My Latest Creative Addiction

Last November I had the opportunity to attend an amazing jewelry making workshop at Sweetland Retreat in Manchester, Maine.  I was super excited because the class was being taught by Jessica Moreau-Berry of Junque Revival fame.  I have been a long time fan of Jessica's work since meeting her two years ago at an art and craft fair featuring Etsy Maine Team artists.  Among her many talents, Jessica creates incredible pieces of mixed media art jewelry from found objects, decoupage ephemera, vintage beads and baubles, and her own artistic flair.  She has also been a frequently featured contributor of articles and interviews to such major art magazines as Belle Armoire Jewelry and Jewelry Affaire and some of her fabulous creations can be purchased in her Etsy shop, Junque Revival among other places.  So, when Jessica offered a class at Sweetland Retreat I jumped on it.  The class was called Repurposed Shard and Polymer Clay Jewelry.  This was "THE" process she used to make some of the amazing pieces that have been featured in magazine articles.  I could not pass it up!



Painting My First Piece



And am I glad I went!  The class was wonderful and I had so much fun learning the process.  Jessica is an awesome teacher and even though I had never used polymer clay, nor made much jewelry before then, by the time I was done with class I could not wait to get home and use my new found skills to create more pieces.  I guess you could say a creative monster was born that day. 

Since I took that class I have created 10 additional pendants and 4 brooches and I do not see myself stopping any time soon...




I give full credit for my inspiration to Jessica Moreau-Berry


I even had to add a new section to my studio...

Jessica was very generous with her knowledge and very clear with her instructions.  I know Jessica is in the planning stages of some future classes.  I highly recommend if she offers this or any other class that you sign up!  You will be glad you did, I know I am.  I can't wait for the next one!



"Tidal Pool" original brooch by FloDo Designs



"Time to Switch Gears" original brooch by FloDo Designs



You can follow Junque Revival's blog using the link on the right of this page.  Thanks Jessica!

Much to Learn, Much to Do...

Creative people everywhere share at least one basic thing in common - we love to share our art. No matter what the medium of choice, the joy we feel when creating is an infectious kind of happiness that we can't wait to pass on. Whether we are displaying our creations, selling our wares, teaching or attending workshops there are many ways of sharing this feeling and I for one am certainly glad we do! Nowhere can this sense of sharing be found more prominently than a delightfully magical place in Manchester, Maine called Sweetland Retreat.

Sweetland Retreat is a charming little antique farm turned artist retreat in the heart of rural Maine. It is the brainchild of twin sisters Joy and Jamie, and Jamie’s husband Brian. This little group of artistically talented, wonderfully welcoming, downright down-to-earth individuals has taken a wonderful piece of Maine history and are single handedly (or I guess you would say triple handedly) turning the well loved, well worn former single family home into a place where artists from all walks of life can come together in the spirit of sharing their craft. The hope is that one day down the road, when all the painstaking renovation is complete, this beautiful house will become a full fledged artist’s retreat/B&B. With its incredible antique rock wall, beautiful flowering shrubs (many decades old) and flowers and its well tended vegetable garden, it is a glorious and relaxing location where one cannot help but want to overstay their welcome.

The main barn of the old property has been carefully and lovingly turned into an open and airy artist studio flooded with many sources of natural light. This space is used to host workshops taught by local artists and teachers (Joy and Jamie included) who share a wide variety of fine arts, crafts and more. From polymer clay flower making to precious metal clay jewelry making, body scrub classes to classes on encaustic painting, beginning sewing workshops to gelatin printmaking, digital photography to etsy shop setup, knitting to Ukranian egg dyeing, the list goes on and on with more classes of various types being added all the time (I believe there was even a violin class).

  

I have attended a couple of the offerings at Sweetland Retreat and highly recommend them to anyone interested in a fun, creative, one of a kind experience. Some classes are held during the week but most are held on the weekends making it very convenient. Many classes have the supplies included in the price of the workshop; all you have to do is show up and have a great time! And, Joy, Jamie and Brian are infectiously warm and friendly.

Check out their website for a schedule of upcoming workshops and treat yourself to a wonderful experience. You will be glad you did!