Findings from Summerhouse at the CL Fair...

Okay, I admit it. I am THE most disorganized, "woulda, shoulda, coulda", "if it weren't for last minute I wouldn't get anything done", kind of thinker/doer. Sometimes it works out great and a phenomenal idea will come to me just when I am about to throw in the towel while thinking "I'm clueless...I can't think of anything". To prove this point the player piano rolls/mini vintage milk bottles/parchment roses/sea fans on my tent at the fair. A bit of a last minute collaboration of textures, etc. Imagine my surprise and subsequent joy when I unrolled the 3rd roll and found the lyrics were down the side, beautiful! Why I have not seen this before?

But...sometimes (and honestly more often than not) my spinning of many plates at once causes me to drop a few. For example...Joanna's Findings bracelets from Summerhouse (for those of you who attended the 2009 Country Living Fair she was in Tent 4). thats her behind her sign, busy wrapping up a purchase

Last year I oohed and aahed over her creations, absolutely loved them!!! I asked her for information on how to sell them in my shop so that I could share her masterpieces with you, she very professionally mailed me a typed wholesale terms package. Then I dropped a plate. The package is on my desk, which most days I can't get to because of various piles and projects blocking my path (very UNprofessional of me). To top that I left the fair without buying for the store!!! Okay, for 2008 I have an excuse, it was a wee bit windy on Sunday which caused some chaos. But, alas, did the same thing again this year! No excuse except exhaustion.
(I am the proud owner & wearer of the bottom bracelet!)

However, I did pick out one of her bracelets for myself...a lovely, chunky marriage of texture(glass/metal/lucite), with one of a kind trinkets mixed into the collage. The 2 that caught my eye were a mini shell whose edges have been dipped in gold and a round charm that says "genuine".

I'm sure it's that way for all the lucky owners of a Findings creation...particular elements of a piece caught their eye or "spoke" to them. Whether it conjured up a fond memory (the shell for me) or is a quite, simple reminder about how someone wants to be in life ("genuine") a Findings bracelet is more than an accessory for an outfit. It's a snapshot of a special moment, thought or idea that wraps around your wrist.

Thank you Joanne for sharing your creations with us. They are a true joy! Attention Urban Farmhouse shoppers...Findings creations will be arriving soon...what an awesome Christmas present! Find more about Joanna (and her mom Kathe), her shop Summerhouse and her Findings creations in this months Better Homes & Gardens.

Welcome Capital Style readers!

Come on in...take a look around...plan a daytrip with your closest friends who share your passion for finding treasures old and new. Urban Farmhouse is SO worth the drive...just a short 30 minutes from the east side of Columbus...you won't believe our prices and our inventory constantly changes...making each trip such a wonderful treat! We hope to see you soon! Enjoy some farmhouse fresh photos of recent finds in shop now! (((attention GOAT CART hunters, photos added at the bottom of this post)))

If you would like to receive exclusive invitations to events and sales please leave your email address with me in the box on the right side of my blog. Have a wonderful day!




*~*~LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL BAKER SOFA!! STUNNING!! *~*~

Earth Angels

Briefly(!) on Sunday at the CL Fair I was able to quickly breeze around (pun intended) and pit stop at a handful of tents. I knew ahead of time I wanted to see the Earth Angels store. I have been a subscriber to their emails for over a year now and truly some of today's best folk art is coming from these artists. When I stopped in their tent I was immediately drawn to the creations of Cheryl Kuhn. Being a lover of anything using old photos I knew I wanted to see her one-of-a-kind mixed media collages in person. Her pieces are snapshots of a short story. She uses found objects and bits of prose to capture your imagination in a 3-D masterpiece. I think her pieces remind me of the diorama's I loved making in elementary school. Of course I don't remember the subject/topic, the focus of the project, but I remember making the sky, the cotton ball clouds hanging from fishing line to be invisible, breaking and gluing twigs on the back of the box to look like split rail fence, carving faces into peeled apples and then drying them (do this with your kids...hang them and let them dry, the apple contorts and wrinkles as it dries out, makes a great witch head). Cheryl's "grown-up" dioramas cause you to stop and let your mind wander into the lilliputian story. Below are shots of the piece I fell in love with and brought home...and Cheryl was there to sign and wrap it for me, what a treat. Thank you Cheryl for sharing your talent!