Do you need a speaker or teacher?

Consider the following:

Lectures -- $150 each
One hour, including a PowerPoint presentation (you provide the projector) and handouts for up to 30 participants.  I bring “show-and-tell” items to enhance participant understanding of the topic.  If practical, two or three sealed samples will be provided for tasting.

Tea Party Planner – Participants will learn the etiquette behind serving tea, how to brew a perfect cup, and how to prepare a traditional tea party menu and a contemporary one.  The handout is a planning outline.

Tea Tasting Planner – Participants will learn how to pair tea with foods, especially chocolate and cheeses.  We will discuss the differences in flavor in teas grown in different areas and at different times of year.  The handout is a listing of tea-tasting terms.

Tea Etiquette for Children – Participants will learn how to behave in a formal setting, how to be a polite guest, and etiquette specific to tea parties.  The handout will be a child-friendly list of reminders.

Keep it Fresh – Participants will learn how easy it is to grow their own herbs and how to use them when cooking to replace excess salt or fat.  The handout is a sample menu for a fresh-herb dinner party.

A Taste For Chocolate – Participants will learn the history of chocolate from the time of the Aztecs to today, then they will learn how chocolate goes from a bitter bean to a smooth, sweet bar.  The handout is a list of ten recipes for classic chocolate preparations.

Introducing Garden Railroading – Participants will learn how to incorporate elements of model railroading into their own gardens, then they will be able to take a turn at driving a model train.  The handout is a practical planning guide.

Hands-On Crafting Classes -- $175 for up to 10 participants (or split fees if each participant will be charged)
Includes a 20-30 minute lecture, followed by a half hour craft project.  Allow a little extra time for clean-up. Classes marked *** could get messy and are best preformed outside.

Lovely Lavender – Participants will learn how lavender has been used throughout history, from keeping dowry linens safe from moths, to becoming Queen Victoria’s obsession, to modern spas.  Then they will make a lavender spindle.  (This class available June and July only.)

Flower Talk and other Victorian Communication – Participants will learn about the Victorian language of flowers, and the complicated etiquette in Victorian letter writing.  Then they will choose silk flowers that mean something to them to create a small Victorian-style bouquet.  (This class can be done using fresh flowers, ferns, etc. for an additional fee).

Herbal Papermaking*** --  Participants will learn a little about the history of papermaking and books, then move onto the basics of the papermaking process, including adding flower petals and other herbal inclusions.  They will then make 2 or 3 sheets of paper, which will need somewhere to dry overnight.  I have mortars and deckles for 10 participants.  (This workshop only available from April through September.)

Don’t Throw That Away! – Participants will learn how to blend potpourri and techniques for drying natural materials.   They will also learn how to choose which kitchen scraps and garden prunings can be used as a base for potpourri.  They will then use a variety of materials to blend a “wet” potpourri which they can cure at home in a small paper bag.

Beginning Decoupage*** -- Participants will learn about the history of the art form (which was practiced by both Marie Antoinette and Picasso), then they will move onto basic techniques.  Participants will then use images taken from magazines, books, cloth or wallpaper samples to cover a small wooden box.

Gardening Journals and Seed Saving --  Participants will learn how keeping information from year to year can help improve results when gardening, and will also learn the basics of seed saving.  Then they will hand-cover a gardening journal with cloth and decorate it with stamping and scrapbooking techniques.     

Pricing is negotiable for libraries. I am also available for book signings.

I am located in the middle of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, but would be willing to travel outside the area for a minimum half-day worth of programming. Travel expenses are negotiable.