A Glimpse At Bliss

As promised, today I'm sharing a little glimpse into my short time at ArtBliss this past weekend. Cindy and Jeanette really put on a wonderful event. The instructors are fantastic, the atmosphere lively, and the inspiration is endless. I think everyone there have already marked their calendars for next year.I know I have!

The thing about being caught up in a wonderful experience though... you are so in the moment that you often forget to take pictures!! (This from the teacher of the photography class, oops.)  I took my camera out just a couple of times for blog shots. During my Snaptastic class I took over 100 photos, but that is different. So you'll just have to make do with these few and read the recap words to relive the experience instead.

My plane left a little after 10am on Friday and after an hour that just flew right by (pun intended), I found myself in the Dullas airport grabbing the shuttle to the event hotel. I couldn't wait to see venue I had heard so much about in phone calls with Cindy through out the year. Lots of hugs were exchanged as well as little gifts, then we were all swept up in the hussle and bussle of the retreat. There was happy hour drinks, setting up for the Meet & Greet, introductions to new-to-me instructors and quick catch-ups with those from last year.

A few of my favorite Friday moments...

:: meeting Diane Cook in person and getting the inevitible comment about my height! (Cindy made the same comment the first time we met too. I'm not that tall, people.) Diane is an absolute sweetheart. I just love her!!
:: meeting Robert Dancik and having him tell me several times that melting glass is the sexiest medium. Oh yes, glass is sexy. He also gifted me a couple of tools to test out which will come in very handy for my OOAK Show prep.
:: meeting Richard Salley and talking all things books. He is one cool, laid back, dude. Richard's wife was teaching at the retreat as well, but unfortunately she was across the room and I didn't get a chance to chat with her.
:: finally getting to meet Christine Damm in person!! She is such a memorable character and so great to talk to. She is feisty and fun, and oh my stars, seeing her work in person... it is incredibly amazing.
:: seeing Deryn Mentock again and getting to hear an intriguing bit about toilet paper being a mezmorizing tool in her class earlier that day.




Yikes... so many memories are flooding back from the weekend that I fear this post is going to turn into a novel! Oh well, feel free to click away if you need to. Otherwise, it is time to tell you about Saturday!

If you asked Ron about the ride to the airport on Friday, he would tell you I was a nervous wreck. And not about flying, that doesn't bother me. It was all about Saturday. I love to teach, but, this time was different. I was debuting a class I had never taught before and the jitters about presenting that newness had the butterflies fluttering like crazy in my stomach. Friday night's fun was a great distraction from those jitters and Saturday morning, I threw on my new Fuzzy Ink Picturesque t-shirt and set out to set up the classroom. (Yes, I bought a t-shirt that had a camera on it for my class... wouldn't you?)

Once things got rolling, class really went by in a flash. I think deciding to make this a full day instead of a short 3 hours was the right move. And my Saturday night DeFindings class was just the right length too. Ya gotta love it when you follow your gut and it works out. So, some interesting things from Snaptastic...

:: every student was shooting with a Canon DSLR! I shoot with a Nikon, and both are great cameras. The great thing is that they were all digital slrs and that students were eager to shoot in manual mode.
:: although it is wonderful to shoot right along with students to show them exactly how I would take a photo, I really think this is going to translate wonderfully to the eCourse. (more info on that coming very very soon)
:: I'm thankful to have worked with real life students and hear their questions and feedback. It is going to make the online version of the class that much better.

There was a short break between Snaptastic and DeFindings where a few of us made a quick run to Wegmans. Living in the Rochester area, the hometown of the founder of Wegmans, I find it hilarious what a novelty our grocery store is down south of here. I have about 20 Wegmans stores with in 20 minutes of me, with the closest being less than a mile from my house. I go anytime. In the south though, shoppers will drive hours just to go to Wegmans! Wild.

But, I digress.

DeFindings was a slightly larger class with 9 students. I think it went really well. The three hour time frame was perfect. I was able to spend an hour on each of the three findings I wanted to cover: clasps, earwires, and extras. I was so bummed at the end of class when I realized I didn't take any photos. I would have loved to snap a group shot! Sorry gang! Y'all gotta come back next year so I can take it then.





Saturday really was a long long day. I was in my classroom from 8am until 10pm. I really loved it though and would have happily done it again on Sunday! Alas, it was time to go home. Before I left, I shapped those few Instagrams pics I shared yesterday. Then, it was time to grab the shuttle back to the airport and head back to my family. You see what I mean about it being a whirlwind of a trip?

I have some good news for you! Remember the kits I was showing you last week? The ones you were emailing me about? Well, I have a few left!! As soon as my supplies arrive back here, I'll post the goodies on my website. I have a couple of the Limited Edition ArtBliss kits, as well as the new Split Personality kits and Flying Trapeze pendants. These will be the last new items posted until after the big show in Decemeber. Until the box arrives, I'll be heading to the studio to start prepping for my next adventure coming up in October. I'm heading to NYC to shoot the process shots for Rustic Wrappings. Won't that be fun?!?