Peace, Love, and All The Good Stuff: 2015

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

SUMMER ROAD-TRIPPIN IN THE PACIFIC NW

L-O-V-E Bridge in beautiful Portland, OR

Hey, Y'all! I recently traveled to the Pacific NW and although I didn't get to stay very long, I did manage to get to some great new vintage shops, a highly touted summer JUNK show, and even got to go to some touristy places too.

Eye-CANDY yumminess at Bungalow Bling, Snohomish, WA

As soon as I recuperated from a long day of air travel, I headed north to the little towns of

M & M Antiques, Monroe, WA

Snohomish and Monroe, WA to visit Bungalow Bling, Annie's On First, Faded Elegance, and M & M Antiques as well as several must-go-to thrift shops. I always manage to find lots of treasures and I love seeing so many junkin' friends.

Junkers Nest, Sumner, WA

This time around we planned an extended weekend visit to Portland, OR, but stopped in Sumner, WA on our way to visit Junkers Nest. This new shop is full of adorable vintage treasures, one-of-a-kind repurposed furniture, and many other needful things.

Junkers Nest, Sumner, WA

One thing I forgot to take into consideration was traffic on a the I-5 on a Friday afternoon in late July. . .so when we f-i-n-a-l-l-y arrived to the magical

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest Summer 2015

vintage market, Plucky Maidens Junk Fest, the show was in full swing. Our dear friend and Chief Plucky Officer, Pam, is the beauty and brains of this extraordinary show featuring wonderful vendors from WA and OR. Her summer Junk Fest is held at The Oaks Amusement Park along the lovely Willamette River which was the most perfect setting for a summer day of junkin' wonderfulness.

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest Summer 2015

From there we spent a lovely evening at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse --which has delicious food, local brews, and live music in an enchanting setting.

Some much needed rain greeted us the next day, but hardly dampened our enthusiasm to see this lovely "City of Roses"(and incredible vintage and antiques shops!!)--PORTLAND!

Portland, OR

Monticello Antique Marketplace, Portland, OR

Monticello Antique Marketplace Front Window

Monticello Antique Marketplace, Portland OR

Monticello Antique Marketplace, Portland, OR

Portland Rose Gardens

Portland Japanese Gardens

Camas Antiques, Camas, WA

Fresh Picked at Camas Antiques, Camas, WA

The following day we meandered through Oregon's lovely wine country toward the Pacific coast and

Oregon Coast

Pacific City Beach, OR

followed Highway 101 to Long Beach, WA. Luckily, we were able to stay at the Inn at Discovery Coast,

a chic seaside inn with an industrial farmhouse vibe and incredible views.

Here's a peek at what came home with us.

Until next time,

Peace, love, and

all the good stuff!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

SUMMER JUNKIN' ADVENTURES

Hey, Y'all! It's summertime and the JuNkIn' is easy...well, most of the time anyway! After our son and daughter-in-law's wedding in May, Sweet Hubby and I hit the road and headed WeSt to

Fredericksburg, TX. It's a lovely drive and we've had so much rain this past spring that the wildflowers are gorgeous!

There are many great shops and restaurants there

Luckenbach, TX

and always lots of good places to go junkin' even when it's not Trades Days weekend. I always stop by

Skye and Henry's

Skye and Henry's, Timeless Menagerie, Smitten, and

Timeless Menagerie

The Attic. In addition, there are numerous thrift shops in town worthy of checking out. Also, don't forget to check the local listings for garage sales or estate sales -- I scored an old quilt and an amateur bluebonnet painting at an early Friday morning

garage sale for less than a trip through the car wash! That's something definitely worth getting up for.

Until next time,

Peace, love, and

all the good stuff

Thursday, June 11, 2015

MEANT TO BEE

Hey, Y'all! It's been a busy spring and L-O-V-E has most definitely been in the air. Our son asked his best friend and life-love to marry him just before Christmas last year, she said, "YES!" and they decided to get married sooner than later-- like two weeks after he graduated from university in May!
They wanted a small afternoon church wedding. They both share high esteem for an old novel called The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter.

Published in 1925, it is the story of how a World War I vet sickened by a mysterious disease decides he doesn't want to die in the hospital and begins a journey that leads him to a cottage surrounded by a lush garden and numerous types of bees. The old Beekeeper is also deathly ill and asks the young man to care for his gardens and bees. So begins the friendship between the beekeeper and the young man. After the Beekeeper dies, the young man takes responsibility for the man's gardens and bees. In understanding how to care for the bees and by partaking of the fresh garden produce, the young man regains his health and becomes a Beekeeper.

It's a sweet story and became the theme for W and K's wedding -- honey, bees, lavender, and the bride's favorite, sunflowers.

Now, enter me -- the Junkin' Momma -- as we were all on a modest budget, we used many vintage items and made a lot of the decorations. We locally sourced many items and services and what we couldn't locally source, we ordered from Etsy businesses.