The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm

Sep 19, 2014

Excentrique Design at Old Stone Farm

The very first time I visited and blogged about the Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm (it’s this weekend, folks!) I featured a company named Excentrique in my blog post. Pretty sure this hot pink vintage table scape caught my eye : )

Since that post, over two years ago, Excentrique has moved from the fields of Pettengill Farm to their permanent home in this impressive two-story barn at Old Stone Farm in West Newbury, Mass.

Although the barn is a new build, it was designed with yesteryear in mind. Solid granite steps lead up to the massive wooden sliding doors that welcome you into the barn where you will be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the architecture and the decor as well.

The barn shop is owned and operated by Brenda Lucci Bradley, shown here with her assistant Sam, who is presently studying design in Florence, Italy!

The barn is decorated with a combination of antiques and vintage finds,

along with refurbished mid-century modern pieces paired with eclectic decorative accessories.

In the upstairs loft I discovered these amazing orange crocodile chenille side chairs,

paired with a mid century table and vintage lamps. The perfect spot to kick back, relax and have an afternoon chat.

There are several hand-crafted and painted fireplace mantels, styled for each season with candles and glassware, lanterns and vintage glassware.

Scattered throughout the barn are colorfully co-ordinated corners that allow you to imagine how the pieces would appear in your own home. The mixed blues are striking.

Loving this vintage look aqua fridge with the country-style vintage aprons.

Brenda not only sells at her shop, she is also an accomplished interior designer. Presently working on an historic Vermont country inn, Brenda shared her mood boards with me and explained her overall design concept of the spaces she is transforming, one room at a time. Through her design company, Journey By Design, Brenda offers full service design consultations, offering her expert services from overall design concept and project management to the complete styling of your project.

Excentrique is open by appointment or for special weekend events that highlight each season.

The next open barn is scheduled for Oct 4 & 5. Or, you can contact Brenda to set up an appointment to stop by and shop. She’ll be happy to show you around!

But lucky you! She will also be setting up shop at the Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm this weekend! Make sure you stop in and say hello, and tell her Sue from Country Design Home sent you. Have a great weekend everyone-see you at the Bazaar! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Excentrique, Excentrique Barn at Old Stone Farm, Pettengill Farm, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm, vintage fair in Salisbury Massachusetts

Jul 10, 2014

A Whale Of A Good Time @ The Vintage Bazaar

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

Is it possible that two weeks have already flown by since the latest (& greatest, IMHO) Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm?!

Every time I attend this ever-growing event, the sheer breadth and talent of the artists who sell their wares is so inspiring, and slightly overwhelming! Honestly, spending a day there just doesn’t allow enough time to savor every inch of this beautiful working flower farm decked out in its vintage finery.

In September I may just curl up inside one of these adorable vintage trailers and stay overnight…

to get the best shot at the early morning and late evening goings-on before the shopping masses arrive.

To name just a few favorite highlights seems so unfair to the 130+ vintage vendors who make the trek from near and far to join the cast of characters that make up the Vintage Bazaar. But, I can’t name them all, so I’ll do my best to show you my memorable moments. These stunningly hand-crafted whales

were striking, not only because of the colors, but the detail as well

I kept thinking about buying one but we already have so many. Do you think that you can NEVER have enough whales?! (BTW, if anyone happens to know who created these beauties, could you let me know?! I want to give credit to the artist.)

These hand-painted floorcloths were some of the nicest I have ever seen.

Created by artist Michelle Julian of Newburyport-based American Colonial, the floorcloths were expertly crafted and vividly illustrated works of art. Almost too pretty to use on the floor!!

But with 7+ coats of varnish on each one, rest assured, they are created to last a generation or two. A few of my favorites vendors, like Nancy the Linens Lady, were hard at work in the bright sunshine, chatting about and selling their vintage finery.

Here is the lovely Lisa-my vintage shopping buddy-from RitaJosVintage proudly wearing her “new” apron!

And I can’t mention the Bazaar without showcasing the artistry of Creative Glass Works , who always bring along their oversized flower pot filled with unique, fanciful glass flowers. I recently featured them on a post, which you can read here.

Loving these adorable dinosaur bookends from R & S Living

(Robin & Stuart traveled all the way from the Cape to be at the Bazaar!), but this little pooch was a scene-stealer when he just hopped up onto one of their recently salvaged and re-loved side chairs. Cute!!

With loads of vintage and collectible stuff, the Swampscott River Antique & Salvage AKA “The Wooden Box Guy” featured crates and wooden boxes filled with assorted everyday objects, like baseballs and rulers.

Singularly, they don’t make a huge impact, but grouped together, they catch the eye and become an artistic vignette. But the eye-catcher of the day: this huge tent staged by Howard’s Entertainment of Essex, MA. (I know what you’re thinking, didn’t you see the sign that says “no pictures?!” I did, but I asked, and was granted permission to take pics for my blog. The power of the press : )

Channing Howard is the proprietor, and a wholesale supplier of vintage and nostalgic props.

These are available to rent for parties or functions for both private and retail events. If you are finding yourself in need of some Steampunk props,

or perhaps some vintage cowboy paraphernalia, or any other imaginable vintage props for your special event,

Howard’s is your go-to! Since we had our VIP tickets in hand (thanks Devon : ) we were invited to a meet and greet featuring the weekend’s presenters,

including Cari Cucksey from RePurpose Shop, Desha Peacock from Sweet Spot Style and Joanne Palmisano from Salvage Secrets whose DIY demo we attended later on in the day. She was a great presenter, funny and full of anecdotes and very helpful DIY tips! Like how to create an instant “old” wooden Lobster sign with paint and a screwdriver (without getting stitches : )

How to re-imagine old lamps using paint and jute rope

and creating a twig vase out of some sticks and an old glass jar (well, in this case, she used a plastic one-but who knew?)

On this day, she was selling her latest book, Salvage Secrets Design & Decor and donating the proceeds to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation-SOLD. And autographed to me : )

This book is so chock full of all kinds of DIY’s using salvage materials in newly inspired ways. I had literally just opened the book when I got to page 16 and yelped-old coil bedsprings! re-purposed into decorative candle holders! It just so happened that Coach and I recently sprung for two of those old-timey bedsprings-a twin and a full size-and were contemplating where to begin re-purposing them…once we got them off the roof of my CRV. (OK, full disclosure. Coach got one a few weeks ago and then we saw another one at an estate sale last week and I refused to buy it because our back yard is already full and did we really need a second one?!? Until I opened up the book and saw the candleholders so we went back to the estate sale and bought the second one…)

Well, page 16 is a very good place to start : ). So, there you have it. Another amazing Vintage Bazaar come and gone with September waiting in the wings. Have an inspired Thursday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Outdoor Adventures, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Cari Cuscksey, Desher Peacock, Joanne Palmisano, Salvage Secrets Design Decor, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm, Vintage Bazaar, Vintage Bazaar in Massachusetts

Jun 19, 2014

Creative Glass Works At The Vintage Bazaar

By countrydesignhome · 11 Comments

For all of you vintage lovers out there (and by that I don’t mean old folks, I mean folks who love vintage stuff. But then, again, old folks-like me-can love vintage stuff too…) it’s the weekend we’ve been waiting for- The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm!

This weekend, June 21st & 22rd, make the journey to Salisbury Mass to discover some of the finest country hand crafts, vintage furnishings and accessories, jewelry, clothing and a few DIY television personalities (Yup, that’s me and Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash & Cari at the Country Living Fair a few weekends ago. Gosh, I hope she doesn’t think I am following her like a vintage fair groupie when she sees me again…)

all in a bucolic setting on a real working farm complete with live country music, vintage trucks

and this chick. Love this chick.

Each time I have visited the Vintage Bazaar, I’ve discovered new and innovative merchandise, all from re-purposed, re-cycled and re-loved everyday household items. One of my favorites has always been this spectacular planter filled with gorgeous glass flowers created with vintage glassware and plates from Creative Glass Works Boston.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with the owners Ann Marie and Robert and visiting their home-based workshop.

This husband and wife team began creating these gorgeous pieces for a local Artisans Workshop Market over four years ago. Anne Marie, whose background was in IT before becoming a master glass flower-crafter, reports that she was searching for a way to use the extensive collection of glassware she had accumulated over the years. Her husband, Robert owns and operates a renovation and restoration construction company-so beauty met brawn and the rest is history!

The workshop is bursting with shelves and tables laden with sparkling glass in every color, style and shape.

There are vases and dishes and tall blown glass sculptures.

and jars filled with colorful glass beads and baubles.

From light-catching dangling pendants

to larger than life blossoms.

Each is individually hand-crafted, with carefully choosen pieces that complement one another and that together, resemble the anatomy of a life-like flower. Along with the clear and colored glass, Anne Marie and Robert work with ceramics and pottery,

creating whimsical, one-of-a-kind teapot lamps

with fashionably vintage shades.

So, make sure you visit The Creative Glass Works Boston booth while you are at the Vintage Bazaar this weekend. And if you see Anne Marie or Robert, say hello and tell them that Sue from Country Design Home sent you : ) Have a (hopefully not too bizarre) Thursday, everyone-see you at the fair! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, Inspiration, Outdoor Adventures, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Creative Glass Works Boston, glass flower garden, Glass flowers from Creative Glass Works, glass flowers made from plates, how to make glass flowers from plates, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm

Jun 25, 2013

Hats Off to The Vintage Bazaar!

By countrydesignhome · 16 Comments

I had the opportunity to visit this past weekend’s Vintage Bazaar with the adorable Lisa from RitaJosVintage. The owners of the gorgeous Pettengill Farm

in Salisbury, Ma and the organizer of this event, the amazing Devon Allen of My Bazaar Life deserve kudos for once again staging such a fun, inspiring experience for shoppers, crafters and vintage vendors. This year’s Bazaar was bigger than ever, featuring some old-oh, hello, Fish in the Garden

and many new faces. Like this gorgeous black Chevy truck-NFS but oh, so dreamy…

We arrived late due to a previous engagement (Happy 30th Birthday Lindsey!), so we moved through the rows of tents with some urgency, stopping to snap some pics (have you ever seen such a funky fabulous chicken?!)

chat with fellow vintage fanatics and purchase unique items (well, not me, but Lisa kept disappearing and re-appearing with bags : ) She found these super cool croquet ball candle holders

at The Flea Circus…a whimsical design shop. And that it was. The bright primary colors caught my eye, as did the retro childhood school furniture.

Since there is no way to list every vendor (there were 125+!), here are a few favorites we found (sort of going row by row, but we made a couple of detours so…)like these adorable Junkyard Dogs from ArtHead Studio.

I love when artisans take something of no apparent worth and re-imagine it into something fanciful and functional. How many days do I feel like this?!?

Too many to mention!! Next up was Laceypots, from Portland, Maine with a collection of original, hand-painted, yummy colored pots and dishware.

Around the corner was Backroads to Oz-“home decor from the past for the present”

featuring hand crafted furniture and accessories fashioned from old wood and metals. Pretty colors, pretty awesome stuff! The bazaar is split into two fields, so we headed down the path to the Strawberry Fields Forever, only to find Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash and Cari

in the middle of her RePurpose Shop!

Despite the blazingly hot temps and the fact that she had been there all day, she was so gracious, chatting and answering our many questions about her show, how she got started in the re-purposing business and what she was doing way out here in Massachusetts, which is far from her Michigan home! Loving this pink trunk in her shop, and I am fairly certain I actually had that little Mexican painted chair as a kid (hmm, wonder where she got that…)

Could have stayed there for hours to pick her brain about pickin’ and junkin’, but time was awastin’, so we headed on over to see Bettie B., this awesome vintage trailer featuring goods from Log Cabin Antiques and

Lynn Kells Antiques and Vintage Treasures… How perfectly styled is this interior space?

Bettie’s already sold, but Lyn and Lynn are working on a second trailer they just acquired-might need to take a ride to New Hampshire to check it out! This stunning floorcloth by Addie Peet from AP Floorcloth Design in Winterport Maine is “functional-practical-durable” and expertly hand-crafted by the artist.

Lisa made another purchase- this time some upcycled vintage jewelry, from the combined tent of juNxtaposition, who fashions vintage pendants from old typewriter keys

and bel monili, featuring these lovely collage necklaces.

Whenever I am blogging about markets and fairs, I am always on the lookout for unusual or unique items that I haven’t seen before. These personalized signs by ginger blue too were created with sliced license plates-genius!

Imagine the fun you could have creating your own. Of course, you can’t actually use it as a license plate…or could you?

One of the new shops I featured in my before-fair post was Heja Home, whose owners Heather and Jason Rosfeld were super excited to share information about their fledgling company whose name means “to cheer”. And that we did when we spotted this fabulous American Eagle bench. Coach, if you are reading this I will say that

I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, if only I had sold my own bench at the Vintage Thymes Market : ( And finally, our last stop at the row of retro furnished trailers by Vintage Maine Vacations. If you are looking for an amazing Maine getaway at an affordable price, you need to check this out!

You book the trailer of your dreams and the owner, Patrice Leary-Forrey will drive it to you-as long as you’re no more than 125 miles from Portland, Maine! You spend the week under the red striped canopy, just resting and relaxing or exploring the sights of Maine,

then she returns to pick it up. Can’t imagine an easier way to book your summer rental! So once the day was done, and the tents were buttoned up for the evening, we were invited to the after-hours vendor reception featuring a gourmet food spread, icy cold beer and wine and a vintage hat contest!

The winner was to receive free rental for their fall booth in September. Now, I am not sure who actually won, but my money was on this lovely lady’s stunning vintage rocking chair hat. So hat’s off to all that made this bazaar such a special event. And if you didn’t make it to the fair this time, we’ll see you in September! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds · Tagged: a, AP Floorcloth Design, Backroads to Oz, Cari Cucksey, Ginger Blue Too, HGTV, Log Cabin Antiques, Pettengill Farm, Repurpose, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm

Jun 21, 2013

Weekend Fun at the Fair

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

Those of you who have followed my blog from the start know that I am a huge fan of this weekend’s Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm. Held bi-annually in an historic setting in the rural town of Salisbury, Mass, the folks at Pettengill Farm transform the vast fields from farmland to fun! Rows of colorful tents are filled with vintage wares offered by over 125 talented artisans and artists from 10+ different states.

Strolling through the multiple fields with names like Strawberry Fields Forever and Back Field in Motion, you just know you’re in for a good time! Under the tents you will find distinctive and unusual goods for sale, like these repurposed fanciful dolls,

gorgeous glass flowers pots from Creative Glass Works

vintage jewelry and lots of re-furbished furniture and home decor- loving this vignette from Heja Home!

So many fabulous finds await you! Some of my old favorites are back again, like Yellow Chair Market

and some new favorites- loving this vintage trailer from L Kells Antiques & Log Cabin Antiques–

cannot wait to see what’s inside!! This year’s crowds are expected to be bigger than ever, especially with the exciting addition of Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash and Cari. She will be manning her own shop, RePurpose, and meeting and greeting her many fans.

Watch for the camera crews roaming around-you may end up on TV! Along with the great shopping, the Bazaar also features live blue-grass and country music and a vast array of yummy food trucks for your dining pleasure.

As you can see by the map here, there’s loads to do for shoppers and kiddies alike, with the Vintage Carnival Children’s Tent, where there will be face-painting, games and photo-ops! So head on up the turnpike, over the big green bridge and follow the signs for fun at the fair. The dates are this Saturday and Sunday, June 22 & 23, and the hours are 10am-5pm. The address: Pettengill Farm, 45 Ferry Road, Salisbury, Mass. Have a great, sunny shopping weekend everyone! Susan