Feathered Friend: Kay Fleshman

I met Kay a little over a year ago through my friend Mary. Mary met Kay at a random meeting at Thiesens, a local farm store. It was Spring and the baby chicks were the attraction at the store and Mary took her daughters to see the cute little cheeping bundles. Kay was in line behind Mary at the checkout line. Mary complimented Kay on her purse, an amazing pink bag with the Breast Cancer Ribbon as the handles. They got to talking and Kay told Mary about her occasional barn sale, Barntiques, and invited Mary to it. Well, of course I had to come along-you know how much I love good junk!!!
Kay has great junk but that's not what has kept me going back to her barn. Kay is one of those people that envelopes you with warmth, love and acceptance from the start.  She was gracious enough to let me set up and sell some of my stuff at her sales last Summer. She is so fun, spunky and FuNkY!!!
Here is her bio on blogger:
My husband and I and many friends have created a shop in our barn. The barn is very special to us because my grampa built it 1938. Barntiques became a reality from having tooooo much stuff. Thought I'd ever admit this, but there it was. This is our third year. We are very proud to have made this acreage our home. We want you to come share your memories with us as we love to talk. Being a multi generational collector has brought me to love and sell fun things. We have mantiques, shabby chic, rusty metals, black iron decor just to mention a few. Our motto is FuNkY JuNk and JuNkY FuN!
I am always finding great junk for my house or for my jewelry creations at Barntiques.  Here is a picture of a necklace I made for Kay this week. The focal charm I made for it is from some tags that her dad had in his collections. Kay recently lost her dad and so I wanted to do something special for her.

The main pendant has 143 on it, a special Kay-code~you'll have to visit her at Barntiques to find out what it means! The pink charm and bullet charm represent her strength as a Breast Cancer Survivor/Warrior, the compass for her support in helping others find the right direction, star because she's a ROCK STAR, and a little bling because even us junkers like a little of the sparkly!
Here are some photos from Barntiques~ make sure you check out her sale next weekend!!!!

Today's feathered friend is......

Karin Wellington!

I met Karin at church several years ago and have been in awe of her ever since!!! She is the most organized, creative and fun mom I know. She loves themes, kids, decorating and does it all with a smile on her face!

I could go on and on about how amazing Karin is; like how she once dyed sand to match the theme of her son's birthday party, but the real reason she is today's feathered friend is because she is now a business woman! She is putting her talents to work for others as an event planner, mainly birthday parties.

Check out her website for more information and register to win this really cool 'Cyclone Supplies' gift bag:

Photo courtesy of Birthday-Wishes

Feathered Friend Friday-featuring Jo Myers-Walker

This is my first feature of my "feathered friends" and I have chosen artist Jo Myers-Walker. Jo has been a wonderful mentor for the past couple of months, helping me grow my business and learn so much more about art and the creative process. She is an experienced, accomplished artist and works with many different mediums. Her work is prominently displayed in the Ames and Gilbert, IA area:her hometown.

Some of my favorite pieces of Jo's are in the McFarland Pediatric waiting room in Ames. They are so bright, colorful and whimsical adding so much fun and visual interest to keep both parents and kids distracted during those long waits to see the doctor.

Jo has raised her own four children and been a foster mother, a great example of her generous and giving nature. Another example of her kindness is her volunteer work with the local hospice, facilitating art therapy with patients and families going through the difficult emotional progression of death.

Jo-Jo, as her granddaughter affectionately calls her, is so down to earth and friendly; always welcoming visitors, customers and students into her studio. I have yet to take a class from her but have already learned so much from her. I am so excited and honored to call her a friend and mentor! I am grateful she has invited me to be a part of her booth at the Iowa State Fair and a vendor in her Left Bank Studio. Find her in the links I provided throughout the post or at her Etsy site and if you're in the Gilbert, IA area visit her studio and/or take a class!!

Get to know Jo more in this insightful article.