Wonderful Handmade U!

I am a bit slow in telling you all about the wonderful time I had at Handmade U...and a bit slower at finishing my projects, but my, is there anything more fun than a good art retreat? 

This one was wonderful!

I love getting together with old buddies and new and taking part in the joy of creating together.

Here I am with my dear art buddies, Hope Ellington and Donna Robinson. There is nothing quite as fun as being with people who love the same things that you do. 

Of course, there were swaps...

These are my folders for the ephemera swap. This is the front.

...and this is the back. That little face is me! I had so much fun playing with stencils! It is my new obsession!

There were so many beautiful bundles of treats!

The classes! Ah, the attention to detail! 

This greeted us the day we worked with Hope Wallace Karney (http://besottment.typepad.com).  How could you not be motivated?

Photo by Liesel Lund

We made these adorable journals from Cabinet Card folders. Mine is the partial one in the top right.

Photo by Liesel Lund

The next day Liesel Lund (http://liesel.typepad.com) helped us create a book from two vintage books, using one for the covers and the other for pages (along with all sorts of other wonderful bits of old paper). As you can see on the left side, we did actual binding of our books, sewing up sections or signatures, then sewing them to the binding tape at the side.

Hope and Liesel were two of the best teachers I have encountered. They were extremely generous with both their knowledge and their materials. They were well prepared and patient with all of us. 

Handmade U is the creation of Rachel Velder, who is one of the most lovely and gracious women you will encounter. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and felt enriched and pampered. You can be sure I will go again.