ELD Goes to Castle Rock: Day 3
Day 3 is Friday, and workshop day!
Mom & I woke up early to get a walk in before heading to Jeanne’s. We would have liked to get to another local park to check out some nice trails but we didn’t want to take that much time. A walk up and down the street near our hotel did the job, but it definitely wasn’t scenic.
We got quick showers, swung by Einstein’s again, and headed toward Jeanne’s house! I’d had a lot of nervous energy and excitement over the last few days as the workshop got closer.
It’s going to be so awesome. I hope Jeanne is really as kind and encouraging as she seems online. I have no business being there with other amazing creatives. I hope I don’t embarrass myself. What if nobody talks to us?
Strangely, the closer we got to Jeanne’s home, the calmer I got. My nerves disappeared. I have heard many people say that her land and studio are a place of peace and rest, and I would absolutely agree. By the time we arrived most of these thoughts had disappeared.
When we walked into her studio we were welcomed with blackberry-lavender mimosas. They were almost too beautiful to drink.
We had a few minutes before class officially begins, so we grabbed our nametags and found a seat. Beautiful Moroccan baskets are waiting for us with goodies tucked inside – one of Jeanne’s StencilGirl stencils, vintage French linen, a postcard, a bookbinding kit from Peg and Awl.
I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of her incredible space.
The morning session covered discussion on purposeful gathering, using the bookbinding kit to make our own journals, and a demonstration of different natural dyes. We had the opportunity to dye our French linen or our completed journals if we wanted.
We broke for lunch, splitting into groups of four. Jeanne’s land is full of intimate gathering spaces and my group ended up at a table in her beautiful courtyard. My mom deliberately with a different group so we could both make sure to connect with others.
French picnic baskets awaited us, stuffed with baguettes, antipasto, quinoa salad, wine, sparkling water, and sea-salt caramel chocolate. Of course it was all beautifully presented and delicious.
After lunch we began some stitching, foraged for wild plants on Jeanne’s land, and made bouquets from the Wild & Blume flower truck.
We spent the rest of the afternoon working on our stitching and sketching some of our collected plants and flowers, and then it began to rain so we rushed outside to rescue our journals that were drying in the sun.
The workshop was over for the day, and we headed back into Castle Rock for dinner at Union Bistro. My mom and I ended up sitting with Jeanne, and we had fabulous food and even better conversation. It was a great night and so special to get some one-on-one time with Jeanne. We talked about some deep stuff and it was a night I will remember for a very long time.
Mom and I headed back to the hotel after dinner, tucked ourselves into bed, stitched for a while and had more deep conversations before turning out the light to rest up for workshop day number 2!
