Asher Hill Farm - Branches source for Vintage Goods ... and Hand Spun Wool?

Hey you all. Sorry for the break in posts there. It gets a bit dodgy here in blog world when the barn sale starts to ramp up. And DK gets cranky if we run out of underwear and forks, so I have to look up from my computer or painting projects every so often and live the rest of my life.

That said, Monday was Columbus Day and my kids were out of school and the government was shut down, so we headed off on our annual family adventure to Maynes Tree Farm to pick pumpkins right from the patch. (Here's the link if you missed out on last year's post about it.) And I'll give you one guess where it is. You win if you said Buckeystown,  MD. 

 I always buy two pumpkins.

 Here's the One.

And the Other One. 

 The orange one is for carving and the blue one is for looking at until after Thanksgiving and then I roast it and eat it. Blue pumpkins are the sweetest. Great for soup.

 

Don't you feel like you are in line to see a pumpkin concert? 

DK has been taking awesome pictures lately. Had to steal it.

So if Columbus Day is over, and my pumpkins are sitting happily on my fireplace hearth, that can only mean one thing:

IT'S BARN SALE SEASON!!!!

We are exactly one month out from the show. Nov 15-16 is the date for this year's event, so mark your calendars now. So much to do! 

And don't worry. I'll remind you of the date several more times before the show. 

There are 20 artists making cool stuff for you guys this year. I thought it might be fun for you all to meet a few of them in the next couple weeks. They may be a bit camera shy though, so you all might have to be content just looking in on their studios and taking a sneak peek at their stuff for the barn sale.

__________________________________________________________________________________

 Let's start with my new Vintage and Antiques dealer, Margaret Murnane.

Margaret Murnane is a woman of many lives. She works for the Army Corps of Engineers. She helped raise her husband, Jeff Jensen's five kids. She is currently helping him raise sheep and chickens and llamas on their small farm in Gainseville VA. And now she's becoming a vintage goods and antiques dealer. Asher Hill Farm is our purveyor of fine vintage goods and antiques for the Branches Barn Sale this year. (You can find links to our past shows here, here, here, and here)

I got to go climb around in the attic of Margaret's barn the other day and take a closer look at the goodies stashed up there.

Fun things like this sconce attached to a fence post abound here. 

And a four foot chandelier hanging from a tree in the front yard. So awesome!

And you have to go past the Chickens to get there. For some reason, I just really like chickens. I really don't know why. I used to be afraid of them after being pecked right in the belly button when I was four. But somewhere between four and forty, my navel and I got over it.

Margaret's attic full o' goodies is in her barn. You have to walk up a fairly steep staircase to get up there. I have no idea how she got all the stuff up there. But when you get to the top you see this:

And this:

 

And this:

 It's a magical place, full of mystery and wonderful things.

There are too many good things coming to show them all, but here are a few:

If you go down the gravel road a bit further, you come to what Margaret loving calls 
The Bed Shed.

This is one of TWO stacks of antique beds in the shed. Hence the name. 

Margaret's true passion is saving old rope tie beds.  (People have a hard time with rope tie beds because they usually require a smaller mattress than what most people are comfortable sleeping on. And the ropes have to be tightened frequently to keep the mattress supported.) She buys these unwanted head and foot boards and helps her husband Jeff recycle them into gorgeous benches that do suit modern lifestyles. 

Wanna see?

 

They use the head board for the back and then cut the foot board more or less in half for the arm rests. Fabulous, no? They just don't make stuff like this anymore.

 They had one in process while I was there. It was all built but needed to be sanded and painted. It's going to be a milky white.

 You can see how the various parts came together here. 

Here's a detail shot

Man, those spool details just kill me!

Here's the saw master, Jeff Jensen, working on another one. This one's gonna be more of a hall tree with hooks to hang hats and coats and baskets underneath for your shoes and mittens and backpacks.

You wanna hear something exciting? We get to sell these babies when they are all done! You know you are getting your measuring tape out right now to see if you have room.

But these guys don't just stop at cool vintage stuff and bed benches. 

They raise sheep and llamas. And then shear them annually.

While I was visiting, I got to meet Odin, their llama. Odin's main job to take care of the lambs, once they leave their moms. He does a great job of this. Plus he's cool and fluffy. I kept waiting for him to start talking with David Spade's voice. 

Wasn't it nice of him to pose so pretty for me?

 So they shear their sheep and then have the wool cleaned. Once all the chunks are out, they dye it themselves.

 Raw, dyed wool. It really is like sticking your hand into a technicolor cloud.

And then make the most gorgeous thread and rugs with the wool. 

 

This is the rug yarn, so it's larger and nubbier than regular thread.

 I didn't know people still did that. But trust me when I say that you want to touch it. So soft.

And you won't believe the colors it comes in. So. much. fun.

This is the regular size yarn.

 And as if the vintage and the bed benches and the yarn wasn't enough, they will also be selling honey from their hives. Yes, they are also apiarists. And it's good honey. 

Really good honey.

This wonderful photo by hbsmith designs is just a sneak peek of our promo pics for the show. I just got the pics back today and they are spectacular.

So that 's Asher Hill Farms. 

Yarn, honey, bed benches, and vintage goodies 

all coming your way in a month. 

BRANCHES Artisanal Barn Sale

open Nov 15-16, 9am -5pm

Held in the barn at Lynn Vale Studios 

4475 Sudley Rd, Gainesville VA 20155

See you there!

Getting Ready for Lucketts

It is a flurry of activity here in the studio. I am not quite ready for beauty pics yet, but I thought I'd give you a little taste of what I've been working on for Lucketts. (Here are pics from when I went last year as a shopper.)

As usual right before a show, there is stuff E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E.

Here's a closer look. Book Lamps in process.

These two have a similar feel, but aren't twins. They are both made of vintage technical manuals. One has casters that go through the base book. The other has casters that screw into the base book. I haven't decided if the shades will match or not yet. They will, however, be the same size and shape. I  need to recover one or both of them,so I'll keep you posted. I am totally going with Edison bulbs for both of them. Mostly because I think they are so cool.

Here is a new project I thought up in my efforts to use what I had this spring. These are pillars, platforms and coasters I made using a big branch from my oak tree that I had trimmed a year ago and kept in my shed for just such a crafty purpose. You know you've been the weird, eccentric lady in the neighborhood for too long when your neighbor sees you carrying a large oak branch up the street to your other neighbor's and doesn't even ask you what the branch is for or why you have it with you.

  These darlings are about 1/2 in thick. I thought they'd be perfect to put candlesticks on, just for that extra pop of texture or color. All the wood pieces have sealed paper on one side and sealed natural wood on the other and were grown right here in Virginia.

This is one set of pillars. They range from 2 in to 6-7in tall. I have 4 different sets in 4 different colors and varying heights. These are also two sided with paper on one and wood on the other. Both sides have 3 coast of poly-urethane, so they should hold up to a lot. I though these would be awesome on a woodland style table with candles or even tea lights sitting on them. Or you could use them on a shelf to bring some extra attention to your pretty little things.

This is one of 6 sets of coasters. Each set of 4 is double sided and ready to keep your furniture dry and add that little pop of color to your table tops.

And moving on... Sorry, I got a little carried away there.

I am pretty sure that this vintage 1960's watercolor is going to end up in this chalkboard covered frame. But I have been known to change my mind a time or two. You'll have to come to the show and see.

This is a piece I am struggling to part with. A true antique. A 1888 plate from a McCall's magazine. Que the angels singing. I still can't believe I found it.

 It's so pretty. Wanna see it up close?

I'm thinking pressed between two sheets of glass with a chalk board frame, so it looks like it's floating on the wall. Could be so amazing! Especially against a grey wall.

And who could resist a vintage Uncle Sam stacking doll?

 Love it!

This may not look like much now, but it is giving me goosebumps to think about where it's going. See the paper in the back, that looks like old wall paper? That's gonna be the mat for these vintage stamps. And the back ground will probably be muslin or linen, or something that looks like that.

Here's a closer look at those stamps.

 

And I was playing with my new Miss Mustard Seed milk paint the other day and ended up with this amazing frame to put with it.

Isn't is so deliciously grotty? All together I think they will absolutely sing.

And just because you all have been so patient (and I happened to have a camera in the studio), here is the finished "Wings And Paisleys". 

I don't love the color contrast here. It's a lot brighter in person. But it gives you a feeling of what the piece looks like. I promise to do a whole post about it after Lucketts. It will not be in the show as I haven't finished redoing the frame that goes with it. And I haven't decided whether it's going to live in my office or not, yet. But if I do decide to sell it, it will be in the November show, all clad in it's sassy vintage chunky gold frame.

Well, that's just a peek at what I have for you guys this show. Be sure to come. It really will be a super fun day. 200 vintage dealers. Just think how much trouble you could get in! If anyone buys a vintage real moose head, let me know and I'll find a prize for you. I have always wanted one, but just don't have the space for it.

Only 3 weeks from tomorrow! 

Lucketts Spring Fair

May 18th-19th, 10am-5pm. 

(I'll be there the 18th)

$7 at the door

42350 Lucketts Rd, 

just north of Leesburg, VA on 15.

Estate Sale Eye Candy

One of the perks of my job is being able to justify stopping whenever I want to look for deals on vintage stuff, art stuff or really anything that catches my attention. I have been saying that I would beg off the vintage shopping for a while, but I do run a barn sale and I do have a show coming up in 2 months. At least, this is what I tell myself as I stand here, looking at all the stacks of crusty old stuff vintage treasures in back of my van, knowing that I am going to have to explain these purchases to DK when (and if) he sees them. It's a good thing there are lots of nooks and crannies in the studio.

I got lucky today and just happened upon an estate sale. There were a lot of drool worthy goodies in the main rooms: fantastic mid- century side tables in immaculate condition, a beautiful ironstone pitcher and vessel set, a gorgeous full set of silver in it's original box.  But alas, these treasures were just not in my budget. I have vowed to only buy my vintage with cash, and there wasn't much in my pocket. So I took a deep breath and walked into the basement.

 Don't you just love old hammered aluminum serving pieces?

My heart perked up instantly as I rounded the corner into the dingy room. Tables and table of filthy treaures!! At bargan basement prices. I had arrived. There must be a small part of heaven reserved for rooms of filthy things, just waiting to be found, cleaned and loved. There is such joy in that.

The first thing I grabbed was an old, flat piece of slate. I have been wanting one to use as a chalkboard to write prices or information at the show and almost started jumping up an down when I saw it there in the shadows. The other shoppers must have thought me a little odd when I snapped it up and looked at them defiantly, daring them to try to take MY slate.

Further perusing unearthed a good sized bag of vintage clothes pins. Now I knew the barn sale-ing gods really were smiling down on me. I really needed something small for the Lucketts show in May. What could possibly be better than a bucket full of old clothes pins at 3 for $1? Sold!

Flush with these two successes, I kept digging. And then I saw it. One of the most sought after bits of kitchenware in all vintage accessory-dom. A vintage kitchen scale, bright yellow, and still very functional. (So functional in fact, that I had to hide it from my kids once  I got it home and cleaned up.) You know I totally heard angel voices singing about that one.

Isn't it just so cheerful? I love it.

I also managed to uncover the enamelware basin the scale is sitting in. And THE most darling stool I have seen in a long time. 

"Use your stool to sit and climb and also when it's TV time." Love it!

The daughter of the homeowners was helping to run the sale and she said the stool was hers from when she was two. As she said she graduated high school in 1973, that makes this little piece of wood

circa 1955. Is that vintage enough for you?

I couldn't pass up the two hammered aluminum bowls either.

The details just kill me.

I might have to keep this one.

Overflowing with excitement and with my arms loaded up with almost more than I could carry alone, I walked to the counter and paid for all my loot with the cash in my pocket. I was shaking with the elation of it all. I do love me a good shopping day. It always makes me feel like I must be doing something right.

Here are a few more treasures I've happened upon unexpectedly this spring.

Don't you just love old board games? 

I can't put my finger on the appeal, but they just put me in my happy place.

And anything with a patina on it. 

I originally bought this pair of paintings for the frames, but they kinda grew on me, so I think I'll keep them together. The morning sun washed them out a bit. They are brighter in person.

And now, my dear friends, here is the good news. I bought every piece of it for you. Everything you've seen here, and a bunch more, will be for sale in my booth at the Old Luckett's Store Spring Market this May 18th and 19th. And don't just come to shop with me. Miss Mustard Seed will be there, and the ladies from Chartreuse and Company (here are picks from their latest show), and Christen Bensten from Blue Egg Brown Nest. In all, I think there are 200 vendors this year, with gorgeous things for you all. Anything vintage you can think of is there. Giant metal letters. Old chairs. Blue glass bell jars. Piles of things made from antique French linens. I'm telling you, you really do want to go to this show.

So, for the people in the back:

The Old Luckett's Store Spring Market

Lucketts, Virginia,  

just North on 15 from Leesburg.

May 18th and 19th 

from 10am to 5pm both days

I will be waiting for you in the "Field of Dreams".

(No really. That is where my booth is located. I'll post a map, if I get one. Then you can do strategic planning of where you want to go first.)

See you all there!