The North Shore of Massachusetts welcomed us with open arms on our drive up to Salisbury. The final leg of our trip lead us over the picturesque Merrimack River lined with boats and a historic shoreline view of Newburyport. Our final destination was Pettengill Farm. It was our first time participating in The Vintage Bazaar and we couldn't wait for the show. Thom and I pulled into the farm and were blown away by the beautiful greenhouses, old farm store, goats, chickens, and even an sweet old emu named Emma. The two big fields were filled with vintage and handmade vendors from all over the northeast, a stage for live music, and local food trucks. We could tell it was going to be a great show even before it started!
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| Pettengill Farm welcomes you |
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| farm fresh |
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| goodnight Emma |
The weekend started off with sun, music, and a great crowd. I was so impressed by the variety and number of vendors at the show. If I weren't vending there myself, this definitely would be a yearly shopping destination for me. On Saturday, there was a special unveiling of a new US Postal Service stamp at the Vintage Bazaar. The event was the perfect spot to premier the "Vintage Rose" stamp. A special postmark accompanied by a framed art piece was made just for the event.
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| Vintage Bazaar charm |
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| the local watering hole |
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| vintage treasures |
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| crowds galore |
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| "Vintage Rose" unveiling at The Vintage Bazaar |
We were set up in Strawberry Fields in spot 61. I was thankful to have my oh-so-helpful husband Thom with me! We always have a fun time together at shows.
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| 61 = fun |
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| my partner in craft |
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| Twitch and Whiskers at Vintage Bazaar |
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| protractor necklaces and bold Bakelite rings |
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| Fun 'n' Games rings |
I had the pleasure of meeting a very talented artist at The Vintage Bazaar. Alycia Matthews of Alycia's Art creates a whimsical world of sculpted, vintage-inspired creatures with holiday and seasonal themes. She starts her process with sketches and makes her artwork come to life with wire, newspaper, papier mache', paper clay, and paint. The amount of care she puts into each step of her process is clear when you look at all the loving details in her work. From the curious, hand-painted expressions on her characters' faces to the carefully sewn outfits and specially chosen accessories, you can tell that a lot of thought and love goes into her work. At The Vintage Bazaar, she had offerings for the 4th of July, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and Halloween. My favorite piece of hers at the show was an adorable Halloween mouse nestled in a basket filled with orange and black yarn balls. Alycia actually crocheted a tiny blanket and made tiny crochet hooks so that it looked like the mouse was making the blanket. You really have to get a close look at her work. Visit Alycia's Art on her blog, Etsy shop, Pinterest page, and Facebook page to see her sculptures, find out about upcoming events, and order her one of a kind creations.
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| Alycia Matthews of Alycia's Art |
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| festive puppet friends |
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| Kaboom! |
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| crocheting little mouse |
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| a creature for all seasons |
Visitors who stopped by the Twitch and Whiskers booth happily showed off our necklaces with color, kitsch, and a touch of sass.
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| turn up the volume and color |
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| Hob Knob electric guitar knob necklaces |
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| Susan Murphy of Salvage ANGEL lookin' fantastic in her 1940's pinback button necklace. |
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| Wink and I'll Do The Rest |
Folks loved digging through the Fun 'n' Games rings to check out the quirky quotes on the vintage pinback buttons and all of the colorful doodads. Here are some of the happy hands.
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| "Silence! Genius at work" and "If you want to know who's boss, start something" |
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| She was JUST listening to Frank Sinatra on the car ride to the show. Guess whose name was on the tiny record! |
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| Fun 'n Games rings |
I always adore meeting new customers and seeing old friends at shows!
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| Looking purr-fect in a tiny tin clicker with kitty. |
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| Ellen, a wonderful repeat customer traveled up to Salisbury to pick up this butterfly statement necklace. It was great seeing her again! |
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| This lovely lady just purchased a smashing vintage Hawaiian dress from Folk Couture and then found a ballerina magnet necklace to match the colors perfectly. |
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| vintage magnet necklaces |
Protractor necklaces looked great on the ladies of The Vintage Bazaar (from every angle).
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| Set sail |
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| Bright flowers on a bright teacher! |
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| Happiness in bloom |
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| ruby, brass, and pearl protractor necklace |
At the end of a long day of selling, the first thing on your mind is filling your belly with some delicious food. Well, thankfully the kind organizers at The Vintage Bazaar took care of the vendors and treated us to a lovely meal! We enjoyed a fine spread of appetizers, drinks, and a scrumptious BBQ feast from Wooden Spoon Catering Company. The pulled pork sandwiches and savory/sweet sides really hit the spot and made everyone feel so appreciated at the show. To top it off (pun intended) there was a hat theme at the affair and we were encouraged to wear creative lids. Prizes went to the most creative hats. Thom sported a top hat that he wore to our Halloween wedding reception and I wore my favorite 1980's woven gold beret with bold earrings. Great food and conversation with the picturesque Pettengill Farm as the backdrop was the perfect way to end the night!
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| a perfect way to end the night |
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| Danbury mad hatters |
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| hungry vendors, delicious food, beautiful setting |
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| Thank you friends at The Wooden Spoon! |
Day two at The Vintage Bazaar was Father's Day and we started the morning singing "Rain, rain, go away..." The drops didn't stop the vendors from having fun and by lunchtime, the day cleared up nicely! It turned out to be a great day to take dad and the whole family out for some vintage and handmade goodness. Throughout the day, I sent home more necklaces with happy gals.
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| Everything is just ducky! |
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| the father of all rings |
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| Ahoy! Wonderful nautical style ahead! |
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| Whale Watch - protractor necklace |
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| Hep Cat - pinback button necklace |
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| tiny hands and big gems - protractor necklace |
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| Are yours? |
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| This big tin car bib necklace drove off with a happy gal! |
The absolute highlight of the day was meeting Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash and Cari. On Saturday, Cari was demonstrating her Chroma Color RePurose paints and stains in the Coastal Windows and Exteriors tent. I was so happy that she had time to pop by and say hi on Sunday. She shared the exciting news that her RePurpose Shop will be moving into a beautiful, bigger location in Holly, Michigan come August. Cari spread the perfect amount of sunshine in our booth and left looking wonderful in her "Get More Fun Out of Life" necklace.
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| Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash and Cari and RePurpose Shop |
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| Get more fun out of life! |
Before we left, we also made sure to take home some treasures home from the Vintage Bazaar.
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| Handmade printed headband by ROBINWOODS Designs. The colors match my dark blue, teal, and fuchsia hair streaks perfectly! |
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| My favorite treasure from the show. Say hello to "Kitty Cat Kisses" by Alycia Matthews. Thanks to a new friendship, some crafty swaps, and a whole lotta kindness, this amazing piece came home with me. Isn't it just swoon-worthy? |
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| Thom found a cow skull for his sister Marnie. It barely fit in the car, but it was worth it. She loved it! |
Thank you to the wonderful customers, talented vendors, and fabulous organizers for making Vintage Bazaar such a memorable show from start to finish. A special thanks goes to the folks at Pettengill Farm for hosting the event on their beautiful estate. I really adored everything about the farm and hope to visit again when we're back up on the North Shore.
The Vintage Bazaar happens three times a year, so make sure to catch a show when you get a chance. I promise you'll have a great time! Visit The Vintage Bazaar's website and Facebook page for more information about their upcoming fall and winter shows.
You can catch Twitch and Whiskers two more times this summer at the South End Open Market at SoWa in Boston. Come and find me on July 12th and 26th.
There are big things in the works for Twitch and Whiskers. Stay tuned for updates in late August. In the meantime, you can find our newest pieces of Instagram (most pieces shown are available for direct sale via Paypal) Facebook, and Etsy.
