Farmhouse Friday is Back!

When you hear the word "Farmhouse", what images come to mind for you?  Do you see a French farmhouse somewhere in the South of France?

What about a sprawling Connecticut farmhouse?

Or, do you prefer a simple southern home with a wrap around porch?  :-))

Farmhouse Fridays are up and rolling again and we thought this would be a fun "peek" into what the word "farmhouse" means to you.  Do you love farmhouses as much as we do?  What is it about farmhouses that makes your heart sing? 

Is it the decor that is so appealing?

Or is it the gardens that you love? 

Do you prefer a manicured garden ...

or is your favorite a field of wildflowers?

Please join us every Friday for decorating tips, gardening ideas, recipes, basically anything and everything pertaining to farmhouse living.

A big thank you to Designworks Studio for some of the images used today.

Do you have anything special you'd like to see in the upcoming weeks?   If so, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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Happy 4th Everyone!

Thank you for an amazing July show!  We are currently idling in sheer insanity as we complete numerous projects at a crazy pace. 

No doubt about it, my hubby has the patience of Job as he jumps in to help with anything I want to tackle, no matter how big or small. :-))

Please be patient with me during this chatotic time.  This expansion is a project of gigantic proportions, by far the largest we've tackled since we opened the Shoppe. 

Just a bit longer and I will resume a more regular blog schedule.  We just have to get through some of these big bites first.  :-))

All of these photos are repins from my Pinterest page, (find it HERE). You can click on any of the photos to visit the lovely websites of the image owners. 

 Here's wishing all of you a happy 4th of July filled with lots of laughter and love!

What a Month!

Between the buildout of our expanded space (to be revealed in September), a few days of vintage treasure hunting with a trailer in tow, a couple days of scouting fresh finds at Dallas Market, and preparation for the upcoming Canton show, it's been one heckuva crazy busy month let me tell ya. 

So busy in fact that I completely missed that the blog passed 1 million page hits! 
Seriously, over 1 million hits?  How stinkin cool is that? :-))

Our online numbers have really been climbing over the past couple months, with over 11,000 FB likes (find us HERE) over 4,300 followers on Pinterest (find us HERE), and the hopping blog readership, all thanks to you!  You continually overwhelm me with your loyalty.

Another cool piece of information to share, we will be the retailer for Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint for our area!  The paint line is slated to be launched sometime in August. 

Not only will we be selling the paint at the Shoppe and online, we will also offer a variety of paint workshops.  We're blessed to have a professional faux painter and an artist as part of the crew.  Here are  Patty and Jann having a good time getting ready to paint faux barnwood walls in a section of the new expansion. 

They are both chomping at the bit to get going on the workshops....lots more information in the coming weeks on this! :-))

A quick FYI, I've recieved numerous inquiries about whether we will be open for the upcoming July and August shows because of the expansion construction and the answer is ABSOLUTELY YES.  

The only change for these next two summer shows is that one small section of the store will be inaccessible due to construction.  Other than that, the Shoppe will be unaffected, fully stocked, and open for business during our regular show hours. 

Lastly, for those of you that opt out of shopping in the triple digit Texas heat, no worries at all.  You need only step out of your air conditioned car and step right into our air conditioned Shoppe.  Gotta love that!

The fun all begins Thursday morning at 9am, we look forward to seeing you here!

Have a great week my friends!

DIY Shutter Plate Rack

As we've been cleaning out warehouse space during the Shoppe expansion, I'm uncovering the coolest junk and repurposing it into other things. 

Old bi fold shutter panels, rusty shelf brackets, and a dozen cup hooks were all it took to create this cool plate rack.

This shutter is small, measuring 9" wide x 32" long, and was actually part of a bi fold which I separated so I could make two shelves.

These brackets and shutters were meant to be together because the brackets fit so snugly between the slats of the shutter, that it almost didn't need screws, but we added them for safety.  Next, I sprayed it with a coat of clear matte sealer.  After that, we measured and added a dozen cup hooks to the front underside of the shelf.

Once we attached it to the wall, plates of all sizes slipped right between the slats and stood up perfectly. 

I love how it looks in the dining room!  The entire project took about 15 minutes and most of that was spent spacing out the hooks. 

Crazy easy, crazy quick, and crazy fun!

How's that for a repurposing project?

:-))

DIY Ruffled Roller Shades

Busy busy busy!  The Shoppe by day, the Farmhouse by night, and no lack of projects at either!

At our farmhouse I've been on the hunt for shades for the dining room, but have been unable to find anything I like.

So in the meantime I just made my own.

A little burlap ribbon, some remnant fabric, and wire button garland went a long way to jazz up these inexpensive Wal-mart roll-up shades. 

Super simple, I started by ruffling my fabric and sewing it directly onto the bottom of the shade. It was surprisingly simple to sew right through the vinyl.

Then I used the hot glue gun to add burlap ribbon and then the wire button garland. 

Simple simple simple and very little time to complete.  I'm pleased with the softness and interest it added to the shades. 

What do you think?

The Craziness Has Begun!

Thank you for the most amazing show!  Lots of visits from loyal long-time customers that have shopped with us from our beginning 7 years ago, and loads of new customers finding us for the first time.

Thank you for supporting us and for telling others about us.  We are truly blessed by the "word of mouth" advertising that you give us.  It's just amazing. 

Those of you that visited on Sunday saw the beginnings of our construction phase with our graffiti walls that blocked off construction zones.  The crew had fun with the artwork. :-))

  We're off and running and super excited about what lay ahead!

Please have patience with us over the coming months, as I know you will, through all the construction chaos as we enlarge the Shoppe. 

The expansion will be completed by the end of summer just in time for the cooler Fall months. 

Loads of exciting things on the horizon that we will soon share, so stay tuned for details in the coming months! 

I'm so excited I can't sleep at night!

We're More Like a Home than a Shoppe

We’ve been busy bees getting the shoppe stocked and ready for First Monday and it's been crazy!  In the midst of show prep chaos, the crew and I had lots of visits today.  

My sweet friend Rebecca dropped by with a huge load of wreaths and nests.  We've been selling her beautiful creations for 5 years and she still never ceases to amaze me....such talent!  She and I are working out the details for a workshop she will offer at my Shoppe this Fall, details to come about this later. 

Shortly after Rebecca stopped in, my close friend Daphne popped in with scads and scads of the dreamiest pillows and purses.  She's really outdone herself this month!  Again, such talent!

These beautiful artisan one-of-a-kind designs, created by amazingly talented ladies that I'm blessed to call friends, are some of the things that help to make our Shoppe special and unique.  

So come and get 'em, the fun all begins tomorrow morning at 9am. 

We look forward to seeing you here!

Store hours:

Thursday 9am - 5pm

Fri / Sat 9am - 6pm

Sunday 9am - 5pm

Address:

1457 N. Trade Days Blvd

Canton, Texas 75103

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Memorial Day Thoughts - Revisited....

I originally shared the post below in 2010.  It still remains the most powerful reminder of the meaning of Memorial Day for me.....

I've been thinking about Memorial Day and its meaning, and it brought to mind a trip to Georgia a few years ago. I'd been in Atlanta for a week attending the gift market and was ready to get home.

But, severe thunderstorms in the area had caused many flight cancellations and delays. When I checked in I was disappointed to discover that my flight had been cancelled and I'd been switched to another flight not scheduled to depart until many hours later.

Frustrated, I made the long walk to a different gate that was a good 15 gates from where my original flight was to board. When I arrived at the gate, I became exhausted at the mere sight of all the people jammed in like sheep. All the seats were full, many people were sitting on the floor, leaning against the walls, sitting on railings, crying babies, you get the picture.

But, amidst the entire chaos one thing jumped out......there were dozens and dozens of Servicemen dressed in their fatigues. I later discovered that they were returning from Iraq and headed to Ft. Hood. My heart was so full to see so many passengers go out of their way to visit with the Servicemen and extend gratitude for their dedication to our country.

I pulled up my pilot case to use it as a make-shift seat and a short while later began chatting with one of the Servicemen about his family. As we were talking, a little boy that couldn't have been any older than 5 or 6, approached a Servicemen that was sitting across from us. 

The little boy asked, "So, do you have to do a lot of push-ups?"
He said, "Well, we sure do".
The little boy replied, "I know how to do push-ups".
The Serviceman said with a grin, "Well, let’s see ‘em."


This made the little boy very happy and he quickly dropped to the floor to show off his little boy push-ups. Then he rolled on one side, looked up and said, "Now you do some."

The Serviceman looked over at his buddies and smiled and he dropped down face-to-face with the little boy and counted off 10 push-ups. As he counted off the number 10, he smiled back at the little boy and said, "Your turn again."

The two of them went back and forth for a few "push-up rounds" while the rest of us looked on. My words may not convey it, but it was a sweet moment that I will always remember. As I looked around, I made misty eye contact and exchanged smiles with several other passengers that were equally as touched.

My delayed flight had become the best part of my trip.

Later, when we boarded the plane I was blessed to sit next to one of the many Servicemen aboard the flight. He was returning home from a second tour of duty in Iraq for a 14 day leave, and was eager to tell me about his wife and children that he hadn't seen for over a year.

As I listened to him, I thought about how much I missed my husband after only a week and it deepened my sense of the sacrifices these men and women make for all of us. I felt guilty about the things in my life that I take for granted.

Shortly after the plane took off, the pilot made an announcement to recognize the Military men and women on board and to thank them for their commitment. He asked God to bless them and everyone applauded them.......it was very sweet. Hats off to that American Airline's pilot for taking time to extend that sweet gesture.

Our family is honored to have many previous and several present Servicemen and women. May each of us spend some time remembering the sacrifices that our Military personnel make for us every single day, may we also remember the sacrifices of their families, and give honor to those that have given their lives for our country. May God bless them all and keep them safe.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday weekend my friends.

Our Farmhouse Dining Room

Our vintage farmhouse was built in 1894 so I wanted to incorporate a blend of things that would respect the historic charm of the farmhouse, yet keep it fresh, light, and interesting.

I didn't stray from using lots of neutrals, but did incorporate pops of color that I think really give the space a cool energy.

 The small size of the room, especially the narrow 9' width,

ruled out using a traditional cupboard, hutch or buffet. 

There simply was not enough width to the room. 

But this old corner cupboard that measures almost 9' tall, and was  rescued from another old farmhouse, snuggled right up into that corner as though it had been there for a hundred years. 

Or, 118 years to be exact. 

:-)) 

I’m not finished filling it yet, but it’s a start. 

The tureens and many of the butter/jelly molds belonged to my grandmother.  I have 2 more sets of her dishes that I will nestle in when we get them moved over.

I’ve had my eye on this 10' farmhouse table at my Shoppe for a while now and was hoping we could fit it into this small skinny space. 

It too fit like it was made for the room.

Next task, seating. 

I tried every style of chair imaginable, slatted, upholstered, carved, wicker, and nothing “did it” for me.  The 12' ceiling height seemed to dwarf everything.

Then I found these benches with one of my wholesale suppliers…. they were floor samples and wow were they a bargain!

I love the contrast of that shabby chippy farmhouse table with the tufted linen benches. 

To avoid creating a visual barrier for this small space, I wanted an old bench for the other side of the table.  However, finding an old 10' bench was no easy feat.

We looked.....and looked....and looked.....still no bench.  

Just as we were preparing to build one, while fluffing displays at the Shoppe these slipcovered stools caught my attention. 

There they were, right under my nose all the time. 

The more I studied them, the more I thought…..that’s it!

They are the same seat size and height as chairs and they offer the “backless” quality I was seeking in a bench. 

But, they offer so much more....

They have washable slipcovers,

they move independently,

they have padded seats,

and are on casters!  

PERFECT!

And by the way, under those slipcovers you will find beautiful burlap upholstery. 

They weren’t at all what I planned,  

they are BETTER!

I love it when that happens.

:-))

This large 7' mirror with a distressed wood frame is perfection for this room. It not only enlarged the feel of the small space, it also gobbled up that huge wall that had no space for furniture. 

Mirrors can take a room to places that no other decorative accent can, I love them!

And, there are my blue ceilings that we painted last year peeking through in the photo below.  Several of my friends have jumped on board and painted their ceilings too! J  I love blue ceilings.

We hung those huge corbels, (I shared with you last year HERE) in the doorway between the parlor and the dining room and they added so much charm.

I found these at a shop called JRNE in Terrell, owned by my sweet friend Cindy.

And my favorite detail in the room is that beautiful amazing painting which was painted and given to me by my precious friend, Patty Moore. 

I fell in love with an oil painting by impressionistic painter, Robert Calcagno, when we were in High Point last year. But when we inquired to purchase it, I was so sad to learn it had already sold.  

It was exactly what I had envisioned for our dining room.

(Do you build your rooms in your head too?)

Months later, when I still could not get it out of my mind, I mentioned it to my friend Patty who just happens to be an amazing artist.  She said she was going to paint me something similar in acrylics.

I was moved to tears when she gave it to  me last month...

it's perfect.

The original was breathtaking, but this one had something more...

it was painted by a very precious friend.

  I created this room around that painting and love it even more because I am reminded of her sweet spirit everytime I see it. Those are the details that make our homes special and unique, aren’t they? 

For our homes should not be defined by the decor, they should be defined by how they make us feel.  Don't you think so?

So, here we are at the end of two completed projects within 6 weeks and I've come to a funny realization.....

We now have a porch without a single terracotta pot and a dining room without a single chair. 

How 'bout them apples?

:-))

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