Very, verrrry long post!

Okay, today was the day I headed off to meet Mum, Nina and all the girls in Dwellingup, which is about an hour and a half drive from Perth. Turning on to the road to Dwellingup I was in awe of all this natural beauty around me. After a tough week, it was exactly what I needed and I could feel myself relaxing. The roads were winding with no traffic and surrounded on both sides by towering trees as far as they eye could see. Just magical. And as I crested the hill just before the township of Dwellingup, I was greeted in the ethereal beauty of a quaint country town, wreathed in early morning mist.





The road to Banksia Springs was a narrow, barely there, tar sealed road. The aroma permeating from the surrounding forests was so amazing, it was invigorating. I whirred down the window, turned off the stereo and just absorbed all the peace and tranquility.

Once arrivingI took a quick tour of the Banksia Springs, and that is what I will focus this post on. I will post again tomorrow of all the girls and their amazing work.

This is the foyer of the lodge where the girls sleep.


And this is Jackys room...

And this is Mums gorgeous necklace, that is a gift from Nina. Sorry it is such a bad shot, will get a better one.


This is the outdoor area of the lodge.


And the view...



This place is like a little ampitheatre.







There was something new around every corner of these awe inspiring grounds, like this bird house...

And this door to a shed, concealed by climbers....






I thought this place would be great in Spring, but look at this beautiful Autumn colours..,.


The dining room of the lodge, and I only stayed for lunch, but Oh My God!!! The food is so delicious!

Evidence of how the girls spend their evenings!!



The back view of the workroom...

And the lodge...



The gardens were so beautiful...



And this cottage was so fantastic, the photos really do not do it justice...

Tomorrow I will post more, but I am so tired right now.

Update and a few goodies

This has to a real quick post because I have to leave to pick kids up from school really soon!

I have just spoken to Mum and all the ladies in Dwellingup are having a fantastic time. Nina just loves Dwellingup. I thought she might as it is so quiet and peaceful there.
Apparently, there is alot of talk on the gorgeous journal that Misty made for Nina, I can't wait to see it tomorrow and with Ninas permission might try and get a photo for the blog.

Below are some pics of the stencils we got in for Melbourne. How awesome are these. Can't wait to have a play with them.
Well, must scoot. Will try and blog tomorrow with some photos from Dwellingup.

The big picture

This arrived in my inbox this morning
http://thesecret.tv/planet-earth/

It sent shivers up my spine and really made me look at the 'Big Picture'. It is a beautiful place we live in, isn't it?

Have a beautiful day.

Jo xoxoxo

Total organised CHAOS!

I don't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or go in to panic mode??! Sometimes I question why I do these things to myself, but I know that when we get to Melbourne and start meeting all the wonderful people attending the retreat, and all the classes get underway, thatI will feel very happy with what we have accomplished.

Okay, yesterday the girls started arriving for Ninas class in Dwellingup. Some girls drove straight there but I did have the pleasure of meeting up with Mandy W again, and meeting Karen and Denise. What beautiful ladies they all are! You can see the three of them below, rummaging through the suitcase of ribbon and aged fabrics.


They had a wonderful time exploring the shop and buying lots of goodies to play with during Ninas class!

Here is Jackys suitcase all ready to go. This is the case that he dragged around Europe, and also took to Cortona where she first met Nina.

And Denises' cases....

Jacky trying to pack everything in her car, only to unpack it all again, as they all decided to go in Mandys 4WD.



And this is the glorious view that they will be enjoying right now! The weather is just glorious here right now. T-Shirt during the day sort of weather but nice cool nights and crisp, fresh mornings. Apparently Nina started to feel the effects of jetlag yesterday, so hopefully they got a good nights sleep.


I have decided to drive down on Friday and spend the day with all the girls. Unfortunately I had to stay behind and pack up all the stock ready to be picked up by the courier today. Also, my husband is away again this week for work, so I could not get away for the week. But, I am enjoying the peace that is here right now!!! And this is what I can look forward to seeing on Friday!


As I mentioned earlier, I had to get all the stock packed to have freighted over to Melbourne, all 23 boxes of it! Whilst getting ready to pack this box, I heard some scratching and saw this little fellow in the bottom! Isn't he gorgeous! After getting him to pose for this shot, I set him free in the pack garden. I am so glad I saw him before I piled all our magazines in to the box, he would have been a rather flat chap!



And here is the fruits of my labour...

With a few more here that were way to heavy to get up on the table! Now, I can relax and wait for the freight company to come and pick them up to go on tonights truck to Melbourne! Look out, here we come!


I am getting a little frustrated that I have not been able to do anything creative lately, we have been so caught up in the organisation of the retreat. Can you believe that we are going to be meeting up with Misty and Traci and Nina in just a few days! How awesome is that?????
I am starting to get excited now...
8 days until we fly over!

Retreat Goodies Sneak Peek

Just a quick sneak peek at some of the wonderful goodies that have been arriving daily for the retreat in Melbourne. Every day is like Christmas with all these amazing packages to tear open and explore!

We have art supplies....

And wire working supplies...

And kits awaiting their new homes...

And some AWESOME junque...

And bench block (a must in Ninas classes!!!)...

And gorgeous aged fabric...

And ribbons...

And paper packs...

And more art supplies...

Vintage papers...

But wait...
More art supplies...

And a few more art supplies...

The chaos that is our shop at the moment!

Ooooh, loads of yummy mags...


And we had another 9 boxes arrive today.
It is really getting down to the wire now, not long to go.
Nina arrives in Perth very soon and they all head off to Dwellingup next Monday!
Please excuse my infrequent postings to date but hope to be a netter blogger from now on.
Have a great night.

Art Journey Retreat 2008 Update

And the countdown is on.....

As of today, it is only three weeks, or 21 days until Nina begins her Dwellingup Retreat and 31 days until Melbourne!!
Are you excited yet??????

Just a little update to keep you all in the loop and advise you of a few things.
Firstly...
REGISTRATION
Registrations will take place in the foyer of the Swinburne Conference Centre on Thursday May 15th May from 12noon until 4pm. At registration you will receive your class map to advise you to where each class is to be held.
If you are attending a Thursday workshop, we will take your registrations from 9:30am in the foyer.
If you are unable to make the Thursday registration, could you please advise us by email so we can organise a Friday registration prior to your first workshop.
If you are only attending 1 or 2 days of workshops, your registration will be taken from 8:30am on the morning of your first workshop.
For those who have ordered kits, these will be available at registration.

CLASS TIMES
Friday, Saturday and Sundays workshops will run from 9am to 4:30pm, with the leniency of running over to 5pm if needed.
Lunch will be 12:30 - 1:30.

SATURDAY EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
We are pleased to announce that on Saturday 17th May we have organised to dine at Dantes Restaurant in Fitzroy. The cost is $38 per person and is payable to the restaurant on the evening. Please visit here to obtain more information and view the menu.
http://www.artisticjourney.com.au/dantes.htm
We hope you will be able to join Jacky, myself and the tutors at this lovely relaxed event.

CLASS KITS
Class kits are online and Ninas will be completed tomorrow (or this evening if all goes to plan). If you require certain items from the kits, please contact us and we will let you know prices etc... These can be delivered to you at the retreat to avoid postage costs. We have been receiving alot of orders in the past couple of weeks, so please bear with us as we get them all packed and posted out to those who have requested them.

SHOPPING
We will be setting up a trade area so you may shop to your hearts content. Exhibitors include Artistic Journey, Ro Bruhn and all our US tutors. I am sure there will be something available to suit everyone there! I know I am really looking forward to what the other exhibitors will have to offer.
At Artistic Journey we have been busy sourcing some amazing things for all of you and we are so excited about what we have put together! There is vintage and metals and paint and papers and stamps and books and magazines and the list goes on... Many items will be offered exclusively to retreat delegates and will not go online or in our shop until after the retreat.

ART JOURNEY RETREAT 2009
Yes, I realise that we haven't had our 2008 retreat yet, but we are already setting the wheels in motion for 2009. Once again this will be held somewhere On the East of Australia, possibly Sydney. We are approaching some wonderful tutors who will bring a wide range of artistic talent and techniques. This will also be some time May - July 2009. Sorry I have to be so vague but don't want to say too much until we have firm commitments. Stay tuned....

So, with 21 days and counting, I will sign off for now on the promise of another update next week!
See you all soon.........