Mount Alford Retreat - Renaming

A number of years back Maureen made badges for each member of the Loose Threads group. This was the group that originally started going to retreats at Mount Alford Lodge and we wore the badges while we were there.

Over time some of those people have stopped coming and the Lodge now requires a minimum of 12 paying guests, so the group has changed.  Each year as a newbie came along Maureen would make them a badge - similar to the original but with minor differences...

The group that went last year included only 3 people from Loose Threads.....so it was time for a change.
Louise coined the name "Mount Alford Retreat Sisters"...MARS - I rethought that to Mount Alford Retreat Sewers and kept the MARS acronym.

Maureen and I had a brainstorming meeting and came up with a plan for new badges.  We then had a workshop meeting and made the badges and painted boxes to present them in.

Here are the badges.  My daughter very kindly cut the MARS on her Cricut using iron-on vinyl and adhesive vinyl for the boxes.

We painted small boxes and labelled them.  I couldn't resist adding a small MARS bar to each one.
I painted a different-shaped box for myself - I will keep it to use for the machine bits & bobs when I go on this retreat.

Belle & Pearl are our two honourary guests each year.  They are dolls that Erica originally made when we went to retreats at Boystown (2004 - 2006).
Maureen had made them Loose Threads badges, so this year they also got new MARS badges.

In case you have been thinking "What a bunch of crazy women" - you would be right!