Pillows

I have developed a real love for vintage fabric which is should come as no surprise for anyone that knows my wife. This past summer I started collecting old feed sacks that had great graphics. Many of the graphics and the type of fabrics remind me of of some of the wonderful vintage French fabric that we both love. So today we decided to cut upsome of the sacks and turn them into pillows. We are taking these along to Kane this weekend. So here is one picture before they all disappear this weekend.

Kane County This Weekend!

This is such a fun time of year to do show! We are loaded with vintage Christmas and gift items for Kane County this weekend as well as some realy great furniture, cool industrial and archectural. Can't wait to see all of you!

A LITTLE TEASE

Just a little tease to make you want to go see the Designer Showhouse in Holland. The Boys and Girls Club of Holland "Home for the Holidays" Fundraiser. Opening in Nov. Thank you to everyone for coming through for me with their creativity. Dan who made the most perfect night stands EVER!, for Connie who spun her Christmas majic just as I had hoped, to Kim who recovered my chair - it looks so great!, for Doug who spend hours painting, repairing and removing the most stubern wallcovering, for Susan & Barry for hand painting curtain rods that oh so special finish and for Mark who loaned us the dresser mate that is getting all the attention for it's PINK nobs and Elizabeth for loaning us the PCH bedding. Thank you all of you - you are amazing!
I hope that all of you get to come and see the house, all of the designers have knocked themselves out - it is a MUST SEE! and such a good cause.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FIND?

In response to Rubarb Reins' blog titled "What's Your Favorite Find?" I would like to show you some of my favorite FINDS! I adore vintage trims, ribbons, rick rack, laces, bias tape, twill tape, you name it I love it! So I am giving you a peak here at my trims stash. You saw some of them used in the previous post on the pillow cases and here I am using some on the curtain tie backs. So I do hord them and USE them! :> Please share some of your favorite FINDS. Do tell :>

Transformation Thursday

I LOVE TRANSFORAMTION THURSDAYS!
I have been sewing like a busy bee in my new studio for the HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS DESIGNER SHOWHOUSE IN HOLLAND. We are getting ready to head over there with our trearue trailor the set up our rooms. Here are a few things that I have been sewing. I made these yummy crossed dyed linen pillow case pillow shams for the bed using vintage rick rack and seam binding as well as a couple of pillows using vintage linens and buttons. The Dutch Dancers embroidery is so sweet and a cute nod to the Holland Dutch heritage - place of my birth. My Mom had told numerous stories of the Tulip Time parade and learning to do the Dutch Dance when she was a girl, such fun stories to hear when you are a kid! So this little embroidery piece just tickled me.
I'll publish more photos as our room gets set up. Rain rain go away!

Weekend

No show this weekend. We just stayed home and tried to survive this cold both of us have come down with. Will post more when we are feeling better. I am trying to decide if we got this last weekend at Grayslake or if we got it because we loaned our car to my daughter last weekend who had a bad cold.

I did try an old trick my mom used on me when I was little and had colds. I put some Vicks on my chest last night, than put a towel over that and a heating pad on top of that. It felt so good.

TRANSFORMATION THURSDAY

This is my contribution to TRANSFORMATION THURSDAY - OK it's Saturday now. Both Dan & I have the flue, I guess it is a side effect of handling money at the shows with out using hand sanitizer...... ya it's flue season. Anyway I spent Thursday doing my proposal for a space in the Grand Rapids Symphony Designer Show house for this spring. My inspiration for the space was French General, Where Women Create and Out of Africa. I love the idea of a studio creative space. So that was my transformation, turning a bedroom into a creative studio space - even if it was only in my head and of course on paper. The deadline for the entry proposal was Thursday, so I turned it in and now just have to keep my fingers crossed that I get the chance to bring it to life. Stay tuned!

Joan Babb

Joan Babb was one of the many dealers at the Grayslake show that we got to know a little better this past weekend. We both loved her sense of display and many artistic ways she showed off her product and creations. You can follow her on her blog at thepottingshed-anythinggoeshere.blogspot.com.

NEW DIGS!

Just a couple of quick (carefully edited- notice you don't see any boxes) photographs of our new digs. Everyday I get a little more unpacked and the stack to be sold grows! So keep an eye on the malls and the shows for "the good stuff".

Grayslake

Here is a few pictures from our weekend at Grayslake. It was our first time doing this show and as always with any new show it was filled with great new experiences, sights, and sounds. We love the people we meet at these shows. We will take a little time this week to highlight some of the dealers we meet that we found very inspirational. So stay tuned for more later this week as we get time. For now we are still tired from the strange hours we keep when we do these shows so it is early to bed tonight. Beside, we have an estate sale to get to early in the morning that hopefully will provide us with many new treasures.

Grayslake Antique Market this Weekend Oct 11 & 12

I sometimes feel like there is song track to my life that is forever changing. Today it is "On The Road Again". When we sold the house it was "I'm spinning Round Round Baby Right Round, Live a Record Baby..". So in the morning we are "on the road again" to do the antique market at Grayslake, IL. north of Chicago. It will be our first time there and we are excited to meet all kinds of new people and experience all of the goodies that the other dealers show up with. Here are a few things that I have been creating this week for the show from vintage jewelry pieces that I have been collecting along the way. Dan has also been creating this week some really wonderful things.
While we are there we will also be celebrating our first anniversary. Wow seems like yesterday I was posting the photos of our wedding in the garden. It's been a blissful year! It is so amazing to have met the mate of my heart at 50.
So come see us at the show and help us celebrate firsts.

Designer Showhouse

We am closing in on the deadline for the opening of the Designer Show house that we are involved in. The Showhouse is to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Holland, called "Home for the Holidays" it will open Nov. 13 and run the 28th and be open for private parties Nov 27- Dec 12. The address is 720 Goldenrod, Holland, Michigan. (for those of you who use GPS!)
Behind the scenes right now Doug Taylor had been painting our space, the upstairs north guest bedroom and bath. Kim Beckman from the Homestead Shop is reupholstering an antique chair, Shari Burmeister of Workroom II is crafting delightful lamps shades, Connie Maitland is creating Christmas majic, Elizabeth Austin of Elizabeth Austin Fine Lines formerly Devries and Doornbos of Holland has loaned us the greatest Pine Cone Hill bedding that I will combine with some other really great antique quilts from the 30's and 40's along with vintage 1960's sheets & vintage draperies. Dan is creating and painting furniture. Susan & Barry from The Shade Shop are donating curtain rods. So it's all coming together and I can't wait for you ALL to see it! Most everything in our space will be for sale so it can be a shopping extravaganza too. It's going to be fun!!! Hope to see you all there!

Kane County

This weekend at Kane County Flea Market was a real adventure. We headed out early on Saturday morning with our trusty mapquest and somehow missed our turn and almost ended up in Wisconsin. So we were forced to pick up a map and find our way back to St Charles and the flea market using the tried and true method of traveling. We still got there in time to set up for the opening hour. We set up near friends- Rhubarb Reign and Diane Passi. We meet alot of great dealers from Chicago who shop the market, we got to meet Iowa Junk Gypsies and Tapestries of Nature. All in all a very fun weekend and the beginning of hopefully a long relationship with Kane County Flea Market.

KANE CO. FLEA MARKET THIS WEEKEND!

We are so excited! We are on our way to set up for our very first Kane Co. Flea Market. In St. Charles, Il., this saturday and sunday, Oct 3 & 4. We will be in the main building space 47. If you know Joe and Sandy from Rhubarb Rein we are just one space away from them.So come see us, we have been getting all kinds of great product ready for it this week as well as Fall/ Halloween decoratives.
Next weekend Greyslake!

OLD AS NEW

You may remember an earlier post about my new boots, a gift from my dear freind Sue, well I wore them for the first time last Sunday at Allegan. The grass is always wet early in the morning when we are setting up even in the warm weather, so I need something waterproof and with a good sole for walking up and down the ramp of the treausre trailor to unload the goodies. Ok besides that they look COOL! I'm realy trying to sound procticle - why? I think is was that whole lecture I gave last to my class on Louise Sullivans FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION concept. ANyway I love them and many of you complemented me on them too. Thanks SUE!!!