Furniture Fair Today!

The sun is shining, there is a soft sea breeze blowing, the temps have cooled off, and it's a perfect time to discover a new place. Come to Stanwood and visit the famous fair this weekend, and stop by Poppyseeds on State route 532... we've brought the big tent and filled it up with fabulous goodies at killer prices. Including the white Piano Bar. You don't want to miss this!




There's a parade on Main Street Saturday morning at 11 AM - come for the fun, then stop in and see us afterwards! We're here until Sunday afternoon....

I Spy.....

We went to Mill Creek on Saturday, to visit Cindy's shop Haley's Cottage. Previous incarnations of this beautiful home decor emporium have been in Snohomish and Bellevue Square, and now it's located in Mill Creek Town Center, at 1502 Main Street.

While we were in the store, I spied this sweet cherub wearing one of my Junk Queen Crowns! Cindy bought quite a few things from us at Farm Chicks, and they are now available in her store.... the drum lampshade with the ruffled ribbon trim, a few lamps with music sheet collage shades.... what fun to see them here, awaiting a new home!

Isn't she charming?!

We went there to scope out the parking lot... no, no highjinks after dark are planned, no junk raids or dumpster diving! Cindy will be hosting a French Flea Market event in September, and we are participating in it. We wanted to get a look at the parking lot so Bob could plan his assault with the trailer for load-in on the morning of the event. We are talking a VERY early morning load in, so being prepared is important for his state of mind. Please plan on attending the Clock Tower French Flea Market on September 12 from 10 AM to 8 PM. Click the link in the sidebar, which will take you right to Cindy's blog for more info!

Pointing You In the Right Direction....

Hey kids, mark your calendars... Sand Point is coming up in a month!

Does this look interesting? Make ya' wanna' check it out? Good!
I was contacted by Dennis Eros to create a new blog design for the Sand Point Antique & Design Market. I took it a bit further and created a whole new brand image for it... whaddya' think?

(And, ah, Bob will testify to the fact that halfway through the graphics, I let out a laugh. I was looking at the various hands from vintage ads I had chosen to use in the design, and suddenly realized the pun: Sand POINT Market. Get it?! Took me awhile!) I think the heat is gettin' to me, but I'm not complaining....

Check out the blog and all of the great info & resources in the sidebar. More to come! You can even grab a blog button to help promote Seattle's own show. C'mon, let's all make this the best it can be.....

Fair Game!

Join Retreat at Poppyseeds in Stanwood for a Furniture Fair!

We figured since the Stanwood-Camano Fair is running from July 31 to August 2, we needed to do something BIG... so here it is, folks! We'll haul our big tent to the Poppyseeds parking lot, set it up, and fill it with the FABULOUS one of a kind furniture that only we can bring you. For three days only - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - you can shop Designer Direct!

It's easy to get here: Located between Marysville and Mt. Vernon. Exit 212 from I-5, East onto Hwy 532 and 6 miles East to Stanwood. Poppyseeds is located at 26915-98th Drive NW Stanwood, Washington, on the right side of Hwy. 532 next to John L. Scott Realty (and just past Starbucks!) 360.629.73339

JUNK!!!!!!!

We are a crazy bunch, are we not? Who but we junkers becomes irrationally excited over finding a garage or barn or warehouse filled to the brim with old, rusty, crusty, musty stuff? Stuff that someone else discarded as useless.... yet to us, it's raw materials for new creations, or additions to a collection, or pure inspiration. We see the endless possibility in it, where others saw only the end of its original use. (We are SUCH visionaries, my friends!)

Junk hanging from the rafters, junk piled on the floor, junk tumbling out of crates and boxes and bins...

Junk covered with grime and dust and dirt and grease.... ahhhhh. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

A pile of old broken clay pots can become an arrangement that is a work of art, or a mosaic, or a million other things. All it takes is inspiration and a willingness to step outside of the catalog or box store. ;0)

Junky old fence and stone column. Brought to life in a garden with a bounty of roses. Sigh. I love this life...... don't you?!!!

Armchair Shopping With Willow Decor

Since I've been on vacation, and it has been raining most of the time, I have had some extra time to do some Internet shopping. Here are some of my favorite new finds! First, I stopped by my favorite Swedish Antiques site, Avolli, to see Tricia Mitchell's new pieces. I loved this dining table and chairs - It's in her ad in the July/August issue of Veranda - No surprise it's such a classic. I loved this dresser with X design. This could go into any room in my house!

This metal Empire sewing box is so charming! But, my favorite piece is this Mora Clock. Notice the lovely, soft lines of this clock. Many of the Mora clocks I have seen recently do not have a good curve scale, they seem a bit off to me. This one is perfect and unique with the diamond detailing on the bottom. Tricia Mitchell has an incredible eye - check out more of her great finds here.

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Next I headed over to see what was cooking at Kym Fraser's 3 Fine Grains. Kym's Dressage Chair below was recently featured in Washington Spaces Magazine (but remember you saw Kym first at WD!) Besides creating beautiful furniture; she's been very busy importing some fabulous antique textiles.

Lucky for us Kym is now also selling the antique sacks - so you can create your own custom upholstery, slipcovers or pillows. I was thrilled to learn this because as you know Kym has one of the largest inventories of original, authentic antique sacks in the country - and these textiles are not easy to find!! Imitators are now printing over old sacks (yuck!), but these babies are the real McCoy! They run $350 -$1200 - the sacks are huge and can be used for multiple projects.

I got giddy when I saw this crown sack from 1874 (wow- 1874!) -because she has three of them! What a find!! I would love to cover my dining room chairs with these!

The Horse sacks are really interesting! This one caught my eye because it is printed on both sides so I could make a bunch of pillows or cover a couple of chairs

Here is the back - aren't these fabulous?!! Now I just have to figure out what I am going to make with them. Of course you can always just have Kym make it for you - check out her new pillows and furniture.
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From antiques I moved on to see what was new at Anthropologie.

This interesting lamp caught my eye. It reminded me of a French whimsical line drawing turned 3D. I especially love the two french bistro chairs with toile pads and table in the center. So unique! The lamp is called the Chateau Lamp and you can find it here. Do check it out so you can see a real close up.

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Because it was still raining and I've got nothing but time, I thought I would check out this new site called Former Furniture. The site, started by an interior designer, features used furniture that her elite clientele want to sell when they are ready to redecorate.

They have some really interesting things. This vintage cabinet caught my eye because it reminded me of the metal desk we just saw in Linda Banks' new kitchen. Check the cabinet out here.
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Meanwhile over at EBAY, I found these really neat vintage industrial stools.

These zinc and metal stools are from EBAY power seller The Antiques Warehouse in Cinncinatti, OH. Many styles were for sale for under $200. Shipping was reasonable too! A great find!

They also had these chairs, which look close to Kristin's kitchen chairs from Covetable Designs. I was on a roll!
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Then, I stopped by to check out what new things were listed from my favorite Antique Textile Queen -"Loodylady" from EBAY's Textile Trunk. I was in awe of this 19th Century French Ceil de lit Bed Canopy. Made from blue and white Ikat fabric. What a rare find! Spectacular! Look at this lovely antique Toile de Jouy quilt from 1790. I bet Marie Antoinette had one just like this!Then I found these gems - gorgeous antique monogrammed French Sheets. The monogram and detailing are spectacular! Who knew such treasures were on EBAY? Finally I found this antique cart cover - Wow - I could just throw that over my sofa and change the entire look of my room! To see all her exquisite textiles click here.

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Well the sun is starting to peek out so I am off to enjoy the beach - hope you enjoyed our Internet shopping trip!

A Visit with Covetable Designs

I feel so lucky to be able to meet such wonderful people through Willow Decor. Just the other night I received a sweet email from a fellow blogger, Kristin at Covetable Designs. She had been overwhelming busy, she said, and tonight she finally had some free time to relax and catch up on reading my previous blog posts. I was so flattered. We started emailing back and forth and it turned into a great treat for me, as I learned so much more about this talented designer! We had so much in common, both having lived in Europe for several years and traveling around; both with a passion for renovation and both self taught designers. I am just in awe of her abilities, so I wanted to share a few images of her home, which she designed, in Dallas.

The above photo is a French dairy turned restaurant that Kristin visited and one of many inspiration photos she used to help design her kitchen. After living several years in London, she was influenced by how her friends lived there.

"They did not view their historic homes as museums, slavish to all the detail of the period. Rather, they used contemporary furniture and accessories to lighten up and streamline their homes. The juxtaposition was thought provoking to an American who was taught to respect period decor, restore old homes, and preserve vintage architectural detail at all costs. And I couldn't really find a designer here who was exactly on my same page. So, I took the lessons of lightening and streamlining to my new home. I wanted architectural detail that was European in feel, without being constrained to any one period or style and I designed the interiors with an eye toward creating a particular mood in each space. The element that ties them all together is the use of neutrals as a backdrop, allowing the colors in fabric and furnishings to glow or in some cases, pop. "

Above is Kristin's new kitchen. Do not be fooled, this is not a renovation of an old home, but a meticulously designed new home with all the elements of an antique. I love the zinc counter and the metal hood, painted to look like aged zinc. Of course I adore the X cross motif which she incorporated in many areas of the design. The Marston Langinger lantern is perfect!

What I find most impressive is the window design over the sink. Kristin boldly painted that area in dark gray and the results are stunning.

A close up of the stove area reveals that she used an antique French fireback as a focal point. The herringbone patterned limestone and the sconces add to the aged French feeling.

We see the X cross motif translated again on the refrigerator. The pantry pull outs are faced in old books. Very clever.

The breakfast room is a delight! Notice the mix of chairs. Some are upholstered in old German printed grain sacks, while others are slipcovered in striped sacks. Visit her blog to see how she transformed the wooden table and chairs. The zinc elements tie the room in well with the kitchen. Again Kristen takes a bold chance with the red table, a viola, it pays off. The fabulous bookshelf was a exciting find at Mecox Gardens.

Here is the beautiful entryway.

It is crafted so well its hard to remember this is new construction. Notice the wood banister and wainscoting.

Here is a closer image of the wainscoting. Isn't this wonderful design? The glazing/painting technique really adds a wonderful patina to the space.

The other wall of the entry has these two wonderful Aidan Gray chests flanking the niches in either side. The wonderful old doors behind the chests were from the bookcase above. Beautiful!!

I have read every one of Kristin's posts and marked several in favorites folder. I am so excited to see more of her work in the coming months. Do check out Covetable Designs, and when you do, tell Kristin that Gina from Willow Decor sent you!!

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Go see Julia at Hooked on Houses to see what others are Hooked on!

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The Sea Queen

I made a few crowns in a new style for the BarnHouse show, using silver wire and seashells to evoke a beachy, summer mood that complimented our theme for the show. Tresa and her daughter visited us in our space on Saturday, and bought a few of them.Thursday, I received this sweet email from them:

Hi, Bob & Deb!
Bought 2 of your precious crowns at the BarnHouse and just had to share these pics - this is Seanna (pronounced Sea Anna) She just turned 4 and loves anything and everything mermaid. Her twin brother, Caleb, calls her the Mermaid Highness.

Thanks again - we can't wait to take our treasures to the beach for more pics.

Hugs,

Tresa and Seanna Collins

Tresa also sent along some photos of 'Her Mermaid Highness', modeling her very own Sea Queen tiara. I think we can safely say that this particular little princess is worthy of her title! What adorable poses!

Tresa, thank you SO much for sharing your sweet girl with us. It is a joy to see our creations being loved and enjoyed. (And I'm betting Seanna loves the pink polka dot parasol from Aleta as much as she loves the tiara from us!)