PORTLAND, Ore. - I knew this was no ordinary trip when I got on the hotel shuttle at Portland International Airport. Two nicely dressed women about my age shared it with me, and for the first minute we sat in silence, like every other shuttle rider. Then one woman said, "So ... are you guys here for art camp?"

I was. I had flown in to attend Art & Soul, a six-day arts-and-crafts retreat at an Embassy Suites hotel near the airport. The retreat featured workshops in mixed-media collage, jewelry, book arts, painting, drawing, fiber and fabric crafts, and doll making.

But more than just classes fueled my arty fire: The retreat also featured field trips to local stores and art galleries, a vendor fair, a cocktail party and swaps, where you could trade your work for someone else's.

For craftsy types like me, there might be no better vacation. The opportunity to do nothing for days but make things and be inspired by other people's work makes me weak in the knees. It's no wonder such retreats have become so popular, some nearly selling out within days after registration opens.

Their popularity has been fueled by a surge in the modern crafts movement. Crafting is a $31 billion industry, up from $23 billion in 2000, and 57 percent of households in the U.S. participate in crafts, reports the Craft & Hobby Association, a national trade organization.

That renaissance is supported by glossy magazines, television shows, shops, countless books and, of course, the Internet.

Most retreats, like Art & Soul, are held at hotels, though Artfest takes place at former Army barracks at Ford Worden State Park, Wash. They are held across the United States and abroad, including Italy, Guatemala, Mexico, England, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. All offer the chance to soak up local culture and inspiration, shop and meet like-minded people, mostly women.

All-day classes at Art & Soul run about $135 each. Other retreats offer a package deal of classes, lodging and meals that cost $500 to $1,200 and up.

I came to Portland for new bookbinding skills. But I soon discovered that making stuff wasn't the only thing this retreat had to offer. Just strolling through the lobby of the hotel was like mainlining inspiration. My eyes landed on an elaborately altered denim jacket, then a chunky necklace made of twigs, stamped brass and pearls. I asked someone for a piece of paper, and she hauled out a hand-painted notebook decorated with stamped designs that she had carved herself.

Crafting friendships

The day after I arrived, I settled into a class to learn the Greek stitch, a stunning open-spine binding that we mastered in about seven hours.

As I headed back to my room at the end of a long day, I struck up a conversation with Dr. Lynda Crawford-Sheppard, a dermatologist from Bowie, Md., who had attended a previous Art & Soul retreat in Virginia. We ran into each other again that night on a shuttle to Alberta Street, an arts and shopping district with funky stores, galleries, shops and restaurants.

"Even if you stay home and try to get something done," Crawford-Sheppard said, "you don't get that complete freedom. This is completely focused on you, and you're doing something you have a passion for."

Art retreats are not just for the experienced. Beginners are welcome, and students are encouraged to explore other media and techniques. I took "You Can Learn to Draw," hoping my sketching would improve. It did.

Event coordinators Glenny Densem-Moir and Cindy O'Leary say they strive for a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

Both women counsel attendees to find classes that fit their interests. Classes here, as well as at some other retreats, are juried to ensure a range of techniques and disciplines. They're taught by well-known instructors, many of whom have written books and have works in museums and galleries.

Densem-Moir, an event planner who founded Art & Soul, and O'Leary, a former human-resources executive, met at Artfest, a spring retreat that Tracy and Teesha Moore have hosted for 10 years.

"Here, people get out of their comfort zone," Tracy said, "and discover things about themselves and make lifelong friendships."

At Art & Soul's vendor night, booths sell such supplies as vintage hardware, beads, rubber stamps and ephemera.

Loaded up, I headed back to my room, staying up until 1 a.m. on a bookbinding high. I wasn't the only one.

The next day, I ran into a woman who said she had made another book to practice what we had done in class. When I asked what she used for materials, she replied, "Whatever I could find."

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