( this post contains tons of pics – and they are all taken with my new iPhone as I was a rather lazy blogger and left my real camera at home. I blame it on the intense hours I’ve been spending getting ready for The Vintage Marketplace that is coming up in FIVE days.)
I went to the Country Living Fair Saturday! I hadn’t been to the CLFair since it’s been held at the Ohio Village in Columbus. The first year it was in Ohio I went. It took us over 2 hours to get in to park, lines to the food were 45 minutes to an hour long and the lines to the restroom were 90 minutes long.
Let me assure you that where they host this event now is so much better! We arrived soon after the Fair opened and it took less than 10 minutes to get in and parked. Food vendors were plentiful and the wait was nonexistant when we decided to eat lunch a bit early. Restrooms were plentiful and lines were short or no lines at all.
The array of vendors and merchandise was enchanting. A bit overwhelming but oh so delightful! I so wish I would have had a few hundred dollars to spend 😀
I went this year because I was invited through Hometalk to a blogger meet and greet. The editor of CL magazine, Sarah Gray, met us and chatted a bit. Then we went to meet Cari from Cash and Cari. She chatted with us and showed us some of her recent finds that she fixed up and repurposed. Her booth was amazing. It was so fun to meet both of these sweet ladies. Just fun to see them in real life, talk to them and see that the women behind the photos/shows are real people.
Meeting the bloggers was grand too. A couple of them I know well from blogland and several others I’ve seen online here and there, been to their blogs, and seen their name around. It felt so good to step into that circle of women. Women who ‘get it’ when you talk all things blogging. Women who don’t tune you out the minute you mention words like blog, theme, hostordpress, blogger, diy, widget, plugin, feedburner, jetpack… and women who don’t go glassy-eyed if you mention html and SEO!
Here’s Cari with a fabulously re-made chair she created. Such fun colors and vintage items.
My hubby took me to the Fair. He enjoyed the day but declared he wouldn’t need to go again!
This is what I bought. I’ve been wanting a vintage camera that has hooks on the sides that so I can put one of my camera straps on it for display. I also bought a couple grain sacks – not European grain sacks, these are American but I think they will be cute for what I’m envisioning.
And the last stop at the Fair was for some Jeni’s ice cream. Salty Caramel, nDali Vanilla Bean, and Lemon with bluberries. YUM. Can’t go to Columbus without stopping at a Jeni’s. There were at least 2 locations of Jeni’s at the Fair.
And that’s it. Plenty of photos but nowhere near enough to show you all the great stuff that was available. I was impressed with the prices I saw too. Honestly the prices were better here than what I’ve been seeing on stuff at the Springfield Flea. If you’ve never been to a Country Living Fair, find the one closest to you and get it on your list of places-you-must-go.
Jill
Delivered by FeedBurner
Loved your photos! Everything looks so amazing! I sure hope I can go one day!
That looks like a lot of fun! Poor hubby. He didn’t look like he was enjoying it as much. That’s how mine would look too. LOL! Love all the pics you took. It was fun getting to see all the things for sale. You’re so creative and crafty that I bet you could make almost anything you saw yourself! I’m sure you got some great ideas. The one closest to me will be next month at Stone Mountain in GA. I may try to go to that one.
So glad you got to go and how fun to meet the other bloggers!
Wow~a ton of stuff there! I love the old camera you got!! it’s perfect!
Oh my gosh, look at all those goodies!! Love the collection of vintage cameras. And the pile of pumpkins and gourds!!! Thanks for sharing all the photos, Jill. So glad you did!
xo
Loi
Those are fabulous photos and you are so cute- I just adore you and I love that top you had on! Your phone takes wonderful pictures-pretty sad that you can take better pics with your phone than I can with my camera! lol It must have been eye overload there- xo Diana
It was so wonderful to meet you at the fair, Jill! I have admired you and your blog for so long! It was a great day!
Leslie
Great pics. Got to meet Cari at the Vintage Bazaar here in Massachusetts in the Spring. Amazing tent she’s got and quite the crew. Looks like a good time. xox
Thanks for sharing! Makes me want to go but there were so many great things that I would not know which to bring home.
Just wanted to thank you again for the giveaway tickets I won to the CLF via your website. I took my daughter & we had an AWESOME time! So much fun & such good food, and of course, we made some GREAT puchases!
First, you are too cute, I love your top, did you make it? Oh my, I’d have such a hard time deciding what to buy! You had amazing willpower!
I am so envious. I’ve been wanting to go to a CL fair since they started or I became aware of them. I thought it wasn’t til Oct. tho? Was this a special one? Oh I’d go crazy at a show like that, good thing hubs pays the mtg. or I’d be likely to spend it at that fair. It reminded me very much of the great ones they had when we lived in KY. They have several outdoor shows in a little town called Smith’s Grove, northeast of Bowling Green. The goodies I used to get, oh my. There just aren’t things like that here, never any shows at all. NO antique shows at all. Nobody seems to know why either. I’ve got to find one somewhere or I’ll be in withdrawal forever, lol. Even a small town like Helena, MT had regular antique shows all the time, even during the winter. Gave us something to look forward to in all the cold/snow.
Please say a prayer for all the destitute people that have lost their homes and every thing, some their lives. They’re showing it on our news right now, it’s so awful what they’ve had to live thru. Amen.
Happy Week Good luck at your market sale. How great to meet Sara Gray.