It's rare when someone comes into your life who changes it so much. It started with a gift we got . . .a set of cool mason jars with straws built in. The gift giver, and cousin, told me that the ladies who own the store that the jars came from love photographs of their items in the homes they end up in. Hey. . wait a minute. . I'm a photographer. . .I'll set up something nice for them. Well, that's when this connection began.
The Farmyard Darlings are two women who own a store in Lafayette with the mission : "to find vintage collectibles that appeal to those creative souls out there looking for something a little bit more unique and a lot less generic. These one-of-a-kind items ooze character and charm and will trigger nostalgia in all of our hearts. "
I had the opportunity to go on one of their "Pickings" with them down in the south bay looking in the rough to find those things that they magically turn into Diamonds! They see the beauty in the most "unbeautiful" items. They even do that with every person they meet. I did a "day in the life"
of one of their picks that took them down to some crazy characters in
the south bay. People who have TONS of "stuff" . Incredibly, these
people that have all this "junk" know every piece they have .
Kim and Carole masterfully weaved their way though the miles of random items, pulling them out from behind rusty fences, piles of trash, and even dodging black widow spiders. It was as though they had one of those metal detectors that you see people walking around with at the beach built right into their eyes. . . but this one could spot the hidden jewels.
Our day even ended with a trip to visit Lucky Jess, their gorgeous horse . . . yes, these are real country women.
It was one of the most fun days I've had. The company of these two ladies, the interesting people I met, and the hard work that goes into the "pick".
Thanks Kim and Carole for taking me along to document your amazing process.
