ReMe-The Sandhills A Tour around Moore County

A couple of weeks ago we announced our newest retreat location for the ReMe as "The Sandhills" of NC.  Where is exactly the Sandhills and what does this area offer you might be asking?   

Officially (according to Wikipedia) the term "Sandhills" comes from the topography of this area dating back approximately 20 million years ago:

The Sandhills is a region in the interior of the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. It is a strip of ancient beach dunes which generally divides the Piedmont from the coastal plain, and is the evidence of a former coastline when the ocean level was higher, or the land lower. The beach deposits were formed principally during the Miocene Epoch, about 20 million years ago. Typical beach fossils are found along the front edges. The coastal plain is terraced from other ocean levels, but none appear to have been so long-lasting, so as to build up dunes of this size.

Moore County is the official 'home' of ReMe. Our area is probably best known for its pristine golf courses  (including the majestic Pinehurst #2 course which has hosted the men's and women's US Open several times),  but you will also find quaint small town life nestled amidst the long leaf pine trees.    The area is rich in the arts, with hundreds of artists, musicians, writers, and crafter's calling The Sandhills home as well.  

You can travel many of the side roads off the beaten path and find stellar homes nestled in between lush landscapes, bringing you back in time when properties had personality and not cut from from the same 'cookie cutter.

Churches dot the community and tie the neighborhoods, families and communities together.

We have several hotels but there are also a variety of Bed and Breakfasts to visit for tea or a cozy weekend stay.

In the heart of downtown Southern Pines you can find a variety of locally owned businesses touting unique goods, handmade items, even olive oils and fine cheese.

Of course there is the iconic Sunrise Theater that is a nostalgic favorite for many.  Grab a glass of wine at the box office concession stand and enjoy a Oscar winner film after grabbing dinner at one of our eclectic dining choices

During ReMe-The Sandhills, we not only immerse you into several days of artistic endeavors, we will treat our guest to evenings around The Sandhills with many extra surprises in store for our guests.

We are hoping you join us for this one of a kind retreat experience this fall,  we are anxiously waiting your arrival down here in the heart of North Carolina! We know you will fall in love with The Sandhills and enjoy every minute of your ReMe Experience.

To find out more about ReMe and ReMe-The Sandhills, visit  our website by clicking HERE.  

***Spaces are about halfway filled up so we encourage you to register soon to claim your space!  If you sign up before July 1st, we can offer up to a 4 payment plan!



*Watercolors of landmarks around Moore County by our very own ReMe host and instructor, Jodi Ohl.  To see more of Jodi's work, please visit her Etsy shop where she has items ranging from notecards, bookmarks, prints, original paintings and online class for sale. 

Grateful Moments ReMe October 2015

If we have been a little quiet over here at ReMe it's because we all are coming down from the retreat high of our latest ReMe adventure in Ocracoke.  As quick as it started, it seemed we were saying teary goodbyes!   As all of us immerse ourselves in the 100's of photos taken during the course of the event, here's a sneak peek at some of the beginning preparations we had going on behind the scenes before this lovely group of women joined us a little over a week ago on Ocracoke.  We will be sure to share even more as the weeks go on so you can be at the retreat in 'creative spirit' with us!

We try to make the retreat as carefree of an adventure as we can, that's why you'll see all of the organizers and instructors schlepp tons of goodies for the 'kids' to play with and or purchase if they choose while we are together.     Lucky for students, we are all hoarders    "collectors" of a bountiful  amount of goods they are able to use  for classes. That in and of itself saves tons of money and stress from having to purchase your own stash for one class!

Yes you see prescription bottles to the left of Penny's display, but there's no pharmacist needed for what's inside--a dose of artsy goodness in a variety of forms (some have labels, ink nibs, watch parts and more).

Jean has a huge collection of stamps and tools to make embossing metal a breeze! Hammers, pliers, and stamps..oh my!

Jodi may have more paint then a Michael's store just sayin :)   Plenty of colors, mediums, and other fun tools to be shared with our guests so they can get their paint on with professional results!

A little peek at our pre-guest arrival the first night. The ReMe 'elves' had a fun little project to get everyone started in the festivities.  That was after our catered opening night dinner from an island favorite eatery. I'm not sure how we created anything after that feast!!!

Can you believe Eduardo brought all this delicious authentic Mexican cuisine over to our house on these beautiful platters?     Be sure to visit Eduardo's Taco stand if you are on the island.  You won't be disappointed!!

Oh lookie...a treasure from our May girls!   A sweet surprise for us to discover as we set up for the event!

Penny brought a personal treasure to decorate and inspire our coffee station.  The island brings forth a sense of peace and grounding for sure, but we all need reminders from time to time to allow it to come into our being.   One of our lovely guests, Audrie,  was nice enough to share breathing and yoga techniques each morning to whomever wanted to participate.  Taking a few minutes each day to breathe deeply to  ground yourself is so important.  Self care is something we all say we need to do, but do we really take the time necessary to do it? It doesn't even have to be a huge amount of time Audrie shared, it can be as little as 15 minutes a day or whenever you have time to spare, and you will start to see a difference in your world.  

This year has been  quite a year for your ReMe organizers, we all have faced our own personal mountains to overcome, yet at the core of it all is our faith in doing what we love and faith that we are on the right path no matter what life twists and turns show up at our door step. Each and every one of us uses words and text in our art.  Here you see one of Jean's pieces that reminds us that One Day At A Time is all we need to focus on in those crazy days of life. Sometimes it's one minute at a time.      This year once again we were blown away by the stories our October girls shared with us. Poignant stories, of triumph, overcoming obstacles,  funny adventures, and amazing accomplishments.    

We are lucky indeed to have had the pleasure of their company for our 4th ReMe retreat.  Thank you all who joined us, you will forever be in our hearts and are now one of our ReMe Sisters for Life.

Stay tuned as we will be sharing more memories and moments from ReMe 2015.  

If you are looking to join us in 2016, please sign up for our newsletter (link is on the left) for updates and announcements!

Artfully and gratefully yours,

Jodi, Jean and Penny

Sharpie Markers! - ReMe Retreats' Favorite Art Supplies - Day One

Today we'll kickoff the "ReMe Retreats' Favorite Things - Art Supplies!" Series.  In no particular order; Jodi, Penny, and Jean will take turns sharing a few of their creative must-haves.  In the following, we'll begin with Jean's Ode to Sharpie Markers.

Journal Page in Sharpie by Brittany Gabel.

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My sister, Janet, is 18 months younger than I am.  As the children of practical parents we often had duplicates of the same toys and clothes, and Mom and Dad would use a Sharpie Marker to distinguish our individual treasures.  This is my earliest memory of a Sharpie Marker at work, and for as long as I can remember, Sharpie Markers have been strategically placed around our home.  

Sharpies were sacred and taboo then.  Sacred, because they held the mystique of something reserved "for adults only".  Taboo, because our parents recognized the inherent danger of them in our creative little hands.  My coffee table, which was once my parents coffee table, still bears the mark of some of my earliest work underneath its top, a self portrait, strategically placed where I was certain that no one but me could see it! 



As I began to identify myself as an Artist, Sharpies played an increasing role in my life.  I used them in Artist Trading Cards, Inchies, and in other Mixed Media works.  Their bold mark making ability and the extensive array of colors in which they were available thrilled me to no end!

During my transition into the world of jewelry and metal arts, Sharpie Markers served as my earliest form of patina.  This was in the days before I knew that a patina was a patina.  I would color my finished metal piece with a Sharpie Marker and wipe ink from the high spots of the piece with a bit of alcohol.  This is a technique that I still use from time-to-time today.

Today, Sharpies rule when it comes to a resist in my metal etching!  When I travel to teach, I always bring several dozen, and  I generally keep two or three different colors and point sizes in my purse just-in-case I need them.  

Etching with a Sharpie Resist results in consistent deep results.

Journal Page in Sharpie by Patty Sieck.

And of course, Sharpie makes more than permanent markers!  There are water based paint markers, oil based paint markers,  counterfeit detectors, metallics...and neons...and highlighters... oh my!  

In closing, and for the sake of full disclosure, "Hi.  My name is Jean, and I'm addicted to Sharpie Markers."  

(Please respond together with, "Hi Jean!".)
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For your chance to win our Fabulous ReMe Favorites Prize Package, please post your answer to the question below in the comments section.  You'll also earn an extra entry for each time you share this post on social media.  Just be sure to post a link to your share here for us to count your extra entries.  (All entries must be received by 12:00 Noon, EST, on September 3, 2015.)

Please share your love of Sharpies with us.  How do you use them?  Which is your favorite?  Do you too fear a world without Sharpies?!?!?  

Thank you for visiting, and be sure to check back tomorrow for another chance to win.

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There’s still time to join us on Ocracoke in October!

Please use the link on the left side of this page to register.

When the link disappears, we’re full to capacity.

Jodi's Memories of ReMe October 2014

Oh gosh you guys, it was really hard to follow up Jean's post from last week--she captured the essence of ReMe so well! Her recollection  truly put tears in my eyes as I looked back and remembered each and every one of our tender moments, and there were many.

  Here's a little look back of my own with some narration via a short video blog.  (I hope you can hear it--if not, you may need headphones! :)

Just as I said in my closing,  thank you to all of our guests from 2014--you made our inaugural year so out of this world.  It was more incredible then we could have every expected.   Behind the scenes we've been working for several years to put all of our ideas into practice, so to birth this 'baby' with all of you, just warms our heart and feeds our soul more than you can imagine.

Here's to 2015, we look forward to new memories and reuniting with old friends along with making new friends.

**If you'd like to join us during our flagship ReMe retreat this October,  check out our down payment button to the left of this post.  We offer flexible monthly payment plans to suit your needs.

As always, we welcome any questions you may have at reme@remeretreats.com

Early Bird Specials for 2nd Annual ReMe Retreats - Ocracoke Island!

"All In A Day's Work" by Penny Arrowood

With less than four months to go until our First ReMe Retreat in 2015, we’re beyond excited! 

As of today, our Second Annual ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island in May 2015 is full to capacity.  Thank you to all who have registered.  We’re already counting the days until our time together!

A few spaces remain for our ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island from October 19^th to 24th, and we’d love for you to join us.  Through January 31, 2015, we’ll continue to extend our $50 Early Bird Discount for each guest who registers for this ReMe Retreat, and we’ll be happy to design a convenient payment plan to meet your budget.

As always, spaces for this ReMe Retreat will be filled in the order that your requests are received.  To submit your request, please us the PayPal Button on the left side of this page.  If you’d prefer to make your deposit by a means other than PayPal, please contact us by email at ReMe@ReMeRetreats.com to make arrangements.

Thank you again for all of your support!

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Our love affair with Ocracoke and our friends there continues.  The artwork shown in the photos here were donated by your ReMe Hosts to The Ocracoke Preservation Society for their “Ocracoke Through My Eyes” Art Auction on January 24^th.  With more than eighty original artworks available, this successful event raised more than $5,000 to support this worthy cause. (Woo Hoo!) If you’d like to formalize your relationship with Ocracoke, you’ll find OPS Membership Information Here.

"Gone Fishing" by Jean Skipper

"Restore" by Jodi Ohl