Sand Point Sunday

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to Sand Point this weekend to see us! We had a great time seeing friends, making new ones, and talking decorating & shows with our 'tribe'...

We had a lovely visit from Beth Evans-Ramos & Lisa Hildebrand from the Salvage Studio .... imagine, these two out shopping on a weekend, instead of having to work a store! ;0) They were having a blast, and everyone was thrilled to see them. And the photos Bob took of me with them didn't turn out at all. ;0(

Our booth neighbor was our Faded Elegance neighbor, Debi Burton of Ormolulu, and we had fun chatting all day (and sneaking our bird eggs under her rooster whenever she moved it in her booth!). Debi says she's glad we brought a radio to play jazz throughout the show...she's a music lover like me, who can't be without some happy tunes playing!

Thank you to my friend Lisa & her gal pal Irene for taking time to come visit us... Lisa is my former cohort at Columbia Winery and oh MY did we get into a lot of trouble together! We frequented the showrooms & gift show - She bought the merchandise, I displayed it. Since Lisa retired and I have ended my consultancy with Columbia, I don't see her very often. Irene came in one year and helped my crew with the Holiday product prep, so it was nice to see her again.

Mari, the sweet shopgirl from Faded Elegance , & her hubby Rick came by to shop, browse, and visit, and they arrived just as the sun came out! I've always said that Mari lights up a room.... now I have proof! ;0)

Debi Bock of Garden Party stopped by, too - she is such a ray of sunshine! Her cheerful smile is contagious, I tell ya'.

A couple of darling gals let us know they know us from our booth at Faded Elegance (thank you girls!) and others from this blog or my design blog (and Thank YOU, as well!). Always nice to meet new friends! The gentleman across the aisle from us heard some of these comments, and engaged Bob in conversation about how blogs make this possible. He got an earful!

We met Jermonne of BarnHouse Boys fame when he came over to introduce himself. My, what a charmer he is! Joe (the other half of Barnhouse Boys) was hard at work on the incredible booth setup so I didn't meet him until later. Let me tell you, these are two very talented young men. SO inspiring, and a great attitude to boot. No wonder they are so succesful!

I had to laugh when Cindy, the Queen of Tarte herself, came over and looked at me for a minute and then suddenly said 'I just figured out who you are! You changed your hair!!!!' I met Cindy last June at Farm Chicks, when I was filming videos for the Gift & Home Channel. (And I was a blonde then, thus her confusion!) Our booth location for Farm Chicks this June is catacorner from Cindy's, so I will get to watch her magical booth setting unfold. She's a master - um, mistress! - of display and I SO wish we could have included her booth in the video shoot last year - the producer was the one who chose the locations. pffft. (I also have to add that Cindy & the BH Boys are total PROS at load-out: I've never seen that much stuff packed into a trailer so fast in my life!)

We also met Kimberly Taylor, a charming young woman who came into our booth and with a practiced eye took in every detail.... then asked us if she could photograph it for a blog post. Of course we said yes! You can see her lovely shots of our booth on her blog, mimi charmante, and some she took of the Barnhouse/Tarte booth, as well. Beautiful shots, Kimberly! (I meant to get shots of BH & QoT.... but I was too busy)

I hope you've enjoyed the show report...now, this very tired girl needs to get some sleep. It's been a crazy five days! Edited to add: I was so tired that I forgot some people when I originally posted this last night, and also forgot the linky love. Bad Deb! I fixed that...

Sneak Peek....

Spring may refuse to arrive by way of the weather (it SNOWED today, people!) but we are doing our darndest to usher it in in our decor elements...

We spent the better part of today setting up our booth for the show tomorrow, all the while hearing horror stories from other dealers who had encountered miserable weather on their journey there. Joe, Jermonne, and Cindy (of the hugely popular Barnhouse Boys and Queen of Tarte, respectively) got stuck in traffic and a freak snowstorm on their way up from the Portland area. Debi Burton came down from Bellingham and told us about the torrential downpours on the way. We had rain, but it wasn't anything to compete with those stories!

Our booth is full (and I mean crammed!) of fresh decor ideas, inspiration, and furniture, lighting, & accessories to chase the gray away. Come by and see us at Sand Point tomorrow, and put a little spring in your step! (Click here for directions & show info)

(PS: photos of our complete booth setup on Monday!)

Retreat at Sand Point Market!

Due to my impulsive nature and the sun making an appearance this afternoon, I called Dennis Eros and chatted him up. And now, Retreat will be selling at this Sunday's Sand Point Antique & Design Market! We'll have a total Spring Garden theme goin' on, so come by and say hello!

Hidden Elegance...

Today we added several more furniture items to our space at Faded Elegance.. side & accent tables and another dining table really helped to fill it up before the weekend. A minor re-arrangement helped us fit it all in and give the space yet another fresh look. (Large pastiche mirror is sold)

(dresser is sold)

Come in and see what beautiful things we have for your spring decor!

Bring on Spring!

The cute little collaged dinette table with chairs in our space at Poppyseeds sold yesterday, so today we took in another vintage diner table - in perfect condition, it's chrome & yellow and has two leaves. These fake confections ('FooFooFauxFood' original creations, made only by us from recycled materials) are a perfect compliment!

We popped in a few small accents, like this vintage-look pillow

and another custom lampshade with ribbons.

By the way, these cute lamps with custom shades (made with vintage art and millinery fruit) are still available - honestly, I can't believe they are still here - at a really great price. Come on out to Stanwood this weekend to visit Poppyseeds, and celebrate the arrival of spring with color!

Spring Fling...Finally!

Even on these cold, gray days, there are robins and chickadees and wrens and even a family of six mourning doves that perch in the still-bare branches of the trees on our farm and serenade us with beautiful songs. The trilling, warbling, melodic notes float through the air, bringing with them the hope that Spring is coming... both in the weather, and in our booth at Faded Elegance. Yes, we finally brought in new creations!

We've infused some pretty spring greens into the decor here, setting a scene for a garden-style Easter or Spring Solstice feast. The china is Noritake 'Maureen', from the 1960's, in soft mint green and white with silver edging and swirly white floral accents. We are offering these in single 5-piece placesettings only. Some beautiful etched bar glasses and goblets compliment them perfectly, and with a few small nests inside glass cups as favors, all presented on a green roll of player piano music (NFS), it's ready for a party!

You can just see the soft swirly white etching on the china here...

Since birdsong inspired this look, birds are a major design element. Using vintage music, wallpaper, crepe, and book pages, several collaged settings present a simple birdnest - handmade using natural elements. (These are not nests built by birds). It's the simple, sweet essence of springtime and new life...

The lamp isn't very old, really, but by turning the garden sphere into a 'cage' and adding moss, a nest, and a sweet vintage-look bird, topped off by a GORGEOUS handmade shade with vintage wallpaper, it's got vintage feel - and personality to boot. This won't last long so get in there if you want it!

The various nests are held inside vintage glass garden globes and a glass compote. Each one has its own special touches, and is a one-of-a-kind art creation by yours truly. I really love coming up with these!

There's a sweet green birdcage with a green metal stand, too, just in case you prefer your birds in cages instead of nests! There are more treasures to be discovered... please do come by and enjoy our version of Spring!

Just a Little While Longer

I know we promised that more new Spring products would be in on March 1... but our weekend has been filled with sad news from extended family, so we've delayed work for awhile. We will have some beautiful things in for you soon, and I'll post here when they go to Faded Elegance. Thank you for understanding, friends.