Saying "YES!" My Invitation to EFABE

Saskia Timmermans

I was contacted by Saskia Timmermans, one of the organizers of EFABE (European Face and Body Art Event), in late December to see if I was interested to be a part of the 2014 conference and teach students about Starblend makeup. At first I was hesitant and expressed my worry about my ability to teach among such great artists. I had looked up the artists from last year and the ones that were already signed up to teach this year (read: all of my favorite artists whose work I love and admire deeply!)...but I would be foolish to pass up such an incredible opportunity, right?? So I said "yes"...one of many yeses to come. She told me that they were meeting, as a committee, to finish up the list of artists and would let me know.

Leeuwenhorst Conference Center

Soon I received an official invitation by email and at first I couldn't believe it. I called Jeff in to re-read it for me because I thought "I must be wrong!" The more I read through, the more I realized I was invited to Holland to teach at EFABE! (Squeal of delight!) The airfare and hotel were covered and what a lovely hotel they had chosen. Leeuwenhorst Conference Center They had decide to make the conference more of a special experience for all and hold it in a nice hotel near the sea. I guess last year was held in a school and had special challenges like having to be out by 10:00 pm and transportation. This way, the conference and rooms would be adjacent and we could all relax and have a very special experience.

EFABE is set up so that the instructors all teach the same class so that all the students have a chance to attend a class from all of the instructors if they choose. I like this system because I've been in that position before where I had to make a choice between two great classes. So we would be asked to teach 3 or 4 classes and then there was a meet-and-greet at the start and a late night jam (my favorite) and then a 15 minute demo on the last day.

There were also pre and post class opportunities but you needed to find a host and also get enough students and so I wasn't able to generate enough interest in my classes but I understood completely when there were so many good choices of instructors and classes available. In fact, because of this, I was able to attend a Mark Reid workshop and had the BEST DAY EVER...but I'll write more about that later.

My husband is a wiz at getting airline points so he advised me to use a United Mileage Plus credit card to book the flight. It would help me earn some points towards another flight in the future and would also give me the benefit of free baggage. What a great idea that was. I not only received some promotional points for opening the credit line, but I got priority boarding on the plane (which is good when you've packed your entire kit and have to walk the aisle with it!) and I also earned miles for the long, long flight which I've already applied toward my trip to FABAIC!

Saskia de Graaf

I mostly worked with Saskia de Graaf through email and made all the arrangements. I couldn't ask enough questions it seemed. She was very patient with me and helped me through the process of getting all of my paperwork in, pictures of my passport (so glad I already had it!), reimbursed for the flight...everything I needed to get ready to go. She was an even more lovely person when I finally got a chance to meet her at the conference, she couldn't have been nicer.

I purchased a bunch of lollipop sponges from Qosmedix.com for my students before I left because I'd heard they were very hard to get in Europe. I edited my FAQ and planned a bunch of quick designs to show off the properties of Starblends and we even planned on a repotting demonstration to show how you can destroy Starblends and fix them and pot them in smaller containers for on-the-job. I was ready to go.

I didn't want to jinx the trip and so I waited  to announce that I was going like when you don't tell anyone about a pregnancy too early. I put together my flyer for the class and when it appeared on the website, I decide to announce on Facebook and Face Paint Forum that I was going. I was so happy for the congratulations, love and support that I received from everyone! What a fantastic face painting community we have. EFABE 2014!

EFABE logo designed by Dutch Bihary