What A Trip!

Farm Chicks Rock!

They are a big deal!
We here in the northwest don’t really have Antique Shows like this so this (that I'm aware of)was a huge treat! This was our first trip to the Farm Chicks show and my Posse and I were giddy with excitement for weeks prior to this event. We would be traveling over to Spokane from Snohomish. This is about a 5 hour trip that we girls managed to make in to an 8 hour trip. Best way to get in to the shopping mood…………..start shopping on the way!
We were lucky enough to have Mother Madden with us who knew some great stops along the way, sights we needed to see and some fantastic eating places. I’m all about some good vittles!

First stop………Ellensburg. Lunch and a couple of thrift stores. We had a really nice lunch at the Valley Cafe. I highly recommend this little spot. Then shopped at a couple local thrift stores.

My Cool Chick Club Posse Having Lunch at the Valley Cafe

We drove around looking for a parking space and I finally found one right in front of this store front window. One day Cool Chick Club will be Old Chick Club Next stop........Spokane.

I will admit, I'm one of those people that has always thought that Spokane was just a nasty little hole of a town. Hear me now people of Spokane..................I STAND CORRECTED! I will be back to spend my money!
We made our way past the downtown area, and out to an industrial area where we stayed at the Rodeway Inn on E. Broadway. It's not a fancy hotel or worthy of a AAA approval but it was super close to the fairgrounds which was the key to this shopping trip. The hotel had nothing around it but a truck stop, and a tavern. If you're looking to hook up with a truck driver, this is the place for you!
We got all checked in to our hotel room, got freshened up and headed to downtown Spokane. I haven't spent much time in downtown Spokane ever. This little town, much to my surprise, is really a cool old town. Why leave our lovely dive of a hotel in the industrial area you ask-and head downtown? We were off to have drinks and dinner at The Davenport Hotel. This is a MUST NOT MISS place in Spokane. I can't even begin to describe the loveliness of this hotel. The food and drink were wonderful and one feels like royalty when dining there. I can't even imagine what the rooms must be like. Next year this will be where we stay!
This is my crappy picture of the beautiful stained glass ceiling in The Davenport Hotel bar. It's a peacock and it's beautiful!

Donna aka Swedish Flicka with her fancy burger at The Davenport

She's single and a catch incase you know any good guys out there!

Above is WSU Laura with her fancy lava cake dessert that was very good!

Below is Friend M with her delicious crab salad. Please pretend her eyes are open. She's going to be pissed I used this photo.

Saturday is finally here and it’s 7:00 am! YEAH! We are up and getting ready to go. When someone says “what’s it doing outside?” This is usually first thing we here in the Northwest say when getting up in the mornings. Probably a weird question for some but a very important question. Opening up the light blocker curtains in the hotel room let us see our worst nightmare………….POURING DOWN RAIN!
Yes, it shouldn't’t be a big deal for us Washingtonians but it is for women going to an event! What to wear? Look cute, be wet? Be dry, look not so cute? Huge problem!
After much deliberation about what to wear, we decided the Farm Chicks are smarter than us and have taken our funky unpredictable weather into consideration and this would definitely be an inside event. Cute it is!

Before going to the fairgrounds we must fill our bellies yet again so we don't have to stop during the day for lunch. Something to tie us over until dinner. Again Mother Madden came through! Off to The Old European Restaurant.

This was one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long long time! Again I don't have the words to describe how fabulous this place is. I recommend the little plate that has a taste of all their specialties. Swedish pancakes, Danish Aebelskivers, buttermilk pancakes, and a German potato pancake. I also HIGHLY recommend their biscuits and gravy. Put Old European on your list of MUST VISIT places while your in Spokane.
Now our bellies are so full we can barley move but there is nothing stopping us. It's FARM CHICKS OR BUST!

So we head on over to the Fair Grounds Expo Center to get this event underway. We drive in and it’s packed! There are hundreds of people waiting in line in the rain also giddy with anticipation. Now did anyone in our group bring an umbrella with them????? THAT WOULD BE NO! What the hell man?

This would be the line. You can't see how it snakes around to the door or back behind us. Rumor has it, the line was steady like this for 2 hours.

Why would 3 people born and raised in this part of the country not have a umbrella with them??? I don't know. WSU Laura and Mother Madden came prepared. We put the LL Bean Boat Totes to good use as well as a couple Goodwill plastic bags.OH MY GOD! Nice teeth, Bugs Bunny!

yeah that's me!

Well the line was about 30 minutes in the pouring down rain. So much for cute! We finally got in, soakin' wet but ready to shop!

When you walked in the door you immediately stood in awe of what you were about to experience. Antiques, crafts and people as far as the eye could see!

This was a junkin' girls dream come true.

I don’t think anyone there anticipated the turn out this show had, I know we didn't expect it to be such a big deal .
The first few hours of this show were INSANE! You couldn't move, you couldn't look at anything, and you certainly didn’t want to “think about” something before you bought it. It would have been gone as soon as you set it down.
I had nothing in mind that I wanted or needed when I got there. I really just wanted to experience this show and The Farm Chick phenomenon. Well, it wasn’t long after entering the show that me and my Cool Chick Posse caught Farm Chick Fever. We all had initial necklaces, and were searching for cute skirts, aprons, and cowboy boots. You couldn't help but get caught up in the energy and fun happening around you.
The vendors in this show were fantastic! There was such a huge variety of items from beautiful hand crafted things to wonderful unique vintage items. All the vendors had great booths, with lovely displays, plenty of help in their booth, and despite the overwhelming crowds they all had smiles on their faces. These ladies truly love what they are doing. I left inspired to get home and start makin' things happen! Not sure what that is yet but I’m feelin' it!
Some of my favorite vendors there;
Tickled Pink
The Vintage Empire
The Cat’s Pajamas
Bari J.
There wasn’t one booth in this show that we walked by because it didn’t look interesting to us. We stopped at every booth and shopped every booth. As usual…………I found items I didn’t even know I needed!
These are some of my finds that I almost wet my pants over when I saw them.

This beautiful pink vintage sweater and my Farm Chicks necklaces

This superduper fantastic vintage shopping cart that I got from Tickled Pink. How stinkin' cute is that?
I found these cute little floral pictures in the black frames under a table. I spotted them while I was standing with everyone's packages waiting. They fit PERFECT in my entry way!

I decided I needed something to drink, so I made my way through the crowds to the back of the building, once back there, back by the concession stand where there was NOBODY, I looked to my left and amongst the cute banquet tables covered in cute table clothes I saw a sight that made me laugh so hard, yet it should serve as a lesson to all women.
There they were….MEN!.........Sitting at the tables bored out of their minds! Staring in to space, trying to make small talk with the other men, and drinking endless cups of coffee. These men were all great sports when I asked to take their picture. I wanted to e-mail it home to The Hubs to show him what he was missing! These men are my heroes! I hope their wives made them a fancy dinner and showed their appreciation when they got home.

Ladies……..let this photo be lessons to you……………..If they aren’t interested... don’t drag them there! It’s just cruel!

We wrapped up the day with some sore feet, tired eyes, aching hands, and bags and bags and bags. It was a GREAT DAY! After getting back to our hotel room, resting a bit, and getting cleaned up we headed to a couple thrift stores that Mother Madden wanted to show us. Then it was off to her favorite restaurant in Spokane she wanted to share with us. Luna Cafe where we had some FREAKIN' FANTASTIC wine and food. This place is Loooooooovely! The decor is beautiful, the staff was professional, and the food was freakin' fantatic! If you have never been here............another MUST GO TO in Spokane! Thank you again...............Mother Madden!

On Sunday morning my Cool Chick Posse decided that we needed to make one last food stop before leaving town. Sonic would be our final stop together. Yes, The Sonic drive in. Why there............we don't have one close to us. This is the closest one (well other than Portland) and Sonic is a treat! Over breakfast we discussed how much fun we had and what we would do differently next year when we returned.
We will be making our reservations again as soon as the next Farm Chicks show is announced. This was so much fun. We saw beautiful things, met some wonderful ladies, gained 15 pounds each and had a girl’s weekend we will be talking about for months! If you love junkin', and everything that encompasses that, sign up for the Farm Chicks Mailing list and attend their next show! Gather up your best junkin' girlfriends and make your plans. I guarantee this trip will leave you inspired as well as be in your top 5 of BEST TRIPS EVER!