Farm Chicks Time!

Though I won't be there this year- vending or attending- I had to take a moment to give Serena, one of my favorites in the vintage world, and her amazing Farm Chicks Show, a shout out.

Beginning Saturday, June 1st at 9am, the fairgrounds in Spokane, WA will be transformed into an amazing wonderland of vintage goodness. A curated show, Farm Chicks is one booth after another just full of some of the best vintage in the country. If you're anywhere near Spokane this weekend- I highly recommend a trip to the show- you won't regret it!

{Wild Whimsy booth via Heather Bullard}

It's been a sad and strange feeling the last few days, knowing that I won't be a part of the fun this year. Though I'm grateful to not be loading a trailer up right now- I do wish I was headed to Spokane for a weekend of vintage shopping. If you attend, you'll have to tell me all about it- I might be jealous, but I'd love to hear what you found!

it's DIY time! (and the winner is...) {giveaway now closed}

happy Friday morning everyone! i know you're all dying to see what today's giveaway entails, but before we get to that, i wanted to share a special DIY with you.

many of you who visited the booth at Farm Chicks commented on the bunting backdrop i used. it was pretty awesome right? it was similar to the bunting Melissa and I used in the dear darling booth last year, except this year i had a bit of a crazier vision- a whole wall made of it!

since the theme of this year's Farm Chicks Show was 'Find what you love', i knew i wanted to incorporate hearts into the booth design, to play along with the theme. i had a few ideas running through my head (you can see some of my other inspirations on my 'farm chicks booth' Pinterest board), but after asking Melissa if she'd be willing to sew for me (i'm terrible at sewing), i decided on this sewn paper bunting again. 

i have a large stash of vintage dictionaries, most in poor shape, and since i wanted to keep the booth consistent with my black and white branding, dictionary pages seemed like a great choice for the paper. after cutting all the pages out of the binding with a rotary cutter, i ran a few pages at a time through the Sizzix cutter we borrowed from Melissa's mom, using a heart shaped die. once the hearts were cut, i counted out piles that would make a long enough piece of bunting to hang from the top of the booth to the floor. Melissa then sewed one pile in a long row to make one row of bunting. it was super tedious, but at least we did it together (Melissa usually does it by herself when she makes them for party decorations). 

once we had enough vertical rows for the back wall of the booth, we made a few horizontal rows to run along the tops, then i winded them all onto pieces of cardboard to keep them tangle free until Farm Chicks!  

the bunting in the lower left photo is one of Melissa's creations that she occasionally sells- so cute! 

i think bunting like this would make a really cute photo backdrop for a wedding or party, don't you?

so, as we promised many of you, today Melissa has re-posted the tutorial she created on her blog, Re.Stock, for making this style of bunting. we hope that you'll want to tackle this project yourself after seeing how simple it is! even if you can't sew (like me), it's a great team project, so enlist the help of someone you know who can sew!

last, but not least, since i know you can't wait to find out who won yesterday's giveaway, the winner of a necklace from Prairie & Pearl and a gather and hunt tote bag is...

Theresa Hanson from Yakima, WA! Congratulations Theresa! Send me a message with your mailing address and your necklace choice (I know you like the locket, but feel free to change your mind), so I can mail your prize to you!

if you haven't won yet- don't lose heart- there will be two prizes to win in today's giveaway, and you'll have all weekend to enter! check back soon for the big giveaway post!

the big recap and tuesday giveaway! {giveaway now closed}

i can scarcely believe that this year's Farm Chicks Show is already over! when you're working on one project for so long, it's always a strange feeling when it's over. especially when the big event just flies by!

we had such a good time at the show this year. we saw some old friends and made some new ones, met so many wonderful customers, and sent lots and lots of great vintage goods to new homes! the show is always a bit of blur, and this year was even busier than last year, but i did manage to snap a few pics just before opening each day.

i'm so thankful for all the people that made this year's show possible:

my mister, who did most of the heavy lifting, and took the weekend off to help

my booth helpers-
Melissa, who puts up with me, sewed all that bunting, and always makes me laugh
and
my mom, who started this journey, in a way, by taking me to antique shows as a kid

Aaron- Melissa's mister, who watched the little one all weekend so Melissa could help me

my dear friend Katie who helped get stuff ready even though she had to stay home this year

the talented Rebecca, who altered my dress for me

and last but certainly never least,

Serena- whose hard work all year long makes this show such an amazing time!

for those that stopped by to say hello- it was so great to meet you in person and i hope you had a great time at the show! if you purchased something you love from me, please send me photos- i love seeing where things end up and how you use them!

oh, and as we mentioned at the show, the tutorial for making the sewn paper bunting is up today!

finally- as promised on facebook last week- we're doing a giveaway-a-day this week! today's giveaway is one of our new tote bags! each bag is made of sturdy cotton canvas and will make a fantastic reusable shopping bag, purse, or diaper bag.

to enter to win, we're keeping it simple today- just leave a comment below with where you plan to use your tote bag. the winner be drawn at random at 9AM (PDT) tomorrow, so make sure to leave your comment by then. i'll announce today's winner on tomorrow's giveaway post.

good luck!

weekend update (and new arrivals)

happy Memorial Day friends! i thought i'd check in with some of the weekend happenings around here...

90% done with cleaning, tagging, and packing the Farm Chicks Show inventory!

a new hair color. i'm going back to my natural, dark blonde color. it'll be a bit of process, but it's off to a good start.

deciding on shoes for Farm Chicks (via text messages with the bestie)

we went to a 2 year old's birthday party yesterday- so fun. all the little ones there were so cute playing together outside!

i also had an exceptionally good day at the thrift on friday so there are some great new arrivals at the Fremont Vintage Mall space...

fundue anyone?

love love love. almost kept this one it's so good.

these were handed out at Boeing's family day in 1972. they're the material that had to be punched out to put the windows in the plane, turned into souvenir trays. cool!

an Ingrid picnic ball, just in time for Memorial Day picnics! 

this microscope projects the image onto the wall as you look at the slides!

what have you been up to? i hope you're enjoying this monday, even if you don't have the day off!

gratitude

today i'm feeling grateful for little moments of delight...

in the midst of chaos.

it's a bit wild around here lately- prepping for the Farm Chicks Show has completely taken over our apartment, and most of my waking moments. i'm so excited for the show this year, but i will be so glad when i get all the cleaning, sorting, pricing, wrapping and packing completed! until then, i'll strive to find gratitude in the simple things.

what are you grateful for today? i'd love it if you'd leave a comment and let me know!

happy weekending

i'm just about to jet out the door and hit the road. heading over to Yakima for a few days with the bestie- we're having a work/crafty weekend where we'll be making the backdrop for the booth at The Farm Chicks Show! 

don't worry- i'll keep an eye out for rattlers! 

of course, we'll also be checking out some estate sales, so in lieu of a regular finds to fancy post, see what we're finding by following along on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 

happy weekending to all of you! 

gratitude

it seems a bit fitting that i'm posting this later in the day than i normally like to, because today i am grateful for...

time.

just a few short weeks ago, wednesday would find me scrambling to get a blog post up, get ready for work, prep some goods for the shop, and race downtown to put in a few hours at my bookkeeping job. rushing to the shop space afterwards to get it stocked before closing time, then back home to get a meal ready for the mister and i. now, i know this sounds a lot like everyday life to most of you, and i'm certainly not complaining about having work in this day and age when so many don't. but, days like that were wearing me down. (getting a little personal now) having fibromyalgia- a chronic pain and fatigue condition- makes normal tasks seem overwhelming at times, and juggling 3 jobs and a business could just push me over the edge into painful exhaustion.

fast forward to today. so much has changed in those few weeks. now, with one less job to juggle, i spend wednesday's working on blog posts, thrifting new goods, prepping inventory for the shop and Farm Chicks, re-stocking the shop, attending to issues in the apartment building (job #2), and taking care of normal life stuff. it is an unbelievable gift to have an extra day each week to get things done and i am so thankful for it.

i'm grateful for my mister, working a job he isn't enthused about, in order to provide some financial stability for us and allow me to take the last few months we have in Seattle to pursue my business more fully. i'm grateful for all my customers, whose purchases support this passion of mine and who motivate me to keep finding vintage treasures. i'm grateful for you, dear reader, and for your comments that remind me that i started this blog to inspire and build community around something we all enjoy. i'm grateful for all the blessings in my life, and for the provision of additional time to enjoy them all.

i know time can feel like an enemy some days, and even with that extra day, i still know that despairing feeling well- a never ending to-do list vs. days with never enough hours in them. i'm trying to let my gratitude strong arm that despair into motivation, but i'm curious- how do you find time for what you love to do and what you must do? what's your relationship with time like?

i'd also love to know- what are you grateful for today? i enjoy getting glimpses into your lives through your comments!

p.s. all the clocks in these photos will be available for purchase at The Farm Chicks Show- just a short month away!