Ah.........Summer! For me summers are like a long anticipated, extra-special guest and this year with record snow falls in the region the wait seemed especially long. Now that it is here I want to cherish every moment of it because before I know it summer will slip away like sand through my fingers.
Summer for me has many facets to it. The beaches are a big part of it! The Swan Boats in Boston Common and dipping my toes into the Frog Pond are a must and if I am lucky we might even get away to the Cape. For me, summer also means shopping at various flea markets, craft fairs and farmer's markets. One of my very favorite venues has become
The Vintage Bazaar held at
Pettengill Farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; much smaller than
Brimfield but every bit worth the effort to attend.
If you love the beach or coastal living this is absolutely the place to go for decor and inspiration.
There is a little bit of old hippie living in a corner of my heart. If you're a little bit "hippie chick" this is the place for you.
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| One of Devon's booths. She is the "founder, producer and bazaar maven" of The Vintage Bazaar. |
Throw on a pair of cowboy boots and your hippie just turned down a country road!
If you like old things used in new ways or re-imagined into useful things for today well, this is where you should be.
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| Excentrique's use of an old mailbox. A little different take on junk mail? |
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| Excentrique's old enamel pot with a grapevine wreath and potted geranium. (Bad pun intended.) |
Maybe you're like me and just enjoy being around creative people. You will not find a more creative or eclectic bunch than at The Vintage Bazaar.
I am convinced that I belong in a beach house but reality doesn't seem to agree with me. I have adapted and learned over the past twenty years of living here that summers go too quick for my liking. As a result I have resorted to decorating with a more coastal vibe in my home-trying to savor every bit of outdoor living even when the temperatures force me indoors. As I perused the booths this year I was struck at just how many vendors seemed to summon my thoughts to a seaside retreat or to maybe sit in a swing in some secret garden.
Painted furniture continues to be on everybody's list. The colors varied from traditional whites and blues to some gorgeous shades of greens and corals. If you have an old banged up piece of furniture a new coat of paint can work wonders. I have tried my hand at it a few times and you can see them
here, and
here and
here. There are several home-made paint formulas available on Pinterest or purchase ready made ones like Cari Cucksey's from Cash & Cari on HGTV. If you are new at painting furniture she was holding a workshop at the Bazaar!
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| 2 years ago we got a picture with Cari! |
If painted furniture is not your thing leave it natural, maybe seal it with a good sealer. I like
Waterlox and have had excellent results with their products. If you are more interested in a finished product I found beautiful tables made from pallet wood by
Ingrained. They were so smoooooth! This could be for a coastal decor, industrial, cottage, country, minimalist....the possibilities are endless and the results are simply lovely! They do custom work if you are looking for something specific.
I met
Matthew Mead, upcycler and former style editor of Country Home magazine, and took away this inexpensive tip: painted rocks! What an easy way to add some color to a dining table, bookshelf, or maybe even planters. Paint them to match your outdoor dining ware or furniture and use them to hold down tablecloths on a windy day.
I am also borrowing this idea: old photos attached to empty glass bottles or vases held secure by photo corners.
Pretty Danielle and her handy husband at
Finding Silver Pennies were loaded with so many beautiful pieces I couldn't possibly show them all. I have followed her blog for some time and it was a pleasure to meet her. Her painted pieces were beautiful and impeccably beachy! One idea that can be done for your home is a paper wreath using maps. Use maps of a place you want to remember-it doesn't have to be a coastal town. Perhaps use maps of places you would like to visit, where you met your spouse, where the children were born....you get the idea.
I met several ladies in the
Coastal Windows & Exteriors booth. A summer house needs beautiful windows to look through-whether you are looking in or looking out.
Lucia Lighting and Design and
Muzio Designs shared the booth. They can help you make in the inside of your home reflect the beauty of the outside or go a completely different direction. Their websites are full of ideas.
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| Oh, I do wish I had a place for this! |
Mill 77 Trading Company not only spoke to my infatuation with the ocean but also to the nostalgic side of me with these:
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| The bench was made from old doors! |
They had all kinds of vintage business signs and I am old enough to remember when some of them were in use and in style!
You could decorate with a vintage truck like
Dustcovery!
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| Wouldn't you love one of these to drive around town in? |
Perhaps vintage kitsch is more your style?
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| Never used! That's what the tag said. |
For those who like an earlier decorating era-
Poverty Hollow Primitives was representing:
For your home, whether painted or natural, rusty, galvanized or shiny, new or new-to-you, leather or lace, vintage or primitive, smooth-as-silk finished or fabulously chippy, if you really love it you will find a way to make it work. "Rules" are guides in decorating. If you want a big huge cow on your wall go for it! If a lamp made from tea pots and a topped with a baby doll head in steam punk fashion makes your heart jump then you can find a way to work it in. It's your home; fill it with things that you love and then find ways to use them to serve others! Happy Summer!
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Karen's Up On The Hill,
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Carrie This Home,
Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth,
Coastal Charm,
Flamingo Toes,
Cupcakes and Crinoline,
My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia
