Camp MacKenzie-Childs with My Daughter
Hi…Many thanks for stopping by!
A few weeks ago I had the most wonderful and magical adventure…I took a trip to my very favorite place with my daughter Kaitlin… to Aurora, New York to visit MacKenzie-Childs! This trip was extra special for both of us because this was our very first mother daughter trip together. Sharing this trip with my daughter was truly a dream come true for both of us. We are both still on cloud nine chatting away about this once in a lifetime experience that we will forever cherish! We are both incredibly grateful and truly appreciative for being included on this Camp MacKenzie-Childs adventure…
We stayed at the gorgeous Rowland House, one of the picturesque Inns of Aurora located on the bank of Lake Cayuga in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The Inns are original old stately homes steeped in rich history and have been lovingly restored by Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl dolls…
Kaitlin and I were both overwhelmed by the beautiful Inn and incredible hospitality! Every detail was just perfect, the colorful rooms all had whimsical MacKenzie-Childs decor. Our room was bright and happy filled with pink and orange florals, simply gorgeous! Needless to say… neither of us wanted to leave at the end of the week! We had such fun getting to know everyone attending Camp MacKenzie-Childs…ten girls and nine moms all together. We all stayed in The Rowland House, it reminded me of living in my sorority house at Berkeley…so much fun every minute of each day!
These chairs were my favorite, they were completely hand beaded…
We started the week with a festive floral workshop the first evening. I felt so very honored to help organize this fun event…
The fresh spring flowers looked beautiful in all of the MacKenzie-Childs Peony Watering Cans, the Courtly Check and Morning Glory pitchers. Oh my goodness, they all turned out beautifully!
We used Scottish Thistles, Roses, Ranunculus, Tulips, Hydrangea and many other dreamy spring blooms for the arrangements…aren’t they pretty in these Flower Buckets?!
The finished arrangements were fabulous…
These Peony watering cans are just the cutest!!
Especially pretty with Lake Cayuga in the background…
We also filled the cutest Pink Polka Dot Pigs with petite florals, these were for a special luncheon the following day…
When I visited MacKenzie-Childs last July for the first time I felt like a little girl in awe of the magic that this favorite brand of unique, whimsical, elegant and just simply wonderful home decor creates. Just looking at Kaitlin’s huge smile from the first moment we arrived warms my heart…she sure had that exact same feeling the moment we arrived at MacKenzie-Childs the next morning!
And so did I…
Kaitlin and I both share a love for MacKenzie-Childs that started about 25 years ago. My sweet mom gave me my first Courtly Check tea pot when Kaitlin was just a little girl in kindergarten! My mom also gave Kaitlin a tiny colorful knit coin purse from MacKenzie-Childs as well, to hold her special tooth fairy coins! When Kaitlin became engaged eight years ago I made certain that she also received a tea pot from me…to carry on the tradition. We continue to surprise each other with beautiful pieces of MacKenzie-Childs for special holiday celebrations…this is a mother daughter tradition that we look forward to several times a year!
While Kaitlin toured the studio and met with the incredibly talented Artisans I also had a fabulous morning helping style the dining table at The Rowland House for our formal luncheons. Several months earlier I had the honor of collaborating ideas with Corey Field, Visual Manager for Planning and Production with MacKenzie-Childs. Corey is a genius designer and true artisan. It was quite humbling to help create this table scape with him. His zest for creativity has no bounds! I drew a little design of what I had in mind for the table scape then Corey and his team of master artists worked together to create a whimsical and elegant MacKenzie-Childs Farm Table. I had an idea in my mind of how I thought it would eventually turn out and couldn’t wait to see the finished conceptual idea…for real! I was so emotional the morning we set it all up. I was completely mesmerized by the attention to detail, Corey and his team created a Farm Table masterpiece! A huge thank you to MacKenzie-Childs for this opportunity, a dream come true for me.
The morning was filled with more gorgeous spring flowers, I loved filling the darling MacKenzie-Childs pieces with fresh florals for the farm table…
I felt like a little girl in the most wonderful candy shop…everything was so beautiful!
I loved adding the fun Courtly Check Pink Peonies to the fresh florals. It was a joyful mix of happy springtime…
This Checkerd Pig sure is full of personality…we all fell in love with him!
The pigs that we filled with florals the prior evening became our friends at each place setting. It was a joy to see all of the unique and gorgeous pink polka dot pigs all lined up on the long dining table…
The elegant MacKenzie-Childs Sweetbriar dishes were the perfect touch for the dining table. The whimsical patterns on each dish create a playful but oh so very glamorous statement!
One of my favorite activities was learning all about setting a beautiful table with lovely layers of color, pattern and style…Corey inspired us with his amazing creativity!
We had fun picking out our own fun combination of patterns…
Pinks, greens and Courtly Checks for me!
On one afternoon we were paired with incredibly talented MacKenzie-Childs artisans and we were taught how to paint a platter “MacKenzie-Childs” style. I was the last to finish…and I wasn’t even actually finished! I am so slow, ha ha! Kaitlin painted something for me and I painted something for her. These will be Mother’s Day gifts for each other. We never saw each others art work and we both can’t wait for the fun surprise!
I have an enormous amount of respect for the artists who create all of the wonderful MacKenzie-Childs products. Seeing first hand the amount of care and artistry that goes into each and every piece is amazing. I have loved MacKenzie-Childs for over 25 years because of the the artistic talent that goes into the craftsmanship of each piece. They are treasures to be adored for generations!
I loved watching the artists…
Our visit to the Farm House was the icing on the cake. Kaitlin and I both adored every tiny detail. These are a few of our favorite rooms in the Farm House…every inch is filled with MacKenzie-Childs magic!
I think the sticks in the ground are to mark the depth of the snow?? It had all just melted before we had arrived! Spring is arriving a little late in Aurora this year…
I adore the mix of patterns, so much fun!
Spending time with MacKenzie-Childs’ creative director Rebecca Proctor was extra special. Rebecca truly jumps with joy when she talks about ideas, shares thoughts or even when she listens to others share their love for MacKenzie-Childs. Her zest for a life filled with whimsy is infectious. Kaitlin and I both adore Rebecca and wish we could borrow a bit of her energy and creativity!
Our week in Aurora, New York at MacKenzie-Childs was a dream for both of us. Kaitlin and I will forever remember our first mother daughter trip together. We are incredibly grateful to MacKenzie-Childs for including us! My mom would have been thrilled to know that her gift of a Courtly Check Tea Pot to me so many years ago would turn into a life long love for MacKenzie-Childs…for me and for her granddaughter.
I just adore these sweet girls and feel so lucky to have meet them…
An extra special thank you to my daughter for sharing this Camp MacKenzie-Childs week with me. I love knowing that she shares a passion for always living a life filled with color, whimsy and joy…the way life is meant to be lived! I’m so very proud to be her mom!
A bundle of fresh blooms to everyone at MacKenzie-Childs and to Ali and Lily as well…a huge heartfelt thank you for treating us to such an amazing mother daughter adventure!
Here’s a little fun little clip from Camp MacKenzie-Childs…what a fabulous moment in time to share with my daughter…we both made a magical memory to last a lifetime!
As always, many thanks for popping in to say hi! I love hearing from you and always welcome your questions and comments…
xoxo…
Janice