Sparrow's flight across the pond

Where has the Summer gone?

We opened the Soulful Sparrow June 30th at 10 Douglas Ave. in Downtown Elgin IL ~ This GREAT town has welcomed us with open arms.  We can hardly believe it's been two months since we went tromping around the English countryside in June, scouring the villages for wonderful items to bring back for the shop. Sharing our experience there is far overdue. 

Sparrow Across the Pond

Enchmarch Farm 

Enchmarch Farm/Bed&Breakfast is a working dairy and sheep farm.  It was our home base for the two weeks we spent there.  The Enchmarch herd are milked twice a day and are a high merit Holstein Friesian Herd.  The sound of their gentle mooing lulled me to sleep every night following the bountiful and scrumptious home cooked meals provided Sandra ~ our pleasant and witty Hostess/Innkeeper. 

The views here are breathtaking... we will share more about the Farm in the days to come.

Enchmarch Farm

The farmhouse was built in the 1700s and has many of the original features, set in the midst of the farm in the glorious South Shropshire Hills, 10 mins from Church Stretton, 20 mins from Much Wenlock and 25 mins from Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Ironbridge. The farm is an ideal base for walking or cycling and has numerous walks criss crossing the farm as well as only being 2 miles from the Lawley or Caradoc hills.

Car Boot Sales

In the UK, the trunk of one's car is referred to as the "boot".  Therefore a Car Boot Sale is much like a flea market.  When the weather cooperated we tried to get to as many as possible.  They were awesome.

Car Boot Sale in UK

Antique Market

This video captures the essence of the open air Antique market in Ludlow city center that was filled with unique vintage items.  It was wonderful and magical in this old world setting shopping as the church bells rang.

Antique Market in Ludlow City Center - UK

English shops

We were so inspired by the vintage shops we visited and we adored the shopkeepers... and yes we found so many treasures.

Zanies Warehouse, Ludlow UK

Creative Decorating in Zanies Warehouse - Ludlow UK 

Vintage Clothing at Zanies Warehouse - Ludlow UK

The owner of The Blue Door in Leominster - UK

Vintage Suitcases Galore

Shop in Hay On Wye - UK

Roadside Impromptu Shopping and Country Generosity.

We took a road trip to Hay on Wye on the Welsh border. On the way, we discovered this wonderful road side gem ~ Utter Clutter ... {wonderful clutter}.  It was so much fun getting to poke around these interesting and very old out buildings shopping for GREAT stuff.  The owner of the property was busy flipping welsh cakes while we shopped, which she shared with us before we left.  Some of our treasures came from here.  If only the bike would fit in a suitcase.

Utter Clutter on the Welsh English Boarder

Vintage Bike at Utter Clutter

{Welsh Cakes} Welsh Hospitality at Utter Clutter

Products from England we LOVE

Just before we left the US for England, we discovered some wonderful products we wanted to carry in our store.  We were fortunate to meet the artist's who create the Merchant & Mills products we carry.  Stop by and see their products featured in the store. 

Carolyn & Roderick of Merchant and Mills from Hay on Wye.

sample of postcards we carry

Thank you for following and supporting our shop :)
Mary

Sparrow {Re} Locating

Sparrow {Re} Locating

Moving Day

We won't soon forget our friends in Century Corners located on Cedar & 2nd Avenue on the East side of the Fox river in Saint Charles Illinois.  It is such a quant area with lovely shops and good people.

Moving Day 

But, moving day has come and gone...   It was a lot of work and we had so much to move.  Thanks to our friend Mark, who helped make short work of it, we were able to transfer almost everything in one day - then we could concentrate on setting things up at the store in Downtown Elgin Illinois also just east of the Fox river at 10 Douglas Avenue.

 Preparations for the new store

Elgin Main Room Prep

Meanwhile prep work has been going on at the new location in downtown Elgin IL.  We painted the walls and integrated a huge brown chalk board to be the backdrop behind the counter - We'll have fun with that!

Elgin Main Room Prep

...and highlighted the architecture by outlining the walls.

A Gift from above.

This natural element was a gift from above.  When Judy and I were leaving the Sparrow House one windy day, this tree branch fell before our eyes.  We both recognized at that moment that it would be perfect for the store.

Mark - working out the clothing retail space

Behind the main room, we will carry clothing, showcased on clothing racks designed by {Re} Purposing wheels and steering wheels joined by poles from which we will hang and display the new lines clothes that is starting to come in.

New Lines of Clothing

FLAX 

The FLAX Designs line of organic clothing is comfortable 100% linen.  Each garment is sculpted in cloth with enthusiasm, love and perfection into a new definition of "Fun and Comfort"

FLAX Linen clothing is made with rich beautiful lines in a range of weights and colors, from dramatic to demure that appeal to a wide range of tastes and transcends trendiness.

For added convenience FLAX linen garments are preshrunk making them washable, dry able and wears like iron.

Each FLAX garment has an affirmation that will make you feel special everytime you wear it.

Handmade Touches

Handmade Tote

We will also be carrying many handmade items.  Judy created this tote by integrating the store name and logo design.

Vintage Bits & Bobs

Paris Binoculars & Vintage Song

Vintage Illustrated Books

Vintage Garden

Settling in

Chalk Board Wall Backdrop

Things are taking shape and we are excited to begin a new chapter.  Judy and I are in Shropshire England,  June 10 ~ 27 on a the vintage hunt to find wonderful and unusual items for the new store opening June 30, 2012.  We'll share some of our journey in the next blog coming soon.

soulful Sparrow
artistic-industrial-romantic-repuposed

We hope to see you soon ~ Thanks for following,

Mary

  

The Sparrow House, {Re} Visited

Sparrow (Re}flecting

July seems to be a {Re}occurring month of moves for me.  My family moved to Elgin and closed on our 1893 house in July of 1998. After spending a brief couple of years in La Crosse, WI, my husband Jeffrey was offered a job with RR Donnelley, which is now located in downtown Elgin.  We were attracted by the historic neighborhoods and were impressed with the direction in which the city was moving.  It worked with our philosophy of "live where you work".


In July 2011, Judy closed on the Sparrow House, so it seemed fitting to showcase the house for this blog post as we get ready to open the Soulful Sparrow store in downtown Elgin, IL in July 2012. 

In my previous blog posted April 4, I explained how the Sparrow House rehab inspired the opening of our shop, Soulful Sparrow.   Since Judy bought this house last July, we have rehabilitated and decorated the home in about six months.  Unlike a typical home renovation project, we set our minds to recycle, reuse and repurpose in order to decorate this home in a creative and artistic way.

Sparrow House Kitchen

{Re} Claimed Counter

The kitchen counters were an ordinary and very plain Hunter Green that did not suit "the look" we wanted to achieve. But instead of replacing them, Judy discovered a way to decoupage torn pieces of brown craft paper to the surface. She finished it with several coats of poly acrylic for a soft shine and added depth.

Counter detail with a creative touch

The kitchen cupboards were glazed and stained and we pooled our collections of salvaged backplates to create a unique vintage style for the cabinets. 

{Re} Purposed Collection of Backplates 

Salvaged architecture feature on the wall.  Curtains are easy no-sew, gathered and tied remnants of fabric.

Salvaged Art and No-Sew Curtains

We considered ordering a carpet runner for the stairs, but we realized the glue from the old carpet left behind a rough texture on the treads that resembled a rug like look that would enhance a faux finish on the stairs.

Painted Stair Runner

Master Bedroom Wall 

After picking at the painted wallpaper in the Master Bedroom, we discovered many beautiful layers and patterns left behind from days gone by.  We love the vintage background.

Peeling Back the Painted Wall Paper Detail

Finally,  our finches have been the talk of the town since we brought them to the shop in Saint Charles last spring.  My birds at home were still multiplying, so naturally we thought they would be a perfect addition for the Sparrow House as well.  We decided to convert the top of this china cabinet to become their home.  

{Re}Purposed Bird Cage Condo

...of course our shop finches will be making the move to our new store in Downtown Elgin.

Stay tuned for more Soulful Sparrow store updates.

See you in JULY ;)

Mary

Vintage Techie Technique

Vintage QR Coding 

Quick Response Code are black and white modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background that can be read by smartphones, putting a barcode reader in everyone's pocket that provides quick access to URL sites such as websites, blogs, contact information and more...

QR code in our little sparrow - vintage style collage for window poster

I came up with this idea to cleverly embody the code in our little sparrow for the display window at our new store in Downtown Elgin IL, in hopes to get our message out to passers by regarding our opening July 2012.  

I thought it would be a cool idea for my friends with stores and booth vendors, so here is how I did it:

It seems like everybody knows somebody with some tech savvy that can make a code to access the desired site.  In my case, it's my husband - my son's could probably do it too.

QR code printed on standard office supply labels

I had some standard office supply self adhesive mailing labels laying around that we printed on two codes per label.  I will cut them in strips that can be peeled off the backing in individual squares for business cards and postcard handouts.

cut, paste and enlarged for small poster application on a vintage book page

First I stuck the smaller, half of the mailing label sticker, on a bird image of an appropriate size for the sticker.  Then I enlarged it on my photo copier so my bird would esthetically fit my vintage book page which I pasted together with glue stick. 

Photocopied onto tag paper to be backed by clear laminate  

Then I photocopied the complete collage on manilla tag board, {So, I could have multiples}.  My finished poster size is 81/2 x 11,which this could be the last step for just a poster, but I want to apply it to the inside of our window facing the downtown sidewalk.

QR poster applied to inside window

   

I laid the poster backside to the sticky side of clear laminate that is cut  1-2" larger around the edges.  The sticky boarder is then applied to the inside of the window facing out.

Here are a couple other designs I created for variety in the windows and door:

"The Time Has Come QR

Soulful QR

OXOX

Mary

Artspace Elgin

Elgin IL is up and coming as a destination in the arts. We are so excited to welcome this to our community in downtown Elgin. Judy and I toured the campus in March and we were so impressed.

Ground was broken in October 2011 for the 55 units of live/work housing for artists.  It is a 14.5 million dollar project in downtown Elgin at the corner of Spring a Fulton streets,  formally owned and used by Elgin Community College as a downtown campus.  The city swapped out land with the college for this 1908 Sears and Roebuck building for conversion,  plus development of a new three story structure next door.

Here are a few statistics I took from a Courier News article from Oct. 18 2011, by Mike Danahey along with some pictures I took when we toured it in March.

Old Sears & Roebuck Building on the corner of Spring and Fulton Streets formally used by Elgin Community College

"building better communities through the arts"

The Elgin Artspace Lofts are being developed by Artspace Projects Inc. of Minneapolis, a nonprofit developer of arts facilities. Over the last two decades, Artspace has completed 30 major projects around the country.

The Elgin project will be Artspace’s second in Illinois, the other being the 24-unit Switching Station Artist Lofts in Chicago that have been in operation since 2003.

The atrium under construction where a new huge sky light will be installed

View from the balcony overlooking the construction of the atrium

In addition to housing, the old Sears building will hold 5,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor along with community space, including a gallery, for use by the project’s residents.


“This will be the centerpiece for downtown and define Elgin as an arts community,” - said Mayor Dave Kaptain.

Commercial space under construction on the first floor along Spring Street

... the mayor would like to hold an advance ribbon cutting in early August, timed to the annual Art & Soul on the Fox event that draws hundreds of people downtown.


To qualify for a unit, an artist’s annual income must be at 60 percent or less of the Chicago area median income, which means $30,060 a year for a single person and $45,060 or less for a family of four. Rents will range from $329 for a studio to $1,027 for a three-bedroom place.

To get on the interest list, visit www.artspaceelgin.org or email project coordinator Heidi Kurtze at heidi.kurtze@artspace.org.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin posted this very good youtube video(click on the link below):

ARTspace Elgin YouTube video

...OH the ANTICIPATION!

Soulful Sparrow Shop coming to Elgin

Elgin store front (10 Douglas Ave. Elgin IL 60120)

The time has come...

Dreams really do come true.  Not that it has unfolded exactly as I had imagined, but then again ... when does that ever happen?  There is always a reason and a time for every purpose... {or RE-purpose}.  

Judy and I decided to merge our co-op business arrangement of La Maison Marché & Tapestries of Nature, formerly in St. Charles, into one boutique to be known as Soulful Sparrow.
&...
we are RELOCATING to ELGIN IL.

Douglas Ave. street view

Elgin Illinois has been working diligently on a path to improve its image as a river front "City in the Suburbs."  The streetscaping was a long and painful process, but worth waiting for. There is an artist community that has made great strides in breathing new life into this community.  

Glos House window in St. Charles

I have dreamt of having an artistic and creative store in my hometown ever since I could imagine. My journey in store ownership ultimately started in the Fall of 2010, when I walked into the Glos House in the historic downtown business district known as Century Corners in St. Charles.  It was there I met artist Judith Walsberg, whose altered creations of such whimsical interpretation will make your jaw drop.   She has been doing her thing in the area since 1984 and has owned her own business as Tapestries of Nature in the Glos House since January 2007.

We just clicked...

We ventured off together with a store concept in the Glos House where we could run our own businesses: Judy, as owner of Tapestries of Nature and me operating as La Maison Marché.  We would share the rent and the shopkeeping duties in the charming venue of a historic house -- located amongst other quaint shops that are one of the areas best kept secrets... The secret of that area really must be let out, because it really is an amazing place!

Things developed...

Altered books for decor

We made ends meet in a struggling economy.  Our customers appreciated our retail concept of handmade and altered vintage style, which made our shop unique, mixed with cards and gifts.

Altered vintage suitcase

We both appreciate old things from times gone by, and we bonded over displaying the shop to showcase these things in a unique and artistic way to revitalize their appeal.

Along came the Soulful Sparrow House...

Our curiosity was piqued when Judy got wind of older homes in Elgin being walked away from in the collapsing housing market. She won the auction on a happy old house that needed some TLC in the North East Neighborhood of Elgin... We could see it had potential and we were both excited to go to work caring for this house and fixing up things that seemed to have such little value in recent years.

The house was to become a rehab project, where we could work out some practical creative concepts to "make do", but showcase it's character.  And so, we dubbed the project / studio house the Soulful Sparrow - a biblical reference that goes to how God cares for the smallest of creatures of the least value.


The Sparrow house, as we refer to it now, will continue to be our place in Elgin to create and to entertain in conjunction with the shop.

distressed bedroom wall {Anthropologie} style 

Bear with me...

So, as I am usually a woman of few words, here is where I apologize for my long-winded explanation for how things have come to pass.  

We decided after bonding over the Sparrow House and introducing it to our Elginite friends and neighbours, that Elgin was where our hearts were.

... and so the time has come

we decided to go into partnership with the business and relocate to Downtown Elgin. 

Vintage while dishes in the Elgin display window

Garden themed hand lotions for hard working hands

Handmade altered vintage jewelry

Soulful Sparrow

Artistic-Industrial-Romantic-Repurposed  

{AIRR}... in which we must all breathe to survive.

as we blog the soulful sparrow shop, you'll hear from both of us, {Judy and Mary} to inspire and refresh your imagination with the AIRR we breathe...   Boasting our hometown and introduce the friends & places that inspire us.

Come in to our shop in at 17 N. 2nd Avenue St. Charles, before we close it May 31.

Become one of our followers...

Keep up with the latest as we prepare to move from St. Charles through Memorial Day and {RE}-OPEN at 10 Douglas Street in July 2012.

...and be sure to stop by to see what's new once we {RE}-open in Elgin July 2012.

Cheers,

Mary