Vintage Thymes Monthly Market – Country Design Home

Oct 20, 2015

The Marketplace at Adams Farm

For those of you who have followed my blog since its inception, you’ll remember that I got my start in the “junkin'” business at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market in Norwood. I had some great times staging my monthly-themed space in the old mill with all kinds of reclaimed and reloved vintage wares.

Since then, I’ve moved north and staked my claim at the Barn at Todd Farm, while Nancy Murphy and Robin Hanlon,

the original founders of Vintage Thymes,

have temporarily closed the monthly market while they search for some new digs. In the meantime, in order to keep their huge following of vintage-lovers happy, they have focused their attentions on an exciting new endeavor, The Marketplace at Adams Farm in Walpole, MA!

Now partnered with Carol Bentley from Fleurish Home & Garden

and Marybeth Grey from Vintage Shade of Grey,

these four ladies are hosting a 2-day event at the Marketplace at Adams Farm on this coming Saturday & Sunday, October 24 & 25th from 10-4. The Marketplace will be much like the weekend markets at the mill: amazingly talented vendors offering their hand-made, re-refurbished and re-loved wares. You’ll be strolling the grounds of this bucolic “field of vintage dreams”

while enjoying live local music, furniture painting demonstrations, food trucks, raffles and of course, shopping-lots of shopping!! Admission is only $5, but a word to the wise: arrive early-on both days!

Why? Well, if you ever had the opportunity to visit the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market on the opening day, you’re aware of the immensely passionate following these ladies have garnered over the years. I suspect there’ll be lots of folks waiting at the entrance for their chance to have first dibs on the vintage wares being offered at the Marketplace. If you love vintage (and, I mean, who doesn’t!?), it’s going to be an event that you do NOT want to miss (and it looks like we may have a nice, sunny weekend as well : ). So, I’ll be seeing you at the The Marketplace at Adams Farm… and if you happen to run into Robin, Nancy, Mary Beth or Carol, tell them Sue from CountryDesignHome sent you! Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Adams Farm in Walpole, fall fairs in Massachusetts, Farm, Farm Fair in Walpole MA, Fleurish Home and Garden, MA, Marketplace at Adams Farm, south shore vintage fair in Massachiusetts, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

Dec 13, 2013

The Stockings Were Hung…

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

At the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market! Just a few pics of this weekend’s market, today, Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the most beautiful and creative items I have see yet! My booth is chock full of vintage items including this antique buggy bench-which I love.

I have been working on the cupboard since the summer, when I purchased it at a flea market in Maine. Somehow I managed to get the whole thing in the car and take it home. Now it’s your turn : )

This antique jewel-encrusted dress form is astounding!

The artist, Nancy Rafi, reports that it took her 100 hours of construction, using pins, buckles, belts and buttons from all over the world. This is a truly one-o-f-a-kind piece. Simply Amazing.

So many cute vintage signs,

and if you don’t have a tree yet, you might like one of these! They are not real but they are so fun! These are glittery shabby chic.

This one’s wrapped in red plaid ribbon and already lighted

And this one was created using old book bindings-so creative!

There are plenty of stocking stuffers,

vintage wreaths (this one was created from old barrel staves)

and perfect gifts for everyone!

So come on down to the Vintage Thymes Market

and stop in to my booth at Country Design Home to say hello!

If this doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, I don’t know what will! Happy holiday shopping everyone! Only 12 more days til Christmas! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds · Tagged: candy cane mason jars, country decorating, holiday shopping, vintage holiday decorating, vintage items for christmas, vintage shopping, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

Nov 9, 2013

Seasonal Scenes from the Market

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

This weekend marks the November edition of the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, Farmhouse Holiday.

It seems like we just wrapped the October show with pumpkins and Halloween, and here we are barreling into the holiday season!

I was blown away when I walked through the double red doors

on Friday morning. So much sparkle and Christmas cheer!

(Of course, I was thinking Thanksgiving, not Christmas, because I am most definitely a one-holiday-at-a-time kind of gal.

So when I conceptualized my booth, I was planning Thanksgiving dinner and making pies! So my space is a little less sparkly

and Santa-inspired than many others…

but I am pulling out my cans of sparkly snow and adding some bling for the December market!)

If you haven’t made it to the Vintage Thymes Market yet

and I can’t imagine why not!?!

This month’s market is a great introduction

to view all of the extremely talented artists,

craftsmen

and designers

who create amazing pieces for their magazine-worthy vignettes,

using simply vintage everyday items that they’ve dolled up and made beautiful,

and it’s all for sale : ) Something for everyone on your shopping list!

The Vintage Thymes Market is open today, Saturday from 9-6 and tomorrow, Sunday from 12-5.

And owl be seeing you in December! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: country decor, country design home, country shopping, Holiday Christmas Market, shopping vintage for holidays, vintage items for Christmas gifts, Vintage Thymes Holiday Market, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, WinSmith Mill Market

Oct 11, 2013

Party Time at Vintage Thymes

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Last night I participated in the one-year anniversary celebration at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market -what a blast from the past!

There was delicious food and drink, great live music and sooo many shoppers (the line to get in started forming at 4:30!) I have been involved in this vintage market for a few months now, and have been continuously impressed by the owners, Robin and Nancy,

as well as the many talented vendors,

who pull out all the stops to create breath-taking vignettes within the confines of their booth spaces. (this is my space : )

This month, in particular, was more fabulous than ever, IMHO!

The range of vintage items available, from rustic tin pigs

to gorgeous florals

to ingeniously funky remade home wares-whoooo would think that two old saws could be so adorable?!

was overwhelming, and I noticed that many shoppers stayed for hours trying to take it all in and find some perfect pieces for their homes and shops.

I had a chance to take a few pics before the mayhem began

to give you an idea of the breadth of talent that is showcased in this monthly event.

(Disclaimer: some of the items in these pics were sold last night, but I assure you there is so much more to see and purchase over this long weekend!)

So, if you have a chance to get down (or up) to the south shore this weekend, make sure you head on over to the WinSmith Mill Market to take it all in.

And, on Sunday, a special treat-there will be an outdoor anniversary fair as well, with music and food trucks and more vintage goodies with over 30 dealers! Have a happy harvest weekend, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: pop up vintage market, Vintage Market, Vintage Market Boston, vintage market Norwood Mass, Vintage Thymes Market, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, WinSmith Mill Market

Jun 27, 2013

Up S***’S Creek…

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

…with not one, not two, but three paddles! When Coach brought a pile of old wooden paddles home last year (5 in all), I was pretty ticked off, because at the time, we just didn’t have any place to store them and I had no use for them. These are not the type of paddles you would use for kayaking, and since that is the watery mode of transportation we are sporting these days,

it just didn’t make much sense to have a collection of wooden paddles. (For the record, these are paddles, not oars, as I kept calling them until Coach corrected me enough times.)

So they sat in the barn over the winter until 1. I sold a couple of them to Pat from Perfectly You, A Decorating Service for her awesome nautical hallway project

and 2. I discovered this decorative box at, where else, HomeGoods,

which became my inspiration for this month’s nautical theme at the Vintage Thymes Market. With three paddles remaining, I decided to paint and distress them to look the ones pictured above. Except those are oars, so I am taking some artistic license here. Do you know the difference?! I made the necessary repairs to the handles, sanded them down, taped off the lines and stripes,

painted in the red and white and blue,

added the number 3 (found the one I wanted online and printed it out on a piece of paper. Cut it out, traced it on and painted it in. Easy!! You know you don’t have to paint perfectly when you are planning on sanding and distressing a piece, right?

I re-sanded the painted sections for that worn-out, been used to row across the ocean and back kind of look,

then added a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax,

which restored the original luster of the exposed, unpainted wooden areas.

Lovely. So I brought them, and the box to market, and only the #3 sold! So now there are two paddles remaining, which are presently hanging proudly in our summer porch.

The good news is that they are all painted and shiny and pretty. The bad news is that there is one short and one long-in case you have a lop-sided canoe. Which, thankfully, I do not. Hope you don’t spend your entire day paddling upstream!! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: canoe paddles, HomeGoods, nautical themed painted paddles, oars, Paddles, painted paddles, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

May 19, 2013

Brimming With Fresh Ideas

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Whew! Another epic road trip adventure to Brimfield, via Framingham for a flea market stop and Palmer for an old church fair before we even reached the big show! This was the car after those stops, not much room left…

But once we had arrived, it was a go! Hours of walking, shopping, chatting and checking out what was hot and what was not. The hot

of the year, if I was judging Brimfield trends? Fresh minty green

and pastel blues (ah, my dream truck- if only I had won the mega millions last night!)

and not an orange anything in sight. This time it was all about more natural, muted colors

and pastel hues.

Worn, distressed, milk-painted and Annie Sloan’d furniture as far as the eye could see!

Even an old junky ladder takes on a new life with a coat of distressed blue paint : )

And architectural panels become dear hearts with some tin snips, satin ribbon and a few crystal baubles.

This year, the trend seemed to move away from industrial chic, and more into schoolhouse rock. Loads of old desks, chairs, science lab tables and beakers and lockers, lots of lockers.

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind

Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign? “

by the Five Man Electrical Band

Just wondering, where are people getting these signs? They all seemed to be in mint condition- are they climbing up poles under the cloak of darkness and taking them to sell at flea markets? These street signs were everywhere-and so not cheap either!

Along our five mile journey on foot, we came across this booth by Cari Cucksey from Cash & Cari. Loving her re-purposed sign.

Her booth had all sorts of cute, remade, recycled products like these old license plate bags.

And piles of plastic letters and numbers- one can only imagine where these originated!

This year, Nancy & Robin from Vintage Thymes Monthly Market had a fantastic booth representing the Norwood shops- they both look pretty great considering they had been working in a tent for a the past week!

As decorating trending goes, so does lighting. While last year’s lamps leaned more towards turbines and propellers, this year’s standouts were Steampunk-meets-Back-To-The-Future-inspired style.

Fanciful, intricate designs from fabulous, creative minds.

Not to be unnoticed, these mid-century crystal beauties from Collection by Kelly McDonnell caught my eye as well.

What’s a market in farm country without some animals? Horses were big this year (well, they are big as a rule, so popular would be a more appropriate descriptive term)

but taxidermy appears to be making a comeback as well. What an angelic face- didn’t even know what hit it!

And who wouldn’t need a gigantic yellow polka dot bear?!? Is the circus in town?

Do you think this cage would be big enough?

These two displays are a study in contrasts: the female mannequins accompanied by an ironing board,

while the male guy (why wasn’t he wearing those jeans, I wonder) was wearing a hard hat. Some things never change…

Finally, we scored a couple of items: coach discovered this pile of old (well, I think they are old, but after reading Killer Stuff and Tons of Money, you never know what’s been artfully disguised) burlap potato sacks.

They’re pretty stinky, but have great style and color. I discovered this campy violin shaped coffee table.

The dealer was asking $20, so coach started to walk away. This was the hard sell to me:

Seller Guy: “What do I need to do to make this deal work?”

Me: “You need to make it be shaped like a whale”

Seller Guy (looking befuddled): Why’d you ask me the price if you wanted a whale table and not a violin table?”

Me: “I was thinking I could make it into a whale.”

Seller Guy: “OK, you can have it for $10” Sometimes it works when you act like you don’t have a clue…

At the end of five hours of traipsing through endless rows of tents, filled with anything and everything, I kind of felt like this guy.

Dusty and exhausted. Destined for a crash landing. Which I did, in the car on the way home…but I can’t wait for July!! Have a sunny Sunday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Inspiration, Outdoor Adventures, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: antiques, Brimfield, Brimfield Antiques, Brimfield Flea, Cari Cucksey, Cash and Cari, Show, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

May 8, 2013

I Shutter To Think…

By countrydesignhome · 6 Comments

…what would’ve happened if Coach and I hadn’t wandered down to Cape Cod last summer and found some old shutters on the side of the road. Seriously! On a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, we were driving down the Old King’s Highway, or Rte 6A, for some antique shopping and ocean viewing. All of a sudden we spotted some old, weathered, beautiful pastel shutters on the side of the road. So Coach pulls over and tells me to get out and grab them! Which I did, but only after looking at all of the surrounding homes to ensure that a strong wind hadn’t just blown them off and the owners were set to retrieve them.

All clear! So I threw them in the CRV and off we went, but not very far before I noticed the strong oceany, mildew, rotten seaweedy kind of smell emanating from the back seat. Yuck! But we brought them home, along with some others that a shopkeeper gave us-yup, it was just that kind of day. So I soaked them in bleach, mildew remover, sanded them, washed them again, then laid them out in the sun for weeks. As the summer wore on, the stench slowly dissipated as I anxiously awaited the opportunity to use them in some special project. Fast forward to last weekend’s patio table project. We had scooped this topless table at a yard sale, realizing that I would have to create a new top for it.

My first thought was to use this old rain barrel- the staves were old and beautifully weathered, and unlike the shutter slats, were smell-free.

However, after spending hours deconstructing it, I discovered that 1. old barrel wood is really brittle and 2.old barrel staves are curved, which makes for a precarious perch for a cup of coffee.

The Plan B inspiration hit me at 4:30 am- the cleaned, pastel shutter slats would be perfect! So here’s my how-to:

1. Cut out a round piece of pressure treated plywood for the base in the size you want for the table top.

2. Arrange the slats in a pleasing “patchwork quilt” style pattern.

3. Glue, then nail the slats to the top of the plywood circle. I used this little sharpshooter- it shoots tiny little brads that are almost invisible.

4. Flip the top over, then using a jigsaw, trim all of the excess wood away to create a perfect round. Well, not exactly perfect. I’m working on my sawing skills : ). Then flip it back over and

sand the top and the edges until smooth and even. Stain the bottom and sides.

6. Finish sides with black spray painted hanging strapping stuff with little black tacks.

I had High Heat paint so that’s what I used, but unless you are planning on using this as a fire pit, I think regular Krylon will do the trick.

7. Spray the entire surface with matte clear acrylic finish. Allow to dry, then finish with a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax on top and sides, both the wood and the metal. Place on your patio for all to admire and enjoy!

9. Set it up in your booth for the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market coming this weekend! This one’s for sale : )

So see, if we had never wandered to the Cape that day, I never would have scooped those shutters and created this beautiful table and chairs and offered it to you! Now, does anyone need a box of cut up antique barrel staves? Happy wandering Wednesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class · Tagged: cape cod, table top from reclaimed shutters, using shutters for crafts project, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

Apr 24, 2013

To Market We Go!!

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

It’s Wanderlust Wednesday, and this past couple of weeks Coach and I have been driving all around the Boston area. Logged 185 miles in one day last weekend, pickin’ and junkin’ and packing up the CRV!

Why, you ask!? Well, I have finally decided to put my money where my blog is and join the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market beginning in May-so excited!!! This is my empty booth, waiting for some country design treasures…

The first time I ventured down to visit the WinSmith Mill Market (remember that whole “snow through the sunroof“, mixing up photos fiasco!?), I was completely impressed by the all of the shops, but my attention was drawn to the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market in particular.

I loved the feel of the old tannery space, with soaring ceilings and wooden floors, with shoppers everywhere clutching their newly prized possessions, reminiscent of a bustling General Store offering vintage goods and wares. Busy as it was, one of the owners, Nancy Murphy, spent time with me chatting about the Market, the participating vendors and their goals and aspirations. It became clear to me that this is way more than just a job for her, it is a passion, one that is shared by millions of others out there who love to refurbish and recycle and make what was once old, new and beautiful again. And since we have a barn full of “junque”, and Coach is adding to the collection daily, like this gorgeous red Radio Flyer wagon we found over the weekend…

…I figured it was high time to join in the fun! So, beginning the weekend of May 10, 11 and 12th, I will be offering a carefully curated collection of of antiques and vintage goods,

reflecting the simple casual country style I love to feature in my blog posts. LOVE this old crackled scale…

Some of the items are untouched and will be offered as they were discovered at estate sales and auctions (minus the dust and cobwebs)

but many pieces have required painting & polishing, (like this pink commode I wrote about in “Coming Unhinged” a couple of weeks ago)

and staining and waxing as well. This is the table I decorated with the wax paper printer transfer technique in “Waxing Nostalgic”

To give you an idea of what will be available, I have added a Pinterest Board: Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, that you can visit.

This month’s theme is Mom’s Garden, so you can expect to see quite a bit of garden-inspired furniture and accessories. (and, yes, that’s a real anchor- Coach dragged it home last weekend- what the heck am I supposed to do with that!?)

Not everything posted there will be available each month, as I only have so much room in my booth! And once it’s sold, it’s gone, and I will mark it as such on the Pinterest board. Some things will have a “before” pic, and once I complete the refurbishing, I will post the “after” as well. I adore this dreamy mint farmhouse table, but it did need a lot of TLC. Wait til you see the after!!

I will be pinning additional items as the date gets closer, so check back often, and if you see something you must have, drop me an email @ countrydesignhome@gmail.com and I will see if I can squeeze it into the CRV! OK, back to work…see you in May! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: antiques, collectibles, Vintage Market, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

Mar 18, 2013

Simply ReMARKable Finds

By countrydesignhome · 9 Comments

Two weekends ago I visited the WinSmith Mill Market and, as I usually do when I find something awesome, I blogged about it. Because I really didn’t fully understand the size of the place and the amount of vendors doing business there, I spent many hours shopping and researching, and did my best to make sure I covered all the bases when giving out the information. In a couple of instances, I got it wrong, so I would like to correct that now, once and for all. Upon entering the parking lot at 61 Endicott Street, I saw the first building, where I encountered the shops called ReMARKables and Gallery 2.

Perhaps it was due to the mild head injury I experienced with the snow/sun roof incident prior to my arrival, or the sparkly stars hanging above the entrance, but I got the signs confused and used photos from one space that were actually of the other!

I received a lovely email from the store manager Arlene, who had seen the blog and noticed the photo mixup. (I mean, who could confuse where this sofa came from?!)

She, in fact, informed me that she had spoken to the owner Mark (more about him in a moment) about making the signs clearer, as many customers are just as confused. So, I returned to the scene this past weekend, met Arlene and got a little background information about the two shops: ReMARKables (the large warehouse filled with stuff owned by- you guessed it- MARK Waters)

and Gallery 2 (which is a little vintage shop in the same warehouse building, curated by Deb, the owner). ReMARKables Cleanouts is a family-owned cleanout service with over ten years of experience.

What started as Mark hauling stuff out of houses and into his garage has morphed into the enormous warehouse space you see in these photos.

You name it, they have it- lots of it- and its anything and everything, both vintage- like this amazing Maytag Washer,

and modern- loving this dining set: )

can be had for a great price (Edith actually bought the shelf itself-minus the china!)

ReMarkables also holds a monthly auction, and some of the goods are set aside for that purpose- you cannot purchase them until the auction. The next one is scheduled for Friday, March 22 at the Norwood Commerce Center, where the Mill is located. For more information about the auction, you can contact them at 781-352-3162. Gallery 2 is a small shop that is filled with vintage pieces, like these glamorous furs,

these adorable children’s books

and these vintage office supplies (loving the table fan!)

Deb , the owner, says that she started out with hats and bags, and has grown her shop into a warm and welcoming space that offers jewelry, vintage gowns and some pretty, pretty vintage decor.

Below is a legend that is on the WinSmith Mill Market Facebook Page. Once again, this market is housed in the Norwood Commerce Center @ 61 Endicott, and is open on weekends only.

Although it is difficult to see, you can identify that there are 4 separate, but adjacent builings that house all of the shops listed. Some shops, like Vintage Peacock and Vintage Thymes, which are downstairs in building 23/24, are actually more of a co-op, where many vendors share the space to sell their wares. Other shops, like The Old Bean Antiques, are separately owned and operated.

I can also tell you that many of these shops do not have websites, but some do have Facebook pages where you can find general information. According to the WinSmith Market Facebook Information, the hours of operation are: Friday and Saturday 9am-6pm and Sundays from 12-5pm. (this is directly from the information page) For additional information you can contact them at Sre@61endicott.com One exception: The Vintage Thymes Monthly Market is just that- a MONTHLY Market, and is generally open on the second weekend of every month (Friday through Sunday).

For more info about their upcoming schedule, you can click here. So, I hope this clears up any confusion about the hours of operation and the shops. For any additional information, my best advice is to contact the WinSmith Mill Market email listed above or better yet, take a ride down (or up) there to see what all the fuss is about- you will NOT be disappointed! These past two weekends I visited more shops that are not listed on the legend above, but are included in the one below I found while shopping on Saturday.

So I am assuming that means that new shops are opening quickly as the word spreads, which is a good thing for you! Hope you are having a remarkable day! Susan