Yesterday was the perfect day, the kind of day that makes me wish I could have another one just like it. I spent most of the day at the Crafts for Christmas retreat. I got my sermon written before I headed over to the retreat, which meant I could enjoy it completely.
It's a participant run retreat, and it works beautifully. Everyone brings a craft to share, along with supplies so that everyone can make the craft for themselves. Some crafts are limited in terms of how many each person can make, but many aren't. Each table has a finished example of the craft and plenty of supplies. It's a delight.
I wasn't going to make a gnome out of yarn, but they were so cute, that I decided to give it a try. The hat looked weird to me, so I made a different hat, and then I created something else out of the failed hat.
The craft I brought was fabric arts, with supplies for people to make a heart, an Christmas present, and/or an angel.
They could be ornaments or you could put one in an envelope and mail it for the cost of 2 stamps.
I really liked that we could use materials from other stations. I was hoping that my friends would bring buttons, and they didn't let me down.
I wasn't going to make some of the crafts, like the above trivet with wine corks, but then I gave it a try and liked it, especially as I experimented with some of the writing and images on the cork.
I made some cards, but didn't get pictures of them. I had the opportunity to make ornaments like the one above and/or napkin rings, but decided not to. That's my only objection with this retreat. I don't have that many gift-giving obligations these days, and I live in a small house with not much room for more stuff. So I focused on stuff that I can give away. The gnomes will live in the pumpkin patch I'm creating for the front driveway. I need more pumpkins. Will I wish I had more gnomes, like this whole family of gnomes that we created? If so, I'll know how to do it.
I didn't get pictures of the cooking that we did. Everyone brings food, which means we had an abundance of food. And there's no way to capture fully in words the joy of a day of working together on separate projects, interspersed with great conversation and the fellowship of food.
I have known about this retreat for years, but for years I lived in South Florida, and I couldn't come for a variety of reasons. It seemed like such a long drive for such a short retreat, and it was. Still, I feel regret for the years that I didn't get to experience this.
Let me shake off regrets and just enjoy that I can do these kinds of retreats and get togethers now. Better late than never.
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