I think the last 7 months have been leading up to this moment, to this weekend of creative bliss. Today I met my inspiration…Kelly Rae Roberts…a little surreal at first, but speaking to other creative souls on this retreat, so many have been inspired like myself and are answering a calling to lead a more creative existence. Meeting Mati and Kelly Rae was a little surreal at first, but they are also so genuine and lovely and being in a class learning their techniques is a dream come true. The gorgeousChrissy who has been a lively and fun blog buddy for the past few weeks is the bright spark in our class and a breath of fresh air, she is also my house buddy along with the lovely Lorrie and Robin who are are also so fabulous.

We began the day standing in a circle introducing ourselves and it was wonderful to listen to the stories of others and hear all the different accents from over the USA and overseas.

Learning different ways to apply paint was our first lesson, stamping, stenciling and then we were let loose to explore. Collaging in the afternoon came more easily for me, but our “Funky Chunky Coffee Books” are starting to take shape and so are our friendships. We created for over 10 hours and we are still popping back into our room, totally addicted to the paint and the new pages, throwing paper over the floor and covering ourselves in paint.

I cant begin to explain how exhilarating today has been, spending all day in this amazing creative environment has been a slice heaven….and its only day one!!