April 2016 Country Living Fair

Ever been to a Country Living Magazine Fair?   Mr. Bill and I went to the October fair 

in Stone Mtn., GA, a few years ago and decided we wanted to go one of the fairs again.  

This time we went to the April 2016 fair near Nashville, TN.  

If you missed this fair, no worries--there are still three more this year: 

Rhinebeck, NY, in June, 

Columbus, OH, in September,

 and Stone Mtn., (Atlanta) again in October.

  Now that I am blogging, I wanted to share it with you, giving you 

an idea of what it is like if you have never been to one.

The weather was just perfect for fair-going!

So much to see!  So many presentations to attend!  So much food--everything from the ubiquitous hot dog to French crepes with artisan salads in between!  And expensive fancy iced tea!

Part of the long line to buy the $$ tea!

With all those talented vendors, there was a wide 
variety of things to look at and, 
of course, purchase.

There were lots and lots of vintage things, collectibles,

 ingredients for charming vignettes, tablescape ideas, clothing, and even shoes!

A vendor's booth

Old enamel buckets sold by Great Stuff By Paul, Frederick, MD

This vendor brought the plants in containers you see below.

A rustic tote held a mini vegetable garden with an old spoon added for interest.

Old buckets with plants.

I was interested in getting a door basket and found 

lots to choose from.  

I settled on a smallish one, like the one in the middle of the door baskets photo above.

Every fair has to have some music.  There were a number of country vocalists performing on the music stage, but my favorite music was provided by the Thomas Wesley Stern Band.  From the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, they entertained the crowd with their roots music, a blend of country, bluegrass, and folk genres. 

They appeared here and there, sort of like wandering minstrels, 
and played toe-tapping music, for sure!

I was surprised to find clothing vendors--don't recall seeing any when we were at the Stone Mtn. fair.  What we saw was creative and eye-catching, to say the least.  You could go bright and quilted or subdued and lacy.

Need some colorful footwear?  

There were a couple of opportunities to meet the editor-in-chief 

of Country Living Magazine, 

so I took one of them, got in line, and made her acquaintance. 

Rachel Hardage Barrett is a Tennessee gal who graduated from UT.  

She was lovely and charming!

 If you are a magazine subscriber, you might recognize 

the background 

as the cover of the May issue. 

Also got to meet a well-known blogger who spoke at one of the events, KariAnne Wood.  She is a very humorous, animated, and energetic young woman who authors ThistlewoodFarms.com, a home decor blog.  She told the audience about some of her creative projects and fortunate finds as she talked about decorating on a little more than a dime. Plus, she gave us a photographic tour of her lovely home in Western Kentucky.  Here is the link to her entertainingly written blog: http://www.thistlewoodfarms.com/

KariAnne, left, and Ruth Anne, right

In spite of all her many successes, 

I found her to be super friendly and approachable, even offering 

to answer any questions I might have about blogging.  Boy, do I ever have them!

Well, that is enough for one blog post!  There are more cool things at the fair to write about, but that will be my next issue.

Thanks for reading and traveling along with me in Tennessee!

I'm joining some mighty fine link parties:

Share Your Cup Thursday  Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
Amaze Me Monday  Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home
Talk-of-the-Town  myrepurposedlife.com 
Home-Garden-Thursday  A Delightsome Life
Simple and Sweet Fridays   Rooted in Thyme
Shabbilicious Friday  Shabby Art Boutique
Craft Frenzy Friday  Little Vintage Cottage
Saturday Sparks Link Party   Pieced Pastimes
Make My Saturday Sweet  Amanda's Books and More
A Morning Cup of Joe  A Cottage Market
Dishing It & Digging It  Rustic and Refined
Tweak It Tuesday  Cozy Little House
Inspire Me Tuesday  A Stroll Thru Life
Wow Us Wednesdays  Savvy Southern Style