First day of classes!

I am so excited to say that tomorrow, Saturday June 6th, is the first day of classes at Sweetland Retreat!!!!!!

It's been a long road of renovation and learning and growing but we've finally made it to this point!  There's still work to do in order to open as a Bed & Breakfast but our goal was to have classes started by this summer and here it is...2 weeks before the Summer Solstice.  Who would have thought we'd be ahead of schedule?

And to celebrate, we're offering a special discount of $10 off to anyone who takes both classes this Saturday and Sunday- The Reiki Atunement class (good for Reiki Level 1 or 2) and the Full Moon Ceremony & Drumming Circle.  

So register now! 

Intro to Encaustic Workshop!

Intro to Encaustic Painting - Saturday June 20th, 10am - 2pm

Learn the ancient art of encaustic painting! Encaustic is the use of beeswax and damar resin melted together and combined with dry pigments to create a unique painting medium. This paint is applied hot/molten and manipulated with a direct heat source. It makes for a lovely layered image into which objects and photographs can be added. If you've seen a Jasper Johns painting then you've seen an encaustic painting!

This class will cover a brief history of encaustic, supplies and where to buy them, setting up, basic encaustic painting including fusing, embedding objects, and creating texture, as well as cleaning up, and caring for your paintings. Participants will complete 1-2 small paintings. No painting experience necessary. Open to ages 15 and up.

$70 includes all supplies; feel free to bring along objects to incorporate (dried natural objects, paper, and photographs on plain paper work well)

Instructor: Jamie Ribisi-Braley, Manchester, ME

Jamie is passionate about creating art and about sharing her techniques and knowledge. She loves to learn how the old masters created their supplies and how they used them. Jamie believes that once you have the foundations of a medium, you’ll know how to make it work for your voice.

Jamie is co-owner of Sweetland Retreat and received her BFA in Painting from Boston University. http://jamieribisi.com

Register now!

First workshops at Sweetland Retreat!

Reiki Attunement Class -Part 1 Saturday June 6th, 1:30pm - 6:30pm

5 Hour course during which you will become a Reiki Practioner. This is the first of 3 steps in becoming a Reiki Master.

The Reiki attunement process is how one becomes a Reiki practitioner. Being attuned to Reiki gives one the ability to easily access the Reiki (Universal Life Force) energy, for the purpose of healing a person or situation. Attunements can be given only by a Reiki master and can be given for either the purpose of training one in Reiki, or for simply giving someone a larger experience of Reiki than usually experienced in treatments. The attunement is permanent, thus making the recipient a Reiki practitioner.

$75 per person

Pre-payment required

Space is limited, register now! Call (207)-512-8447 or email sweetlandretreat@gmail.com with your contact info.

Instructor: Justina Anderson, Usui Reiki Master Justina is a Usui Reiki Master and Licensed Veterinary Technician from New York.

-- Optional course supplies: Bring a yoga mat or pillow to make yourself comfortable.

Visit our WORKSHOP link for more classes

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Full Moon Ceremony

Sunday June 7th, 7:30pm

In this special healing and releasing ceremony we will create a sacred space for healing and support and to raise a collective consciousness. This ceremony includes:

Saging and Creating Sacred Space

Opening Prayer

A time of sharing

Releasing of those things we no longer need in our lives

Bringing in those things we want in our lives

Pulling a Medicine Card for a message for the month

Short discussion of what these cards mean for the coming month

Drumming and singing

Closing Prayer

You may bring drums, rattles, and dress appropriately for an outdoor event (weather permitting--ceremony will take place indoors in the case of rain). Drums will also be available for use or purchase.

$10 or equivalent abundance exchange per person.

Register now!

Visit our WORKSHOP link for more classes

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Painting the cottage & garage

Growing up, Joy & I had many many movie favorites-- most of them with very catchy songs in them.  One we always watched was Pete's Dragon.  We dreamed of living in a lighthouse on the shores of Maine in Passamaquoddy.  We had no idea that it was a real township or that we would actually move to Maine.

So when Brian started scraping the exterior of the cottage and garage in preparation of

 repainting it, I couldn't help but think of a scene from Pete's Dragon.  The family gets out their bucket of white paint and slather it all over that lighthouse!  Watch it here- I'm telling you, it's catchy!  

All our Brazzle Dazzle years have just begun!  :)

-Jamie

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Press: Kennebec Journal Woman's Quarterly

We were featured in the Kennebec Journal Woman's Quarterly today!  

This is a wonderful article written by Nancy McInnus and we think it portrays us exactly as we are! She really has a gift for words.  We didn't know exactly what she'd think of us giggling and rambling on about every idea we have for Sweetland and what we are trying to make it be.  But she captured it brilliantly.

You can download the PDF here: http://www.sweetlandretreat.com/press/kj042209.pdf

Or you can see it on the KJ's flipbook here:  http://centralmaine.mainetoday.com/flipbooks/WQflip09Spring/

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Come meet us!

Joy & I will be vending at the Arts & Crafts Show at USM this weekend if you'd like to drop by and visit us!  We'd love to meet you!

University of Southern Maine - Costello Sports Complex

37 College Ave, Gorham, ME

Saturday, April 25th    10 AM – 4 PM
Sunday, April 26th      10 AM – 3 PM

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Maple Syrup Sunday

March 22nd was a nice crisp end of Winter day for Maple Syrup Sunday!  Each year, we're visiting a different local producer of pure maple syrup-- this year we took a tour of Sugar Brook Maple Farm in Mt Vernon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vanilla ice cream with hot maple syrup and Joy & Brian had some baked beans with hot dogs and maple syrup.  Yum! 

We were completely amazed at all the hard work and dedication that it takes to produce maple syrup and run a syrup business.  Especially in a year like this when the weather was teasing us, it's hard to rely on Mother Nature.  You can never count on how much syrup you'll get but when you do get it...how sweet it is!

SUGAR BROOK MAPLE FARM

Mt. Vernon: From West Mt. Vernon Chimney Route 41. Approximately 3 miles from the West Mt Chimney right on Blake Hill Road 3/10 of a mile on the left

Phone: 207-293-2831

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