Fiona Paltridge Designs: SFS - TLC Retreat

What an awesome weekend I just spent with Peta McBeth and her crew. I'm still exhausted to be honest but it was most definitely worth it! I met so many amazing people that I have had lots of contact online with but never actually met IRL.

We laughed so hard my tummy hurt and made so many super memories!

My flight was delayed! AGAIN ...... so I was traditionally late as I usually am, which meant I hit the ground running with class number one being pretty much soon after I settled in.

I taught a little card class using Dina Wakely's gorgeous little Scribbly bird stamp set and Ken Oliver Color Crush Powders for a watercolor effect. The ladies learnt all about using Matte Gel Medium as a condom on their paper ... and well the weekend kind of went from there!

One of the things I absolutely love about teaching is the possibilities that are created by each individual. I teach techniques with a rough idea on how you could put it all together to make something and in general most students, once they have those techniques, are off on their own tangent. The results are AMAZING and this little card class was no exception!

Some basic heat embossing ideas mixed with some Ken Oliver powders and these girls went to town.

Here is one of the beautiful layouts made in the class. The option to do either cards or a layout were there and I love that people embraced that.

This is Helen using her mobile phone as a stamp block!!! Hey ... whatever works!

Next class was so different. It was a grungy, layered, vintage style tag. Again I teach the techniques..... students make with it what they like. Most made the tag but a couple got their creative hats on and came up with some cool ideas.

I was so proud of everyone who ventured out of their comfort zone and into this world of mess and layers! So many amazing projects came to life.

Including a layout! I didn't get a finished photo from Lisa but it was fabulous!

Next up I taught a quick and easy background class using the Ken Oliver Color Bursts again. This time with a bit of a twist.

The results everyone achieved were more amazing than I could ever imagine!!! It was such a popular class we had to do it a couple more times than planned!

And of course there were beautiful layouts turning up everywhere around the room from the backgrounds

Next up was a class using Gel Press plates. Something many of the participants had never attempted before. I was so very proud of their "give it a go" attitude. They were well rewarded as it resulted in some awesome prints being made!

We used Dina Wakely's Heavy Body acrylic paints and stencils and a Gel Press plate along with a combination of different papers including smooth card stock in both black and white, deli paper and some watercolour paper.

The results were amazing!

And again the creations that were being made after the class as people took their ideas and pieces back to their tables were incredible.

And then somewhere in among all of that I taught a whole retreat class. Forty very keen ladies and one very keen guy created a layout based on my design using the beautiful 7 Dots Studio "Cotton Candy Dreams" collection.

Smiles all round with the collection!

So many variations, it was brilliant to see people getting really creative with the kit!

Of course there were also lots of laughs!!

But of course the best part of being at retreat is the people!!

So many happy faces, funny stories, memorable moments and much much more.

Meeting people I have only ever chatted to online is always a highlight for me and this retreat was no exception.

So many beautiful souls I have now been so privileged to meet. The connections become so much stronger!

A full heart is the best medicine for the soul I say! Mine was well and truly topped up by all of the wonderful people who attended. There were so many more photos and I'm sure they'll filter around the world of social media. These are really just a few.