for the love of Pinterest

I do adore organizing little scrapbooks of inspiration on Pinterest!

Lately I have been busy pinning to my "Celebrate Autumn" board!

Check my boards out in the right column......over there!~~~~~~>>

for the love of Lucy

     Lucy & bunny...this little girl loves loves loves life!  

     

time for autumn...

I feel like I am rushing things, knowing full well that after fall comes...cold!

But every year at this time I am anxious to pull out my autumn goodies &

head over to the Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall.  And so, today, I did!

Gold Rush

On one weekend each year, two flea markets open their gates on the same days...

both about 20 minutes apart.  And both are called Gold Rush.  I believe the original began

in the small town of Oronoco, MN ~ where, literally, the whole town becomes a flea market!  

The other Gold Rush is at the fair grounds in Rochester, MN.

Each year I travel to both...in O N E day!  This year, Dave & Ian joined me.  

My method to this "marathon of flea markets" is to spend the morning on Friday in Oronoco.

You must get there early enough to get close parking (for trips back to the car with 

vintage finds)....and you must have "fresh legs" due to the hilly walking!  By noon we are done!

Then we grab a re-energizing lunch at a cool sit down restaurant...this year Newt's Burgers.

We cap off the day in Rochester, thankful for the flat terrain of this flea market & the many inside vendors to get out of the sun.

Friday was hot...93 degrees I believe!  I was glad to have thrown a hand towel in my bag...

sunscreen & sweat in the eyes could not get in the way of finding vintage goodies.
We were also ever so thankful for an afternoon breeze!

My keepers:

This framed bookplate of small moths...

And, this picnic carrier...on top of the suitcase & bench to form an end table:

I also found some wonderful items that will make their way to my 

antique booth in Hixton soon...getting ready to introduce small doses 

of Autumn!

We had such a fun day, loved having my Ian with me.  He has now been

to 4 mega-fleas with me...and he even found a few items at Gold Rush

for his place!

Counting the days to my next flea market adventure!

decision

I am generally pretty good at making decisions...

But, each time someone has asked me if we will be having a Barn Sale this year (2015), I would sputter out a "maybe".  Then it happened on Friday.  Someone asked, I began to sputter & explain.....and then out came a very clear "no".

No, there will not be a Meadowview Farm Barn Sale this year.

There are so many reasons I had held back on a clear, concise answer: 

  1.  What if I just held a smaller sale?

  2.  But it is so much fun to get ready...

  3.  My hayloft looks so empty & lonely!

But for every reason why, the list of why not was longer.

So...there, a decision.  

No Barn Sale in 2015!

Now, as for 2016~~~~I will think that through later.

blending old & new

I love vintage!
I also love fresh fabrics...often found on my bimonthly stop at T.J. Maxx.

I love how they go together...like peanut butter & jelly.

They bring out the best in each other.

Vintage finds lend warmth, fresh fabrics tone down the age just a bit.

Always a tad of a balance...I like to call "Fresh Vintage"!

     Sweet kittens also are a farmhouse style addition!

the art of gathering

Gathering, picking, is not always for the meek...

it can often consist of a long, hot day at an auction or flea market.  

Take these burlap feed sacks as an example.

Dave & I spent a hot, sunny day at a farm auction...

trying to stay with the cadence of the auctionnaire, 

attempting to follow any shade, and working to keep

our goods safe & sound.  Dave actually bid on the 

feedsacks that were still in the barn.  I came upon him after he 

had won the bid and was trying to stack & sort the huge 

pile in the barn, dust kicking up everywhere-sticking to 

sweat.  But it was a great deal...so I jumped in with him!

We both looked like "Pigpen" from the Charlie Brown comic

when we came out for air from the barn with a huge pile

of sacks.

The next step was to get them home, shake & shake & shake

them out...then air them on our clothesline.

Batch two out of likely fifteen lines full!

Once aired, they will be priced at $5.50-$6.50 each and brought

in to my booth at the Hixton Schoolhouse Mall.  They will then

go home with crafty folks that will turn them into bags & chair

upholstery or even curtains.  With the popularity of Farmhouse

Style continuing to gain traction, these have become popular

finds...often just laid over a table to show off the great graphics.

Some sacks will be purchased by other dealers, knowing that

my prices are low and they can sell them even higher...and

I'm good with that.  

So, from a humble barn, through our sweat equity, to you...