Bird Tweets

Day 269 Bad hair day turns wild... and more...

A renewed iMac photo-booth version ***** today****  more "all about me" :)

Quick update... I'm so sorry for causing worry amongst Zippy's fans! She is not currently ill at all. I am referring to a time some two years ago when she was stung by a bee and the devastating aftermath of an allergic reaction that continues to this day. She is good, very happy and although she has never  been right in the head (long before bee-stings:) her heart is happy :)

Meet Einstein. Einstein is Polish and has crazy hair. Actually he is a Blue Splash Polish rooster which is important to know when being introduced because he likes to be noticed and given proper respect. Einstein belongs to my friend Natalie.  

I met him while i was at her house learning to do art with old papers, bits and bobs and shiny things like what you see below. That's Leah's hand pointing at the jar. She was learning from Natalie too.

We were using clear glass, copper foil and solder to make memory boxes, charms and little dioramas. This is Natalie's unique art and it is quite wonderfully intricate and lovely and fun to make. I will show you my finished piece soon but not now because it is a gift for someone who may see this post :)

But here are a couple of examples of the wonderful world of soldering with Natalie. A box lined with an old hand written letter holding a little bottle with dried flowers nestled inside. She keeps it all very simple and elegant.

Her wonderful chunky charms are sought after with great enthusiasm. She sells these at the Queen or Tarte and Barn House sales and can hardly keep enough of them in stock to satisfy discerning buyers who want the real thing...handmade by Natalie

Ok back to the crazy hair. What a wild head of hair that Einstein has. He got me to thinking about my hair and the fact that i have been seeing my hair as rather ordinary and wanting a change. Maybe spice things up a bit.

I have always loved to see Zippy's long hair up in a knot She looks so feminine and soft and cuddly. Her hair doesn't look anything like this now though. It changed completely when she got sick. 

No more long hair for Zippy.

But mine sure has gotten long. The only wild thing about it has been the fact that it hangs in my eyes all the time unless i wear it in knot or a braid. And that isn't a fun kind of wild. And anyway the knot i wear isn't a top knot nor is it near so bouncy or interesting as the one you see above on Zippy.  

Mostly i resort to a braid. I told Natalie who is a hairdresser herself that i needed a change and she thought i would look good with bangs. I love bangs but i haven't had them for decades. I thought they looked better on me in third grade but.... as i said i desperately wanted a change.

And bangs seemed a very daring idea as i walked into the hairdresser a week later. Bangs that swoosh over to the side. Then there are layers and layers cut all wild and uneven, long then short, then medium. Snip, snip! My hairdresser thought it was marvelous to cut all that long hair off and smiled during the entire adventure. I did too. Most of you surely realize is not the case much of the time when going off to the hairdresser to smile or love your new doo. Tears are more common for me. That and sometimes swearing.

You can't see the details very well in the photo below. It definitely doesn't do the wildness factor justice. This is my "here-I-am" photo taken with my iMac photo-booth camera. Computer glare is not all that flattering but it was the best i could do. I was dying to send this to my sisters, Rachel and friends so i settled for a green glow on the skin and a roll of paper towels growing out of the side of my head in order to send this hot off the press.  

Back at Natalie's house these girls were all of a dither, clucking away about their own plans for self improvement. "Maybe a pink feather boa or some tap shoes would spice things up?"

Finally i want to share the view of Natalie's back garden. This is what i saw from her "garage" while standing at the huge paned window to watch the chickens scratch in the dirt and gather 'round Einstein for their afternoon dance lessons. 

I tell you these vintage home designers have a way with making the old, the rusted, the weathered and useless look like precious treasures. Here are those 'antique pieces' that you have been looking for all your life but thought you would never find. It was magical to feel the effects of an old iron bed, a single chair and that beautiful bird cage chandelier. It is art of the most unusual sort. A kind of life size diorama of perfect country life. Living art, with perfect composition, color, balance and harmony.  

I've made the rounds for tea and cake to a few of you and still have many stops to make this week. See you soon! I sure hope you can recognize me in my new doo :)

love, robin

Day 266 The Making of a Star... or in this case Stars

Today The Queen of Tarte, the Barn House Boys, Annie Fannie and Abigail,  Little Cottage and Sparrow have been memorialized forever as the creme de le creme of the local vintage flea market scene. I will remind everyone that there are many, many other fine contributors to this creative group of vendors however these 5 have been written up in the Oregonian, (our local newspaper) and identified as "the Ringmasters of the barn sales". Congratulations on the well earned publicity!

I spent the morning yesterday at the Tarte monthly sale and as i have already identified in my own article for Somerset Life Cindy has magic running through her veins rather than blood like the rest of us mortals. She does it  e v e r y   s i n g l e  t i m e. Never failing to create a brand new scene of delight and wonder that is completely unexpected and ever more over the top wild and wonderful than the last sale she had..or the one before that, or that. You must visit the the Land of Tarte  if you have not already managed to do so! She has 3 shows left for the season; October 24th is the Halloween Spectacular, November 7th is the Tarte Magic of Christmas and her season finale is on December the 5th.

In the stylized land of the more kingly barns I am honored to to say i have written my own article for the January issue of Somerset Life about the boys of Barn House, who are, as those who know them will attest, a force of creative physical energy beyond comprehension. Over the past year they have been generously providing me with access to their private lives as well as their Barn House lives so that i can better understand how it is that they have rocketed to such heights of personal and professional success in just over 3 years time. Read all about it come January!

This years Barn House season is complete. The boys are busy closing up the business, harvesting their garden and taking a well deserved time of quiet reflection. Not that they will be quiet for long. That isn't possible for men who are full of a passion for life and who welcome challenge. There is a lot of energetic discussion about what we all have to look forward to next year! 

Love, robin

Day 250 Barn House and The Busy Life of a Photograblogfriend

I have had more photobloggerati adventures in the past month than I can keep track of. I was home from my San Francisco date with Relyn, Julie and Diana less than 24 hours when it was time for me to head over to the Barn House for the Summer Flea Market extravaganza. I think my sleep patterns are forever altered to match that of an 18 year old who never gets more than 4 hours of sleep a night and attends parties more regularly than classes or a job.

Aside from the fact i had every car window open to the max, singing at the top of my voice to a blaring rendition of Bob Dylan performing Maggie's Farm  it was well worth staying awake another 24 hours to witness and photograph the set-up of the circus tents on Friday evening. This particular tent was dubbed the Taj MaTent. More on that later in the post....

 

Welcome one and all to a day on the farm.

Here is The Queen of Tarte about to perform the magic i describe in my Somerset Life article; Cinderella on wings....flying hither and thither, grabbing this and wrapping it over that, pushing one thing through the maze of objects until it is suddenly married in perfect union to another...."

See what i mean? Admit it. Now that you have seen this you know you cannot live without one of these for your holiday centerpiece. Honest to god, i swear this is a real fish-head preserved forever using i don't know what kind of chemical process.

That's Natalie and her little girl Hattie who is as cute as a bug.. and she was as dirty as a beetle by the end of the day. See that pretty white dress she is wearing?  

All little girls should have this much fun going to work with mommy!

When i saw this full size tractor sitting in front of The Barn House Boys outdoor booth  i just stood and gaped a moment. Then I got a grip and realized that this was to be expected. This is what they do here. They one up themselves in style each and every time they have a sale. This is a real live question... who bought that tractor? I know i saw it chugging down the road, lights ablaze  while driving home on Padden Parkway later that night.

Meet Joe. There is no one like him in all the world. He rockets around the farm so fast he is usually a blur, just shape and form. This is a rare moment of stillness and it is the only time i have ever captured a clear photograph with him so much on the move every moment of everyday. It was the end of the day of the sale and a well deserved moment of rest.

Here are a few treasures i found and loved. 

tennis ball sized opals...

sparkly hearts... XO

blue and blue!

Now i will explain the reason i titled this post The Busy Life of a Photograblogfriend. I can see now that it will never end... the meeting of like minded people with big hearts, fabulous style and endless good humor. 

While in San Francisco with my blogirlfriends i reflected on my surprise and delight about everything going so well amongst strangers. And now, after this endless and exhausting weekend of being among more strangers' I finally understand the reasons why thousands of people all over the world give up watching Dance With the Stars and Fox News in order fire up their computers each and every day. We tap, tap tap out the words that fall from our minds and read, ponder and understand what emanates from each others hearts. 

The reason is so simple and obvious it's a wonder i don't win a prize for finally naming it out loud. It is friendship. Unadulterated friendship. Considering just my own experience i see that i I have received support beyond measure, laughed without breathing and felt a powerful bond between myself and others. Some i have met and loved, others i may never meet and will love none the less. It shocks me. 

Meet Tiffany and Kim. I had never met these two before this weekend at Barn House. I actually thought i might be at my laughed out limit after traveling with Relyn for 12 hours in a small vehicle just the day before. But no. It started all over again. I was all excited and thrilled with their company. They laughed like crazy women at everything. Mostly themselves and their antics. I realize now i am not the only one smitten with my own humor. I began thinking about how much fun it would be to go on photography expeditions with these two. I threw caution to the wind and immediately answered yes when Kim mentioned she would also like to meet up mid distance for a day of taking photos. I said yes and when! 

I know now It will never end, this finding of new blogirlfriends i want to know and be with. These are not the only people i met this weekend either. Oh no. There were lots of new faces around the midnight pre-sale campfire and i got to know all the other Barn House family much better. 

This is what i saw late in the afternoon as i walked up to the house for dinner. Dexter is a new member of the Barn House menagerie. He weighs in at over 800 pounds, is beefy but gentle as a lamb. He is always looking for friends. The sheep twins don't like him. He doesn't know he's a cow. He actually thinks he is a horse and wants to hang out in a herd.  Tiffany had gone off in search of some quiet in order to make a phone call and found herself hanging out next to the fence. Dexter stopped by for a chat.

Notice how she has placed her camera on the ground in order to be able to pay closer attention to Dexter'.

And the bling...who wears this sort of thing while petting a cow? A full on double string of pearls, matching bracelet and diamond rings? It was the sweetest thing in the world to see her befriending that sad little cow. Now am i not right in saying that bloggers are simply the best people to make friends with?

Ok. This is the Taj MaTent. There was to be a contest for best styled camp amongst those who were staying overnight on the farm.  Debi won hands down. It was palace of cream white linens with down pillows everywhere. It has a kitchen, lamps and a boudoir at the back for sleeping and changing costumes....

This is a little nest display Cindy made for the greeting cards i created using photographs from her Tarte Barn. See the pretty lavender gown?  I sold nearly all of them! I am quite happy to have such good fortune in friendships.  It was my new friend leah who pushed and tugged me into doing them in time for the sale. Thanks to you both!

Finally it is time it is time to close up shop and rest and recuperate until the next sale. We ate amazing food, laughed at each other's silly jokes and helped one another put the place back in order.

If you can make it from New York, Texas, France or Portland try to come next weekend for Queen of Tarte monthly sale!!! If you come we can be amazed together at our good fortune with finding great art and friendship in abundance!

Love, robin

Day 247 Robin Laws, Photographer and Writer: Drum Roll and Congratulations!

Good Morning Friends! I thought i would make the title of the post "all about me" and then move on to the more central theme of this post, friendship. As you can see i was published again in Somerset Life magazine this month and i couldn't be happier! Jenny Doh,  the editor-in-chief is a consummate professional and yet she manages to let her true self shine in her work with artists. She is kind, friendly and helpful at every juncture of the writing process. Thank you Jenny for allowing me to be myself too.

My friend  Maddie, who has been published in Somerset many times wrote a perfect tribute on a post earlier this year, she says: "Somerset has the talent, love and respect for artists, taking the extra time to celebrate each unique personlity with care. Attention resonates off each and every page."

My article and photographs are featured in the department of Locales of Intrigue. Anyone who follows my blog will recognize the subject of the article. Cindy, The Queen of Tarte and her monthly event and vintage art sale. Sometimes I can hardly believe my good fortune in friendship. The relationship gods must have singled me out for special treatment in another life because truly i have been blessed! Cindy and her circle of friends have welcomed me as one of their art troupe from the very first day i arrived on the scene. 

Get your copy of this issue and find out where to find the magic :) 

You all know that in this land of blogdom there is the chance to meet new friends that would never have crossed our path had we not offered ourselves up for love on the internet wire. I have found amazing women that have become good friends and i hope to visit many of them in real life during the coming years. (more surprises on that topic later this week!)

One such person is Debi who often shows up in my posts due to her place in my life as muse and friend. It was Debi's idea that i submit this article about The Land Tart. She saw the potential for me to shine my artist beacon out into the world. Her encouragement, editorial assistance and applause accompanied me on the creation of this story. I love you girlfriend!

I have a big P.S. to add here at the end. I am working on another story to be featured in the January issue of Somerset life about the Barn House  boys. I will show you the magnificent Barn House sales they host as well as the ways they express themselves as artists in every aspect of their life together.

There is more good news to come!

Love, robin

Day 227 The Land of Tarte

Ta Da!! The Queen of Tarte had a barn sale this past weekend! 

Here she is twirling in animal print heels and a perfectly twirlish skirt. 

I wanted to reserve this lavender gown for my very own. I kept moving it around taking photo after photo dreaming of wearing it at the next sock-hop. 

I took this photo the day before the sale. I found a kindred spirit in Cindy. She spends a week getting ready to get ready. That is until the clock strikes midnight and the barn must be transformed for the magical event. Then she is Cinderella on wings flying hither and thither grabbing this and wrapping it over that and pushing one thing through the maze of objects down the aisle until it is suddenly married in perfect union to another object. And many of these objects are not recognizable until you take a closer look and see you have a whatchamacallit in your hand and it has been magically transformed into the most beautiful stand  imaginable for your many edge laced tea towels. 

For example take this group of saints behind bars. Cover their birdcage with mink, artfully lay a stack of old books painted a soft lavender, put a flower in an antique tea cup and wha-la! Art that is a must-have!

Mink was everywhere. Bling, sparkle, burlap and tin. All mixed together. A feast for the everyday person who wants to be transported into an imaginary world of fairies, fauna and farm life when they walk in the door of their home and garden.

When i saw this old iron bedstead with it's creaky springs, burlap covered pillow, ancient quilt and rusted headboard quietly resting beneath the ivory colored parachute i thought "yes that would fit in the Avalon garden guest room perfectly!" Who knew i needed these things?! But that is how it is in The Land of Tarte. The most ordinary and mundane objects become extraordinary in the hands of those gifted with the creative eye.

Cindy does not accomplish this alone. She has a slew of friends and comrades who share her vision for quirk and art. Joe and Jermonne of Barn House fame had their own treasures and as always play a huge role in the preparations. 

This is my absolute favorite piece of artwork and photograph from the day. 

This area belonged to Diana and Donna (known by all as "the twins" because they are).  This photo represents a very small portion of a magnificently designed wall of antique photos, frames, button up shoes, lace, old books, hand carved birds, nests, straw hats, ancient garden objects, dishes and on and on.... so many delightful objects to see and touch! 

Natalie made another of her fabulous cakes. This pink one is a photo from the last sale. This time she made a three layer chocolate cake iced with boiled white frosting but by the time i wanted a photograph it had been devoured. Natalie is one of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. She is pure sweetness. Helpful, generous and wildly creative. 

She made these fabulous lettered and numbered charms. She says she will gladly teach me to try my hand at soldering :) I'm there natalie!

All in all the sale was a great success as you can see from this happy customer who is on her way home with a white feathered lamp.

Be sure you head over to the Tarte and Barn House sites so you can be fully informed about how much time you have to save up until the next sale!

love, robin

Day 217 Queen of Tarte

I've been quite busy the past week taking oodles of photographs all over town. As a result i am a wee bit behind in the other areas of my life. Including making the rounds to visit all of you. Never fear i will be by just as soon as i can. 

I am also in the midst of preparing for another week long trip and i leave on Wednesday so that has been keeping me busy.. more about that soon. 

Today I am going to let you in on a little Oregon magic. Many of you have seen posts about the boys at Barn House and their otherworldly vintage flea markets. This Saturday i attended the opening of a spectacular event put on by none other than The Queen of Tarte. I am going to just get on with the photographs because that is what you all are waiting for. I knew i just had to get these up today since i noticed the traffic to my blog was off the charts and most of the visitors were from Barn House.  I just couldn't make you wait another day :)

The location is quite near to my home and in the beautiful countryside. 

Meet Cindy The Queen of Tarte and creative talent with all sorts of bits and pieces of this and that. She made this lampshade but i thought it made a good hat. She is game for anything that Cindy. A girl after my own heart, loves to be in front of the camera.

Natalie is a little more shy but today she stood still for a portrait.

I have to get photos of the boys in here. This is Jermonne from Barn House. You've met him before. He was the man handling the business side of things.

This is Joe. He is one of the most creative talents with staging i have ever seen. I'm not sure what he was doing here but whatever it was i am convinced it was something related to a creative idea he had.

The design theme was pink and fluffy, sparkly and airy.

Pink and floating flowers. They seemed to have wings.

Everything was for sale. This suitcase was overflowing with dress up clothes. I would wear them in Avalon. They were so lovely and fairylike.

The food was as beautiful as the clothing. It was also pink. Natalie made this amazingly tall cake.

The Barn House also had a section in the shop. Joe has been working on some creative ideas of his own. I was completely taken with these bottles. They are a beautiful vintage green and each one has a uniquely created top using a sea shell soldered onto the bottle. Look at the sparkle!

This young lady must be a sort of muse. She was located in the office area but i just had to make her acquaintance. Magic.

It looks like a throne to me.

Lots of flowers and cupcakes and candles. The mood was so nice. There was a wood stove and a guitar playing softly in the background.

If you can make it these are the dates of the monthly sales. It would be worth a cross country drive!

I have a few more photos to share later in the week so stay tuned!