Uncle Charley and I've lost my mind

I went to the Create Retreat in Chicago, Illinois on Friday and came home Saturday night!  Oh Man, Oh Man, Oh Man!  I had a gooooooood time!

Friday night I hit the Artist's Faire.  It was a bit overwhelming at first.  All these ladies converged on tables of artists and vendors and it was mayhem, but fun!  I bought just a few things, because between the class, the hotel, the gas and food...this has already become the most expensive necklace EVER...but wait, let me go on...

Okay, so I was at the Interweave shop and there were lots of tempting goodies to buy...books, art supplies, dvd's...but they had an artist making prints using a gel plate.  I had just read about these the day before and had thought, "Oh geeze!  I want one of those!!!"  So I picked one up and watched the artist making prints.  Well, it was Dorit Elisha.  She's the author of "Printmaking and Mixed Media."  She was delightful and I purchased her book and she signed it for me.

I purchased three little wooden shrines that you can build, from Coffee Break Design.  Pretty nifty!!!  I think I will trace around the pieces so I can have a pattern of sorts if I want to make some out of card stock or papers or something.  Oh, and I bought Jeffrey two old film canisters for his camera collection (two that he doesn't have, I couldn't believe it).  There were waaaay too many good things there.  Trust me.

I met and loved Sue Pelletier and Judy Coates Perez!  They were so charming to talk with!!!

I got to meet my teacher, Jean Van Brederode, at the end of the evening.  She may not know it, but she high on a pedestal now!  Lol!  I was just browsing her table and I picked up one of her Uncle Charley Has Left the Room necklaces, and I was brought to tears I was so happy!  I AM NOT A CRAZY PERSON...but I was so happy.

Okay, so class the next day!  Of course I got there early with all my excitement (ha!) and helped the teacher set up.  We only had SIX people in our class!  Other classrooms had 20+!  I was shocked!  But I was glad for it as we got a lot of individualized attention.  My classmates were great!  Not a pain in the bunch!  And I may have made a new friend, named Deb!  She rocks!  And she likes creepy stuff...ha!  Her necklace turned out FABULOUS!!!  She got some great patina going...and then found fibers to help match the patina in the fiber bag!  It was meant to be!

We were going through the instructions and tools and our teacher decides we should take a field trip across the hall to shop at another artist's classroom!  Ha!  FUN!  The teacher across the hall had tools we definitely needed for the necklace...oh yeah, I spent $56 the first time into the room and another $12 at the end of the class!  Sigh.  Again, this is the most expensive necklace EVER...but I love it!  I actually hung it from my rear view mirror and looked at it (and sometimes the road) on the 5 1/2 hour drive home.

One of the best things that happened out of all of this was....on the drive home, I was wishing with all my heart that Jeffrey could share this excitement with me.  I wished he could/would make a necklace with me...and shortly after that, Jeffrey says, "What do you want do tomorrow?"  I told him, "Whatever you want to do!"  He said, "I want to make a necklace with you, Maggie."  I looked at him and asked him if he really meant it or was he messin' with me...he meant it!  That man was an absolute angel this weekend (he is every day, but it was really great of him to let me do this).

Now I have to go buy a butane torch for sure today!  Ha ha ha!  Oh, and some copper sheeting, plexiglass, and hope I can find enough things for him to make one today!  Lol!  That necklace just got even more EXPENSIVE!!!!  ha!  But I'm okay with that (sort of).  I may have found my true love medium to work in.  I can't describe the joy it brought me.  More soon!  Maybe some pictures, too!  This is a new adventure and it is going to be so freakin' much fun!!!

Maggie  xoxoxoxoxoxo