Weekend Retreat

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Why a Crafty Weekend Retreat Might Be Just What You Need

Do you have a project sitting in your craft room that you really want to finish… but somehow never quite find the time?

Maybe it’s a mini album you started months ago. A scrapbook project that requires a little more time and attention. A journal you’ve been meaning to put together. Or perhaps it’s a project that has been sitting in a box or on a shelf for so long that you’ve almost forgotten about it!

I know I’m not the only one with a few of those projects hanging around.

That’s one of the things I love most about a crafty weekend retreat. It gives you something that can be surprisingly hard to find at home: uninterrupted creative time.

Time to Work on the Projects That Take a Little Longer

When I’m crafting at home, there always seems to be something else that needs doing. There’s dinner to make. Laundry to fold. Emails to answer. The phone rings. And before I know it, my little bit of crafting time has disappeared. And some projects just aren’t well suited to a quick hour here and there.

A retreat gives you permission to sit down and really get into a project. You can spread everything out on the table and leave it there. Work through all those little steps without having to pack everything away. You can take your time deciding how you want to finish something instead of rushing through it because you need to clean up. And perhaps best of all, you can work on something simply because you want to. There’s no deadline. No housework waiting for you. Just a whole weekend to create.

And Then There’s the Company…

Of course, the projects are only part of the fun. There’s something pretty special about spending a weekend surrounded by other crafty people. You can chat while you work, share ideas, ask for opinions, admire someone else’s project, borrow a tool, share a piece of paper or ribbon, and inevitably discover something new that you want to try. Sometimes the best ideas come from simply seeing what someone else is doing across the table.

And there’s something wonderful about being around people who get it. They understand why you might be excited about a new paper collection. Why finding the perfect vintage book at a thrift store is a big deal. They understand why you need just one more patterned paper. And they certainly understand why you might spend an entire afternoon making tiny little details for a project!

There’s inspiration everywhere at a crafty retreat.

You Might Even Finish Something That’s Been Sitting in Your Craft Room for Years!

One of my favourite things about retreats is that they can motivate me to pull out projects that have been sitting around waiting for their turn. I recently took a project to a retreat that was exactly that kind of project. It was a template I had cut from my ecutter that had been sitting in my craft room for years. Yes… years.

It was one of those projects that I liked the idea of, but it was a little more time-consuming (all those little pieces!) than the projects I normally squeeze into my everyday crafting time. So it sat. And sat. And sat. Until I finally packed it up and took it to a retreat.

With a whole week ahead of me, I was able to work on it while chatting with my friends. I didn’t have to rush. I could stop and visit, work for a while, take a break, and come back to it. It was definitely a labour of love. But I finished it! And I can’t wait to add fall photos of my grand puppies!

A Weekend to Create, Relax & Recharge

Crafty retreats aren’t just productive—they’re also a chance to slow down. You can spend hours doing something you enjoy without feeling guilty about it. You can take a break when you need one. Have a conversation. Go for a walk. Grab a coffee. Take a nap. Look through someone else’s project. Get inspired. Then sit back down and craft some more.

And there is something very satisfying about going home at the end of the weekend with a stack of finished—or at least significantly more finished—projects. Even if you don’t accomplish everything you brought with you, you’ve still had time to create, connect and recharge. And let’s be honest… sometimes a crafty weekend away is exactly what we need!

My Upcoming Crafty Weekends

If you’re thinking, “That sounds exactly like what I need!”, I have a couple of opportunities coming up.

October — Crafty Weekend Retreat in Vegreville

I’m heading to Vegreville in October for a crafty weekend retreat! This will be a chance to get away, bring those projects you’ve been meaning to work on, and spend the weekend creating alongside other paper crafters.

• Wednesday October 28th to Sunday November 1st – I still have a few spots available. Let me know if you’d like more information on this type of retreat and I can send you more information.

November — Creative Escape

Then in November, I’ll be hosting The Creative Escape. If you don’t want to travel as far, or prefer to sleep in your own bed, this is a great opportunity to bring your projects, your supplies and your crafty friends and spend some dedicated time creating.

• November 28th and 29th, 2026 – you can find all the details and a link to register here.

Whether you’re a scrapbooker, card maker, journal maker, mini album enthusiast, quilter—or you just have a craft room full of projects waiting for their turn—I’d love to have you join us.

So… What’s Sitting in Your Craft Room?

Maybe it’s time to pull it out. That project you’ve been saving. The album you started. The journal you never finished. The pile of photos you’ve been meaning to scrapbook. The supplies you bought years ago because you knew you’d eventually make something with them. Pack it up and bring it to a crafty weekend. You might surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish when you have the time, the space and the company to make it happen.

And who knows? You might even finally use something that’s been sitting in your craft room for years. I know I did!

What project would you bring to a crafty retreat?

Until next time,

Supply List

Click on any of the images to shop my Canadian online store or to find out more information about any of these products. In addition to these I used some retired scraps of ribbon and twine.