Good Morning from BarnHouse!

We're all ready...

are ya' coming to BarnHouse today?!

When it's all over, there's a vendor party around the fire pit

and then we'll be sleeping pretty in our 'Petite Taj Ma Tent' ;0)

LOVE being here...

thanks, Boys....

{images by Retreat;

please do not use without permission}

Just Three Days 'Till BarnHouse!

Last year at the BarnHouse Flea Market, 

we brought a patriotic selection 

of country-style furnishings and accessories.

And a piano bar!

Our space was inside the barn, 

under the cool tin roof in the center.

We received so many wonderful compliments

and made a slew of new friends...

and just loved being part of this amazing place, family, and event.

And we are beyond thrilled to be included again this year!

At the show this weekend, we'll be outside, 

beside the back corner of the barn,

just before you go up the 'hill' toward the garden,

and across the aisle from the BH Boys. 

That's all we know right now.... 

We'll have other neighbors of course,

but we don't know who has what space yet...

The Boys are being a bit secretive!

It's kinda' fun, actually.

We'll have our tent set up

and filled with all kinds of fabulous 

fresh country style vintage-inspired furnishings & decor

{no patriotic color scheme, tho}

I must confess....for the first time at a show,

I have no floorplan for our booth.

Nope.

We're just going to unload the trailer

and GET INSPIRED

and arrange it all.

I really need rampant creativity instead of planning right now,

so I'm going to soak up the 'BH Vibe'

and just go crazy setting up for two whole days!

{Think it will work????}

Come to the show on Saturday and see what we cook up for ya'!

www.BarnHouseBH.com

BarnHouse Vintage Flea Sneak Peek

So, are ya' wonderin' what we're bringin' to BarnHouse next weekend?

Some of the major furniture pieces include the 5' long work island above - 

perfect for a kitchen, office, craft room, even the patio!

You asked for a smaller worktable/island - you got one!

A six foot farm table is another piece that works great 

in a kitchen, dining room, office, or patio. 

It matches the worktable/island, too.

This rustic table is made from old barn boards and fence posts!

Great as it is, or add a glass top for more sophistication.

An old barn door, turned into a big chunky coffee table. 

Capacious serve & display surface for indoors or out. 

Add glass and you have a 'shadowbox' area to display maps, postcards, etc.

These items are all one of a kind, 

handcrafted by Retreat from reclaimed materials.

{Prices available at the show; no online or pre-show sales}

There will be a lot MORE in our booth, 

from furniture to lighting to decor accessories - so don't miss us!

We'll be located at the back right corner outdoors,

beside the barn and across from the BH Boys!

Just look for our Retreat flag

For more show info, 

go here: BarnHouse Flea

{images by Retreat; All Rights Reserved}

Sleeping Beauties

Remember the Taj Ma Tent that we created at BarnHouse last year?

SO not doing that this year.

Things are going to be much simpler and much more relaxed

this time around.

Gotta' bring our best for the SHOW and our guests, 

not for our sleeping quarters!

We worked out the kinks today,

have a plan, and have gathered a buncha' stuff to use.

 {I'd kinda' like to set it alllll up and sleep in it here until we leave!}

For info about the show NEXT WEEKEND, visit BarnHouse!

Home Sweet Home

We never thought we'd get back here.

I swear we drove for days.

{oh, wait, we DID}

But we are finally home on our farm, on our island,

and all is right with the world again. 

This is truly our Retreat.

And now... the race is on for BarnHouse!

NEXT WEEK! yipes....

Retreat. Relax. RECOVER!

We are still in 'recovery mode' around here... 

the heat {in the triple digits} has really affected us.

We are clearly not California people anymore -

kinda' sad to discover BUT we love being 'Island People'!

We hit the beach after the show each day just to cool down...

We were restored by the cool sea breeze and sand under our sore feets. 

It was a lot like being home on our Island!!!

Today we are resting and spending time in the pool at Bob's parent's place 

before undertaking the long HOT drive home in the {relative} cool of night.

You can view some of our new photos 

from last weekend's Urban Barn show -

check out the HAUL of stuff we brought down

to fill a 400 square foot space.

We thought that as their show's 'featured vendors',

we should really go over the top.

We basically just OVERDID it. In EVERYTHING. ;0)

I guess that's how we roll - 

it's all about giving our all and inspiring people!

And no matter what the result is, 

we know we brought our best.

Thank you to our FABulous fans, friends, and family

for coming out in support of us and this show. 

We really appreciate you!

We met some great vendors & guests, 

unfortunately didn't get to meet a few we wanted to,

made new friends & fans, met up with some long-time friends,

learned even more about ourselves and our business plan,

and even sweated off a few pounds!

{LOL We are calling it the Urban Barn Sauna now}

Thanks to Linda and her girls for having us!

Next up for us:

BARNHOUSE!!!!!

One of our fave shows with our 'tribe'!

Flea Market Day!

 Urban Barn Flea Market opens this morning at 8 AM!

Come and see us in Escondido, CA today & tomorrow

From elegant to casual furnishings & decor, 

we've got what you need for your beach house 

{or any other house, for that matter!}

Urban Barn

155 West Crest St. Escondido, CA

http://urbanbarn155.blogspot.com

Coming Soon...

...to a show near you {if you are in So Cal!}:

A bit of rustic

A bit of industrial

 A bit of country

and a bit of the beach

Come see us Friday & Saturday in Escondido, CA

8 AM to 5 PM

at the Urban Barn

{click here for more info}

{all images by Retreat;

All Rights Reserved}

Are WE Vintage?

When people ask us what we do, we usually say 

'We take old stuff and make it look great'. 

Apparently, it works for US, too. ;0) 

{We clean up pretty well, huh?}

We'll try to look this good next weekend at the 

Urban Barn Flea Market & Blogger Party

in Escondido, CA.

MORE INFO
and even MORE INFO

En Route

A few of the highlights of our very long, very HOT drive South

from Washington to Southern California...

People, THAT's enough to scare the bejeezus outta' you 

when one truck changes lanes and THIS is what you discover was in front of it!!!

It's being towed backwards, but it looks for all the world like it's comin' AT us
as the tanker truck on the left pulls forward faster!

An incredible thunderstorm surrounding Mount Shasta last evening,

with thunder, lightning, and rain (not on us) and some very HOT wind.

The storm unfolded at sunset and the colors were incredible.

It's amazing how EVERY TIME we travel this route, 

there is a storm brewing around Mt. Shasta 

and we never see the mountain!

Oak trees. I miss California Oak trees. 

Oak trees and dusty dry ground with thin brown grass

is an earthy perfume that is one of my fondest childhood memories: 

the playground at Rother Elementary in Redding.

{I wonder if I can develop a candle with that scent?!}

I snapped these shots of some stately oaks in late afternoon

as Bob the Wonder Husband performed a roadside miracle yet again. ;0)

And other than the sight of the sign that said 

'Tejon Pass' at the top of the Grapevine,

{which meant the climb from hell 

with an overloaded trailer had been accomplished}, 

this truck was the BEST sight of the day!

We followed it.

YUMMMMM!

{Sneak peeks of our products & space 

for Urban Barn will be up next week!}

Square in Seattle

We received an email today, inviting us to participate in a new market starting up in Seattle:

'The Seattle Square' is 'an entirely new type of outdoor market' that is getting started in the Historic Pioneer Square area of Seattle: 'The Seattle Square is an outdoor Saturday Market featuring a carefully curated selection of locally designed and manufactured apparel, accessories, crafts, and housewares. Additionally, the market will feature an affordable selection of quality vintage clothing and furniture, as well as a selection of Seattle’s premier mobile food vendors.'

If you are looking for more vintage shopping opportunities - or perhaps selling opportunities if you are a dealer - check them out: click on their highlighted name above. We won't be participating in this market, but we are happy to help spread the word about a great new shopping resource in our area!

{images courtesy of The Seattle Square website}

Independence Day Inspiration!

Want more Patriotic Inspiration for your holiday weekend?

We thought you might like to see how a discarded piece of furniture turns into something special here at Retreat, so we are re-visiting a past post. 

Here's what we were up to this time LAST year:

This 60's cabinet/server, above, is one of the items we got from Beth Evans-Ramos earlier in the week. We 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!

So, we took this piece to BarnHouse last summer and... it didn't sell. HUH???
Then we put it in our room at Poppyseeds, and it SOLD! To a lovely young lady who lives here on our Island, for her kids' playroom. Bob even delivered it.

But the story doesn't end there...

A few months ago, we followed some Garage Sale signs over to the East side of the Island, and they took us down a few windy roads and hillsides and ended up at the sale. But as we parked and got out, I stood staring at the house next door, and said 'That's where the red white and blue dresser lives!'. So Deb, being Deb, walked right up and rang the doorbell! Turned out that the woman who answered was the mom of the gal who bought the dresser, and was very kind {given that a weird woman was on her doorstep asking if this was where the red white and blue dresser lived!}. We gave her a flier for our Petite Retreat, and then hit the garage sale next door.

Hey, stranger things have happened! ;0)

Happy Fourth of July

We wish you all a very Happy and Safe Fourth of July!