Wow and Then - Christmas markets for 2017!!

Christmas .... my favorite time of year..
      

     .the beauty of the music of the advent            ..the twinkling beckoning lights

       ..the scent of evergreens and 
             gingerbread
       ...the precious childhood memories of singing and reciting in  school and church  Christmas concerts!!! These are forever etched in my memory of the deepest reason of why we celebrate!!!!  
  
This is also the season where as a child, my journey for the love of thrifting began! Our neighborhood community centre held a pre Christmas piggy bank sale aka rummage sale; there I discovered a treasure trove  that for $5.00 I was able to source a special gift for each family member !! Thrifting has changed in many ways.. including the prices but the thrill of the hunt in finding that special piece is up there on my to do list!!!   
My love of junkhunting has taken myself and my junk Mr. of 40 years on a  journey that continues as we  love to combine our hunted,  discarded finds with seasonal greenery decorating!!

You will find Wow and Then this season at the following  locations!!!!  For 2 weekends Nov. 18,19 and 25,26  10 -4pm  at

                                                         The Rustic Hutch

                                                      A   N  D 

               Dec. 2 and 3rd,  9 -5pm  

  

                              AT THE  

The Saskatooon Farm Christmas     Market

Be sure to check out our #vintage and #wintergreens on our fb page!!!!

Wow and Then - renewed and rescued

Summer Market time - join Wow and Then Vintage at Vintage With Flair!!!!

    Vintage With Flair - 'a country garden party'!!!

FRIDAY   JUNE 16    4 -8PM
SATURDAY JUNE 17  9 -4PM
$4.00  CHILDREN UNDER 12 FREE
CONCESSION ON SITE
DOOR PRIZES
AND

FIRST 10 ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY GET IN FREE!!

PORTION OF OUR DOOR ENTRY TO

Rainbow Society of Alberta  
Farmhouse fresh, shabby and chic, hand designed, repurposed,  found; art, jewellery, home decor, garden uniquities and blooms, clothing and of courseVINTAGE!!!!!

JOIN US AT THE BRAGG CREEK COMMUNITY CENTRE,

23 WHITE AVENUE

BRAGG CREEK, ALBERTA!!

WOW AND THEN - JOINING 25 OTHER CREATIVES!!!

Wow and Then.. and 25 other creatives will be at the Vintage With Flair - Christmas in the Country! located at the  Red Deer Lake Community Hall,Map to Red Deer Lake Community Hall.!!!!  Easy find off of hwy 22x. Head west of McLeod Trail at the south end of Calgary on 22x.. 3 km.. then watch for the Large Highway Directional sign.. turn south  at 118 St.(Tanbridge School on the corner),  follow down the hill 1.5 km.. then left into the roadway to the Community Centre!!!!

November 5 - 9 -4pm     $3.00    Enjoy an intimate hidden country venue!!  Local vendors .. home and seasonal decor, hand designed wearables, jewelry, clothing and of course #vintage uniquities!!! Food concession and Tea Wagon.. Wheelchair accessible!! See you there!!

UPCOMING MARKET - VINTAGE WITH FLAIR

With it being only 2 months till the celebration of Christmas..  
                        WOW AND THEN    will be  vending in the upcoming  Christmas market..  with approx 28 other talented vendor, creator, designers!!!!

Vintage With Flair Christmas Market
Saturday November 8th   9am   - 5pm

The Hall will be filled with everything from home and seasonal decor, personal accessories, art and delectable delights!!!!   Repurposed, true vintage and hand designed!!!   Something for everyone!!!
Hall is wheelchair accessible                          $2.00
                 

The Red Deer Lake Community Hall

Above is map with directions from the south and west of Calgary, Alberta.  Located approx 3 km west of Spruce Meadows and south of Hwy 22x , 2 km.. follow the directional signs.. and arrows  you can't miss it!!!

Ohh..   if  you stop by my facebook page www.facebook.com/WowandThen   enter to win a giveaway for pick up at the market..  just

LIKE  MY PAGE
MAKE A COMMENT   AND
SHARE THE PAGE.

GOOD LUCK !!!!

Waiting for SPRING

Flowers, puddles, birds flitting about looking for new nesting spaces, and the sweet smell of cut grass..  that's what we're waiting for.   Looking for days of  garage sales, road trips,  sunshine and preparing for... my most favorite gathering..   Vintage With Flair!!!!  3 months and counting. This year's booth design is around #The Adorned Garden!!!. #flowers #nest #birds #vintage #reloved treasures and pops of #color.    Look for Wow and Then at Vintage With Flair , #Priddis #2014.  June 20th   4 -8  and June 21st  9 - 4.  

 

NEED A DIVERSION FROM WINTER!

#thorncliffe community hall,  5600 Centre St. N. Calgary, Alberta, T2K 0T3 is hosting                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                     The First Canadian

                            Collector's Club Antique collectible and antique sale..  this

                                SATURDAY          FEBRUARY                                                          22ND, 2014

                                                    9:30 - 4:00 PM

#magpie maggie   #heather-the art of vintage and

#wow and then  will be there..  

#vintage, #one of a kind finds #collectors 

 

A break from #winter!!!!   and a great Hunting ground !!                    

JANUARY - RINGS IN A NEW YEAR 2014

I have never been one for new year's resolutions as that has always  seemed like  putting too much guilt on one's self, causing the first falter to cancel out the whole unrealistic idea.  On the other hand with my shop closing this summer, I have had some time to reflect on where I'm at..  as well as the not so celebrated anymore.. birthday  just around the corner.   I find I have time to actually think and ponder without being rushed by some deadline or imminent requirement .. which has actually been somewhat of a challenge.  Life has always been full and   began  early with  full time work at the age of 18.. and  there has been a lot of life in between.  From wife, to mother, to part time employee, to being relocated 3 times and raising 2 boys and an early farewell to another, as well as other dear family members and friends, to the fulfillment of owning a small shop and promoter of  my hobby and passion VINTAGE WITH FLAIR.    I feel my life has and is lived with passion and with purpose with  each chapter having its share of tears and laughter,  challenges and joys, hard work and great reward. I have been blessed with a life mate who has been both supportive and continues to work shoulder to shoulder in helping achieve both mine  and our  purpose.  So rather than a resolution..   I resolve; which I presently acknowledge, requires to not always understand the whys, or how to's, but I am determined to continue to work on being the best  of what I desire to be..  a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, a daughter a promoter of finding  purpose in the discarded,   to look  for and create beauty, all in the hopes of  inspiring others to look and  find it too!! 

Wow and Then,  is currently along with a host of creative talent preparing for our Vintage With Flair, Spring sale, aka The Vintage Chicks, June 20th and 21st, 2014.  Priddis, Alberta.   If you are a passionate designer, creator, using vintage, reloved, repurposed products, we welcome your application to be a vendor at our spring sale.  It can be found on the blog http://vintagewithflair.blogspot.com at the tab at the top.

   

Vintage With Flair - Christmas Market

Joining with 20 other vendors in the first Vintage With Flair Christmas Market at the Red Deer Lake Community Hall  was an amazing experience!!!! From set up to tear down, from hauling in to clean up..  we could not have asked for much more!!! The day was beautiful, as well as the product, the vignettes and the customers,  combined  the day was a total  success!!! 

Thank you !!! to my fellow vendors,  friends, customers and family for making the day special and fun!!!   

Now on to the next chapter....  

BACK FROM FROM R&R - with some great Finds

Going away is always fun and yet it is GREAT to be home!!   We were able to stop along the way to Manitoba and on our return to Alberta at a few out of the way places and unique vintage locations..  We didn't load up to the roof as usual but did happen to find some great old farm gates, a small cabinet, some primitive finds and even a couple of custom wish list finds. Some great pieces to make your modern decor have a smidge of vintage flair.  No matter what, whether we have a store front or not we will always be pickers at heart!!.
Stashing away for the Country Market at All Through the House, Sept. 28th. 

SUMMER 2013

July 4th, 2013  is here and to my neighbours and family to the south  this is a big day of celebrating.. sending you  much happiness as you join together and  partake.!!!

Here in Canada we  too have celebrated our Birthday  on July 1 !!! Happy Birthday to our beautiful country !!!

So much has happened in the past 2 weeks that it is almost a blur.  

First of all we for the past year have been preparing for our vintage sale in Priddis, Vintage With Flair, that was June 21 and June 22.    Little did we know that those dates would be significant in the history of southern Alberta.
As we were in the midst of preparations, setting up and getting ready to join together with like minded talented vendors and excited shoppers and friends, the rains and melting snow in our magnificent Rocky Mountains were  in process of emptying into the valleys beyond.    That impact has changed the world in many of our towns, villages and cities significantly forever.   Flooding has devastated and displaced so many and rebuilding is in the process.  We  pray that the resources, energy and hope will continue to flow to those affected and working to restore a new normalcy to the many whose lives have been turned upside down.  

Wow and Then will be hosting a Pop Up Market,  featuring many of the vendors and friends that were unable to participate in the Vintage With Flair sale.  The  market  will be on Wow and Then's parking lot, July 20th 9 -4 pm..   There will also be a silent auction of donated pieces, vintage, created, etc.  and proceeds will be donated to the #ALBERTA FLOOD RELIEF.   This particular weekend is what's known as Little New York Days in the village of Longview; there is a parade at 10 am on Saturday and as the  procession begins  traffic is actually detained for its duration; a suggestion is  to just relax and enjoy and then stop by our market on the south side of town.   This is an opportune time to take in a small taste of what you might have missed at Vintage With Flair!!! Take a ride out to Longview..  please note  that the bridge is still out presently between Turner Valley and Black Diamond..  so travel will need to be through Okotoks on Hwy #7 to Hwy #22 The Cowboy Trail, south at Black Diamond to Longview.. Thank-You!!!

ON THE HUNT

Spring seems to be when we at Wow and Then get the urge to go on a road trip for "hunting" for treasure.   Kind of like birds taking their yearly pilgrimage north or south depending on the season.  It is the season of change, renewal, new life and hints of color resurfacing, depending on which direction you drive.  We have our favorite haunts, that most often the unusual decorating uniquities  for inside or out, surface.  I like to try to see past the "same old" kind of pieces and dig for the unusual, or most unlikely.  Those are the pieces that inspire me or cause me to see another purpose.. It might be their color, or lack thereof and  crusty from time.   With summer planting just around the corner I will be watching for galvanized, tin, wood, enamel and painted finds to showcase the myriad of colors.   Decorating outdoors is popular for even the most novice of gardeners, and here in southern Alberta, portable gardens are a perfect solution to the very changeable weather patterns sometime within hours;  allowing for removal to shelter or cover.   As we are located in Cowboy Country, western memorabilia is always on our list of must haves.  So our sights are set on a treasure hunt of vintage, garden, rusty, western, and the unusual and of course just as importantly a  change of scenery.

Please call ahead to make sure we are open. as we will have a shortened work week.. thank you..     403   9226888.

     

Making your Home your Sancutuary

What comes to mind when you think of home?  Albeit your own home, home growing up or another's home that brings a sense of comfort and peace.
I'm sure we can all find one or more such places presently or in our memory banks.   For myself, home needs to evoke a place of  destraction(not sure if that's a word but you know what I mean).  Where the distractions of life become distant, where I can put my  feet up and turn it all off.  Using pieces of history whether from within your family  or finds you have incorporated along the way, all help in creating a sense of peace, interest, and comfort.  Sometimes it's just a simple addition of a a treasured piece, like a vintage book, an fun box camera or Gram's old rocking chair that create a sense of history, memory and conversation.  Repurposing has become the buzz word of the day promoting reusing, incorporating and creating.  This gives limitless choices when decorating,  from paint choices and finishes, to discovering small out of the way shops offering a plethora of uniquities to find that one special piece.  

This is a vintage Duncan Fyfe table and 4 chairs that has been redone to give a cottage chic look, it has been  updated and  still retains its function but incorporates the history and integrity of the past.

Making it happen

When spring seems to take longer than we like, it's time then to shake things up inside.  Make it FEEL like its spring, eventhough we still have the shovel out.

SOLD

The photos alongside this post feature some new pieces in the shop hosting the new Annie Sloan Paint and wax technique.  I quite love it as the color and wax make for an authentic vintage look.   So much so that one set is already SOLD and they just went out on the floor 2 days prior.   The store is always a work in progress and there are new products and items arriving on a weekly basis.  If you think its the same old, you could be a little disappointed as sometimes they leave near as soon as they arrive!

Music

There's nothing quite like the sound of music from an old vinyl record player.  These beauties are becoming a hard commodity to find.   The old Christmas tunes sound awesome and reminds of me of being a kid in Winnipeg.   If you are in the market for this beauty.. you will want to check it out..

The lid is hinged and forms a slick carrying case.

Collecting for your Purchasing Pleasure

Time to let you in on what's arriving at the shop this weekend. These vintage treasures are one of a kinds, and are collectible and functional pieces. Hope you LIKE...





variety of pretties; green glass bottle with removeable top $8.00, pr of vintage silver plated s & p shakers $12. pr, silver plate egg cup $8.5,paragon coffee cup $18.00

set of 2 vintage chalkware wall sconces16 in long.. chippy $20. pr

set of 3 made in Englad vintage cannisters love that retro look  $20. 

Vintage bevelled glass divider30 in x 18 out of Victoria British Columbia $75.

Paragon China Victoriana Rose Mug  $18.00

Vintage Function

                                                                      
18d x 40w x 3l h   Price  $225.00

18dx 391/2w x 26h      Price     $175.00

Some needful functional pieces have arrived at Wow and Then, whether sewing, crafting, home office, childrens room,  family room , these two vintage pretties will serve the purpose...

Pictures of great finds at Wow and Then

SOLD

THE VINTAGE CHICKS SALE

We are already gearing up to our 2nd annual sale in Priddis, Alberta, June 10th & 11th..  A  Friday evening and Saturday this year.   If you are a creator and lover of all things torn, tattered, tarnished and love to display and inspire others, then you need to be a part of our event.  Please check out our blog   http:thevintagechicks.blogspot.com or email us at vintagechicksat live.ca.  We are looking forward to some great talented people to join us!!

DIAMOND VALLEY CHRISTMAS - COUNTRY STYLE

The Christmas Market a the Flare & Derrick Community Centre,
Main Street, Turner Valley, Alberta.

Featured will be local crafts, artisans, kitchen creations,  food vendors and also THE TWO VINTAGE CHICKS - Laura & Pam.

No admission, donations for the Food Bank gratefully accepted.

Friday   -      November 26th    4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday -  November 27th     10:a.m. - 4 p.m.

There will be much more family fun, so plan a day of it!!

WHERE DID SUMMER GO OR WAS IT EVEN REALLY HERE????

The first weekend of September has come and gone and I am madly preparing for Laura's All About Pretty Sale, at her lovely Holly Button Cottage in Coaldale.  It should be a great time of being inspired and reacquainting with a few vendors from The Vintage Chicks Sale this past June.  Here are a few vintage treasures that have been upcycled that  you will see at Laura's.   See you there!!!!