OH, this is a forgiving artform...

Last week we left the barn for an off site event. And, honestly, we have been spoiled over the last 12 months. Prepping for an off site event is a bit daunting at times. I have really gotten used to prepping the stencils, turning my wood "order" in to Danny and then just walking out into the barn about a half hour before my events. Well, let's be real...I drive out to the barn. LOL.

For an off site event there is SO much more involved. Besides the normal stencil and sign prep, I needed to make sure I had ALL the supplies needed for the event. I did off site events for 3 years prior to having the barn and honestly, I AM SPOILED NOW! I was checking and double checking, I was running through the party in my mind. I didn't want to forget anything.

Thankfully, I did not forget anything, but I sure wasn't on my game. Lauren and I worked the party and at one point we stopped and laughed out loud. We both felt like it was our very first pallet party again. Being in a different location, just threw us off.

The event turned out great, but we just couldn't get in a groove!

The fundrasier was at St. Pius X School in Southgate. We set the event up in their Social Hall and everything was really great! Usually, there are a handful of people at our events who have done some form of pallet painting before. Not this time! The host of the fundraiser had painted in our barn a few times, but other than that none of the other 22 guests knew about this artform!

Lauren and I worked pretty hard at this party...teaching, correcting, walking around to answer questions, passing out paint, lending a hand to our newbies, WE WERE BUSY!

So, near the end of the party, a few of the newbie guests were a little unsure of how their signs were going to turn out. Honestly, I could see a bit of fear in their faces! I had spent a little extra time with a couple of the guests and so when the time came to remove their stencils, I was there to help! Actually, I took the stencil off for these 2 guests because they were a little nervous.

As, I took the stencils off of the signs, I could sense their relief. "WOW, that turned out much better than I thought it was going to!" The other guest said something that I have never heard before. She said, "Oh, this is such a forgiving artform!" I've heard a lot of things over the years about pallet painting. BUT, that was a first. And, as she said it, I thought, yep, it sure is. I think that is why I love it so much! You don't need to be an "artist" to really enjoy making a really cool sign. You can make mistakes, you can even have a glass of wine if that's your thing and still love your end result!

I will never forget that guest. I will never forget that comment. I will never forget the feeling that I get when I get to help people make something that they are proud of. I. love. that.

Here are a few pics of the finished signs!