So when I went to pick up my friend Cathie for our trip to Farm Chicks I saw the delightful granny wheeled basket cover she had whipped up (in 20 minutes, really!!??) for our hunting and gathering. Having forgotten to bring my own naked granny basket, I felt like I was starting off on the wrong foot. All four members of our party own such wheeled wonders, only Cathie thought to bring hers.
But Cathie was not the only Farm Chick who plans ahead. We saw so many fun, functional and fabulous lined baskets while waiting at the show, I decided to take some pics to share with our flea.o.logy friends. These two were right next to us as we awaited the opening of the doors and had been made one of our neighbors in line. I love that they are so fun but so different. Note the smart bottom corner ties.
This lady really considered function when she placed pockets in her cart liner.. She even has a measuring tape clipped on the top, she appears to be ready for anything she may encounter!! I adore the red checks that pick up the accent color in the vintage tablecloth she used!!
This red cherries, prairie points and checked fabric band all added up to say "Mary Engelbreit" to me, and since I love all things 'ME' I thought the tone was perfect and cheerful, which is what we were all feeling as we waited in line for the show to begin.
I thought that these carts had a totally different feel, basic rustic, but then those enamored with all things French are using natural weaves and burlap as well. A charming pair no matter how you look at it.
Red was almost mandatory as part of the color scheme of many of the cart liners.The cheerful check of old table clothes, paired with stripes, florals and even faux flower embellishment adds absolute style to these carts. Of course red is such a happy color, or as my daughter Emily would say, a happifying color, and she hasn't even seen the Broadway Musical 'Wicked'!!
Another important aspect to consider is wearing clothes that match or coordinate with your basket liner. I loved this old barkcloth liner and thought it was perfectly charming when paired with the owner's lime green checked shirt!!
And this princess wheeled in wearing a hot pink tutu and a cowboy hat, what short farm chick of style would be seen without a coordinating granny basket?
Now you get to meet Dagmar, far left, she is the designer and artist of the basket cover to the left. She is from Kelowna, BC. Last year at Farm Chicks, she was as amazed by the fun granny baskets as I was this year. She took pictures and pinned them to the board in her craft room, and settled on this charming design which includes those elements most of us Farm Chicks love, vintage barkcloth, old lace, and previously loved buttons. As far as I am concerned hers was the winning basket!
And here we see the flea.o.logists, ala Farm Chick style with Cathie's cute lined basket. We are ready and raring to go, as were all those standing in line with us...
... and in the end Jennifer and I both managed a degree of 'preparedness', even without being able to pull off the style aspect. We each found a wheeled granny cart at a second hand store (2 different stores) on our way up to the sale. You can see the price on the handle of my cart, the tag looks like its been there a long time. I guess there were no Farm Chick types who shopped there.
Once we got into the show I even found a vendor who actually makes and sells wheeled cart liners. I thought this one was very charming having been made from some kind of Frenchie sacking. The dealer had other styles as well.
In the picture to the left you can see a charmingly filled granny cart, filled to the brim with purchases and the owner's purse. I was amazed at how well the many women using these carts managed to wheel them through such a dense crowd without causing injury.
Ok, well, that one lady whose toe I ran over might take exception to that statement, but really, things moved along very politely with many small courtesies spoken as women and a few men moved around the Farm Chicks Sale.
Can you make out our three carts filled to the brim? (And that is only because we emptied them into our trailer before lunch.) Of course the wonderful pink door, red rotating screw organizer, two tiered shovel foot table and many other treasures did not quite fit in the carts, wonders though they be.
In the end, there was really only one word that truly describes all aspects of our trip to Farm Chicks. It just nice that Serena and her cohorts thought to provide this descriptor for this picture perfect moment.
Just so you know, I can't wait to show off my newly lined and organized cart next year. See you there!!
Hiding behind those shades is Brenda, owner of Just a Bed of Roses, a charming vintage and antique store at 15 E. State St. in Farmington that you won't want to miss when you're up that direction. Lucky for us, though, she's decided to bring her wares south to join us as a flea.o.logy vendor! These photos are from her store, but perhaps they'll give you an idea of the kinds of things she might bring to the flea. . . .
