Small town festivals

We love local festivals and small town celebrations. This weekend, we are staying close to home with a celebration in Westmoreland.

The 10th Annual Wagon Wheels Car Show and parade and BBQ is Saturday, June 13.

The car show is from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Vendors are set upon Main Street. Stick around to see the parade at 4 p.m. and the BBQ meal is served at the elementary school immediately after the parade.

A few other highlights - breakfast from 7:30-11 a.m. on Main, a 5K Fun Run/Walk at 8 a.m. at the Westy Care Home, and music at the elementary school from 5 to 8 p.m. And, nothing says small town festival like at garden tractor pull - see that at noon at the ball diamond at the elementary school.

We will have the studio open - stop by and see us!

Vintage in the Valley - Marquette KS

We had the chance to sign up at the last minute for Vintage in the Valley in Marquette. We had heard great things about this show and had a free weekend. We took a chance in contacting the organizer and she had just had a cancellation! We were in luck.

So, we loaded up the truck and trailer - we are getting pretty good at this routine now. We stayed in Salina the night before and made the short drive to Marquette at the crack of dawn to set up.

We really enjoyed the show and as chance would have it, we were right next to box113 - the same great couple that we was next to us at The Red Barn Outdoor Market. Love, love, love Alison's stuff!

Catch us next week at the studio! We'll be open to celebrate the Westmoreland car show and BBQ.

Fabulous SugarPete Flea - Lyndon KS

Rounding our our show schedule for May was the Fabulous SugarPete Flea in Lyndon, Kansas. This was near my hometown, so we combined seeing family and decorating graves for Memorial Day with being a part of this new event.

Rain has been a theme for this spring and leading up to this show, we watched the weather very closely. We were able to get set up, despite some squishy ground. We packed up in phases - first all of the items that could soak up water when we anticipated a little storm, then all of our stuff before the next anticipated storm. We hated to leave early, but were glad we were packed up and headed home before the storms hit.

Melissa is planning to have the event next year and we look forward to seeing how it will grow!

Unpack the trailer sale - a good idea or no?

This is the season for spring shows and we have been burning up the roads.

First, the Red Barn Outdoor Market near Benton, KS.  We followed that up with a trip north to the Funky Junk Market in Funk, NE.  Then, we went south to Dewey, OK for the 2 Friends & Junk Sale.  All fantastic.  But, whew, we are exhausted!  So much good stuff has been passed on to great people.  We have met so many new, cool, like-minded people and reconnected with treasured friends.  We are having a blast.

Now, to unload the trailer and reset the studio. We have a love/hate relationship with this part of our work. It's always fun to dig out new inventory and reconfigure what we have on hand, and it also means carrying some heavy stuff. Ok, not some.  We carry a lot of heavy stuff.

I pitched an idea to my husband and he thinks I am crazy. So, I'll pitch it here and you can confirm or deny if this is a good idea.

My idea: have a unpack the trailer sale.  We name a day and time and set everything out in the grassy lot behind our studio.  We'll make some great deals and I'll slowly reset the studio.  You get great deals and maybe I don't have to carry as much heavy stuff as far. Win-win.

If you are thinking that all of the stuff left in the trailer is all the stuff no one bought at the sale, you have to know that we always pack WAY more than we could ever sell in a space during a one or two day show.  We are prepared for anything. That means we always bring home a lot of good stuff and if we shop on the way home, we might even have some new treasures.

Plus, our show schedule means that we have neglected anyone who is local who wants to browse.  We just couldn't pack and unpack and pack again and keep on the road.  So, the unpack the trailer sale would be a great way to catch up with anyone in our area who has been feeling the need to take a look at some signs or has wanting to check out some great vintage finds.

So, what's the verdict?  Have an unpack the trailer sale or no?

2 Friends & Junk - Dewey, OK

This season has been all about shows for us.  We have challenged ourselves with four shows in four weekends.  In addition to the time and energy in keeping up with inventory, we also worked our first two out of state shows and our first two-day show.

What a great time!

This weekend was the 2 Friends & Junk show in Dewey, Oklahoma and we checked the out of state and two-day show boxes.

We upgraded our booth size to accommodate the indoor show set up and to be able to include more items with a better flow for shoppers.  Overall, we were pleased with the layout.

Added bonus of the weekend - seeing dear friends who live in Bartlesville and another couple who we always see at the Vintage Treasure Market in Emporia each summer.

Favorite quote from the show:
Red Hat Society shopper: "Anybody ask you if these boards are warped?"
(Referring to these awesome wine barrel stave coat hangers we had for sale in the booth.)
Us: (laughing) "Yeah, actually, someone asked us last night why we had bent wood for sale."
Red Hat Society shopper: "Well, they're warped!"

Next up - graduations and catching up on custom orders.  Then, the Fabulous SugarPete Flea on May 23.

Funky Junk

 Last weekend was a lot of fun.

We traveled to Funk, NE for the Funky Junk Market.  Funk is a little town of around 200 people and on the day of the Market, nearly 2,000 people visit for vintage shopping. We love the idea of bringing something with energy and people with spending power to small towns!

Held on the grounds of an old school, there were spaces inside the gym and outside on the playground.  We had a great spot under a shade tree and we needed every bit of shade because it was well into the 80's by the afternoon.

The morning had a crowd waiting to enter and the shoppers came out in full force.  Graduations and other commitments must have kept the afternoon crowd away, but overall, it was a great day!

We got to see some dear friends and visited with some really nice people. One of our friends recommended the Flippin' Sweet pizza for lunch and it was awesome!

Look for a possible market in the fall!

Ideas for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is right around the corner and many of you may be searching for gifts.

We have some really great options available.  We love to shop local and to buy directly from artists, makers, and small business owners. We also love repurposed, vintage, one-of-a-kind, and meaningful gifts.  We work really hard to try to provide all the same things we love for the people who shop with us.

Here are some ideas that might work for your mom or the people in your life who provide the love and support of a mother figure.

Maybe she used to read you this book - a true classic and something that you will always share. This saying is so popular and we love it when people tell us they have their own version and have changed up the words a bit.  We have made a few custom signs to honor a family's own personal saying.

Maybe someone on your list is a young mom and she can relate to this saying - unless she's too exhausted to find it funny.

Maybe you have a grandma who would appreciate one of these signs. We have been honored to be a small part of surprise announcements of new little ones on the way. Some couples have chosen to tell their parents by gifting them with one of these signs.  So sweet.

If we can help with your shopping, please let us know!  We love to help!