Such Sweet Visions

I can not begin to tell you how exhilarated and excited I have become over the last two months dreaming about Italy.

Kristin and Bill Steiner of Adventures in Italy have been sending some INCREDIBLE bits of inspiration that make my heart skip a beat thinking about this Fabled Sojourn we will be making.

I just HAD to share a few of Kristin's beautiful words with you...

"Just imagine, Spring 2009----let me give you a tiny peek.
We are all sitting together at a tiny table outside a cafe on the Via
Duomo, sipping velvety cappuccinos and watching the locals in their
understated elegance walk by. The streets are alive with morning
shoppers, visiting the numerous specialty shops around town.

The church bells ring out the hour, sending their melodies throughout
the tiny alleyways and winding streets. We begin to stroll back to our
haven of a home, the Convent. Along the way, we stop to admire a
charming balcony overflowing with colorful pots of geraniums.

We walk through town, feeling the ancient history that pulses from
every wall and archway. We giggle and sigh at the thought of being
here in this beautiful place so filled with stories from as far back
as 700 B.C.!

We are anxious to join Tracie and Marylin back in the studio. They
have planned the most compelling projects for us. On the way, however,
we are side tracked by the smell of something wonderfully warm and
yeasty. We can not resist. We follow our noses, chattering loudly
about what this heavenly scent could be. We spill out onto the piazza
and find...yes, there it is! The glorious sight of exquisite tiny
pastries coming out of the oven this very moment. Even though it is
just an hour before lunch, we give in to the tempting delicacies. We
order enough to share all around, and scamper back to the studio with
sticky fingers and smiles a mile wide.

We are in heaven! We are in Italy with Tracie and Marylin. We are
living like Italians! May this never end!

It is our greatest honor to share all of this and more with you on
this Adventure in Italy. If you have any questions or concerns, please
feel free to ask. There is nothing too insignificant or silly....we
know travel can be exhilarating, but sometimes a little daunting. We
are here to help in every way possible.

Thank you so sincerely for joining us. Let the anticipation of our
magical time together begin! "

Magical INDEED! We will be creating a magnificent travel journal of our days spent among the landscapes and cityscape of Orvieto!

Marylin and I will be showering our students with wonderful tips and techniques for developing rich dimensional mixed media pages from the materials we have surrounding us both natural and man made, combining those finding with beautiful painted subjects of flora, fauna, wildlife, city life, and vista views that we sketched on to fabric from photos that each of us will be taking and using to inspire our artwork.

By living in the moment, sampling the culture, and experiencing life to its fullest, our journals will begin to tell a story... a story about each of us, and the walk we are taking through 3000 years of history and cherished moments spent with friends both old and new.

Come... COME with us and EXPERIENCE the Wonders of Italy, of Orvieto!

Our journey is scheduled for mid May of 2009. But don't wait; we will only be taking a very small group, so as to have an intimate atmosphere that is both personal, and rewarding.

Find out all the details, here.