more farm chicks faves

I'm still shopping at Farm Chicks in my dreams at night, sigh... I had such a wonderful time hunting for treasures, admiring the amazing displays and marveling at the ingenuity of all these talented Chicks! Here are a few more of my favorite vendors:

Second Childhood Girlfriends • 503.669.7746 and 503.665.6753
Like so many of the Farm Chicks vendors, their booth was filled to the brim with this and that – you just had to go in and check it out all.


The Rusty Bird • Virginia Shawver (208.623.2150)
If you like to feather your nest with bird-inspired décor, you'll love Virginia's work! She creates these little nests complete with feathers and eggs, so adorable! Plus she paints some wonderful watercolors of birds and their twiggy homes.


Anemone • www.handmadepaperflowers.com
I'm a paper nut so when I saw these floral creations made completely out of paper, I was thrilled! What a great keepsake idea for a bride. And I love the twigs with dogwood and magnolia flowers – a great way to have blooms that won't wilt after a week!


Seabold Vintage Market • www.seaboldvintagemarket.com
I loved the simplicity and elegance of Liz's display. Narrowing the color palette down to just a few colors tied everything together so nicely. I wish my whole house looked like her booth! All the gorgeous bedding and pillows are from Bainbridge Blues - you just want to dive right into bed.


Last but not least, here are my own personal treasures that I couldn't leave without. Lots of little bits of this and that, mostly letters, to use in my assemblage art:

Love the little cabinet. I found the perfect place for it in the dining room:

fave farm chick: candywinkel

Well, I am no longer a Farm Chicks virgin! And yes, it was everything I hoped it would be – and then some!

Hubby Todd and I left at the crack of dawn Saturday morning to make the 5+ hour drive to Spokane, Washington. We arrived at 11:20 am and already saw hip 'n savvy Chicks leaving the building, their arms overflowing with vintage lovelies.

I got a bit worried – the show had only been open for a little over an hour and these ladies were already done? Did we drive all this way for just a measly hour of antiquing?!

Upon spotting my puzzled look, one of the Chicks explained: this was only Round One being brought out to the car! Phew, big relief.

Once inside...just one word describes how I felt: WOW!!! I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to look first – so much shabby goodness and so many trinkets and treasures!

First stop: to see my dear friend Amy Smith's booth at Candywinkel. And boy, was it a show stopper! She really outdid herself with the display: all white furniture and draperies allowed her yummy candy concoctions and sweet soy candles to shine.

Besides Candywinkel's vintage containers filled with nostalgic candies, Amy's creative juices were working overtime when she came up with this best-seller: chocolate-covered sunflower seeds packaged using French seed pack illustrations! How cute!!!


Another thing flying off the shelves were vintage containers filled with 100% pure soy wax candles. The soy washes right out after it's burned down so you're left with the gorgeous container – how's that for up-cycling!

One of her most brilliant ideas – in my humble opinion – was her creation of the doily lamps. They were definitely a show stopper and you can see why:


These fun lanterns added so much ambience and flair, I'm thinking I may have to borrow her lamps for my sister's wedding next summer! (pretty please, Amy?)

I have some more photos to share with you from Farm Chicks later this week, including all the treasures I walked out with. Needless to say, this show is definitely a do-againer for us!

nesting instincts

Now that I have officially closed the doors on Cecily Ink, I find myself wanting to "fluff" everything... the house, the garden, my office. It's like my nesting instincts are working overtime trying to catch up on two years of neglecting my surroundings!

I'm taking time to enjoy the small pleasures, like these stunning peonies:

Our neighbor Aaron gave me this plant a few years ago and every year right when it was ready to bloom, we had a big rainstorm which flattened the stems and ruined the blossoms. Needless to say, this year the rain held off and the glorious sunshine showed off these peonies in their true glory:

I've also been roaming on Etsy, looking for this and that to spruce up the inside of our house. I "hearted" plenty of things to revisit later, but when I came across this print from My Wagonette simply had to have it – now!

It came in the mail today and it's even more beautiful than I had expected! I love the mustardy shade of yellow and can't wait to get it framed and find the perfect place to hang (yes, I bought a piece of art without having a clue as to where I could display it – didn't want it to be "the one that got away!")

I'm looking forward to our little road trip Saturday: I'll be driving for 5+ hours to shop till I drop at Farm Chicks! I'm so excited – can't wait to see what goodies I'll find.

If you're going, be sure to stop by the Candywinkel booth – Amy has been a busy little bee creating candy and candle goodness that are so sweet. I promise I'll take lots of pictures to share next week!

pet pix

I'm not the kind of proud mama who carries pictures of her kids in her wallet and whips them out at every occasion (they're dogs, after all), but I do think my doggies are the prettiest and bestest boys in the whole wide world so I have no qualms about showing them off on my blog...

Here are a few beauty shots I took during last weekend's coastal getaway. Meet Cooper, our 12-year-old collie mix (the "first-born"):


It was incredibly windy when we were on the beach in Manzanita - it seemed like the dogs would achieve lift-off at any moment! Their fur was actually moving in waves, like when the wind blows through a field of wheat...

Then there's Pogo, our bouncy goof-ball seven-year-old lab mix:


Pogo is a bit insecure at times but as a middle child, he's by far the best-behaved of the bunch – he even tattles on little brother Tucker and lets me know when Tucker is being naughty (like when Tucker sneaks off into a corner and pees, something that is happening way too often!).

And finally, here's the newest member of the pack: Tucker, a golden retriever mix rescued from a farm in Burns, Oregon. We have no way of knowing his exact age, but our best guess is around 11 months. Tons of energy, lots of mischief, and a total cuddle bug!


Tucker is very mouthy and picks up all kinds of things on our walks. We discovered that if we put a stick in his mouth on our walks, he pulls a lot less (no more heavy breathing like he's about to choke himself on the collar). The only downside is he keeps plopping down about every block or so to really dig into his yummy stick...

Just one last quick reminder about the big 50% off closeout sale going on with my Cecily Ink shop (use coupon code "closeout" during checkout). This Sunday May 31st will be your last chance to order online!

coastal getaway

Like millions of other folks, we hit the road this holiday weekend for a little coastal R&R. Finding a place to stay with three big dogs can be a bit tricky, especially if your tastes tend more towards the chic than shabby when it comes to cottage style. Lucky for us, we found the Shore Pine Cottage in Gearhart, managed by Distinctive Beach Lodgings.


Yes, the cottage was a bit on the small side but what it lacked in space, it more than made up for in style and comfort! Just take a look:


It's just a short walk to the ocean and there's a nice view of the golf green right out the front window. The front porch/deck was a great place to enjoy our sunset dinners – the cherry tree was just stunning with its mass of blooms!


The two bedrooms had very comfortable beds – and I loved the linens, so pretty!


It had a nice little kitchen complete with full-size fridge and stove – we thought about baking cookies but ran out of time! And it being a pet-friendly place, a basket filled with towels, sheets, treats and pooh bags was waiting for us in the corner.


I took some great shots of the dogs on the beach, too – look for those later this week. It was hard to leave this morning, so we'll just have to come back soon! (it had been a year since our last coastal stay – way too long!)

DISTINCTIVE BEACH LODGINGS
www.distinctivebeachlodgings.com • 800.352.8034

last chance

Well, I've picked my official closing date: May 31. It's been an interesting few weeks as I've been busy shipping out orders and answering emails. I'm quite sad to close this chapter of my life, but hearing from all of you has been a huge help – thanks for being so supportive!


While I've been rather quiet on the blogging front lately, I will continue to share design ideas, great Etsy finds, and other noteworthy experiences.

I'm actually quite excited about Memorial Day weekend, when me and the boys (hubby Todd, collie mix Cooper, lab mix Pogo, and golden mix Tucker) get to spend three full days frolicking on the beach! I found a great pet-friendly cottage in Gearhart and will be taking lots of pictures to document our little getaway.

Then a few weeks later, I'll be heading to Spokane for my first Farm Chicks adventure. My friend Amy will have a booth there with Candywinkel and she's got lots of great new products that I can't wait to share with you all!

So, as the Cecily Ink door closes, the window to free weekends opens and I plan to make the most of it!

good news, bad news

I have some good news and some bad news. I know, if you're like me, you'd want the bad news first. So here it is: it's time to say goodbye to the Cecily Ink website and product line as you know it!

I've had a very fun ride these past two years and look back with pride and joy at all that my little card line has accomplished. But now it's time to move on.

And the good news? You guessed it, major closeout savings: everything is 50% off with no minimum purchase required! Just use "closeout" as the coupon code during checkout.

Plus, if you live in the Portland area, please stop by the Studio & Sample Sale at P. Flynn Design where you'll find lots of my cards and paper products at huge discounts, some marked down to 75% off if you pick through samples and slightly damaged seconds.

And of course, you'll be able to shop from Peggy Flynn's gorgeous collection of aromatic silk sachets, eye pillows, and boudoir pillows, also all hugely discounted. Perfect time if you need a little something for Mother's Day (just around the corner!)

P.FLYNN DESIGN – STUDIO & SAMPLE SALE
Saturday May 2 • 11am to 4pm • 2654 N. Terry Street