Shepherd’s Retreat, Finale

I'm finally back with the rest of the pictures! (No, not the rest of the 180, but just a few I thought you might enjoy seeing!)

These aren't in any particular order, so I'll just post them how I find them. 🙂

Here is one from the Shepherd's Boutique.. I thought Jill Rensel did an amazing job on Button's Black; as usual, her artwork on mats is amazing:

I loved this one from Chessie and Me…

Since I explained in my last blog post how I didn't get a full photo of the Shepherd's Bush project, a few of you kindly emailed some pictures for me. Thank you! Here is Susan Ream's photo of Three Ships…

Btw, I still can't get over how warmly I was welcomed throughout the entire retreat. I even received some lovely surprises from some of the attendees, and I can't thank you all enough! Your generosity was so touching, and I will always remember these special gifts to me. Here are some of the lovely things presented to me…

Here's the back of the above pendant – the very pendant Bre tried to woo me out of when she spotted it…

And here is a pendant from Charland Designs… she had so many cool ones! I think Sabrina had her eye on this one, btw. 😉

And here's the back:

Even Sophie got some gifts, which thrilled her to death!

Here are a few of the sweet ladies in one of my classes…

Every morning, the Shepherd's Bush girls would go from classroom to classroom and deliver the most wonderful little wrapped gifts! I don't have photos of them, unfortunately, but they were needlework-related, and so very sweet to receive!

During the day, there were some of us who boarded the gondola to ride up the mountain. The Aspens were gorgeous!

Lots of dudes on mountain bikes were there as well, and you can spot one of them in the middle of the photo below. Charland's daughter, Sydney, couldn't find a single willing soul to make the bike trek down the mountain with her. I was very tempted to join her at one point, but then I suddenly realized that I don't like fear very much, so I declined.

Here are some of the things we got to make at the Cookie Swap… each person got to choose a tin to carry to different stations that were set up. At each station, we were taught how to make a certain type of "cookie," and we used our tin to store them in. I thought the whole idea was so much fun!

We made a Sandwich Cookie, a Truffle, and a Pinwheel Cookie. There were even little charms we got to attach to the tops of our Sandwich cookies…

Remember when I told you Cecelia Strickland of Threadgatherers not only painted fibers, but she also makes soaps and lotions and lip balms?

They all smell amazing! I've got the mousse on my hands right now, and I can't stop raising my hands to my face and inhaling. It's delicious!

And isn't the keychain the coolest thing?

On our last night, we all met in the ballroom for the Fa La La Feast. The table settings were so festive, and everyone was very excited to be there – whether for the ornament exchange or the food or the Christmas Trivia game or the husbands all getting up front to sing a jolly Christmas carol, each of us had a marvelous time. Teri and Tina are the most gracious hosts!

I love this picture of Teri and Cece…

…and Charland and Linda…

Here is a small portion of the ornaments, all ready for the swapping…

At the end of the night, Teri and Tina had one last gift for each person, whether they were naughty or nice. Judging from the collective "oooooh" in the room when everyone opened their stocking'ed gift, I'd say the Shepherd's Bush girls made a very good call with what they gave…

….even if I got one that said "naughty!" 😉

I'll leave you with a room full of happy guests, wearing their paper crowns that came from holiday crackers… everyone crossed arms and "cracked" them at the same time, to see what sort of toy was inside. That was so much fun to do!

If ever you get the chance to attend a Shepherd's Retreat in the future, I highly recommend you treat yourself and go. The only downside to going to one, I've found, is that you don't really want to leave. The scenery, shopping, and stitching are all so much fun, but I found that the real gifts of the heart were the new friends I made.

I sure enjoyed meeting you all and getting to spend some time with you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again!