Wild Wire Women Retreats

2010-05-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Idyllwild!
This photo of a young mule deer was recently right outside my window. You'll see lots of deer, gray squirrels, birds, delicate wildflowers (in spring) or gorgeous autumn foliage when you come for a weekend of wire-art jewelry making. My comfortable home is located right on the edge of the national forest in the San Jacinto mountains of southern California, with sweeping vista views of Garner Valley and beyond.

Here's a mid-winter view of the national forest, a photo taken from my studio workshop.
Wild Wire Women retreats are designed for adult women who wish to spend quality time in a relaxed environment where they can concentrate on learning new jewelry-making skills. "Relaxed concentration" is the ideal we aim for, and we quickly drop into this mode of consciousness as the stress of daily life simply drops away...

Each spring my manzanita trees break out into rosy-pink blossoms, signaling the end of winter and the beginning of many long, sunny days. My home is at 5,000 feet elevation in the San Jacinto mountains, and easily maintains a temperate climate from March through November.

Another sure sign of spring is my yellow daffs, which bloom every year in March.

Here's a little mascot for our adventures in jewelry making! Rosie (pictured above), her mother Sparkle, and friend Ivy (pictured below) join me in welcoming you to our mountain home.

Fees

The fee for participating in a WWW retreat is $825, including a non-refundable deposit of $225 to reserve your place. This fee includes four nights of accommodations, most meals, three intensive days of personalized instruction in classes limited to six female students, and lots of extras. Read on for more information...

Itinerary

Our weekend begins on Thursday afternoon, when you arrive at my home. It's an easy drive from nearby airports Palm Springs International (recommended) or Ontario International. You will need to rent a car to get to my house, as there is no shuttle service. Past participants have often shared a rental car.
Once you arrive and get settled into your rooms, we'll share a bottle of wine together with fine cheeses, fruit and crackers. We'll relax and get to know one another a bit before departing for my favorite restaurant: Cafe Aroma. Your welcome dinner with wine is included in the workshop fee. Be sure to click on the link provided to preview the menu!

Pictured above, ladies from a previous WWW retreat enjoying a meal at Cafe Aroma. This restaurant, a favorite amongst locals and tourists, provides us with a private room of our own (unless we elect to dine outside), personal service, delicious cuisine, and live entertainment. We'll use this time to relax, unwind, and get to know each other.

Friday morning begins with a healthy and delicious breakfast at 8 am: omelette bar (veggies, cheeses, avocado, more!), coffee and tea, fruit, yoghurt, various cereals, toast, etc. By 9 am we assemble in my spacious studio for the first workshop, which runs until 12:30 pm.
   We'll break for lunch, resuming our workshop instruction by 1:30 pm. Lunch includes a huge salad bar and/or sandwich bar with organic produce and deli quality meats and cheeses, chips and snacks, fruit, and beverages of your choice. Prior to your arrival, I will email you to ask about your favorite foods and beverages, and any food allergies that I should be aware of. I make every effort to ensure your happiness by providing excellent meals so that you can relax and enjoy your stay.
   Our first class finishes by about 6 pm, depending on our energy level! Dinner is on your own in town; Idyllwild boasts great restaurants for all budgets. I will be happy to help you choose from amongst them.
  Our Saturday and Sunday schedules resemble Friday's, with different food choices for breakfast and lunch, and (naturally) different workshop topics each day. Altogether you will immerse yourself in jewelry making techniques for three full days, improve your craftsmanship, and learn many new techniques.

   Due to the nature of a WWW retreat, we have much more time to learn than is typical at a bead show or similar event. Class size is limited to six adult females, which gives us time for personalized attention that you will not receive at other venues.
   I will teach you specific workshops of your choice (more on that later), plus:
   • How to safely use a kitchen torch to make your own head pins
   • How to use liver of sulfur to artificially age your jewelry
   • Polishing techniques and using a jewelry tumbler
   On Monday morning after breakfast, we'll bid each other farewell. It's a bittersweet moment—saying goodbye to new friends—but thanks to the Internet we can stay in touch via email and blogging. Several past participants have kept in touch with me and each other over the years, and I often receive an invitation to a show or other event that a student is participating in.

What's Included

• Four nights shared accommodations in my comfortable mountain home

• Our welcome dinner at Cafe Aroma, plus four yummy breakfasts, three huge lunches, snacks and beverages throughout the day

• Three very full days of art instruction in my spacious, well-lit studio
• Class sizes limited to six participants, allowing for plenty of personalized instruction

• Use of my top-quality studio tools including jewelry pliers and cutters, hammers, etc. (so you needn't bring your own tools unless you wish to)
• Open access to the studio throughout the weekend for those who wish to put in more practice time or finish their jewelry projects

   • Access to my extensive library of jewelry books and periodicals
   • ALL MATERIALS provided (except beads) including copper wire, sheet metal, enamels, kiln use, use of torches, and related consumables
   • All FOUR of my instructional DVDs to take home with you after the retreat (to see them all, visit www.SharilynMiller.com) a $120 retail value!

What's Not Included

   • Transportation to/from Idyllwild
   • Beads & Pearls: It's just too difficult for me to choose beads for your use in jewelry making. Everyone has different taste, and I don't have enough beads to satisfy everybody. However, I do provide all the copper sheet metal plus wire in gauges from 24 through 8, and if we do any enameling I will provide all the needed materials for your use at no extra cost.
   • Three dinners (Friday-Sunday nights) are not included. Idyllwild has some great restaurants for you to try, and it's good to get out of the house after a long day of jewelry making! This also provides an opportunity to check out the local galleries and gift shops that Idyllwild is known for. During past retreats, we have often voted to share a pizza on Saturday evening after class (I provide the wine and other beverages) and watch a movie. This is optional.

Which Workshops?

   Once you have sent in your $225 deposit, I will send you an email to acknowledge receipt and then begin helping you decide which workshops you are most interested in taking. If you visit my Web site, www.SharilynMiller.com, you will find that I offer a wide variety of jewelry-making classes. Click on the link below to see pages of workshops in various categories:
   • Workshop Offerings
   In addition to these projects, I also teach a variety of earring projects and classes taken right from my DVDs and numerous books (see sidebar). If you have access to any of my books, consider perusing them for ideas.

Pictured above you can see a sampling of student work from a previous WWW retreat.

Here's a bracelet and earring set made by one of my students.
So how do we determine which workshops are taught during a WWW retreat? First, I will ask you to choose the top-three workshops that you are most interested in taking, in order of preference, and email me at least six weeks prior to your retreat date with your preferences. The other participants will do the same. I will then select the most popular workshops from the lists that I receive.

Pictured above: a modified Ethnic Coin Necklace designed and made by Jane Rieck, a past participant in a WWW retreat.
It's virtually guaranteed that you will get your first choice. You are also likely to get your second choice, because students' preferences often overlap. Some workshops take just half a day to teach (i.e. some rings, earrings, pins), while others take up an entire day. This factors into the selection process.

Past participants have reported that they were very pleased with their classes, even those workshops they may not have chosen themselves. You will learn many techniques from each workshop that can be applied to a variety of jewelry pieces; for example, you may learn something in an earrings class that could be applied to necklaces or bracelets.

Ready to Join Us?

You'll become an honorary Wild Wire Woman by attending one of my retreats! The following dates in 2012 are currently open for registration:

March 22-26
April 19-23
April 26-30
May 3-7
May 10-14
May 17-21
May 24-28
May 31-June 4
June 7-11
June 14-18
July 5-9
July 12-16
July 19-23
July 26-30

To register, submit your non-refundable deposit for $225 (check or money order) to:
   Sharilyn Miller Design
   P.O. Box 4095
   Idyllwild CA 92549-4095
   Be sure to indicate which retreat date you are interested in attending. Why is the deposit non-refundable? To ensure that participants are serious about attending a particular retreat date that they sign up for; last-minute cancellations cause too many problems for me and for the other students. This is typical policy for art retreats. Make sure that you have the time off at work and that you are fully committed to attending before submitting your deposit.
   The minimum enrollment for a retreat is two, maximum six students. You must be an adult female (at least 18). Smoking is not permitted inside the house, but smokers may use the outside deck if needed.
   Any questions? Please feel free to email me and I will be happy to assist you. I hope to see you at my next Wild Wire Women retreat!

   Sparkle says, "Welcome to Idyllwild!"