Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!

As we close out 2018 today, I look back at a year of love and loss. Good times and bad. New adventures and broke down trucks... oh those dang trucks...but in the end, we've relied on friends and family in times of need and so appreciate the help that has come along.

There's been hard times, drought and floods affecting the farm, but oh the cute babies and the silly donkeys make it a happier place!

We've had family suffer health wise and our routine has changed in order to be of more help to them. It's brought us closer as a family, for that I am thankful, although I wish none of them had to endure what they are.

 As one of my shirts says “perfectly imperfect.”

 Through it all, we say THANK YOU for letting us be a part of your year! We appreciate each and everyone of you!

 Here’s to another year and more new adventures! Wishing you all a Wonderful 2019, full of love, good health and happiness!

Enjoy the collage of photos I created from some of the years highlights. Just a few of the (way too many) photos on my phone and computer! Looking forward to helping you and being apart of your events in 2019! New things are coming soon, so stay tuned!

Wedding Arches

Someone recently ask me about Wedding Arch pictures, so I thought I would share a few that I've made. I love creating arches for a wedding backdrop and the options are unlimited to what can be designed for your big day. From arch style, colors, flowers, and of course the flower placement; each arch is one of a kind.

This pink cascading wedding arch ranks up there as an all time favorite! With sharing pictures, I'm going to share a few wedding planning tidbits - the ground was at a slope for this wedding, so the black wooden platform was created to level the arch. The bride's family supplied the ferns at the base of the arch. 

This was a large metal arch that was covered in fresh flowers in shades of red, burnt orange, purples, and green for an elegant church wedding. The coordinating candelabras and the arch were all very sturdy metal pieces and we didn't have to worry about the weight of the flowers or any of the pieces blowing over, since it was indoors.  

Arches can have a combination of fabric and flowers, such as this one for a western wedding. The logs holding bouquets were a bride's request, but let me tell you, they also help to stabilize the arch, since it was free standing, outdoors, with gusty wind. (There was one hidden log on the back side as well.)

Simple, sophisticated, elegance. 

One thing I would advise when picking out your arch is to make sure it is sturdy enough to hold the flowers or design elements you have in mind or have some way to offer that support. While this arch was "planted" in the ground, we did have to add metal stakes behind the legs to keep it standing upright with the flowers on it, since it was getting top heavy. 

Over the years, I've seen some really wobbly arches for weddings - they were bought cheap and they wouldn't hardly stand on their own without anything on them. If you want a large statement piece for your wedding, make sure you plan accordingly and have a sturdy and balanced arch to support it. 

This was a large statement piece for an outdoor wedding, in shades of maroon, white, and pink. 

Shabby and oh so chic. Frayed fabric was looped and hung from the arbor, while simple lemon and lime colored arrangements were anchored on the side of the piece. Impending rain showers forced us to have the arch under cover, instead of in front of the large stone fireplace, until right before the wedding. This piece was made out of PVC pipe and anchored in weighted buckets. If creating your own arch, you need to have something to "cover your mechanics" such as the fabric that is hanging down and wrapped around the bottom. 

This arch was completely covered in fall flowers for my brother's wedding. He built a very sturdy, free standing arbor. If I didn't tell you, would you know this had a mixture of fresh and silk flowers in it? Some of the sunflowers were artificial and we were able to reuse them afterwards for other arrangements. We did this to stay within their budget - Just so you know, I would never add silk to someone else's wedding flowers, without discussing it first. Although, with such real looking silk flowers today, it can be a viable option when you want flowers that are out of season.


As you can see, each arch is as unique as the bride and groom that will stand in front of them and can create a beautiful backdrop for your ceremony and pictures. From simple to extremely elaborate, the possibilities are endless!

Christmas in the Gazebo

I always love decorating the gazebo for Christmas! 

Christmas decorating usually comes around the time of first frost here, so it's time to clean up the yard and give it a more lively look. New lights always help! We leave the lights up all year round and it's been dark the last few weeks, therefore it was time. After Christmas I call the "fairy lights" or "party lights"! 😉

We prefer our Dish Pan Snowman, since it won't melt and it doesn't have to be freezing cold and yucky to have a snowman! Win-win, right?!? 

Cleaning up the yard, there where a few watering cans that needed to be put away for winter, but I decided to hang them on the tree instead! 

I added a few burlap poinsettias, twigs, and a red check bow and the tallest tree was decorated! I'm all about keeping it pretty simple this year  - we are on a cleaning spree and these items were all laying around in my workroom, so on the tree they went. 

The old crock and water cooler became tree stands! The rest of the trees are just prelit trees I've picked up at thrift stores over the past few years. I took the plastic stands off and they set down in the old containers. 

The bicycle basket (actually a gym locker basket) needed something. Usually I add fresh greenery or a plant, but I've been sick and just haven't gone to the woods to trim trees... Now back to the cleaning and decluttering my workroom - one garland sitting in the floor, a sign, and a scrap piece of ribbon made their way to the basket! 

There you have it, simple Christmas decor in the yard and gazebo, using items found and repurposed. If you're new around here and haven't read the story of our gazebo, you should go back and see some of the old post - the gazebo was really and truly rescued from a trash ditch and we've had fun giving it a makeover the last few years. The only thing that is ever purchased new is the lights. 

Christmas Decor Makeover

Sometimes our Christmas decor just needs a makeover to make it feel fresh and pretty again. Last week, a client called wanting to update their wreaths, swags, and order a new mantle piece. I went and looked at her pieces and home to get an idea of what she had to work with. The home had been decorated for a Christmas tour several years back and the teardrop / swags were about 12 years old. They had a great woodsy base, although new bows were much needed. She wanted to lighten them up a bit, so I added some snowy greenery and gold ribbon. She already had a large supply of feathers, berries, and some other foliage, so I used as much of what she had, as possible.

 I completed the makeover at their house and when the owner came home, she was so excited and happy with how everything turned out!

The tear drop swags hung with the garland at each post on the staircase.  

I should have taken a before picture of this piece. There was a poor pheasant setting in the middle of this nest that sits on the stair rail. Oh, he was pitiful! I used some of the elements the client had and gave it an updated look. 

They have a large stone fireplace where this wreath hangs, but said it didn't show up very well. So more of the snow covered greenery helped lighten it up come, along with lots of feathers. A snowy bird nest replaced balls that were missing their covering. Not real sure if they were originally moss orbs or what.

 She had an inspiration picture with a mantle piece with the cascading pheasant feathers, so we created this piece for them. The wreath has a very rustic, winter lodge look to me. I suggested that it could be left up all winter and they liked that idea.

We were happy to help give their Christmas decor an updated and fresh look for the holidays! 

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. 

Vintage Style Gift Tags and Bookmarks

I'm the one who loves to wrap gifts in boxes, with pretty bows and unique tags. I like my gifts to have a pretty tag or ornament included, so the recipient has a keepsake.

Recently, I created tags, that can be used as bookmarks or planner page markers afterwards. I used girls from the front of vintage patterns and added motivational quotes or words to them, and most have a piece of vintage lace that can be used to tie them on a gift. I love them and was excited how they turned out. A few are attached to a magnetic page holder. I use one in my planner, to mark the month. 

I love to reuse items and used the paper instructions from the pattern to wrap the small box. (Side note - I buy old patterns to use the tissue paper to wrap my items that I ship out. You'd be surprised how many old patterns have never been cut and you can often find much larger pieces of tissue, compared to the smaller pieces now found in stores.)

I tied a bow with vintage lace and added the stories tag. Can you imagine the stories these two could tell???

"Enjoy the little things, for one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things." -Robert Brault  

"They are able because they think they are able." -Virgil

 Read and tell your story

 Here's the thing... This book marker comes with a magnetic page holder.
(Love her sassy look and can hear her say "Here's the thing."

 The Glamour girl - she's also a magnetic bookmark.

 Back side of the magnetic marker.

I grew up reading, and loving Laura Ingalls Wilder and when I saw this quote in a magazine, I had to cut it out and use it! 

"It is still best to be honest and truthful;

to make the most of what we have;

to be happy with simple pleasures;

and to have courage when things go wrong."

 Now that I think about it, wouldn't this be the perfect gift tag on a box of Little House on the Prairie books and then it would be a book mark as someone read the set of books?!? All the tags are laminated, so they will hold up to use. You can take a Sharpie or permanent marker and right the "to: and from:" details on the back of the tag.

All the tags are now available in my shop and ready to be shipped now.