Step away from the day-to-day and join us for
Hibernate & Create RETREAT in Agency, MO!
School is back in session!
Join us for Creativity – Food – Fun – Friendship (and yes there will be recess)
Gather and explore in this one-of-a-kind meet-up of creative spirits.
When: June 3-7, 2026
What’s included:
Registration includes 4 nights of lodging at the Art Nest Retreat Center in Agency, MO. Our guests enjoy freshly prepared meals including 4 dinners, 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches and plenty of snacks! All creative project supplies & instructions for our stitching books and paper crafts. Our schoolhouse theme features Friday recess where you can explore nearby St. Joseph, Missouri, or venture into Kansas City to discover antiques and collectibles at Bella Patina, as well as enjoy thrifting for creative supplies at KC Scraps! We recommend you bring an extra bag or leave some room in your suitcase for the wonderful projects and goodies you will receive throughout your stay! (We LOVE to spoil our attendees!)
Cost: $850 per person
Payment:
A deposit of $100 is due at time of registration to reserve your spot. Final payment is due by May 10, 2026. Payment schedules can be customized to your payment needs.
**Registration does not include transportation to / from the retreat (i.e. your flight, rental car or Uber/Lyft, etc.).
**Registration fees are non-refundable but may be transferred to another participant from our waiting list.
How to Register:
Registration opens on August 1st, 2025 at 10:00 am Central.
Make your reservation by emailing Kelli at hibernatecreate@gmail.com.
If you are registering with a friend or family member (or friends/family members), one email can be sent for all persons in your party. Please provide the name of each guest and their email addresses.
Upon receiving your registration email, a return email will be sent confirming availability and verifying your payment options. If our retreat is sold out, you will be offered a waitlist position.
Connecting:
In advance of the RETREAT, a private Facebook group will be created so that we can get to know each other, enjoy a sneak peek of projects, ask questions, and stay connected post-event!
Swaps:
For our School Days Retreat, we are hosting 2 swaps. Attendees are encouraged to participate in both, but they are completely optional. The swaps are a great way to have a little treasure from everyone you meet on our weekend away.
1) Artist Trading Card swap (ATC)!
Our ATC cards will be exchanged on the first night following our homecoming dinner. We will share swap details and tips & tricks to make ATC cards as part of as part of your registration.
2) Stickers!
We love stickers! We loved them as kids, and we love them as adults. We’ll be swapping stickers throughout the weekend. Pick your favorite(s) and be ready to swap!
Venue:
We’ve rented the Art Nest Retreat Center in Agency, MO. It is a barndominum designed for creative meetups! We’ve included a few photos of this stunning property. Each participant will have their own bed with shared bathrooms.
Transportation:
Where some of our guests might find the location drivable, you can also fly & drive. The Kansas City International airport is ~30 minutes south of Agency.
For those flying, we will utilize our Facebook group to connect you with other travelers for potential airport meet-ups to coordinate rental car and driving.
Retreat Schedule:
Wednesday
Guests can arrive between 2:00 – 4:00 pm to settle in. We’ll kick off our evening with our Homecoming Dinner and ATC card swap.
Thursday
Following our delicious breakfast the school bell will ring, and we will jump into a full day of classes!
Friday
Recess day! Friday is a day of exploring the area or enjoy the time to relax and continue to work on your assignments (lunch is on your own). We’ll meet back up at the retreat center for dinner – Friday Night Lights!
Saturday
Classes will resume on Saturday! Following another tasty breakfast (and coffee!) we will resume our class schedule. Our evening will end with our Saturday Graduation dinner and yearbook signing.
Sunday
All good things must come to an end and following our Sunday breakfast we will say goodbye with new friends, fabulous projects and plenty of memories (and photos to share!)
note: schedule is subject to change, but this provides you with the general flow of the weekend.
Your Hibernate and Create RETREAT Hosts:
Kelli Sweet: Exploring is the general theme for Kelli – creativity, travel, food and more! As the artist behind Degrees by Kelli, her favorite mediums are jewelry, collage & painting and all things quilting & fabric related.
Kelli loves to connect and inspire creativity. She founded Hibernate & Create as the 31 Days of Creativity Challenge which has blossomed into a beautiful Facebook community. In 2018 it expanded into RETREATS bringing people together for dedicated creative time with friendship & food! And 2020 brought the addition of Crafty Mixer, an online virtual craft meet-up and Workshops & Classes in her studio at the Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha.
Kelli lives in LaVista, Nebraska with her husband Drew and their tabby cat Milo (aka Squeaky_Milo on Instagram)
Lindsay Struble: Lindsay is the “chef” extraordinaire behind the Hibernate & Create Retreats. A special education teacher by profession, we enjoy Lindsay’s delicious cooking as she “fusses” over the small details.
Lindsay loves to travel, explore and hop onboard when a friend needs a companion for an adventure. She loves to help others and make people smile! Her creativity and art is through cooking and the sharing of food. Her goal is to warm the hearts and tummies of the people she’s around!
Lindsay and her husband Tim live in LaVista, NE with their energized kitten, Lola, who loves to entertain them at all hours of the day!
Julie Geiger Armed with a sewing machine or needle and thread, Julie Geiger creates all types of fabric wonderment including quilts, wool applique, embroidery and wool felt projects.
Captivated by all things fabric since she was a young girl, Julie is the owner of Prairie Point Junction Quilt Shop, Home of Wool Felt Central in Cozad, Nebraska. Julie will share her magic, some embroidery stitches and inspire you to transform needle and thread, into a special keepsake.
http://www.prairiepointjunction.com
Connie Gildersleeve has collected about as many hats as she has arts & crafts supplies and life transitions as an entrepreneur! As a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, Connie embraces the power of her unique set of strengths in everything she does! Her top 2 CliftonStrengths; Futuristic and Positivity shine bright through her Connie Lea Creative Adventures! ADVENTURE = Always Discovering Valuable Escapes, New Talents, Unexpected Refreshing Experiences
Connie’s latest Adventure is re-styling flannel shirts with bleach and stencil processes she tags as “Everlasting Threads” at her Vintage Chic Boutique at The Painted Tree in Lincoln, NE.
Thanks to our amazing sponsors!
Prairie Point Junction
Degrees by Kelli
WanderWrx
If you would like to be a RETREAT sponsor in the form of participant gifts, supplies or discounts.
Please contact Kelli at hibernatecreate@gmail.com
We can’t wait for school to start in Missouri!
The fine print: In registering for the retreat, participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Sweet Creative LLC DBA Degrees by Kelli / DBA Hibernate and Create, the hosts Kelli Sweet, Lindsay Struble, Julie Geiger, Connie Gildersleeve and any event sponsors, instructors or volunteers from any and all causes and action which may arise from the Hibernate and Create Retreat. I grant permission for Sweet Creative LLC to use any photos, video, etc. taken of me, my projects or classes in any and all publicity and advertising promoting the retreat. By registering for this retreat, I Agree and acknowledge that the waiver has been read and understood and that I will abide by all Rules. In addition, participants agree to sign the Art Nest Retreat Center waiver.