The
:o)
I recently returned from a whirlwind weekend in Orange County, CA and I have to say it was unexpected in the most wonderful of ways. I flew out early (as in, #neveragain) and basically time-traveled back to daybreak as I made my way west. When we landed I was greeted by the incredibly welcoming program director Gail, who treated me to breakfast (and coffee!) before we made our way to Hoffman Fabrics' warehouse for a tour with the vibrant Michelle.
After a quick stop by the hotel I was off to dinner with some members of the guild before heading to the meeting that night. Aside from the fact that I hadn't sleeved any of my quilts, I'd say the lecture went off without a hitch ;o)
My workshop the next morning was all about diamonds. And amethysts. And citrine. And blue topaz...
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| Mad photo props to Anne ;o) |
And wacking out any frustration (and seam bulk!) along the way. (All credit goes to Jean for sharing that now-indispensible notion.) Also, batiks make for some pretty gorgeous stones! I'm seeing sapphires and sandstones in my future thanks to Michelle and Hoffman ;o)
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| Some goodies from my field trip! More on my challenge concept to follow :) |
I'm also happy to report that that night Anne and I had quite the friend date for Valentines' Day: strolling on the beach at sunset, perusing local art shops for my (now) two year old, talking about our dream futures in this community-based industry, and treating ourselves to some zesty Mexican food with a side of homeopathic (also, useless) allergy medicine.
Saturday's session got a little loopy as attendees pieced arcs,
played around with backgrounds,
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| ...I really should have taken more pictures. (Yep! Most of these are courtesy of Anne, too!) |
and started stitching towards the class sample.
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| Credit: Resident photographer Anne, of course! |
That night, Jean—my raison d'être for being in Southern California to begin with—took me out and about before my flight home. As I write this I find my fingers pausing for the right words to describe this woman to whom I owe my maiden foray into guild speaking and teaching. Jean is a mother, a wife, a business woman, an artist, a teacher, a giver, and above all else an incredibly warm soul. Though our paths crossed for only a brief moment in the grand scheme of things, I can already tell she's going to be an amazing source of inspiration and support as I continue to find my way in this creative world.
Suffice it to say, by the time my flight crept up on Saturday I was full of a joy, gratitude, and a wealth of self-reflection to build upon my craft and my career.
...And I may or may not have been a little ecstatic to have made a new (in real life) friend in Anne.
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| We really should have used her camera for this one though. |
(Clearly I'm not the most photogenic, which explains why the expression I'm making in both of these photos happens to be pretty much identical to my old law school ID.)
:o)
