Barn House - 2009 Flea Market (Part 2)

Whew, we have finally made it out of The BH Flea Market Rehab!! And I have to honestly say that THIS show out of ANY of our shows just about killed us! I was operating on 3-4 hours of sleep per night for over a week, it was over 90 degrees every day, it was our biggest show to date, The BH Layering Effect was in FULL force, we were a "wee bit" behind schedule, almost ALL of our friends were coming over to camp, party, shop, etc...and the list goes on and on. Anyone with an analytical/logistical mindset might just ask why on Earth would they attempt to tackle SO MUCH all at once -- Are they crazy???
So, yes we are a little crazy. BUT, it's important to understand why we attempt to do certain things. You see, our cup overflows with inspiration and generosity from the people we call The Barn House Family and The Barn House Angels. SO, on occasion, we TRY to give a little tiny bit back and go the extra mile to do something a little special for the people who have been so kind to us.

Some of our most favorite people in the world are going to be in Spokane for The Farm Chicks show??? Let's throw a kick a$$ party to show our appreciation for the inspiration they have provided and their endless generosity!

Goodness! They are ALL coming to our house to bust their butts and make The BH Flea Market something incredibly over-the-top??? LET'S THROW A LITTLE PRE-PARTY...THEN AN AFTER-PARTY...THEN, THEN, THEN!

Well, I was talking to a friend from LA who just doesn't get WHY we would push ourselves to the limits like this. BUT IF you are fortunate to know any of these folks personally, you would toooootally get it. Many traveled hundreds (and hundreds) of miles to be a part of this experience. They saved their treasures just for our show...worked really hard...and most importantly, shined their gifts and light and love on us! We LOVE them and appreciate them more than I could possibly describe with words. The "problem" is...the more we try to "pay them back" or "pay them forward," they trump us with what they insist on bringing to the table!

For example, we extended an invitation to our friends selling with us to camp out on our property or stay here in the house during their visit. We thought it would be "cute" to have a little friendly competition for a tent decorating contest for those camping. THEN a "stunt" like this happens -- presented by the ever-so-talented Deb and Bob (DeBob) from Retreat...

It almost brought tears to my eyes...it was absolutely beautiful, But this is the thing -- THEY cooked US a delicious gourmet dinner at THEIR Estate (aka Taj MahTent) at OUR place! Now, I am sure this had nothing to do with the fact that we looked haggard, hungry and maybe appeared to need a place away from all the madness to relax a bit...but just had everything to do with what was in their hearts.

Needless to say -- They won the competition hands down! We had been trumped with their generosity, focus, dedication and hard work! Welcome to The BH Family, our new friends! :o)
The entire week and weekend seemed to be about who could trump the next with kindness...

...trump the next with beautiful displays...with funny stories that made the person next to them almost pee in their pants...
...with laughing the loudest... and with smiling more than the next person. AND there were The BH Crying Spells between true friends who felt something special in their hearts at various moments of the weekend. Now, usually it's me and Cindy and a couple of others...BUT, we had some newbies in "The BH Cry Baby Chair" this time (I won't call out any names)!!! IF you were here and were able to spend a few moments with The BH Family, you most likely witnessed something really special.

OH...and if you were here long enough you may have also witnessed a glitch that happened in my head from running in circles in the sun like a lunatic all day. At some point, I walked by the Tarte booth where several folks were congregating and enjoying the shade. Cindy gave me a look and said (very seriously), "Honey, you don't look so well...maybe you should sit down for a spell and have some water."

She was right (and Cindy knows me very well). By the end of the day I looked a HOT DISHEVELED MESS on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I had been stung by a bee before the show and my normally very attractive skinny ankle was swollen to the size of a tree trunk, I couldn't stop sweating, I probably smelled worse than I looked (hard to imagine), AND I had an After Party to think about!!

BUT, in true BH fashion, one Hot Disheveled Mess don't stop a BH Party!! It was certainly nothing an ice pack on a fat ankle, an ice cold shower AND an ice cold beer couldn't/wouldn't fix. See, we here at Barn House think about solutions and keep on steppin' -- HEE HAW!!! ;o)

J & J
The Boys of Barn House

P.S. - Our next show here at BH is very special -- Ma & Pa Willow (www.willownest.net) have already left Texas and will be bringing their finest treasures from their travels around the country!! If you follow the blogs on the Texas Shows, you know this is going to be some SERIOUS stuff!!! More to come on this special event here at Barn House!!!!

OH -- Today is Joe's ##rd Birthday!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!!!!

Barn House - 2009 Flea Market (Part 1)

It was more that we could have ever imagined! There is so much to share about how special this was to us...it was magical in so many ways...but off I must go to "the other gig." More to come soon...

J & J

Barn House Flea Market 2009 (Sneeky Peeky)

The Party has definitely started! The BH Family has been arriving with trailers, truck loads and more trailers. What is on the horizon is AWESOME! And I must say, I am so happy we were able to expand a little this year so we could invite some new friends....and this is why...
Deb & Bob Kennedy (DeBob) of Retreat Design have taken our little "camping tent" competition to the moon!!! I don't want to give too much away of their amazing camping space, but we were fortunate enough to be invited to an intimate dinner tonight with them on The Retreat Estate they have created here at BH...the dinner was absolutely delicious, the company was even better and the setting was in the most beautiful tent I could have ever imagined. So, this is how The BH Flea is starting off...
The company we keep is something else...they are exceptional...they are inspirational...they are here with us this weekend...
And it's going to be one hell of a BH Family Reunion!!!

We sure hope you can join us!! AND, please make sure you print out our directions (see previous post) to avoid any confusion with the detour (but don't worry, the detour is a piece of cake and there will be lots of signs).

HEE HAW!

The Boys of Barn House

Flea Market

Big Wheels Keep on Turning...




Goodness gracious...barely a small portion of the goodies have started arriving. And I must say, the few folks that have been dropping things off have been saving their BEST especially for our show. There is LOTS going on at Barn House and The Party has not even started! This Flea Market is turning into something bigger and better than we could have imagined...it is really starting to feel less like a "show" and more like a Family Reunion (and I have never even been to a family reunion)...which is probably why it's been choking me up all day thinking about what is happening so far and what is to come. There is something really special in the works out here this week! We feel so incredibly lucky to have your encouragement AND the friendship, inspiration and support from our friends/family who will be a huge part of this experience.

More to come...we have already had someone (with red hair) "rushed" to the hospital to get 4 stitches...AND I heard Natalie say a curse word for the first time EVER (shocking!). I am waaaay behind on my BH Pre-Show Crash Diet, not to mention way behind on my Pre-Show Acne Treatment, not to mention we haven't a finished the roof to our new structure, not to mentioned we haven't practiced our Proud Mary routine (or found back-up singers/dancers)...AND, Joe is so hopped up on a new sugar-free Energy Drink he is being more "difficult" than usual! ;o) Y'all know there's gonna be good stories!!

Here we go...wish us luck...

J & J
and
The Barn House Family

Barn House 2009 Flea Market - The Lineup...

"You know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us...nice & easy. BUT there's just one thing, you see. We NEVER-EVER do nothin' Nice & Easy...we always do it Nice & and Rough!" ;o)

It would be very hard for me to say we started our season "nice and easy." Especially considering it was our best, yet most difficult "production" to date...including all of the theatrics/drama leading up to the opening. But guess what?!?!? Our BIGGEST venture just is right around the corner!!! Over TWENTY of THE BEST collectors/designers/artists/friends inside and outside of The Barn. And how could we not include The Barn House Layering Effect (Bake Off, Cook Off and tent decorating contest for some friends/family/dealers that are staying with us (15+), The Barn People Pre & After Party, etc). And there's more....

So of course we have been adding more layers...building picket fences, building a new structure for The Boys of BH, landscaping new territories, cleaning up all of the trifling chaos in The Barn, taming a wild baby goat and 3 new kittens, ETC, ETC, ETC. Stuff is getting done, but it's going to be a mad dash to the finish line (to say the least).


We are soooo excited to announce our lineup for The 2009 Barn House Flea Market. I can't say enough about how special these folks are to us...
Tarte (aka The Queen of Tarte, The King of Tarte and The Barn People)
Sparrow (Natalie - aka worse than us for not updating her blog)
Little Cottage (Sylvi)
Aunties (aka Auntie Joy - A Day in the Life)
Worthy Goods (Laurie & Debbie)
Little Byrd (Rebekah)
Calamity Jane's Antiques (aka Joyce from Monticello Antique Marketplace)
Lynne Gunderson (no blog having person)
The Withies (Julie)
2nd Childhood Girlfriends (Corrine & Karen) no blog having people)
Molly Mo's (Diane)
Aleta (Aleta & Bill)
Luluz (Lulu aka Linda)
Julie & Jeff Brough (no blog having people)

And new to Barn House as dealers...
Tickled Pink (Isabel & Lisa aka Maison Douce and A Thing for Roses)
June Bug (Gladys & Celia)
Katherine & Carrie (aka Katherine's Folie and Bertha)
Retreat (Deb & Bob Kennedy)
Ormolulu (Debi)
Bella Shabby (Sue & Joe)
Terri Bayer (no blog having person--BUT, Auntie Joy's beautiful sister)
Duchess (JoDee & Kat -- aka no blog having people)

The Barn is already humming with activity...Natalie, Julie, Joyce and Corrine have already starting bringing a few of their treasures...here is what we have been up to this weekend...






The rush is upon us...stay tuned for more sneak peaks and SPECIAL DIRECTIONS (there is a road closure nearby on Ward so you will NEED new directions--even if you have been here several times).

For pix of last year's Flea Mkt, check out our posts here and here.

And we're rollin'...rollin'...rollin' on a river...See you soon!!!

J & J

P.S. -- The Boys are trying to find time to rehearse our rendition of Tina & Ike's Proud Mary for The Flea...The Barn House Layering Effect at its finest. The BIG BATTLE now is who gets to be Tina. LOL ;o)

Why we haven't blogged?

I am embarrassed by how long it has been since our last post. Then, as the weeks have gone by, the shame has set in. And on top of that, the magnitude of the stress related to our Flea Market (July 18th) preparations has crippled me...resulting in severe case of blog neglect (not to mention how long it's taken us to return phone calls, e-mails and blog comments). There is so much to share on our opening, our Barn People Party in Spokane (and goodness this party was something else--and will be certainly be getting it's own post), and what has transpired here on our little farm over the past couple of months. Yes, this may sound a bit dramatic...but The Barn House Layering Effect is in high gear!!! I need to share this in small, very manageable portions to prevent an anxiety attack...so bare with me over the next week or so as I try to get you caught up. ;o)

OK...so when one old barn collapses, most sane people would would take on this task right before their next show...



In addition to that, most people would layer on some new animals to take care of in all of the free time they have, right?? Animals that need love, attention, care and THE BIGGEST SH*T IN THE WORLD to be shoveled out of the barn...right???


Along with some other cuties who need special loving or they just might SPIT on you...

And our newest babies who just make our hearts ache...


Did I mention we have several acres to try to keep up with in this crazy growing spell?? We made a promise to ourselves to also spend a little time enjoying the pockets of magic here on our little farm..."Enjoy the Journey!" is how the saying goes around here...




And on top of it all, EVERY SANE person in the midst of all this complete madness would be planning their BIGGEST, MOST COMPLEX show to date, right???

Over 20 of THE BEST Collectors/Designers/Artists in the NW (way more than we have ever had), a fancy Magazine shoot with a very beautiful and fancy Magazine Photographer, a BH Family Bake-Off Competition, a BH Family Cook-Off Competition, a BH Family Camp out / Tent Decorating Contest, The Queen and an Elephant (?), another Barn People Party is bound to happen, and much more! The Barn House Layering Effect is out of control...WE NEED AN INTERVENTION (note this as our official cry for help!)...

Check back soon (and I promise soon) for a complete listing of our featured guests and more of the madness that is upon us...

J & J
Barn House

P.S. - Thank you for all of your kind comments and e-mails!! AND thank you to the few folks I asked to send some positive blog energy my way so I could FINALLY post something new. IT WORKED! :o) Much Love...we will be back soon...