Monday, February 8, 2010

Weekend Getaway in Connecticut

Back home again after a great weekend at that beautiful B&B in Connecticut that I mentioned in my last post.  Even nicer in person.  Great rooms, wonderful hosts, and TO-DIE-FOR food.  Oh, and our projects weren't too shabby either!  We had tremendous work space, spread out all over the dining room.  Since we were the only guests taking meals there we didn't even have to put things away over night.  Very convenient place for any sort of crafting group to visit.  In fact, they were expecting a quilting group later in the week.

The fun began before we even got there.  Lots of laughs on Amtrak (helped along by the wine-in-a-can that Kahena brought, and the jug of cosmos I contributed).
 
  
We even managed to involve a conductor.


We finally arrived in Old Saybrook, and were met at the station by our Inn host Jim.


The rest of our group got to the Inn later that evening and early the next day.  Here are some shots from the weekend.


  
  
  
  
  
  
 Helen and Jim, our hosts (and chefs) for the weekend.  Every meal was a gourmet's delight, and they did everything possible to make us feel at home.


  
My gorgeous room:


  
  
Now, I've seen the top sheet of toilet paper folded over before....on cruise ships and in some hotels.  But this is the first time I've seen it with a little sticker attached:


And yes, in between laughing and eating, we did manage to do a LOT of crafting.  We each brought one or more projects to share, and spent all day Saturday working on them.  Here is my display of all my finished ones (click on the photo for a closer look):


On the styrofoam block are paper beads drying (thanks Kahena!) On the white paper is a fabulous "wonder woman" bracelet, cut from vinyl using the SU lattice cut die, and Tim Holtz hitch fasteners as closures. That was Heather's great project.  On the left under the styrofoam are two fabric brooches we did with Heidi. Next to them are two cards that Pat showed us how to do.  Next to those are three background papers we did with Amalia....fusing decorative napkins to cardstock using plastic wrap as the glue.  On the bottom row, a clever little bookmark made from a hair clip, decorated with punched out papers. Also a Heather project.  Next to that, my project sample, a mini composition book covered with the faux metal technique.   Next to the notebook are several beautiful flowers I made with the watercolor technique that Laurel demonstrated.  And finally, two gorgeous pendants we did with Corris.  I made mini collages using the varied papers Corris brought, and sandwiching them between two pieces of glass that fit into the frames.

Here are some closer looks at some of these:


  
  
  
  
  
  

Every meal was served on a beautifully set table.


This is what the FIRST course of one breakfast looked like.....toasted cornbread with cranberries, and warm pears covered with brown sugar and pecans. This was followed by an incredible quiche.  Everything at every meal, including all breads were made from scratch.


As if we didn't have enough, we ended the weekend with a trip down the road to a lovely scrapbook store,where we hung out for a while, watched a scrapping retreat in progress, and bought one or two (LOL) items.


  
  
We're already talking about where our next weekend getaway should be.  I've been to retreats and workshops with well known artists, which I've loved, and taking nothing away from those experiences, a retreat with good friends.....priceless!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like yall had a great time. Love all of the pictures and projects.
Thank you for sharing.

Roxie's mama said...

I had an amazing time! thanks everyone for all the laughs, fun and creativity. let's do it again!

Lori said...

Thanks for sharing the details of your trip! Looks totally fantastic, and those projects...omg. I am especially intrigued by the napkin, plastic wrap technique. Will have to investigate that one. Your memory glass collages were fantastic. They were all just wonderful. Glad the weather didn't deter anything, was wondering how the storm might have affected your plans.

Diann said...

What a grand time you had on your friend's retreat! It makes me want to do this too....thanks for sharing your great friends and wonderful projects! Diann

jrmathers said...

Man looks like you had a great time and all that creativity is mind boggling

Patzee said...

Thanks to Eileen's amazing Cosmos, our onboard Mad Libs--the Love Version--kept us totally entertained. So after a few days of dining on delicious food, and having such gracious hosts, you can hardly imagine how we embellished the guest book! With all of our glitter and tools, we added a few 3D touches. If you're in Old Saybrook, stop in at Captain Stannard House and check it out.

Julie Ann said...

Oh Eileen! It looks like you had such a wonderful time! What a great crafty retreat! Hopefully it won't be too long before you do it again!

Unknown said...

Hey, invite me to the next one! Can you do a tutorial on your 'faux metal' technique? Looks like fun! I just got that seashell Cuttlebug EF too! And, how did you 'fuse' things together with plastic wrap? Finally, who are you, Andrea? Taking pictures of the food! Sheesh!

Carol's Crafts said...

Wow Eileen, looks like you had a fabulous time. I love going on scrapbook retreats. All of your art is fantastic and I can't wait to see any new techniques you will share with us. Can you believe I've never ridden a train before.

Elaine A said...

Eileen -

It appears as if the outing this weekend was a hit from beginning to end! The Inn looks beautiful, and what a great idea to do a creative weekend with friends. All the projects look beautiful. The ladies all look relaxed (as does Ms. Pat) and happy. So glad you all had a lovely time.

Thanks for sharing all the phots with us.

Elaine Allen

Helen said...

Wow! it sounds - and looks - as if you had a real blast. I laughed at your comment "we bought one or two items" yeah, right!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh Eileen....I love going through your getaways with you!!! you have some of the most awesome crafting adventures....You and your friends are so blessed!!!! Great pics and creations!!!!! Ok now...so where are we venturing to next??????

Angie Hall Haviland said...

AHHHH....Looks like you all have a WONDERFUL time...so glad!!

Unknown said...

Hi Eileen.
You eight are too much fun and we
look forward to cooking for you again next year! Thanks so very much for the fabulous Captain Stannard House blog. Bon Appetit! Helen

Laurel C. said...

It was a wonderful time thanks to Helen, Jim and all the fun ladies who went! So glad to have had this relaxing weekend :)

Art By Wanda said...

Sounds totally fabulous!!!!

Juka Ribeiro said...

From your photo shoots, it really looks that you had so much fun. You had enjoy your weekend. I hope I could too.

By the way, thanks for sharing. Keep safe!

-Brian
fun weekend getaways