Santa and Glamper Flannel Shirts!

Santa said he's trading in his sleigh for a vintage camper and truck this year! ;) heehee! 

Ok, maybe not really, but there are some fun flannel shirts with Santa's, Glampers, and Vintage Trucks and Christmas Trees in my shop! These have been popular at our shows this fall and in my etsy shop. I've been selling out or running really low on these at every show. 

Santa Claus is watching YOU! 

The shirts can be tied up, if they are too big. I have one XL flannel that I wear and tie the ends up this way and cuff the sleeves (I usually wear a medium.)  

 This one was a new design and sold out at the last show, so more have been made and listed in my etsy shop.  There was a group of ladies who were glamping at the Mineola Civic Center a few weeks ago and many of them came over to the Mineola Antique Fair. They were the funnest group of shoppers. I had to drive through their campground when we closed for the night.

The pink glamper Christmas shirt was a popular choice for the glamper group and one of them even had the vintage Shasta to match it!

Santa says Support your community - Shop Small! and oh how we appreciate everyone who shops and supports our small handmade business!

Mooey Christmas! Ah, this sweet cow face reminds me of my little red calf that we have been bottle feeding at the farm!

How I wished we had a vintage red truck to carry our Christmas tree and pull our camper! (Or a turquoise one!)

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season! We do appreciate each and everyone of you who let us help decorate your lives - from one of a kind clothing to arrangements for your special events! 

Shirts can all be found in my etsy shop at GypsyFarmGirl or we will have them at the Mineola Antique Fair on December 7-8 and a bonus show date the following Saturday, December 14. 

Christmas Shows and New Items!

It's been a busy time of year and we realize we haven't set down to share here on the blog. So we thought we would play catch up today and share a few things. Over the lat few weeks, we have had 3 shows and been super busy sewing and creating, plus we've had some extra responsibilities, behind the scenes.

Last weekend we were at the Mineola Antique Fair and we had lots of fun! Here's a few pictures I shared on Facebook after the show.



The weekend before, we were at the Christmas Bazaar at the First United Methodist Church in Gilmer. My mom joined Angea and I for that show, with some of her leather and crochet items.

If you couldn't make it to one of our shows, I have added lots of new things in my etsy shop! These are some of the shirts, new tags, and ornaments that are now available.

Everyone ask us "when we sleep" and "if we are doing anymore Christmas shows?" 

Well, for several weeks, it seems like we slept from 12:30-6 ish, although this week we are catching up on some of that as well! We have enjoyed a few quieter days to work on orders, add new items to my shop, and breath a little. 

Our next show is December 8-9, 2018 at Mineola Antique Fair. We want to enjoy the holidays and also focus on adding more items to my shop and we have some Christmas decorating jobs on the schedule. 

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas!

We were set up at the Mineola Antique Fair last week and had fall items, Christmas things, and just an overall assortment of fun stuff. We've got a little section of our booth that has the blush pink curtains and I couldn't help but take a few pictures of our new products while we were there. It seems we have a pink Christmas theme going on this year! The pink and aqua Christmas tree farm flannel shirt was a big hit - this was the only one left and you can now find it and all the vintage ornaments in my etsy shop. (I will be making more of the flannels, although none of them will be exactly the same.)

 I have to tell you the story about these ornaments. I know they may mean more to me than some of you, although I still want to pass it along to you and tell how they came to be.

We go junkin' every week, looking for treasures and things that speak to us, things that inspire us, and things that we think we can makeover.  Over the last few months, I have been gathering up those little tart pans and jello molds from estate sales. This particular set came from an estate sale of a lady I met at my first job at the flower shop. Her family was the founders of the shop, although they had sold it by the time I started working there. She was still a loyal customer and came in often and was a very sweet lady. There was lots of vintage doilies, linens, lace, and the tart pans that came home with me, when I shopped her estate sale.

 Now for the chandelier crystals - A couple of years ago, I shopped another estate sale of a family that had lived and worked in Gilmer all their lives. I found lots of treasures there and a broken chandelier came home with me. There was a ring with all these gorgeous old crystals hanging off of it. Honestly, it's been sitting in my shed for a while, just waiting for the right project. I had thought about making earrings or some kind of jewelry or maybe just selling them as is for someone else to make something. (Earlier in the year, I listened to a podcast and the lady said she hunted all the crystals like this and would pay $2+ per crystal at antique stores.)

 

 I gather little bottle brush trees from anywhere I find them!

 Same goes for vintage brooches!

And these little deer - aren't they the most precious little things you've ever seen???

We were visiting with another fellow collector and I ask if he had any little Christmas diddies at his store and he remembered having the little deer. I went by and purchased them later that afternoon! I mean, they just make me happy! 

 Then I started combining all the elements and the ornaments came to life! My favorites to ever make! I plan to keep at least one for myself, because they tell a story and have some history to them.

 You can find this set individually in my online shop and I can ship most anywhere or you can find them the second weekend of the month at our booth at the Mineola Antique Fair. (Local and want something? Send me a message and we can meet up sometime.)

 Perfect for a vintage themed Christmas tree or hang them from a garland like we did! I love to wrap my gifts and include a ornament in the bow and these would be a fun package adornment!

If you like more traditional colors, they aren't all pink - some are all green, some white, and a mixture of all the colors. I do plan to make more and recently came across a bunch of Christmas brooches, so I'll be working on those soon! I had already found and made the ornaments with  thepink bottle brush trees, when my monthly graphics box was delivered that had the pink and aqua colors in it...seems like it was all meant to be! 

I know for some of creators and junkers, the reward is not only finding something, but when we are inspired and get to create something new with what we have found. We saved old, broken or unwanted pieces and breathed new life into them. I hope these ornaments can bring you happiness as well, because they made me squeal with delight each time one was finished! 

I am a Small Business

I am a small business...

No, I don't have one of those "real jobs" that come with traditional 8-5 hours, a paid lunch hour, paid vacation, sick leave, or insurance. Therefore most people believe I don't really work, I'm flexible to just go and do whatever, and work when or if I want to.

We (both my husband and I) are self employed. No work or sales equals no grocery money or funds to pay our electric bill or insurance, etc. (I've paid my own health insurance since the day after I graduated college. Every single year, the rates go up. This year was a 20% hike and I just got my notice that it'll be going up 9% in the new year and I've only used my insurance twice in 14 years.)

I have an online business and people think that's simple to run. I must be inspired to create the item, source the supplies, make it, then set up a photo shoot, edit pics, upload to my shop (title, tags, description, measurements, pictures), blog, work on SEO, share to Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google Plus. If I don't work, share, and promote what I'm working on, it will just set in my house/online and nobody can find it. 

For custom orders, I convo / email with potential customers. Often there are 10-50+ emails back and forth, for a single order. Orders are started after payment has been received. I've had too many people inquire, promise to order, and never follow through, when I had already purchased additional supplies for the order. (I do keep lots of fabric in stock all the time, although sometimes new colors, styles, or supplies are needed.) After the flowers are handmade and assembled, I send pictures of all items, for approval, before shipping. Once approval is given, I box up and ship the order. Some days I ship from home, although if my other jobs take me away from home (or we have a substitute mail carrier), I must go by the post office. 

It's important for my mind and body to stay healthy and focused. Drama, stress, and distractions can ruin the whole process. 

Lately I've been ask "so what do you do now?" Well, whatever it takes and whatever my wonderful customers want. My "main" job is making burlap and lace wedding bouquets, I also make wreaths, home decor, repurposed clothing, and other unique items that can be found in my Etsy shop and ship world wide. 

I take on local floral events and funerals as the need arises. (I don't keep fresh flowers on hand, so I must drive 35 miles one way, to pick up flowers for any request, therefore I do set minimum order rates for this service.) I promise to share pictures from this wedding very soon! 

We have a booth at Uniques and Antiques in Mineola (about 30 miles from my house) that needs restocking on a regular basis. We share the space with Angea aka Rooster Tails. We generally go junkin' on Thursdays, looking for new items to add to our booth or to makeover. This is also the day we usually devote to updating our space and social media about what we have added. Sometime, prior to Thursday, we have to clean/makeover/paint/sew/fix, price, tag, and load our inventory to take on runs to U & A. Yes, it's a fun girls day, that involves lots of laughter and lunch out, yet it is still work. 

We also have a minimum of two hours of farm chores, on a daily basis. 

As a small business, we do a happy dance and say thank you every single time the cash register cha-chings on our phone (for online sales) and we are appreciative of everyone who refers a friend or ask us to help with local events. It means so much to us! 

Some days we don't know how we will do it all, but every single day, it all works out. We haven't had a dependable Friday paycheck in almost 3 years. (Christmas week will mark my third anniversary of being self employed on a full time basis.) It takes a lot of faith to make it and I'll admit to worrying more than I should. We don't live an extravagant life and try to be content with what we are fortunate to have. When all of you trust me to make and design items for your special occasions, it really does make me happy and we are so very thankful. 

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Your support for small businesses and especially small, handmade businesses is truly appreciated. I've got a friend who thinks we won the lottery and didn't tell anybody... that's definitely not the case. There's a lot of work / hustle going on here, to make ends meet, although some days, it really feels like I won big, knowing that I get to make a living with my creative talents and help all of you! 

As a special thank you for all of my loyal followers and friends - I have a special coupon code for 20% off all of the clothing and most home decor in my online shop. Hurry though, this coupon is only good through Monday. Use SHOWLOVESHOPSMALL for 20% off. (Most everything else is also on sale, without a coupon code needed.)