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!

Preview of the Kansas Barn Sale

 We are preparing for our second time as an vendor at the Kansas Barn Sale near Hesston.

The weather forecast is perfect.  The site is incredible.  The shopping is spectacular and we meet the nicest people and reconnect with old friends.

Here are a few photos as a preview to Saturday's sale.

The barn is the centerpiece to the show and all around it you will find vendors with as much vintage, antique, handmade, unique and fall themed items as you can possibly see.

You will know you found the place when you see the old pickup at the edge of the drive.

 The barn looks especially magical at night.  If you have the chance, go to the Emma Creek Barn page to see the venue in action for weddings and other events.

 I do enjoy the rustic and western vibe.  Even the doors to the restrooms look cool.

Here is a preview of our space...first the bare bones structure pieces...

 We had a terrible time trying to make the slope in our space work.  We have a pretty steep rise from the front to the back and it made for a bit of a challenge to keep things level.

 Some doors waiting for signs.  I really need the two captains chairs with chippy paint to go to good homes.  I love them...it was a tough keep or sell decision.

 This is the ugly before the pretty.  We had to lay out a lot of things to get an idea of what we had packed.  So much good stuff!

 More foundation pieces...waiting for all of the smalls.

 I have been having a lot of fun with the wine barrel ring spheres, antlers and pumpkins.

 This might be my favorite arrangement with some hydrangeas from our yard.  The little basket with the plums label...another tough decision for keep or sell.

 Things are starting to come together!  More work tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn, but it truly is the best part - putting the finishing touches on everything.

  

This photo isn't from our booth, but I thought it was the perfect example of everything I love about this show - vintage, chippy, character and FALL!

A dream realized: IKEA

I am not really sure how we have made it this far in life and not been inside an IKEA.

When we landed in Portland for vacation a few weeks ago, we saw an IKEA along the way to our first stop.  I made a mental note that when we returned on our last day that we should try to make it to IKEA to shop around.

We did make it on time and spent some part of the evening wandering around.  We did a lot of looking and our only purchase was some kitchen towels.  These are the perfect kitchen towels - great price, absorbent and they have held up really well after some washings.

I understand that Kansas City will soon have an IKEA.  We will have to add another stop to our Kansas City shopping list.

A little vacation does the heart good

Here is a sneak peak at our vacation to Asheville, NC.  We took some time to get away and in a longer post, we can explain why Asheville and why this time of year.

Until then, you should know that we climbed on some high things and zip lined all around a repurposed golf course.  It was completely safe and a serious amount of fun.

A few vacations ago, I learned that the best vacation agendas had to include something outdoor and adventure related - the more active, the better.  Too much history or touring or sitting (even on a pristine beach) equaled a stir crazy husband.

The best vacations (for us) also include some...

 Vintage shopping.  Preferably in places with central air or heat set to a comfortable temperature.  But, hey, if you have the chance to go through a 77,000 square foot vintage store and it doesn't have heat and it's a cold, rainy day, you go anyway.

Great food - preferably local and preferably delicious.  We have found several great local places and found some great tasting southern classics - like pulled pork, fried okra and collard greens.  We may or may not have had pulled pork in two different dishes for breakfast two days in a row.

 

Learn some stuff.  This trip, it was glass blowing.  Don't I look like a boss in those safety glasses?  I was actually super nervous until we got started and our glass blowing expert was super cool and put me at ease. We pick up our vase and cup today.  Can't wait to see how we did.

 For this time of year - getting into the holiday spirit.  Nothing gets you ready for the holidays more than touring America's largest home - The Biltmore - all decked out in lights and trees and garland and full of live choirs and musicians.  Simply beautiful.

Photos - lot of photos.  Even out of car windows.  Sometimes not in focus.  Sometimes on our phones or with the actual camera.  We don't care...we just want to remember.

So, more soon - just wanted to offer a little teaser about our fun times in Asheville.

Vintage finds: A Chicago map and a lesson learned

 Ok, so the map isn't really vintage, rather reproduction.  We found it this summer at P.O.S.H. and I had every good intention of getting it framed and installed in our bedroom.

I thought I had it all figured out - buy a frame off the shelf and it would be ready to go.  Well the print size was between two frame sizes and after buying a frame off the shelf and thinking through buying custom cut matte board and mounting it and the stress of making sure it was aligned correctly and discovering that the frame had huge gouges, I scrapped that idea.  Can you feel my (unnecessary) stress?

Plan B:  take it to the big box retailer who has helped with framing before.  They had made a mistake on some custom framing about a year ago, but I thought I could give them a try again.  After several weeks of delay and me calling a few times to check on the status, I finally got word it was ready to pick up.  I was so excited and promptly took it home.  When I unwrapped it, the frame had scratches and gouges.  I was so puzzled.  A custom frame shouldn't get beat up, should it?  I weighed the cost-benefit of taking it back and knew that the imperfections (at that price) would bother me.  So, back I went.  They offered a 10% discount or to reframe it.  I opted for the reframing.

Plan C:  reframe it.  After a few weeks of not hearing anything, I ran into the store to check on the status.  The frame had just been ordered because of a mix up - come back tomorrow.  I went back the next day and it is not done.  They had the new frame and showed it to me - it had scratches and gouges, too!  What did I want to do?  I asked them to cut my print out of the Plan B frame and refund my money.  The poor girl at the check out asked me why I was requesting the refund.  I'm sure there was no code in her register for the story that I gave her, unless they have a catch all "customer is crazy" code.

Plan D:  go to the parking lot and search frame shops on my cell phone.  I found a locally owned shop on the west side of town.  I called and they were open long enough for me to make the drive.  The lady was so super nice and the price estimate was less than the big box store.  She said she would have it finished by next Thursday.

Guess what?  She called on that Monday and it was ready.  The print looked beautiful and I was reminded of a very important lesson - shop local!  The customer service was excellent and her work was perfect.  We are really pleased with how it turned out.

Vacation - It's good for the soul

 Our Colorado vacation was in many ways our celebration of the end of summer.  Once we returned, we began the back-to-school frenzy that we enjoy each year because of our careers in education.

We began with a very challenging climb at the Manitau Incline.  After we pushed ourselves, we spent the rest of the trip at a more relaxed pace.  Thank goodness!

We enjoyed some memorable sights, dining, and shopping.

On the drive through eastern Colorado, we saw an strange sight on the interstate ahead of us.  We thought it might be some antlers installed on the top of a vehicle, but as we drew closer, we realized that someone was hauling some gigantic wildlife statues.

 

 We had a good laugh at this unusual highway sighting.

 

I am sure that we were not the only motorists to pull alongside for a photo.

 We discovered some really great finds at each stop!  A few of our favorites were:

MainLine in Old Town Fort Collins.   We enjoyed some amazing food (Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles), discovered a new favorite beer (Agave Wheat), and indulged in Bacon Bread Pudding (made with Captain Crunch). The restaurant atmosphere was super cool and our server was very friendly and had great recommendations.  We would go back here in a heartbeat.

The Lyric Cinema Café was showing Ghosts of the West.  We were debating how to spend our last evening in Colorado and thought it would be fun to go to The Lyric, a small two theatre venue that shows independent films.  We ordered a small snack and a couple of beers from the counter and took in the show.  We felt really smart and hip for seeing an indie film about ghost towns and hearing a short Q&A session with the filmmaker. And, my husband won a DVD in the drawing.  Seriously.  He's super lucky.

We scored with vintage shopping in Fort Collins.  We found The Flamingo almost right away.  The store was having a close out sale because the owners were combining inventory for a store in a new location.  We bought so much stuff!

We already had acquired several small furniture pieces that we found in Manitau Springs.  Our vehicle was so full by the time we were ready to head to our hotel.  I actually prayed out loud that the hotel didn't have valet parking.  I might have died of embarrassment at the state of our car.

We loved Walnut Creek and Kansas City Kitty and lots and lots of other places in Fort Collins.  We also survived a hail storm with a quick scramble to the city parking garage.

We even spent some time on the Colorado State campus.  We discovered their Flower Trial Garden, an amazing collection of all types of flowers in many, many beautiful colors.

Earlier in our trip, we took in our favorite antique store in Denver and found some great pieces to refinish at a small store in Manitau Springs.  This was one of those vacations where you really dread unloading the car.