BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS

Putting the finishing touches on my spot at Faded today.

The store is in tip top shape for Friday's (November 29th)

big sale!

The store will be open extended hours (10am to 8pm), 

so come support local shops in Snohomish!

In my not-so-humble-opinion, Faded has never looked more

beautiful!

There will be great deals, cookies, and gifts with purchase while supplies last.

 You can also vote for your favorite

space and be entered into a drawing for a $75 gift certificate

to 

Faded Elegance!

I am so grateful to be a part of this group of talented, extremely

hard-working women.

From the owner, Kimberly McIlrath, to the eight different dealers,

we all put our hearts and souls into it.

So, take a trip down and see what we have in store for you this holiday!

Speaking of holiday, 

I am full of gratitude that we will be spending it

with my mom and dad, sister and brother in law and little niece.

We will all share what we are grateful for, enjoy an 

amazing traditional Thanksgiving feast, 

and then awake the next day as a 

HOUSE DIVIDED!

I will try to post pics of us all decked out in our gear

as we watch the Apple Cup from my sister's.

Are you a Dawg or Coug?

Looking forward to the entire week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pom Pom Wreath

The holiday season is just around the corner and it has been a 

week since I changed up my space at Faded Elegance.

I know it seems early, but for those of us in retail we hope 

to spark creativity and inspire with our seasonal displays.

Getting it up early allows more time to plan, 

offering up ideas for you to create beauty in your own home.

Speaking of creating...

This week I thought I would share a pom pom wreath I had fun making.

I saw it on Pinterest awhile back (gotta love Pinterest).

It was super easy to make and would be a fun snowy day project for kids.

I had my favorite movie on in the background and was sipping an 

eggnog latte (I love setting the scene for a cozy and productive afternoon).

It's pretty self explanatory via the pictures, but I did attempt

to write hints under each pic.

I started out with four packages of the fluffiest white yarn I could find,
a package of stick pins and a straw wreath.

First step, wrap yarn around wreath so that the majority of the straw
is covered. Leave plastic on the wreath so that the straw is
contained and won't make a mess. Secure the ends of the yarn with
stick pins.

Next, wrap the yarn about 38 times around your
four fingers or use a piece of cardboard so save
your hand from cramping. It doesn't have to be tight or 
"neat", just loosely wrapped.

 You will carefully slide off the wrapped yarn and place it
on top of a 5-inch piece of yarn that you previously cut.

Take the 5-inch piece of cut yarn and tie it tightly around the 
wrapped bundle of yarn. Tie it tight and secure it.

Slide scissors into the 'loops' and cut. This step creates the pom pom.
It will be messy and uneven, but don't panic. 

Repeat the previous step until all loops are cut. 

Clean up the pom pom by trimming the uneven pieces. Last step is
to use a stick pin to secure pom pom to wreath. Space evenly apart and
have fun! If you don't like the spacing, just remove stick pin and rearrange
pom pom. Keep making them until you have something that looks like the pic
below.

I chose a neutral ribbon that I had on hand and secured 
it to the back of the wreath with stick pins. It makes it easy 
to hang and adds a simple accent. 

That's it!


I hope you find time to come visit Faded Elegance! 

The store is full of delightful ideas to help get you started

on your holiday decorating!

Cheers!

FAVORITE QUOTES & SIGNS = LOVE

Why must my favorite month of the year fly by so quickly?

The cooler foggy mornings give way to glimpses of 

bright oranges, reds and yellows against the grey skies.

Hearty soups and pumpkin spice lattes.

Warm fuzzy sweaters, boots and scarves.

Are you with me?

I've been immersed in the season and have been enjoying every minute.

I hope you are too!

On the business front, I am gathering and creating new items

for the change over of my space at Faded Elegance.

Faded will be closed to the public on Monday, November 4th 

so all dealers can create dazzling displays for the start of the 

holiday shopping season.

Part of my fun this season has been involved in the making

of these reclaimed wood signs shown below.

I selected my favorite quotes that fill me with that

warm and cozy feeling and made them into signs.

My dad helped by framing them with fence wood that I've

been collecting.

I think I have mentioned before my dad is someone

who can make just about anything!

He does an awesome job, don't ya think?

Tomorrow is Sunday and for that I am so thankful!

I am sleeping in!

Cheers!

Cheree

COWBELLS AND FLAPPER GIRLS

Recovering from an amazing party thrown by

Kimberly, of Faded Elegance.

The 20% off Anniversary Sale lasted throughout the weekend, 

and ended Monday.

What a great way to thank her customers!

The food, decor, store, drinks and prizes were flowing!

Jill, Kimberly, Me and Katie
(Photo credit: Faded Elegance)

Whenever we are heading into a big event, I try to bring in 

something new that I have never brought in before.

This time around (thanks to a friend who shares my passion for 'junkin')

I brought in a ton of rusty old goodness.

Can you hear me squeal with delight?

These were found up in an old rickety, dark barn.

I'd have to say that this is a haul I am most excited about...

mostly because I got to hear the wonderful heartfelt stories

about these pieces....their past life.

The milk jugs are from the days when the owner (now well into his 60's) used to

wake up at 4:00 am to milk the cows before school.

The array of cowbells came from a large collection of various 

types of bells. This farm used to raise goats, cows and pigs.

I have to do some research on these little bells here, but there are 

intricate markings on a few that lead me to think they might have

their own story to tell.

I can't help thinking of the Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell.

You know, "I need MORE COWBELL!"

I love the rope that ties three of these cool shaped bells together.

I think I giggled when I saw these at the bottom of an old box.

I have seen these before in stores, but never before with their

original leather. I love that they are slightly tattered.

So, after I cleaned off most of the dirt and cobwebs, I lugged it all in

and set it up for the big anniversary sale.  Here's how that went...

This cute little wind chime was handmade from a little bell and a tiny horseshoe.

The roped bells accented my chippy door perfectly.

The wood crates I brought in really filled up the space, so it was

really all about accessorizing with all the other treasures.

I brought in some more Eastlake side chairs too.

I stenciled each of them with graphics from The Graphics Fairy.

I used the transfer method that works with freezer paper.

The tutorial on the Graphics Fairy website worked 

perfectly. Just remember to follow each step, including the last one, which

is to burnish the image onto the fabric.

I also brought in a few other items...

This hobnail lamp and antique gold frames set off the 

glassware nicely. The frames have a stamp on the back 

that reads, "Made exclusively in Italy for Nordstrom".

How cool is that?

So, that's my venture with cowbells and flapper girls!

I hope to leave you with some Autumnal inspiration!

Cheers!

ANNIVERSARY SALE & SOIREE!

you are invited to...

friday, september 27th

5pm to 9pm

sips, nibbles, prizes...

what more could a girl ask for?

Oh yes...

it's the biggest sale of the year!

hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Queen Bee French Flea Market

 

 

Way too much fun last weekend at

 

The Queen Bee's French Flea Market!

 

If you haven't yet met the wonderful ladies (Kim and JoNell)

 

who put this show on, click here to learn about them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The venue for this event was the Schilter Family Barn.

As you can see, it was spectacular!

 

Vendor booths were top notch, including the one designed by

my friend and Owner of Faded Elegance, Kimberly McIlrath.

 

My pictures were taken with my phone (which is a dinosaur, NOT

 

a smart phone), so it doesn't do it justice...but you get the gist.

 

 

 

 

Kimberly, Owner of Faded Elegance and Kaite of Inspired by Ellee.

 

 

 

There were well over 600 guests and I am sure

 

everyone, including me, was impressed!

 

My buddy Katie of Inspired By Ellee

and I drove down together and met up with Kimberly on Friday.

 

 

 

Kim and JoNell (organizers of the event) graciously put us up in their

 

Queen Bee Cottage Retreat.  

 

It was the most beautiful cottage!

 

 

 

 



 

They rent out the Queen Bee Cottage for events.

 

If you want to treat yourself you should look into contacting them.

 

Click here to visit their Facebook page.

 

Not only did we have the best sleep ever (the down comforters were dreamy),

 

but we also met new friends from Enumclaw.

 

 

Bev and Cindy were a hoot! I mean, belly bustin', laugh til ya cry

 

good ole' fun girls.

 

They were quite the attraction with their 'Glampers'!

 

This one is Bev's...

 

 

And this is Cindy's

 

 

We were feeling a bit sheepish after our night of fun, but these troopers (Kimberly included)

 

were ready to hit it the next day. So fun!

 



 

 

A ton of great finds for everyone and I could totally

 

appreciate the time and hard work put in by everyone.

 

It was a memorable weekend!

 

 

 

Back at Faded Elegance, I spent Monday trompin in with new treasures!

 

 

I adore this French bee hive basket!



I was lucky enough to find two of these cool tea crates.

 

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a thing for chippy doors.



Bought this from the nicest lady. Isn't it cute?

 

 

 

So, next time you hear about the women of Queen Bee Cottage Retreat

 

or their Queen Bee French Flea Market,

 

TAKE NOTICE!

 

You won't want to miss it!

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 



Flea Market Time!

Headed to:

The line up of vendors looks so fun, 

including 

Faded Elegance!

I will do my best to snap some photos,

but I admit I plan on doin' some shoppin'!

Happy Weekend!

Cheree

Wrapping Up Summer

 

Believe it or not, I am still here :)

 

Between our trip to Southern Cal for vacation, helping

 

my parents with their estate sale and packing them up to move,

 

getting the kiddos prepped and back to school...

 

I regretfully neglected the blogging world.

 

However, I'm getting into a new routine and it feels great~

 

Here are some highlights from the past two months...

 

We started our vacation in San Diego. This is La Jolla.

What's not to love about this?

 

 

This cute little general store is in Old Town San Diego.

Don't you just love the nostalgia these red shelves give the inside of the store?

 

 

The boys heading into a 'hot sauce' sampling heaven.

 

   

Chanelle and I hit the market.

 

Family snapshot at the San Diego Zoo.

 

 

Chanelle at the sting ray pool in Sea World.

 

 

We also took time to visit some college campuses. This is UCLA.

 

Also visited Balboa Park.

Keiton researched where we could learn and visit tributes to Jackie Robinson.
This was right across from City Hall. The other statue is of his brother.

 

 

 

Don't judge...I just had to go! We were so close, it would have
been a crime not to check it out in person.

 

 

A long fun filled day at Universal Studios.

 

 

Our sunset walk along the boardwalk at Mission Bay.

 

It was a perfect way to wrap up summer before their Senior and Freshman
year of high school. Just love these two!



Back home I began working on another hutch.

 

This is how it began...

 

 

And after a custom mix of paint colors...

 

This is how it turned out

We are really getting stocked up for Faded Elegance's

 

Anniversary Party~

 

Friday, September 27th

 

6pm to 9 pm

 

Come in your flapper's best! (not required)

 

Kimberly puts on a heck of a party :)

 



 

I'm headed to a show down in Olympia this weekend.

 

Hope to find some good junk and inspiration!

 

Have a wonderful week!

 

Cheree