Yard Sale Treasures...

Yard sales on the Island are abundant in the summertime...this past Saturday was no exception.  My typical Saturday morning ritual includes waking early, enjoying coffee with the pups, dressing according to the weather and mapping out the route.   At the end of my search I happened upon a sale tucked back at the end of a private drive.  As it was late in the day,  most items I scan for were already gone.  As I was leaving with some lovely French ribbon circa 1930, the owner asked if I was looking for anything in particular.  I told her my focus is buttons and buckles.  She asked what I used them for and I told her about JoeysCoat.  She turned, went into her house and brought out a large glass vase filled with Bakelite, Mother of Pearl, vintage plastic, and bone buttons and buckles...each unique and extraordinary.  We sifted through the tiny treasures together...we shared the same appreciation for their beauty and history...and it became apparent we also shared the same love for our dogs.

Thank you, Anita...I am grateful our paths crossed...

Joey finds his way to You Tube...

You know how life takes you down a particular path and you are unaware of the significance of something until years later?

My youngest son and daughter-in-law just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.  They exchanged vows in our meadow beneath the cherry trees.  Tom and Kate are the owners of Bridgman Landscape and Stone in Seattle.  For nearly a year they spent every off day transforming a blank canvas into a beautiful garden setting.  At the end of each day, I would arrive home from work and take in the view of the fruits of their labor.  They performed all the work while keeping five dogs and two very busy puppies occupied; no small feat.

One of the days, while taking a well deserved break from laying the stonework for our spectacular fire ring, they made a short film using the video function on their digital camera.  Kate expertly edited the film and set it to music; Teenage Wasteland by The Who - the perfect soundtrack for a puppy wasteland.

Recently, while endeavoring to create more space for JoeysCoat in our little Island home, we stumbled across the video and watched it again.  There was Joey...in the background...shy, quirky, a reluctant puppy mentor, far more interested in chasing his brother.

This past Friday night, our friend and filmmaker, Richard Montague made it You Tube ready.

Something created six years ago for fun, now takes on new meaning...

The bride and groom...

Our brilliant fire ring...



The kitchen garden entrance to the home of JoeysCoat...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjZgZuAKfVs



We are so close...

The process is ramping up at light speed...the web design and store is in the final stages, the brilliant "mannequins" are completed, the coats are receiving added couture touches, JoeysCoat and all that it is, is coming to fruition.  From most profound tragedy to joy and celebration...it speaks to the duality of life.  There is no joy without sorrow, no failure without success, no loss without love...thank you Joey for taking me on this amazing journey...

Hanging out...

Discarded blankets, shirts, trousers, skirts...all given a new purpose in life...

Gratitude...

Today, while contemplating how to begin my next post, I decided to check the Stats tab on the menu bar.  This is not something I have made a habit of since beginning the JoeysCoat blog, therefore I was not prepared for what I found.  In addition to the United States, Joey's story is being read in Germany, Canada, The U.K., Malaysia, The Philippines, Australia, Denmark and France. 

I am humbled by the far-reaching audience.  You honor me and my boy...thank you.

The last photo of "Joey" taken the day before we said good-bye...

The Jr. Cowboy...

About a year ago, our dear friends Tami and Rob Renno found a 1904 farmhouse with a view of Quartermaster Harbor on the portion of the Island known as Dockton.  The house came with an old rusty bus tucked away in a back corner of the garden and the Rusty Bus Farm came to be.

Tami is a collector and seller of all things vintage.  Her grandmother's settee along with a chandelier and the rusty bus made for perfect props for a JoeysCoat photo shoot.  Between the two of us we managed to wrangle her Boston Terriers, Lola and Bo with Sass and Fiona long enough to get some wonderful images of the four of them in coats. 

"Bo" exhausted, "Sass" ballet toes turned out, "Lola" channeling Garbo and "Fiona" looking for trouble!

Dana designed a very special glen plaid coat using an old remnant of braid embroidered with the words "Jr. Cowboy".  Originally she had chosen leather buttons for the tab, however I remembered a set of pewter buttons shaped like Sheriff's stars I'd come across in a grab-bag button purchase.  The leather buttons quickly came off and the Sheriff's stars were sewn in their place.  It was serendipitous.  Now the coat truly is a Jr. Cowboy.

"Bo" resting in Jr. Cowboy.  The belt is a wee bit long for his frame so we're off to Dana's studio for a custom fitting.  That's "Sass" in the background in a lightweight wool plaid paired with a dark green antique velvet belt.  The belt loops are made of gold braid that Dana found in a flea market in Paris forty years ago!

Stay tuned for more from The Rusty Bus Farm...

Photo Day Finale!

It's been nearly a month since I last posted.  What began as a common cold, quickly turned to pneumonia and I indulged in much needed rest.  The only challenge that comes with rest is the time it took away from my "day job" and the daunting catch-up work that followed.  All the while only wanting to think about JoeysCoat.

I am back, healthy, invigorated and ready to resume where I left off!  Fortunately, Dana's creativity and productivity never wained.  Additionally, Island Artist Mike Urban completed the prototype for the coat stands that will serve as "mannequins" to display the coats for the eCommerce site.  The stands are on their own, beautiful works of art.  The coats, tiny treasures.  It doesn't get any better.

Before the unveiling of the most current photos of the coats, I feel compelled to complete the photo shoot images my friend and Island Photographer Kari Davidson shot back in June.  The final two Island dogs are fixtures at their respective businesses.

Sophie and her humans, Sylvia Matlock and Ross Johnson are the creative owners of DIG, Vashon Island's destination nursery.  On any given day, one can view Sophie lounging on a garden settee upon entering into the magical garden that is DIG.

Marty has just celebrated his first year at Treasure Island, a unique store with an eclectic mix of all things vintage.  I visit the store and it's owner Marci often, forever in search of something special for JoeysCoat.  Rarely do I leave empty handed.

"Sophie" playing on the lawn at DIG

"Marty" and Marci at Treasure Island

Thank you to everyone for a brilliant day of photos!