Vardo!!

Not sure what a vardo is?  It's a wagon that gypsies live and travel in.  Usually highly decorated and beautiful.

After last year's party, we joked around that I needed a vardo for this year's event (and a camel...but that's not happening!).  Joke's on me, cause now I actually have one!!

My husband spotted an old tobacco wagon on an online auction this winter, and we got it.  He spent the entire month of July (5 weeks actually) reworking the wagon base and building my very own vardo (also known here as "Grandma's Playhouse" by my 2-year-old granddaughter!).  It was a huge learning curve, literally, as he created the curved wooden roof and really just built the thing with no official plans other than "hey...it would look cool if you did this..."  He did a fabulous job too.

I've been spending a good majority of the last week painting the entire thing, and should be done with the painting by this weekend.  Then I get to start unpacking my gypsy decorations and go to town making it even more beautiful.  It's gonna be a great spot to have your gypsy portrait done by Carrie too!

I'm not posting pictures of it until after the party, so if you wanna see it, come in person!

This event is sorta like planning a wedding, it preoccupies my thoughts all summer.  I just sorta dream about it all winter, but once June hits I go full-tilt into scheming mode and usually spend at least an hour or two a day working on something having to do with it.  

But I don't know what could top a vardo for next year!!