GOT Celebrates Echo Red 2 Red XC MTB Race

It's Echo Red 2 Red XC MTB Race week! The population of tiny town Echo is about to at least double for the weekend. Race organizers, especially Shane and Stephanie Meyers have been putting their all into making this race the best ever. Echo Bike & Board is my down the hall shop neighbor. This business & the bike and board enthusiasts that frequent it are great neighbors and more importantly Shane, Stephanie & James are good folks. Even if James has not forgiven me for taking away the beans. Long story. Ask his mom.

To celebrate Bike Race Weekend, we are going to expand the inventory of our our artisans and showcase a couple of new ones. 

Brandi Dayton is in the house! Not just her art, but Brandi herself. It's going to be loud, folks. When Brandi and I get together it's always loud. And FUN!

We're also showcasing the ceramic art of Corrine Vegter, Dusty Dog Studio. It's vintage travel trailer inspired, some wearable, some display on the tableable, some drink your coffee outofable and all extremely cool.  Corrine will be riding in the race while Brandi and enjoy and introduce you to her art.

Last week a local fellow walked through my door with some pretty awesome metal candle stands. Jason of MacGowan Metals is going to share a few of his creations in the shop for the weekend. He'll be back with more in June. One never knows who is going to walk through the door and what cool stuff they might have tucked under their arms.

Just who are the usual suspects whose creations brighten Gathered Over Time?

There's Marcee, homeschooling mom who brings us the best beeswax based (from Echo bees) lip balm, lotion bars and green tea soap.

Maria, the paper artist who creates truly one of a kind greeting cards using vintage ephemera.

Jennifer, the soap maker aka Score Soap. Her cold processed soaps are little works of art that seem too beautiful to use, but once you do you won't be able to keep your hands off of them or take a shower without one.

Tina, 2 Cool Creations. Creating jewelry is her passion. Her pieces include carefully chosen specimens, many that she, her husband and daughter have rock hounded and faceted themselves. Looking for a statement piece? 2 Cool!

Shelley, a jewelry artist who punches circles from brightly patterned tin boxes, reimagines vintage beads and baubles connected into perfection for your neck, ears and wrist. Really.

Bonnie and Sally, a mom and daughter in Montana. Their finds are quirky, lovely, arty. Ones of their kinds. My favorite picking partners. Next time I get to go home to Montana I'll bring even more of their finds to Oregon.

Purple Ridge Lavender ~ Some may think of Jim and Sheri as lavender farmers. If you've visited their farm, you know that they are artists and their acreage their canvas. Visit GOT for an introduction to local lavender products. How is it that the scent of lavender can both calm and keep me awake at the same time?

Deanna, Wooly I. Infinity scarves, fingerless gloves in beautiful colors. Her creations from her very own sheep! That pretty much blows me away.

Misty, the paint guru. That girl knows how to turn castaway furniture into drool worthy loveliness. With any luck at all she will have found time to bring us something wonderful this weekend. OR you might just have to keep revisiting until she does.

And me. I'm Dottie. I find things. Wonderful old, nearly old and fun things. I bring them to the shop for you. I change some of them up and leave some of them the same. Jim helps me. He helps me a LOT.

Lavender Festival 2012 SUCCESS

My friends, I am here to tell you that this year's Hermiston, Oregon Lavender Festival was a success. In so many ways.

Most importantly, the event raised a few thousand dollars for Agape House. Agape House is a charitable organization based in Hermiston. Dave and Jodeen Hughes ride the waves of misfortune in our community while overseeing volunteers who provide clothing and food distributions to those in need, running a thrift shop, building a welcoming temporary haven for displaced families with children, delivering firewood that warms chilled homes in the winter, and providing many, many unseen kindnesses. Gathered Over Time is proud to have been a small part of this success.

Purple Ridge Lavender Farm has opened their gates, fields to us every July. I'm sure that each person who has experienced the farm and its gracious owners Jim and Sheri is amazed by just what can be created out here in the eastern Oregon desert. Success!

Eastern Oregon. Love her or find a new home. This weekend those of us in the fields experienced almost every face of her moods. Except for hail. I thank God there was no hail. Thunder and lightening? Check. RAIN? Check. Sideways rain? Check. Windy windy wind? Check. Bright delightful sunshine? Check.

Tents were weighted, staked, tied down and held on to. Displays reworked and dried off. Tent covers taken off to prevent blow aways. Displays reworked and attempts at shade made. We laughed, whined, moaned and for the most part rolled with the punches. Most importantly, we completely enjoyed the NOT boring experience. Success!

Witnessing parents taking pictures of their little ones in the lavender, listening to live and local music of many genres, connecting & reconnecting with friends, waving to my across the street in Echo and across the grassy path neighbor in the field Lois Piercy as she introduced the strollers to Sno Road's newest wine. Being silly with tent mates Brandi Dayton & Natalie Lytton, for 2 whole days! Knowing that my rock and the love of my life, Jim Sheffield was always there when I needed him, loading and unloading, bringing us coffee, giving me that smile. Loving that my friends the shoppers, wandered through my treasure displays, visited and re-homed those treasures. Success! 

The anticipation, the labor, the sideways rain and the sunburn... all stops on the path, priceless and my true earthly treasure. Life. Lived. Out in the open for all to see and share. Success!

Changes

The date is June 1! The address is changing from 211 B West Main Street in Echo, Oregon to 201 West Main. Yep. Gonna do it. Gonna load up my stuff and march it four doors down the street. (Which always seems like up the street to me, but that's just me.)

This cool building has most recently housed The Red Express, a very wonderful deli bistro that we all miss. Yep, that great building on the corner of Main and Dupont in Echo. This is what she looks like now. We're going to fluff her right up!

Our product mix is going to change a bit. We'll always, always, always focus on quirky vintage goodness. Add in the amazingly rethought and recreated finds of Misty Demos. Now include a completely American born and manufactured line of chalk paint, creations of some local and nearly local artisans, soon to come painty / crafty / creaty classes and that's what Gathered Over Time is becoming. Truly the eclectic vintage marketplace that I have long envisioned.

Watch for our grand opening in July. In the mean time, please wander on over. Visit and shop and maybe if you're really nice I'll let you haul a box up down the street.