Gone, Gone, Going....

Found out today that the diminutive little dresser at Faded Elegance sold on Saturday...

And the sweet little yellow vintage enamel table was sold at Poppyseeds Sunday...

Her 'cousin' the red restored vintage enamel table is still available, as are the green ceramic lamps with custom shades!

Just a heads up for you: I'll be pulling several items out of both shop spaces soon, to undergo a facelift & wardrobe change - then it's off to Farm Chicks for them all. So my dears, if you want something, get it now!

You Light Up My Life....

We unearthed TWO of these beautiful wall lamps at a yard sale this morning, and promptly went out and bought new shades for them. As of this afternoon, they are now in our space at Faded Elegance. I couldn't wait to share them with you!

The vintage lamps are not hard-wired - they have a plug-in cord at the base of the lower bracket. They hang from a single screw-hook on the top bracket. Installation of these gorgeous girls would take...oh, about five minutes - two screws in the wall and you're done! Perfectly shabby white enameled metal, with not-often-seen white opaque glass (like chalcedony) drop crystals. Both lamps are in perfectly perfect condition, and priced at an amazing $145 each.

They'd look absolutely marvelous over bedside tables, flanking a mirror over a buffet or in an entry hall or powder room. (I love 'em so much I almost kept them!)

New at Faded Elegance...

We've added a few new things to our space at Faded Elegance, just in time for the 'Girls Night In' event this weekend in the store....

There are some vintage paper rolls, with wallpaper, sheet music, old French book pages, vintage seam binding, and a crystal. Perfect for your scrapbook or collage art projects for Mother's Day!

There's this charming young lady, whom I call Bella because if I called her Drew you probably wouldn't get the movie reference. Right? (This painting was used as a 'portrait' of Drew Barrymore's character, Cinderella, at the end of the film 'Ever After'. That's your film trivia for today!). She's wearing a stunning pair of deep green & gold earrings & a necklace to match. The cool thing is, YOU can wear them, too! This is 'embellished art' - the vintage image has hooks that will hold the jewelry in place and allow you to remove it for wearing. Or perhaps MOM could!

We also added a few new furniture pieces. I love love love this table! She has cute little antique brass wheels and such feminine lines. She didn't start out this way, though... It started out looking like this:

Hmn, well, actually, not really. It started out with a flat top with a broken piecrust edge, and it was all just the wrong proportion. So Bob removed the edge, added a new tray edge using some old moulding from his stash, stained it to match, attached it, and then I got busy with paint. I just had to leave the tray top as it was - the graining is so gorgeous! Now she gleams with tres' French style, oui?

LOVE her!

This sweet little dresser is just perfect for baby's room! Or as a bedside table, maybe... or in an entryway, perhaps? Possibly a powder room?! I've also brought back the green china and the little bird creations that were in the booth before. I think they will make such sweet gifts for Mother's Day!

Sneak Peek

We are working on lots of wonderful creations for the upcoming Farm Chicks show AND for our expanded space at Faded Elegance! Something wonderful will be arriving there May 1st. Stay tuned!

Eidted to Add: ....mmmmnnnnn, I lied. May 1st is a Saturday and we can't load in on weekends. So, it will be in on Monday May 3. Sorry 'bout that.

Spring Flea Market/Swap Meet This Saturday

Mark your calendars for this Saturday, April 18th, 2009, from 10am to 5pm. It's the first Flea Market / Swap Meet of the year at Poppyseeds!

This darling store is conveniently located right on the main highway in Stanwood, so it's easy to find and you can come for fun shopping on your way up to the Skagit Valley Tulip fields! Take exit #212 from I-5, and head West just four miles to Stanwood. Poppyseeds is on the right, just past QFC Market and John L. Scott Realty.

There will be outdoor vendors selling artwork, crafted creations, and vintage wares, in addition to the vintage & restyled furniture & decor from dealers located inside, including Retreat! You'll find all kinds of wonderful Spring finery for yourself, your home, and gifts for loved ones....so don't miss it!

Another Show on Our Calendar!

Joe & Jermonne, the uber talented BarnHouse Boys, have just blown our sox off and invited us to participate as vendors in their July 18th BarnHouse Flea Market! We are honored to be invited, and so excited about participating in this FABulous show. The Boys don't do anything halfway and their shows have a following of (dare I say 'rabid'?) fans... we are just thrilled. Thanks, J&J!!!

So, get it on your calendars and join us there!!!

Find Retreat Here, There, and Everywhere!

Retreat now has a Page on Facebook!

You can find us the easy way, using our Memorable Web Address: http://companies.to/retreat/ or click on our right sidebar link with the Facebook logo...

You can also see a bit more about us and the custom lighting we create on Kimberly's Mimi Charmante blog...she's written a lovely post today! Thank You, Kimberly!

Victoria Magazine

The new May/June 2009 issue of Victoria Magazine is now available in our space at Faded Elegance in Snohomish. It's the coveted annual 'Blue & White Issue', brimming with ideas for bringing this romantic decorating look into your home for summer! (And in our space, it's discounted 10% off news stand pricing!)

P.S.: A little bunny told me that there's a big to-do planned for the Easter Parade! Festivities begin Saturday April 11 at 10 AM, on First Street in Historic Snohomish.

Seal of Approval

I just had to post this comment, because you'll crack up when you read it! It's from Dennis Eros, producer of the Sand Point Antique & Design Show:

"Hello you two. What a thrill to see you at Sand Point. Your booth was mesmerizzzzzing (is that a word?). I have never seen so much done with so little color, yet ... spectacular.

White and chartreuse? I use to wear those colors when I was in the 8th grade. But, my mother would block me from leaving the house until I changed. Thank God, she had to work in the morning and I was able to escape once in a while with bright red and green clothes. Let's see... that was half a century ago, so you know I loved your booth.

As they say on NPR, "You set a splendid table." - Dennis

Thank you so much for your kind words, Dennis. And your humor. I don't know if I'll ever look at chartreuse the same way again.....!

Foofing at Faded!

After the recent busy sunny shopping days, a quick Foofing of our space at Faded Elegance was in order. (Yes, that's an offical term!) Today, I took in lots of sweet spring NeSts, old gold photo frames in many sizes (with sweet spring-theme sheet music in them), and some darling new white-on-white floral ceramics. These small touches really refreshed the booth - and they'll do the same for your home or office!

Chickfest

While I was yammering on in my post earlier today about our plans for the upcoming Farm Chicks show, I had no idea that the girls had posted on their blog about the video series I filmed at their show last June! (Thanks for the heads-up, 'Shopgirl'!) For some great decorating & display tips, plus a chance to hear from the Chicks and three other amazing women in business, check out the videos.

Two Month Countdown!

Yup, that's right - in exactly two.short.months, we'll be set up and sellin' like crazy at Farm Chicks '09! We are so excited, and you just will not believe the AMAZING things Bob is creating in his shop for this show.

Seriously. You'll fall over when you see them! Our booth is going to be jam-packed with unique treasures made from reused, recycled, thrifted, and found materials, all combined in fresh new stylish ways.

What's that? You say you want some sneak peeks? OK. Just hang on until the week of the show, and then we'll share some! ;0) (I'm just not taking any chances with these!) We hope to see you there!

Image Credit: Farm Chicks

restock.refresh.retreat

Today we finally braved the downpouring rain (it's just not going to STOP, so we can't keep waiting!) and hauled product into our spaces at both stores... first stop was Faded Elegance. Now it's overflowing with treasures!

(note: dresser and filligree mirror on wall are sold, awaiting pickup.)

Then we headed to Poppyseeds, and did a bit of rearranging before adding more colorful goodies... the green, white, & yellow from our recent booth at Sand Point went by the window, anchored by the darling yellow vintage chrome table already there. (I still have to add a hook and hang one chandelier tomorrow)

The red vintage chrome table and coordinating decor all went on the other side of our little room. Lots of vintage linens & aprons filled up my fave display rack (sorry, NFS!). This place is chock-full of whimsy and color, to brighten up these interminably long gray, rainy days!

Rumor is that the SUN is supposed to make an appearance this weekend! If you are out enjoying it, stop by these two wonderful shops. We know you'll find something you love!

And thank you, MaryBeth, for your sweet post on us on the Poppyseeds blog!