Happily Ever After!

Last Friday evening, just after we had completed our booth setup and a lovely dinner party at the Remnants of the Past Show in California, our son Joel married the love of his life Ashley on a beach in Maui. ;0)

Family & friends watched on a live web cam, {daughter Jeni snapped the photo above of her tv during the ceremony} and shared in the joy of two people in love. We were sitting in our booth in the middle of an orchard! What a beautiful and meaningful ceremony, a perfect setting, a glowing bride, and a beaming groom. After the vows, they danced their first dance to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' on a ukelele... a la Bruddah Iz. {That's been Joel's favorite song for I don't know how long.... made me cry}. I'm a little sad that we weren't there BUT the real point is that they had a beautiful day and the memories of it will last them a lifetime. And that's what it's really all about!

They are arriving back home in Texas today, and I'm sure the reunion with their baby boy Jameson will be a very happy one! Congratulations, my loves... many happy years and memories to come.

Afterglow

We had a lovely, lovely time at the Remnants of the Past Antique Show in Nipomo, California this past weekend! 'The Judy's {Watkins & Powers) were amazing, the vendors and their products were ALL inspiring, the guests/attendees were so excited and enjoyable, the setting was perfect, the weather was gorgeous.... need I go on?!

We are just so blessed to have been invited to participate in such a remarkable show!

I've posted some of our booth photos on our Retreat Facebook Page, if you'd like to see more of what we presented. There are SO many more photos to come, as soon as I get a chance. At every turn, there was something that just HAD to be captured on film... for now, we are taking care of some things at Bob's parents place. And it's 89 degrees! ;0)

{images & products are mine; all rights reserved}

Special Delivery

I think it's probably safe to share this now... 

I've been waiting until this gift makes its way to someone,

because I don't want to ruin the surprise! 

But I'm dying to share it - so, here goes:

That sweet beachy-looking box above is headed to Texas.

Inside is a special gift...

I went on a treasure hunt a while back, to find charms. 

Special charms, each with a special meaning.

I saved them up and then asked my friend Patricia

to use them to create a special piece of jewelry.

Patricia owns Tippy Stockton Custom Jewelry,

and she is a GENIUS!

This is the very special necklace that she created!

I am just so incredibly moved that my friend took my wish,

combined it with her talent and imagination,

and came up with something so perfect. 

I could not love it more!

It's silver with pearls, and aquamarine that looks just like sea glass.

All of the silver charms I gave her are included, 

and each has a special meaning. The little paper tag tells what the meanings are on one side, and on the other side, it says 

'Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.'
I packaged it up nestled in a seashell.

You see, I had Patricia create this for Ashley,

the darling girl who is about to become our fourth daughter.

She's marrying our son on Friday of this week!

Joel & Ashley will be flying to Maui,

and saying their vows on the beach.

All of their family members will watch on a live webcam, 

because this wedding is about them. 

I love the idea. It's just kind of hard to NOT be there!

At all three of our daughters' weddings, 

I created the decor and flowers.

Wrapped in the stem of each of my daughters' bridal bouquets,

I placed some charms and a note to them. They still have them.

Since I can't do that for sweet Ashley,

I am sending this necklace instead.

A gift from Mom to Daughter,

for her wedding.

A day that I hope will be one more happy memory

that she can treasure always.
{and if she doesn't see this post before it arrives,
it should be a great surprise!}

Thank you SO MUCH, Patricia, for helping me do this!

My friends, if you want a custom creation for a bride

or a beautiful piece of ready-made jewelry for yourself,

please visit Patricia!

Tippy Stockton blog

 Tippy Stockton on etsy

Tippy Stockton on Facebook

{Images mine}

Simple Wall Art

When a few of our friends toured our beach house during the private Petite Retreat Preview event we had last month, this arrangement of wall art was one of the things most of them commented on. It's in our miniscule little 'media room', and reflects the soothing 'sandy beach' color palette we are using throughout our entire home.

Some extra canvases I had on hand and larger squares of rigid foam insulation were covered with fabric remnants, and then vintage papers and sheets of music were pinned on with old straight pins. This project literally took me less than half an hour to assemble all four pieces of art and then hang them in the room. Each 'canvas' hangs on two thumbtacks in the wall. {Did I say this was easy already?!}

I could easily change the pages if I wanted to. With my background in retail display & merchandising, I don't plan for my decor to be permanent... in fact I much prefer easy, simple methods of decorating because then it's just as quick to change it up the next season or when inspiration hits!

When we return from the Farm Chicks show in Early June, we're converting this 'media room' into a guest room. {The search is on for a full size bed} Our daughter Jeni will be visiting from Texas sometime in June, and then we'll be hosting a friend who is coming as our special guest to our Summer Petite Retreat on June 26. My idea is that I'll 'personalize' this artwork for each guest who stays with us, using vintage papers & pages in subjects & themes that express a very special 'welcome' to our friends & family!

{Images mine}

Irish 'Ayes'

Notice anything familiar about this map?

Sometimes you just happen to run across something and it changes your view of what's possible... {yes, like July 12, 2008 when we discovered our home here on Camano Island}. Tonight, we serendipitously discovered that there exists a place we are most certainly destined to visit one day...

Deep in the center of another Island, in a central rural county, there is a village alongside a fabled river. And in that village, there exists a neighborhood with several byways, roads, and drives - and a park - that are named the same name that we gave our business.

The Village of Athlone, in County of West Meath, Province of Leinster, Ireland, resides on the banks of the epic River Shannon. Situated East of Counties Galway and Clare (both locations of my O'Shaughnessy and Ward families and Bob's family), this neighborhood named Retreat is located smack dab in the middle of the Emerald Isle and both of our family's histories. {Coincidence? Ask the little people. ;0) }

We've always wanted to visit Ireland, of course, but now... well, now we KNOW we'll visit our ancestral home. Not sure when yet, but we will. For me, it will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream - something I have dreamed of since I was very young. 

Just as my heroine Katie Scarlett O'Hara did in the sequel to Gone With the Wind, I'll stand on the High Hill of Tara, home of the Irish Kings, with my bare feet planted in the soil of my forefathers and foremothers. I'll close my eyes, and hear the songs of a hundred thousand years of my family's history on the clear Irish breeze. 

Like Gerald O'Hara's daughter did, I will grab a fist of loam and carry that part of my Ancestral Home with me back to my own place. For me, that is all the way back to Retreat Farm on our own private Retreat Drive on Camano Island, Washington, USA, where I'll mix it with the dirt in my yard.

My redheaded son {called 'Irish' by his friends} is the most vocal supporter of our family's heritage. But this redheaded Irish girl gives thanks that I am exactly where I belong in this world, due to the strong and honorable Irishmen & women who came and fought and worked and survived and took risks long before me. And especially because of the one who walks beside me every day...

'Tis Blessed I am, to be an Irish woman in love with an Irish man!

Lettin' My Light Shine

I love making lampshades into something more... 

I think beautiful lamps deserve gorgeous custom 'hats' and that's how I treat lampshades. Pictured here are some of the ones I've created over the past three years for various Retreat seasonal collections...

While wrapping a paper shade in burlap, linen, or vintage papers always receives a favorable response at shows, sometimes I have to push it a little farther! From ribbons to vintage piano player music and millinery supplies to wire baskets, I'll use almost anything to foof up a lamp and make it a one of a kind piece.

After finding a few vintage wire shade frames at the Skagit Giant Garage Sale on Saturday morning, I've been busy this weekend doing just that - plus working similar magic on something else I got my hands on. I think these are going to be a huge hit at the Remnants of the Past antique show in California in less than two weeks!

It's been awhile, hasn't it?!

I've been busy completing client projects (a blog, a color consult, design concepts for merchandising units & product packaging, a store floorplan) plus projects for Retreat(two booth design plans for two separate shows, new custom Facebook FBML content, a new blog for Petite Retreat and graphics for our 2010 shows, not to mention working on Retreat product for two shows and a drop-off with 'the Boys' for their web store). We are also 99% sure we'll be adding another show to our season (this one is Mid-July in SoCal!) so the pace has really picked up around here.

I'm trying to keep up with blogging, but it's pretty far down the list right now.
My computer has issues (don't they ALL?!) and I am trying not to push it with more photos because in two weeks, we have to have this baby running like a top: our son is getting married in Maui, and we will be watching via live web cam. From our booth at the Remnants of the Past show during set up!!! Never a dull moment...

{image: mine}

Easter Greeting

Happy Easter!
May the eggs, bunnies, candy, and flowers bring smiles

and the reason for this celebration give you hope...

"I have come that they may have life, 

and that they may have it more abundantly." 

 Jesus, in John 10:10

No Bandaid For This

Ever feel like everything that could go wrong is going wrong?

OK well maybe it's not that bad, but GEEEEEEEEEEZE....

We are dealing with horrendous winds, torrential rains, power outages, winter storm warnings, even SNOW. A rather bothersome ache has now developed into a completely raw and debilitating immobility in my back. AND my laptop has been on the fritz ever since the latest Windows & Firefox updates hit - I can only use it in safe mode. UGH. (Not to mention Blogger's refusal to allow access allllllll day up until now). I have a show in a few weeks to prepare for, OUR show a few weeks after that to promote, three retail clients to work on projects for, a blog to complete for another client, and products to photograph and package for sale online. And I'm stuck in bed until who knows when.

I know it's not the end of the world as we know it or anything, but I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me why everything seems to conspire against us when we have the MOST on our 'to do' list???