Country Living Sneak Peek

For those of you who are familiar with the Country Living magazine and their fairs, I am sure this week's blog title has your attention! Just as soon as my sadness about the end of Antique Week (or rather month) in Warrenton set in, my excitement for the upcoming Country Living Fair in Austin began. Mark your calendars - it is less than two weeks away at this point! The fair begins on Friday, April 27 and runs through Sunday, April 29. Always something to look forward to around here, and I am EXTRA excited for this show  - - - because I will not just be there to shop, but I will also be there to work!!  AHHHHH! 

No, I won't be a vendor...instead, I have the honor of learning from and helping a great new friend Karen with her huge space at the show in the arena at the Travis County Expo Center. I met Karen several months back at her space in the Finds! antique store in Burnet. On my very first 'Barn Chic Antiques business' shopping excursion, I nearly filled my rented Expedition with Karen's goods back when her space was at DJ's Trading Post off the square in Burnet. Since then, the ladies at the store recognize me and would always show me the new items that the ever-so-talented Karen brought in to her booth. And I would then destroy buy out entire displays...one day I happened to be shopping at the new store while Karen was in there fluffing her space, and I was elated to meet the sweet woman (and her husband Brent) behind the decor. It was an instant connection and we have been in touch since that day. 

On another trip to Burnet, I again ran into Karen at the store and she told me that she was selected to be a vendor at the Country Living Fair in Austin. She said it would be a ton of work and wondered if I would be interested in helping her...um, let me think about that for a nano-second - YES! 

Karen invited me to her ranch outside of Marble Falls to check out what she will have for the show. I ventured west today and was mesmerized by not just her absolutely awesome vignettes, but also the true beauty of her and Brent's own 'Country Living' in a spectacular Texas Hill Country setting. We had such a great visit and I enjoyed every second of it. Here are just a few pictures (that don't do justice) to her picturesque homestead. 

Blue Skies Ranch entrance

The security guards checking me out.

I talked to the donkeys out the window and they came right over.

I must have gotten the seal of approval to enter.

Hello, Texas Hill Country! Look at that view! You can see for MILES!

That screened-in porch is just beyond words.

The hummingbirds were drawn to this place and I saw several buzzing around the flowers and feeders.


And butterflies were abundant as well!

This is her potting shed surrounded by sweet honeysuckle and verbena.

A close up of the entry to the shed.


And this is what it looked like inside the shed:

 

 

 

If that is what her potting shed looks like, just imagine how great her displays at one of the country's most prestigious antique fairs will be!

Some more garden shots: 

 

 

Looking back to the house from the shed.

A view of her workshop from the potting shed. Inside that space is a crafter's dreamland! 

The view from her workspace.


If I haven't yet convinced you of the need to get to the Country Living Fair during the last weekend of April, maybe this sneak peek of Karen's booth will!

And she kept telling me she still had much more to do within this space! I say it looks pretty darn great.

I so admire her designer's eye for combining elements from several decor genres - industrial, vintage garden, primitive, shabby chic, and farm simplicity. Her space at the Expo Center is something you cannot miss - and I will be there to say hello, so come by and check it out! Are any of you going to be selling or shopping at the fair?

Have a chic week!

-Sarah