Friday we headed to the Function Room that was to pretty much become our home for the next few days! We dodged the puddles and the rain in the car park to unload fifty million boxes of stuff!
I handstitched some little speech bubbles with "welcome" on them and ironed them to some fabric tags..I know everyone commented on how long all the extra little touches would have taken to make but I really enjoyed making them..I sat in front of the tv of a night and stitched away...
when they were stitched and cut out, I ironed them to a fabric strip and they were pegged to the top of an aqua or lime paper goody bag.
The bags were filled with a lucky dip for each person plus generous sponsor goodies from Tarisota, Crafty Matters, Elsie Flannigan, Yvette's journaling spots and some other things from @Home. The goody bags sat on top of the registrants class kit for Friday night - so there was plenty to peek at when the girls arrived.
{three photos courtesy of Janelle}
Leesa, my friend from school helped HUGELY all afternoon - she decorated the tables and made them look wonderful. Ken and Jamison blew up balloons for the centrepieces for each table. And my Mum was a wonderful help and unpacked boxes, cleared away rubbish and dashed to Kmart TWICE with Capri, in the pouring rain, to grab last minute forgotten things for me like more lollies for the Candy Bar !!!!
Mel worked hard setting up a layout/mini book display and it looked great!
{photo courtesy of Mel}
And the day FLEW by and soon it was registration time! Here's a look at the room before everyone arrived...almost ready for action.
Oh and the Candy Bar...I wanted to have a whole heap of help yourself lollies and was so pleased with how this turned out..
I printed out little signs for each jar..and we had loads of different lollies..yummo.
and then it was TIME for registration....sooooo exciting.
So, let's mosey on back to Thursday when the Support Team girls flew and bussed and drove in from all over the place to meet at my house! Yvette caught a bus from Canberra. Mel, a plane from Melbourne and Mardi, a plane from Adelaide and they all met and picked up their hire car at Sydney airport. I managed to coordinate their trips within about 30mins of each arrival which was very convenient.
Yvette was in charge behind the wheel and drove the girls safely to my house picking up Janelle along the way. The weather was not so good. Overcast. Spots of rain and we all had our fingers crossed that the weather would improve as the weekend progressed.
Thursday night we stayed in a BEAUTIFULLY appointed three bedroom apartment with private plunge pool. Unfortunately it was only for the one night as the Resort didn't have the room available for any other night over the weekend. It had three bedrooms upstairs and a big living area downstairs!
And we spent the night getting to know each other a bit better. Exchanging little gifts and dining in style - McDonalds...
These gorgeous flowers were in our room when we arrived courtesy of my thoughtful friend Margaret...
and the girls gave me pressies every day..I was very spoilt. Firstly this..it was so beautifully wrapped and I didn't want to open it!!
and inside was this...
I wore it all weekend...isn't it divine. The second day, I received this...
it has a little felt birdie to go with it which didn't arrive in time to travel with Mel on the plane and it's GORGEOUS! I love it. And then on Saturday night - this...the card made me cry. Such lovely words inside..
PLUS a 12 month subscription to Real Living magazine - told you I was spoiled by the girls!
We managed a few photos...
and this one on the stairs..
this was my room...a big bed all to myself.
and we stayed up late chatting and stapling handouts, punching out butterflies and watching the geeks get their makeovers on Beauty and the Geek!
And before we knew it..Friday was HERE! THE BIG DAY!!!!!!
And so began our adventure...
There's too much to talk about in one big post, so I am breaking it up into smaller posts...stay tuned for my Friday recap!
The retreat was A M A Z I N G!
Today I am sorting through the photos and reading the most beautiful emails and Facebook messages. It's just overwhelming.
A weekend recap is coming soon...KIM
**Edited to add - not sure what's happening with Typepad but some of you are finding it hard to leave a comment on this post. THANK YOU for all the lovely emails and comments!****
Seventeen days until the @Home|Away Weekend retreat.
Two of the additional workshops on Saturday are at 90% full. And the third class is not too far behind with bookings. And I want to fill those last few spots.
Sooooo, I have decided to announce NO FRILLS SATURDAY for local girls or anyone interested in travelling up to Salamander Bay (north of Newcastle) for a workshop or two or three! No extras. Just the workshops.
WORKSHOP ONE - Moving Right Along with Mardi Winen
8.30-10.30am Saturday 7 November '09
PRICE: $45.00
{more sneak peek photos coming soon}
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WORKSHOP TWO - Little Book of Texture with Kim Archer
Saturday 7 November 2009 11am-1pm
PRICE: $45.00
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WORKSHOP THREE - Celebrate the Seasons with Janelle Wind
Saturday 7 November 2009 2-4pm
PRICE: $45.00
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OR Tempted by any of the above classes and want to share the day with us?? Saturday DAY passes are still available. FULL day - all classes, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea plus entry to the Saturday night party crop night. All for $210. Book here.This morning I was too scared to look over at the @Home blog and check how many days left until the retreat! But I was brave. And took a deep breath and had a peek.
30 days.
Thirty days.
THIRTY DAYS!!!!
So that made me put my skates on! We're certainly on the countdown now until the retreat weekend.
I've been spending a lot of time here.
At my desk.
Ordering kits. Answering emails. Working out sponsors. Finalising payments. And room mates. And the table seating. And working on my big fat ginormously mammoth TO DO List.
And I'm on track.
My mum's been doing some of my admin stuff too so that has been a huge help! Thanks mum.
Bookings have now closed. BUT we are about to release some Saturday Day Pass tickets for those who live locally and can't commit to the entire weekend away but are keen to do the Additional Workshops from me, Mardi and Janelle. Details soon:)
Book in here or EMAIL ME!!
I
must admit I'm starting to feel excited about the @Home|Away retreat
and finally getting to meet people I have only ever known online.
I was cutting and assembling nametags with Capri the other night and that first pang of excitement hit me as I started taking notice of the names of the girls coming along and where they're from! It's quite surreal to think so many are travelling in from all over the place.
When I first started to set the wheels in motion for the retreat, I
didn't really consider that people would travel far and wide to be
here. I guess I just thought we would get local people and maybe some
Central Coast and Sydney people.
But people are flying in from all over the country! Very exciting.
And many girls are traveling alone. I think that is so fantastic! And brave. But I KNOW everyone will be so welcoming and excited and happy to be there!!
Only 8 more days to before bookings close. It will be good to tally everything up, pair up roommates and get some things finalised! Bookings close 30 September..only a few places left!
You can book in here or email me for more details!
Ps..thanks for sticking with me and my blog - I *promise* to post more regularly...sometimes too many things happen at once and my little blog, which I do love keeping, gets sadly neglected!
Finally, finally..I am thrilled to announce the new workshops are announced for the @Home|Away Weekend Retreat. Saturday is workshop day during the retreat weekend and Mardi, Janelle and I are all teaching additional classes. I LOVE the kits we have chosen and everything is coming together so nicely!
To read all about the new workshops click here.
The classes are open for retreat registrants only, so book your place here. We have a limited number of spots left for the retreat (there's NO 2 bedroom apartments left - only a few twin share rooms left now).
