Thursday, October 9, 2014

Gathering on a Beautiful Fall Day


I am crazy about themes! 
We just completed our second event of the Fall season that celebrated the theme that is prevalent in all of our happenings here in the barn this Fall. For each Barn Sale and Preview party that we hold, we benefit a local charity or charitable organization. We try to pick the organization so that it fits into the theme of a sale or sometimes we are inspired by an organization and chose the theme based on it. This season is no different and our theme is Education. In this area of Pennsylvania that we live in, we are so very fortunate to have the services of wonderfully staffed and supported public school systems. We also have the choice of some of the top private schools in the country in our back yard as well as a variety of schools that cater to a wide variety of denominations and beliefs. "The world is your oyster," so to speak, as far as education goes. Yet, for many children in our area their school experiences are vastly different.  Our Fall season launched with a fabulous preview party that benefited Chester County Futures which is a poverty prevention program that provides academic, mentoring and scholarship support for motivated, disadvantaged Chester County youth. Their goal is to provide their students with college readiness and life skills needed to be self sufficient and to prosper. We enjoyed learning more about the organization and its successes at the preview party and our attendees had first dibs on some of our one of kind pieces that seem to be the most coveted.


We attached the base of two corbels to an old copper trough. Wouldn't this make a cool beverage holder for wine bottles? It now will for a lucky lady who took it home.


We hosted our second event having to do with education here in the barn today on the loveliest of days. This was a private event given by the Cristo Rey High School in Philadelphia and a group of women who are spearheading an "angel" campaign to supply the students at this school with all of the "extras" that we so take for granted every day...a hot breakfast, tutors, school uniforms, books, etc. I wonder if the angels had anything to do with the beautiful weather?

Watercolor by Artist Cheryl Decker Sauder
The attendees enjoyed a deliciously prepared luncheon,


With the school's color of blue punched throughout the decor


and of course...books!


The weather could not have been any more beautiful and it allowed the luncheon to be held out in the barn courtyard.



I picked everything that was appealing in the garden to assemble the flower arrangements to reflect Fall and to coordinate with the blue.

Nasturtium, purple sage, dill fronds, lemon basil, mint, yarrow and hydrangeas all worked very well together to make sweet little groupings in my blue and white tea cups.



Cabbages in an open vintage suitcase, which happened to have a blue liner, made wonderful decor for  the buffet table.


Loriane, our favorite caterer treated us to her delicious Rosemary Shortbread Cookies which are heavenly and addictive. She sells them by the box at our sales and will have plenty of them for Holiday treats at our next sale.


All in all, it was a beautiful day with a beautiful outcome of supporting another group of people making a difference in the education of our youth.

Our third and final event for our Fall season will be
Zumba Under the Stars 
with Dr. B who is a dynamic Zumba instructor who happens to be M. Night Shyamalan's wife. It too will benefit education and a cause near and dear to Dr. B, Philadelphia Public Schools. This event will be held in the barn courtyard (all of the tables have already been moved out to make room) on October 17th beginning at 6 pm. More information can be found on our Facebook page and website as of tomorrow. No rest for the weary and we are on a roll! Come join us for a last glance at the barn in all of its Fall splendor before we roll in the Holiday season with our Holiday Sale in November. 

                                                                                     Nelson Mandela
Each and every little step we take adds up to a world of difference~
Meg











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