5 on Friday

There's been so much going on lately, I thought I would do a 5 on Friday this week to give you all a little recap.

1. It's hard to believe its already been a week since Vintage Market Days! It was a crazy few days. I was blown away by all the awesome vendors. Not only beautifully handpainted/handcrafted goods, but just the great eye for unique finds all of the vendors had. We were so happy to be included with everyone.

It can be challenging to showcase our work in these venues. I always hate to hide Jeff's tables under the smalls we bring along. I'll definitely be working on design for our upcoming shows. Here's a peek of our tent on Saturday/Sunday. Most everything you see here sold!

This large farmhouse table got a lot of attention, but we ended up bringing it back to the shop. We're happy that just a few days later it sold! It's a beautiful color and will look great in the new owner's space.

We sold a lot of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and it's been nice to see some follow up shoppers stop in the shop this week to pick up new colors.

This was the first smaller dining room table Jeff made. We get a lot of comments on how people love his tables, but they just don't have the room. This sold on Saturday and he plans on making more soon.

I got to do a little shopping myself on Sunday. This necklace from Cottage 360 was perfect for me (there's a little paint brush on the back of the J). The Vintage Farmhouse was right across from us and I loved EVERYTHING they had. So happy to have found these little flashcards.

2. I saw this on Facebook this week and had to laugh. I go through this with nearly every project. It's hard not to get caught up in things when they don't work out. I'm one of those people that has a specific image in my mind and gets flustered pissed when things don't go as I thought they would. I'm trying to go with the flow more (the wine helps with that).

3. Spring is finally here! Flowers and trees are blooming and we couldn't be more excited. If you've been following our blog, you know we recently built a house. We downsized and moved into a new urban planned community that we love.

Our yard is MUCH smaller. But, we're ok with that. We're getting a fence installed so the pups won't run off. I've been scouring Pinterest for small yard ideas, so you'll be seeing more of our progress in the coming weeks. Here's where we are today:

4.  With that said, we're finally ready to start concentrating on indoor projects, too. Since December, we've spent all of our time opening the shop, our grand opening and then VMD, that we've neglected our own house! There was actually a point where we didn't have tables (yes, I know we make them) and had our alarm clocks on the floor. (pathetic, I know).

Here's a few shots of the main level I took on my way out this a.m. We definitely need to paint and get some color in our breakfast room.

5. Last, but not least, I'm looking forward to an upcoming event: Clothing Swap for Perennial. We were introduced to Perennial last fall when we participated in their ReMake competition. We were given three windows and had to make a usable item for the home. Jeff came up with this small table (which was then auctioned off):

When we opened the shop, we talked about supporting a local charity whose mission and values are close to our heart. Perennial offers educational programming in creative reuse and sells creatively repurposed home furnishings and eco-friendly supplies for reuse projects...it's a natural fit for us!

If you are in the STL area, check it out on May 18th. $10 gets you in the door and swapping your old clothes for new ones (well, new to you). There will be bloody marys and mimosas ... and it all goes to a good cause. Hope to see you there!

Steppin' up to a ReDesign Challenge

There are so many great fall festivals and events around St. Louis this year. Sadly, we've had to limit RDFCo. to two. Trust me, it wasn't easy not applying to some of our faves. Somehow I managed to sit on my hands until the application periods were over.

We're currently gearing up for an Etsy Pop-Up in early October (we'll be sharing more info soon). A few days after that, we're taking on a whole new challenge. We were tapped to participate in a local fundraiser called Lost + (F)ound to benefit Perennial (a community workshop and store in St. Louis offering educational programming in creative reuse and sells creatively repurposed home furnishings and eco-friendly supplies for reuse projects.)

Besides the promise of wine, beer, pie and paper pinwheels, the event also features a ReDesign Challenge. Local artists, architects and designers are given three windows and have to transform them into a usable and functional piece for the home. The items are auctioned off at the event, with all proceeds benefiting Perennial. Since I love a good competition, I said hell yes!

Last week we picked up our windows. We aren't allowed to purchase anything new for them. We can take them apart and use fasteners to create a unique piece. They also provided us with green paint strippers and paint. We've already been kicking around some ideas & I can't wait to get started. Stay tuned for an update!