I left a cabinet open and somehow the dogs got into a bag AND a box and…Katie just found this.
This is what it originally looked like:
It’s just a ‘thing’ so it probably shouldn’t bother me as much as it did—but it was one of my souvenirs from the week I spent with my mom at Pysanky On The River last year and I met the artist (Theresa Somerset, who is amazing) and she had so many beautiful eggs that it took awhile for me to decide and pick this one… And it was expensive and can’t be replaced (I asked).
My mom is here visiting…so that means it’s time to do Pysanky! I haven’t done it much since we went to the workshop last October. Because it’s so time intensive, it’s eggs or reading. And y’all know what I’ve been choosing! But I’m taking advantage of her vast experience and making memories…
On our way first thing in the morning. The exchange egg I picked…with the designer. Inspiration at the wax melting station!Celtic knot class!
I bought $20 worth of raffle tickets and put them in a variety of things. Imagine my surprise when I got out of class to discover I won this ostrich egg!!
In case you thought I was kidding about wanting to do Pysanky now… I present my purchase — 10 dozen blank eggs! Already fully blown out and cleaned!! They were cheaper than actual eggs (she wanted to get rid of them so put them on sale!) so definitely worth the cost!! I’m actually debating getting more because they don’t go bad!!
(Yes I know there’s not a full 10 dozen here. Some are still being worked on!)
I spent a lot of time at this booth shopping…And even bought one of her eggs!
SURPRISE! A visit with some family who only lived about 20 minutes away from where we were staying!
Pysanky on the River (POTR) Day 2 started with our first class—Beginner Drop Pull. We practiced on a paper plate first and then moved to an egg. I did better on the plate…but overall I did pretty well for my very first attempt!
Our instructor Dr. Scrappy.My mom’s is the pink one!
The rest of our day was spent working on eggs of our own! These are two of mine!
And then lunch with pierogi, sausage, and sauerkraut!
And then I worked on copying one of my mom’s Halloween designs:
And the finished products!
They’re pretty bad (compared to the more experienced eggers) but they’re pretty good for what I’ve done thus far. I’m learning that no one draws freehand and everyone uses (what I used to think of as) cheat methods. But after starting to use them myself, I totally get it. And can’t wait to do more!!
We were up early this morning to hit the Ukrainian Museum Archives in Cleveland. Surprisingly the bathroom lighting was pretty good—I love Hampton Inn!
I bought a new necklace there (because I broke my necklace on the way here).
With my mom at the museum.
Then it was off to State Meats and eating lunch at Mama Maria’s Ukrainian Kitchen!
Pierogi, potato pancake, and a slaw.
Then we visited a Ukrainian cathedral (to see the gold spires in the sun), grabbed a donut across the street, and then some ice cream at the Honey Hut!
Then it was back to the hotel to grab our stuff to setup for the event!
OMG all the “naked eggs” for sale… Typically you’d have to blow them all out yourself and it’s not complicated but it is a lot of work. These were already blown out and cleaned! And on sale! For less than it would cost to even buy them in the store! Turns out the vendor was getting out of the egg business and just wanted them gone. Stay tuned to see just how many I ended up buying!!!
And then I bought my Christmas present! A goose egg from Pysanky Master Lorrie Popow! It’s absolutely stunning. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it!
I asked her how she could even see to do that and she said “When my eyes were younger!” I eventually looked through her Facebook page to see if I could find it to see when she did it…and it was 2012!!
A few months ago my mom asked me if I’d go with her to a 4-day Pysanky Retreat in northern Ohio. I jumped at the chance—I think I said yes even before she finished asking! I’ve long been wanting to get back into Pysanky—and I never get to spend any alone time with my mom—so it was a no-brainer!
So this morning I was in the car and on the road by 9am (in a super quick and easy road trip look) to Middleburg Heights/Berea!
Tom always does the driving so it kinda stunk not being able to work while on the road, but I did listen to an audiobook (which eventually made me sooo tired I took to eating popcorn to stay awake)! But I made it!
After we got settled and visited for a bit it was off to find dinner. I found a local Chinese place with really great Yelp reviews (Little Hong Kong) about a mile away…where we had some of the best General Tso’s chicken I’ve ever had. Highly recommend!
Then it was back to the hotel to make 65 goodie bags for the event…
