Notes from A Cottage Industry

It's all about those grandbabies

   

...you better believe it.

You wanted to know what I bought at last weekend's Tumbleweed Cotillion, so here it is. The sweetest vintage bassinet I've ever laid my eyes on, for starters! I love the old wicker and those big wheels, and just wait until you see what I'm going to do with it.(here's a little clue_ the sewing Queen is going to be busy after I get home from the fabric store!) It will stay at my home, for when any of the grandbabies come over for a visit. I think I'll be keeping it in the corner of the living room, but I am not 100% sure yet.

I also snagged 2 matching baby spoons, one for each of the little peanuts, and the adorable, soft musical teddy bear.
     We don't know if we're having any girls yet, but I just couldn't resist the little hat (How could I not buy that?!) And are you noticing the awesome vintage baby scale? I actually sold it to a friend that had a baby shop  way back when, and she sold it back to me at the Cotillion (picture it filled with little tiny newborn diapers!)

The sweet vendor that sold me the vintage bassinet gave the mama-to-be this vintage velveteen bunny as a little gift for the nursery. Oooooh! It's just so precious! It will be perfect in the vintage themed room we are planning!

One last little look at some of the Tumbleweed Cotillion's treasures

I hope you're not tired of looking at the fun things from the Cotillion, 'coz I'm gonna show a few more today. I absolutely adore this piece. The color, the lines, even the pulls. Too sweet.

And this darling piece? How charming was this? I love the beautiful window too.

...and I don't know what's cuter, these hats, or the pie crust table!

Oh, so many wonderful things. So much fun.

If these posts about the latest vintage Market Fair have inspired you to want to host a fair of your own and you aren't sure just where to begin, you might want to check it all out here.

Meet the Grand Diva of the Tumbleweed Cotillion

 
...and I mean that as the most sincere compliment! She's dubbed herself Deco Diva Debi and she is an absolute marvel to watch in action, along with her soulmate, "Mr.Deb" (Bob the amazingly get-er-done kind of guy!)

 
Her trained eye knows just where to place delicate little NeSt's and vintage paper collections. Chairs are stacked precisely upon tables and sideboards, and little treasures are tucked here and there. 

Lighted vintage lamps added a romantic ambiance to her ten by ten indoor gazebo space that felt exactly like a little piece of vintage French heaven. (and are you loving that table and chair set that Mr. Deb painted?! Ooh! La La! )

Even Deb's fabulous makeshift dressform, Mme. Foofy, looked oh-so-terribly-French in the booth, no? (are you lovin' her tumbleweed hairdo that Mr. Deb rustled up? I know I am.)

 
The booth was decked out, floor to ceiling, and every inch a thing of beauty. Rue de reTreat was the epitome of a class act at the Tumbleweed Cotillion and shoppers and vendors alike were inspired by the creativity and genuine warmth they showed during the fair.

These people are simply the best, and I am so proud to call them my friends.

Tumbleweed Cotillion vintage French market pictures, part 1

There are so many wonderful pictures from this latests Tumbleweed Cotillion that I wasn't even sure where to begin!

Our shoppers were treated to so many visual delights and treasures that I felt like we all needed to walk through twice to see it all.
 

There were vintage finds from so many eras and the barn oozed with a French Flea Market feel!

Friday night we had so many shoppers that you could barley get around inside the barn...such fun!

If you were there- thanks so much for attending. If you missed it, I hope you're enjoying these pictures! I'll share more tomorrow!

Live and learn...and find REAL professionals to host your event.

(I'll warn you right now, this isn't my usual kind of post...oh, and there's not a picture to capture my feelings)
     This past weekend was a fabulous learning experience. I learned that we are on the right track with a lot of our ideas. Great products, creative vendors, and marketing every way we could on the shoestring budget we were tied to really pays off.
     I also learned from our mistakes. Always, always, go with your gut, like sticking with a single price for booth spaces to turning down a vendor that swears they have have wonderful vintage items and a knack for display, but were unable to produce photos to back the statement. Even more importantly, get everything, every thing, in writing. If you have a verbal agreement, things tend to somehow be...shall we say, forgotten?
     The Tumbleweed Cotillion was a success from virtually all accounts, except for the event location. Just let me say this; if you plan on having an event at this venue- a wedding, a party, whatever- be prepared to make your own parking signs for their property and provide your own trash receptacles. Then be prepared to haul off the trash afterwards (you know, your wedding guests' plastic cups and paper napkins and such...) because you'll be expected to. We were.
     Also, plan on having the property's owner parade in and out of the barn repeatedly during your party to get items from the closet conveniently (at least apparently for him) located in the middle of a vendor's booth space in the main room (hey, they wanted some ice cream from the fridge in there, and it's their place, right?) This was our experience.
     Take my advice people, and think twice before booking any event at this place (of course, hind site is 20/20 and I had no less than 3 people at the fair tell me they were surprised and a bit concerned when we first announced where the event would be held because they had heard of problems in the past...I wish I'd heard this sooner)
     An example? Here's a small but terribly aggravating story:  I was informed no one else could sell bath or body products because the owner sold them. OK, no problem. I see her point, sort of. (I personally welcome multiple vendors- I sell painted furniture and I am secure enough with my product to be thrilled to have other furniture vendors there too) We then bring on one of my favorite restaurants on board to sell food and drinks, only to have people complain to me that if you went upstairs to the deck outside the lavender shop, she had water for sale for next to nothing, undercutting the restaurant booth by a substantial amount and making the shoppers that bought water down stairs feel totally ripped off. The list goes on and on, but I am tired of even thinking about it.
     Yes, I know this is not my usual sort of happy post that I am far more comfortable doing, but darn it, the fact of the matter is that these folks caused us all (each and every vendor) to lose time and money due to some of these shenanigans and that makes me mad. It put a damper on things and it caused me to have to spend valuable time smoothing things over with vendors and shoppers alike, when I could have been working my booth and greeting guests. So unnecessary. As a Mom that helped with three weddings in one year, I'd never want to tangle with a business venue run this way on a day as important as a wedding.
     It's so sad to me when I come across someone so miserable themselves that they cannot seem to bear seeing anyone else happy or successful.

*sigh* And I though lavender was supposed to be so soothing.

Half way through

Oh. My. Ga.
Friday night exceeded all of our expectations. The crowd was fabulous. To say we stepped things up was an understatement. Amazing booths. Incredible vendors. Ginormous crowd of shoppers. Blog friends from across the country!
It was heaven.
I'll post more when I can....off to the Tumbleweed Cotillion for day number two!

Off to the Cotillion....

 
Here's the tiara Miss Deb will be sporting tonight at the Tumbleweed Cotillion. Is this not the cutest darned thing?! More pictures of the booths later today hopefully....

Down to the wire

     I'm nearly out of time. I have so many pieces still to price, errands to run and last minute touch ups still to do. (and get to work on time today for my grown up girl job....) I'm not complaining mind you, quite the opposite.
I am in a complete state of bliss (with a slight touch of anxiousness as I watch the clock! ) and I'm thinking of even more ideas as I approach the deadline for the Cotillion!

Getting ready for friends

    
 The guest room is ready and waiting. I spoke with my friends from reTreat last night. They're driving down from the Seattle area and should be arriving in Reno for the Tumbleweed Cotillion Wednesday in the early afternoon. They're going to be staying with me while they're in town and I am so looking forward to their visit!
If you're planning on attending the event you're gonna love Deb and Bob and all of their great stuff. So much talent!
     I'm still franticly running around like a crazy woman, getting things painted and sanded and priced. I guess I must like working under pressure, putting certain things off until the last minute, because this seems to be a pattern with me.

Hmmm,  I need to work on that.

Le petite sneak peek ...

 

     I'm working like a maniac getting ready for next Friday when the second Tumbleweed Cotillion opens at 5:00. So much still to do- painting and pricing and detail work. Oh, and we're having a nice little heat wave just to make things a bit more challenging.
     I am guessing half of what I planned to have in the fair will end up in my Antique Mall booth sometime in the next few weeks.

*sigh* I need two of me this weekend.

Tumbleweed Update!

 
     Blogland is all a-buzz with chatter about this past weekend's Farm Chicks show in Spokane. Oh, how I wish I could have been there!! It sounds like it was absolutely incredible. You can see pictures of some of the booths and such on her blog. Oh, and on hers too. (She even shares a picture of one of the Tumbleweed Cotillion's vendors!) It inspires me so. It makes me want this next Tumbleweed Cotillion to be the most incredible thing the biggest little city has ever seen, charm wise.

Anyway.

I have mega big news for you (well, for me anyway) today, people!!  I spent all afternoon and most of the evening updating the Tumbleweed Cotillion website.(check out the bio's on the vendors!)  Did you know we're going to have delicious little lunches there this year? mmm hmmm. And wine and appetizers on Friday night? (oh! How very foo-foo-shee-shee!) And that we have vendors coming all the way from California and Washington?
     OK, that's big news, but the biggest news is...

While Adrienne was at the Farm Chicks event she made time to go search out the Country Living magazine folks (you know, the Farm Chicks write for Country Living magazine) and gave them our fabulous little foofified Press Kit. They asked her a lot of questions and...they gave her a card and asked for us to send them photos of our event!!!!!!

Can you tell I am walking on air today?!

Italian paperclips

     
    Just look at these beauties.
    Aaah, there's nothing quite like them. Exactly the kind of tiny detail that catches your eye, the difference between average and fabulous, really.(Really!)
     I first saw them when one of the vendors in the Tumbleweed Cotillion submitted their application and used one to hold her packet together. Wow. I loved the look. Did she make them, I wondered? I wanted some of these darling little miniature mattress spring looking things...so, I wrote and asked her. No, she had bought them, and she'd be happy to send me some and I could pay her when she gets up here for the faire. (She and her sister are coming up from San Francisco to sell some of the most wonerful candlesticks and such that they create from vintage chandeliers. So cool.)    
     The paperclips arrived yesterday and I. am. in. love. (I am quite sure of it.) I'll be using them Friday night as I finish up some Press kits and I know they will make the presentation.
Thanks Rebecca!

1.5 minutes of semi fame (a teeny tiny bit of shameless self promotion here, people)

 
I'm so excited that I just had to do a second post and brag a little bit.

      Channel 2 ran my little news story, and promoted the upcoming Tumbleweed Cotillion, both on the news, and with a link in the article! These people rock.
Here's the link to the story AND the video...not sure why they list only Pam in the title...on the news they mentioned both of us of course...oh well....did I mention that they plugged the Tumbleweed Cotillion in the article and the video?!

**note** I have done nothing but eat since March 15th (the last wedding) and I wish I could say the camera added those extra pounds, but...no. I will be eating sensibly beginning tomorrow at sunrise. *sigh*

reTreat joins the Tumbleweed Cotillion Vintage French Market

     Oh, people, people, people. Cancel any vacation plans you had for June 27th and 28th. You just don't want to miss this. Really.
    All the way from the pacific northwest, Seattle's own reTreat has been added to the vendor list at the June Cotillion. They'll become"Rue de Retreat" for the two glorious days of the vintage French Market here in the biggest little city.

Deb and her dream of a husband, Bob, are the visionaries of reTreat. She's an incredibly amazing and talented designer, he's an equally amazing and talented contractor/builder, and they both love to thrift, scavenge, and rescue forgotten items. (Now, that's my idea of a dream man!) 
     I've known Deb for many years now, first online, at the iVillage message boards, then with the "Bliss Boards" from the original Victoria magazine. Then, later again, with the Women Take Wing community...becoming good friends without actually meeting in person...until last June at the life changing Willows Nest event (very near the spot where I first discovered the real Stars Hollow Camas, Washington!)The following October, we got to meet in person again at  the Victoria magazine launch event.

*sigh* They are incredible people.

Anyway.

Deb has been trying to see if they actually had the time and the inventory to make the Cotillion. You see, they are already doing the Farm Chicks show in Spokane in early June. Last night, they made the decision to just go for it, and do both shows.

To give you an idea of Deb's creative vision, here's a quote from one of her emails to me last night..."And wouldn't you just know it, as I go along, I am also finding a BUNCH of stuff that I could create an absolutely FABulous booth at the Tumbleweed Cotillion French Market. White, ivory, tan, rusty foofy and frenchy stuff. Filigreed frames and candelabra and wire urns and white scallop-edged dishes. I have furniture & mirrors & lamps that could go with it, too. I can picture it, all arranged, in my head - like a soft-focus tintype photo in sepia tones. Madeline Peyroux murmuring French songs in the background. Welcome to the 'Rue de Retreat Flea Market'......"

See what I mean? Mark your calenders, people.

*sigh* Such inspired people.

Happy Earthday, 2008: A completed vintage dresser re-do

      In honor of Earthday, I thought I'd share one of my most recently completed recycled pieces. Remember the old dresser before?

Well, it's all painted and antiqued now, ready for my booth at the upcoming Tumbleweed Cotillion's Vintage French Market. It's so sweet that I kind of am tempted to keep it, but I really have no place to put it in my cottage.
     Not only would it be darling in a bedroom, but I can picture it in a living room with a fat candelabra up top, or in a dining room with a silver tea service gracing it, or even at the end of a hallway, with vintage family photos tucked in the corners of the mirror. Oh! How about in a large bathroom, with some hand towels and a vase of flowers up on top? Done up plain or fancy, there are just so many spots it could go.

*Sigh* So much nicer than in a landfill, don'tcha think?

Press Kit pretties

      Aah, Friday. my favorite day of the week, currently. And, a busy week it has been. (sheesh, do I say that every week, or what?!)
      I spent last night  painting furniture and working on foofy details for the Tumbleweed Cotillion Press Kits. (oh! That's one of my favorite parts of all of this!)
    Since this faire is called the "Vintage French Market" I am going a bit more French with the marketing pieces.
     See the darling little Annie Oakley looking girl? I just love her, with her serious face, and her lasso, six shooter and big floppy French hat.

    Tonight I'll finish assembling the kits. (and just wait till next week, when you see the little chocolate fleur di lis I am putting on top of the cupcakes we'll be delivering along with the Press Kits!)