The Farm Chicks 2012...a shopping primer

 Bring your wallet filled with mad money...

and after you chug your coffee, have your hands free, ready to grab those one of a kind finds.

Bring a basket, a bag, a container, a cart, or a helpful friend or husband, or an extra set of hands.  These can be extremely useful when you find that special item...

 that you clearly cannot leave.

 Many vendors will let you keep your larger finds in their booth with a SOLD tag on them until you can come back on your final sweep (buying spree)...

 just know if you see it and know it needs to be yours, buy it then.  I speak from experience.  I am still kicking myself over not buying a certain sign last year.

 There will be e-ver-y kind of junk goodness you can imagine; industrial, farm, vintage, retro, antique, useful, beautiful, salvage, painted, shabby chic, chippy...

 so be prepared when the doors open and let you in to be amazed, like jaw dropping, omg, no junking way AMAZED...

for this is, after all, the mother of all shows in the Northwest, the one that started it all...

that draws vendors with their goods from far flung places and shoppers from around the country...

the place to find your http://myfavoritefind.com ,

  to make a play date with your long lost friends

or to grab a bite with a new we-have-so-much-in-common pal.

Whether you elect to come Saturday or Sunday, or both, because really, why wouldn't you? booths will be stocked with fresh junk (our Joy Harvest/Ballyhoo Girl booth included of course!)...

and you will leave with not only a treat or two, but a head full of ideas and a heart full of love.

See you soon! Hollie

with Gail & Christy

Booths 261 & 262 Joy Harvest/Ballyhoo Girl, Bay 2

AND...a giveaway...if you just join my blog this week (through Farm Chicks Sunday evening) you will be entered to win a fun surprise goody bag of junk-the good kind!! You just have to follow my new blog and leave a comment~good luck!!

a recipe for words

 I really, really love words.  When junking, finding an old dictionary can make my day.  Finding an encyclopedia dictionary, well, I'm good for a whole week.

 I also really, really love food.  And not only do I love books, but I love magazines.  If I find an article, or an idea, or a recipe, I tear and save.  I know, so old school.  So this week I finally began sorting through a year of torn out recipes, cutting and pasting (in real life) so that I might actually use (some of) them more often. 

A few years ago my mom made each of us three girls a recipe book with copied pages of my Grandma's special recipes, and it is a treasure to read, especially her handwritten ones.  This one is for Salmon Loaf, surprisingly really good.

Along with finding a 1990 Webster's illustrated encyclopedia dictionary, I found this Webster's Children's dictionary, inscribed to Lester Jean Kile (which is the first name??), from Mother and Daddy Christmas 1936...

and these vintage kitchen reference books.  Maybe my husband will build me some Modern Kitchen Cabinets.  However, I don't think I will be donning my apron while cooking dinner this week.

This letter flashcard found it's way home from my mom's stash this weekend at the Two Women Barn Bazaar outside of Spokane, WA.  She still has some that she is bringing to The Farm Chicks show next weekend...so next week, sneak peeks!!

http://www.thefarmchicks.com



this little light of mine...

 I'm such a fan of my family.  And while I was beyond blessed to have the adventure of a lifetime growing Funky Junk with Jennifer, I knew it was time to make some changes.  Fork in the road, bittersweet changes.  But it's often the hardest ones that are the ones that must be made.  So I gathered my courage and stepped down from doing something I loved to be with and more available for the bigger picture. 

And being able to spend the past few weeks with my loved ones as my biggest project has been filling my bucket back up. 

  In this time, we've also had three birthdays (my youngest sister Angela, my mom Gail and my middle sister Heidi) the past three Sundays. Heidi had to share her birthday with Mother's Day, so she threw her birthday party on Saturday.  That's her holding one of her amazing birthday presents.  That is also my husband trying to get out of the picture.  No photo editing here, this is real life baby.=)

Heidi lit the way with pretty glasses she fashioned into garden lanterns...

Perfumed her home with fresh cut lilacs displayed in vintage jars...

Made retro plastic doily coasters useful again by holding lovely drinks...

 And provided visual eye candy in simply elegant ways.

 I brought her a hostess gift of an antique bottle (found junking of course) filled with flowers from my flower garden (another of my new projects this year)... 

 The beautiful birthday girl celebrated with her tall Martha Stewart candles and her traditional and amazing vegan chocolate cake by Allison. (Who is opening a bakery on Main in Spokane, down from Roost soon.)

 And as a gift, Heidi requested that we each bring an act of kindness. It reminded all of us that there are many gifts that which may seem small, (laughter for one) but which often save the day. 

While I'm re-learning what it means to be a more full-time stay at home mom, more part-time work at home mom, adjusting and balancing what that means for me and my family...

 I am so blessed to have these women among my friends to walk with me.

 And so super thankful to have these three reasons to get to do what I do.

Whatever it is you do...let your light shine bright. 

Thank you Heidi for reminding us...