Maine crafts | OPI Blog

Having Fun with Watercolors - An Oceanside Watercolor Workshop with Mary Ann Challa

SAVE THE DATES - August 22, 23, 24 & 25, 2016

The Ocean Point Inn is pleased to be offering you a chance to join artist Mary Ann Challa for a workshop in watercolors at the end of August. What more beautiful area to paint at than picturesque Ocean Point, Maine??

Having fun with Watercolor is a workshop in a relaxed atmosphere designed for both the beginning artist and those with prior experience painting. Mary Ann is an enthusiastic instructor with a loose free style of painting who will help each student find joy in their work. Guidelines for critiquing your work will be offered to assist you with verbalizing what your painting needs for improvement while encouraging each student to embrace and enjoy their work as they develop their own style of painting. A typical day includes a morning presentation of new ideas, painting along with the instructor, working individually in the afternoon with instructor availability and daily closure/comment time. We will take advantage of the beautiful Maine landscape and paint outdoors when weather permits while remaining close to the Ocean Point Inn.

Mary Ann Challa is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, artist who has been visiting and painting in Maine for several years. She is a retired Art Educator and “Artist in Residence” at Goodwille Environmental School in Ada, Michigan. Mary Ann graduated

from Aquinas College where she has been an art instructor with OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, for the past fifteen years. Her goal as a watercolor instructor is to awaken in her students “the feeling of free-spiritedness,” which comes from the interaction between the artist, the paper and the paint.

The total package includes:

*Welcome Meet and Greet with Wine and Cheese

*4 nights at the Ocean Point Inn in the Farmhouse Motel

*3 Box Lunches

*Hot Buffet Breakfast for 4 days

*Lobster Dinner on Thursday Night

*3 days of Art Workshops

All this is available for $775 each. People sharing a room would pay $575 each. If you wish to upgrade to an oceanfront room or cottage that can be arranged at an extra charge.

Please go to www.oceanpointinn.com for a tour of the property and information on the area. The number of participants will be limited so please call 207-633-4200 to reserve early. You cannot book on line for this special package. Bring your spouse or a friend. There are many wonderful activities to keep them busy in the Boothbay Harbor Region.

A supply list and Registration form will be sent to you once you have made your 50% deposit.

We look forward to having you join us on this little slice of heaven called Ocean Point, Maine!

SEASIDE BEAD RETREAT with Sherry Serafin

Ocean Point Bead Retreat - SAVE THE DATE - Sept 22, 23, 24 & 25, 2016

Our Seaside Bead Retreat will be held in East Boothbay, Maine, at the renowned Ocean Point Inn and Resort. This quintessential inn is situated on the western shore of one of the most picturesque peninsulas of coastal Maine, an ideal setting for a Bead Retreat. To tour the amenities of this unspoiled hideaway and, perhaps most important, to secure a room reservation, www.oceanpointinn.com. Sponsored by BEAUTY & the BEADS of Sarasota, Florida

Ocean Point Inn Seaside Bead Retreat offers:

* Scheduling Flexibility (unlike many retreats, we offer you the flexibility of choice…)

* 1 full day workshop $195…2 full day workshops $390…3 full day workshops $585

* Project Workshop

* Meet the Teacher wine/cheese reception on Thursday evening

* Hot Buffet Breakfast included with Ocean Point Inn Reservation

* Catered Lunch

* Afternoon Refreshments

The fee for the Bead Retreat does not include transportation, hotel costs or optional events.

HOW TO REGISTER

To reserve a place in the Bead Retreat, go to www.beadeck.com and complete the registration form which may be returned by mail or email.

You can also register by calling 941-952-0101 during business hours: Wed. - Sat., 11-5

A deposit of $250 is required to reserve your place in the Bead Retreat. The deadline for paying the balance of your Bead Retreat is June 15, 2016. If you do not pay your balance by the deadline we will attempt to fill your place from our waiting list and will refund the deposit if we are successful.

ABOUT THE TEACHER

Sherry Serafini was voted one of the top 10 instructors in the United States by Bead & Button magazine.

Unusual objects and shapes become part of the new story as Sherry stitches beads and gemstones, one at a time, to a felt like base. Most pieces are born spontaneously as the beads and Sherry’s imagination dictate the design. She seldom works from sketches. Sherry finds this meditative form of art to be a rich counterpoint to a society full of instant gratification. Some pieces take a year to complete. Each is unique. Sherry was raised in a military family moving every few years. She credits that nomadic lifestyle with giving her an adventurous and uninhibited approach to her work.

Sherry lectures and teaches throughout the United States and has won numerous awards for excellence in design, including the Soul Bell Outstanding Jewelry Design Award, Bead International 2006, People’s Choice Bead Dreams, Runnerup Best in Show Bead Dreams, Kennedy Best of Nationally.

She has written articles for several well known magazines. Her work has been featured on the covers of trade magazines and catalogs. She is the co-author of the Art of Bead Embroidery with artist and dear friend Heidi Kammli and author of Sensational Bead Embroidery by Sherry Serafin.

Sherry’s beaded art is known internationally and is owned and worn by Ginny Winser, Melissa Etherdege, Steven Taylor of Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz and singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Her beadwork has been at fashion week in Milan by the artists who commission her.

WORKSHOP INFORMATION

Friday Workshop - September 23 - Barnacle Cuff

Skill Level: intermediate to advanced

Prerequisites: proficiency in peyote stitch, brick stitch, embellishment and fringe. Students will create a highly textured cuff using the new nano beads, a special Malustudies raker created ‘pod,’ cabochon and rope.

Supply list on request:

Kit cost if provided by instructor $145

Saturday Workshop - September 24 - Batik Bounty Bag

Skill level: intermediate to advanced

Stitches: right angle weave, peyote stitch, netting, embroidery

Prerequisites: proficiency in right angle weave, peyote stitch, netting and embroidery. Back stitching, peyote stitch, brick stitch, embellishment and fringe. This fun little bag is created with batik fabric, ultra suede as a lining, cabochons, a donut focal enhanced with piggy beads. A funky little rolled edge closes it up and a chain added. This sample shows simple embroidery but this can be highly embroidered if desired.

Supply list upon request.

Kit cost $155

Sunday Workshop - September 25 - Madison Pendant

Skill Level: intermediate to advanced

Stitches: herringbone stitch, peyote stitch

Prerequisites: proficiency in herringbone and peyote stitch. Backstitching: peyote stitch, brick stitch, embellishment and fringe. Students will create a pendant using dyed howlite cabochus and a separate donut component, layered onto a filigree piece. Optional fringe added. Great class for learning to deal with layering.

Supply list upon request. Kit cost if provided by instructor $135

The Ocean Point Inn Family looks forward to welcoming you in September!

Crafting in Maine

Crafting has always been an important part of my life and I know it is for many of the guests at Ocean Point Inn. It is fun to talk with guests about the crafts they like to do. The Maine crafts I will mention here are all an easy drive from Ocean Point Inn, a fun craft day trip.

September 23, 24 and 25, 2016, Ocean Point Inn will be hosting the “Oceanside Bead Retreat” with bead artist, Sherry Serafin. The group will work on beading projects for three days in our spectacular seaside setting. The projects are simply amazing.

Locally in mid-coast Maine we have the Aboca Bead Shop at 157 Maine Street in Damariscotta, an easy drive from Ocean Point, to see this unique and fantastic bead collection. Stop by and put together a unique piece of jewelry from their great Maine bead selection.

For those who enjoy quilting, sewing and home decorating we have some fabulous shops in the area. My favorite is OnBoard Fabric in Edgecomb. Molly Hutchins, the owner, is a delightfully creative woman with a great eye for color. Her shop is a must see but her website will give you a nice preview. She also hand crafts Maine bags, pillows, placemats, aprons, and much more. The fabrics I used in redecorating Ocean Point Inn living room, dining room and the library are from OnBoard, we love to buy and support local crafts people and Maine artisans.

Another great fabric store is Alewives Fabric in Nobleboro, near Damariscotta – a short drive from Ocean Point Inn. They have amazing fabric for quilting and they are arranged on the shelves by color and shade beautifully. The ladies who work here are very helpful and also offer great workshops. Check to see if they will have any workshops while you are in Maine staying at Ocean Point. They also carry hand woven yarn now for you knitting friends.

Maine Quilts 2016 is a Maine craft event that is hosted on by the Pine Tree Quilters Guild, taking place July 29-31. 2016 Augusta Civic Center. This quilt event is an enormous display of fantastic fabric art including Maine shops selling quilting supplies and offering quilt workshops in a variety of techniques. These Maine quilt workshops fill up quickly so early reservations are a necessity. Late July is also prime time at Ocean Point, so reserve your space and your quilting seminar now- its going o be such fun for crafters and quilters,.

Knitting is back in vogue and new Maine yarn shops have popped up over the past decade. The following shops, near Ocean Point, have excellent selections and will not disappoint you.

Halcyon Yarn at 12 School Street, Bath, Maine

Heavenly Socks Yarn at 82 Maine Street in Belfast, Maine.

Over the Rainbow Yarn at 18 School Street in Rockland, Maine

The Cashmere Goat at 20 Bayview Street in Camden, Maine.

Bartlett Yarns, Inc. in Harmony, Maine, is famous for the wool yarn they make.

String Theory in Blue Hill, Maine, does hand dyed yarns.

Grace Robinson at 208 US Route 1 in Freeport, Maine, has a large stock and needlepoitn materials.

The Maine Fiber Frolic will take place June 4-5, 2016 on the Windsor fairgrounds in Windsor, Maine. There are many yarn vendors, great demonstrations and workshops. I have taken workshops at this event and enjoyed them very much. Felters, spinners and weavers will enjoy it too.

If counted cross stitch or needlepoint are your thing, you will enjoy Stitcher’s Corner in Wiscasset, Maine. Call 877-882-4141 for directions and times.

Fabric Art is a favorite craft of mine and some excellent work can be seen at the Red Studio at 13 Maine Street in Topsham, Maine. 207-721-0675

I hope you will be inspired by some of these Maine craft, quilt and bead shops on your next vacation at the Ocean Point Inn. Stop by the Front Desk and let me know which you visited.