Miss Gussie, the Glamper, and the Tree Farm Lit Up for the Holidays!

Hey Y'all! Miss Gussie is all lit up for the holidays and we couldn't wait to share pictures! We decided to have a "Tree Farm" theme this year. Our tree farm has some fun and non-traditional colors. We have 16 trees in shades of pink, aqua, silver, white, and a couple of green ones! I already had several of the trees, since I've used them in past displays and shows, although we went thrift store shopping and found a few more to add to our collection. I've been told pink trees are supposed to be the color this year, although I didn't know that, till after I was working on my decorating. I simply decorated the trees with tinsel and lights and it's made it a fun and happy set up.

We actually lit her up one night last week on a Facebook Live Video!

 

You may remember me talking about the ugly garden makeover, earlier in the summer. There once was a garden fence and bricks outlining forgotten raised beds. The briers had taken over and it was hard to mow. I was tired of looking at the ugliness, so I pulled it all up. I never really showed the after picture of what we were planning - well the spot is now "The Campground."  The camper is closer to the house and that's the greenhouse in the background. It makes it a better place to hang out and of course I take a lot of my product pictures outside by the camper. Nothing is attached permanently in this spot, so that we can hook up and move her, if needed. (although it will take some careful maneuvering to get her out!)

All of the trees are in tin buckets, old wash tubs, milk cans, or even vintage chicken feeders - you know, the things I had flowers planted in, until frost killed them. So as we cleaned up the yard, the containers got moved to the camper for the tree farm. 

We were at the Swap Meet  in October. I ask about a couple of items and somehow I came away with a truckload of things including some porch rails / post. They were unloaded by the camper and I was trying to firgure out what to make of them. Well, I've always wanted to be able to hang a chandelier by the camper, so those three pieces were wired together, so we could hang the chandy and a sign and of course covered in grapevine and Christmas garland! 

The chenille bedspread covers the metal bench and just makes it cozier this time of year! 

The night before I was planning my photo shoot, I decided we needed a couple of flamingos. Living in a small town, I didn't know where I could find any by the next day and I really did not have time to travel to a larger city to look. So I ask my Facebook friends if they specifically knew anywhere I could buy a couple of pink birds, locally. A couple of my friends tagged the local girl scout leader and I was loaned a couple of flamingos the next morning! As one of our friends said - only in a small town can you ask for pink flamingos on Facebook and within two hours of networking find what you are looking for! (The Girl Scouts use them for a fall fundraiser flocking people's yards, so they have a lot on hand.) I would have gladly purchased the birds, but I was thankful to be loaned them on short notice. Anyways, I put Christmas wreaths around their necks and they they added a fun touch to the display! The t shirt has a couple of flamingos and deer on the front, so that was a couple of elements that tied in with the graphic.

The same day I got everything decorated on the camper, I went to sign up for the Gilmer Yulefest Christmas Show. I was planning to just use my tent, but in conversation at the Chamber Office, Miss Gussie was invited to go to town, so we will have to take it all down next week, as we prepare and go to the show. It's December 7, 2019 on the Courthouse Square in Gilmer and we will have our shirts and Christmas decor for sale. We will be open from 9:00 am till 7:30 pm and there will be vendors, food trucks, carnival rides for the kids, Candy Cane Lane crafts for the kids and the evening will end with the Christmas Parade. It's also designated as a Shop Local Day in Gilmer. We are excited for next week, so come out and see us - we will be taking some of the trees, but not all 16! 

Of course, if you aren't local, we can always ship the shirts to you. Shop online at gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com or www.rustandromance.com

August Recap

I'm like the little emoji girl that has her arms held up and her hands turned out. You know the one that means " I don't know?" That's how I feel as I sit down to blog. Where has this month gone and what should I say??? This month has been non stop and we are just trying to make pretty things and keep up with all the critters at the farm and oh they are a mess (cute animal pics included!) Throw in some fun junkin' along the way and well, I guess that's were August went. 

So here I am saying Hey Y'all and jumping back in the blogging world! I'll share a few things from this month... Ok? and I'll try to blog more in September! 

Sweet Flossie the Donkey...She was giving me some loving after I give her some treats. Earlier in the year, Jeff bought a bag of horse treats and let me tell you, the donkeys love them better than their feed and now they are a staple in the barnyard! 

So we painted the camper at the end of July and first of August and got back out on the road with Miss Gussie for our first show of the season. 

Lots of new clothing items were added to my etsy shop! I'm ready for flannel season - distressed flannels, flannels with lace...

flannels with old trucks and loads of pumpkins...

Santa flannels... yes we are ready for cooler weather (and lots of rain.)

Fun new tumbler wraps are also in my online shop! 

The lace on several of these jackets was cut from a vintage wedding dress! The dress had a few rips and stains, but so much gorgeous lace to make pretty things with.

More flannels with vintage, heirloom linens and lace and some dream catchers made with doilies and lace. 

I helped with flower arrangements for several events this month...

This one was for a 101st birthday party! 

Cemetery flowers...

and of course burlap wedding bouquets were created for several weddings! This one has teal burlap and was shipped to Canada. 

Navy is still a popular color for wedding bouquets. 

This was a new color combination with lavender and navy burlap. The wedding isn't until the spring of 2019, although she is having bridal portraits this fall and ordered early. Since the bride will have a burlap bouquet, she can use the exact same bouquet for her pictures, carry on her wedding day, and have a keepsake for many years to come! (That's pretty economical and budget friendly.)

 Another bride ordered additional turquoise bouquets for her September wedding, including a toss bouquet, and 2 bridesmaid bouquets and boutonnieres.

Now for a few fun farm pictures! Meet Smidgy! She's a sweet little baby who needs some extra loving. 

My shirt should read "All you need is love and some cows... and some donkeys!" That's Ronnie D on the left and Flossie on the right. (No relation, even though they look similar.) 

Ronnie D loves his donkey treats! He's become a ham this summer and wants all the attention he can get! 

We were headed out the gate one day and Ronnie started chasing us and braying. I think he was saying "I want more treats!" (don't worry, he did get a couple extra treats and petting!)

One day I was at the farm by myself. I stopped my truck in the back forty and got out to check on a few cows. Got back in and my truck wouldn't crank... Oh $#!+... I was on the phone with Jeff and he told me to wiggle the battery cables and it didn't work... It was so hot and it would have taken him 45 minutes plus to come to my rescue. He said "Hey, you got your jumper cables?" Well of course. "You can jump yourself off." Say what??? Well it worked because my battery had top and side post and I made it home safely! We did a video and I'm trying to get it uploaded to YouTube, showing and explaining how that was possible. When I tried to upload a 3 minute 19 second video, it said it was going to take 168 hours to upload, so hey by the second Tuesday of next week, maybe it'll be uploaded! ;) Really I've got to try again, but I haven't set down long enough to try. Once uploaded, I'll have a blog post devoted to Jeff's trick. My friends in Mineola call Jeff "MacGyver" because he can fix something, with nothing or some random things he has on hand. (Remember the time he fixed the clutch with a pair of pliers, a hammer, a cardboard from a clothes hanger found in a parking lot, and a few other random things, when we were a 100 miles from home? Read about it here! ) 

We've had extra chores at the farm this week and we've spent a lot of time in ol' red, the feed truck. Anyways, Thursday morning is our junkin' time, but I needed to go with Jeff to the farm. Well, we made a compromise and he went junkin' early with me and then we went to take care of the critters. When you are in a single cab flatbed truck, instead of 4 door truck that I'm used to (with the back seat laid flat to hold all my stuff,) you have to get creative with how to haul your finds. Jeff said, we can put stuff in the feed hopper, since it wasn't completely full of feed! Well ok... Junkin' and Farmin' and shipping out orders!

So there you have a few highlights from August. Thank you to everyone who lets me have a part of your events and chooses to support my handmade business! Y'all are the best! 

I truly hope that September is cooler and has more rainfall. The drought situation is getting really bad and we need the rain...

We are looking forward to the September show at the Mineola Antique Fair next weekend and we have a few events on the calendar. We've been working on new fall and Christmas items that will be launching soon, so stay tuned for those and of course we are always available for custom wedding bouquets! Send me a message today, so we can discuss your ideas! 

Christmas in the Camper

Miss Gussie's Christmas Decor - 

The week after Thanksgiving, I found a little pink Christmas tree, while at our favorite thrift store. I didn't know what I would do with it, but it just called out to me and I couldn't pass it up. At first I was like "Christmas show next year... or booth space next year." Later that afternoon, it hit me - the camper needed the pink tree! The quilt I have in the camper has lots of pink in it and of course all the lace... so that's where it went! It was just the right size to fit on the tray that I leave sitting on the bed.

 As I was rearranging the camper, I was reminded of the white rag / ribbon garland / bunting / whatever you want to call it and wrapped it around the tree. It instantly made the little tree fuller and give it that shabby chic look. Another white tinsel garland and a few gold ornaments (purchased at same thrift store) and I was almost done.

  For my tree topper, I gathered a few feathers from my workroom and tucked them in the branches. I already had the pink doilies and scarf on the tray and they work great to hide the tree stand. Simple and less than $5 spent on the tree (since several things where already on hand and I've already had to rob a few feathers for a wedding bouquet!)

 Now to the front of the camper  - while it still has burlap and lace, this area has a little more color. This is where the table would have been, but it was missing when I got Miss Gussie, and I've been leaving it made as a bed, instead of the two separate benches. The front quilts have more red and blue in them, so it worked with this Texas flag I found. I originally thought about hanging the flag over the back window as a curtain, but it just didn't fit back there. I finally settled on this corner and was able to drape it without having to staple or make any permanent alterations to hang it.

A few fresh cedar branches were tucked around the camper in places. (I won't be lighting this lantern with the cedar attached.)

 Miss Gussie serves as the " Gypsy Farm Girl World Headquarters!" Sometimes (OK, a lot of times) extra inventory gets stored in the camper and such is the case with the silver platter turned Christmas wall hanging.

Because we all need LOVE...

 and to DREAM...

I've failed to get good pictures of the outside lights and tree, so here's a phone snap shot. If you saw my earlier video, you know that I prefer white Christmas lights and Jeff likes colored. We compromised and I've got white in the gazebo and inside the camper, but we've got colored lights on the outside of the camper. I've been meaning to do a camper Christmas video, but haven't got around to it, yet. Maybe tomorrow... (it's raining today)

Merry Christmas Friends! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season. 

I know many of you are suffering the loss of loved ones, sickness, and other problems and we send our love and prayers for all of you, that this time can be the best possible under the circumstances. 

Super Summer SALE!

Happy Summer Y'all! 

Let's celebrate by having a Super Summer SALE! I've marked down many of the items (almost 1/2 my shop) anywhere from $3 to over $25 off original price. Items in the sale section include pillows, flannel shirts, denim and lace shirts, jackets, and skirts, floral wreaths and arrangements, tote bags, and more.

When you go to my shop, click on the Summer SALE! section to see all the discounted merchandise. 

Oh, and did you know, you can now check out on Etsy as a guest and not have to have an account? No hassle there! 

Here's a sampling of what you will find in the sale section - 

Distressed flannel shirts with "Gone Junkin'" patches. - perfect for fall flea market shopping

 Distressed denim shirts

Several white shirts with pink floral crosses and heart doilies.

 This patriotic wreath with an American flag and red, white, and blue flowers.

 Denim and lace jackets.

 There's a couple of these denim and lace skirts... so fun!

All items are one of a kind and once they are gone, there's not another one, just like it, so grab them up now!

Oh, and did you notice my new blog header? Been working with some fun graphics this week and created some new logos. Whatcha think?!?