Whew! Easter is over!

March 23, 2008

OK. Easter isn’t over but the chocolate making is. Most of our stores, we are up to 11, I think, under ordered bunnies and such. Some of our bigger stores, some of the biggest, ordered a ton of eggs, bunnies, and mixed chocolates but still ran out. I demoed and demoed and demoed. I think everyone was being cautious, including us. We may wind up with a couple of bunnies and eggs left over but not all that much. We’ll just discount them and they’ll go quickly.

Who knew? I certainly didn’t. I only had one mold for bunnies and eggs. Next year I’m going to need about 10 each of my figures and I’ll offer some more figures, too. All in all it was a blast. I loved demoing at our stores. I had a ton o’ fun.

Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is just a month away. It comes at you, doesn’t it?

Master Maltzman Does it Again

March 11, 2008

Stanley Maltzman was here again teaching his drawing and pastel workshop. In the words of some of the students, this was the best workshop they’ve taken in a long time! Not only was Stanley a wonderful instructor, but the accommodations and food were great. (Not to mention the chocolate!)

Here is Stanley doing one of his evening demos for his happy crew.

Sharon and Gene look like they are having fun!

Here is a marvelous portrait of a dog done by Shelli DuBoff, who was one of Stanley’s students.

The weather cooperated fairly well for this workshop. The sun was shining all day on Sunday when everyone arrived, then we got a couple of brisk days that still allowed the group to go outdoors for some quick sketching and photo taking. Then a couple of rainy days followed, but the warm studio and hot chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon kept smiles on everyone’s faces. On the final morning the sun came out again so that everyone could get home safely.

The next “workshop” coming up is our Spring Retreat. This is your chance to get away from the distractions of home, take a break from winter and focus on your art or maybe just hang out in the studio, read a book (a new bookstore just opened in Greenville – only a short walk from the inn), knit, or take a hike and enjoy the delicious meals and comfortable rooms. The dates are March 27th to April 2nd. You can choose the 3-night or 6-night option.

The weather is warming and the tulips are just starting to peak out of the earth and by the time the Retreat rolls around they should be up and blooming!