Rust is a Must!

Of course it is... Rust is a must! A new collection of must-have rustic treasures and tees have hit the websites recently!

I love all things

• tattered
• shabby
• cracked
• chippy
• old
• worn
• rusty
• weathered
• vintage

Yes, yes, yes! We do love all these things on the list above and decided to create a t shirt with this design! At first we had the white shirt below, but honestly I seldom wear white, so I added the graphic to the silver tee above. I figured I can't be the only one, so there's options now. I've also done it on a turquoise baseball tee, as someone's request and loved how it looked on it as well!

In case you missed our recent announcements, we have also added a NEW website: www.RustandRomance.com 

Our etsy shop, gypsyfarmgirl.etsy.com is still up and running and the items have been listed on each site, so you can shop wherever you prefer. If you are on Facebook, you can shop directly from our page as well! 

 Speaking of rusty, weathered and worn things... we've created some door wreath alternatives with old wheels and garden rakes

And because we can't let old barn tin go to waste, just because granddaddy's old hay barn came down in jagged and torn pieces, we made tin birds with keys for wings and bottle cap eyes. This is the first time the tin birds have been listed online. I've made the birds on yard stakes before, but the shipping cost was outrageous for a big box, so we just sold those in person at our events. The last time we made birds, we decided some would be on wire hangers, so they can easily be shipped and you can hang them anywhere you want to! With two sizes, I'm calling them the "mama birds" and "baby birds!" 

 I had random shapes left after cutting the birds out and decided to make butterflies, using keys for antenna and a spindle for the body. These have had some identity crisis as they've been called butterflies, dragonflies, and even bumble bees... I'll let you decide what they are!

 Now even though we love rust, sometimes we need a little sparkle! These new stainless steel water bottles have the glitter effect with vintage style graphics. We never leave home, without taking water or tea with us. With it being summer time, I often need more than one cup, so these water bottles are great to take a refill. When we were at our show last week, I filled my big tumbler with ice tea and took two bottles of water in my bag. I love that they are stainless steel and reusable. There is a very limited quantity of these, so grab them now!

A Week of Farm, Flowers and Snow...

With the new year, I set a goal to blog at least 2-3 times a week and here we are a week since my last post... sigh...  In the last week, our Texas weather has been on a roller coaster, from 60's on Monday to ice and snow Monday night and Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning was 6-10 degrees, depending on which thermometer you looked at. I know for some of you, you live with negative temps every year, but I seriously don't remember it ever getting that cold here and I consider anything below 40 to be cold (actually I prefer it never go below 50). My mom seems to think the winter of  '82 or '83, it got that cold... Yesterday was in the 70's and I was working in the yard in shorts, followed by thunderstorms and another temperature plunge last night.

(I used a watercolor app to edit my snowy barn scene picture.)

It seemed like a lot of our week was spent taking care of the farm animals and making sure they survived the cold (and they did just fine!) I was driving the truck for Jeff to put out extra feed and snapped this picture... I loved that it showed both of us working together to feed the cows. I'm not a fan of snow or cold, with the one exception that it does provide a few different photo opps! 

 While most of Texas seemed to shut down with the snow, we did not! We had packages to ship out and since we were already getting out to go to the farm, we went by the post office and dropped off some pretties.

This bouquet was in one of those boxes, headed to Canada (where y'all are probably laughing at how we deal with snow.) 

 I created woodsy, outdoors style arrangements for our neighbor, who lost his battle with cancer. He loved to hunt and some of his antlers and turkey feathers were included in his casket spray. I love being able to create arrangements that are personal and reflect the person's life and interest.

 Y'all know I am a former 4-H member and think it is a wonderful organization - I was ask to help out at their local fashion camp last week and we worked on creating fabric flowers. I have to admit, it was a different style of flower than I usually make and I learned a few things myself! Our niece was one of the participants. We are very much alike, except she loves cold weather and I can't wait for spring and summer!

I'll be boxing up these jade burlap bouquets this morning and shipping them out this afternoon!
I often get ask about the different sizes - this is a medium size bouquet and two small bridesmaid bouquets. Occasionally the medium size is used as a bridal bouquet or most often used as a maid of honor or bridesmaid bouquet. The medium is similar in diameter to the bridal bouquet, although it is not near as full of roses.

While Jeff did some farm work outside of the barn, I spent time inside the barn, photographing some new bouquets and dream catchers I created this week. This video shows the details of a new bouquet. It is ready to ship now and can be found in my etsy shop.

I created a sample toss bouquet for a potential customer with navy and maroon burlap roses, since I didn't have any pictures of a bouquet in these colors. She is still deciding on  her exact colors and style for her wedding, so I decided to add more to this bouquet and offer it for anyone interested. Its in between the small and medium bouquet size, with maroon, navy, and tan burlap roses, white and ivory lace, and dried babies breath. This bouquet is ready to ship or I can create additional bouquets for your wedding. 

 When we got to the barn, we noticed a bird had been there and we cleaned up the evidence. Later on, I saw new evidence in the same exact place, so I looked up and found this owl roosting in the barn rafters.

Dreaming of Spring!!! Can't wait for the forsythia and spring flowers to start blooming and birds sitting on their nest!

The following two wreaths were also created this weekend. I have several local customers who like this style of wreath and often send them to funerals, as something a family can keep. These are listed in my shop and can be shipped or you can contact me for local delivery.

The first wreath is in white and cream colors, with cotton and burlap ribbon. 

 This wreath has red roses, peonies, and daisies, along with the white heather and burlap and lace ribbon.

We've been talking to lots of bride's-to-be and excited about creating lots of things for all of you!

So that's a run down of what happened last week with the farm and flowers. Hope you all have a fabulous week and if you have a tip for how to keep your feet warm, please pass it on to me! (Wool socks and/or 2 pairs of socks and fuzzy, fleece lined boots didn't do a good job.)

The Month of Navy Blue

In the last couple of weeks, I've made and shipped items to four countries! Now that's not an every day occurance (and my shipping bill this month will be crazy), but it is exciting to think about my handmade items being delivered to places all across the globe. 

For this girl who often stresses over her business and struggles with self confidence, I'm so thankful for everyone who puts their trust in me and let's me be a part of your weddings, decorate your events, homes, or  wears something I have created. Y'all are the best! I think about my small home based business, located on the back roads, outside a small country town and through the power of the internet (thank goodness my data is working again) I can connect to people all over the world. It really is amazing!

Navy burlap has been the most popular color this month! Almost every order has navy in it, although there have been several different color combinations. This red, tan, and navy bridal bouquet with rhinestones and pearls is on its way to Canada. 

Navy, wine, grey, and white bouquets are Italy bound. I'm also seeing more request for grey burlap included in bouquets.

Navy with white lace has been the thing lately. Usually it's ivory lace 90% of the time, so February was a flip flop on that scenario. 

Now, if you see me around town and think my hands look ridiculously dirty and have lots of brown spots, please know that I have taken a bath and washed my hands plenty of times, it's just a sign that I have been using eucalyptus recently. After I use the eucalyptus in arrangements, our well water (high in iron) has a reaction to it and I get these spots, wherever it touched my skin. It's kind of crazy. I can wash my hands in "city water" without spots, but when I come home and take a shower, the spots appear for a day or two. Anyways, long story to explain the spots on my hand while modeling a wristlet! Any scientist out there want to explain my reaction?!?
 

Here's the culprit - a retirement party centerpiece. I love all the different types the euc and it holds up so well, that I overlook the spots it causes. 

If you've ever wondered about size comparison between a fresh red rose and a burlap rose boutonniere, here is the line up. Fresh Corsage and boutonniere, 2 mini rose groom's bout, burlap rose boutonniere.

The burlap rose is smaller that an average size red rose.

Vintage cowboy pillows shipped to the land down under, Australia.  

Navy bridal and small bridesmaid bouquet with a touch of blush burlap.

A wreath to honor a veteran... Always sad to make....

Red, white, and navy bridesmaid bouquets.

Large bridesmaid bouquets (this bride chose the bridal bouquet size for her bridesmaids to carry.)

Now for a couple non-navy bouquets! A medium size coral burlap, lace and tulle bouquet. 

And a camo, sage, tan, brown, and white burlap bouquet, without any lace. It's really hard to believe that I didn't make anything with turquoise this month.

Love y'all lots and thanks for your support! As always, custom orders are welcome and I look forward to helping be a part of your special days! 

It's Almost Time!

It's coming down to the wire - just one week till we load the trucks, trailer, and Miss Gussie and head off to the Yamboree! We (Angea and myself) are both busy little bees, creating items we think you might like. We've got everything from rustic country, farmhouse, French country, shabby chic, repurposed funky junk and boho gypsy chic style to lots of vintage lace decor and burlap wedding bouquets! 

 

We are talking back and forth and sharing on Instagram / Facebook about all the stuff we are working on and let me tell ya, I think our booth will be busting at the seams! 

Vintage doily and hankie pennant banners / garlands are in the works and a few more dream catchers. 

 Angea is creating a very french country pumpkin patch! She's got lots of fabric pumpkins, that you never have to worry about rotting or stinking! 

Together we will both have lots of decorative pillows 

and furniture. Lots of painting has been happening and these are a few pieces I've been working on. I've got one more desk that I hope to tackle tomorrow or Thursday and a few touch ups to do.  

Speaking of paint, I occasionally forget to wash my brushes, but how cute are these little turquoise brushy Santas ornaments? 

Angea has Christmas wreaths and I'm working on more rope wreaths for the holidays. 

It's a mess out by my camper! We've been out picking and unloading stuff near the camper and shed, all while trying to determine what to keep and what gets to go to town and  finalizing the props and get our displays built! I'm sure the traffic passing by wonders what the heck I'm up to! :) 

Fun times and lots of memories in the making! We are both so excited about setting up next week and sure hope that you can come see us at the fair. Stay tuned to Instagram or Facebook for more updates and see how we pull it all together!