"That Gal" {Katie Runnels}

Many of you have sent emails commenting on our new blog look! Well, here's to Katie Runnels of The Constant Gatherer. She won over our hearts when she designed our blog banner. Wozee

wow, did she knock our socks off! Then she set the stage with these funky curtains on the sides and all the little details! She's our gal!

Katie co-founded Shop SCAD in 2003
She has an amazing blog & is a studio artist. Recently, she started designing blogs & websites. Katie gathers all sorts of lovely things for everyone to read about. She also is the gal behind the cake topper created for Grace {Design*Sponge} & Aaron's wedding cake.

How did we come to know about Katie? Well, a customer Amy {a friend of Katie} of Stinky Toes Design came into our shop and told us about her. The story is the best:
Katie's future mother- in- law met her and liked her so much she called her son and told him she found the girl for him. Yes, it's true, they just celebrated their 2 year anniversary.

We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoped to have new products uploaded on the website by Wednesday night.

All in all, many interesting happenings backstage:
Thursday & Friday brings some exciting things.............
Well, it has been an incredible last few weeks. Let's just say we have work to do!
Studio sale was fun and hope to do it again next year.
Thanks to all of you that came out in the chilly weather!
Favorite comments:
Anne M. "I don't think beyond today"


A customer to Jessica Y. "Did you knit Meg's hat"?
"Sort of." "When you buy something at a thrift store, isn't that like making it yourself?"
replied Jessica.
k&d

Sign us Up and Away.........

Two exciting things to mention! Above photo is story board made by our friend "down South" Liz Demos. She is taking the plunge and doing events and weddings. This story board made us swa-woon with delight! She will have a website up soon for her details on all things good & lovely.

Kara will be seeing her next week as she is taking a trip to see Savannah. Read an old post here on what hilarious Darcy wrote about her. It's been since 2003 that Kara was there so she's looking forward to sa-weet tea! Kara promises everyone waves to anyone down there, truly, really it is so!

Now, TA-DA........
We scouted this event last evening on French General's blog and "whew" this event makes us dizzy just thinking about it! You should see the lineup of instructors: Kaari Meng, Amy Butler,

Wendy Addison, Marcia Ceppos, Charlotte Lyons, Matthew Mead and more. Sign up is September 1st and we truly believe it will be sold out in minutes. We hope we can make this ball of an event.

We have enjoyed working with Kaari, Amy & Wendy, Marcia but the others will be {oh, we hope we can go} new to us. The added benefit is it's in St. Louis and that's only a 5 hour drive from us. Road trip= antiquing on the way, laughs, fun, creativit-y, eating {of course}, coffee and ME studio will be open for tours. How fun is that! OK, girls let's go!

Can't wait! Who plans to go???

Meanwhile, we are plowing through pricing things for the CL fair. Please say a prayer for us; our piles of work are not dwindling very fast. Yesterday Kara was so distracted that she gave her 6 month old a Dum-Dum lollipop instead of her 3.5 year old! True Story. Zach loved it, he had it sucked down to almost nothing. He started squealing because it fell out of his mouth and he couldn't get that sweetness. No wonder he was quiet and happy for 10 minutes! Please don't tell the National Academy of Pediatrics, Kara would be on their billboard in short order on the dangers of giving sugar to babies......... that's all folks!

Have a lovel-y, beautiful weekend gals!

Kara + Darcy

Curious Shops & Two Gals

{Bon store sign, pic from Patch NYC}

We spotted these two gals in a booth in NYC and really didn't talk to them just noticed their smashing-ly cute business card and we knew their shop is on our list of places to go. Tuscon, Arizona is calling our name. We really haven't seen a lot of press {puzzling as it looks like magazine material} on this shop, another write up in this newspaper is spotted here.

{Interior of Bon, pic by A Fanciful Twist}

Vanessa, an artist writes a delightful article on this shop in her blog. This is the only place besides Patch NYC, that we spotted pics and a lovely write up of this shop. It's a mother/daughter team, who are highly creative judging by their work in the few pics we have found. Bonnie {mom} & daughter {Crystal} formed a partnership, Crystal hails from the well known Anthropologie in SoHo, as she did a stint there in the visual display department. Enough said this store is on our list of places to visit.........it looks that good! It should with a name like Bon!

Another shop we have yet to see in the press is Fleur de lis {no website} in Modesto, California. Ruth or as some call her "Ruthie" is another high energy, very creative shop owner. She has owned this shop for over 20 years. She has moved the shop to her current location in the last 7 or 8 years. She has a devoted clientele, her events are always packed out and her visual displays will knock your socks off.

The store is detailed and tons of fresh plants are mixed in. {San Francisco flower market is 1.5 hrs away} Kara started shopping there after she got married and still to this day all her purchases made there are still with her, it's that great! We highly recommend if you are visiting the bay area to take a drive to the Central Valley and make a stop. Darcy & I always have her shop on our list when we visit........promise you won't be disappointed.

Lovely, fresh displays.
Check out the ribbon cupboard, tucked in the corner........she is known for her ribbon selection.

At a little over 1,000 square feet, she has never expanded. She is just amazingly good at making her shop crammed full like the ones in Europe. {She does go on buying trips to France, has been going there for a long time} Floor to ceiling, it's filled with treasures. Why is it that our favorite shops are small and have never swelled to thousands of square feet.....must be something to this, small is good!

Now on to shop girls at heart!

{Barbara at a farmer's market with her beautiful daughter, Arabella}

Barbara lives in Ohio & hails from California..........{she was a shop girl for Ruthie at Fleur de lis} Here is her lovely blog, Joyful Living.

She'll be helping us out at this year's Country Living Fair. She is a very talented gal, helping her mom, Doris behind the scenes with her Etsy shop, Dogwood Designs.

Here is a list of what inspires her:

What I love:

My Lord & Savior

My family & friends

What I enjoy:

Vintage linens, ribbons, paper

Mixing old, new, vintage & used together

Estate sales, flea markets, really any sales

Bringing nature indoors-flowers, branches, leaves....

Balancing the deor in our home to reflect a beautiful and cozy, but a real life home.

She also enjoys cooking, trying new recipes and using fresh ingredients.........

Barbara has two small children and is expecting another in December, she is a lovely mother and has a good eye for all things beautiful! We're blessed to know her as a customer & friend.

Amber lives in Indiana and is opening her own shop this fall........find more about her upcoming shop, Damask Designs here!

She is also helping us out at the fair this year! {should we tell these girls it's like boot camp, shhhh, we'll keep that under our hat}

Here is the oh-so-wonderful details on me & my little shop.....

I am a busy mama to two....

& I'm currently enchanted with vintage & French finds

Chandeliers

Ribbons

Quaint little shops & little bits of everyday life

I love to daydream, design & created {with whatever I have}

Damask Designs is an accumulation of my interests

It is a little "occasional shop" {open certain times of the year} selling all things "vintage & vogue". Tucked in the shop will be antique letterpress stationary, vintage finds & little indulgences, to make you & your days more delightful.

Best wishes to you Amber as you start your journey as a shop owner.

Darcy & I have known Amber as a customer and just recently met her in person, what a delight. We can't wait to come to your shop.......

Thank you to both of these sweeties for putting up with us!!!

Kara + Darcy

We Won!

We entered Katie Runnels {Constant Gatherer Blog} contest for her darling wreaths she makes. She co-founded ShopSCAD in Savannah and now lives in a little town in South Carolina. She has a studio and an etsy shop. We would be delighted to meet her in person. When she e-mailed us to tell us we won yesterday Darcy jumped up & down as she has never won anything. This pink birdie wreath will adorn our store studio wall. Tweet, tweet. Now, Kara can't figured out how to copy the picture of the wreath to our blog {go figure}! So we'll just make you link to her blog and check it out!

Thanks Katie for your darling wreath you created, you're a doll!

K&D