Good Things,  Stitching,  Travel

The Attic, Part II

Yesterday I shared with you some shop photos of The Attic, and I have just a few left.. I also took some pictures during the actual Symposium, which was held at Hyatt Place (a fabulous hotel, with the nicest staff!)…

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I loved this collection of beaded scissors fobs…

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My mother's two loves: red and chocolate…

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I'm sad I couldn't get a better angle of this red ornament; the reindeer at the bottom were so sweet!

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Friday evening the Symposium began, with Vickie from Needlework Press presenting a history of Arizona samplers…

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Then Darlene Andersen showed us some of her gorgeous Christmas ornaments…

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And she even handed out 10 prizes to 10 lucky ladies. All 10 prizes were Adam & Eve smalls that Darlene had stitched!

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After Darlene had spoken about her ornament collection, I presented my Lady's Trimkeep workshop. Earlier that day I had spent a couple of hours in my room kitting everything up and listening to Justin Bieber on my iPad (which made me work faster)…

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The next day Darlene presented a powerpoint presentation on her Adam & Eve sampler collection…

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And my dear friend Tracy Riffle brought the most beautiful Amish boxes to be painted, along with a tutorial on how to make a darling little teacup from cardboard and strips of paper, and a Symposium Snowdrop chart with the supplies for stitching…

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Finally, Catherine Theron presented her stitcher's envelope project, which was accompanied by a stunning collection of other workshops…

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Back at the shop that night, Jean had lots of delicious desserts for us…

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And this is the room where we gathered after our shopping to pull our purchases out and start stitching (and eating). The sweet man in the foreground is Jean's husband, John, who made us the most amazing party favors (which I'll share soon, along with my stash acquisition)… I've met John before at a past needlework market, and he is a soft-spoken, charming man with a clever wit. When he first entered the Gathering Room, all of us looked up at him at the same time. He answered our stares with a calm, "If you look very very closely at the pattern on my shirt, you'll find an American flag."

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And I wasn't going to post these next photos, but since Katrina did, then I will too. Each morning we made a Starbucks run (I believe I've met my caffeine soul sister in Miss Katrina, btw) and brought our goods back with us.

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I found myself being spellbound by that iconic green mermaid being flashed at me on the paper cups, and could barely focus on the samplers in the room (think Death Star Tractor Beam, pulling me in)…

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And here's Natalia (who made me wish I was a hot Spanish stitcher)…

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Some of my favorite memories from the weekend will always be the time I spent with some very dear friends of mine. Each of them is like a sister to me, and I truly hope that I'm able to spend time with them again some day very soon. As I was telling sweet Jen and Tanya, needlework is a joy on its own, but so much more pleasurable when one is able to find a friend who enjoys it also.

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Thank you again to Jean for inviting me to the Symposium, and also for her warm hospitality and desire to make sure everyone – designers and attendees alike – is more than satisfied and happy with their experience in the desert. 😉

15 Comments

  • Laurie in Iowa

    More wonderful photos. Paulette… do you remember the name and designer of the sampler with the big yellow house and the swan with the bible verse from Proverbs in the lower right hand corner?

  • joanntx

    WOW!
    fantastic pictures in both parts I and II!!!
    what a great shop and looks like all had a
    fabulous time!
    maybe jean will have another symposium next year!

  • Margaret

    I enjoyed seeing all your pictures of the symposium, Paulette. I so wish I could have been there with you all. Looks like so much fun!

  • Karin

    It was so much fun to spend time together!! Love re-living it via your blog. Yeah…I am famous now I appeared on your blog:-)

  • Sylvia

    Oh my goodness…Paulette, I´m Sylvia from Germany and I love your designs and your blog. When I saw this pictures, I was sad…In Germany there isn´t anything like that. Stitching is not so popular as in America and we have to shop online…A room like this does not exist here…It is a big dream om mine, to visit one day such a location. But I think it will remain a dream…It´s a great pity…
    Greetings from Germany
    Sylvia

  • Jen

    Aack, what is that adorable peacock thingiemabob in the first photo?? How did I miss that?!? I guess it’s time to schedule a return trip! It was such a fun weekend!

  • Betty

    Wow, that sure sounds like a great weekend, well spend with friends in a beautiful shop. Just like Sylvia from Germany, I’m dreaming about visiting that shop one day, but I live in the Netherlands, so it will not be that easy to fullfill my wish…
    And just like Laurie, I really love to know the name and desiger of that sampler, and also from the other one (big yellow/orange house with a lot of flowers around it) on that same picture. I fell in love with them… It would be great if someone could help us with that.
    Betty

  • Natalia Canaday

    Oh Paulette, you crack me up !! I loved all the pictures and I thank you for sharing them with us. I always take my camera everywhere with me, but somehow, I never manage to take pictures. LOL. You are right, cross stitch is a wonderful thing, but when it is done in the company of dear friends, it is just the best. I am so grateful for our group of friends, and I didn’t want the weekend to end !!! I also LOVE your project and, of course, Brother’s Keeper. You are one amazing designer !!

  • Cathryn

    Again – WOW! So very amazing. You are so very fortunate to experience this, Paulette. God Bless your generous spirit in sharing your experiences here for us. 😀 Cathryn

  • Kathy

    Thank you Paulette for sharing your experiences with your loyal fans like me! I was wondering if you remember the name of the designer and name of the chart of the Red and chocolate piece? Thank you!

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