Monday, November 15, 2010

Farewell to the Gifts for Yule....

The 13th Annual Gifts for Yule was certainly bittersweet for all of its vendors and attendees this past weekend. We set up booth on Saturday morning knowing that this was the last show in a sweet tradition for Denver that lasted over a decade. Sam Robinson's vision for a vintage-inspired holiday fair grew into a wonderful event that so many of us looked forward to each November. I especially loved the unique blend of artisans and antique dealers that she included in this show as it was quite evident that we all shared a passion for nostalgia and the like. But with all things, nothing is permanent in life, and when the beautiful Phipps Tennis Pavilion sold to a private owner, the decision was made to bring this event to an end. We will always remember the merriment in the air, the sparkling eyes of excited shoppers, our vending friends that we anticipated reconnecting with and on and on. Thank you Sam for yet another memorable show and a history of enchanting events that none of us will ever forget. I was proud to be a part of this unique group of exhibitors that all had a passion for vintage holiday delights!

Included below is a collage of images we took right before the doors opened. With the glass ceiling and sunlight streaming in overhead, it is always a challenge to capture photos in the pavilion, especially when we have only minutes to spare. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

~ Johanna

Charm-Ornaments
* A whimsical tree displays a series of my new holiday charms as ornaments...

Front-table-holiday-display
* This festive grouping of winter characters greeted shoppers as they entered my booth...

Johanna-in-action
* That's me in action right before the doors opened! JP has a bad habit of taking too many candid shots!!.... (delete, delete, delete!!.....)

Necklace-Display
* The wire frame from an old lampshade made for the perfect display to hang my "charming" necklaces on... I have to say, the price was right and these flew out my booth!

Snowman-Candy-Bowl
* Atop, my new reproduction snowman candy bowl proudly perched!

Display-Left
* A peek at my display reveals a fun variety of snowmen characters including the cloth snowguy at bottom left, designed by my mom!...

Phipps-Pavilion
* After the first wave of shoppers rushed in, I had a moment to rearrange. Again, JP was snapping those candid shots! Look how lovely and dramatic the arched ceiling of this old tennis pavilion appeared!

Display-Right
* More snowmen and a few Santas added their festive cheer to my display...

Snowman-Charm
* One of my illustrated charms is the focus here with other happy snowmen characters of mine awaiting adoption in the background....

Red-Snowman-Tree
* My snowmen lollipop ornaments dangle from a red feather tree....

Various-Snowmen
* Again, more snowmen...

Johanna-Gifts-for-Yule
* And there's me stopping for a quick photo next to my cupboard of one of kinds....

Thanks to all who saved the date and joined us for the last of many wonderful Gifts for Yule events! We truly appreciate your support over the years and hope that this string of special shows will remain near and dear to you! Happy Holidays!

9 comments:

Kitty Forseth said...

Everything looks so beautiful, crisp and fresh! It's sad that this was the last Gifts for Yule, sorry I was never able to attend.

I love the "Jo on the Go" pic before opening, go JP.. love the candids!

Your display was really beatiful, glad it was a huge success!

xo

Monkey-Cats Studio said...

I'm sort of sad I never made it out for one of the "Gifts for Yule" events over the years and now they are no more. :( Your display was lovely and I take it that the clay worked for you!! Yippee!

Johanna Parker said...

Thank you Kitty :) Wish you could have been there.... Ya, the Jo on the Go pic turned out fun (other candids---uhh, not so much.... hehe!)

And Laurie ~ thank you too! YES, the extra clay you sent saved me!... I so appreciate you sharing your supplies with me while I was in such a panic!!!!....

Cheers to you both,
~ Johanna

Len said...

What a great tour, Johanna, your work looks wonderful. I hope something else comes up to take place of the "Gifts for Yule event.

Prairie Primitives Folk Art said...

Johanna, you had a gorgeous booth ... as always! I run the other way when I see anyone with a camera, so candid shots are the only way to get a pic of me. LOL!

Johanna Parker said...

Ahh thank you!... It's always a mad rush to set up all the props, trims, lights and then all the products in the time slot provided.... So, I'm just happy that it looked OK.... "gorgeous" is an honor :)

Len ~ thanks for the nice comment! We'll see what happens next year and if I will even seek out another venue to sell my holiday goods at. Luckily, I have a home show each December, and I will be able to focus more on that perhaps!

~ Johanna

Unknown said...

Your display is so lovely. I bet there will be another site found for such a great event.

Anonymous said...

Oh everything looks so beautiful!! Your display just perfect!!! I do see some pieces I would love:)Elma

Kathy Parker said...

Your booth looked absolutely magical! I love all your vintage
accents too. You pay attention to
every little detail, even down to the peppermints in the snowman bowl. Way to go! Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.

Love you,
Mom