OHIO BEADERS 4TH ANNUAL BEADING RETREAT

I went to the Ohio Beaders 4th Annual Beading Retreat the weekend of October 25th. This is the 4th one I have attended and as always, it did not disappoint!!

Let me digress a bit and tell ya a little bit about the Ohio Beaders. This is an online group on Yahoo for beaders living in Ohio or any of the surrounding states. A wonderful lady by the name of Signe started the group, and strangely enough, the stars must have all been aligned, and our chakra's centered, because we have one heck of a great group of members. Well tell Signe all the time, How lucky are we that you brought us all together?????!!!!! These are truly some of my best friends. The Ohio Beaders started with quarterly gatherings and soon the idea of a retreat came up. Well with lots of work and lots of dedication we had our first, with 18 attendees at the Spruce Hill Manor in Mansfield Ohio. This year we graduated up to a big lodge with 34 people.

The retreat took place at the Indian Bear Lodge http://www.indianbearlodge.com/ in Walhonding Ohio. Check it out~!!! Totally awesome and HUGE place! John and I stayed in one of their cabins this summer and it was awesome.

Back to the retreat, over the course of 3 days, different classes are offered, and Friday night, the night we arrive, there is always a pajama party with a gift exchange of a hand made present, and then door prizes. This year we also had a wine and cheese party. Quite honestly I was leary, LOL, because wine gives me a headache, but it was AWESOME! By Sunday we are pretty worn out from staying up late and laughing hysterically. We pretty much just veg until we pack up and leave.

Some of the my favorite things from the Retreat:

1. The gift exchange is always magical. This is my favorite part, and I'm in charge of it. OMG the POWER, LMBO!!!! Seriously, you cannot believe the talent in this group. We have a blog showcase, http://www.ohiobeadersshowcase.blogspot.com/ Really, you should definitely check it out. You will be awestruck by the talent!! If you are interested, feel free to contact any of the beaders or contact me and I will put you in touch with them.

2. The FUN. OMG I just never laugh so much. You would think, over a 3 day period, that we would all be on each others nevers, but seriously, it just all works out. Heck my snoring probably sends them over the edge, but whateva!!

3. The classes. These women give freely of their time and talent to teach for next to nothing and you always come away with beautiful pieces.

4. The food. Boy you will never go away hungry.

5. And Most IMPORTANT, The friends!! We have a core group that has attended basically every one. They are amazing people, each one so caring and also so full of fun. Each brings their own unique personality to the table, and we all just seem to mesh!

Below are some pictures ~

Signe ~ It all began with her!!

Diva Kim showing off her door prize. This is my "Kim Twin" and room mate for all 4 retreats so far. She is the "Angel Girl" Check out her website..... www.yogabykim.com and check out Angel Inspirations.

Di, Mary, and Jody making their wine glass charms.

Me and Mary, The Prom Picture. We do this at every single gathering and retreat.

Here's all of us!!

So I left Indian Bear Lodge with the same feelings I have each and every year after the retreat ~ I just can't wait until next year!!!