FRANCE - A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!

Me + a Surgical Boot + France = 

Well, I'd like to go back when I can walk.

However, I was able to get some fabulous pictures of the south of France. 

I went for an art retreat being taught by my sweet friend,

Stephanie Rubiano. We traveled together to get there, finally ending up

in Darfort, France, a tiny village where we stayed in a chateau

on one of a few streets that made up the village. 

I'm going to share the trip with you in photos. 

Some explanations, mostly just the photos. Enjoy!!

(And I apologize for the crazy spacing - I can't make it change!)

Flying overseas isn't fun. I can assure you that when I go back

(and I sincerely hope to go back someday) that I'm flying 

business class. I will. May have to take out a loan. ;)

.

This was a little disconcerting. This was the Toulouse, France, airport. 

I was determined to get a picture on the sly. Done. 

Didn't want to chance being thrown into a French prison for taking covert

pictures of their machine gun totting military.

A wonderful gathering place at the bottom of the two or three

streets in Darfort.

Our street in Dufort. 

The living room of our chateau.

Staircase to second floor where we slept in amazing bedrooms.

Windows open all the way and there aren't screens in the whole of

the south of France. And, no, no problems with bugs.

There's also another staircase to the 3rd floor art studio.

Quite the challenge when you're wearing a surgical boot!

Tracy's crown for her project.

Working hard in class.

Marilyn working on her piece.

Stephanie, the teacher, is on the right.

The kitchen - notice how small the ice box is - 

that's because the chef goes to market every day and buys fresh.

It was so refreshing eating what she concocted with 

fresh fruits and vegetables she would buy.

I love the look of the whites drying against the stone wall.

Dessert - freshly made yogurt with fresh fruits. Delicious.

The waterfall off of the back of the patio.

It was such a beautiful sound.

Market

Homemade breads. A staple.

The street(s) surrounding market.

The houses are old, beautiful old, and built up (like 3 floors).

I love architecture - especially doors, old buildings and windows.

Me and my camera. #love

The beauty touched my heart deeply.

A flea. So wonderful.

My treasures start here. I found some things I absolutely loved!

A vintage child's dress. 

(Maybe one day a granddaughter's dress. The thought makes me smile.)

A lady's vintage nightgown. A gift to my best friend, Annette.

French kitchen towels. I LOVE THEM. The monograms; who owned them before?; what kind

of life did they live? I think that question about the child's dress and the lady's nightgown.

Wine was a drink of choice! This man is eating alone. I LOVED the people

and capturing their uniqueness with my camera.

Sunflower fields are abundant. We arrived at the end of the season 

but they were still beautiful!

Our hostess and chef in the red shoes saying goodbye to us all in front of our chateau. 

She was such a wonderful cook and a delightful hostess. 

She made our visit so comfortable!

I hope you enjoyed some of the hundreds of photos I took.

I hope you got a feeling of the south of France and my experience.

And, as you leave Durfort, and all villages, you see this kind of sign.

Love it.
          Love you,

A RETREAT, ART, FRIENDS, AND A TEACHER, ALL TREASURES

This past weekend was more than an art retreat for me.

It was three days that deeply touched my soul.

Officially, it was a K.C. Willis Art Retreat

held at Clark Mansion

in Taylor, Texas (east of Austin).

For me it was a weekend of renewal, validation,

new friends, an old friend, amazing art instruction and

laughter - straight from the gut.

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE

The piece above is my first of two that I made

during the retreat.

It measures about 16" x 20".

All it is lacking is the vintage rhinestone

under the photo on the cabinet card.

(I couldn't wait to show it to you so use your imagination)

Above you're looking at a close-up of the

baby picture of a little boy.

Of course, the boy in the baby picture

is the boy in the main photo.

A close-up of the quote I wrote for this piece.

The picture you're looking at above is my

second piece. I will be attaching it to a

16" x 20" black canvas before I hang it.

I'll also be adding large tea stained (cream) ball fringe

to the bottom and

a piece of vintage jewelry to the bottom left corner.

Do you see the "open top" hand stitched

"envelope" on the bottom right?

Inside of it, and peeking out, is a small

photo of the girl in the piece.

I'll be giving it a wash to create a ghostly hue.

The lady on the envelope? The little girl as an adult.

One of my new friends is Susan and I'm

almost positive this piece above is hers.

I do know one thing and that is that it isn't quite finished.

Susan is a delightful artist and a lot of fun.

The best part is that she lives in San Antonio!

I'm also pretty sure this piece is by Rita Blanks.

Don't trust my memory!

(not quite finished)

I KNOW who created this piece!

My new, darling friend,Robin Woodward.

She and I have been blogging friends for years

and one day I mentioned this retreat and suggested

that she might be interested.

She was, we met IRL, went shopping, were roommates,

table mates and she is now my dear, sweet friend.

She is absolutely darling and this piece

is my favorite! (Not completely finished)

Susan created the above piece and what makes it so

special is that the little girl on the pony IS SUSAN.

What a wonderful piece!

I absolutely adore not only this darling piece of art,

but, the artist, too!

I've known Rita Blanks for many years

and though I don't see her often enough,

I adore any time that I get to spend with her.

Isn't this piece the bomb??

Here we all are with one of our two pieces.

We had such a wonderful time and

we learned and had so much fun with our

precious teacher, K.C. Willis.

If you are ever in a position that you can take one of her

Internet courses (DVD) or attend one of her retreats,

you will be blessed, entertained and

you will learn so much that you will be so stinkin' happy that

you invested in her teaching. She's amazing!

The Clark Mansion is a delight!

You can find the very

fascinating facts of it by clicking on "Clark Mansion".

It is a private home owned by Sherry Clark and she

holds weddings to art retreats on the property,

so let me just say,

if you're looking for an amazing place

to do "something",

give her a call (512-365-6709)

There's Sherry waving from the amazing front porch.

The greeter stands next to a historical marker

at the entrance to the property.

A lovely front yard with lots of seating.

A perfect place to sit and drink

your morning cup of coffee.

An alcove under the grand staircase.

The mansion has only had two owners

and both have done all they could

to keep it's integrity.

You feel like you're in another era - fabulous!

Look at this inlaid wooden floor -

original to the house.

The wallpaper??

I was tempted to tear off a panel.

Seriously.

The chandelier in the front hall.

Yeah, original to the house.

I will always regret not taking my big suitcase.

The oak front doors and their lead glass windows.

Oh, mama.

The grand staircase is one of the first things

that you see when you enter the house.

That lamp at the base of the stairs?

I stayed away from it.

Can you imagine if you were the one to

fall into it and knock it off.......

The ballroom is where we 'held our retreat'.

Mine's bigger. Just sayin'.

The house even has a keyhole window! Shut up!!

A fainting chaise in the front room.

The amazing woodwork above the door(s).

I know that the buffet and

the dining room table & chairs

are originals to the house.

I fell in love with the glass swan centerpiece

on the dining room table.

The windows in Robin's and my room

were topped by stained glass.

The sun shined through every morning

and it was a sight to behold as

I was getting ready for the day.

One of my favorite things in the house

was the reading light attached to the

headboard of my king size bed.

This is a picture of my sweet friend, Robin,

and our fabulous teacher, K.C.

We all have battles to fight and everyday challenges and I'm no different.
I've had a rough time for about a year, even had a dear friend "destroy me"
(my words) a couple of weeks ago with words and attitude.
My point in sharing that with you is so that I can tell you this:
Always find time, find some way, to enjoy what makes you passionate.
And, find that one person that you can trust and don't keep those moments
that destroy you to yourself. You'll be much healthier mentally if you can just
talk to someone.

(Oh, and btw, he didn't destroy me - after I stopped hyperventilating and
immediately talked to my bff, Annette, about what had just happened,
I did what God would want all of us to do.
I forgave him in my heart and I pray for him every night.)

I am well. I've got my joy back!
God bless you all,
           Jan