What a lovely day for a Street Faire!

Sally and I were finally able to go to a street faire as customers! The sun was shining warmly and the atmosphere was delightful.

Laurie and Debbie (how stinking cute are they?) of Worthy Goods put on this wonderful street faire in Camas.

Truth be told, I've never spent a lot of time in Camas, but I was taken with the tree lined streets, black awnings on the shops and the hanging flower baskets. Ok Battle Ground, we need to get some good ol' fashioned character too!

I finally got to meet Isabelle of Maison Douce, what a sweetheart! I so enjoyed talking with her and seeing her beautiful vintage wares in person.

Joe of Barn House was there..and before I saw him I knew it was BH style that I was looking at...he does an amazing job.

Sweet Natalie of Sparrow was there too. I love all her letter charms and white stoneware. I got a picture of her plates, but not her...I don't know why people don't think it's funny when I tell them I'm just the paparazzi...

I also met lovely Erin of Rickety Picket. She's from Olympia, but she knows Uncovered Ruby (COOL!)

I admit I have more fun chatting with people than I do shopping. Another truth about me, I'm not a big shopper (weird huh?), but I enjoy junking!

Friends I love....
Sally and Sue (Birdsong)

Sue and Annette (Andy's Attic), silly girls! What a cute picture of them having fun. Sue had a wonderful booth at the Street Faire.

As Sally and I were getting ready to leave, Laurie and Isabelle told us to go check out Navidi's Oil and Vinegar shop. They've got just about any flavor of balsamic vinegar you can imagine, with all sorts of oils, gourmet salts, loose leaf teas..it was so cool! I've never had a fruity balsamic vinegar, but when I tasted this...Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar, my taste buds sang! It's YUMMY!!!!

Me and my family have already put quite the dent in this bottle in one night just dipping bread into it. (And yes, those peaches are waiting for me to can them.)
It was such a nice day..spending it with my friend Sally and not having to do anything but enjoy the day!
Lisa ;-)

Hey sewers, quilters, crafters..you'll wanna hear this!

I'm doing a shout out for my friend, Peggy, who owns True North Alpacas,  and has decided to bless us by selling her WONDERFUL mill spun yarn in the shop!!

I'm not a 'sewer' nor a 'quilter' nor a 'crafter', but I am infatuated with the beauty and SOFTNESS of this yarn! The fiber she gets from her alpacas are of the highest quality, and each label on the yarn includes the info off the tag of the animal it came from so that you can actually go to Peggy's website and see what awards that particular alpaca has won.

Peggy's Alpaca farm has been featured in Living the Country Life which is a publication of Better Homes and Gardens, WSU takes tours of her farm for their AG division, they host Naturally Beautiful Backyards Tours, and well you get the idea...

You know what one of the best thing about Peggy Sue's business is? It's MADE IN AMERICA and it's LOCAL (for those of you who live in Washington). We're ALL for supporting our local businesses!
Lisa ;-)

Collect On!

When I first saw this buffet from a distance at a garage sale I figured it would be more than I wanted to spend.

Ignoring the pounding of my excited heart, I slowly meandered towards it.

I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw a yellow tape that said Antique Firewood - 1.00. I thought for sure it meant $100, so I quietly asked what the price said. $1.00 he said.
Oh my,
Oh my,
Oh my,
....don't show how excited you are Lisa!!!

Acting rather nonchalant I started opening doors and pushing down on it to see if it was solid, and by golly it was! All it needs is a little love and a spot that's already waiting for it in my front entry.
The gentlemen that was having the sale figured he'd chop it up and burn it if it didn't sell.
(Music screeches to a halt on record player sound effect)
WHAT??
Needless to say, it was mine, among several other pieces he had there.
On my second trip back to his house with my husband in tow and the truck, I braved the question, "So where did you get all of this stuff?"
"Oh here and there, my Dad was a collector of things and I'm a recovered collector."
Recovered collector.
My husband jumped on that one, "yeah, she doesn't have a problem with collecting either." (rather smirkishly)
"I don't have a p.r.o.b.l.e.m. with collecting!" (me quite defensively)
"Yes, well I suppose you could stop whenever you wanted to, couldn't you?" (Recovered collector man)

Hmmm, I'm still pondering that one. Could I? Nah...there's always tomorrow, or better yet, next year.

Here she is, in all her glory. I'm going to refinish it instead of painting it. Good thing I didn't stop collecting a few weeks ago or this baby would've been fire starter.
Collect on!!! Lisa ;-)

It's almost 3 years baby!

We're celebrating the shop's 3 year anniversary on Saturday, September 18th. Sally and I are in the middle of planning this fun event and we're also putting out an open invitation to anyone that would like to be a vendor in our parking lot. Please email me for more info., we'd love to have you!

Uncoveredruby@yahoo.com.

Lisa ;-)

A Barn Story

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am a Barn Chick with a story to tell.

In the late 1920's my Great Grandparents purchased 40 acres in LaCenter, WA as a step toward beginning their own dairy. Money was tight and creativity was needed to find the wood to build the necessary buildings for the dairy. Before it was popular, my Grandparents were into recycling and repurposing (must be in my blood!).

My Grandpa and my Great Grandpa went to the big city of Portland, OR and tore down an empty flour mill (or feed store, we're not sure which), and began the tedious process of hauling the wood back home to build what we call today, our 'loafing shed.'

You can see a bit of the words left on the boards, I've tried to make the words out since I was a little kid, to no avail.
They made the best with what they had, and ended up creating their own thick beams to hold up the massive structure out of several 1x6's put together.

As time passes, and the ground shifts, so do the 1x6's on their concrete blocks....

No worries though, our barn is perfectly safe..we've had to replace some of the beams that were really off their rockers blocks :-).
The roof is made of aluminum sheets that were hard to lay down because they were so wide. The rose bush in this picture is one that my Grandma planted a loooonnnng time ago.

 A loft was included in the barn so that they could store hay for the cows and toss it through the rafters  down to where the animals were 'loafing'. A belt was hooked up to this door to haul the hay up.

Although today, it's more of a photo op for us!

This is looking from the bottom of the barn, up through the rafters to the loft.

And the inside of our barn, the back wall....

...and our hay to feed these precious things...

...and to provide comfy bedding for these sweet things...

But I digress, now where was I? Ahhh yes, the loafing shed was a true God send for my Great Grandparents. Being a Grade A Dairy meant the bar was held high, and in order to not contaminate milk, the cows had to be kept mud free...the loafing shed provided them a place to go where they were on higher ground and protected from the elements. It was all perfectly planned and the dairy was well on it's way. However, sometimes our plans and life don't always agree.

During the building of the loafing shed, my Great Grandpa fell against one of those rafters I showed you. Not one to run to the doctor, he brushed it off until the pain became so severe he had to go to the doctor. The fall had created a hernia in his intestine and by the time he was admitted to the hospital, his intestine had gangrene. 21 days later, my Great Grandpa died in his hospital bed.

A new barn...
...a functioning Grade A Dairy...
...and my Grandpa, with gypsy blood
found himself thrust into the life of a dairy man and a life that required him to cultivate the roots planted by his own father.

I always knew that my Great Grandpa died building this beautiful barn that my husband and I now own. Knowing the full story makes this barn and this land even more special to me. I too have roots here. Roots, that a man I never got the chance to meet, planted for his family and I now have the awesome privilege to nurture and pass on to my own children.















This is my barn and this is my story.

Read about some more G.R.E.A.T. Barn Stories with the Barn Chick Blog Party at Brayton Homestead Interiors! Thanks for visiting my barn...
Lisa ;-)

Fabulous Flea Market!

The Vintage Gathering Flea Market was a BLAST!! Sally and I had so much fun and we were so busy that I got about 3 pictures taken. Sally got a few shots of our space at the Flea Market before the craziness began, so here goes:

We had a wonderful time. A BIG thank you to Cathy of 
Beyond the Garden Gate for hosting 'The Vintage Gathering Flea Market,' and a BIG thank you to all of our wonderful customers both new and already lovingly known.
Sally and I are now working on planning the shop's 3 year anniversary which is slated for September 18th. More details will be coming, mark your calendars now!
Later...Lisa :-)