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The Countdown is On!!

November 8th, 2014 | Posted by Leah in Junking Journey | Vintage Market - (2 Comments)

 It is only a few days until THE OLDE FARMHOUSE VINTAGE MARKET!!!

I thought it would be a good idea to suggest some helpful tips for market day!  This may be your very first market or perhaps you are a market hopper…either way you need to be prepared for a fun day of JUNKING!!!

1.  Load up your family and friends!!  There is something for everyone at the market…and it’s always fun to shop with someone!!

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2.  For all of you early birds…dress warmly! These winter days are chilly!  It doesn’t hurt to pack an umbrella, The Olde Farmhouse and rain seem to go hand in hand!!  Let’s hope for sunshine…but I know the junker’s mind….rain or shine you are coming for the treasures!!

3.  A large enough vehicle so you don’t have to leave a treasure or friend behind!!

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4.  A measuring tape to make sure your item is a perfect fit!

5.  Re-usable shopping bags or a cart.  You need your hands free to shop (or to hold your morning coffee) !!

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6.  CASH!!  Most vendors are cash sales only.  However, some vendors are now able to accept a credit card.

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There will be an ATM on site in Barn #1 in case you need it!!

The Runway Café will once again be on site to help keep you going!!  They will be serving a variety of snacks and lunches &  hot and cold beverages.  Save your appetites so you have room for some of Eileen’s delicious food!!

For all of you non-shoppers, there is a covered picnic table area with some activities to pass the time while your loved one shops till they drop!!

Parking…it’s free and there is lots of it!!!  There will be some wonderful volunteers out there helping you to find a parking spot.  There is also an overflow parking lot at the corner of 105th Ave and Lougheed Hwy.  Just watch for the signs!!

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So… Are you ready??

I am so excited to see you all at the market!!  It is going to be a wonderful day of JUNKING!!

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A few months ago, my sister Tanya,  from The Vintage Verandah, called me up and asked if I wanted to go on a Junking road trip.  My first reaction was of course …YES!!

A little history here…we grew up on the prairies, in a small town north of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Today, I live in Maple Ridge, BC and my wonderful sister lives one province over in Cochrane, Alberta.  So when she mentioned a road trip, my first thought was maybe we would meet in the middle and go on the hunt for treasures.  Then I thought, maybe she wants to head back to the prairies….a perfect place for us to find some farmhouse treasures.  But no…she had somewhere else in mind!!  “Let’s go to Junk Bonanza in Minneapolis, Minnesota!!!”  she said.  Well, that’s not far at all!! LOL!!  I don’t shy away from a good old road trip, so before I even considered how long it would take us, I said “buy us those early bird tickets!!”

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Here are a couple maps to give you an idea of where we went.

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My husband, our two kids and I went from BC to Manitoba and my sister and her husband went from AB to Manitoba.  I left Tom and the kids at his parents house and I hopped in the truck with my sister and brother in law.  We headed 8hrs south to Shakopee, Minnesota…the home of Junk Bonanza!

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We had a great time exploring a new market.  Junk Bonanza had about 150 vendors and is hosted by Ki Nassauer, the editor of Flea Market Style Magazine.  Our first day was Thursday, and we had early bird tickets, which got us in 2 hours early and a shopping bag.  Our anticipation was building….we couldn’t wait to see what was inside!!

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Doors opened and off we went.  Kids in a candy store I tell ya!!!  Here are some pictures of some booths, to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

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Check out these cute carts that the ladies behind us in the line up made!!  They added bling, and cup holders!!  Super cute…

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Something new to me was actually taking a mid-day break, to have an afternoon ‘beverage’.  Minnesota loves it’s Bloody Mary’s and beer!!  They opened the stand first thing in the morning!  We found a comfy stool and enjoyed sitting and chatting about our finds, favorite booths and gathering some energy to haul out everything we bought!!   Thank goodness for the buffet of snacks on my sister’s drink!! A pick me up snack!!

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Day two was just as exciting as the first!!  Vendors added new items to their booths, and it was fun going around and visiting with them again.

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By the end of the second day, we had a trailer full of fantastic treasures and tired bodies!!

Leah and Tanya

On Saturday we headed back to Manitoba, where my family anxiously waited for me to arrive.  I spent the next few days hanging out with the family and  visiting with some of the friends that I grew up with.  It had been 5 years since I had been “home”, so it was fun taking a tour of the 3 houses that I grew up in, showing the kids my old schools, taking them tobogganing on my old sledding hill, eating at the restaurants that I used to visit.  It was a trip down memory lane, and I had to keep reminding myself how long it has been since I lived there.  It seems like only yesterday.  Flashbacks of walking home from school with my friends, back to our homes where we would spend the rest of the day playing a neighbourhood game of hide and seek.  Driving the “main street” where I took my drivers test….I am not even going to think about how long ago that was!! LOL!!  We even drove up the lane of the last house I lived in with my parents, and I snuck a quick picture.

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  I didn’t have the nerve to go to the door and say….”could I please come into your house and look around”….It didn’t quite seem like the right thing to do!! LOL!!

There is something to be said about life long friends… friends whom you have pictures of at every birthday party you ever had!!  Starting kindergarten together and graduating high school with, celebrating milestones with and finally seeing them being  parents… and their children playing with my own.  Nothing beats those kinds of friends.  Where you can sit down at their kitchen table and share a cup of tea and stories from past and present.  Like no time has past since the last time you were together.  I am grateful to have these friends in my life, and to have the wonderful memories of growing up with them.  I can only wish the same for my children, that they will know true friendship like I have.

I guess that is part of the reason that I love hunting for old treasures.  Everything has a story, and I get nostalgic thinking about who it was that used an item that I just bought.  I love hearing the stories from vendors, when they know the history of a particular item.  I think the majority of the wonderful people that I have met through The Olde Farmhouse feel the same way.  All the vendors that gather together to put on The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market are amazing, wonderful individuals and we have all connected through the love of everything old!  Excitement builds for the vendors as the date of the market approaches….not only to meet all the wonderful shoppers and help them to find what they are looking for…but also because we truly enjoy being with each other and developing a wonderful friendship within the vintage community.   New friends in an old world…..that is something special and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to have met so many wonderful friends through the markets.   I am so excited that this year we will have some new friends to welcome into The Olde Farmhouse family.

 I can’t wait for June 14th…and whether you are a newbie or a return shopper, I look forward to seeing you there!!  So we can all surround ourselves with a little bit of history and wonderful friends.

Happy Junking!!!

Leah

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Oregon Coast

July 22nd, 2013 | Posted by Leah in Junking Journey | Summer Fun - (3 Comments)

This last week my family and I headed down to the Oregon Coast for a camping trip.  Well, maybe you can’t quite call it camping….glamping maybe??  It actually was an RV park that we stayed at in Cannon Beach and it was the best of both worlds.  We had a site that even though we had full service, still had a campfire pit, grass, nice big trees and a picnic table.  We still cooked our dinner on a bbq and ate outside and roasted marshmellows at night around a wonderful campfire.  But…the added feature, which the kids loved, was the indoor pool!!  And my husband and I loved the indoor hot tub!!  Nice hot showers, laundry and a little store, upped us from our typical, more rustic style of camping.  Everyday we biked around Cannon Beach, checked out the shops, had some ice cream, played at the playground and of course….hung out on the beautiful beaches!! SAM_0516SAM_0497SAM_0502SAM_0532SAM_0517SAM_0525SAM_0521

On our way home from Cannon Beach, we had to make a stop…at least one junking stop for me please!!  There were some great things to look at!! And of course I had to bring a few things home with me.  Thank goodness for the camper…with the back of the truck full with our gear, the only empty place was inside the camper!! What ever it takes!!  Find treasures….must bring them home!! LOL!!

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It was so hard choosing what to get…I only had room for a few finds… I guess there’s always next time!!

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The Farm Chicks!!

June 8th, 2013 | Posted by Leah in Junking Journey - (18 Comments)

The first weekend in June is the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show.  What a great weekend!!  My husband Tom and I hit the road early Friday morning with our friends Barb, Michael, Marcelle and Blair.  We planned to meet my sister Tanya (from The Vintage Verandah) in Spokane, as she was travelling from Cochrane Alberta.  We were all so excited for a weekend away and were anticipating what treasures we would find!!

The drive to Spokane is a little long but definitely a pretty one.  The day started out cloudy, but the closer we got the brighter the sky got…sunshine to match our happy moods!!

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We could tell we were getting close….I mean where else would a pink vintage camper be heading!!!

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Yah!!  My sister made it to Spokane too!! Safe travels for us all.

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After checking into the hotels we found a family run Mexican restaurant to have dinner at.  Over some delicious  food and some margaritas, we planned out our morning strategy!  For those of you who have never been to a market like The Farm Chicks, I must tell you that the junking world is a crazy one!! LOL! But in a good way!  Everyone is happy and eager to get their hands on that treasure they have been wishing to find!!  But with that excitement also comes a line up!!  And we figured that if we have travelled 8 hours to get here, we are going to be at the front of the line!!

So here was the game plan….Tom and Barb were willing to take the early shift, so they headed down there at 4:30am!!  Tanya and I followed at 5:45…with the mandatory stop at Starbucks of course!!  Michael, Marcelle and Blair followed at 7am, with a second round of Starbucks shortly after!!  What you have to do to keep yourself going!! LOL!!  Our plan worked!! We were first in line !!

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Ok…so now you think we are a little crazy for being there so early…but check out the line up!!  If you look really closely in the second picture you can see on the left side (through the chain fence) the line up wraps around the corner!!

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First through the doors!!!  Do we look like we are on a mission or what?!

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But the early morning was worth it, we had a fantastic first day of shopping.  We met some wonderful vendors and had so much fun looking through all the booths.

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Here are Billy and Pat, my favorite vendors!!  I visit them every year…how can you not love these ladies!!

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Day 2….We didn’t have to line up as early, and we were happy about that because it was a cool, rainy morning.  Inside many vendors re-stocked their booths, so it was just as much fun to shop on Sunday!!  After spending a couple hours shopping, it was time to load the uhaul.  SAM_0416

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Back at home Tom and I spent the day organizing the garage so we could load in all the finds!!  The garage is full and I am so excited to get started on my projects!!!  Thanks honey for giving up your garage for me!!!

Did you go to Farm Chicks this year, or in previous years??  Did you love it??  What did you find??  Maybe you have found a market that you love to go to…I would love to hear all about it!!

HAPPY JUNKING!!

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Are you ready for an amazing day of shopping at the market this Saturday? Do you have something specific you are looking for or just out to find that special “something”? Here are our thoughts on what you might want to bring with you!!

1. Family and friends you love to shop with!! The more the merrier and it makes the car ride more fun!!

2. Wear layers!! If you are an “early bird” it might be chilly waiting in the line up :)

3. Re Usable shopping bag or cart. These help you keep your hands free for more shopping!!

4. Measuring Tape to make sure your item is a perfect fit :)

5. A vehicle large enough for that “surprise” find. You do not want to have to make your friends walk home….but you will!!!

6. CASH!! Most of our vendors transactions are as vintage as the market!!

Whether you are “old hat” to markets or a “newbie” it is sure to be a fun filled shopping adventure. And to top it off,  for the non shoppers and for those who start to feel a little “peckish”, there is the “Roosters Corner” !! The Runway Cafe will be open, offering food and drinks to get you through the day!!

We are so excited and can not wait to see all of you!!!

Happy Junking

Leah & Barb

 

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