1/14/20

The Screenery

Speaking of arenas...
We started The Screenery.
Let me back up.
We were in Round Top with Bryan and Becca last year and came upon these incredible vintage silk screens from an abandoned textile mill in the Northeast.
And they are so beautiful.
Then, there was a rainbow,
And then there were TWO rainbows.
Obviously we had to buy some. 
We bought ten.
We felt so big time.


We came home and hung them on the wall and took photos of them.  We had planned on using them to make a wall in the kids room to separate their room (which we did, more later).

People came over and we gushed about them like school girls, and a few of our friends decided they wanted to buy some.
So, we sold a few.

A few months passed and the original owner who we bought the ten from, Kevin, called us and asked us if we wanted to buy some more.  He had received the final shipment of the rest of the mill and decided he wanted to sell some to us.
We drove down there and talked about maybe getting 10 more.
We bought 50.
So, here we are with 60 screens.  We have to sell them.  I have a slight panic attack at this amount of money being spent and this time dedication, but I press on.  We come up with a name and a logo and start staging and selling them.






We have such incredible and supportive friends who bought some, staged some, and just encouraged us through all of it. 









I really cant put into words what it has meant having such incredible support from our friends. They tell their friends, they hang them in their house, use them for events, help me sell them in the shop, hand out my card, talk about them on social media- all of it. It all just means so much.



Then, Kevin needed to sell them all.  Yup, heard that right- ALL OF THEM.
I had no interest in more screens at all, but Jeff kept trying to talk me into buying a few more.  Eventually I consented to a few more and found out that it was all or nothing.  He needed them all gone and wasn't taking no for an answer. 
Thats when we got 450 screens.
Our incredible friends helped us sort them in the cold rain until they were ALL put away and organized.  I told you, they are incredible.
If you thought 450 screens was enough for Jeff Barstad, you are wrong.  
A mill in Brooklyn that still activity prints got in touch with Jeff or he found them, one way or another they sold us their Dad's old wooden screens that they didnt have room for.
I guess I should have been stressed at this point, but I truly had so much peace.  I know God was guiding us to this from the rainbow to the 100s of screens, and He has proven that over and over again.





The wooden screens have almos sold out since we bought them.  They are all gorgeous and unique, and we have had so much fun staging them.
This summer God continued to affirm this crazy decision when we were asked by Patina Green owner Kaci Lyford if we wanted to be a part of a show that she was creating.  It would hold antiques she had collected in Europe, my screens, a vintage collector from Austin and Mish Mash.  It was a dream come true. It's called East End Salvage.








We had an absolute blast at the show.  From setting up to tearing down- it was hot, I won't lie- but it was so much fun.
In the midst of all of this, there are some screens that have rips and tears in them and I am embroidering on them.  I want to be able to turn something that people may see as broken and give it a new life.  That has also been so much fun.



 I even travel with them.  If they fit in Jeff's truck with all of our stuff, I bring 'em.
After the show, Rachel asked if I wanted to have a booth with her at the antique mall.  We had a blast making it look how we wanted it to look and creating a back drop.  A booth/show truly is my love language.
Its called The Storied Shoppe.






Then we added some screen to the Celebrate Always booth and Lins came down to help me embroider a giant 7 footer.  We had the best week working literally from lunch until past dinner for days on end.  I want to do it again.


Then Cornerstone Ranch used some screens for their gala.
I am still embroidering the screens and try and challenge myself to new ways of doing this with each screen and I'm learning a lot as I go.

This one sold to my friend Steve, who was a part of Kaci's shows with us. I cant put into words what it means to me.  He owns a store in Austin where he sells vintage pieces from all over.  He has vendors and all kinds of beautiful things in his store and he chose to buy my piece.  It is just so incredible humbling and encouraging.  
Kaci threw another East End Salvage show that we were so thankful to be a part of and we built a screen house out of our screens.  It was OUT OF CONTROL COOL.







I think that pretty much catches us up. 

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