Fall is Coming!!!

Last weekend was our final Petoskey show of the season and we realized that Fall is just around the corner. People are talking about getting kids back in school already and our next show is the Country Living show in September. Were has summer gone??

We haven't blogged in a while and were reminded of that at our last show by someone who claimed to be a faithful follower of our blog. So we are going to try to correct that.

CJ and I have decided that our business does best when we are cummunicating and dealing with our customers directly. We believe that no one tells our story better than we do. So short of opening up our own store(something we are not ready for) we believe that we need to do more shows, use our blog and face book more to cummunicate with all of you. We are also hoping sometime in October to move my shop to a new location that may allow us to have a show room and thow open our doors once a week for those of you that want to deal directly with us. We will share the details of this after we do the Country Living show as it develops. 
In the mean time check our facebook page, etsy and blog regularly and check out our space at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids and Then and Now up in Petoskey. 

Petoskey fairgrounds show this weekend!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th to all of you. We are busy getting ready for the show at the fair grounds in Petoskey, Michigan this weekend. See you there!

Michigan Antiques & Collectible Festival 2013 Interior Design Student Contest

As many of you know Dan & I set up and sold at the Michigan Antique & Collectible Festival last weekend in Midland, Michigan.While there I had a wonderful opportunity. The promoter of the show Linda Kruger had informed had informed me in a previous conversation about an Interior Design student contest that would be going on at the show while we were there. Of course that sparked my interest! Friday evening after set up she approached me to ask if I would consider being a judge for the contest, seeing I was a working degreed NCIDQ certified Interior Designer who also worked in the field of antiques and repurposing, as well as the fact that I teach Interior Design through continuing studies at Kendall College of Art & Design here in Grand Rapids.

This was and awesome task for the students which consisted of them shopping the entire show for items for their room, they had to deal with the vendors, inform them of the project and give them paper work for all pieces on loan for their rooms. Each piece was of course inventoried and listed for sale in their showroom space.

The students where required to think outside the box a great deal and get creative with reuse of the items. The students worked in team of 3-4, with other students they didn't know before that day. CMU & MSU students were combined! They all said they had great fun doing the project.

I will share a few of the rooms that were done by the students. Pay close attention to the details - they did a great job!

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this room and did vote for it as winner, the rest of the judges must have as well :-)

Nice composition, fun creative use of items. Wonderful mix of colors and unexpected items.

It was an honor to be asked to be a judge, I got to meet some other really interesting people too! I am so glad that this type of design concept is being taught in the Interior Design departments. Because it is a big part of  " what's going on!"

Thanks! I had fun too :-)

Michigan Antique & Collectible Festivals

 This weekend we will be at the Michigan Antique and Collectibles Festivals in Midland, Michigan. Set up is today and we are about to leave with a very full truck and trailer. Lots of great product including a couple of harvest tables and some new repurposed jewelery items.

We will be set up in the tent for vendors that have a focus on industrial/shabby. There are over 1000 dealers on over 80 acres at this show so come check us out. This should be a lot of fun!

Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend !

Have a great weekend and be safe! More news this week about what show we will be at next weekend.

The Rural Society Antique and Garden Show

 
We are headed for this show this weekend. If you are in the area come and see us. We have some great product- harvest tables, vintage garden and some handmades and I promise you that if a chicken lands on CJs head I will take a picture! :)

The Rural Society Antique and Graden Show. Bluedoor/Then and Now News.

 We are getting ready for The Rural Society Antique and Garden Show a week from this weekend. This is a new show for us and we excited to be a part of the activities at Warwick Farm.

 Today I restocked Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids. As you can tell from this picture we have plenty of great wooden ladders these days. They seem to be very popular right now.

 We also found this really great metal industrial drawer cabinet, vintage wire and wood crate this week. We also sold our drawer cabinet removed from a school and put into our space a second cabinet that has more drawers than the previous cabinet.

Another of this weeks finds was this parts cabinet and vintage metal plant stand. We also have a number of vintage urns left from the garden sale so stop by and check out our space at Bluedoor and all the other great vendors that have product there.

We will also be making a trip us to Then and Now in Petoskey this weekend. We will be restocking our space with lets of great new product on Sunday. Stay tuned for pictures when we are done on Sunday.

Bluedoor Vintage Garden Show & Ann Arbor Antiques Market

 This weekend is busy for us. Bluedoor is having the annual vintage garden show on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Everyone at the store has been working hard to make this one of the best garden shows, yet.

 We will be filling our booth with lots of product including this great collection of vintage urns. So stop by to check out all the great vintage garden.

Ann Arbor antique market is also having its season opener this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. We will be setting up on Friday at the show and will bring some of our latest finds and creations.

 This harvest table and marble top island or counter that I am just finishing up in the shop will be coming with us. Both are repurposed creations made from vintage material.

Bluedoor Vintage Garden Show and a few other thoughts

Spring seems to be a long time coming this year. However, please join us next weekend for the very popular and famous Bluedoor Vintage Garden Show.  We are all hoping this will help spring get here a little sooner. All the dealers at Bluedoor pull out all the stops to help put on a show that helps celebrate vintage garden. There is usually a big turn out for this show so plan on stopping by to see all the great product we have been saving just for this show.

Also, stay tune for lots of information about new products we are working on as well as shows we will be doing this year. We will be exploring some new directions this year in our quest for working on interesting repuposed creative projects using vintage. We are also planning on doing a different show every two weeks this year. Some of the shows we are very excited about and look forward to sharing them with you. So stay tuned.

As always we will be at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids and at Then and Now in Petoskey. We have some new ideas and thoughts about product we want to offer at those spaces so check us out over the next few weeks and months.

In the last few months we have also ramped up our Etsy site and have been very pleased with the results and response we have received for those of you that have supported us there.

So lots of exciting things happening for us and our business this year!

Indie Vintage this weekend

We will be doing this show on Saturday. If you are in the area come check us out. This is a great show with lots of interesting dealers. Gate opens at 9:00am Saturday morning and is a one day show.

Celebrating Easter with Spring Handmades

Welcome Easter Welcome Spring

It has been a long winter here in Michigan

and we are ready for the joy of all things new

It gives us and extra bounce in our step

We scheme and plan a bit more

of our garden

of flowers

of summer shows

party dresses!

Shop our spot @ Blue Door Grand Rapids, Then & Now in Petoskey and our ETSY shop seen on the side bar here.

And have a wonderful blessed Easter!

ps..... I just made this sweet bunny for Olivia our first grand daughter :-)



A few pictures of Bluedoor

Picked up a few of these industrial, galvanized tray/drawers this past week. They can all be found at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We also have a grow collection of light fixtures. This is one of the things we are looking to add more of to our space.

We also picked up this week an interesting collection of picture frames made out of vintage house trim. These would make great mirrors or frames for pictures.

Cj's has also been working on some new designs for her repurposed clothing. It always interesting what she turns out of her studio.

 Currently Bluedoor is open seven days aweek. So if you are looking for something to do this afternoon stop by and check us and the other vendors in the store. The store is locally owned and stock by your friends and neighbors here in Grand Rapids.

Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace: March 9th show details!

Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace: March 9th show details!: Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace- March 9th at the Fountains in Carmel. Hours- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Address- 502 E Carmel Drive, Carmel, ...


This is a great new show for us and are set up at this one day show on coming Saturday. We are bringing lots of product and have a double space to fill. Tony and Melissa VanderArk who are set up across from us at Bluedoor will also be at the show and should be set up close to us. So stop by and check us out!

Pale & Interesting

Dan & I have been quite taken by this book, Pale & Interesting bu Atlanta Bartlett & Dave Coote. It is decorating with whites, pastels and neutrals for a warm and welcoming home. It seems to be our "winter" theme in our booth lately here in Grand Rapids at Bluedoor so I thought I would share a few photos with you. Please contact us for pricing on any piece that you see here. Always glad to help.

Thanks for taking a look!

Dan & CJ

Dreamy Bedding

Fall & winter are always a time of nesting for me & I have always loved fine cotton sheets, down feather beds, pillows and comforters, quilts and wool blankets. As the days grow darker and colder I burrow in.

As an Interior Designer I find great joy in dressing a bed, working with the fabrics to create that inviting aaaaaahhhhhhh bed. Once a few years ago my Mom was helping me put clean sheets on my bed and making the bed. With the poofy layers of a down feather bed, down pillows and a down comforter she couldn't resit turning around and falling like a snow angel into that marvelous mound of down!

 I carry a couple of lines of favorite bedding through my Interior Design studio and one of them is Traditions Linens. I was reminded again this week what an awesome company this is when a new package of fabric samples and bedding catalogs arrived in the mail. They are a bedding company that sells custom made duvet covers, shams, bed skirts & shower curtains as well as coverlets in a wide range of patterns and colors, beautiful wool blankets, towels and incredible sheets. Here are a few images of their products that I sell.

Another really great thing about this company is that I can purchase fabric by the yard for upholstery, window treatments etc. from them. I have done that as much as I have ordered bedding.

These are a few of the new fabric samples that arrived this week - so pretty!

Also this super cool stripe linen market bag has been discontinued and there are a few left. Any one interested contact me. They are available @ a close out price of $45.00 plus tax and shipping.