Guitars and Cadillacs

It all started with De Ann rearranging at the shop (P20) and I helped her move some furniture around. Then there was this decorative guitar. What to do with it? I looked at De Ann and her mom and about the same time, we all said that it needed to be painted. Let's be real, it was u.g.l.y.

What if we paint it turquoise? add bling... or fringe... Guitars and Cadillacs! We need a new tee design and a window display! Oh yeah! The ideas were flowing! Let's Channel some Dwight Yoakum, meets Miranda Lambert, throw in some Chris LeDoux and MoMo (De Ann's mom) said she was even thinking Dottie West. We painted the guitar for her and she is working on fixing it up! 

Yeah my guitars, Cadillacs, hillbilly music

Is the only thing that keeps me hanging on

-Dwight Yoakum

Brenna comes to work about that time and (gasp) she doesn't have a clue about Dwight Yoakum or the Guitars and Cadillacs song. I key it up on my phone and she shrugs... Well, Ok, I'm most definitely taking the designing role on this design! Fast forward through the day and I have visions of crowns, wings, guitars, and old cars. A Spotify Playlist was born and put on repeat. I was busy with orders and Brenna was at the computer working on some other projects. I couldn't wait till after 9:00 to come around. After garden chores, supper, and dishes were done, I knew I could sit down and bring my ideas to the screen. It was more like 9:45 pm when I set down at the computer, but my night owl self loves working in the quiet of the evening, after everything else is done. 

Music is medicine... but here's the thing, it's about so much more than catchy tunes, guitars, Cadillac's, or hillbilly music... You know, all the best designs have a story behind them and this is more than meets the eye. 

Back in the day, I drove 70 ish miles, one way, to college each week. It was the same time Chris LeDoux's 20 Greatest Hits came out and the tape (yes, I had a tape deck in my truck!) would get me almost to PJC and mercy, did I jam out to that almost every week! Cadillac Ranch was one of my favorite songs from that album and ranks right up there at the top of my favorite songs of all time.

Well the well went dry and the cow did too

And daddy didn't know what to do

The banker came by the house one day

He said he's gonna take the farm away

Then mama came up with a plan

My brother and me started up a band

My sister put a sign on the roof

And daddy bought a case of 90 proof

-Chris LeDoux Cadillac Ranch

 It's more than just a family building a bar in an old barn. To me it is about a family overcoming obstacles that life presented them. It wasn't giving up or giving in. It was getting creative and making a living. As I always say, "when life gets tough, get creative" and "keep rolling on." Those two phrases have kept me going the last few years. Life has thrown us a few curve balls and we've had to look for creative ways to keep going. 

(Please note, I am wearing a large in both tees. The tank is a ladies, more fitted style, while the v neck is a unisex style.)

Heck, just last week, we should have had our second farmers market of the year, but sadly it's been cancelled for the year. There was another show I was hoping to do this summer and I couldn't get into it... I'm not gonna lie and tell you we haven't been a little concerned about that... I took off one weekend, wondered what was next, what to create going forward since we wouldn't have summer shows... but by midweek, we were back to creating, worked all weekend, and have several things going on and we are brainstorming on some new things to come. (The Texas Farm to Market tee in the window was/is our farmers market theme tee for the year. We already had a big stack of them made, when we learned the Gilmer Market wouldn't be happening this year, so you can find them online and in the shop.) 

                                                                  Sometimes these wheels

Get a little heavy

And I can't stay between the lines but I'm rocking steady

When I can't fly, I start to fall

But I've got wheels

I'm rolling on

And when I find a place to rest

I'll stay just long enough to catch my breath

This life with you will keep me strong

D**n these wheels

I'm rolling on

-Miranda Lambert, I've Got Wheels

Wings, a crown, flowers, glitter... we needed all that in this design.

Look around and see how farmers are diversifying- maybe they have a pumpkin patch and hay maze in the fall or a YouTube channel to subsidize farm income. I know Jeff watches plenty of them!  Maybe we take pictures of our farm animals and use them in designs or some turn an old barn into a vintage market or wedding venue... we create our own version of Cadillac Ranch. 

Now the only horns around here today

Are the ones up on the grill

Of a genuine '59 Coupe Deville

Of course the caddy needed horns on it! Jeff said we have a 68 model instead of a 59, but the cool thing is that I actually had a 68 Texas license plate that I was able to use on the car.  Just a little editing turned into a car plate, instead of a truck. 

10-4 buddy, come on back
A horse trailer on a cadillac
Yeah, we're talkin' to the cowboy
In the coupe de ville
Chug-a-luggin' up one side
Slidin' down the other
Well I'm a lover of the other
Side of the hill

- Chris LeDoux, Cadillac Cowboy

Anytime Jeff or I either one says 10-4, the other follows it up with...

come on back

A horse trailer on a cadillac... 

So what started with a guitar an ugly paint job, led to so much more!

We will update when Momo gets done with her transformation and we will have to add it to the window when it's done. 

 We were had a Texas Road Trippin' theme for our summer window and Guitars and vintage Cadillacs just right in there with it!

Come see us at P20 at 100 Davis St. Gilmer, TX 75644 (My workshop is located in the back room of the store.) Some items are online or you can always message me on social media or my website (I don't always get notifications of blog comments or they show up as "no reply" so I can't always correspond that way.) It's possible that we may pick up a couple of events this summer, we just don't have any confirmation yet, so stay tuned. 

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News from Kickin' K Cattle Co Boutique

Over the past year, we’ve met so many wonderful people and customers through our space inside the Kickin’ K Cattle Co Boutique. We are sad to announce the owners have decided to close Kickin’ K in Quitman, Texas by the end of March.

We want to remind everyone that our shop is always online (www.GypsyFarmGirl.shop + etsy shop www.gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com) and we’d be happy to continue creating fun tees for all of you. We also have a space in Gilmer at P20 Land and Cattle Interiors and More, if you would like to make a little road trip to shop in person and we’ll be doing some pop up shows and events (we’ve got things in the works.) Just to be clear, just this booth location at Kickin’ K is closing and not our business as a whole.

Some of our furniture and a selection of things are on sale now inside Kickin’ K. We appreciate the opportunity we’ve had to become friends with all of you in Quitman.

Janice

GypsyFarmGirl

Find us at the NEW Kickin' K Cattle Co. Boutique!

2020 has been off to a busy start! Just a little over 2 weeks ago, I got a message from a friend that she was opening up a new boutique / vendor market and would I like a booth? Ummmm, I thought about it for a little while and finally decided to take a leap of faith and just do it! Then we had to get busy!  I really didn't have any extra display shelves that I can leave in a store all the time and of course, I had to get busy making inventory to stock the booth, before the Grand Opening on February 1, 2020. I had 12 days y'all and of course lots of other work to do in the same time frame. We got creative and pulled it off! 

Everything has a story and I must share about a couple of my fixtures. I've known Kadyn, the owner of Kickin' K, almost as long as I've known my husband. We are family friends and her mom says I'm like a sister to her. We purchased several things from Pop's estate (Kadyn's grandfather) about 5 years ago, including the locker. It's been sitting beside our shed, just waiting for a place to go. I've intended to take it to Mineola or another show, but it just didn't happen. I knew I wouldn't have a ton of hanging clothes in this space and the locker would be the right size and give some height to the space, so on a cold January morning, I was outside giving it a bath, before loading it up and taking to the boutique.

 Now for a 5 foot t shirt rack - what could I do??? I thought about a shutter shelf, but then I left two of my tall shutters at the Mineola Antique Fair last month... Jeff said "hey, we are suppose to get the shutters (closet doors) from mama's house." Years ago, a little invention called the microwave called for a kitchen makeover at Jeff's grandparent's (now parent's) house and the sliding pantry doors were removed and stored in the attic. A recent insulating job uncovered the doors and the were moved to the shop, waiting for us to take them home to do something with them! Whewee!  So I painted the doors white and then Jeff cut up a privacy fence panel and removed a few of the slats in the doors to make shelves.

 Clotheslines on the top and bottom allow us to display several shirt styles and then we can have stacks of shirts on the shelves. I've gotta say, we are pretty ticked with how it turned out and didn't cost us anything out of pocket!

Our friends at the thrift store say if you want something, to wish for it. So I wrote my list of wants down, hoping they would come true! The list included a mirror, rug, chandelier, shelves, and drapes.

Well, in a little over a weeks time, we came across all of those things! The ladies at the thrift store called when they got a rug in, that just happens to be the right size, an awesome texture, and color to go with our products. We actually found two mirrors, two pieces of furniture, and some leopard gauze-y, drapy fabric between a couple of estate sales and the thrift store! Angea found a chandelier at a garage sale and sent me pictures wondering if I wanted it? My answer was yes, because all booths need a pretty chandy!

 Jeff was good help in getting all my props built and set up!

We got everything made and ready for opening day on Saturday! although we won't be working inside the store on a daily basis, we did go back and stay for most of the Grand Opening. It was a busy day at Kickin' K and I've already got to make more shirts to restock! 

Here I am with Kerri - she's wearing a serape dress from Kickin' K and a denim jacket that I upcycled (It has a leopard cactus on the back of it.) Of course, I am wearing one of my new Cactus Motor Inn bleached tees. 

Becky and Kerri were both wearing one of my jackets and look super cute modeling them! 

It was a great opening and the store was busy all day! If you are near Quitman, Texas, make sure you stop by. There are at least 18 different vendors in the shop, so you are sure to find something you like! The shop is located right next door to the Dollar General and in the same parking lot as the police station on Highway 37 (main street) and a couple blocks from Highway 154.

 If you aren't local, we still offer our goods on our website and etsy. Plus you can still find us at the Mineola Antique Fair each month.

Getting Ready for Vintage Market Days of East Texas!

So (almost) every Thursday, Angea and I get together and go junkin'  or work on items for our booths. The next two weeks, we will have back to back shows at the Mineola Antique Fair, followed by Vintage Market Days of East Texas in Lindale. This week, we did a little junkin' and decided to drive over to Lindale and prowl around, figure out exactly where the venue was at, which route would be the best travelling, and shop at a few stores we've heard so much about. We figured this was our last opportunity to check it out, before we get really in the thick of things. 

 Picker's Pavilion was very easy to find and the drive wasn't bad at all (about 33 miles from home). It's right off Hwy 69 and FM 16 in Lindale and just a couple miles from Interstate 20. Miranda Lambert's store, the Pink Pistol is caddy corner from the venue.

 We stopped at the Pink Pistol, then ate lunch, went to Main Street Market that we've heard so much about, and then stopped at this quaint little candy store called Kaitlin's Confections.

I can't even recall what this thing was called, but honey hush, it was good! 

We made a couple more stops and I know everyone in town is excited about the event moving to Lindale. (It was previously held in Nacogdoches and will be held in Lindale for the first time.) 

 So with our busy show schedule coming up, we have been working like crazy getting things ready. We've been ripping up wedding dresses and sewing lace on jackets and shirts, we've been creating t shirts, and distressing flannels since June!

We are in the process of getting everything organized and ready to go for our next two shows... This is  is maybe  a 1/3 of the inventory scattered out on my bed! I'm trying to get everything labelled, tagged, and sorted by designs. 

This week we will be at Mineola Antique Fair and the following week in Lindale! Busy and fun times! 

It's Yam Time!

It's (almost) Yam Time! We are in a county fair state of mind and have created original graphic tees to celebrate a few of our favorite fall things! The Yam themed shirts have a heifer wearing a flower crown, while that's a picture of my Prize Winning Yam Pie on there, plus a basket of sweet potatoes and leaves that once decorated the Band Stand. We've got other show animals, a Ferris wheel, and a blue ribbon... All items that embody the spirit of the our local fair!

The fair has been a part of our life, since we were a child. From watching the parades from the back of our truck to riding our horses in the parade with 4-H a few years later. Carnival rides on the square, corn dogs, funnel cakes, and then the decorated yam contest when I was in the 4th grade to attending the Queen's coronation pageant the following year. 

 In high school we participated in the Livestock Show with our steers and heifer. (Our favorite part of the fair!)

As an adult, I have made many arm bouquets for the Queen's and Duchesses and helped decorate the band stand. I've also entered pictures in the photography contest and carried out a family tradition, winning the Yam Pie contest in 2010! A picture of that winning pie is included on the shirt.

 In 2015, we had our very first booth at the East Texas Yamboree, where we debuted our camper, Miss Gussie! What Angea and I expected to be a one time show, has turned into a fun ride we have only got busier! We've got 7 shows lined up between now and December. We've missed the Yamboree the last two years and will be returning this year, with a large booth inside the Exhibit (Blue) Building at the fair grounds.

You can say that the county fair runs deep in our roots! My grandmother and aunts were also a winner of the Yam Pie Contest! 

We are currently taking pre-orders for the Yam Time Shirts, to be made in plenty of time to wear in October.

Message me to reserve yours or find them at gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com  (Unfortunately, comments here don't always show up or set up as no-reply, so please email, message on Facebook, or through etsy.)  

We are also planning to have some in our booth inside the Yamboree Exhibit Building, October 17-19. 

 This shirt features more of all fall favorites... leaves, boots and flannels, football bonfires, pumpkins, fun, and county fairs... This one is currently available in all sizes in my etsy shop, along with several other fall designs.

So What Do You Do Now?

So what do you do now?

Well, it's kind of a long answer!

 I get this question occasionally, so for anyone who doesn't know, I thought I would take a minute or two to answer it.

First off, I have an online wedding shop. I work from our home on the rural route and I create custom burlap and lace wedding bouquets that ship worldwide. I usually have about 40 colors of burlap in stock plus lots of vintage lace! Along the fabric theme, I also create one of a kind upcycled clothing items (think distressed graphic flannels, fun vintage pearl snap shirts with lace, etc) and recently I added graphic tee shirts to my shop. You can find them at gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com 

 I've also recently launched my new website www.RustandRomance.com Why Rust and Romance? Well, because we love rust, junk, and vintage transformations and then we tie in the rustic weddings and romance. You can find many of the same items on the new website plus more of my junk finds and transformations. You can also shop this site, directly through my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thegypsyfarmgirl (There are some ready made bouquets on this site, however Made to Order / Custom wedding work hasn't been added here, at this time, although always available - just send us a message.)

 Next, we have a booth at the Mineola (Texas) Antique Fair. This venue is open the second weekend of the month and we split this booth with Angea at Rooster Tails. While we do help each other on projects from time to time, we each have our own inventory, but our styles and products mesh really well, so the items are all displayed together! We've got all kinds of fun "junk" in our booth, along with vintage finds and repurposed items, home decor, and our clothing. It's fun having someone to work the booth and go junkin' with! (While some think Angea works for me or vice versa, all the finances are kept separate. Although, if either of us gets a big project, we are always there to help each other out and we have "board meetings" to bounce ideas off each other!) Watch for an exciting announcement about this venture, coming soon!

After 15 years working at the flower shop in town, I left to devote my attention to my online shop.
I didn't plan to do fresh flowers anymore, but "once a florist, always a florist!" By request and your referrals, I create fresh and silk flowers for weddings, funerals, and special events. I don't keep fresh flowers on hand, although I can get them as needed. I try to always keep a few nice silk wreaths on hand (even if not listed online) that work great for funerals and serve as a keepsake the family can take home plus they don't have to water it like a plant. Need something in a hurry for a service - this option works great. I also create silk cemetery pieces as well.

Plus we have a farm! Want to see occasional cute baby calf and funny donkey pictures? Come over to Instagram.com/gypsyfarmgirl or www.facebook.com/thegypsyfarmgirl to see them and for our daily dose of inspiration and see all the things we are doing, along with pictures from our flea market style yard and life in the country.

Or, I guess the short answer would be "I make pretty things!"

I'm here to help you, however I can!