Spring has finally arrived, at least on the calendar! Time for bunnies and blooms, sweet fragrances and chirping birds. We started the first day of spring with a fabulous dinner, a toast to the equinox and a moss basket-making workshop at Southern Exposure, one of my favorite places in the world!
I've written about Southern Exposure on the Gypsy before. It's a marvelous group of vintage buildings set in the country with remarkable gardens. It was too early to see blooms, but there were signs of spring in the pretty roses placed gracefully in the fountains.
Every workshop begins with one of Chef Elsie's amazing dinners. This time we were dining in the "Corn Crib" building.
The tables were beautifully set and it was a festive way to welcome spring, as we all raised our glass to the new season. Then we enjoyed salmon, salad, a garlic mashed potato dish and a cheesecake so light it was unlike any I'd ever had before.
After dinner we adjourned to the craft tent. Our supplies -- two moss baskets, dirt, gloves and an array of plants -- were waiting for us on bales of hay.
Micah and Angie were our leaders, explaining the properties of the baskets and how to fill and care for the end projects, the needs of the various plants included and how to replace our basket plants with others when it was time for the plants here to go into the garden. As they led us through our paces, the resident hens walked around the tent.
We all puttered with our baskets -- does the geranium go into the one that hangs on the door or the standing one? How should we divide our pansies. Rosemary on the door? Alyssum inside?
We needn't have worried. The baskets were beautiful -- and you saw a lot of happy smiles, plenty of photos taken for Facebook and deep concentration!
When all was said and done, we hit the gift shop and used our 20 percent discount happily before hitting the road for home. My next post will take us inside there!
Meanwhile, I was a happy camper. So far, I haven't killed the contents of either basket and they make me smile whenever I see them! I just can't wait for them to grow and fill out! We go back for a forsythia wreath workshop soon. I'll keep you posted!
20 comments:
What an amazing unusual place. How lovely the baskets are. And I would love the dinners. You do come across interesting places, Jeanie!
I love that table setting, too. What a gorgeous place.
Pretty baskets and what an interesting visit too.
Heather :)
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!
I like your back-lit photo of the dining table. It sounds like a very enjoyable day.
Wow the table setting and the intetior is absolutely something to learn doing.
I admire you for keeping yourself up to date with many things. Crafts,arts & the likes. You never seem to spend time unproductively. :)
What a fun workshop! Your baskets turned out beautiful - you'll have to share photos as the flowers grow!!
And those tulips on the tables are beautiful!
They really do have great workshops - and great food. I haven't been for years and really should go back sometime. Your baskets look wonderful. I hope they flourish and that it gets warm enough to put them outside soon.
Heck, I'd be a happy camper too, surrounded by farm-style décor. The animals, the fireplace and cozy dinner table, the FUN! Lovely my friend. Anita
This all is lovely, but I'm eager to see the forsythia wreaths. I do love that flower -- it's a reminder of "real spring" to me: like pussywillows. You can take a girl out of a four seasons environment, but you can't take that affection for four seasons away.
the yellow roses in the fountain are glorious!
Oh, my! What a place. Looks like you could lost in there! Beautiful roses too. Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
What a lovely place & fun project....the baskets are beautiful!
Sounds like a fun project! That's great that you haven't killed yours yet!
I'm always reluctant to go to events like these with set meals, because nobody seems clear on what they'd do if I showed up... I eat neither meat nor fish, and they always seem to assume you'll eat one or both of those things. Mind you, they also seem to assume adults all drink alcohol, which I don't do (hubby doesn't drink either, but he does eat both meat and fish). The couple of times I chanced it, I usually ended up just going without, and then grabbing something to eat on the way home, since all that happened when I asked if they had a vegetarian option was that people stood about staring at each other wondering what to do or say, until I told them to just forget it.
This is right up my alley. I'd love doing a basket. They are beautiful and so are the table settings. My sister-in-law does beautiful flower arrangements for our holiday tables. I was taking a photo of the table once, and her father couldn't understand why I'd take a photo of an empty table. Men are so funny.
I enjoyed the pix of the owl on the previous post. How amazing he is and camouflaged. Nature is an incredible thing.
This looks so fun! Your baskets are so spring-y and beautiful :)
Susan
The meal and table look and sound wonderful. How I would enjoy this gathering and making the moss baskets. What an inspiration and so beautiful for Spring.
It sounds as though you had such a lovely time! Such pretty moss baskets, a perfect way to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Such a fun and interesting way to herald Springtime in. Your finished baskets are looking good and are sure to bring you much pleasure during the coming weeks.
Joyeux Paques.
Such a lovely place and the moss baskets are fabulous and fanciful and wonderful!
What a fun fun time you had.
oxo
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