Vendor Spotlight: Through the Porthole

The countdown is on for our spring show, and believe us when we say this should be our best show yet!! Tickets are available on our website and today is the LAST day to get $2 off Early Bird Admission using the secret code EARLYBIRD. As you know we are expanding our venue space at the Paso Robles Event Center this year so that we can feature more fabulous vendors than ever before. This new layout will also include a dedicated area for our special wedding feature, “Something Old, Something New: A Vintage Wedding Showcase.” We have carefully been selecting from an incredible crop of talented antique dealers, and wanted to give you a preview by kicking off our spring 2015 Vendor Spotlight series! 

Leading up to our October 2014 show we featured vendor spotlight interviews with The Junk Girls and Uber Chic Home. Both of these amazing vendors will have booths again at our May 2-3 show. Today, we will be featuring a new sneak peek at yet another fabulous vendor, Through the Porthole.

Through the Porthole is a design inspired vintage shop looking to fill your homes with quality “vintique” furnishings and historic pieces. From the Los Angeles port area, this couple (Patrick & Rozana) sources items from Arkansas to San Francisco and everywhere in between. They have a passion for junk and everything vintage and they even host their own Antique Market in Long Beach called “The Junk Show.” Their passion for vintage treasures grew from a mutual distaste for mass-produced, low quality goods. There is no better replacement for cheap ‘made in china’ goods than some high quality vintage furnishings picked by the folks at Through the Porthole!

Your can find Through the Porthole on Facebook and follow them on Instagram to see even more photos of their signature “vintique” treasures.

See you at the show!

~Three Speckled Hens

Show Tickets Now Available!

Tickets for our spring show are now available! We can't wait to see you in Paso Robles on May 2 & 3. We are excited to expand our show this year and will be featuring more fantastic dealers and food options than ever before! Tickets can be purchased online now for only $10 General Admission and $15 Early Bird Admission. Click Here to buy your tickets now, and visit our Website for more information.

**Early Bird Discount**

 

Are you a true Early Bird? If so, you won't want to miss this special deal! From April 1-7, enter the discount code EARLYBIRD at checkout to receive $2 off your Early Bird ticket purchases. That's right: only $13 per ticket for two whole days of show access, including special VIP entry on Saturday between 8:00-10:00 a.m.

See you at the show!

Hen’s California Road Trip

How much fun can three women have while working? Too much fun! The Hens just completed a weekend jaunt down to southern California to meet up with some of our dealers and distribute rack cards and posters for our May 2 & 3 show. Popping into dealers’ homes and scoping out what they are working on always gets us excited about what they’ll bring to our show. And peeking in at their amazing décor is always a perk! So many talented people!

Our first stop was at Déjà VuAntiques at The Loading Dock in Orcutt, where Wendy Steller has her wonderful shop. It is always a treat to visit with our good friend Wendy and check out what new treasures her dealers are selling. Several of her dealers are in our show and it is always fun to peek into their booths. 

Kathy, Wendy and Carrie at Deja Vu Antiques in Orcutt

Next up was Industry Home in Santa Barbara, which is a must-see! Kate Hernandez’ shop is a one of a kind experience featuring many creations made by her sons, The Brothers of Industry. The talent in that family is colossal! And it doesn’t hurt that they are the nicest people in the world either.

Ventura is always a favorite stop for us. Lavender Blue is an amazing store with some outstanding dealers including our own amazing dealer and longtime friend, Victoria Stoehr. Store owner Mary is a delight and so much fun to gab with. Right next door to Lavender Blue is a fairly new shop called American Home & Garden. Definitely two shops worth stopping for.

Victoria Stoehr's booth at Lavender Blue in Ventura

Another of our favorite stops is The Rusty Bucket in Camarillo, owned and operated by dealers Chuck and Patty Hano Hano. This husband and wife team manages to collect and sell the most amazing authentic early American primitives, Native American art and unusual vintage pieces. We are always amazed at what is in their shop and what they bring to sell at our shows.

One thing we always make sure to do is to ask our owners and dealers about other stores and new finds that they recommend. We hit the jackpot on this trip and visited four amazing stores that were new to us! Farmhouse Comforts and Hoot N’ Anny Home in Westlake Village were great finds. Kelly of Farmhouse Comforts was so fun and we had a ball shopping her store for everything from hats to tabletop décor to linen spray. Jennifer’s shop, Hoot N’ Anny, was another visual delight. Her sophisticated sense of style and use of organic textures makes you want to move right in! 

Susi, Carrie, Kelly Laurenzi and Kathy at her shop Farmhouse Comforts in Westlake Village

Our nightcap after a long day visiting shops and dealers!

Simi Valley had two stores that we were thrilled to find. The first is Aubergine Emporium. Proprietress Pat and her tremendous group of talented dealers display and sell in a beautifully laid out shop. Nearby is the Shop Around the Corner, featuring a large group of dealers with nicely curated booths. With a wonderful dinner, a lovely hotel room and a gin or two, we Hens put another road trip behind us. Can’t wait to go back and visit everyone again!

The Hens

How Three Hens Tied The Knot!

In keeping with the vintage wedding feature for our May show, we Hens recently sent out a “Save The Date” email announcement featuring photos from our wedding days. The response we received from you via email and Facebook was amazing, so we thought we would share a few more details from our (almost “vintage!”) 1970’s wedding days. 

 

Hen Kathy had a very traditional evening wedding on January 24, 1970. The wedding took place in a small redwood chapel on Treasure Island located in the San Francisco Bay. Her two idols at this time were John Wayne and Audrey Hepburn; she married “her” John Wayne and wore a purchased gown reminiscent of Audrey, high neckline and all! The reception was an elegant cocktail party for 150 people held in the islands Officers Club which provided with stunning views of the bay and nighttime San Francisco skyline. An accordionist strolled through the club providing soft romantic background music. Very traditional, very lovely. Kathy and Nick honeymooned in Yosemite. Kathy was 19 years old.

Susi spied a beautiful handmade dress in a dressmakers’ shop window while shopping on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Going with her instincts and indubitable sense of style and creativity, Susi chose to have a wedding gown custom made. The top was made from an antique lace tablecloth and the skirt was made from silk. Her veil was a custom designed hood of tulle. Susi and Ken’s wedding took place on March 19, 1977 at St. James Church in Corona Del Mar with a dinner reception at the Sherman Library and Botanical Gardens. It was a very lovely affair enjoyed by the 150 in attendance. Susi and Ken honeymooned driving down the coast in an MGB with a surfboard tied on the back and then over to Yosemite. Susi was also 19 years old.

Carrie chose a beachside wedding in a gazebo on Laguna Beach on July 22, 1979. She and groom Dave had just purchased a brand new home and poured their savings into the house rather than an elaborate wedding. Carrie’s lovely wedding gown was a formal she had previously purchased topped by a beautiful see through shawl she made herself. The minister arrived at the gazebo on a motorcycle and preceded to dress in his pastoral robes right at his parking space! The small family reception was held at the famous Hotel Laguna. She and Dave honeymooned driving down the California coast. Following their honeymoon, Carrie and her new husband hosted an Open House reception for friends and family to celebrate their marriage and their new home purchase. Carrie was 21 years old.

Who says marrying young doesn’t work??

Thank you for your interest in hearing a bit more about our wedding days! We can’t wait to see you at the Paso Robles Event Center on May 2-3. Our fabulous show will be bigger than ever, and a special section of vendors will take part in our spring wedding feature: “Something Old, Something New: A Vintage Wedding Showcase!”

Exciting Hen News for May 2015!

With the dawn of the New Year come changes; good changes, refreshing changes, creative changes and exciting changes. We all change our décor after the holidays, we change our eating habits for a healthier 2015, and we change our lookout on life and try to embrace more adventure, spontaneity and creativity in our lives.

The Hens have done all of the above in preparation for our May 2 & 3, 2015 show. Before you get all nervous that our show won’t be the same as always, be assured it is still the Three Speckled Hens Antiques and Old Stuff Show, only bigger and better! Your same favorite dealers will still be selling at the show alongside a new group of talented and creative dealers.

The major highlight is that we have added another large building for our indoor dealers and reconfigured our outdoor dealer booths for better flow and accessibility. Starting in May, we are excited to be able to use the main entrance to the Paso Robles Event Center as the Main Entrance to our show. Step inside the Main Gate and open your mind to all that you will see. Rustic, repurposed, redesigned furniture and home décor; vintage jewelry, silver, clothing and other treasures; new repurposed art pieces next to vintage and antique oils and prints; antique toys next to mid-century pottery, garden art alongside European wash stands. The selection is endless!

 Additionally, a special theme of the May 2015 show will be our “Something Old, Something New: A Vintage Wedding Showcase” feature. If you or someone you know is planning a wedding this year, the Three Speckled Hens show is the place to be! In the Main Entrance garden area will be a display of everything needed to set up a beautiful vintage-themed wedding. All of our dealers have been shopping specifically for this theme in order to bring one-of-a-kind vintage pieces for the bride-to-be. This special section of our show promises to inspire you, your wedding vision and all those who love the comfort and warmth that only antiques and vintage pieces bring to a wedding or special event.

We can’t wait for you to see all our exciting changes! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for May 2 & 3!

The Hens

 

 

Holiday Decorating Advice from Three Wise Hens

Are you decking the halls? Draping evergreens across your mantle? Stringing lights through your entryway foliage? Filling every vintage vase and tureen with chippy glass ornaments? In the spirit of the holiday, we Hens thought we would share some of our own inspiration! 


Kathy has always gone full bore on decorating. In year's past you could find her using everything in her ten bins of Christmas decorations to light up, repurpose and reuse every antique and vintage receptacle she owns, creating the overdone Christmas rooms that have always exuded holiday magic. However, this year she needed something more gentle. The Hens recently got together and gathered giant pinecones, Douglas fir and Monterey Pine boughs, and branches of bay laurel. Each of us used them to decorate our mantels and display them in soft, warm, natural ways.


Carrie, on the other hand, has always been drawn to the magic of Santa's helpers. She was decorating with elves long before 'Elf on a Shelf' became the rage! Her "collection" started with an innocent comment to an aunt many years ago, when she spotted her elf, sitting on her computer in February. Long story short, he didn't get packed with the Christmas stuff and he became CARRIE'S! So now, she collects vintage elves from her travels and loves putting them on her cabinet that holds her many pictures and family heirlooms. It is just the yang that makes her traditional Christmas decor a little more fun!


Then there's Susi. She's the junker of the group that turns one of a kind pieces into collections that look like they must be right out of a magazine! Everywhere you turn in her 100+ year-old farmhouse you find another piece of Christmas reminding you just what you loved about the holiday spirit. Her flare brings together the stories of the antique pieces with the styles of today's chic home decor!

We each took on the holidays in our own way this year. However, the most fun part was drawing inspiration from one another! As it is the season of giving we thought - why stop there? We've included some photos of our decorating this year with the hope we can provide our fans with some last minute inspiration before the big day.

 

In this hectic time of year remember, a little sparkle is always a plus but at the end of the day, the simplicity and beauty of nature is also very grounding during this bustling holiday season. Either way, glitz or plain greens, we know your homes reflect the beauty and peace of the season.

Happy Thanksgiving & Cheers to a Fabulous Show

Here it is November and we’re just getting around to telling you about our October show! Is time going that fast for you? Is it because we’re getting older or because we are just so full of projects and ideas and tending to all them makes the days fly by? We prefer to think the latter.

Our October Three Speckled Hens show was amazing! Our dealers were over-the-top with their individual styles and unique selections of rustic relics, chic repurposed furniture and accessories and hard sought after primitive pieces. Add to that the homey ambiance of Paso Robles Events Center’s Frontier Town, amazing food vendors and an air of fun and adventure and you’ve got a good picture of our show.

 

The shoppers had so much fun scrambling from booth to booth to score their perfect finds! We did notice that quite a few stopped by our Mimosa and Bloody Mary bar for refueling. At the end of the day, happy shoppers and happy dealers. A win-win to say the least.

What’s on our to-do list now? No rest for these Speckled Hens as we are well into production for our May 2015 show. There is always something that needs tweaking to better serve you, our loyal fans. We love hearing from you and any thoughts you may have on how to keep our show the biggest and best in the west!

We send a heartfelt wish to you for a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with your families and friends.

~The Hens