Rust is a Must!

Of course it is... Rust is a must! A new collection of must-have rustic treasures and tees have hit the websites recently!

I love all things

• tattered
• shabby
• cracked
• chippy
• old
• worn
• rusty
• weathered
• vintage

Yes, yes, yes! We do love all these things on the list above and decided to create a t shirt with this design! At first we had the white shirt below, but honestly I seldom wear white, so I added the graphic to the silver tee above. I figured I can't be the only one, so there's options now. I've also done it on a turquoise baseball tee, as someone's request and loved how it looked on it as well!

In case you missed our recent announcements, we have also added a NEW website: www.RustandRomance.com 

Our etsy shop, gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com is still up and running and the items have been listed on each site, so you can shop wherever you prefer. If you are on Facebook, you can shop directly from our page as well! 

 Speaking of rusty, weathered and worn things... we've created some door wreath alternatives with old wheels and garden rakes

And because we can't let old barn tin go to waste, just because granddaddy's old hay barn came down in jagged and torn pieces, we made tin birds with keys for wings and bottle cap eyes. This is the first time the tin birds have been listed online. I've made the birds on yard stakes before, but the shipping cost was outrageous for a big box, so we just sold those in person at our events. The last time we made birds, we decided some would be on wire hangers, so they can easily be shipped and you can hang them anywhere you want to! With two sizes, I'm calling them the "mama birds" and "baby birds!" 

 I had random shapes left after cutting the birds out and decided to make butterflies, using keys for antenna and a spindle for the body. These have had some identity crisis as they've been called butterflies, dragonflies, and even bumble bees... I'll let you decide what they are!

 Now even though we love rust, sometimes we need a little sparkle! These new stainless steel water bottles have the glitter effect with vintage style graphics. We never leave home, without taking water or tea with us. With it being summer time, I often need more than one cup, so these water bottles are great to take a refill. When we were at our show last week, I filled my big tumbler with ice tea and took two bottles of water in my bag. I love that they are stainless steel and reusable. There is a very limited quantity of these, so grab them now!

Spring in the Gazebo!

Grab a cup of coffee or ice tea, if you please and pull up a chair - It's time for the spring gazebo tour! You know we are all about the rust and repurposing vintage items. If you are new here, our gazebo was literally pulled from a trash ditch a few years back and we have had fun with the makeover project and decorating it each season. The first spring we had the gazebo, I decided that I would no longer have visible plastic or store bought containers in my yard, so everything is rescued and given a new purpose!

We have lots of galvanized goodness in our yard! 

You can catch the video and my tips and tricks for planting in vintage washtubs here.

As I said, we rescue and repurpose buckets, even if they don't have a bottom. This bucket has a rusted out bottom, but I still turn it into a hanging basket! (You can find the original post on planting in bottomless buckets here.) 

I had this piece of grapevine laying around after we changed our booth up last month, so I decided to drape it over the doorway and I like how it looks. If it's laying around, its apt to find a place decorating the gazebo. 

When we first planted the 3 bushes around the gazebo, they were small and the bicycle really stood out. Now it's hiding in the bushes! I have lights on the bike and at night you can see the outline better. A gym locker basket has been wired to the handles of the bike and holds an assortment of clay pots. 

In the back of the gazebo, a metal pig feeder is a pedestal for a vintage chicken feeder with flowers. 

It's pretty and it's pink! I fell in love with this ceramic dish at the thrift store and immediately knew succulents belonged in it. 

 A fern sits in an old crock.

 Sweet potato vines and dianthus are nestled in this old water cooler.

 Evenings in the springtime are my favorite and the light is almost magical!

The birdcage with herbs and the itty, bittiest little fern you ever saw hangs on the left side of the entrance. I use trampoline springs to adjust the height of the planters. We were cleaning out an old barn one time and came home with a wooden tool box of oddities - included was the trampoline springs. (I shared my birdcage planting video here.)

 Fresh herbs from the yard are the best!

Some have commented in the past about why was the door in the back of the gazebo? Well, it has a few purposes. 

1. Block the view of the storage building behind it. 

2. The door serves as a backdrop for me to photograph items like wreaths and shirts for my shop. 

 3. I get to hang funky, junky wreaths or hang plants on the door. 

I was digging through some of my junk the other day and decided to make a new wreath. I found a grapevine wreath in the greenhouse, then tied on a license plate, made a star with a folding ruler, a very rusty handle from a shovel, a chicken feeder, and a piece from a roll of barbed wire. 

To me, the four loops from the barbed wire spool looked like a flower outline. The chicken waterer thingamajig  (a mason jar can screw into it) formed the center of the flower.  

 That little blue piece was a tag on the barbed wire spool and added just a touch of color to the wreath. A scrap of burlap ribbon made a bow, along with raffia and jute twine used to tie everything to the wreath. 

You might be wondering about the rectangle frame - Angea ask me about it recently and wondered where I found it. Well, way back when I first started gardening, we had a wheelbarrow planted with flowers. Over several years time, it finally rusted out and broke apart. The frame above is actually the old rim of the broken down wheelbarrow! I hung the wreath and frame together on the door with a wreath hanger. Now see, that's a good reason to have a door there, right?!?

The undercarriage of the wheelbarrow found a home in a flower bed, protecting a few plants from the dogs making a home on top of them. Nothing goes to waste! 

So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed the tour. 

As I stated in one of the videos, the gazebo and plantings are ever changing and evolving, so stay tuned to see how things progress through the seasons. 

Happy Spring!!!

 Hello, Spring! You make me sooooooo happy! It's my absolute favorite time of the year! Spring flowers, magical light, fresh air, new life, warmth, did I mention sunlight and flowers, being outdoors more, green grass, renewed energy, not freezing to death... It's a happy time of year. This winter has been tough, but brighter, happier days are ahead, I just know it.

For the last few weeks, I've been gathering up a few plants when I'm in town and starting to work in the yard some. Dang, it's been a mess and needs some attention. Anyways, here's one of the rusty, bottomless buckets! I recycle and use trampoline springs to hang the buckets (and sometimes lanterns) in from the gazebo. We brought in a tool box with random items in it one time and the springs were a part of that collection and they've been put to use.

I had to go on a supply run for my shop, but somehow my truck turned into the garden center on the way home ;) I found a few things I've been wanting and came home and was able to work in the yard for a little while! 

Did I mention fresh air, sunshine, and playing in the dirt? Oh it was magical and peaceful! 

I created a little video on how I planted herbs in this old bird cage. Hope you enjoy it. 

(I really need to work on my video skills, but hey, we try. My phone cut off and I had to start back up...#reallife) 

 For the time being, the birdcage is hanging from the gazebo. Not sure if that's where I'm going to leave it or not, as I'm still planting a few more things and getting everything arranged like I want it...

Is this not the tiniest little fern you've ever seen??? It was so cute and I just had to have it, because I knew it would be perfect for that clay pot! 

Stay tuned, I promise to share more gardening pictures, videos, and tips this spring. Until next time, Happy Spring and Happy Planting! Go get your hands in the soil! 

Slightly Obsessed with Flower Trucks!

Okay, I admit it, I'm obsessed with flower trucks! I even have a Pinterest Board dedicated to Flower Trucks. Check it out to see some fun inspiration and garden ideas. I really wish Jeff would let me plant flowers in one of his old trucks, but I seriously doubt that's ever going to happen.

I created this turquoise truck with pink flowers as a "Goodbye January" graphic and it kinda went crazy on Facebook and then I decided it needed to be on some shirts too.

I had already started on the Rust and Romance flower trucks when I created the one of above and then we already had the red flatbed truck with flowers. Oh and then there is the Vintage Soul shirt with a vintage truck and flower!

Read more about the Rust and Romance theme and how it resonated with me on this blog post. 

Have I mentioned my daffodils and jonquils have started blooming?!? They are a couple of weeks early, but we are excited to see them.

Which Flower Truck is your favorite? 

(All the shirts are in my etsy shop now or I'll have them at the Mineola Antique Fair this weekend. The flannels and plaid shirts are all one of a kind, but I can always make more of the t shirts, if you don't see your size.) 

Christmas in the Gazebo

I always love decorating the gazebo for Christmas! 

Christmas decorating usually comes around the time of first frost here, so it's time to clean up the yard and give it a more lively look. New lights always help! We leave the lights up all year round and it's been dark the last few weeks, therefore it was time. After Christmas I call the "fairy lights" or "party lights"! 😉

We prefer our Dish Pan Snowman, since it won't melt and it doesn't have to be freezing cold and yucky to have a snowman! Win-win, right?!? 

Cleaning up the yard, there where a few watering cans that needed to be put away for winter, but I decided to hang them on the tree instead! 

I added a few burlap poinsettias, twigs, and a red check bow and the tallest tree was decorated! I'm all about keeping it pretty simple this year  - we are on a cleaning spree and these items were all laying around in my workroom, so on the tree they went. 

The old crock and water cooler became tree stands! The rest of the trees are just prelit trees I've picked up at thrift stores over the past few years. I took the plastic stands off and they set down in the old containers. 

The bicycle basket (actually a gym locker basket) needed something. Usually I add fresh greenery or a plant, but I've been sick and just haven't gone to the woods to trim trees... Now back to the cleaning and decluttering my workroom - one garland sitting in the floor, a sign, and a scrap piece of ribbon made their way to the basket! 

There you have it, simple Christmas decor in the yard and gazebo, using items found and repurposed. If you're new around here and haven't read the story of our gazebo, you should go back and see some of the old post - the gazebo was really and truly rescued from a trash ditch and we've had fun giving it a makeover the last few years. The only thing that is ever purchased new is the lights.