That’s what yesterday all was about, trick or treat. For those that joined us at Friends for the Oktoberfest it was all about the treats. I will say there was a trick or two taught in each class though! The fun part was the annual Trick or Treat in the Junction for all the kids. There were many hundreds of them dressed in for terrific costumes as you will see.
This years Oktoberfest was another great chance for everyone to catch a couple of fabulous workshops, have a continental breakfast, get a ‘goody bag’, sit with friends over a sumptuous lunch, spend the afternoon in another workshop and then end the day with a drawing for a door prize!
The two morning workshops that everyone had to choose from was one taught by Jean Mendel and Sandy Huff and the other taught by me. Jean and Sandy taught an open spine box that held a little book inside. They used sheets of the incredible handmade Italian papers that you can find at Friends. This paper is exquisite and affordable. I know that several of those who chose this class stocked up on a few extra rolls for future boxes. The patterns in these papers are to die for.
The afternoon workshops were taught by Rita Noble and Sarah Brighton. Rita created a most clever little slide box covered in polymer clay. It had a pull drawer and a cord for hanging. I spoke with Kelly late last evening and she had hung hers already. The creativity in this class was beyond beautiful. They had geometric shapes and leaves and fish, pretty little fish. They used PearlEx to color the black clay and added wire and beads for the finishing touches. These boxes were amazing.
Sarah Brighton did a workshop of tag building. The participants had tables of materials to choose from. There were buttons, beads, sequins, yarn, collage sheets and row after row of papers. They had three hours in which to create as many tags and they wished. The tags be as simple as you wanted or and intricate and complicated as your imagination would take you. She had loads of Halloween collage sheets with just some of the most fun items. I was jealous!
My class was a beautiful book made with craft envelopes as its base. The pages were covered and embellished. I partnered with SEI for this workshop and used one of the newest lines in their catalog called Windsor. This is by far the most beautiful paper collection I’ve ever worked with. Thank you SEI for creating this incredible line.
Each student had 24 sheets of 8x8 paper, there were foils and shimmers and patterns and distressed as well as plain cardstock. There were matching tags and small envelopes. I added ribbons and brads and corner touches as well as gold and turquoise bling to make these papers pop just a little bit more! I also added a beautiful brown ribbon that was recycled from a friends wedding this year. It was made to be used in this book. A nice little treat to add to the book. I think I will make a book and give it to them!
In the three hours of this workshop the pages were flying around the table. The book was held together with split rings. I took the sample apart and everyone passed the pages to one another, giving them a sample to work from. I also created a page layout cd of the class for each kit. I had a few extra kits that I put together and they went flying out the door. Nothing left! In the sample I created I didn’t over embellish. While I used a bit of everything I wanted each person to be able to make the book their own. I left loads of room on the pages so that pictures could be added if they wished. Room enough for notes too! Every page had three holes punched and finished with eyelets so that the book could be handled without worry. In the end everyone was still talking about what they planned to do with their books when they got home. I hope that I get to see some of them!
The silly part of the day belonged to the throngs of kids that were all costumed and trick or treating the merchants in the Junction. There were tiny babies to adults all dressed up walking the four blocks and being loaded up with enough sugar to keep them going for months. At 2PM there were dozens of ‘zombies’ dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. This dance was going on all over the world in celebration of 25 years of his song/album. They were a hoot; the practicing had gone on for weeks. I wished they could have blocked the intersection for the five minutes this event took so that everyone was able to really see it! Being tall I was able to get a couple of pictures holding my camera high above a few folks.
The Oktoberfest ended with everyone receiving a door prize. They did a bit of shopping while showing off their projects to one another. I saw beautiful Italian paper boxes, loads and loads of fun tags, clay boxes I wanted and many beautiful books. I think everyone had a great time and it’s always good to hear this. I look forward to whatever Friends has up its sleeve for its next special event. Oh I do know the next BIG thing on the calendar is Claire Hampton! She will be here all the way from England again in January. One sample is already in the store and the other will be there soon! Sign up early, you won’t want to miss a workshop or a class that Claire teaches. She is the senior educator for Hampton Art and is just the best! In the meantime sit back relax and enjoy the view from your window seat.
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