Today I’m sharing part one of my last A Daily Gathering, our Spring Workshop Day in Bluemont, VA. On a threatening-to-be-dreary (but turned oh-so-beautiful) Saturday about one month ago, a group of us gathered at La Montagne at Bluemont for a day of shared meals and learning. La Montagne at Bluemont is a charming nearly-300 year old farmhouse tucked away in Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County, and it’s a favorite secret of mine. When our guests arrived in the morning, they were greeted by a warm selection of quiche, crispy bacon, croissants and jam, fresh fruit, and coffee & tea. At each place at the farmhouse dining table, we set out the wonderful packages put together by our partner, Be Clean Shop. These bags were chockfull of some of my favorite self care & body products.

After mingling and getting to know each other for a bit, we dove right into our workshops, the first of which was all about social media, which I taught alongside Joy of Mornings Like These, and Aley and Andrew Dawson of In My Bowl. I honestly think we could have sat in that dining room for an entire day and discussed social media! Aley and I styled a little tabletop, and explained what works with different media channels in terms of styling, frame, angle of shots, etc. I had a blast working with her on that tabletop vignette, and those photos are some of my favorite!

We had a fascinating discussion, and I’m so thankful for everyones’ contributions to that workshop! After a short break, we relocated to the pool house for the natural cleaning workshop! Guests were greeted by some more goodies from our partners at Rail 19 and Eden’s Garden Essential Oils. I taught about the basics of natural cleaning, and then students made their own DIY cleaners and face wash. We used essential oils from Eden’s Garden, and glass bottles from Rail 19. Everyone left with gorgeous bottles filled to the brim with safe, natural cleaners!

After natural cleaning, we moved to the portico where lunch was waiting. We served a simple, hearty lunch: my favorite roasted asparagus quinoa salad, green goddess sandwiches (avocado, cucumber, sprouts, mozzarella cheese, quick pickled onions, olive oil, and salt & pepper), and a refreshing vodka thyme lemonade.

We relaxed on the porch over lunch for an hour or so, and then moved on to two more hands-on workshops and dinner under the stars! Part two coming soon…with lots more about the people who made this day possible!

Photos by Sweet Root Village