Ok, I am s.l.o.w.l.y. deleting old photos so that Picasa will allow me to post NEW ones. This is the only solution I can come up with right now, since my body and brain are on hiatus for who knows how long.
Before I try a post to upload a slew of shots of some of the most incredible booth displays by some of the kindest, most talented people on Earth, I need to thank a most important bunch of wonderful and kind people: all of the
hundreds of visitors to our booth at the show. Both those who browsed and those who shopped offered us with feedback and comments that made us blush, smile, and practically float on air.
I cannot tell you,
each and every one of you, how much your sweet words and applause for our efforts means to us. I can try, but words fall so short. The smiles, the sparkling eyes, the heads turning every which way to take it all in, and the comments of '
It's the best', '
You deserve an award', '
You WIN!', and so many more just tug at our heartstrings each time we recall them. We do this because we love it, but we do it the WAY we do it to inspire you.... and apparently, we are reaching that goal. By changing the theme for each show booth, we are able to give you constantly evolving fresh ideas and inspiration for achieving the kind of home decor success you want. It also keeps us on our toes, but then we
like that!
You have all brought so much joy to us by thanking us for the detail and 'over the top' way we present our products - so thank YOU for the over the top praise! We could not ask for a
more appreciative audience than that at the Farm Chicks show. Even Teri & Serena made a stop by once or twice, and commented. (Yes, Teri, it really IS a baby grand piano case in our booth!) We love these girls, respect the heck out of them, and admire their enthusiasm, professionalism, and integrity. To have
them give such accolades to us is just..... well, I'm speechless. (And y'all know
that doesn't happen too often!)
What makes all of this so
very sweet is that we really really REALLY put ourselves on the line to do this show this year. We pulled out all of the stops, even tho a lot of people said not to waste the time, effort, or money of doing a lot of products or a really over the top booth.
'The economy'..... they'd say in hushed tones. We are firm believers that this business is
exactly what we are supposed to be doing, so cutting corners is not an option. People do not get inspired by 'safe' displays or products! So we went for it with our time, our effort, our imaginations, and our finances under the premise of
'If they can't afford to buy something this time, they'll still get inspired to decorate this way, and then plan to buy something NEXT time'. Apparently, we hit the nail square on the head! In addition to doubling our sales from last year's show, we've already seen more traffic and new followers here on our blog - so thank you all!!!!
{There were only two instances of that other kind of person that we saw this weekend.... You know, the kind of person who sneak in, not-so-covertly photographs products in detail from every angle possible, and then measures them. The kind of persons who avoid eye contact, never say hello, look at everything in the booth, then gush and gasp and whisper and touch and exchange glances, then either sneak the camera phone under their arm to covertly photograph the product and/OR ask all of their friends to pose with the products on their heads and take a slew of closeups to study later. Then throw the products into a pile and walk off saying "We need our store to look just like this". Yeah. Ok, time for some clarification: You being inspired by us, good. You copying our products? Not good.} Ok, time for MORE clarification: If you asked us for permission or you were one of the
hundreds of people who took photos of the piano bar, of COURSE it is ok with us!!!! Lots of photos were taken by blogger buddies and fans, and we love that. We love that you love what we made and want to share it on your blogs! We appreciate that! It's the sneakies who don't ask but take the covert sort of 'hidden camera' photos and who plan to copy our work that just make us frown. And Farm Chicks is no place for a frown!
Coming up this weekend at our next show is a look that is similar to these photos, as some of the products will make an appearance. But you know us, we've got a tweak or two to the presentation planned just to surprise you!
Inspired by the mood this image evokes, we spent the day playing with tents, draping, mosquito netting, and canvas.... creating the design plan for 'Glamp Retreat' at the BarnHouse show.
Bob's been crankin' out a plethora of products from the shop this week. He has a way of turning a bunch of odds & ends and broken things into really amazing furniture. We went out junking and found a slew of things, as well. What do you think, is there a theme developing here????? Stay tuned to see the 'story' we have for you at BarnHouse!
Are you planning on heading to the BarnHouse Boys Flea Market on July 18th??? You should. You really, really should. We just got a news flash from them, and the list of vendors is STELLAR. Presentation pushed past the limits of anything you've ever seen. (Cindy may or may not be appearing as the Queen of Sheba..... a circus tent and elephant were mentioned...????) Activities galore are planned. Contests of skill are to be undertaken. The ante has been upped by the announcement that we vendors will be GLAMPING it up in our very own version of a DesignStar competition of TENT DECORATING! There will be fun for all!
Not too bad for a couple'a old codgers, huh?! Debi Burton of Ormolulu snapped this shot of us. I just found it on her blog and, amazingly enough, liked it (I rarely ever like photos taken candidly) so I snagged it! The FABulous truck belongs to the equally fabulous Jeff & Liz of Seabold Vintage Market. Jeff was workin' on selling the truck, but it served as a darling prop for the show in the meantime!
