A Creative Way to Hang Curtains, and MORE Barn Photos

This week is the last week we have before our barn opens for business on Friday.  Of course, it was in existence already as Stylish Patina, but we didn't want to just "take over".  We wanted to change it and make it ours.  We have been working hard to make some cosmetic changes, and of course we have brought in several local artisans, which is helping us create the eclectic and collected vibe we desire.

Yesterday, I spent much of my day up on a ladder...

You see, we wanted to add some white sheers all along one of our long walls to soften and create texture and warmth.  We purchased some inexpensive sheers from Ikea, but the trick was how to hang them since we have cement walls which are much harder to work with.  The ceiling of the barn is wood so we knew we could drill into that.  We pondered the pipe curtain rods, like I created for Sawyer's room, but we needed to cover over 40 feet, so it would have been pricier.  I recalled that a friend of mine had a bunch of old already dried out bamboo and she wasn't going to use all of it.  I asked her if we could snag some to use as curtain rods, and she happily gave is 4 nice long pieces.

I purchased nice thick eye hooks and sisal rope.  I spent the day drilling, screwing in the eye hooks, and then securing the bamboo by tying the rope through the hook to create a loop I could slide the bamboo through.

(Sorry for the poor photo, but with the light coming in through the windows it was a challenge with my phone!)

The bamboo was super thick, so too thick for the curtains to slide on, so we created ties with some jute and tied them on.  Here they are...

I just love the overall organic feel they have.  Here you can see how we placed them with some furniture on the wall, and they really help soften the space...

And since I brought my camera yesterday, I was able to snap some much better quality shots... thought I would share some with you!   There's not much DIY going on here at the moment, as this is all I am focused on right now. :)

Are you sick of seeing barn photos yet?  I sure hope not!  Like I said, with getting this all set up and ready, there hasn't been too much time for DIY-ing around here.

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you for your incredible support through all of this.... Taking over the barn was definitely a leap of faith for us, but you all make me feel like I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  So for that I thank you!

And now, lucky me, the kids both have playdates, so I am heading to the barn for a couple kid-free hours this morning!

Weekend Rodeo Randomness and Some Barn Sale Displayes

(Before you read this post, you should know that all photos are cruddy iPhone quality.  This is not an apology, but just an informational message.)

Happy Monday!  Summer has begun here- WOOHOO!!!!  Friday we spent the evening at a friend's pool, letting the kids swim and play and kick off summer.  Saturday Emmy and I went yard sale-ing and found some great stuff, including this shamrock houseplant which I thought would be perfect for the checkout at the Sweet Clover barn!  Won't it look pretty by our checkout?

After we hit the yard sales, we met up with Sarah to set up some of our artisan displays.  Sweet Pea designs creates adorable hair clips.  We used some vintage shutters to show them off and let their color pop!

We even had Emmy model a couple of her favorites...

Charlie Madiosn jewelry has also arrived!  Wendy, its creator, allowed Sarah and I to set up her display.  She gave us the miniature dress form for necklaces, but we had fun creating the rest ourselves!  We used vintage milk glass vases, which were perfect for her bracelets, and set earrings in a dish- Emmy worked on artfully arranging those. ;)

I am in love with these leather bracelets, hand stamped and hand painted!  If someone wants to pass the information on to my husband that I wouldn't mind one for my birthday.... that would be awesome. ;)

 Fabulous necklaces made with vintage locker tags....

I worked on setting up the gorgeous water color prints of Chris Carr in the cottage.   Sarah brought in this awesome rustic piece, and it was perfect to hold his smaller prints.  I set up the larger ones in the barn, but forgot to take a picture.

Oh, and while I was at the barn setting up, I had a very special visit from an amazing bloggy friend!  Kirby and I met in person last year at Hometalk, and I felt immediately like she was one of my kind.  She is most likely reading that right now and scared. ;)  Seriously though, she is the real deal- down to earth, smart, witty, and always fun to see! You can visit her witty awesome self at Kirb Appeal.  Kirby and I posed with Emmy, just so we could share a picture with you!

After we left the barn, I treated Emmy to lunch at her favorite restaurant.... This child adores Main Cup in Middletown, and I love it, too!  So I was more than happy to fulfill her request for lunch out at Main Cup.  After all, she had tagged along with me to yard sales and setting up the barn!

Saturday evening, we had a real treat for the entire family!  We went to our first rodeo at J Bar W Ranch in Union Bridge, MD.  It was AWESOME.  We had so much fun and totally embraced the good ol' country fun!  We arrived early (we were meeting friends), so Emmy and I took a stroll around and came across some cowboy hats for the kids.  I couldn't walk away without them!

Sawyer had his sweat band (that I gave him from the color run!) on so at first he sported the sweatband cowboy hat combo.... sort of the cowboy athlete look.

I made everyone squish in so we could capture the moment as a family, too.

And here are all the kids lined up waiting for the show to start....

They had special events for the kiddos.  Sawyer's pretty much a natural cowboy.  It's in his Texan blood.  (My mother-in-law is from Texas).  He told me he wants boots, a shirt, and a vest, and wants to participate in the Mutton Bustin' competition next time!  I think he is a shoe-in for the win.

And Emmy learned how to rope in a man bull.

The flag they hung was ginormous, but I couldn't look at it without feeling proud to be an American!

After all the excitement, funnel cake, and snow cones... we all crashed when we got home!  It was well worth it though.

Sunday morning, my father's day gift to Chris was a few hours of peace and quiet in the house.  My friend and I rallied our kiddos, headed to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, and then we were off to the flea market!  It was Sawyer's first time, there, and he had a blast!  He walked away with some pretty awesome cowboy and Indian toys, which were similar to the ones I played with as a child.  The set was complete with a teepee and canoe, too!  I came away with some fabulous vintage crates perfect for displaying Black Sparrow Soaps at the barn!  The soaps need to be climate controlled, so they aren't in the barn yet, but how cool will they look in these crates?

After the flea market, we all had lunch, and then I had to trade with Chris.... his gift of time had to end so I could head up to Repurposed and Refined and finish setting up the space Sarah and I have set up as their guest vendor at their warehouse sale this coming weekend.  I had these cool vintage pennants, perfect for the boys room vignette, and I needed to hang them.  I used painter's take to attach them to the wooden frame of the windows.

Aren't these so cool?  I have been WAITING for the perfect scenario to set these bad boys up!

Finally, after that, I was finished with anything work related for the weekend.  We had a fabulous dinner with our neighbors, I finally got ahold of my own dad to wish him a happy father's day, I wrote this blog post, and then went to bed.  The end.

Insta-Friday and Teacher Gifts!

Happy-ish Friday!  This is it, my friends.  D-Day.  The last day of school.  No more pencils, no more books, no more free time.... hello crazy summer!  I am ready though, I think.  The kids are ready.  We have loads of fun plans including a trip to Hershey Park with my good friend Julia, a trip to Atlanta to visit Kelly, and see Heidi and Kathleen, too; and of course we will visit Uncle Trav and soon to be Aunt Jill in Charlotte, then head to the beach for a fun time with Gram Pam.  And there's soccer camp, VBS, Trav and Jill's wedding, oh and of course a few barn sales in there, and Sawyer's birthday, too.  Yes- a nice relaxing summer, indeed!  So maybe relaxing is not the word to describe it... more like action packed and fun!

So friends, I am off this morning to hit some yard sales on my last free Friday morning.  The kids get off the bus 2 hours early and we are meeting friends for celebratory ice cream and then headed to a pool party to kick off the summer right!  Wish me luck!

So while I am enjoying my last moments of freedom, how about some fun instagram (cassie8978) pictures from the week, followed by the end of the year gifts we gave our teachers.

Proud of my boy!  And isn't he the cutest?  I love this school picture of him.

Holy hair!  It's been.... 7 months.  7 months?!?!  since I have had a hair cut.  Yikes!!!  I have just been trimming my own bangs in the meantime.  I know some people like being pampered at the salon.  Not me... I hate sitting still in that chair.  I'm always thinking "Come on, can I jus get out of here?!"  And I usually tell them not to worry about drying it so I can just leave!

I was so excited to win an awesome giveaway from my good friend Kristin at Bliss at Home!  Here are my awesome goodies)!!!

The gnome has found a home in a plant near the kitchen sink, and I took the gift card immediately to Target to get the chucks I had been coveting, but not wanting to spend the money on.  Jake thinks they make some fine walking shoes....

And in case you have not been to Kristin's blog,  you have got to check out her Ikea billy bookcase hack!

Pretty amazing, right?

Now, since it's the last day of school, I thought I'd share with you the gifts we gave the teachers at the end of the year.  We also created one for Emmy's dance teacher.  I purchased 3 small terracotta pots and saucers, and 2 lemon thyme plants and 1 pineapple mint.  I let the kids select their own colors of paint from my craft closet, and paint their little hearts out....

We gave Emmy's dance teacher the mint and attached a clay tag that read "You were 'mint' to dance!"

For each of their teachers, I wrote a sort of poem and made them each personal for the teacher....

Here are their pots together... My little patriot is an American history buff, so of couse he painted a flag on his. :)  I thought it was appropriate for his teacher as it suits him, and what he has learned this year.

This was a great way to not spend a ton of money, but still give a sweet and throughtful gift.  I hope the teachers plant these in their gardens and remember my kids, years from now!

Now I'm off for the last taste of freedom followed by a taste of ice cream!

Sweet Clover Barn Sneak Peeks

Happy Thursday!  What.... Thursday?!?!?!  I have two days of freedom left!   have been cramming this week full of work, trying to get as much done as possible while I have the time.  The ladies of Sweet Clover and I have been busy cleaning, painting, building, styling and more to get ready for our first sale next weekend.  I thought I would share with you today some of the sneak peeks we have been sharing on our facebook page.   Some of these pieces will be familiar to you, and some will be new to you!  Enjoy!

Today at the barn I gave the front door a makeover in clover green... (ok so I am naming it that.  It was an oops paint from Home Depot).

A colorful and eclectic dining space...

How fun is this bamboo server?

A fun workspace...

A gorgeous armoire, from one of our vendors, Surrendered Goods...

Also from Surrendered Goods is this amazing blue clawfoot table....

The Green Doors created some fun chalkboard pennant buntings...

The Green Doors also brought in this AMAZING tea trolley that I drooled all over.... (Don't worry, Ronna, I cleaned it up!)

 Marlene at The Green Cottage always has the most beautiful dining vignettes... She has another she set up today which is stunning!

Bmore Nestled always features fun and colorful finds!

Sarah's washed pressback chairs (There is a set of 4) pair perfectly with the door table!

I finally brought my green milk paint dresser in...

Traer Loves has such a fun space at the moment with great pops of summer red!

By the way- do you see those AMAZING vintage red floor cushions?!?!  I want them so badly but have no place for them.  They are $20 each.  You need them.

My duck egg dresser made it over...

Sarah painted this beauty....

And she just finished this one... LOVE it!

And as promised, the duck egg chairs were reunited today with the duck egg table...

We are getting there!  Just one week and one day to go until we are open for business!  We still have so much to accomplish, but we are feeling really good about it right now! Ask me how I am feeling NEXT Thursday and the answer might be different.