Flannels and Fireside; Home for the Holidays - Our Christmas Window Display and Open House

Everything has a story and our window display at P20 is no different. 

“Flannels and Fireside; Home for the Holidays.”

 

Of course we have lots of flannels, mannequins, and love cozy plaid shirts and super soft tees… but it’s more than just that. 

 

I was already thinking about our window, when our friend Randy passed away. He built the mantle for us to use in shows and it had been in storage for over a year. I knew immediately, the mantle would be our focal point. 
 
“Flannels and Fireside.”
 

Back in the summer, I experimented and messed up a load of flannels and they shredded, because I didn’t process them quick enough… and they’ve been in a pile, just waiting for inspiration on how I could repurpose them. I created flannel rag garlands and used them on a couple of my trees. No matter our past and what we’ve gone through, we can overcome that and be something else. 
 

 

Of course we needed some trucks to carry our trees home. Brenna lent a black truck and Susann from Farmhouse Gourmet had a red truck. Angea brought an extra tree. There’s a burlap door hanger from Burlap Decor and More and wooden lanterns from p20. Jeff cut me some firewood. Brenna had a helping hand and ideas. It’s a collaboration. It’s “home” town makers and creators… and it’s reflections of our town in the windows and mirror on the mantle and memories of Christmas past…oh the memories….

“Angels appear, when cardinals are near.” Of course there’s all the pretty plaid ribbon, but there’s cardinal ribbon on one tree, in memory of all those not home this year… we know the holidays won’t be the same for so many this year and our hearts go out to you. We hope you find peace and comfort. 
 

It’s cozy. It’s warm. It’s home. It’s friends. It’s handmade. It’s memories… and we hope this holiday season will find you enjoying all of that. 

So much has happened since I last blogged... so much! In mid-August, I was able to rent the back room inside P20 as my workshop. I started moving most of my production to town (I do still make some things at home.) This has allowed me to have more room to work and organize my things, which has been very helpful. 

 The room has really transformed since we moved in (I'll do a before and after bog post soon, so you can see the difference.) The ceilings are still ugly and the floors aren't pretty, but I remind myself first and foremost, it is a workshop, so it's ok! We've got several rugs and floor mats down and don't look up at the ceiling much. 

This coming Thursday evening, November 11, 2021 is the Art Walk and Tree Lighting Festivities on the square in Gilmer, TX, so we have decided to have our workshop open house at the same time! We will have the doors open from 5-8 pm and you can come back to shop the extra flannels on the racks, before they hit the store front, we will have ornaments, mugs, and decor as well. Also, my mom, Diamond J Designs will have some of her leather work and crochet items, as seen in a few of the pictures. My sister in law, Lisa's Sweets and Such will have some of her toasted pecans and cookies available Thursday evening. If you've been to any of our shows this year, you might have tasted some of them and they are delicious. The orange glazed pecans are my favorite! 

You can get to my workshop by coming in the front door of P20 at 100 Davis St Gilmer, TX (corner of Davis and Tyler St/ Hwy 154, at the red light on the square.)

I do have a side door, that is located in the huge Live Gilmer mural painted on the side of the P20 building. We hope you'll stop by Thursday evening and see our workshop in person! 

Community Over Competition

Community Over Competition... This morning, I read an article by Brooke Riley of Re-Fabbed about Community Over Competition. (You can read it here.)

Whew, those words coincided with something that I had made a note about last week and now I have to share my thoughts here. (I may ramble and not write so eloquently as Brooke's article, but I feel compelled to write). You see, in July, I set a goal for my boutique space inside P20 Land & Cattle Interiors and More. 

Our space in Gilmer has been continually growing, with a little dip happening in June. I never set a specific dollar goal, I just set about to take care of business and everything usually takes care of itself. Well, in July I did set a goal. For several years now, I've heard that the "J months" (January, June, and July) aren't the best for retail/boutique businesses and it started out as a "I'm going to prove them all wrong," although I have no idea who "them" is, but that really wasn't the best mindset to have. 

About 2/3s of the way through the month, I started adding up my numbers and I was close to my goal and then I added again and I had hit it, only to realize I had made a huge error in my addition. Boy, did I feel like a fool. I knew I was close and on track to hit the goal, but at that point, I told De Ann that needed to stop focusing on the numbers and instead focus on taking care of business and it would all work out. We kept creating more tees, introduced some new products, launched our school spirit line,  and doing what we know to do. I stopped with continually adding up the numbers. 

Last night, I received my July total and it exceeded my goal by 42%. The "J month" turned out to be my best ever month in a boutique space, but I know that it didn't happen by myself and this is where all this ties back to community. I couldn't have met and exceeded my goals without our community. 

It takes everyone. 

Our community of followers online that encourage us on. 

Our community of friends and vendors at the store, that gives us the opportunity to do this.

Our Chamber of Commerce that pointed someone to the store, when someone inquired about where to find me. 

Live Gilmer for their efforts to promote our town and the businesses in it. 

The community of fellow business owners that are creating a great atmosphere to shop and drawing attention to our town. 

It takes You, who believe in what all of us are doing and come out to support us all. It is so encouraging to see the new businesses in town and the fact that there is still cars parked on the square late in the evenings. 

I love how the windows reflect our courthouse and the downtown businesses. It doesn't always make for the easiest windows to photograph, but it makes the photographs have more depth, story, and community.

When we combined our communities, we grow. 

I used to think I didn't need a space in my hometown. After all, I do local events in our town and community on a regular basis and I have met plenty of customers in local parking lots or make deliveries. I mean, would people still show up to our events or vice versa would they shop the store, because I do events? That thinking was skewed. You see, when we combined the different communities, we grow. The store introduced us to a new circle that wasn't previously a part of my tribe and in turn, my community was introduced to another place, and get this, it was all within the same city and county. Heck, I can be set up on the square at an event and customers shop both our locations in the same day. While much of my inventory is the same, there are some things that are only at P20 or only with me at events/online. 

I still do the Gilmer Farmers Markets, even though I have the space on the opposite corner of the square. Last year, they told me attendance wasn't as good, when I wasn't there. When some of the other regular vendors are absent, I notice less traffic as well. You see, it takes all of us to working together to create a better community. 

I am so thankful for our community of followers. I do look at the statistics from time to time, but I don't dwell on them much. The one time I posted about getting to a certain number of Instagram followers, I had several unfollows and dropped below that number. After that, I sometimes see when I hit a different level, but I just continue doing what I do and not focus on the numbers and that's the same with meeting my July goal. I had to step away from counting the numbers and remind myself that taking care of people has to be my priority. I am so very thankful for each of you who are a part of our online communities. I know that when I started focusing on my daily inspiring, motivational, or funny post, that's when my Facebook page really started to grow. In turn, creating those post, encourages me too. 

So to my community I say thank you for being there for us. Thank you for believing in us and all the others that are striving to build our communities. 

I started not to write about meeting my goal and I don't want to come across as bragging... Instead, I want to encourage you to find your communities (yes, it most certainly takes more than one) that build each other up and focus on doing good work. I have several podcast and business related pages I follow, to gain insights and motivation as well. De Ann at P20 is awesome about building up others - She's the type that shares about other boutiques and events on the P20 facebook page and she even shares when I have other events in town. I nearly said no last fall, when she invited me to join their store, but then I knew it was a place I needed to be and things would work out (the other store I was a part of closed this spring). Along the way, many of you have said you are inspired by me - I hope this inspires you too. Success does not come over night, but when we continually strive to take care of others and lift up our communities. 

What's Happening, Y'all!

 I know it's been a while since we've set down to blog. A lot has been happening this spring and we really haven't set down for very long. 

We just finished up with the Cherokee Rose Festival this past weekend and y'all have kept us busy creating tees and flower arrangements. I am so thankful for all of you who support our small business.

We've been adding lots of new tees to our website and our space at P20 Land and Cattle in Gilmer. 

For the Cherokee Rose Festival, we were outside on the Upshur County Courthouse Lawn and we split the tent with my sister in law, Lisa of Lisa's Sweets and Such, so there was lots of shirts and sweets. This is the second event we've done together and I created us a fun, rustic sign that says "The East Girls" with both our business names. We are married to brothers and have a great time working together! 

This is our space inside P20 on the square in Gilmer. We love, love, love this little shop and it has been great to be a part of this. I think back how I nearly said no, when they ask me to join the P20 family and I am so glad I said yes. It is awesome having this shop in our hometown and we love seeing all the new growth and activities that are happening locally. 

Here's a close up of some of the new tees for summer. 

Red, white, and moo! How fun are these rustic, patriotic tees? 

The Summer Vibes tee completely sold out last weekend, so we are planning to make more (blank shirts are ordered, so a major shirt restock is coming.) 

Plum Crazy and Relax and Enjoy the Crazy! 

The "Crazy" tees have been a big hit! I think we can all relate and feel a little crazy right now. 

Just a couple more updates / news / things to remind you about: 

P20 in Gilmer is our only "in store" location now. (The Quitman shopped closed this spring.) Follow them on Instagram or Facebook to get the daily hours, as they do fluctuate some. Located on the corner of the square with the new Live Gilmer mural on the side of the building. You can't miss it, if you are driving down HWY 154 / Tyler St. 

We are participating in the Gilmer Area Farmers Markets again this summer, but they have NEW times this year. 1st and 3rd Saturday (except July, when holidays will affect schedule) EVENING from 5-8 pm (but I am usually set up by around 4-ish, so come early if you wish.) Our next market is June 5 and I believe there are some exciting things planned with live entertainment, etc. If you haven't been downtown lately, there are so many great businesses, restaurants, and things to explore. It is so, so good to see all the new things happening downtown Gilmer.  

New shirts are added to our WEBSITE: www.gypsyfarmgirl.shop 

While we still have our etsy shop, we are adding all the new tees to our personal website, since it allows other features such as being able to tag our products in pictures on Facebook or Instagram, which makes it convenient for you to click on the pictures and purchase easily. Our etsy shop is once again  focused more on weddings, while our website is more about the clothing. 

Make sure you follow along on Facebook or Instagram, so you can get the most up to date info on new releases, events, and all the behind the scenes fun. We've even joined TikTok and trying to share some tutorials and glimpses of things we are working on. 

The Plum Crazy tee released last week and today I decided to do a few no-sew alterations on one. I've received several request for more v neck tees... well, with the current shirt shortages, there aren't too many colors and sizes to choose from, so we decided to show you how to easily convert any crew neck, into a v neck, then we decided to create fringe sleeves as well. So fun for summer! You can find my quick video tutorial reels and TIkToks on all my social accounts above (and I'll work on getting them here on the blog as well). I promise you, it is so, so easy to transform your tees!  

As I mentioned earlier, there is a shirt shortage happening and some colors and sizes are not available to me. But here's the deal, if you want a tee and it is not in stock in your size - message me about a custom order. We can put the graphic on another color or style tee for you. Also, I am starting to stock some styles in 3X - same thing applies here. If you want a graphic on a larger shirt, please reach out. Not all shirts come in 3X or larger, but we do have some options that we can explore, so we can create something just for you. 

2020 in the Rearview Mirror

I’m looking back on this year. There’s no doubt this year has been different and it’s been hard for so many. My heart aches for those who are suffering, while we are celebrating with the ones overcoming the obstacles this year has thrown at us all. 

I know this year is one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. While some want to erase it from memory, I’ll refer to it often, because even though there’s been bad, there’s so much good to celebrate. There's been weddings, babies, new businesses, new connections, gardening, trying new things, overcoming obstacles, spending quality time with the ones we love, a greater surge to support the local makers and small businesses... 

 

January started off with a bang. Busy, busy, weddings and events. The Spencer Wedding and a show at the Mineola Antique Fair both happened on the same weekend, but we figured out a way to make it all happen, with some extra help from our friends. 

 

February brought about the Grand Opening of Kickin’ K Cattle Co in Quitman, Texas, where we opened a booth. 

March kept up the momentum and I was so tired when we finished our last show at the Mineola Antique Fair. Little did we know that would be our last show there and what was to come. That week was when the toilet paper hoarding went crazy and I was lucky to grab us some Charmin, because we really did need it. My foot ached terribly and I did take some quiet time to rest my body. It was tired. We also fretted and worried about the future. We did a flubbed up live facebook video... poor internet service got me frustrated, as I was trying to do a live sale and it just wasn't working right, but we pressed on. We did do a few gardening videos though...

 

April, oh April. I scribbled on my planner that “Covid shut down the economy” and two shows were canceled, but my attitude suddenly changed and I said I wasn’t setting down and letting it destroy us. “When times get tough, get creative” became my motto. 

I scrounged through our fabric stash and starting sewing mask. Then I worked on my website and launched the Tee of the Week deal, and we made porch deliveries, and sympathy arrangements, wreaths, and Rosie the Riveter school lunch lady tees for the ladies working hard to continue feeding the kids at home. My calendar had notes all over it. 

 

May found us dealing with more of the same and stores cautiously reopened. “Keep rolling on” became my other motto. We also started a garden - a little late to start a garden in East Texas, but we did it! We stuffed that mailbox full of packages on lots of occasions. We picked wild berries at the farm with the calves curious as to what we were doing. We tried new recipes and fruity little drinks. 

June found us deciding to completely close our Mineola booth, but we joined the Gilmer Area Farmers Market. Gosh, those were fun Saturday afternoons on the square, with just a simple setup, but y’all showed up and we made lots of friends and connections there. Good times! I had never in my life ate zucchini - Jeff was doing the shopping at the feed store and had brought home some new plants. We honestly tried lots of new foods this year and have enjoyed them - For anyone reading this with a picky eater - there's hope! At nearly 40, I started eating zucchini, asparagus, kiwi, raspberry lemonade, strawberry lemon / lime drinks, and more! 

 

July found us delivering wedding flowers, then sadly we said goodbye to Jeff’s dad. He’d fought the long fight and we’d had almost two extra years past the night he wasn’t supposed to survive. We spent extra time with our family and did what we needed to do. We harvested things from our garden and enjoyed the sunflowers and looked forward to fall. The small town country girl tee was inspired by him... and there's just something about a flag and a sunflower that I absolutely love. He had a military service and the warm bullets were place in my hand at the service. He was one of my biggest supporters and I sure wish I could to tell him about the remaining part of the year. 

 

August found us returning to the Farmer’s Market, making flower arrangements, giving a conference presentation on repurposed items, and creating lots of tees. Did I mention we made lots of tees this year?!? Oh my, we have had so many deliveries of blank shirts! We create the finished product on all of our shirts. Sometimes people think I'm simply ordering wholesale and selling shirts. That is not the case. My hands touch and apply the images (and bleach0 to each and every single shirt that goes out. 

 

September we celebrated the final farmers market with a grand time, then we prepared for the inaugural Holidays on the Farm at Prairie Creek. That was a record breaking day, that lead to our record breaking month. We were saddened to say goodbye to our favorite side kick and road tripping partner. Old age caught our Trixie dog and our hearts were broken. She filled so much of our lives and was our child. 

 

October, oh October. We didn’t have the Yamboree, but we were thankful that the Live Gilmer group hosted the Fall Y’all Fest and it was a great alternative and success, even though it was a very scaled down event compared to the Yamboree. It was what our town and businesses needed. Fun little tidbit here. I received a Facebook message from a friend, letting my know we could use their potty’s during the fest, so we wouldn’t have to use the portapotty. I knew that weekend, it might lead to something more... 

Our new fluffy side kick made her first public appearance and we had a large shirt order for Sorelle Farms. An overnight trip with a family member, led to me having a "high rise Dallas office" for the day (aka known as a hospital procedure and I took my computer and got lots of work done in the waiting room.) 

 

We started November with the annual Christmas Bazaar which was another great event. Then, mid November brought about the invitation to join the P20 Land and Cattle store on the square in Gilmer. Did I mention De Ann was someone we met in Mineola a couple years ago? We had a great conversation there, didn’t see each other for a year, closer to two, and reconnected this summer over social media. We’ve since met some of her family and made new friends and been welcomed into the P20 family and are loving having a place on the square. We made lots more shirts and wedding flowers. Lacy’s wedding was at Dove Hollow, where we filled the space with lots of pampas grass arrangements. Thanksgiving, goodness how much we’ve had to be thankful for this year. 

 

December brought about the Yulefest with modified schedule and activities, but Miss Gussie still got to go to town with us. My nephew Jake, known as Jake’s Jigs, joined us, with his handmade jigs and fishing jewelry. We had a great day together and witnessed the kindness of a complete stranger that still makes us tear up thinking about it. We kept making shirts and flower arrangements. Stocking booths, delivering to cemeteries and porches, then got ready for the Efurd and Parish wedding at the Venue at Efurd Orchards  - it was a spectacular winter wonderland event, even if we had to deal with a little rain during the setup. Since then we’ve made more flower arrangements and lots more tees to restock our booths after Christmas. 

 

One of the few times I went in a store in April, I bought a gallon of paint, for a project I’d take on in my expected free time. Ha, I’ve yet to open that can. We know we are so very fortunate to be able to continue doing what we’ve done this year. We’ve made numerous shipments from our home, made lots of porch drop offs, cemetery, funeral, and even wedding deliveries without coming in contact with many (if any) people. We added contactless pay and worked all but one of our shows outdoors. We work mostly from home and occasionally on location. 

A few things I've learned this year:

• Attitude and a good mind set are crucial. I am extremely guarded as to what I let in and consume. I don't watch tv at home (only when we are at Jeff's parent's house), I will snooze / hide the negative sharing folks on social media. Starting each and every single day on Facebook with a positive post sets the tone for the day. 
• It's ok to pivot and shift. Just because things have always been done a certain way, doesn't mean things can't change some.
• Truly, when one door closes, another one opens. 
• Try new things, you just might like it. 
• Live stream a wedding or a funeral if you need to, so that it can include the ones who couldn't be there, whatever the circumstances may be. 
• Always look for the opportunities and jump on the ones extended to you, even if you don't know exactly how it will all work out. 
• Persistence will finally get your Instagram and Facebook Shop started. (It took a year and a half to get the Instagram shop approved, so you can 'Tap to Shop'  now.) 
• There are still so many good people out there.
• I have met some of the best people this year. Sometimes you meet someone at an event, have a discussion, and don't hear from them for a year or two and then great things happen. (Booth advice here - sometimes the connections at a show are more important than the dollar amount you made that day. It can pay off in the years to come, when you least expect it to.) 
• I love working from home (ok, I already knew this, but its worth repeating.) 
• Some things like fresh air, sunshine, cute baby calves, and puppy dog snuggles are hard to beat. 
• I have the absolute best customers and friends! Your support this year has been amazing and we can't thank you enough! We know you have a choice and we are certainly  appreciative of you choosing us to help make pretty things for you. 

We wish we could reach through the computer and hug every single one of you. If I did a video to say all this, I'd certainly have tears running down my face. We seriously are overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness for all of you, who support a girl who makes things in her small house on the backroads in the country. Who knows how the next year will go and where the road will lead us. We will continue travelling it and making pretty things for all of you. We wish you all a happy and safe new year ahead. Let's Keep Rolling On and make 2021 a great year!  Much Love, Janice  

 

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All the places you can currently find us:

Online Shop www.gypsyfarmgirl.shop

Etsy Shop www.gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com

Facebook Page Facebook.com/thegypsyfarmgirl

Instagram Instagram.com/gypsyfarmgirl

Pinterest Pinterest.com/gypsyfarmgirl

Booth inside Kickin' K Cattle Co in Quitman, Texas (located next door to Dollar General) https://www.facebook.com/kickinkcattleco 

Booth inside P20 Land and Cattle Interiors and More on the Square in downtown Gilmer, Texas https://www.facebook.com/p20lc  or https://www.instagram.com/p20landcattle/

Both booths are generally open Tuesday-Saturday, but please see their respective Facebook pages for the most up to date store hours and directions to the store address.