Bella Rustica 2012: A Recap

Hello everyone!  Well, it is all over this year.  Bella Rustica was a lot of work!  The weeks leading up to the show were a little crazy.  The Mr took Custom Chalk on the road to do a on location chalking for a schmancey wedding (wasn't allowed to take photos of his work... sorry!) about a week and a half before the show. So, we were pressed to get items finished and moved to the show.  We took at least 3 trailers full of *stuff* to the show and also had to haul Hazel.  When I got there to work on Thursday, it looked a little something like this...

I was a little overwhelmed for a minute, but then I dove right in to get it finished for the show the next day.

We had a loose *old school* theme with lots of old globes, reading charts, chalkboards... the Mr. created an arbor to welcome guests to the booth and to give it a school yard feel.  

He even found an old bell which was broke by this guy:

This little man had a grand time running around like crazy and making friends with the other kids there.  At one point it seemed that he had disappeared while we were setting up.  Luckily I quickly found him.  I was even luckier to have my sister come and entertain him for the next 2 days.  They hung out in Hazel and ate quite a few ring pops while the Mr and I worked the booth.

And, we were busy!  I tried to snap some shots before we opened each day, but it was pretty dark in there.  I had also planned on instagreamming the day and the experience and the people we met, but we had terrible reception in there, so the photos wouldn't post *frownies*

The Mr. chalked me 2 huge boards for the show and I love how they turned out.  I am hoping to keep at least one for the shoppe.

We had a nice, wide booth this year that Hazel was able to fit in instead of her being separate, which helped immensely!

We had been collecting school stuff for a few months to bring this all together.

I love globes and they were a big hit at the show too!  Lots of them found new homes!

This  was a little bit of a slow time.  We had a primo location... right across from the stage and pretty close to the fried pickles.. the only fried food I really like!

My original plan was to set up Hazel like a little camper homestead with a clothesline and a yard.  We weren't able to do exactly that, but I still managed to find a vintage clothesline and hang some towels to sell.

One thing I really love is lighting... I mean, I love most vintage items, but I LOVE creating lamps and lampshades. 

We created some out of vintage porch columns and ours have the cloth cords and pretty sockets too.

I finished a pair of chairs for the show and I think I will have to have them cleaned now.  It was dusty in there!  I am having to dust all of our goods before they come back into the shoppe.

The Mr. had a few pieces left from a recent show he did and brought them with him.

He was put to work by the vendors.  He is doing a few custom boards for the vendors and this is one that he did onsite for our neighbor Cat's Carpetbags.

Okay, onto *regrets*  This year I totally planned on getting photos of the other booths and the other vendors and guest... this year Donna from Funky Junk Interiors  was there (and quite the sweetie!)  But, we really didn't have time.  The last afternoon I went around and shopped a little.  I had heard that a Wolf dress form was sold on the first day *sobs*  That is one of the things I have been lusting over.  I did come home with a really cool suitcase from a local vendor, but I was mostly empty handed.

I pined over this piece... it was in supremo condition and was only $250 and was way more fab in person.  But, the fact is, it just doesn't *go* in our home.  It is the red I think.  But it was so fun!

One thing that I am SUPER DUPER excited about is something I traded these sconces for... Sweet Deann fell in love with them.  And, I have admired her work since I met her last year at the show.  She is simply a doll!  She asked the Mr to come down to her booth to pick out some paintings.  Well, that night I had a brain storm... I thought it would be great to have her paint Hazel.  Luckily, she thought it was a great idea too!  So, in a few months, we will get our very own piece of commissioned art!

Like I said earlier, we had a great spot right across from the stage.  There were some great act like Cheyenne Medders with his wife Priscilla.  We purchased all of their cds.  They have a great folksy sound that I love.  And then, after them came the Secret Sisters.

  I hadn't heard of them before the show, but the Mr had.  Wow... they were wonderful!  The Mr. had some forethought and got them to pose in front of Hazel.  Was it forethought or a crush?  hmmm... *wink*  Anyhow, they were lovely with even lovelier voices.  And so sweet to chat with.

So, after 3 days of hard work and sales something is bound to go awry.  The week before the show, we had an eventful evening when the Mr. slammed the door into the cooler and it shattered the window.  Then, when when he went to leave, the car wouldn't start since some little hyena was "driving" me around that afternoon and had left some lights on.  THEN, when I went to pick the Mr up and jump start the car, it was out of gas.  So, we were pretty sure that the *fun stuff* that makes you say *bad words* was all behind us.  Then this happened:

Fun, huh?  The Mr. was the last to leave the show Sunday night and the lights had been turned off where he couldn't see well to back up (and it was raining... and he was out in the boonies...) anyhow, he cut it too sharp and landed the trailer off this 3 foot drop off.  Nice!  It took a tow truck and a tractor to get the trailer back on the road... it was filled with furniture and other goodies left over from the show.  Craziness, I tell you!!  

So, between the show and the excitement of this little incident, we have decided to take it easy this weekend and close the shoppe to take a little road trip or relax or clean the house.  It hasn't really been decided yet... we just need a change of pace this weekend.  

So that's all folks!  I will be back soon with some photos from the shoppe and the changes around the house... I have a brand new slipcover that I want to show you, but someone needs to buy my other sofa first!

bye for now~

Stocking....

Hello all!  I have been super, duper scrum dididly busy getting ready for bella rustica at the end of this month.  So, that is why I have been... erm... neglecting my blog and etsy shoppe.

I found a bit of time to snap some quick photos to stock my etsy shoppe.

Lots of vintage cameras and some other fun items.  Plus, I will post more later this week.

And, speaking of stocking,  I have already had some requests for some silhouette stockings, so they are in my etsy shoppe in case you are in that Christmas frame of mind already.  Thanks for all your super sweet comments and emails about the Romantic Homes article.  I will be back soon with some sneaky peekies of some of the goodies that will be going with us to Bella Rustica.

bye for now~

Bella Rustica~ A Recap

Hello all!  Well, that cold that the Mr. and the baby had finally caught me.  At least it waited until after Bella Rustica.  I was in bed all day yesterday sleeping off whatever this is that I have.  But, you don't want to hear all that.  You want to hear about what a great time that we had!  And we did have a great time!  I thought I would share a few dozen of the photos that the Mr. took.  I wish I would have taken photos with the great vendors I met, but I didn't.  We were all quite busy.  Okay, let's start with this:

Look at our girl all spiffed up! 

 Mr. Hughes sold posters benefitting AGAPE out of her.  She also came in handy for baby hughes' naptime and a place to hold items that had been purchased from my booth.  We didn't take any interior shots, but I will get those posted soon.

Miss Linda was able to find a truck that looked just perfect with Hazel.  If only I could have taken him home with us...

Okay, booth photos!  This was our first show, so we didn't really know what to bring or expect.  We just treated it like we were setting up an antique store booth, so we brought a little of everything. The Mr. put together some great lamps including this one.  He also came up with the design for the rope frame.

I wish he would have gotten a photo of the mirrors.... I wrote little sayings on all of them... this one said "everyone looks prettier in a vintage mirror."

Another one of the Mr's brilliant ideas.... these are old dark slides and he mounted some photos on them.

We brought a lot!  Two trailers full in fact.

I had a few new pillow designs that I introduced at the show and I will list them on etsy soon.

You can also see just a peek of the sign that Mr. Hughes created for me.  I knew that I wanted to cover the walls in kraft paper but we couldn't use nails or tacks.  So, we got some really large clips and clipped the paper to the wood.  And, he drew my logo along with some other fun things in white marker all over.  I am sort of obsessed with white on kraft right now.  I also stenciled vintage junky on some kraft bags in white.

We had a drawing to "Give Away the World" for a vintage globe and had everyone put their entries in a vintage top hat that our friend Scarlett found for us the week before in Brimfield.

A naked lampshade covered in vintage photos... this was a conversation starter as there were some great random photos

Another thing the Mr. drew for me 

This was the booth on the second day when we brought in the buffet, Louise.

The garden gate was perfect for displaying the flowers... it is too bad it sold early on the first day... no complaints though!

On of the 3 chairs I got ready for the show

Organ pulls are always hard for me to part with for some reason.

Loads of bottles... all kinds... all sizes

We had to restock and rearrange on the second day.  One of the best parts of my booth location was that I was right across from the girls from The Strawberry Patch.  Christy (the cutie pictured above) and Alicia were so much fun to get to know.  

The chairs were in front of old doors.  Mr Hughes attached some brackets to them so we could hang the birdcage hanging lamps that he wired up for me.  This was one of the things in my vision for the booth that I decided I wanted early on.

The sign up dresser on the second day

Besides being a little obsessed with white on kraft, I also was a bit obsessed with the linen buntings... I attached them to just about everything that stood still.

The Louise wouldn't fit on the first day, so we took her on the second day... I love how she turned out.

Now, it just isn't me that has a hard time giving things up... I had been saving these bottles back for some time and when I pulled them out, the Mr. said... those are too awesome to sell.  I think we may keep the few that are left.

This is the booth on the first day... well, just after set up

We literally found the cabinet on the way out of the house on the second day, along with a small chest that will be getting a makeover as soon as I feel a bit better.

Did you know that shoe forms make the perfect business card holders?  You do now *wink*

This is a Empire chest I finished right before the show.  But, what I really want to point out are those great lamps.... Mr. Hughes created them out of salvaged table legs and wired them and put them on a base.  I did the painting, but he did most of the work.

The original plan was to hang these honeycomb balls all around the booth.  When we couldn't find a feasible and easy way to do that, I decided to just put them here and there.

After Mr. Hughes made one of these hands for the train party, I thought he should make some for the show as well.  He put them on stands and made the hands face all different directions.

When we got in Friday, a thin layer of barn dust covered the tables... that brought us back to reality... that we were definitely in a barn!

We were able to spill some stuff outside the booth as well... this area constantly changed.  It seems I am not the only one who brakes for vintage stuff outside.

So that's all folks!  Well, I am sure we have a few hundred more photos as well, but this seems to be a good stopping point.  We learned so much and got some great feedback on our products and designs... like what to make more of next time and for the booths as well.  I think my only regret was not going around and taking photos with some of the vendors and the other booths and people I met.  I will definitely have my point and shoot available for that next time.  I got to meet Beth from Old Tyme Marketplace... super swoony booth and Celeste from Rural Socialite and many, many more bloggers and non bloggers.  Of course, the ladies from The Roost and Three French Hens were there... they are always fun.  And, Autumn, a very talented photographer that hopefully didn't get any photos of me eating a delicious hamburger. Plus, all the people who work at Taproot Farms and AGAPE.... they were wonderful.  I couldn't have done all this with out my families and friends and all my bloggy buddies support.  So, thank you!  We had a couple of friends that stepped up and helped with baby hughes.  He did spend much of the weekend there... and what a trooper he was... I think he behaved better there than he does at home most days!

Alright, I am sure I missed a few mentions that should have made, but I have a fuzzy head and I think I will take a nap while the hyena is taking one.  I need to get better and start painting the few pieces and also some things for the big boy room.

bye for now!