I am finally getting around to compiling and editing all my images from my trip upstate to Aurora, New York with the MacKenzie-Childs team! It was such a fun few days getting a deep dive into the company, learning more than I ever imagined about what goes into creating each product, and lots of behind the scenes sneak peeks. I have known about Mackenzie-Childs for years and look at is as a brand that is timeless, one where you can acquire pieces over time and continue to hand them down to the generations below you. Their Courtly Check collection was always what I associated with the brand, but after leaving this trip upstate, I now have an entire new meaning and understanding for the passion behind MacKenzie-Childs.
If you aren’t familiar with Aurora, NY, It is a tiny, picturesque town located right on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Immediately upon arrival, you can tell how much love is poured into this charming town by those who live there. We stayed at the Inns of Aurora – E.B. Morgan House and it was gorgeous! Fireplaces in every room, a big wrap around deck, and just an overall cozy vibe, which was perfect for the crisp days and nights. We were lucky enough to have many meals in the beautiful dining room, including our final Friendsgiving feast!
Our first day everyone arrived around the same time and we all got settled into our rooms before a full tour of the Inns of Aurora property . I enjoyed seeing the different style inns (4 in total with a 5th being built) and how each one was decorated differently. Afterwards we headed to a fun flower arranging class where we had the chance to create our own arrangements in MacKenzie-Childs vases that we would then use on our tablescape for our final Friendsgiving dinner. We ended the first day with a low key dinner across the street at the Fargo Moose Room and it was delicious!
The next day, we were headed a few minutes down the street to MacKenzie-Childs for a Production and Farmhouse tour. This was by far one of my favorite activity of the trip because we got to see first hand what goes on behind the scenes. The detail, passion and love for every single MacKenzie-Childs piece is truly unbelievable. All the pottery is hand painted and takes hours from start to finish. The Farmhouse is located right next to Production and every room is floor to ceiling with MacKenzie-Childs pieces. We were lucky enough to get to have lunch right in their dining room, which was such a fun experience. Afterwards, we headed back over to the main building to paint pie plates and then finished with a place setting activity in their main store.
We had a jam packed day so it was nice to wind down with a comfy night in, followed by silk scarf painting and place card making. As you can see, each day we had at least one fun activity that would ultimately be incorporated into our final farewell dinner!
Our last full day we started the morning off with a Holiday 2018 product preview, which is where I fell in love with the Patience Brewster by MacKenzie-Childs collection. The reindeer are adorable and each one is hand painted with so much detail. You can hang them on your tree, incorporate them into your mantle (or around the house), or even use as part of your holiday tablescape. They are such a conversation starter and would make the perfect hostess gift for the holiday season!
Later in the day after lunch, we headed back to MacKenzie-Childs for a ground tour, just walking around the property is absolutely beautiful. We finished off the afternoon with an apple pie making class downtown. It was so fun to get to use our pie plates we had painted the day before! I kept sneaking the cinnamon apples as we were cooking and couldn’t wait to enjoy the pies later that evening.
Last, but not least on our incredible trip with the MacKenzie-Childs and Little Voice PR team, was our much anticipated Friendsgiving feast! We all got dressed up for the occasion and ate such a yummy meal. Our flowers from the first day were all over the room, adding so much charm, our place cards that we made marked our seats, and our pies were warm and waiting for us to dig into. It was so great getting to spend time and getting to know new friends and learn more about the MacKenzie-Child brand. This is a trip for the books and one I will never forget!
A few MacKenzie-Childs Favorites…
A big thank you to MacKenzie-Childs and LVPR for making this trip happen!