Sweet Surprises

Don'tcha' just love it when
something unexpected happens

and it's a GOOD thing?!

When a sweet surprise shows up?

We've been busily prepping and designing and creating products

for the Farm Chicks Antique Show {click for info} this coming weekend.

The list has been LONG, trust me. 

We have over 300 square feet of space in our booth to fill!

Well, yesterday, in the midst of checkin' stuff off the list

{sand that, paint this, sew that, recover this}

Bob was sanding and prepping some chairs for new paint, 

then upholstery, when he discovered 

some really KILLER original burlap 

under the hideous 80's coverings.
oh yes he did.

;0)

Not only does this fact make these really sweet lil' chairs even cuter

{if that's even possible - and oh MY it IS}

but it saved us HOURS of work.

yay!

I just love it when that happens.

I hope to see you in Spokane this weekend!

www.theFarmChicks.com

To all who serve and have served, 

and to those who have sacrificed their lives 

for the Freedom of our citizens...  

thank you. 

We are forever in your debt.

Bloomin' Beauties

Despite the miserably gray, cold, wet weather around here,

the roses are blooming.

I discovered this golden beauty tucked just under my bedroom windowsill

when I opened the blinds today. 

The red roses out by the barns

have been blooming for a week now - 

so proliferously, in fact, 

that I had to cut a dozen and bring them inside.

Yes, that's sunshine on the leaves.

I think.

I've sort of forgotten what it looks like... ;0)

What's blooming in your garden?

{images mine}

Oh, Henry!

I'm not really sure how to say this, 

so I'm just going to throw it out there.

I played with boobies today. 

Yeah, you read that right! {and NO, not MINE....}

In my previous post, I shared a photo of my new old MANequin

I got him at a yard sale last weekend for three bucks. ;0)

He's from the 40's and was originally 

in a men's haberdashery in Everett.

I don't know why, but the moment I picked him up,

I just knew his name was Henry.

He wasn't in bad shape, but... well.. 

he was in need of a lil' somethin'.

 My post alluded to the fact that change was a-comin'. 

Well, today was 'Procedure' Day. 

Henry, shown in the altogether up above,

got himself some double Ds. 

{flower foam covered by tissue. LOTS of tissue}

And then got all wrapped up like a mummy 

in hundreds of strips of paper. 

{And OH, do I mean HUNDREDS.}

There are four layers of paper glued onto Henry.

It's old school writing paper, and I love the soft color.

So, after a day at the 'spa' being massaged {and fondled},

Henry is now Miss HenryEtta.

I do not really know if this makes Henry happy or not.

I dressed HER in a sassy little cami I found a long time ago.

It was actually destined to become a lampshade cover,

but it was so perfect for HenryEtta, I couldn't resist.

Finishing touch: I put the jewelry back on & added a flower pin.

Now if those double D tissue boobies 

just hadn't squashed and flattened out, 

I'd be happy.

Oh well.

Art, as life, can't be perfect.

{The left one is bigger than the right one, too... ;0) }

Note:

I WILL be bringing my jewelry to Farm Chicks!

{I misunderstood something before - it's been cleared up.}

Come by and say hello to HenryEtta. 

No fondling, please....

{images mine}

Be Jeweled!

Back in April, when we were developing products for the Remnants of the Past show,

I was playing around with my stash of vintage crystals and sparkly things....and lace.

Crocheted lace, tatted lace, doilies, tablecloths... 

anything I could dig out of boxes & bins or unearth at thrift stores. 

The result was what I call 'NeckLACEs' {not sure if that's original or not} 

and I thought they were pretty cool. 

Blame it on that conference for the Yarn Industry that I spoke at in March,

but I'm totally loving the knit/crochet/tatting thing right now.

Even tho I can't cast on or knit one or purl two or....anything. 

{Sorry, Gramma. You tried.}

Apparently, everyone who saw my creations liked them, too -

'cause they FLEW out of our booth! 

I sold ALL of two styles, and have just a few of the third style left.

{the ones shown on the right, below}

I've been working on more lace jewelry for the Farm Chicks Show.

There are several one of a kind 'NeckLACEs', shown in the first photo

on my new old mannequin

{and it's literally a MANnequin... but no worries.

Soon Henry will be Henrietta. It's a relatively simple procedure}

There are a few chokers with crystal drops {above}

and wrist cuffs {below}

I'm really going to have a hard time parting with some of this stuff!

But this one, below, I made for ME: 

A Headband with a bejeweled vintage flower.

I gets to keep her. ;0)

There's also a production run of Junk Queen Crowns underway 

{a NEW version is in the works, and let's just say 

that they would look stunning with any of the jewelry above...hinthint}

If you are coming to the Farm Chicks Antique Show

{June 5&6, Spokane, WA}

 come and see me in booths #129,130,and 131 - Retreat

We'll have lots of furniture, lighting, and home decor accessories, too!

{Images by Deb Kennedy for Retreat 2010;

All Rights Reserved}

Just What the Doctor Ordered?

 So, didja' watch it?

I did, and I have a million things to say about it.

I read Sonda Rhyme's blog entry about it

and I STILL have things to say about it.

Spoiler Alert: If ya' didn't watch, you might want to stop reading.

All of her explanations didn't really address the thoughts I had while watching it.
{Some serious character deviation in this episode: Like Dr. Yang, searching frantically for a resident surgeon to save Dereks' life. YANG??? The Thoracic surgeon who is so good that she covered for Dr. Burke? I know stress messes with people, but seriously...}

And some implausible moments in the storyline just made me shake my head.
Clear opportunities for the SWAT team to pick off the shooter - missed.
{On the bridge in front of those huge windows? AFTER the SWAT guy shoots Gary Clarke, and he's lying on the floor? What happened there? Why didn't he finish the job?}

Am I wrong or sick or numb because I wasn't one of the millions of people who said they cried, bawled, screamed, yelled, and were on the edge of their seats through the whole thing?
I mean, I'm a fan of this show and never miss it. But I felt like the only emotional connection I had through this whole episode was to Meredith, in that moment when she thought Derek was dead. That gaping open hole in her universe that threatened to suck her back into the dark, twisty places of her mind. That felt real. And when I saw her face as she began to work on Owen... I knew. I knew what that horrible emotion had done to her. To her shiny happy completed world.

But even Bailey hiding, lying, and crying {again, I get the 'reaction to stress' thing... but this is NOT our Bailey} didn't do anything but annoy me. It was like aliens came and took over the personas of the characters we know and love.

Am I still haunted by the utterly creepy and STILL nightmare-inducing
season six finale of ER, and judging all hospital dramas by that one episode???

I dunno'. I'm just ....disappointed.
And I didn't want a major character to die, but I was surprised that the previews showed a person in a lab coat getting shot in the midst of a busy hallway - and yet that scene never happened.

Was it a metaphor, perhaps? About 'dodging the bullet'? Hmmmmmn.
I feel like that's exactly what this episode did. I know, not a lot of people agree with me... I have read so many Facebook and GA blog comments that are about how stellar the writing was in this episode. We all see the show through our own eyes, I guess.

On another note, anyone watching LOST tonight? ;0)
I expect that one will be interesting, too. {I got lost myself about three seasons back... I'll have to get the DVDs to catch up!}

Stopping to Smell My Own Roses

It's amazing what can happen when the sun comes out around here!

The red rose bush next to the storage barn is bursting into bloom... 

{I snapped this photo yesterday}

and while red roses aren't really my favorites, 

I enjoy the cheerful glow they provide. 

Next to the gray & white barn,

they look rather patriotic.

Thing is, these beauties are thriving in utter neglect.

I do absolutely nothing to this rosebush,

let it fend for itself basically,

and it's doing wonderfully. 

Not everything in life is like that, tho,

and often, we have to prioritize 

so that we can stop neglecting things 

that really deserve our attention.

I've been running two businesses for over three years

and one of them is suffering from neglect.

So, in order to see it thrive and bloom,

I've decided to focus solely on Retreat.

I'm tired of being distracted.

I'm tired of being tired!

Effective immediately,

my retail design business is closed.

That includes all blog design work, too.

And it wasn't even hard to make that call - 

which says a lot right there.

Thank you to all of you who

supported that business & blog - 

I appreciate it.

It's just....time.

I think I can smell those roses now...

Pretty Parasols!

Don't ask me why, but I've been playing around with parasols lately!

Above and below, you can see a few 'embellished' parasols/umbrellas from our recent Petite Retreat event here at the farm. I had soooooo many women asking me HOW I did that...  it's so incredibly easy, girls!

The pretty parasol shown on the left above is on a wood market umbrella frame. 

I removed the canvas cover that came with it because it was actually from a winery display {and wasn't very pretty!}. I took a white round tablecloth and popped it on the frame - just screwed the top finial right through the cotton cloth to hold it on, and let the edges of the tablecloth fall just over the ends of the umbrella 'arms'. Then I took a big huge poofy white netting petticoat and put it on top of the tablecloth-covered-umbrella frame. I cinched it as small as I could (It has a drawstring waist) and just sat it up there, flouncing the netting ruffles evenly. {I have to tell you, while doing that, it felt eerily like I was messing with someone's skirts...} The tablecloth keeps the netting from falling between the arms of the frame. End result is a fanciful , frilly parasol that was utterly charming over our refreshment tables - and as many women noted, would be perfect for a bridal shower or wedding reception.

The second pretty parasol is shown here, and it's even simpler.

The umbrella is a five dollar vinyl beach umbrella with a white metal pole - from IKEA. I set it up and then laid a beautiful crochet square tablecloth over the vinyl top. The corners hang down and soften the edge, and the effect is altogether beautiful. I'd go so far as to say that this would be amazing at a winter wedding, used indoors in a large room, because the effect is like snowflakes overhead.

Another result of Deb playing with parasols was the creation of several of these ribbon parasols,which I took to the Remnants of the Past show in April. They were born out of the same process I use for my 'famous' ribbon-bedecked lampshade frames. I'm not going to share the how-to because I am still making them to sell - but it's really not hard to figure out. I think these are just to DIE for accessories for photo shoots. Or, of course, baby & bridal shower decor.

You probably think that my recent umbrella/parasol obsession 

is because I live in the Seattle area.

Truthfully, even in a downpour, we locals don't use them. 

We just pull our arctic fleece vests up over our heads and run. ;0)

Circle of Life

Can't really see much in this image, but that's my 'newest' grandchild!

Our youngest daughter Brianna just announced 

that she and her hubby are expecting a baby!

And Baby's due in December. 

Yes, the same month that my TWO grandsons, 

son, and first daughter were born in.

As a friend said, apparently March is a very 'romantic' month in our family.

uh huh. If that's what you wanna' call it... 'romantic'. ;0)

Hoooooo boy..... no, wait - Hooooo, GIRL!!! 

{We don't know yet, but Grammy can hope!}

And as another friend said, 

it's pretty amazing how our week started off with the passing

of Bob's 93 year old grandfather.

And it's ending with the announcement of a new life.

God is cool like that!

Reminding us that life is like the tide...ebb and flow,

and it all circles back on itself in the end.

Congratulations, A & B !

Everyday Miracles

When in the course of pursuing a dream, one tends to notice events and situations that mysteriously appear/unfold/manifest that support the journey. {Not a quote, that's me talking}

This past weekend, some things happened that probably would go unnoticed by others - but for US, well, let's just say they were like a beacon of light that shone from God's flashlight to show us that we are, indeed, on the right path after all. The path He put us on.

Let me tell you first about a man & woman who came to our event and were quite friendly, visiting with us and asking us questions about our place and our business. She even showed me some chairs she thought we might be interested in. {They are too nice for us, I told her. We take really used & abused stuff and give it a new life.} I chatted with her, Bob walked & talked with him. As he came to collect his wife and leave, he put his hand on my shoulder and told me that he had had a very nice chat with my husband. And that he would be praying for us every day, believing that we would be receiving God's miracle for us very soon, and that we would manifest the vision God gave to us.

THUD.

That was me, falling on the floor.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I thanked him (I honestly don't remember what I said, but I do recall placing my hand on his shoulder to steady myself....). He smiled and said 'Our God is a God of Miracles', then took his wife's hand and left.

Later, Bob told me that they had discussed our ENTIRE vision for the property and business, {though Bob is still not sure what led him to divulge it all to the man} and that this man smiled and asked Bob, "Do you know what I do for the last fifteen minutes of every day?" Bob said no, and the man went on to say "I pray. I pray for every person I know of who has a need. I pray that God will meet their need with abundance. And I'd like to add you to my prayer list, if you don't mind." Bob had tears in his eyes as he told ME the story so I am pretty sure he probably did when asked that question. He said yes, by the way.

The next morning, first thing, the couple showed up again. They greeted us and he said "I prayed for you last night, and I will continue to lift you up. Expect your miracle." We both thanked him, they chatted for a moment, and then said good bye and left. Bob looked at me and said "I don't know what church that man goes to, but if he invited me to visit, I'd GO."

THUD.
People, you have no idea how hard I hit the ground at that point.

You may not be religious. {I'm not} You may not have faith. {I do} You may think it's a crutch or a farce or a fable. But when faith and belief gives people the impetus to offer a word of encouragement, hope, and compassion, to act selflessly, to reach out and touch others - even strangers-  faith changes lives. It opens hearts. It speaks far more than any words on a page or from a pulpit. {I would venture to say that it brings people into an awareness of the omnipotent presence of God far more often than harsh rebukes, fire-and-brimstone stories, or threats of Hell EVER do, as well....}

Yes, I am praying and expecting our miracle, just as I have since July 12, 2008.
And now I pray also that God will open my heart and my mouth to be that word of encouragement and voice of prayer on other's behalf every chance I get. More than I have been. I encourage you today to pray, expecting your miracle. Because our God is a God of miracles.....big ones, little ones, even impossible ones.

And ones that come in the guise of an elderly man named Smith in a golf hat.....

The Perfect Day

We've been sooooooo busy this week, getting ready for our Petite Retreat event this weekend. Our little barn 'store' is filled and foofed, the breezeway and the outdoor areas are full of product, the 'hospitality' area is ready, and the tent is set up for our special guests, the girls from Poppyseeds, to bring their treasures to share. 

Today's weather was INCREDIBLE and really helped us get a lot done. We worked side by side all day, had music, sunshine, margaritas, a bbq, and a bonfire to end it. sigh. PERFECT. 

If you are looking for something fun to do for Mother's Day, drive just an hour north of Seattle and visit us! More info & map on our event blog:  http://petiteretreat.blogspot.com A few sneak peeks of our offerings are below, and you can see more on our Retreat blog, too.

This is a shot Bob caught today of one of our resident eagles.... we call him George. His mate is Martha, of course. He wasn't in the mood to have his photo taken, and flew out of the tree at the back of our field just as Bob lifted the camera. There were 15 of his friends flying overhead here yesterday, too. ;0) I love this life.

Earth Angels

 It's amazing to me how much has happened in the last few months, let alone weeks. We've had some really incredibly fortunate experiences - some sheer luck, some the result of hard work, and some the sort of thing that you try to avoid. That being said, nothing was as horrible as it could have been. No disasters, even the alternator episode on the truck was a minimal thing when it came down to it. So was the flat tire. The computer crapping out on us while we were watching our son's wedding was probably the worst thing that happened - but we were able to see the rest of the ceremony on video the next day.

So, really, not too bad when you look back at the big picture.

Especially when we hear of and know of other situations that our dear friends and family are facing on a daily basis: illness, aging, moving, financial & business failures. Things that are truly lifechanging upheavals. We want so much for those we love, and we pray for healing and solutions and peace in their lives, and we do what we can to help when we can.

And then those people reach out and do something out of the goodness of their hearts that makes our life better and our business more successful, and it just makes us so very thankful. Thankful that these wonderful people are our 'tribe', grateful for the generosity of their spirits and the thoughtfulness of their hearts, blessed by their presence in our lives. It all comes full circle, living each day with a generous heart and open arms, and God never ceases to bring to us all that we need. We may get impatient and worried at times, thinking that we don't have what we need right this minute or fear that what we want will evade us somehow, but He knows our needs and promises to care for us. Oh, how He does. And He has some mighty fine angels who step forward and fill a need without a moment's hesitation. One of our friends calls them 'Earth Angels', and I think she IS one. She and a few dozen others whom we have seen in action, time and time again: Coleen, and Beth, and the Boys, and Serena, and Patricia, and MaryBeth & Julie, and Timi, and so many others. So many. {You can't see their halos most of the time, but trust me, they have them.}

In a world where... {LOL did you just hear the movie announcer guys' deep voice as you read that?!}... we hear mostly about loss and evil and crime and the worst side of humanity, these experiences of generosity and selflessness are a balm to our souls. They remind us of our real purpose here: to be Earth Angels to everyone we encounter on our journey. Halo optional. ;0)

{image mine}