Our Little Angel..... um...... Lil' Devil.....

We thought we'd share a peek at how we spent our Halloween....

This is our second grandson, who is our son Joel's son. Mr. Cute Stuff up there is Jameson Ward Kennedy, AKA Bubba, Jamers, and Lil' Dude. As a result of our last-minute trip to Southern California for a family medical emergency, we got to see all four of our kids and our grandson at the same time. No small feat to accomplish that, let us tell you! Seeing Bubba in his Lil' Devil Halloween costume was the highlight of our day today.

We have enjoyed having some special family time together with Bob's parents, our girls, our son and his wife & son. And yet, on everyone's mind and heart is the failing heart of Bob's dad, and how to help him and mom as things proceed. One thing we've learned about in life: Enjoy every moment, and remember that the happy often accompanies the sad.

We had some plans in mind for Retreat's next month or so, but this trip has put all of that on the back burner. Right now, nothing is more important than family. We are trusting that our needs will be met as we help here with everything we can...

Halloween 'ReTreats' at Poppyseeds!

Today we added more Halloween Re-Treat goodies to our space inside Poppyseeds! The punch of black looks fabulous with the soft grays & whites in the space, and a few creepy details make it perfect for haunting:

Madame Matilda, ensconced in her crystal ball, glows eerily... or you can get a slightly less creepy non-lit version!

There are still ivory and tan Sweet Sweater Pumpkins to be had, and now you'll find some Sweet SWANKY Pumpkins in black & white, as well. Great for decorating all fall season long!

Two of the mini-chandelier ornaments in black are still available!

Altered books & bottles are ready for use in your Spells & Incantations...

And for the first time at Poppyseeds, we offer Deb's original 'Junk Queen' Crown creations. This time, it's a special Halloween version with smoky vintage crystals - perfect for the 'Scream Queen' in YOUR life!

Or maybe, just for your Halloween pumpkin?!

As an unadvertised special offer for our blog readers, All Retreat Halloween products are 50% off of our already low prices, this week at Poppyseeds! We aren't advertising this offer in the store, only here on our blog. So just ask Julie or MaryBeth for the discount when you purchase our Halloween products at the store!

Sharing A Fave Fab Find!

We are re-visiting one of our previous posts, in order to participate in the 'Flea Marketeer' party at the Flea Market Style Magazine blog! We hope our regular readers enjoy this blast from the past, and we'd like to welcome new readers to our Retreat blog! Our business is all about restyling found and thrifted items.... check this one out:

Hi guys, it's Bob... thought you might like to see how a discarded piece of furniture turns into something special here at Retreat! This 60's cabinet/server, above, is one of the items we got from Beth Evans-Ramos earlier in the week. Deb & I stood and looked at it, trying to figure out how to make it into something with a more current look AND fit in with the theme we will have for you at BarnHouse next weekend. It took us a bit, but some spirited discussion and a serendipitous movement of the flag in our yard inspired us. And between the two of us, we finally came up with a game plan (it's fun when that happens!)... here's what we did:

Added a new top, made from some old T&G siding (also from Beth), and some moulding to trim it.
Made the legs a bit shorter, to remove the tapered ends. Added finials as feet.
Took the door and drawers and enhanced the 'board' effect. I deepened existing grooves and added a few to the drawers, to make this look like we had assembled it from miscellaneous parts. Added some old ceramic knobs, too. Then Deb did her magic with paintbrushes (using some paint that Beth was discarding!), and the result is..... (drum roll, please).....
Something that you, we, and Beth find it hard to believe is the same piece we started with!!! Pretty cool, huh?! Deb said we needed to share the story of its transformation because it looks like a brand new piece by Lane Furniture or something...but I disagree. I think our stuff is much more interesting than anything by Lane. Thanks, Beth, for providing the raw materials that became this one of a kind piece of furniture for someone to love!
Oh, and this beauty has friends! Lots more 'pieces with personality' for your home or summer beach house will be in our space at the BarnHouse Flea Market next Saturday.... right in the center of the barn, under the awning. Come see us!
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This post originally appeared here on our blog in July of 2009, and the dresser sold after the BarnHouse show, when we brought it back and put it into our room at Poppyseeds. It now lives happily on the other end of our island. Meanwhile, we are busily creating new products from old 'stuff' every day!

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater....

And you almost COULD eat these, they are so yummy! There were just a few of my original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins left after Sunday's show... they are now available at Poppyseeds in Stanwood. Get 'em quick! (Priced from $4 to $25 dollars each.)

Image copyright Deb Kennedy 2009; All Rights Reserved. Do not duplicate.

Then and Now

A few shots of our space at the Sand Point Show yesterday...

It was a good show, and we always enjoy seeing friends who are also dealers: Janet, Beth & Lisa, Bob & John, Debi, Linda, Cindy, and more. SO many friends also came to visit: Todd, Julie, Timi, Melaine, Cindy & Heather, Jill & Jana, Linda... who am I forgetting?! We also made new friends: Matilda and her daughter (darling, you never told us your name!) are just two of the sweetest gals we have ever met!

So, what's left over from the show?

A matching suite of furniture: 38' X 80' Farm Table, Glass-front cabinet, and two host chairs. All in a whitewashed finish, made from reclaimed & recycled lumber, trim, window, and furniture parts. Add two benches or six armless chairs of your own to the table, and you have a complete new dining room for the holidays!

Another of Bob's one of a kind benches - this one made from a twin size headboard and an old Eastlake tabletop

The large School House Acorn pendant light (new, never used) that would look great hanging above the Farm Table!

Oh, and Miss Foofy Sofa?

Her Saga is finally over. She went home to live happily ever after with Miss Matilda, in a sweet Laurelhurst Cottage. It is going to be SO charming when the decorating is finished, and we can't wait for them to share photos with us!

(ps: learning to use the new post editor on Blogger..... bear with the spacing issues....)

Ready...Set....Go!

Our booth is finished and filled with a plethora of fabulous finds, ready for tomorrow's Sand Point Antique & Design Market in Seattle. What's in store for you? Take a peek...

A certain stunning and infamous collaged Piano Bar

Fall Decor Accessories (including the King & His Queen....)

Vintage & Vintage Style lighting

'Sweet Sweater Pumpkins'

A fabulous Farm Table, Cabinet, and two arm chairs in a beachy finish...(Oh, yeah...... Miss Foofy Sofa is here, too. ;0) )

Beth & Lisa, the Salvage Studio girls (famous local authors!) are here, Linda of Luluz is here, even Cindy the Queen of Tarte (And have you seen the feature article on her home in the new Romantic Country mag?!) is here - and so many more FAB.u.lous dealers with amazing goodies. Let the guys watch the 'Hawks game tomorrow, just get yourselves and your girlfriends down here!!!

New Additions....

Just in today at our room in Poppyseeds:

*A 4' diameter round vintage metal table (repainted with a weathered light gray finish; has central umbrella hole) that would work splendidly outdoors, indoors, or as a retail display fixture (you can run electric lines for lamps up thru the hole!) priced at $95. Table top easily separates from legs for transport.

*A very comfortable rocking chair, spacious enough for a man but with curvy lines that girls love, can be yours for $145. The seat has a burlap slipcover over it - but beneath it, the original upholstery is in perfect condition! It's a small floral in ivory, gray, and pink. Here's a closer look at the rocking chair...*A simple desk or dressing table, made from solid hardwood with original brass hardware. We did paint over the hardware! (it was bright finish brass - sturdy and long-lasting, but not quite fashionable anymore). Seven drawers - two file-size - offer plenty of storage in this slim-profile piece of furniture. Priced at $135. (Center drawer shown opened). The gray vintage chair is $55.
*The magnificent solid wood 'Butler's Table' or 'Hall Tree', made from an antique front door from Seattle, a leg & trim from an Eastlake table, and hooks from a century-old building in Texas, is still available! It features a painted 'weathered' gray finish and white trimwork, and the vintage mirror (not permanently attached) is included! (The fencing mask is not included - but it would make a FABulous Halloween mask!) Priced at $325., this is a one of a kind statement piece with functionality and beauty.
You can view any of these pieces and more at Poppyseeds, a home decor boutique in Stanwood, Washington. Visit their blog for hours & directions, or give Julie a call in the store at 360.629.7333 to purchase via credit card.

We'll be setting up at Sand Point in Seattle on Saturday, and I'll try to get some 'sneak peeks' of our booth displays on here Saturday night for you. Plan to come see us Sunday! We have even more wonderful new things for you there...

Good Junk?

Once you have junk on the brain, you see it everywhere....
...even all the way across the QFC parking lot. (And when you drive by slowly and take pictures, people give you funny looks!)
But the looks they give the old rusty trucks full of old rusty junk are funnier! Check out the guy in the left side of that photo... He's wondering 'What the....???'. Me? My first thought was 'Hmmmmmn.... is there anything GOOD in there?' ;0)

The Long and Winding Road...

...that led us to this place on Earth and in our lives has been quite a journey. Thirty years in the making. (Amazingly, our farm was built in 1979. The year that Bob and I started dating. Coincidence? Nah.) At times it has moved quickly, other times it creeps along, and sometimes it doesn't look like it is moving forward at all. Or even seems like things are sliding backwards. (We really hate those times.) We are action people - planners, creators, do-ers. We don't sit still for too long. Ideas are constantly swirling around in our heads and hearts and conversations. New ideas. Big ideas. Crazy-to-anyone-else ideas.

Since the day we first saw this place, we've seen the big picture. Doesn't scare us in the least to take an idea all the way to its greatest possibility. We did, and planned for that achievement. Of course, we'd love to jump from point A to point B,C,D, and E and be in the daily running of our business at that level! But it's all of the smaller steps along the way to that big goal - the ones that we are learning to take each day - that are spurring remarkable growth within us.
We have an incredible resource here - and yet our ability to access and use it ALL right now is limited. We know our goal. Everyday we stand in the physical space and envision the whole thing unfolding, but we can't access or prepare the barn and fields for it just yet. That can be frustrating! Some days, it can be downright depressing, to be truthful.

Today, things changed. From out of the blue, we overcame that inertia and hatched a plan to use PART of it until we can use ALL of it. We feel energized and excited about this new, heretofore unseen, opportunity to move our vision-dream-goal one step further along the path to reality. We CAN start small, and let that energy build to help us reach our larger goals. And before you know it, we'll be announcing the big stuff and flying from point A to points we haven't even imagined yet. So stay tuned. We'll soon be announcing some fun things from Retreat that will be comin' up in November! (This big guy?....well......some REALLY fun things are going to happen in there, but not quite yet.....then again, tomorrow it may all break loose and be possible! )