Yes, it was that Time once again to make the Monthly Pilgrimage to SWEET SALVAGE for the four day Occassional Sale!!! This Month's Theme was SWEET RETREATS and I was really Hoping I'd get to Attend and see each Sweet Stylist's Vision of what a Vacation Retreat of their Dreams would look like? This happened to be my Fav little Vignette of the Show in fact... very much My Style for a Sweet Retreat!
I don't know if you've ever Dreamed about what your Vacation Retreat would look like and where it would be? I certainly have. Or if you've been amply Blessed to already own and Style a Dream Vacation Retreat or Second Home that you spend a portion of the Season Living at? And I suppose the Styling and Decor would depend upon Location more than anything else, for me at least. My Sweet Retreat would be quite different at each Location and reflect the Environment it was set in... probably looking nothing like our Primary Home. Though the Cohesion would be in Our Style Sensibilities since I'd put my own Spin on each Type of Retreat.
Would it be a Woodland or Mountain Retreat... a Cozy Cabin in Pristine Wilderness surrounded by the Majestic Natural Beauty of the Forrest, the Mountains, perhaps a Lake or River?
If that were the Location chosen to build our Dream Retreat, then I'm quite certain we'd Style with the Essence of Cabin Living... done Our Style of coarse! *Winks* With a Cache of Outdoor Living Supplies condusive to the Wilderness Experience... for Fishing, Hunting, Hiking, Glamping {which is my Version of Camping}, Boating, Fireside get-togethers and Exploration of the Environment our Cabin would be tucked away in.
I'm sure my preferred Palette for a Rustic Cabin Setting would be Warm Organic Tones and loads of Lovely Sepia, Warm Metallics like Gold, Bronze and Copper... and Fresh Greenery. My Fav Essential Oils of Nag Champa and Fir Champa would blend very well with this Environment and Dream Retreat.
And of coarse for The Man this would be the Ideal Sweet Retreat since he's very much the Outdoorsman, avid Sportsman and Mountainman Type. He revels in the Wilderness Experience and getting away from it all... the Solitude and getting back to the basics... he'd be in his Element. For me this Type of Retreat would be nice for shorter Sabbaticals.
I Love the Forrest and all of it's Creatures and Natural Splendor... being Lakeside or beside a River would be nice too... but Living there for more than Short Vacation Periods would probably not be as Idyllic for me or the G-Kid Force. It's more of a harsh, remote and Wild Lifestyle than I'd be comfortable with long term... and when I've seen one Tree... well... I've seen them all. *LOL* Even the mighty Redwood eventually lost it's Appeal after Day Three with me looking at them... though having the Experience was Memorable.
And the Wildlife can be... well, a little scary and WILD! Any Environment where The Man would have to bring his Gun along for Protection of us all... not really an Environment I want to take long leisurely Walks in with G-Kids in tow, ya know!? *She looks around nervously and every little sound would Spook her and send The Force Screaming in Terror!* So... you've probably accurately concluded that the Rustic Cabin in the Woods is probably not MY Dream Retreat or theirs either? *LOL* I can already hear the Lamentations of "I'm BORED..." now ringing in my ears... so scratch the Rustic Cabin for us except an occassional Weekend Getaway.
Though I could certainly see our Sweet Friend Collin, who we usually see at the Event, spending a Weekend in such a Retreat with The Man and a bunch of the Guys and they all probably would want to spend half a Season or more up there... I think the Rustic and Wilderness Experience is more a Guy Thing than the Glam Squad Thing many of us Gypsy Style Gals prefer. *Smiles*
If a bunch of us Gal Pals went up to a Rustic Mountain Retreat I could see us spending more time in front of a Roaring Fireplace drinking Wine and mapping out Great Junquing 'Picks' at Local Farms, Barns, abandoned Homesteads and Ranches than anything else. *LOL* Yes, we'd be bringing back U-Hauls full of the Rusty and the Crusty... and the Mantiques... with us to the City to fill our Showrooms and Sell to the Guys to decorate their Man Caves with. So our Friends Judy and Gail would have the far East Side covered... and Pamela and I would have the far West Side covered... with a slew of Mantiques after a very brief Wilderness Adventure. *Winks*
Though I don't mind putting Rustic Elements in my Outdoor Living Areas... a total Rustic Vibe probably would not be my first choice of Decor. Little House on the Prairie Style is Quaint and Wholesome looking... but just not very 'Me' in Lifestyle or Decorating Preference. Though I did totally dig this Galvanized Chair and Watering Can... so I could Work with some Elements of this Style and blend it with my own more Exotic and Eclectic Preferences and Styling Sensibilities. And I do Enjoy beholding the Vision of a Pure Rustic Retreat... it tells it's own Story... and it is an Interesting one worth telling and Experiencing in short bursts.
This particular Vignette reminded me of a Tuscan Retreat... and I could totally Roll with THAT! *Winks* Looking out over rows of Vineyards and a Tuscan Landscape... Dining Alfresco under the Tuscan Sun... well... now THAT would be Awesome!!! NOW we'd be getting more towards an Environment I could bond with for more than a Season or the occassional Weekend Escape.
In fact the Vignettes of Sweet Retreats with Old World Charm really Appeal to me strongly. I spent several Years of my Nomadic Life in European Countries growing up and the European Lifestyle always Appealed to me even though I'd get Homesick for the good ole' USA, because it was Home for us. But my Mom, who is European, was totally in her Element Living the European Lifestyle she was born and raised in before becoming a GI Bride.
Apparently the Old World Charm was pretty Popular with the Shoppers too because those areas were mobbed from the get-go!!! I Wish I could have shown you this entire Display because it was truly Magnificently done... but though Judy and I tried, it was just too crowded not to have Shoppers in frame, so alas, you'll just have to take our Word for it... this was indeed a Show Stopper, and perhaps the Glimpse will give you just enough that your Imagination can fill in the rest?!
Believe me we tried to Capture the Vision thru the Eye of our Lens to Share with you... we stood patiently waiting for folks to finish browsing the Vignette... but then another group would take their place! I for one was on very tight time constraints this time around so I knew I had to do the whole Event in less than an Hour... including standing in line to get in and check-out... and so I had to give up and move on! Boo hoo... I Hope somebody got the Panoramic Shot of it and will Share it here in the Land of Blog so you can see what we saw? I'm sure you'll Agree... it made you want to buy the entire Staging of the Inventory! *LOL* Well Done to the Stylist responsible for that Sweet Retreat Vision, we Applaud you!!!
But I didn't have to give up on everything... sometimes there would be a parting of the Shopping Frenzy around us and I'd get a clear clean shot of a Lovely Vignette and have just enough time to Enjoy it and Capture it through the Eye of my Lens.
But so many of my shots were blurry since I was hurrying too much to try to snake through the crowds of eager Shoppers and see it all before my time ran out. So I think you'll have to just go see and Experience it for yourself this Month my Friends since I couldn't do it Justice... you'll be glad you did!
And if you come back Tomorrow we'll Explore some other Sweet Retreat Visions in the Final Post... including a Beach Cottage Vision... now THAT'S what I'm Talkin' bout!!! *Winks* Yep, Beach Cottage Style would definitely be MY Dream Retreat... especially one on the Beach of some Exotic Tropical Island!!!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian