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

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. 

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! 

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.