girlfriends market

Pictures From The Show

2011-11-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

The kitchen was so cute with all our vintage aprons

Wow! What a wonderful show it was. . . . .great vendors, good food and lots of customers. . . . .

Gathering and getting ready

2011-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we decorate the outside of Heritage Hall.

More pictures to come . . . . .

A Few Of Our Favorite Things . . . . .

2011-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Pictures From Last Year

2011-11-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

We can't wait to see how beautiful the old log building will look again this year.

Before all the shoppers arrived

Live music on Friday evening

The kitchen filled with vintage aprons

So many wonderful treasures

and things to see.......

Meet one of our Vendors

2011-10-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

We love Faye and her knitted goods

She has the most wonderful gloves, hats and scarves.

Welcome Jessica!

2011-10-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

We're excited to have Shabby Black Dog join us this year

They are a very talented young couple, we know you'll love their "stuff".

Featured Vendor - Wendy Rushing of Primitive Whimsy

2011-10-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

I went to Centralia to do a little shopping and stopped in to Abundance Vintage to snap a few pictures of Wendy's booth. Wendy will be at our show this year with her wonderful vintage things. You will not want to miss her.

Wendy will have her goods for sale in the front window at Abundance Vintage until the end of October, so you better hurry and check it out.

Touches of Orange.......

2011-10-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of the year. I love to place mini pumpkins all over our house....an easy and inexpensive way to add color to any room or outside your home.

Enjoy the changing season.

Good Gardens!

2011-10-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

This has been such a great year for my gardens. Last year not a single tomato ripened, nor apples grew.

My flower beds were overtaken with lemon balm and buttercups which is fine for a short while. This spring we dug out all the beds, filled them with new garden soil and planted flowers everywhere. Granted we were inspired by wedding plans, but since the wedding my gardens have been a joy to look at. Now fall is coming and I'm sad to see the flowers go, but waiting for those leaves to take their place!

Moms Garden

Calendula wanted to take over this summer. I found an easy recipe for a calendula salve-love it!

So many tomatoes too.

This is a leek flower head.

Plaid Garden

Flower Gardens

Jonagolds

Granny Smiths

Pumpkins in the Rock Garden

The Things I Love

2011-09-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I grabbed my camera and walked around my yard capturing the things I love.

My beloved fork collection!

Jakes Garbage Hauling

A baby bathtub from a Romanian orphanage

My husband is so proud of this planter he made me.

My favorite old washtub.

Back porch

Park benches I scored for the wedding we had this summer.

chicken feeder

I love bringing new life to cast offs. If it's wood or metal and has acquired a second skin, (moss or rust) and can hold something, you can bet it's going to find a home at my place. Thanks for visiting, Sharon.

Harvest Time

2011-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I went out to my garden to harvest a few veggies. The weather today is beautiful and expected to be in the high 70's, which is extremely unusual for Washington State. It is going to start raining tomorrow, so I thought I better get out there before the slugs do.

Fall

2011-09-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

As I wondered around my yard today, I was thinking about what this time of the year means to me.......

The maple leaves are starting to turn

Back to school

Being so excited about playing a new instrument

Sunflowers in my garden

This is my little shop where I store all of my summer finds

It is so full of wonderful treasures - can't wait for the Girlfriends Holiday Market......

Summer Is Winding Down

2011-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went on a family road trip before school starts. One of our favorite places to visit is the Columbia Gorge. It is so beautiful and peaceful there.

On our way back home to Olympia, we stopped at the Camas Vintage Street Faire. What a fantastic event.

We ran into Erin Kiley ~ one of our vendors that will be at our Girlfriends Holiday Market show again this year. If you don't know Erin, let me tell you that she has the most wonderful things and is so creative.

Erin's booth

and the signs that she makes.....

I hope you enjoy the last days of summer.

The Skagit Valley

2011-08-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

The boys and I took a quick trip up to Mount Vernon to see family. On our way back home to Olympia we stopped at Snow Goose Produce ~ a country market located on Fir Island in the Skagit Valley. My nephew Taylor works there during the summer months.

Taylor got the boys a huge ice cream.......

The cousins......Austin, Taylor and Wyatt

If you are visiting the Skagit Valley, it is worth the trip to this wonderful country market.

Raspberry Jam

2011-08-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Every year the boys and I go out to Spooner Farms to pick strawberries and make jam. This year we decided to get raspberries instead.

Wyatt - my inspector

I prefer to make freezer jam because it is so quick and easy. Just raspberries, sugar and pectin. Even better, there are more raspberries than sugar.

What have you made lately?

In The Garden

2011-08-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I went out to the garden to get some weeding done and take a few pictures. I was surprised to see some cucumbers and lots of blueberries - enough to make a pie. I am looking forward to harvesting some other veggies soon.

The herb garden

Today

2011-05-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

It was a great day. I get to share Mother's Day with my son who turned 10 today. I couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate the day. We went to one of my favorite places for breakfast called Bair's Bistro in Steilacoom. I love this place because it is a landmark building in Washington’s oldest town. The Bair Drug & Hardware Store is an 1895 building, full of old stuff to include the original post office and soda fountain.

Mark and the boys waiting for a table...

Austin had a hot chocolate that looked like dessert

Then, we went to The Perennial Gardener in Olympia,

so I could pick out a hanging basket for our front porch

Michele is one of our vendors at the Girlfriends Market. She was so busy and I can see why.....

she has the most beautiful flower baskets, plants, herbs and veggies

Michele hard at work....

And a new bike for the birthday boy.......

Spring

2011-04-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

I hope you had a nice Easter and are enjoying

the beauty of spring

even though it is cold and rainy in Olympia today, I thought I

would run outside in between rain showers and take a picture of my Rhododendron

We had a great Easter day with family and friends

I love it that our boys still like to hunt Easter eggs

They are still very innocent and child like in so many ways

This week is a tough one for me......

2011-03-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

It has been two years since my dads passing. I want to share a few things about my dad......He was kind, loving, loyal, helpful, generous, always upbeat, optimistic and had a wonderful smile. He loved his family, working and played golf whenever he had the chance. There isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't think about him. We had a great father daughter relationship ~ he was the best...... I know time does heal and I can actually talk about him without bursting into tears, but my heart still aches.

Dad, Me, Jeff (my brother) and Mom

Dads 70th Birthday

My parents wedding picture ~ They were married for 50 years

~I love this picture of me and my dad~

It was taken in 1968 at Lake Chelan, WA

On our way to church on Sunday morning.

Check This Out........

2011-03-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a long time since you have heard from us ~ but it's time......because there is important news to get out to all you junkers. Our dear friend, Wendy Rushing, has her home featured in the Country Sampler ~ 2011 Home Tour Edition. Gary and Wendy's house is wonderful! So pick up a copy and take a look for yourself. Our boys were so excited to see the Rushing's home in a magazine.......

Way to go Gary and Wendy!!

Pictures From The Show

2010-11-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

A Great Big Thank You!

2010-11-14T18:35:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful time we had this past Friday night and Saturday. Thanks to all of you who came out to shop, visit and have a yummy bite to eat.

A giant THANK YOU to all of our vendors who rolled in on Friday morning and set up in record time. You are all great people and we enjoyed all of you!!!

We will have pictures in the next few days. Also, we would love to hear your comments about the show.

Thanks again!!
Sharon and Shelly

A Few More Of Our Favorite Things.......

2010-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

Make a date and don't be late!

2010-11-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

This show truly is a feel good event. It's so much fun to put it all together and the actual show just plain makes me giddy. What could be better?
Shelly and I spent the morning at the Hall decorating the front of the wonderful old log building. It's the best its ever been. The inside of the hall has this incredible warmth about it, makes you want to move in. It's not to late to include us in your weekend plans, or just tweak them and come join us? Friday evening you'll be welcomed with cookies, hot drinks and live fiddle and guitar music on stage by Josie and Ethan. They're going to cook up some fun tunes for us from 4-6pm. Admission$5 on Friday which entitles you to first dibs on all the treasures. Afterwards you can have some dinner with your friends offered by Kristi of Paprika's Catering. If Friday doesn't work, we'll be open all day Saturday from 9-4pm, admission $3. Grab a hot drink and a bite to eat and head on into the hall. We'll have vendors selling eclectic to country/primitive decor. Beautiful handcrafts, jewelry, knitted accessories, hand spun wool, handmade soap, lotions and body care, soy candles, wreaths and greenery, along with linens, quilts, collectibles, antiques and vintage Christmas. Every nook and cranny will be filled with delightful stuff. This is a very sweet show not to be missed.

Faye will be back with her beautiful wool mittens and socks

Heather will have her one-of-kind santas and snowmen along with lots of collectibles

Now Lu Lu, he's not hideous, I think he's cute.

Join Linda and her friends up at 2nd Saturdayz at Sand Pt. in Seattle 8-3pm. Another wonderful market.

These are a few of our favorite things

2010-11-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

Thus begins the last few days when I burn the midnight oil. The house quiets down, the needs of everyone are met, and I can focus on the last bit of crafting, pricing, and gathering into piles all that I need to put on the show. The last space is filled, the to-do lists are long, each day is marked out. I love this part. When you're so close and you just keep checking things off the list like clockwork. Shelly and I are very excited about all of our vendors, and especially welcome all the new faces. It's going to be a good one, see you there!

Fuzzy trees!

Nancy Heinrich and all of her Fun Junk

Gorgeous wreaths and plants by Michaele Dazell of Perennial Gardens

Busy Getting Ready For The Show

2010-11-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were very busy as a family getting ready for the show.

My husband and our two boys helped make a wonderful arbor, we cut a bunch of sticks,

twigs, greens and we made a few more signs.

It is so nice to have help.

Even our cat helped.

Eight Days Away!

2010-11-05T21:43:00.001-07:00

When the weather is in the upper 60's, and the skies are blue it's darn difficult for a Northwesterner to be thinking about the holidays. Halloween yes, Thanksgiving yes, but the one with twinkly lights, sleigh bells ringing, cedar boughs and holly, glitter and santa hats, hmmm that one seems so far off. But those days are coming and then before you know it you've only got a week left. So come on out to our Girlfriends Holiday Market and we promise to help you get in the holiday spirit. ~Sharon

Shoppers lining up in the dining room.

The stage and our beloved red star.

Diane Clement, a favorite vendor, in her kitchen. Need we say more?

Time to meet some of our vendors

2010-11-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is one of our fabulous vendors, Erin Kiley. This is Erin's third year with us but a long time cherished girlfriend for sure. She's an incredibly talented sign maker, and has a great eye for decorating with primitives. Plus she's so much fun to talk to and be around. We kinda like her a lot!

l My favorite sign of them all
Erin (on left) and her friend LeeAnn A few of Erin's holiday signs

Time to sort through all my stuff

2010-11-02T16:14:00.001-07:00

Work, work, work, 11 days to go!

2010-11-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

2010-10-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

2010-10-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

2010-10-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

2010-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

The Countdown Begins

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I've had a hard time focusing on our holiday show because fall is really kicking in around here. It's so beautiful. I keep taking pictures of brightly colored trees, tiny red Japanese maple leaves on my mossy sidewalk, flying geese. It's so distracting. But here it is Halloween night and my daughter is running around dressed as a ninja collecting candy. I told her 17 years old is way to old for this but she insists this is her last year. Anyway tomorrow is November 1 and a perfect time to start our countdown for our show. I promise to post new pictures everyday of previous sales, sneak peeks at some of our treasures, and we'll introduce you to some of our vendors. It's going to be another wonderful Girlfriends Holiday Market~Sharon

The Mountains

2010-10-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have always loved looking at the mountains. Growing up in Mount Vernon our home had a view of the Olympic Mountain Range. As a young girl, I never got tired of looking at them from my bedroom window.

A few weeks ago, I went on a field trip with my 12 year old son to Mount St. Helens. It was a beautiful clear day. If you have not been to the mountain, take the time to go. The picture really doesn't do justice to the amazing site, I had never seen.

The following weekend, we went to the Columbia Gorge. We enjoy going to the Gorge. It's a quick trip and so much to see and do. Years ago, before my husband I had children, we would get in the car and drive the back roads. One of our road trips was to the Gorge. We came to a neat little town called Trout Lake. There wasn't much there ~ a General Store, a Country Inn and Mt. Adams. So we decided to visit that town again. It had been at least 18 years since we had been there and it was just as I had remembered it.

Mt. Adams

The Log Cabin

2010-10-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Some of our vendors so fondly refer to our show as the log cabin show. The first time I ever went into this building was way back in 1981. Bob and I went to an antique auction inside the main hall. We bought a wonderful old sofa with beautiful floral fabric. It was the first piece of furniture we ever bought together. He also bought me a ring with an onyx heart on it. We really couldn't afford it, so sweet. When I started the Flea Market in other buildings at the Fairgrounds, the Heritage Hall always beckoned me. I knew someday I'd have the opportunity to dress this wonderful old building up and do something really special in there.

As Shelly and I travel around dropping our flyers off, time and again we hear people say how this is one of their favorite shows of the year. The building is perfect for this event. The log walls, antique fixtures, and wood floors embrace you with it's warmth and history. It's a small and personal sale, the vendors are thoughtfully chosen for their offerings and because they are so good to work with. Yummy food is offered again by Kristi of Paprikas Catering. We also will set the tone with a few fiddlers playing Christmas music on Friday from 4-6pm. We hope to see you at our Holiday Market! ~Sharon

Pictures From Last Year

2010-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was digging through my pictures and found these from last year. What a great show that was. I can't wait to see how beautiful the old log building will look again this year.

Country roads

2010-10-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day I had today. My daughter and I jumped in the van and headed south of Olympia to shop and leave stacks of our Girlfriend flyers everywhere we went. (Look for them~ they're bright green.) Roslyn navigated from the pile of autumn colored cards I had collected. Wow, what a busy weekend in Lewis County, and how convenient to hop from sale to sale on those country roads. Every show we approached was so delightful to see. Pumpkins, bittersweet and rosehips greeted us along with really great stuff that got my heart racing. You have no idea how badly I needed to feel that way again. This has been one of the toughest years I've had. I was afraid I'd lost my love of buying and selling, and nothing inspired me anymore. But hey, after today, that old feeling is coming back!

We ran into many friends and customers and met new people too. I'm excited about our Girlfriends Market because today I heard a lot of compliments on how special our show is. That's a good thing because it's exactly what we envisioned it to be five years ago.

Warm, festive, delightful to the eye, good music, yummy food, really great stuff to buy, and vendors who are fun and really care. And yes, we do have a reputation of spoiling our vendors, but hey they work hard.

Tomorrow I'm off to more sales, but first I need to unload my van, and that's a good feeling!

Ducks in a Row

2010-09-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Shelly gently reminds me each week that its my turn to write, but I'm a great procrastinator and life keeps interrupting me. I've crossed enough things off my list and put out a number of fires this last week to bring me to this point. I keep these ducks all lined up near my shed, season after season they sit in a row reminding me that it's possible to stay on top of things and stay in line even when the rains are relentless and the leaves threaten to bury them.

Fall Harvest

2010-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

I use this sink for cleaning my veggies from my garden.

SAVE THE DATE

2010-09-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

Girlfriends Holiday Market will be November 12th ~ 13th at Heritage Hall ~ Thurston County Fairgrounds. More details to follow.

THANKS GIRLFRIENDS

2009-11-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well GIRLFRIENDS what a wonderful time we all had this past Friday night and Saturday. Thanks to all of you who ventured out in the cold to come and shop, visit and have a yummy bite to eat.

A giant SHOUT OUT to ALL of our VENDORS who rolled in on Friday morning in the freezing cold and set up in record time. You all are really great people. Thanks for joining us!!!

Happy Holidays to you ALL and again THANKS!!!!

Wendy

Here comes Santa Claus

2009-11-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

The show is just around the corner and we've got wonderful vendor's coming with loads of great vintage christmas. Come and get it along with some chick food. We
can't wait to see you!!!!

THINK CHRISTMAS

2009-11-03T23:18:00.001-08:00

YES, IT'S GETTING TO BE THAT TIME AGAIN

Pictures Of Our Holiday Shows From Years Past

2009-10-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Wreaths And Greens From The Perennial Gardener

Sharon's turn

2009-10-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Put yourself in a merry mood by joining the Girlfriends at their 4th annual Holiday Market
held in the gorgeous Heritage Hall at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. This wonderful log
building was built in the 1930’s and embraces you with its warmth and history. The 25+ vendors
are outstanding in their taste, decorating and enthusiasm. It truly is a feel good event.
We open Friday from 4-8. Get there early and you’ll be welcomed with cookies, live fiddle music on
stage and first dibs on all the treasures for sale. You can even plan on having dinner
with your friends after you’ve checked out the sale.
If you can’t make it Friday, we’ll be open all day Saturday from 9-4. Grab a hot drink
and a bite to eat and head into the Hall. We’ll have vendors selling eclectic décor to
country/primitive décor. Beautiful handcrafts, jewelry, knitted accessories, linens, signs,
collectibles, antiques, vintage Christmas, wreaths and greenery, every nook and
cranny will be filled with delightful stuff. Lunch will be offered too. This is a very
sweet show not to be missed!

2009-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

There are piles of stuff all over the house and outside too waiting to be 'expertly' packed into my van and spirited off to Puyallup for the Funky Junk Sisters Sale. I can't deny that I'm excited about this weekends sale, half the fun is being surrounded by so many incredible vendors. I'm beyond curious to see how the turnout is for their second sale, and if it's even better than June, then I'll be convinced that the internet is the magic key.
So far eight of our Girlfriend vendors will be there this weekend so you'll get a taste of what our sale will be like too. I hope you'll come out and visit us and shop lots. Be sure and stop by Erin Kiley's #43 and mine, #44, (Sharon's) on the corner.

Rainy day pics from Wendy's garden

2009-10-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

COME JOIN US NOVEMBER 13th & 14th

2009-09-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

GIRLFRIENDS HOLIDAY MARKET at HERITAGE HALL
Preview: November 13th 4pm - 8pm
November 14th 9am - 4pm

AN ATMOSPHERE OF rosehips, twigs and twinkling lights
PRIMITIVES, ANTIQUES, gifts, crafts, and vintage ware

Admission: $5.00 for preview night
$3.00 for Nov. 14th

Thurston County Fairgrounds
3054 Carpenter Rd. SE
Lacey, WA