After two full days of creative discovery, Saturday dawned bright and sunny and full of artistic possibility! We started the day with yet another Seaside Sessions tradition: Hot Breakfast.
Following a delicious breakfast, our gang was ready for a more free-form day. There was plenty of time to enjoy a walk on the beach - the weather had warmed up quite a bit since their arrival - or a vast expanse of time to work on the details of their interactive books. There was a great deal of sing-along time as progress was made on many creative fronts!
As with each day of our event, this day held a new surprise: Your Creative Connection T-shirts in a rainbow of colors! In addition to the uber cool swag, it was also Class Photo Day. Perhaps a momentary aside here….
We enter each year with the best of intentions to capture the “perfect” Class Photo. Preparations are made, equipment is transported, things are tested, and set-ups are verified. Yet, the path to Class Photo perfection is frought with unseen perils - in spite of ones best efforts, it still seems that chaos is king…. This year came with its own unique challenges (not the least of which was a very kind lady running up from the beach to offer assistance - we were just waving). We still managed to get a few AWESOME shots, tho! Onward & Upward!
Once we returned from our photo frolics, work resumed on the Incredible Mixed-Media Treasure Tomes. Our Creative Explorers took the materials and techniques presented over the past two days to their limits as they outfitted and perfected their books to reflect their chosen themes.
We worked and sang and nibbled throughout the early afternoon. Following a lunch that was Day 3 of Salad-Palooza, we returned to the work tables and/or the deck to enjoy the leisurely pace of a Saturday afternoon at the beach. Dinner was an Indoor Picnic that allowed for any & everything that had been enjoyed during mealtimes previous. Rotisserie chicken, tossed salad, a variety of cold salads, garlic bread, and chili for those that wanted to enjoy it again! Dessert was a veritable smorgasbord of the weekends hits: chocolate ice cream, lemon pound cake, chocolate chip cookies (thanks, Melanie!), and lemon floof! The music played into the evening as work continued on our books….
Before it got too late, we gathered for our final circle and everyone had a chance to share their favorite spread/technique learned/thing they had created with the group. Once again, Michelle and I marveled at the incredibly varied work that results when a group begin/work with/end with the exact same materials and instruction. Everyone’s work was SO amazing! We thank you all for being so brave and open - for creating such beautiful and personal work - for embracing the intention and environment of this event so fully.
The remainder of the evening was given over to the customization of covers, with one-on-one assistance to ensure smooth working and the desired finish for each volume. As the evening wound down, talk turned to next year. We presented our standard offer: attendees could secure their spot for next year with a deposit of $50.00. We’ll let you know the result of that offering in our final installment of the Seaside Sessions 2026 Recap tomorrow.
Until next time,
~ Penny