"Ladies Night In"

That was the title of a really lovely event hosted by the Scott County Historical Society last night at the Stans Museum in Shakopee, MN. I mentioned the event in a post a couple of weeks ago. You may remember that I ordered my ticket right away. :-)  The opportunity to meet Christopher Straub, the special guest for the evening was too tempting. Toss in chocolate and I was going for sure!
Christopher was a Season 6 contestant on Project Runway and I remember cheering him on for two reasons........I liked his designs and,....... he was from Shakopee just 15 miles from the town I lived in back then. It was like cheering on someone I knew just because he was also from Minnesota. :-)  Obviously, a lot of other women were watching him, too, and wanted to meet him because almost 100 ladies attended the event.  They enjoyed wine, chocolates, and conversation with Christopher as well as viewing the two latest exhibits that are currently on display at the musuem......  Marking*Time*TheRitualsofLifeAndDeath and Under*Where*UnmentionablesExposed.  Yes, it was a lovely evening and I have pictures to show you just what a fine night it was! 
Here is the special guest.......Christopher Straub and Lisa, his friend and long-time model for his designs...........

She's wearing a cotton knit mini that Christopher designed. The fabric is also his original design. He took a digital photograph of an abalone shell and that photo became the inspiration for the fabric!  The little shrug is gorilla faux fur (loved it) with leather epaulets with metal studs. And then there's that "one-of-a-kind" handbag she's carrying. Christopher designed that piece and I had serious "purse envy" of that handbag. Seriously, it was so perfect!  There was more "purse envy" over this little "Petal Clutch" designed by Christopher. As guests entered and purchased their tickets for the event, they could also buy a raffle ticket for this gorgeous handbag.  I bought a ticket and ...............

 I'll tell you who won it in a minute.

First, though, here's the wine table with Teresa Norman pouring wine. She's the museum's Curator of Exhibits and Collections. Volunteer, Fran Bohlke, encouraged guests to try the chocolates from Abdallah's.  And, oh, were the ones with the peanut butter centers ever delicious!!! I know because I ate three of them. :-)

The ones wrapped in red foil had the peanut butter filling. :-)

The Stans Museum where the event was held is, in my opinion, a little treasure right in the heart of Shakopee, MN. There have been so many wonderful exhibits since it opened in 1994. In addition to special exhibits and events, there is a permanent exhibit of papers and artifacts from Maurice Stans who was born and raised in Shakopee. He was Secretary of Commerce during the presidency of Richard Nixon. His boyhood home sits next to the museum and can also be toured if you visit the museum.
The view below is from the entry and looks down the long hall where the paintings of local artists are on display. To the right and left of this exhibit, you will find the artifacts relating to Maurice Stans. In the second room, you can see Christopher Straub with arm raised as he chatted with guests. That areas is where the "MarkingTime" exhibit is located.

 I walked down the hall and found these happy guests who were near the entry to the research area and the room where the "Unmentionables" exhibit is located.

I could see Christopher surrounded by guests.......

 and engaged in conversation with guests!

Christopher was a true delight. He shared lots of stories about his time on Project Runway, his designs and more. I was surprised to learn that the entire season of Project Runway was filmed in five weeks! This meant that one ate, slept and dreamt design for all that time. Wow, what focus one would have to have!!! All in all, it was a great evening! And for one lucky lady, it was even better when she won that clutch..........

The lucky winner was Mary Keohen and can you believe how perfectly that bag matches the scarf she is wearing? I think she was definitely the right winner!! She's pictured with her friends and it was fun to listen to them laughing and having such a good time. I love to see people have a good time. :-)  On Mary's left is Barb Weckman Brekke (Chris' second cousin), and on her right is Jean Marschall and Alice Weckman.
After the drawing, there was still time for more wine, more chocolate and more conversation. That's museum director, Kathy Klehr on the left and in the background is the museum entry area...........

And, last but not least, in the background of this photo is Allison Drtina, Program Manager at the museum and this event was her "baby". It was her first special event since joining the staff at the museum and I say "very well done"!!

I had to lighten the photo quite a bit to get Allison's face to show up. I am great at taking pictures. I'm just not so good at the actual photography.  There is a real difference in the two!
That's about all except for this.........I may not have won that cute petal clutch, but as I was leaving Kathy handed me that pretty bouquet that was on the wine table as thanks for helping with the flowers and a little wine-glass washing. It occurred to me as I was driving home that I should have had someone take a photo of me at the event. I am so often the one with the camera in my hand at Christmas, birthdays, etc. You know how that goes. Soooooooooo.....proof that I was there is in this photo.......When I got home, I did a little "self-portrait". I have flowers in hand and right after this, I got out a vase and put them in water. Nice to have a little reminder of a lovely evening!!!
I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Sandi

A bit of an afterthought here..........I remembered a post I wrote about a year ago on my own dreams of being a fashion designer. If interested, you'll find that post here .........written exactly one year ago today!