A Preview of our Mineola Antique Fair Booth

It's time once again for the Mineola Antique Fair! Angea (aka Rooster Tails) and I  got our booth ready this morning and recorded a short video to show you around our space!
 





If you can't make to Mineola this weekend, we will be in Lindale at the Vintage Market Days of East Texas next week, or you can find some of our items in my etsy shop. See something in our pictures  that you like and can't find it in our online shop - just send us a message and if it's possible, we will ship it to you!

Hope yo see you soon!

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.

It's time for the Mineola Antique Fair

It's time once again for the Mineola Antique Fair! The October show will be held October 12-13 in downtown Mineola, Texas. The building is very full and several new vendors are joining the line up. Angea at Rooster Tails and I added more things to our space today and here's a few pictures so you can take a peek. 

We've got fall decor, pumpkins, and scarecrows... Christmas items galore... Lots of vintage treasures waiting on a new home... Cozy flannel shirts in all sorts of styles and denim and lace jackets to keep you warm (and fall is finally here in Texas, so you're gonna need them!) There's rusty things, and shabby lace Angels, farm finds, and chippy painted photo frames... You can't see it all in the pictures, so go check it out in person, if'n you're anywhere near Mineola! 

These are the most precious Santa wine bottle covers that Angea made with vintage quilts. They would make a perfect gift when paired with a bottle of wine! 

Sneak Peek at Our New Space at the Mineola Antique Fair!

We are so excited about our NEW place at the Mineola Antique Fair! Last week Angea and I closed the door on our booth at Uniques and Antiques and moved down the street to our new location at the Mineola Antique Fair. The fair will be held the second Friday and Saturday of the month and we will actually be there to work it and meet all of you! Working predominately from home with my online shop and then having the booth in the store (that we restocked once every week or so,) we miss getting to talk and connect with our customers and friends, so we are definitely looking forward to getting to meet  and visit with y'all!

We've still got a few more things to take over to Mineola this week, before opening day, although we wanted to share a few sneak peeks of our place. The building is 111 years old and located downtown Mineola, Texas (behind the Sonic on Hwy 80 or can be reached from the street by the depot and railroad tracks if coming in from Hwy 69.)

We've got more room to display our items and have several themed vignettes with our Shabby Chic section, our repurposed clothing, a patriotic / 4th of July and turquoise section, vintage kitchen gadgets and pottery and some furniture pieces. Garden pedestals, containers, and yard art along with some floral arrangements are mixed in our display. There's a little something for everyone! Jeff and I have made more of the tin Mason Jar signs and will have them available on Friday when we open. I think Angea has a few more things she's working on as well!

Please don't let the name of the show fool you - there are antiques including this 1950's Hall 'Heather Rose" pitcher and platter I recently found that came out of an old farmhouse, although there is a nice mix of handmade, repurposed, paintings, jewelry, and new items from local artisans. This month there is a BBQ food truck scheduled to be there and live music at various times. 

We've also got an antique bed and Angea has that gorgeous lamp from the 1940's that will be available.

All of the vendors we have met are super nice and everyone talks about how fun the show is! We are thrilled to be joining the fair this month. 

We shared this short Facebook Live preview Saturday morning giving you a glance around the building and a walk through our area.  

Here are all the dates for the rest of 2018 and the address if you are plugging it in your GPS. We will be open 9:00 to 5:00 each day. Hope to see you at the fair and if you're a blog reader, please stop by and introduce yourself!

The building / barn is beautiful and rustic on the inside. The brick walls make a perfect backdrop for our space. The overhead timber beams are great to hang things from - Jeff made us some big over-sized hooks to hang chandeliers from. It is summer in East Texas, so dress cool and comfortable, just as you would if you were going to Canton Trades Days or heading to the ball park. There are big doors that are open for the breeze to come in, lots of fans in the building and all of the vendors are bringing fans for their spaces (we've got two and may add more), and they are adding new ventilation this week. Free water will be available as well. With it being under cover, we will never have to worry about the show getting rained out, our tent and displays blowing away, or inventory getting wet! That's a win in our book as we always dealt with rain or wind on set up day! Oh and it's FREE parking and entrance!

GypsyFarmGirl Seven Year Anniversary with Highlights from My Favorite Projects

7... Seven years ago today, I did something

big, crazy, and scary

all while 

sitting on my couch.

So what exactly did I do? 

 I listened to the encouragement from Jeff and the friends who always said "you need your own store". That night, I opened an Etsy store, established an email account, and this blog with the name GypsyFarmGirl, but I didn't tell anyone but Jeff. Quite frankly, I didn't think it would ever work. My goal was to use my creative passions to make a little extra income on the side. 

I only went by Janice from Texas, because I didn't want anyone to know, in case I failed (or for it to interfere with my day job). I started using Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram because all my friends were on Facebook. True story- I didn't create a Facebook page for a long time! 

 Honestly, the first year was super slow and it would have been easy to give up, but I kept blogging and occasionally sharing what I was making. I got featured on some blogs, with some of my projects that weren't necessarily related to the things in my etsy shop, but it brought some exposure to my blog and in return my shop, so I continued on. 

Here are a few of my favorite projects and features from way back then.

This little vignette in our bathroom was featured by

Funky Junk Interiors.

Burlap and Belt Buckles Chair Covers  - this was inspired by The Junk Gypsies and Miranda Lambert's wedding. I still remember how I excited I was when the Gypsies tweeted me and then Tip Junkie picked this project as a Top 10 Crafts to Make This Week and claimed them perfect for a western themed party. 

It looks like I have a thing with chairs! 

Jeff and I toured the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails a couple of times and my pictures and story were included in FOLK Magazine.

 A bucket list item was to be featured in a magazine! 

The week before my one year shop anniversary, I made a burlap bouquet and things started to pick up and you started asking me for custom wedding bouquets! I found my niche and I've not quit making fabric bouquets since then! Six years ago, there was less than 10 fabric bouquets with burlap flowers in them on Etsy, so I guess you can say I'm a pioneer in the burlap and lace bouquet business! 

The Original Burlap Bouquet in my Shop! 

A few other highlights from the past seven years.

 Funky Junk Interiors, once again featured a project and y'all went crazy over my rusty bucket of flowers. My post on how to plant in a bottomless bucket is my most popular blog post ever! 

Of course, our gazebo makeover and the reveal of our "junk yard" was another fun project, a reader favorite, and featured on many Facebook pages and blogs! 

One day, I received an inquiry for turquoise burlap in a bouquet. I had no idea such colors of burlap existed, but I found the fabric, completed the order, and shipped it out for a wedding in Canada. Now I have over 40 colors of burlap in stock and have shipped to over 47 states (at last count) and several countries! Turquoise has remained one of the most popular wedding colors, along with navy.

Along the way, I found an ugly camper and turned her into 

"Miss Gussie the Glamper" and I quit my day job! 

 For years, I just knew a camper would be a part of my future. Knew it deep down in my soul and would be so upset when I couldn't find one or couldn't afford the one I found. One day, I deposited my Valentine's overtime check into my savings account (for a florist, that was the very best pay check of the entire year and I do miss that bonus.) The very next day, I withdrew it and bought a 1959 Arrowhead Camper! That was in February 2014. Little did I know at the time, I would be quitting that job before the end of the year and GypsyFarmGirl would be my full time business. Miss Gussie has found herself the backdrop for many product shoots, gone to fairs and vintage markets and even got her picture in Mary Jane's Farm Magazine!

In October 2015, Angea Howell and I teamed up to do a show together and it has led to us having a blast junkin', more shows, and now we have a year round booth in Uniques and Antiques in Mineola, Texas. 

 We went big with our first show setup! See Miss Gussie hiding back there?

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for all allowing us to be a part of your special events over the last seven years! I love helping all of you and you've all been amazing to work with! I never dreamed all of this would ever happened or that I would be celebrating 7 years with this business. I look forward to helping you for many years to come! 

Some of my friends think we won the lottery and didn't tell anyone. We did not. We hustle, we work hard, and we have faith that everything will work out some how, some way. (We may be known to stress about a few things as well, but we won't go there...)

I hope along this journey, I can be an encouragement to you to

  dream big and follow your passion!

 Warning: Some days require more strength and patience than others.