Creating The Farm Chicks Fair 2013 Installation

The 2013 Farm Chicks Antiques Fair went off without a hitch. I had such a fun time pulling everything together. The theme this year was “Forage for Finds”. I wanted it to have a fresh-from-the-forest woodsy feel. It all started with the show poster and postcard, created to reflect my woodsy theme. Next, I envisioned the entryway at the show and what I wanted there. A recent trip to my friend Penny’s barn got me thinking about how much I’d love to incorporate her dreamy old Rambler station wagon. After talking it over with Penny, It was a GO! I knew that I wanted to make the Rambler the focal point of the entryway installation, but I needed it to feel woodsy, and I had just the idea: foraged elements. So, my family and I set about foraging in the woods for branches, moss, twigs, and more. But the real lifesaver was when my friend Jennifer offered to let me come and forage on her property. I came home with a huge truckload of woodsy elements. As the final element in the entryway installation, it needed to be a moment, that is, I wanted the entryway to feel as if it was a moment. To create that feel, I commissioned the geniuses, Lana and Erica, at Pink – DejaNeu Salvage Gallery in Spokane to create a picture frame of epic proportions, framing the entire scene. The frame was no small task, and they pulled it off beautifully. Here is the Plaza, just before Penny arrived with the Rambler:

And here’s Penny, driving her Rambler into the entryway:

Next, Lana and Erica brought in the massive wooden frame and laid it down on the floor, in the position I wanted it to be. The Rambler was then driven over the bottom of the frame, and into it’s exact position for the entryway installation. Next, Lana and Erica pulled the frame up into place, secured the bottom of the frame with welded metal brackets, and attached the top of the frame to cable chains attached to hang wires from the ceiling.

Last, we brought in all of the woodsy elements to complete our installation. Here, we’ve begun adding wooded boxes to the top of the Rambler, a bit of the foraged elements into the boxes, as well as some of the larger pieces that we’d be adding into place once we were done with the top:

And here it is, all complete, with The Farm Chicks booth in the background, and Farm Chicks vendors on either side:

Image above courtesy of The Little Red Shop

Fun facts about the folks who helped me pull the entryway installation and The Farm Chicks booth together:

THE CAR – Penny Simonson and I go way back together. She used to run an amazing antiques shop from a barn on her property in Spokane Valley, of which I was a big fan. When we started The Farm Chicks Fair, Penny participated as a vendor. After a few years off from the show, Penny returned this year with a new vintage concept that had everyone abuzz at the show: Penny Lane’s Vintage Dollar Store. Yep, a VINTAGE dollar store!

THE FRAME – Lana Neumann and Erica Parishof Pink – DejaNeu Salvage Gallery in Spokane created the custom frame for the installation. Lana and Erica run their shop along with Chris Lynch. Their shop is one of my very favorites around.

THE FORAGED ELEMENTS – Jennifer Woods and I met when she applied to be a vendor at The Farm Chicks Show. Her spaces at the show have a big following as she and her husband, Nathan, are always coming up with really great displays. Jennifer is also the promoter of the Funky Junk Antique Show & Craft Market in Sandpoint, Idaho.

THE DISPLAY CRATES – Justin Jochimof Paint in my Hair created the crates used for displaying merchandise in The Farm Chicks space at the show. Justin runs his shop along with his sweet wife, Jessica. Their shop also houses many other vendors selling vintage finds.