The End of Our First Season...

Well y'all...our Season Finale was more than we could have imagined!! Our goal was to create something mystical, magical and very different from any of our previous shows. We also wanted to celebrate the first year of Barn House AND celebrate with all of the wonderful people who we have met and who have supported us in this crazy journey. To say the least, it quite a party!!
We stayed up most of the night cooking in preparation. Then there was getting up extra early for "hair/make-up/costumes" and putting the final touches on everything. Of course, there is NEVER enough time...even if you go to bed at 2am and wake up at 4am.
SOOO, you know there were a few things that still needed to get done and we were rushing around like lunatics in the morning. I had forgotten that we ran out of paper for Miss Honey-Money (our credit card machine) at the previous show. So the night before the show, Natalie volunteered to stop and get some for us. BUT, who would have thought she wouldn't want to have paper loaded in her RIGHT BEFORE THE EVENT???? Yes, Drama!! So 15 minutes before we opened I was on the phone with customer service trying to get her to cooperate. Because this is not her first "stunt," I have another name for her that I can't really share at this time.
Earlier that morning, Barry (aka, King of Tarte) was rushing to the store get all the other stuff we forgot...Cindy was STILL trying to glue on her black-feathered-fierce eyelashes...Joe was running in circles with eye-liner in one hand while trying on different outfits with the other...our FIVE friends from New Mexico were upstairs fighting over the last little bit of remaining hot water. I, having only a couple of hours of sleep, thought it was a good idea to start preparing the mimosas. The only problem was the champagne was still at the house...so I (sleep-deprived) thought it was easier to load 6 magnums of champagne in the passenger side of the pick-up and drive to The Barn, but "accidentally" slammed on the brakes causing one of the bottles to roll off the seat onto the floor (where I had some of the other bottles) -- Yes, a champagne EXPLOSION was upon me!!!! Just in case you were wondering why my Gothic make-up was a little smeared, this is why...
Speaking of mimosas...we didn't realize some people wouldn't read the big old sign next to the dispenser. We will admit, orange juice + champagne does look like just plain old orange juice in a beautiful glass apothecary-style dispenser--especially if you didn't read the sign (or have never heard of a mimosa). One young woman guzzled down about two or three cups before realizing she felt a little funny. "OMG, does this have alcohol in it???? I have never drank...it's against my religion!!!" OOOPS!!! Leave it to The Boys of Barn House and Queen of Tarte to corrupt the innocent with our shenanigans. Fortunately, she eventually found a lot of humor in the situation and signed a waiver not to sue us.
From the bottoms of our hearts, we thank all of you who have come out to Barn House to support us!! Your participation had made these past several months absolutely amazing!! Merci Beaucoup!!!
So now we need to apologize for being a bit M.I.A the past few weeks. After the show ended and our close friends headed back to New Mexico, we have had a bit of "Post-Season Depression." We haven't replied to your comments, and barely have been replying to calls and e-mails. Before the show, one of our goats (Nettie) got really sick. She ended up not making it and died a few days after the show which was really hard on us both. Needless to say, the last show of 2008 has been a little bitter-sweet. We thought we would be happy to have a break from the hectic pace. Now, we miss it all. I think I even miss all those creepy dolls and doll heads that lurked in the corners...We are really going to miss snatching up strangers and hugging them just for being here! And seeing and hugging all of our friends every month. Yes, we have been a little off-track. But slowly, the inspiration has been coming back. Joe and Cindy headed out last weekend with a trailer full of treasures for "The Magic of Mistletoe" show that The Waltzing Witches (Terri, Kat and Robyn) put together. Their wonderful show full of amazing artists/vendors and an incredible turnout of customers!
Joe and Cindy were embraced by Terri, Kat and Robyn and had an absolute blast!!!
I couldn't make it to the show unfortunately, but from everything they told me, the show was great! And not to be one to miss a party, I am REALLY upset I couldn't go.
In the midst of our post-season depression, we had lost a bit of direction. Our "voice" was gone. We hadn't been visiting blogland because I was dreading having to post anything new. THEN, our close friends and mentors Linda and Ludmil of Willow Nest introduce Willow Nest Farm...their new Home, Store and Bed & Breakfast in Burton, TX. AND, they step onto the scene with an amazing new hybrid of a blog/website!!! If you haven't seen it, be sure to check it out. Ma & Pa Willow are doing BIG things out there in Texas!! Something they said about us on their site snapped us out of our funk. Yes, inspiration is upon us! HEE HAW!!!

What's next for Barn House?? Well, we have the 2009 calendar set. In the interim, Joe is working on "Studio BH" or "The BH Studio" or "Basement BH" -- haven't quite figured out the name, BUT it will be our Winter/Spring basement staging for our on-line store that will include special BH treasures and creations. AND we may even have some special events at our house for our best customers!! More to come...

Joe & Jermonne