A Day at the Fair

Saturday was the big day and for those of you that were unable to make it to the Country Living Fair, I thought I'd give you a little tour.

The lines to get in to park and to get tickets were horrible but the grounds were so beautiful, it was hard to mind much.

There was so much to see that it proved a wonderful distraction for the rest of my family, who, it may not surprise you to learn, had no interest in shopping.

I was shocked by the crowds and I'm not sure if the fair organizers realized just how many people there would be, as the setup didn't seem to accomodate all of the shoppers very well.

I finally had the honor of meeting The Farm Chicks in person. Their booth really stood out among the rest and was pure Farm Chick chic! Teri and Serena are the warmest, friendliest gals you would want to meet. Why can't I have neighbors like them? By the time I made it back around to take photos I was on my way out & Teri was at lunch. I was so sad I missed her! After the unexpected heat causing me to melt in the sun and having "hat" hair from my sunhat, I'm horrified at this picture of me, but Serena looks gorgeous and I wanted you to see their lovely booth so I'm going to be brave and post it.

I really enjoyed my day and bought some great things. Another hightlight was meeting the charming Robert from Mahar Dry Goods who, incidentally, now has a blog. He was fantastic and it was such a treat to see some of the things he sells in person. The quality is first rate. Among other things, I bought one of these doughnuts in pink & white with sprinkles (of course) to hang on Miss Emma's Christmas tree.

Another favorite of the day was discovering McMaster & Storm. Check out their blog. These ladies and their products are special. The attention to detail and the wonderful customer service add up to give you a one of a kind shopping experience. They have the kind of things I would sell if I had my own store. I can't wait to visit their real shop in Greenville, Ohio which just happens to be barely out of my way when I visit my Ohio relatives. I have a feeling that I may want to visit more frequently now.

All in all it was a fun day and I did bring home a few treasures that I will share with you later. There were a lot of primitive type country things which didn't appeal to me so much and also the prices on a lot of the antiques were a shock to a girl who loves to discover treasures at bargain prices. I was more drawn to the cottage booths (of which there were few) and the booths that featured handmade items. I would really recommend the show to those of you thinking of going in the future.