Country Living Fair

Two weeks ago, before leaving for Hilton Head, I spent a day with my mother and DD1 in Columbus at the Country Living Fair. It was a really fun experience, and I knew I wanted to blog about it at the time, but with the impending week-long trip, I knew it would have to be put off.

Well, put off no longer! I SHALL recap, regardless of how far after the fact!

I used to subscribe to Country Living Magazine, and kept every issue. I suppose at one time I had about 15 years worth of back issues stacked up in closets and on shelves. About the time we had our 3rd child (who is now 22), I ended my subscription. And I think it  has been in these last 22 years that the Country Living Fair has been established and has really taken off. In just passing conversations with different friends and acquaintances, I knew of it when it came to Columbus, but for whatever reason it never really took hold on my radar.

And then serendipity stepped in. Within about 24 hours, both my mom and my older daughter mentioned that they wondered if I'd like to go. Weird! So we three got together and made an afternoon of it. What fun. There were crowds aplenty, but we managed just fine. I wasn't shopping for anything in particular, and judging from the little that we three purchased, I don't think Mom or Erin were either. My focus, mostly, was to see what was "hot" or "trending" these days in home dec, crafting, upcycling and repurposing. I don't do a lot of this stuff myself, but  I do enjoy seeing the creative ways people use things.

So with that introduction, let me just show you my pictures. I snapped such random shots that there's really no way to explain what motivated me to take the pictures I took. It was a cool fall day, mostly overcast, but pleasant - perfect sweater weather!

Rustic surrounding; straw seating; shady lawns.

Quilts for sale!

Rustic fall scene. Very cool juxtaposition of truck and 'punkins.'

The other half of the quilt booth pictured above.

An early booth we visited; loved the quilt and the vintage dishes.

This old fireplace mantel caught my eye.

Quirkiness had a definite role in the displays.

Quirky skirt; simple construction; high price.

Patchwork tablecloth covered with lace trimmed cloth.

A Texas Star quilt and transferware pottery.

Loved this display of linens with French stenciling.

This little sewing machine looked so sweet; I hope it found a good home.

The shop where the little machine was for sale.

I spent a good bit of time visiting with the shop owner of Salmon Alley, pictured above. Debbie is in the center of the picture, and her shop was just fantastic. I wish I'd had more life in my cell battery, for I definitely would have taken more pictures. Here is the link to her blog, and the precious little sewing machine is pictured there! Cool! She also has a website that you will enjoy perusing. She is located in Cincinnati, so I do hope that locals will make the effort to check her out. It was really cool talking to her, and she had such energy and enthusiasm about bringing her products to guests of the Fair. All the shops I visited seemed to carry that same enthusiasm; there were lots of positive vibes, for sure.

The afternoon was wonderful, in every respect. As I said, I went with the mindset that I was just looking, and both the people watching and the window shopping were excellent. The first image I can conjure up is of a couple we saw in the parking lot when we first arrived and were trying to find a place to park. They had purchased two metal porch chairs and were trying to get them loaded into a small sporty convertible. I don't know how both people and both chairs were ever going to fit in that car. It was surely a sight!

Another little side note: I was no more through the gate and visiting my first booth than who do I run into but quilter friend Mary Harwood, who opens up her little barn for quilting. You've read about her here on this blog. Click here for one of those posts, if you need your memory refreshed. Great seeing you, Mary!!

I think I will go again to the Country Living Fair, and maybe I will take a shopping list with me next time!

Happy Quilting, Friends!