The Fawn Project – a women’s retreat for creatives

Last year I started a women’s retreat called The Fawn Project to bring a group of women together from creative fields to host workshops about their field of experience. The idea was that in teaching about your own work you also become a student. When you break down something that comes naturally to you and people are able to ask questions you can learn about your own craft better. My own workshop comes in the form of sharing this post and my process of creating a space for people to feel inspired.

I wanted to create a camp vibe so chose the fields notes notebooks tied with a suede pink ribbon to compliment the soft colors from the blankets. Each notebook also got a pencil with a message of inspiration because you can never get too many compliments.

In addition to the campy notebooks, and as a nod to one of our workshops (tie-dye and patchwork), I had merit badge cookies made for each of the girls by one of my favorite LA bakeries. They also received a bandana (similar here) in the same desert colors to keep themselves cool in the afternoon heat. I chose copper cups to dress up the table and a cream burlap runner to add another texture and layer to the picnic tables. By layering textures and materials you keep your eye interested but sticking with some select colors will keep your design consistent and cohesive. The copper was also tied into the flatware and the slide detail on the bandana.

I ALWAYS include florals in my designs, it adds extra life and interest. These gorgeous bloomies from Of the Flowers added a great pop of color to the table scape and a beautiful accent to the steps up to each cabin. I’m always a sucker for great signage so placed a couple of the Babe pendants around the site and the Be Brave and Be Kind pendants (borrowed from my daughters nursery) helped send out some positive messages for the weekend as well as indicate which cabin each guest was staying in.

Because no weekend in the woods in complete without s’mores I added some elegant set ups at each table. One of my favorite things to do when designing is add an element that encourages guests to interact with the space. By changing the way the s’mores station was set up (i.e. doing the work ahead of time, un packaging and making readily available) guests felt invited to get roasting right away. I put the marshmallows in a glass vase (again, adding some texture) hand picked some specialty chocolate from Compartes that not only tied in our color palette but made for some pretty awesome s’mores flavors, think peanut butter and jelly, potato chip, raspberry rose and white chocolate churro and horchata. Also, the paint splatter on the table was such a happy and unexpected element that I just LOVED.

If you are ever in the LA area, would like to join one of our retreats, or just want to learn more about what we are up to, send me a note anytime! I will be adding a page soon with more detailed photos of our retreat and the classes we offered so definitely check back in, we love making new friends.

xx

Sarah