Camas Antique Street Faire

The day on Saturday at the Camas Street Faire was fun and like a mini reunion seeing so many of my customers from The Purple Pear as well as friends. It was so well attended and everyone had fun.

I sold a set of Eastlake chairs as well as the two-tiered table that I had painted and stenciled.

Mary and Kathleen had a space next to me and Kathleen painted this piece in Chalk Paint™ decorative paint with the colors Paloma underneath and CoCo on top. Then she used a glaze of Annie's dark wax and mineral spirits with some gold metallic wax mixed in. It was stunning and sold very quickly!

Toward the end of the show I was getting a bit silly and placed a crochet tea cozy on top of my head while Sara Bickler of The Cup Bearer, a fun new shop in Camas, took the photo telling me that I better post this. So here it is!

By 6:00 AM the next morning I was on a flight to St Louis to meet my husband and help him drive home to Portland. At last he is coming home to stay after being gone for over a year working on the east coast. How fun it is to be on another journey with him again!

Henry meets The Purple Pear

Well today was my final day at this location for The Purple Pear. We are off now to new adventures, looks, and fun! But today was the day I unexpectedly realized I needed a soothing presence......Henry!!!

This day began as usual. I hurried through coffee, emails, shower, loading of the car, including Henry who had an appointment at the vet for his final booster for feline leukemia. Oh I forgot. I also went to my storage unit to pick up paint before the vet. It is the constant ritual of planning too much and running out of time. So guess what? Henry had to go to my store because I did not have time to take him home and get there to open by 11:00 AM.

First of all, you have to understand that Henry is the newest addition to my cat family, and he is an absolute love. He is the easiest, most uncomplicated cat that has passed my way, and I knew he would adapt immediately to The Purple Pear. He decided he looked particularly debonair against a backdrop of CoCo. Bless his heart. He knows fine colors and the best Chalk Paint™ colors when he see them.

I worried about him being bored, but he immediately nestled against Gina Brown's beautiful pillows because he knows they are all about beauty and love!

And of course I panicked when I realized I was taking him to my shop, and he did not have his own commode. I figured a solution quickly with some cat litter and a shipping box. It was perfect.

Henry finally decided that I was not entertaining him enough so he settled in and nestled against Gina's fine pillows.

Then Henry was pushed and shoved into this completely unattractive carrier and crammed into a car that was already full to the brim!

But he was promised a little compensation... no more retail time for the moment, a treat, and some catnip, and a time to be the Henry that he is....loving, silly, unpredictable, and lots of company on a final day that called for a celebration and a respectful good bye. We will be keeping you posted on our newest and most exciting location so please keep us close. We are almost there. And who knows, Henry might be the gentleman that periodically greets you at the door!

The Story of a Small Clock

I grew up in a family where the home was always filled with the sounds of ticking and chiming clocks. It was simply the sound of familiarity, comfort, and even security. My father loved clocks. He would rescue them and fix them. Every evening at the same time he would wind them and pull the weights back up so they would carry on with their responsible job of letting us know, minute-by-minute what time it was. I loved those clocks and my father's dedication to them.

When my father had passed away and my brother and three children were moving my mother out of her house, it was rather a hectic and emotional time for all of us. When everyone was gone and my mother and I were left in the house alone one last time, we both went from room to room trying to capture the memories. I opened the guest bedroom closet upstairs and discovered this sweet little clock on a shelf way in the back, nearly hidden by other things. I had always loved this small clock because it was not really "important" and it was the one thing I carried out to the car as we left the house permanently.

The two things my father was passionate about were his clocks and his annual summer trek into the Sierra Mountains with his brother. Would he have ever put a value on these things? I doubt it. His clocks were important to him because he truly loved his care for them and the enjoyment they provided each day of his life. Love of things and passions can have a monetary value, but they can also have a value that is immeasurable in terms of love. When my husband and I lived in San Francisco some years ago, I worked in an upscale antique shop near the financial district on Jackson Street. I would often hear the dealers say a piece was "important". A chair would sell for $50,000 because it was important. I used to laugh to myself about this. Well of course it was important if it had the right provenance and original finish or paint, and I understood this. However, there was also a kind of importance that was one of memory and love and care.

I painted this clock Old White with Country Grey underneath. I am not done with it. It is the only thing I have had time to paint in the last few weeks. And to say it has been a soothing and steady project is so true. This clock is only important to me. It has always been rather homely, but I have cherished it for a very long time. It is the only clock in my house that keeps ticking away if I am home to keep it going. It keeps me going too.

A Move is Underway

Today I spent the day moving a lot of my things into a storage unit. I made two trips with this van. I will have someone help me with the larger pieces. A move is something that is not unfamiliar to me. I have done this so many times, not for business but for personal reasons. It gives you a chance to sort through and get rid of things that don't seem to be all that important.

I have kept all the colors, extra quarts as well as waxes and brushes and everything else that is related to Chalk Paint™ decorative paint in the store until I officially close this location.

And don't forget I will be at the Camas Street Faire this coming Saturday. I will be selling lots of textiles and trims plus some other small things. Please come and visit me and attend the show. It will be fun and the town is so charming!

Changes Ahead

A special announcement...... I will not be moving into Madison Park with Randy. We mutually decided the space would most likely be too small for my workshops plus all my inventory. So I am on the search for a new location. I will let you know soon what the address will be when I find the perfect roomy space I need!

I have been sorting through the collections I have wondering which ones I will sell and which pieces I will keep. When I go to textile shows they call these white pieces of clothing "Victorian Whites" and I am drawn to these gems like a magnet. If I had to explain the reason for this, it would be impossible as it is such an empowering instinct for me.

Such sweet images.....and the hours and skill of handwork absolutely mind boggling.

I intend to bring a lot of these into my new location. I will keep you posted on my new address somewhere around the beginning of September. I will be selling my things on my website and out of my home for a few weeks, maybe less. Please stay tuned!

The Purple Pear Helper

I have had a helper in my store since Tuesday! Her name is Sarah and she loves Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan.

We have been finishing the inside cupboard doors of this French Linen painted cabinet. On the inside doors we mixed 50% CoCo and 50% Duck Egg Blue to get a dusty looking blue that looks perfect with the other colors.

Sarah is a very tidy painter and loves color as much as her grandmother. We are hoping to have enough time to paint at least one small table and a mirror before Sarah heads home with her two brothers to Southern California. There is never enough time to enjoy them, but what we do share is a lot of laughter, good conversation, and peaceful moments just sharing our joy in being together.

They grow up all too quickly. Just treasure the moments you have.....