A couple of weeks ago while looking on Facebook, I saw an upcoming event with Spoonflower and the NCMA, North Carolina Museum of Art.  I love Spoonflower and Raleigh isn't that far away.  I haven't been away from my kids for a night in almost 6 years, so.... I bought the ticket.  Yea!

I found a sitter, a hotel and planned a great outfit and was counting down the days, to a night.  All.  By.  Myself.  The day finally came!!  Now, I'm not much of a planner.  Some of you may be surprised by that.  As a mom, I'm on it.  I have it under control-ish. (sort of!) I've got their schedule down.  Breakfast, activity, lunch, reading, activities, homework, dinner, bath, stories, bed.  Done.  It works.  My own life? I fit it in.  Now my husband, on the other hand, every detail is meticulously nailed down.  Thought out.  No need for Plan B.  Where as I am on very friendly terms with Plan D.  Life is fun for us.  I prefer to go with the outline.  It works and results in few disappointments.

As I was leaving, he calls from work.  He asks the usual questions.  Do I have gas? yes.  Do I know where I'm going? Sure.  Where are my directions?  In my car, I say.  (my phone is in my car after all.)  Did you check the weather? Did I check the weather?? It's August. In the South.  It's going to be hotter 'en hell.  Why bother checking the weather?

So I go on my way.  Siri was great with directions.  Flawless, actually.  I arrived on schedule with 30 minutes to check into the hotel, change and get to the museum.  The museum.  I forgot to check how far that was from the hotel.  How far could it be?  I mean the hotel was in Durham and the museum in Raleigh.  It's pretty close.  I'll check.  39 minutes! ouch.  I'll make it.  I tell the valet that I am parking but will be down in 10 minutes to leave again.

I walk in the hotel.  Wow!  It's pretty great.  I couldn't decide if I was more excited about creating my own fabric or staying in the fab 21C Hotel.  21C.  The magenta penguin and all.  I quickly change and dash back to the car.  It's pouring down rain.  Damn.  I realize that my raincoat and umbrella are in my front hall at home where they have been drying since last Tuesday's storm.  I forgot to put them back in my car.  Oh well, I was sure it would stop by the time I get to Raleigh.  It didn't.  So there I was, in the parking lot of the North Carolina Museum of Art.  In a huge downpour.  Unprepared.  This would never have happen if I had my children with me.  I actually contemplated calling Uber for a ride from the parking lot to the East building.  (a three minute walk).

My strongest quality is that I am resourceful.  I always have been.  So I thought, what do I have in my car that I can use to protect my dress and bag from the storm?  Nothing in the backseat.  Nothing much under the cover in the hatch.  Grocery bags, a snorkel, a few lego pieces.  Damn. Why had I cleaned up a bit?  So I lifted up the floor cover, BINGO!  There was a plastic liner that I use when I haul trees, shrubs and mulch.  And I had my workbag.  Plastic lining, scissors and tape... think Project Runway!  Make a rain cover with what is available in your car.  Go!  After a quick measure and wrap that gave me flashbacks of younger days of quick changes in the car.  I was all set.

I arrived to the building completely dry and deposited my "coat" just to the side of coatcheck.  On the floor.  Next to the umbrellas.  The event was great!  There was a bar and food.  Also, just outside the door was a refurbished little truck and trailer with ice-cream.  It had stopped storming and there was a brilliant rainbow smiling over the ice-cream trailer.  After a glass of wine, I went out to get an ice-cream.  I swear if a bedazzled unicorn had flown out of that rainbow I would not have been surprised.  The night was just like that.  Crafts.  Wine.  And bourbon ice-cream.  

Spoonflower and the North Carolina Museum of Art know how to have a craft party.  There were six craft stations set up.  We were invited to try one or as many as we could fit in before nine.  No problem.  I did them all.  Make your own coaster, tassel keychain, fabric necklace, hoop and fabric air plant planter, design your own fabric, and a phone case sticker.  Each one was super easy and a delight to see the fabrics that Spoonflower chose for us to play with.

As the evening came to a close, I gathered my goodies and set out to find my way back to the hotel.  What a night!  I have my Spoonflower Handbook, a head full of ideas, Photoshop and Illustrator at the ready to go home and send off some new fabric ideas to print.  I think that Little Stitch Studio and The Chrysler Museum need to partner up to bring an event like this to Norfolk.