Camp Courtly Check
Hi! Many thanks for stopping by…
I am beyond thrilled to be sharing my recent adventure to Aurora, New York, a week with MacKenzie-Childs for “Camp Courtly Check”! I must begin by letting you know that this experience was truly a once in a lifetime, magical experience for me! When I was invited to join 6 other bloggers for a week of learning all about this incredible company my initial response was that they made a mistake…why invite me? I was humbled beyond words, filled with joy and a bundle of butterflies all at once! Yes, yes, yes…was my response…after all, I have loved all things MacKenzie-Childs for over 25 years and wasn’t going miss this opportunity for anything!
Please join me on the porch of the E.B Morgan House as I share this fun adventure…filled with whimsy and joy…
Waiting for the “Camp Courtly Check” week to arrive was filled with anticipation, the month prior was a count down as I anxiously dreamed about the adventure to up state New York to actually visit MacKenzie-Childs in person. I have been to other areas of New York but a visit to Aurora was going to be a first for me, a bucket list trip! My love for this whimsical company is something this is hard to put to words. I have an emotional connection that has been years in the making…truly a love affair with with the way whimsy, color, fun, joy and incredible artistry is found in every piece that they create! So I packed my bags and set off for an adventure of a lifetime…
MacKenzie-Childs started out as as a tiny pottery business in 1983 and has blossomed into to a brand loved world wide. Their ceramics, tableware, furniture and home and garden decor embraces a life filled with the unexpected and pure JOY! Creating works of art for people to enjoy for generations is truly what MacKenzie-Childs is all about…
The darling quaint tiny town of Aurora, New York is where it all began!
The moment I arrived in Aurora I fell in love with this tiny pictureesque town…it is just so perfectly charming. It reminds me of a place that should be featured in a darling Hallmark movie! We had the privilege of staying at The EB Morgan House, one of the beautiful Inns of Aurora. The house was built by Colonel E.B. Morgan, the founder of The New York Times and American Express, in 1833. I look forward to sharing another post about The Inns of Aurora, the history is fascinating. Needless to say, they are a dreamy delight! The moment I walked into the welcoming entry I knew this week was going to be very special. My room was gorgeous with a lovely view of the pink hydrangeas growing along the bank of lake Cayuga, one of the Finger Lakes of New York. I would have been quite happy staying at the Inn all week long, relaxing, reading on the porch and sitting by the lake! The E.B. Morgan House is just stunning!
The hydrangeas were beyond gorgeous…The dragonflies loved following me around, and the geese honked at me as I gasped at the beauty along the lake…
Sitting by the lake every afternoon was such a treat, the view was spectacular…
This was my favorite porch, early morning coffee and the quiet of the grounds made for a perfect beginning to each day…
Meeting the six other girls on this “Camp Courtly Check” adventure for the first time reminded me of being back in college and going through sororiety rush! We gabbed away from the moment we met, I learned very quickly that they were all the sweetest and incredibly talented! Our first official outing was a wonderful, very interesting historical tour of the beautiful Inns of Aurora, led by Alex Schloop. His knowledge of Aurora and the Inns was captivating! Alex also had a special surprise for Daisy Rhubarb…a gorgeous box of homemade doggie biscuits, she sure loved this thoughtful gift!
After our tour of the Inns we had a fun floral arranging class by the lake. Whitney Nichols, a wildly talented local florist brought gorgeous blooms from her cutting garden to share with us and show us how she creates her floral masterpieces. We were each able to select a vessel for our own arrangement, I chose the Courtly Check Enamel Tea Pot…one of my very favorite MacKenzie-Childs pieces! I loved seeing all of our finished arrangements…the colors, the styles, the sizes…all so different and festive! A late night campfire by the lake, with fireflies fluttering about, was the perfect way to finish off our first day of Camp Courtly Check!
Throughout the week I loved seeing all of our different arrangements placed around the E.B. Morgan House, so colorful and joyful! Here are a few of the finished arrangements…love these sweet girls!
The sunsets on the lake were picture perfect every evening…
Especially pretty when paired with freshly picked garden blooms and a Courtly Check Enamel Tea Pot ! My sweet mom would have loved seeing this photo. She gave me my very first piece of MacKenzie-Childs, one of these adorable tea pots, in 1996. Her gift was the corner stone to my love of MacKenzie-Childs! I miss her dearly and am so very thankful to her for giving me a life filled with flowers, joy, music, yummy homemade meals, silliness, color, simplicity, whimsy and love…
Driving onto the grounds of MacKenzie-Childs for the first time gave me goose bumps! The farm land with a view of Lake Cayuga is breathtaking. Seeing the old dairy barn that was converted into the design studio, the restored farm house, the gorgeous blooming gardens, the farm animals and goose house was a dream come true! I savored each and every moment, took countless photos and made a memory of as many whimsical details as possible. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the MacKenzie-Childs products, designs and artisans…
The girls were so adorable suggesting ways for me to stand or sit for photos. Believe me, I need all the help I can get, I am always so uncomfortable having my picture taken! However, I am posting a few as a reminder to myself that I was actually there…and that this wasn’t all a dream.
The Farm House is enchanting…every tiny detail is MacKenzie-Childs perfection! I would love to be locked in for a night…to explore every room, every nook and secret spot. I had to walk through a few times to take it all in, and I know I still didn’t see it all.
We had lunch on two of the days in the dining room in the Farm House. The table settings were incredible, layers upon layers of gorgeous handmade plates, gorgeous goblets, whimsical floral arrangements… I had to pinch myself often and ask…why me? Humbling to say the least.
Isn’t this napkin ring the cutest? Attention to the tiniest of details…So very MacKenzie-Childs!
I fell in love with this rug…
The patterns, colors, details….incredible!
This bedroom was my favorite! I am currently in the processes of fixing up our daughter’s old bedroom, I would love to attempt this look… Wouldn’t this be a perfect guest bedroom?
I also adored this room…classic Courtly Check from top to bottom! What a fun wildly eclectic room…
After falling in love with the farm house I couldn’t wait to walk through the doors into the old converted dairy barn. Pure magic at MacKenzie-Childs!
Every production room was filled with an energy of happiness and creativity. We had the pleasure of chatting with many of the artists. You could tell through their conversations that working there is simply the best! Their dedication was apparent, their talents are incredible…
To see the process that each piece goes through prior to completion created a new even deeper appreciation for their works of art!
Each piece that is designed goes through many days of artistry. From formation in the molds, to firing in the ovens, glazing, hand painting, etc…All works of art, one of a kind and made with love!
Oh goodness this wall of ribbons was like a candy shop…simply delicious!
We had such fun creating our own MacKenzie-Childs mugs…
We first learned how to prepare the unfired clay mugs by trimming and smoothing the rough edges of clay. Each handcrafted piece of ceramic also receives a signature MacKenzie-Childs stamp. Actually placing the stamp onto the base of my mug was a magical treat!
I was paired up with one of the super talented artists, Jessica. She is a doll and was extremely patient with me and showed me some of her secret painting tricks. I was terribly nervous and took the longest to complete my mug. I actually did a little happy dance and embarrassed myself when I finally finished…kind of a silly “ta da…I actually did it” dance! A huge thank you to Jessica, an artist extrodinaire!
We were able to create our own design and choose the colors as well, so much fun!
Selecting the right paint bush was a big deal…so many different shapes, sizes and angles…
I think I held my breath the entire time I painted my mug…any mistake will show up after the glazing process…
I just adore the fun mix of patterns and colors that the MacKenzie-Childs designers create…layers upon layers of everything wonderful…I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for these talented artists!
One of my favorite moments of the trip was being able to spend some time with someone who I have admired for quite some time. Rebecca Proctor, the incredibly talented creative director of MacKenzie-Childs, is absolutely charming! It’s hard to put to words but honestly her graceful, fun, humble, adorable personality is magical! She spent hours with us, wine tasting at Heart and Hands vineyard in Aurora and dinner back at the Inn. She shared heartfelt stories and listened to ours as we all spoke about our own personal connection with MacKenzie-Childs. It was wonderful being able to spend time with Rebecca and I feel so very honored to have had the opportunity to meet her! I took this photo of her in the Heart and Hands vineyard…I think her amazing zest for life is apparent…
The Goose House is enchanting…how lucky to be able to live in such a charming house!
The Highland Sheep are adorable, I honestly wanted to bring one home with me!
This is Simon MacKenzie-Childs… You may recognize him from his adorable catalogue photos. He was so funny, he followed us all over the grounds as we walked about visiting the farm animals, blooming flower and vegetable gardens!
On our final evening I had the pleasure of organizing a fun floral wreath workshop for “Camp Courtly Check”
I brought fresh flowers from the Flower Market in New York City and had buckets of gorgeous blooms from Plenty of Posies, a local flower farm. The selection was so vibrant and fun, the Dahlias and Zinnias were huge!
I just adore the MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check ribbon, it is so festive and fun!
We all had such fun creating our wreaths…it was a magical evening filled with plenty of laughter and friendship!
To learn a little bit about these darling girls you can read about them here…
My week at MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, New York was magical. Each moment a treasure. I am truly grateful for being included in “Camp Courtly Check”…it was a once in a life time experience!
On the final morning I had a wonderful time creating a whimsical floral arrangement “live” on Instagram. The courtyard setting was perfect for this fun morning. I loved being able to share some of my experiences, talk about the artisans, the designers, creators and leaders of MacKenzie-Childs. It was quite humbling and once again I kept asking myself, why me? I never quite found out why but I truly appreciate all who believed in me enough to invite me to this incredible week. I have loved MacKenzie-Childs for over 25 years and I now have an even deeper respect and admiration for this company. They pour their hearts into their designs, they create products that are joyful, fun, curious and whimsically wonderful. It was such an honor to experience the magic behind MacKenzie-Childs!
I am sharing this photo because it truly shows the joy that I felt while chatting away during the floral demonstration…
Thank you MacKenzie-Childs for this lovely experience, I am forever grateful. I sure look forward to returning to this magical place again one day!
Shortly after I returned home my hand painted mug arrived in the mail.
A keepsake to remind myself that sometimes dreams really do come true….
Many heartfelt thanks for stopping by! Wishing you a day filled with whimsy and fun…
XOXO
Thank you MacKenzie-Childs for sponsoring such an unforgettable trip.
As always, all opinions and photos are my own…