see, I made some changes to the front design (at right). To ensure a proper fit, I traced the shapes before cutting the papers, and adjusted sizes as necessary.

Once the papers were cut and dry fitted on the box, I removed them, and painted the front and back cover background colors. I learned the hard way that using heavy body acrylic paint was NOT a good idea, because it prevented the box from closing properly! In my Studio Session, we’ll use thinned acrylic or inks. Valuable lesson learned (which is why I always ‘test drive’ a project before presenting it). I also painted the hinges with alcohol inks to lessen their shine which was distractingly prominent. After all painted surfaces were dry, I used matte medium to adhere the shapes to each cover. The inside is a full sheet of paste paper which I love because it’s blue paste paint on black paper (we’ll do this in our session too!).

I chose the book box as a vessel which can be used as a keepsake of our time together, and as an added bonus, it can house the project Penny has planned! We can’t wait to see how Our Creative Explorers will personalize their book boxes with their own designs, and after the retreat, we’ll share their work here on the blog.

Until next time,
Michelle

Prepping, and Planning, and Paper, Oh My (Also Too)!

One of my favorite things about hosting creative events (demos, Make & Takes, individual workshops, retreats….) is that regardless the venue, number of people, or time constraints their comes a moment where it all just ‘clicks’ - I imagine this is what is referred to as “flow” or being “in the zone” - whatever one calls it, that is where we find ourselves at present. It is indeed a lovely place to be! Seaside Sessions 2023 promises to be a most magical adventure by the sea and my heart SO is happy for all that awaits.

As Michelle mentioned in her last post, we have been having all sorts of fun preparing to welcome our Creative Explorers to Seaside Sessions 2023 next month. If I am honest, I have allowed myself to become a wee bit distracted by the techniques she will be using in her Creative Session. (hee, hee! ) …mainly because of how beautifully those discoveries will serve our intrepid Explorers the following day, in my own ;)

At which time we will explore surface design as a means of setting the tone or theme for other projects — more on that later. I have had entirely too much fun (and generated more ideas than I can pursue in the moment) creating these lovely backdrops.

What do you think? I guess I was feeling a strong Mid-Century Modern vibe - ha! All I know is that I find this almost addictive…. It’s such a fun blend: doodles, color, highlights, and BAM! I am more than a little excited about all of the possibilities, and can hardly wait to see the abundance of expression from our Creative Explorers! I never fail to be amazed by the divergent results when we all begin with the same materials. #artisticjoy In this case, those materials will include: tempera paint sticks, acrylic paint markers, India ink in conjunction with dip pens, permanent markers, and a variety of stamping inks.

Next time I’m up, I’ll give you a peek at what we will be doing with all this background bounty! If you think you would like to join in the fun, Fate has intervened in the plans of 2 would-be travelers. We will miss them, and that means that we can welcome you! You can find all the details on our website.
Please reach out if this is for you.
Until next time,
~ Penny

 

Prepping, and Painting, and Projects, Oh My!

Penny and I have been working steadily on preparations for our Seaside Sessions 2023 mixed media retreat coming up in March (in 54 days, to be exact!). In this post, I will show you some of what I’ll be presenting during my Studio Session on Thursday, March 23.
During this retreat, I will share what I’ve learned over the years about how to create painted, textured, and patterned papers which can be used in many types of projects. Reaching into my own creative archive, I’m revisiting techniques I’ve used as far back as 19 years ago!
Paste Papers
In 2004, I used paste papers in collage and to embellish unfinished wood boxes and small pieces of furniture. Creating paste paper involves adding a thickener to acrylic paint, which makes the paint receptive to layering, texturing and patterning. During my Studio Session, we’ll mix our own paste paper colors, then experiment with them on different colors and weights of paper, and we’ll explore how stencils and various texturing tools work. Below, you’ll see some of the paste papers Penny and I created during one of our days in my studio earlier this month.

Beginning to work with our paste papers.

An Italian book with marbled endpapers

Marbled Paper
As you probably know, marbled papers have been used for centuries, especially in bookbinding (which always makes me think of illuminated capitals and marbled endpapers of antique books). Paper marbling involves using another type of thickening agent, but this time, it’s added to water. Paint colors are floated on top of the water, then texture tools are used to create intricate patterns. It is a a magical, mesmerizing, and very satisfying process. In our Studio Session, we’ll create an array of dazzling marbled papers (it’s also quite addicting—you won’t be able to make just one!).

Custom Stamps
And because no mixed media session with me would be complete without it, I’ll show how to design custom foam stamps. My tips and techniques will help you create your own iconography and personalized mark-making with simple tools and supplies. Below are some of my stamps, made with “fun foam” and acrylic blocks.

In my next post, I’ll share some of the ways we’ll use these techniques.

Are you intrigued? Would you like to join us?
We now have room, due to cancellations for health reasons.
If you would like to be a part of what promises to be an amazing seaside creative adventure, simply email us here.
We look forward to hearing from, and creating with YOU.

Until next time,

Michelle


 

It's Been a Minute!

Hey, hi, and hello!

We look back with complete amazement at the fact that the world changed immediately after our inaugural Seaside Sessions event in 2020!? Our attendees heard news from home about folks clearing the shelves in the grocery stores, but it was hard to comprehend all that awaited us upon our return home. Thus ensued 2.5 years of distancing, isolation, and uncertainty.

Like most of you, our routines were no longer routine. Big changes were happening, and it was easy to feel lost and disconnected. We have treasured our online connections during this time of upheaval, and we revel in being able to share some very exciting news for the coming year.

Seaside Sessions is BACK! …bigger, better, and more breathtaking than before! As always, our events are first available to our Kaleidoscope Circle and Newsletter subscribers. If you are not currently one of these, it’s an easy fix to become one. Click the banner link, above, to subscribe to our (embarrassingly) low-volume Newsletter - so you’ll be in the know on all things Your Creative Connection related. To join our Kaleidoscope Circle, visit the Our Events tab and grab your spot today! Make plans now to join us in beautiful Surf City, NC March 22-26, 2023. It promises to be amazing, and we would love to welcome you to our haven by the sea. Note that space is limited; as of today, just 6 spots remain.

It feels GREAT to have something fun to look forward to, doesn’t it? We are happy to oblige. We look forward to more of that moving forward, and having YOU with us to join in the fun.

Until next time,
- Penny & Michelle