The Joy of Retreats: A Look Back at Our Creative Adventures

There’s a unique kind of magic that happens when kindred spirits gather in beautiful places with open hearts and creative hands. Looking back on last year's retreats, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude—for the artists who joined me, for the guests who trusted the journey, and for the memories we created together across the wild, soulful landscapes of Scotland and Northern England.

Hosting these retreats fills me with so much joy. It’s not just about travel or art—though both are certainly at the heart of it. It’s about community. It’s about coming together in unfamiliar places, slowing down, and letting our surroundings speak to us. From the gentle quiet of mossy glens to the grandeur of historic castles, each retreat became a living story, co-authored by every person who joined.

Spring: Sketching with Mindy Lacefield

Our spring retreat began in Edinburgh, where the regal grounds of Holyrood Palace invited us to slow down and sketch like queens of our own fairytale. Mixed media artist Mindy Lacefield led us with playful wonder as we captured the charm of our surroundings. From there, we journeyed south to the Lake District, chasing the spirit of Beatrix Potter through green hills and cottage gardens. One of my favorite memories was finally co-teaching with my dear friend and former Wandering Craft co-founder, Jane Bumar. We blended her ethereal watercolor landscapes with my Box of Wonderclass, crafting 3D memory boxes full of our journey’s essence—paintings, sketches, found objects, and a little bit of magic.

We wandered the stone circle at Annies, shopped (and swooned) at the Derwent Pencil Factory, and explored the historic town of Alnwick. Every step was threaded with laughter, art, and connection.

Autumn: Gathered with Danielle Donaldson

As the seasons turned, our second retreat—Gathered—unfolded in the peaceful landscapes of Dumfries and New Galloway. It was a deeply personal one, inspired by my yearly adventures with dear friend and watercolor illustrator Danielle Donaldson. This time, we invited others into our tradition: collecting feathers, stones, shells, mossy twigs—letting nature whisper her stories into our sketchbooks.

Danielle guided our guests in illustrating these delicate gifts with watercolor, helping them create quiet, poetic tributes to the land. One of the highlights was our workshop with Lucy and Edward at Old Mill Arts, where we learned about natural pigments—harvested straight from the earth—and even made our own watercolor paint. It was a grounding, hands-on way to connect even deeper with the landscape we were walking through.

We discovered an abandoned castle shrouded in mist, watched red stags move like spirits through the fields, and counted shooting stars under velvet skies. The stillness of the landscape gave way to deep reflection, connection, and creative renewal.

Autumn: Bound in the Highlands with Sharon Payne Bolton

Later in the autumn, we headed north to the rugged beauty of the Highlands with mixed media artist and bookbinder Sharon Payne Bolton. This retreat felt like opening a forgotten treasure chest—vintage Scottish book pages, old French papers, sea glass and thread-wrapped secrets all became part of the hand-bound books and decorated boxes we created. Sharon’s artistry gave us permission to dream wildly, and the Highlands gave us endless inspiration to pull from.

We wandered the windswept shores of the Isle of Skye, listened to the haunting calls of red stags echoing through the hills, and strolled through seaside villages searching for treasures the tide had left behind. So many of those small, glistening finds ended up nestled in our books—memories captured in paper and stitch.

The Heart of It All

Through each retreat, something beautiful unfolded: kinship. We inspired each other. We laughed, we shared stories, we held space for one another’s creativity to bloom. These weren’t just art retreats—they were soulful gatherings. A chance to return to ourselves, to feel wonder again, and to create from a place of joy.

And that—that—is why I love hosting retreats. It's the joy of watching strangers become friends, of seeing art born from the landscape and the heart, of gathering in places that feel like magic.

I can’t wait to do it all again this spring.