urban farmgirl

why I've been MIA...

2012-01-29T21:37:00.000-06:00

Whew! What a CRAZY couple of weeks!

I have been working an absolutely insane amount of hours on the little house the hubs and I gave CPR to and put up for sale. (I decided I dislike the term "flipping a house") I think in the last 11 days, I worked a minimum of 13 hours each day at this house. That would be my excuse for not getting a blog post up for...well...forever. For some reason I decided this house needed to go up for sale this week, so there was this huge push to get it done. My hubs was working all week, so it was kinda all up to me. What was I thinking? I can tell you what I am thinking now...Calgon, take me away! (someone please tell me they remember that commercial!)

Here is a "progress" photo. My hubs thought he was helping me out with the "staging' today. I walked in the bathroom, and he had hung the shower curtain and a couple towels. He is so cute...but he better not quit his day job. I had to kinda change it up, but lets not tell him, ok? I don't want to hurt his feelings. You know how guys are, they do one little thing and want a round of applause for it. {hee...hee...} Although I did think it was cute when I saw he had folded the toilet paper end like they do in hotels.

I will try to get a photo of the {correctly} staged bathroom this week if I have time. I didn't plan on showing you these photos, I took these just as a reference for us to use on the next house, but then I decided what the heck! I will throw a little reality at you tonight and you can see it in the "during" stage.

Here is what we had to start with.

Yikes.

It hurts my eyes to even look at it! I had forgotten how bad it was until I uploaded these photos tonight. Wow. What was I thinking when I signed on for this project?

Who ever decided "flesh" was a good shade for toilets, sinks and tubs?

And you just have to loooove that space-age vanity cabinet. All metal, baby!

This is a tiny little starter home...only about 1000 square feet. This is only one bathroom in the house. I have learned from experience that when I reno houses like this, it is best to keep things clean and simple. It is not how I would decorate my own home, but it does seem to be what buyers in this price point, and in my area, are looking for.

The flooring is a new product put out by Allure. They have a standard planked-strip vinyl, and a new one which I used, call Allure Ultra. It clicks together much like Pergo, but is 100% vinyl so can be used in wet spaces like bathrooms and basements. I {LOVE} the look, it has a hand-scraped rustic look to it.

I always use the same beadboard painted white, the same white vanity and tan Corian top. Buyers always seem to love it, so I just keep using it. I think its so funny that there are multiple houses in my city that all have the same exact bathroom. I'm sure some paint the walls their own color, but I use white because it gives them a blank slate to work with once they move in. And it makes a space look so crisp and clean!

The tub was in incredible condition, other than the mildew and awful color. Oh, and the stick-on daisy appliqués in the bottom of the tub. I decided rather than tear it out, I would have it professionally reglazed. For $500 it was the best solution for this house. I know 2 people personally that had their tubs glazed by this same man. One lasted 15 years, the other 17 before they had to be redone. I thought that was a pretty good track record, so I gave it a try.

I am happy to have life back to normal again. It was not an easy week. I was feeling achy and old every night when I got home! I lost 4 pounds in the process, so that made me a little happy! But now I have to get back to reality with mounds of laundry waiting for me...dishes piled up by the sink and tumbleweeds of dog hair floating through my hallway.

{sigh...}

I am off to find that Calgon. If you don't hear from me for a few days, I really did take me away.

your questions...answered. part 1

2012-01-19T07:49:00.000-06:00

Last week, when I wasn't feeling well...I asked if you girls had any questions for me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get so many! Well over a 100...so I think I best break my answers down into multiple posts. I didn't know so many of you would be so curious about this Urban Farmgirl!

This post is a little wordy and very random. Just so you know. Oh, and I am going to keep you in suspense and announce the winner of my little giveaway that went along with the questions when I answer the next round in a couple days.

{smile...}

So let's dig right in, shall we??

"Is that sweet little toy truck in the photo actually yours or just a random photo?"

I am the proud owner of that sweet little ride. I found it at an auction...and got it for a steal - only $6. It is one of the possessions that qualifies for "save it if the house is burning down".

"What is your favorite source for vintage home goods?"

Hmmmm...that is a tough one to answer, because you truly never, ever know what you are going to find. I looooove a yard sale, but estate sales and auctions are my most consistent means of supporting my 'habit'.

"Do you know the people in the truck photo that is in the header of your blog?"

I have no idea who the guy in the truck was! I will say this, it was like a moment out of a movie when that photo was taken. The hubs and I were driving through rural Kansas and I spotted the tailgate far ahead. I freaked out because I just KNEW it was going to be a cute truck. My hubs (being the AWESOME man that he is) drove Nascar style until we caught up to it. I was snapping pics all the way up to it, beside it, and after we passed it by. And can you believe the guy driving it was good looking, shirtless, tan...and wearing aviator sunglasses? If I didn't live to talk about it, I was SWEAR I had died and was driving on the highway to heaven! I mean, when does that happen???

(bad photo, sorry. taken out a car window while going 70 down the highway!)

Have you ever seen the scene in Chevy Chase's Vacation movie where he see's Christie Brinkley driving the Ferrari down the interstate. If so, you will understand why me and the hubs refer to that moment in my life as my "Christie Brinkley Moment." It will go down in history as one of the best moments on a vacation I have ever had.

"What kind of camera/set up/editing tools do I use"

Hmmm...so have I fooled you all into thinking I actually know what I am doing when I am behind my camera?? Hahaha! I received a number of emails complimenting my photography and wanting to know how I learned to take photos. Here is my 100% honest answer.

{ I have absolutely no idea how to use my camera. }

Most days I turn it on, and hope for the best.

There. The facade has been broken down. I can tell you I have a Canon T1i I bought a couple of years ago. BUT, I am soooo busy hunting for my treasures, painting furniture, renovating 2 houses and trying to have some sort of life...I have yet to find time to figure how how to use it. I will tell you I have a TON of great tutorials saved in my Pinterest files, and I am going to take a class a local photographer offers. I also own Photoshop, but have yet to figure that out. I use Picnik.com to edit my photos right now. For lenses, I I normally use the kit lens (18-55mm) but for some of my Etsy photos I use my 50mm.

"What is your all time favorite comedy movie"

Wow, that is a tough one! I am kinda old school when it comes to comedy. "What About Bob" with Bill Murray is one of my all time favorites. I never, ever get tired of that one! I love the Chevy Chase/Bill Murray/Steve Martin/John Candy era of comedy. Totally 80s.

"If you could go anywhere, where would it be?"

Impossible for me to pick only one! I cannot play favorites when it comes to travel. I have wanderlust flowing through my veins! My parents made sure we were well traveled when I was growing up. They wanted us to see the world. As a little kid we went everywhere - from camping at state parks to traveling by train through Europe. If I had to pick tropical I would say The US Virgin Islands or Bora Bora. I MUST stay in one of those little huts out over the water someday. But Norway is at the top of my list, too. I feel it is an overlooked country in terms of travel. It is sooooo beautiful!

"What is your favorite meal in the history of the world?" {If I couldn't decided, said I could give my top 5 favorite foods, so I'm going with that one.}

- Pasta. Specifically the Rigatoni D from Maggianos restaurant. If for some wacky reason I am ever on death row, I told my husband to make sure that is my last meal.

- Ice Cream. Not the soft serve kind...the good old fashioned kind that involves using a scoop. Mint Chip, Cookies and Cream, Butter Pecan...those are my favs.

- Bread. Any kind. I have never met a slice I didn't like.

- A cheeseburger with everything from Portillos restaurant. My Chicago area peeps will know why. Its pure heaven!

- A Dole Whip Float. It is Pineapple soft serve with pineapple juice. (These can only be found at Aloha Isle under the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse in DisneyWorld. You will see me in line there once a day when I go there this June, and again in September. LOVE!)

"Do you sell smalls at the flea market? I just saw your Etsy shop and love it!"

Well, I get asked this one a lot. And right now, I still plan on selling only furniture at the flea market. I am just so busy with the furniture, I find I can't divide my time in order to do it properly with a good set up, etc. However, I do bring things for customers to pick up at the flea all the time! If you see something you like, just let me know and you are welcome to pick it up in my booth!

Ok, that has probably bored you enough for one day!

I am off to work on the house were 'flipping' today. I need to finish painting the kitchen cabinets and install some lights today. Oh, and tear out a counter top and sink. This should be interesting to do all by myself. The hubs is working today - convenient, no?

Happy Thursday, girls! The weekend is almost here!

this is SO four months ago...

2012-01-17T10:36:00.000-06:00

I was going through the card from my camera this morning...and realized that of the 2,134 photos that were on it, I had some good shots from my trip to the Country Living Fair that I never showed you. This is totally old news...and maybe I should have just filed these away, but decided they should make their debut after all.

{I hear there is a 3rd Country Living Fair this year! And it is coming soon! April 27-29 in Austin, TX}

These first four photos were from the same booth...I can't seem to locate their card, but I remember they were from New York. I have no idea why I didn't buy that lodging sign. I was in love with it, and came back to their booth 4 times to look at it. I think I was visually overwhelmed. There was so much to see I wanted it all! But this would have been perfect in my guest room.

{sigh...}

A fun sign for a kitchen...

If my name was Sarah...this one would have been mine!

Great Stuff By Paul was there selling all sorts of European antiques. My friend Andrea ordered some French Bistro chairs from their website, and I was all set to bring some home with me...but the colors I wanted were already gone. Although, now that I see it again, that pink one would have been quite nice for a photo prop!

Love me some suitcases!!

This cabinet is another one of those {KICK MYSELF!} moments. I need to dig up the card from this booth and see if she still has this one. Seriously, does't it remind you of Maria's cabinet from Dreamy Whites?

Modern June's booth is always 10 kinds of happiness! Isn't all that color fantastic!!?

We snuck over to the flea market in Springfield, OH while we were there. Cabinets like these were EVERYWHERE, and I didn't think the prices were too bad. This one was $425.

Oh, and I think I was going to tell you about this a while ago...but I had a great meeting with Cari Cucksey from the HGTV show Cash & Cari. I was the first one in her booth {I headed straight there when the gates opened}. Everyone else started at the first booths inside the gate, which was nice because I actually got a chance to talk to her for a while. We are BFF's you know...since I set up Estate Sales like she does, I have deemed it so. Her show is actually very accurate to how the process of having an estate sale works. Nice to see something that isn't staged.

She was very nice and down to earth. I was going to show you the photo of us together...but this girl is

T-I-N-Y! I look like Godzilla standing next to her, so you are so not seeing that one. Isn't she just so cute? She has a great boho-vibe about her. She is getting married this fall, and is having her wedding in a barn. That, my friends, is going to be awesome...and I can't wait to see the photos!

Country Living had huge banners all over the grounds with photos from the pages of their magazine. This one caught my eye. So yes, I took a photo of a photo. Isn't that sink AMAZING!!?

Nothing is off limits when I have my camera. If I like your boots, I will shamelessly take a photo of you as you walk away. But these were just the perfect shade of gray! I should have asked her the brand....I am still slightly obsessed with them.

When I road-trip, it takes a little longer to get to your destination than a normal person. I stop constantly. Do brake hard, do u-turns on 4 lane roads...all in the name of beautiful things! I saw this old house outside of a small town in Indiana on my way to CL. In her prime, she was such a beauty. Look at the moulding around each window! She needs to be saved!!

Ooohh...this was another u-turn moment. I have a {LOVE} of the old, 1-story motels from the 1940s and 50s. I have a secret little dream to own one someday. This one in a small town in Indiana has been turned into an apartment complex, but the sign was still out front. Oh, how I would love to own it!! The pale aqua background was so beautiful...

Just in case you are interested in going...here are the dates of this year's Country Living Shows.

April 27th - 29th - Austin, TX

September 14-16 - Columbus, OH

October 26-28th -Atlanta, GA

I am off to take Etsy photos today! I have some goodies to list in the shop tonight. Here is a run-down in case anything sounds interesting! I have an old white scale, small metal pie safe cabinet, swedish books, a few old metal toolboxes, crusty old bottles, ironstone plates and platters, old sign letters...and whatever else I pull out of my 'archives'. So check back - I will start filling this shop this afternoon!

right now...

2012-01-14T08:51:00.001-06:00

I never really like to do a picture-less post. We all love the pictures, you know. But tonight, I just felt the need to do this post. Susan (Hometown Girl) did this one last week...she got the idea from Tara (Between You & Me), so I thought it only fitting I follow suit (with permission, of course). Thanks, Susan for ~~letting me copy you~~ inspiring me!

I am starting to feel better...thank goodness! Thank you for all the well wishes, I will announce the winner of my giveaway on Monday and then start answering all those questions you left for me!

So here is what I am doing...right now.

watching: American Pickers. I just turned it on, and it is the episode where they are in my town, picking an old warehouse that is not far from mine!! How weird is that??

eating: Don't tell my Beachbody coach, but I just had pizza for dinner. And italian salad. And maybe a little cheesy garlic bread. Hey, I'm doing the P90X workout. I haven't eaten real food since I was blessed with this lovely virus. I thought a few calories should be part of my Friday night plan. Feed a cold, right??

drinking: I have switched from the throat soothing Diet 7-up to Hot Apple Cider with a splash of orange juice. Bliss!

needing: To take my Christmas wreath down from by my front door. It slaps me in the face every day when I get home, but yet I cannot remember 10 seconds after I walk in the door to take it down.

wearing: Ooooooh, you are all going to stop reading after this. Brace yourself. Light green fuzzy polar fleece pjs with a pepto-bismol pink polar fleece robe over them. Oh, and slipper-boots. I looove slippers that are tall like boots. My favorite thing - ever!

I have been sick. I wanted comfort. Don't judge.

avoiding: Filing the 1,698 pieces of paper on my desk. Paper is my nemesis.

feeling: Sinus pressure.

missing: The ability to breathe through BOTH my nostrils at the same time.

thankful: For Pinterest and my iPhone. Talk about a way for a girl to pass the time! I am in line at the grocery store pinning away...I just cannot be idle for one moment in my life. It's a sickness I tell you. I must do multiple things at all times.

weather: 36 hours ago it was sunny and 54 degrees here in Illinois. Within in the last 24 hours we got whopped with 6-8 inches of snow and the official temperature right now is 7 degrees. Gotta love the Midwest!

praying for: This is a shallow answer, but I am going to an auction this weekend at an old sign factory. It is full of old signs and an antique card catalog I have my eye on. Please, please, please let me come home with a full truck! I never thought I would say this, but I am soooo excited to stand in 23 degree weather for 6 hours just to see what I can snag at this one!

needing to: Finish the house I am 'flipping' with my hubs. It seriously needs to be on the market by the end of the month. Tomorrow I have to paint kitchen cabinets and some pretty new beadboard in the bathroom, and I am sooooooo not feelin' it. Why oh why have I lost my DIY mojo?? If someone finds, please let me know. I am sure my hubs will offer a reward.

thinking: That if I hear Mike from American Pickers say "I'll pop on that" one more time in this episode...I am going to get in my car, drive through the night to LeClair Iowa and just let the man have it.

Ok. Sorry. I'm over it now. But while I was typing this, I swear he said that phrase 6,245 times! Alright already!

loving: These boots. Aren't they fantastic?? I NEED them!

via

Happy Weekend, girls!

I'll be back on Monday!

new goodies in the shop!

2012-01-12T16:07:00.002-06:00

FINALLY! I am starting to feel alive again! I am still not 100%, but I needed to get up and do something today to force myself into getting better. I am not used to being down this long. It makes me c-r-a-z-y!

Anyway, I couldn't do too much...but I did get a few new things in listed in my Etsy shop, so thought I would give you a peek!

A beautiful Swedish cookbook...dated 1899. This one is a GEM!

I have 2 of these metal baskets...perfect patina, great size! Storage should be cute and efficient!

These old opera glasses would be perfect perched on top of a pile of old books...

And you must know by now how I {loooooove} old metal toolboxes! I use them for storage all over my house! My studio has a line of them up on a shelf! I can just grab it and go when I have to create on the run!

And I cannot believe someone has not taken home these gorgeous french vanity jars yet! I listed these a couple days ago...they are quite large...an unusual size, so would really make a statement if you have a shelf or long bathroom counter!

Oh, and here we go with my toolbox obsession again! It it was not the middle of winter int he Midwest, I would have styled this old beauty full of pink peonies! Spring is just around the corner..this would be a cutie for the middle of your dining room table! {wink...wink...}

Well, that is about all the energy I can muster for today. I guess it is back to the couch of me. Hopefully tomorrow will be better! I need to squeeze a little TLC out of the hubs tonight. (Hey, I have to milk it while I can, right!)

I can't believe how many questions you girls came up with for me on my last post! We are over 100...I had no idea you girls would be THAT curious! Thanks for taking the time...each one was fun to read, I can't way to get the posts going with the answers!

{smile...}

I'll be back tomorrow!

Q&A...and a giveaway!

2012-01-09T12:41:00.002-06:00

Hey, that title rhymed!

Not too bad for a girl that is delirious with a head cold and bronchitis right now! I have one whopper of a virus right now, and I just can't seem to shake it. Ugh.

I thought since I don't have enough brain cells to compose a post today we would do something a little fun...

I'm holding a little Q& A session for the Urban Farmgirl!

Ask away!

Anything you would like to know about me personally...or my little biz...my home...you name it! Just leave me a comment on this post with your question. I always wonder about the girl behind the blog, so I know you probably do, too!

And just to add a more little fun, I will hold a little GIVEAWAY to go along with it! I will randomly choose one winner from the questions and send them a little surprise package of vintage goodies! (I have some awesome things set aside...but it's a secret...so shhhhh!)

I can't wait to see what you come up with! Its been a while since I have done this but it is always fun to read through your questions!

Happy Monday, girls! I am off to curl up on the sofa...

Oh, and on a side note...did you know that if you suffer from those crazy coughing fits - rubbing Vics vapor rub on the bottom of your feet and putting socks on stops the coughing?? I know, sounds TOTALLY crazy...but a friend told me about it, apparently her Grandma swore by the method. After another sleepless night last night, I was desperate enough to try it. My hubs insisted she was pulling some practical joke on me...and I did feel a little weird doing it, but I have to admit, it actually worked! I have not coughed once since I tried it. That is my helpful hint for the day!

i {heart} pine...

2012-01-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

I am hoping to get a little makeover to my home office completed this month. Notice I say 'this month'...I am always amazed when I visit a blog and see someone complete a room transformation in just a few days. How do they do that?? I have to sneak a few minutes in here and there between client orders, working on the house we are flipping and the never-ending laundry pile. Please tell me I'm not the only one that takes this long??

Anyway, I use the smallest bedroom in our home or my office. The room is only 10x12 and the interior wall that is only 10 feet, has 7 1/2 feet of closet on it. The two outside walls have huge windows on them. Each one is 4 ft wide x 5 feet tall. Those are big windows for such a little room, so it makes furniture placement a little tricky.

I have an 'odd' corner between those windows, and nothing every really seemed to work right in that space. I walked in to the room last week, and I decided it was time, literally, to do something with this room. I have those moments...I ignore a space and then like flipping a switch I decide its time to change it up. As in RIGHT. NOW. My hubs probably thinks I am crazy. But, he goes along with my whims without saying a word, so we drove to my warehouse to see if I had anything on hand I could use.

And there, buried waaaay in the back I found this old girl...

I picked her up at an auction last winter, hoping I would find a place for her - someday.

I cannot tell you how much I love this cupboard! The perfect piece to go with my crisp white walls. Thank goodness I never sold this piece. I can't wait to fill her with pretty things...

Since we are on the subject of my home office....I'll show you a few inspiration pics from my Pinterest files that I am using for this space.

I also found this exact.same.desk while I was dragging things out at my warehouse. It is solid oak...an old teacher's desk from our school district. It is being painted white as we speak, I hope to have it finished up and in place this weekend.

Above the desk, I am thinking I need a bulletin board. I rather love the 'unstructured' style of this one...

Maybe that would help tame the 6,247 pieces of paper that somehow accumulate on the top of my desk.

Well girls, Happy Wednesday to you!

I am off to pack Etsy orders. I loaded the shop with some new things last night and they went so fast! I am going through the treasures from my grandmother's home right now...so if you see a lot of roses this week, that is why. She loved her pink roses!

well hello, 2012...I have plans for you!

2012-01-02T12:56:00.001-06:00

It has been a fantastic couple of weeks around here! I hope all of you had wonderful Holidays! I have some blog reading to catch up on so I can get up to speed on what you have been up to!

First of all, I have to start by sayingTHANK YOU for making 2011 so incredible for me! Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to stop by my little corner of the blog world and for all your support of my Etsy shop and my booth at the flea market. You are what make it possible for me to do what I love and be able to make a living doing it. To hunt, to gather, to create. It truly fills my soul to be able to spend my life exploring nooks and crannys...all in the hope of bringing a little piece of happiness into your home.

{HUGS to all of you!}

I don't usually get into all the "New Year" hubbub, but for some reason this year I am feeling refreshed and renewed! 2012 already has some AMAZING things on the horizon for me, both professionally and personally. I don't really do 'resolutions' but there are a few things that I am so stinkin' excited to change around here! There is something about turing that first page on a new calendar makes all things seem possible!

One BIG thing for me that is going to change...my business. I am sooooo excited to revamp things a little so I can improve on aspects of it I have let take a backseat for too long! Yes, that means blogging. I really need to be better about posting more often. I just have an insane amount of furniture to paint for clients, everything else just seems to fall to the wayside when I have deadlines. But, I am going to change that this year. I am not saying I am going to do a daily post, because quite frankly, that is just unrealistic for me. But there are going to be more project posts, more business information posts (I get so many emails about that, I think a post once in a while is the best way to answer everyones questions) and I swear I will actually take time out of the craziness to show you inside my home. I know, I know...I have been so bad about that, because I have been all work and no play for so many years now. It is time to bust out of my old ways...and do things a little differently! Do what I want to do...not what I feel obligated to do.

And for my Chicagoland friends that shop my space at the flea market in St. Charles...my 2012 schedule is now on my sidebar. I have will still have my regular space with the sea of white furniture you love so much...but this spring I will be rolling out a new line of custom made pieces. Everything will be made from salvaged bits from old barns and farmhouses. Just think old chippy paint and naturally weathered wood. Farm tables, locker-inspired cabinets...I am soooo excited about it! I have had this in the works for so long, I am over-the-moon I could finally make it happen!

I am considering offering some of my furniture for sale on my blog, too. A special piece here and there, just for fun.

(all photos are via my Pinterest board 'words to live by')

And while we are on the subject of new things...before Christmas, I had a fabulous Saturday spent with 3 new blog friends and it was such a great time! Stacey, from A Sort of Fairytale and I went to the Tattered Tiques sale in Lake Barrington, IL (their next sale is Jan. 13-15th...if you live around Chicagoland, you MUST go!). Two sisters, Anne & Julie, have an incredible space and they are HILARIOUS! Just my kind of girls! Isn't it AMAZING when you meet someone you have only known through their writing and there is an instant 'click'? So rare and so awesome when it happens!

{sigh...}

Happy New Year, friends!

I am off to eat a little dinner and cozy up by the fire with my hubs. It was a nippy 20 degrees here and really windy today. Brrrrr!

merry christmas...

2011-12-25T20:13:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

The festivities are now over. I am back home in my cozy sweats...make-up washed off for the day....my hair in a ponytail...and all I can say is.....ahhhhhhhh.

Hope you all had a wonderful day.

I know I did.

Good food. Lots of laughter. And fun. And family.

Life is good.

its a wrap! (and a giveaway winner, too!)

2011-12-20T08:26:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite days of the year! Sounds crazy...but tonight it is gift wrapping night in our house! I love saving all my gifts until I am done shopping so the hubs and I can have a little 'wrapping party'. I went back to my Pinterest board "gift wrapping" this morning for a little inspiration, so thought I would share.

Tonight, I will make a couple appetizers. (Also ideas from my Pinterest board "yummy") The hubs will build a fire in the fireplace, open a bottle of wine and we wrap gifts until every last thing is under the tree!

He is the official gift wrapper in this house...you should see his attention to detail - amazing! I design, he executes. We make a good team that way. (Actually, he couldn't care less what they look like, he is just the man that has a mind like an engineer, so the gift come out wrapped perfectly every time.) Most guys I know wrap like a 5 year old, but this guy has some skills when it comes to paper and scissors, I tell ya!

(And yes he would DIE right now if he knew I was telling the world this right now. Thankfully the guys at work don't read my blog! Haha!)

I like to use simple things...I don't spend a fortune of all kinds of glittery paper. My favorite thing to use brown or white kraft paper, since I already have big rolls of that around the house. (I use it for the dust jacket backings on the mirrors I sell.) When my show season ends in October, I bring the big roll home from my warehouse so its ready for Christmas!

Oh gray, how I love you so. So simple and pretty.

And I have to say, I cannot believe that I do not own a single shred of this pretty baker's twine yet! I am trying to find a good source where it doesn't cost a fortune.

Trader Joe's bags used as wrap....what a fantastic idea this is! It mixes my love of kraft paper...white...with the perfect amount of red thrown in for good measure!

{LOVE!}

This is my favorite idea for this year...as soon as I am done with this post, I am heading to Home Depot to steal a few paint samples in reds and greens! I won't even need to write the "from" portion on the tag. Everyone will already know!

(I am a little famous for being ~~the nut that is obsessed with paint swatches~~ the diligent and prepared business woman that carries every fan deck of paint colors with her. You never know when you need to whip out 500 shades to find the perfect color for a client, right?)

So my friends and family will get a kick out of this.

I am off to steal paint sample cards and buy some food and wine for tonight. Wish you could all come over for a wrapping party...wouldn't that be awesome? How fun!

Oh, and do you want to know who won the giveaway I hosted for the $50 credit to Post Road Vintage?

Sasha from Lemonade Makin' Mama!

Thank you to all that entered! I have a few more giveaways up my sleeve, so stay tuned!

Last Call - POST ROAD VINTAGE GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-18T19:12:00.001-06:00

Just a quick reminder...

My giveaway with Heather from Post Road Vintage ends tonight at MIDNIGHT central time!

Go here to get your name in!

You could win a $50 credit to her beautiful shop!

Good luck, girls! I will announce the winner in the morning!

POST ROAD VINTAGE $50 GIVEAWAY

2011-12-13T07:32:00.000-06:00

{GIVEAWAY CLOSED...WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER TODAY!}

Giving is such a fun part of this time of year! In that spirit, my friend Heather from Post Road Vintage has so graciously offered one of my readers a $50 credit to her shop!

Have you seen the beauty that resides in her shop?? It is beyond amazing...I love her style...her craftsman ship...whoever wins this giveaway is going to be truly lucky!

She has {GORGEOUS} handmade coat racks...

And these lovely white soap dispensers! Heather was sweet enough to send me one of these, and it was one of the happiest packages I have opened in a long time. I couldn't wait to run over to my sink and fill it up with my favorite yummy Holiday soap!

And another of my {FAVORITES}....her blue Ball jar soap dispensers! So simple and pretty, aren't they? Who wouldn't love to have one of these by their sink?

{sigh...}

So here's the scoop on how to win...

1. LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST.

2. FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO WIN, SIGN UP FOR HEATHER'S INSPIRING NEWSLETTER HERE. (Be sure to leave me a separate comment to let me know you did!)

Oooohh...and did I mention....Heather is offering a 20% discount in her shop right now! If there is something in her shop, that you must have, she will guarantee arrival by Christmas (within the Continental US) if you order by Dec. 19th! Just use the discount code MERRY20 at checkout.

Good luck, girls!

Giveaway ends Sunday night at midnight Central Time! I will announce the winner Monday morning!

$50 ETSY SHOP GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-12-09T08:46:00.001-06:00

So who wants to win $50 to spend in my Etsy shop????

If YOU do...click over to visit Heather at Post Road Vintage!

There are 7...yep, thats right....SEVEN ways to enter so you have a great shot at winning some vintage goodness before Christmas!

Good luck!

(And just so you know...my shop was almost picked clean yesterday...THANK YOU! I will list more goodies tomorrow so come back to take a peek!)

Ok, now go over and see Heather and get your name in to win!

2011-12-08T06:57:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you know I added a few new things added the the Etsy shop...

A little vintage ironstone...rusty metal...scales...more to come this weekend, too!

Happy Thursday, girls!

I am off to rural Wisconsin to visit a man that makes dining tables out of salvaged barn wood! Someone may just have a new table for Christmas dinner...fingers crossed!!

Northwind Perennial Farm 2012

2011-12-07T11:23:00.001-06:00

Hello, girls! I have a busy day today...taking LOADS of photos of new things for my Etsy shop! Today I have scales, signs, transfer ware, a few industrial pieces and a collection of roses china and paintings from my grandmother's estate.

Just thought I would check in with some photos from my weekend...I went to Indy on Friday and Saturday to pick of these 'ugly duckling' pharmacy cabinets but Sunday I made the trip to my beloved Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, WI.

I love this place. Seriously.

I would move into the barn and live there if they would let me. And not even care that I didn't have running water and heat. It is that beautiful in person.

{sigh...}

Anyway, just some photos from around the grounds. If you want to see the barn or more photos when there was snow on the ground...you can read my two posts from last year here and here.

On with the show...

Oh, amazing industrial light fixture, how I love thee.

Have I ever told you I dream of owning one of those little old 1-story motels someday? I have had that dream since I was a little girl. The kind of retro hotel that used these chairs outside each room...it is a dream of mine. But in the mean time, I will just obsess over the pile of rusty chairs. SO pretty!

Rusty goodness is everywhere on the grounds at Northwind...

And we all probably know by now of this farm girl's obsession with a barn. This is one of the many little ones around the property.

{Love...}

I have always had an obsession with doors! Simple beauty. It is what I love the most.

But this one is my FAVORITE!!!! Wouldn't this make a fabulous Christmas card for Urban Farmgirl this year??! Hmmm....I think I just had an 'ah-ha' moment!

If you are from the Illinois/Wisconsin area...you MUST make the trip to Northwind. (This weekend will be the last they are open for business for 2011.) Springtime here is the BEST! Amazing plants fill the farm (just about everything for my landscaping comes from here) and in June they have an antique show on the grounds that I LOVE, too! When I was there on Sunday we talked a little about my being a vendor in 2012! I have a warehouse busting at the seams with things waaaay to large for Etsy. I think its time to let some go!

Ok, I have to get back to work. The Etsy shop needs stocking! Don't forget to take a peek tomorrow morning for new things!

pharmacy cabinet potential...

2011-12-01T18:54:00.001-06:00

I do the craziest things.

Constantly.

I fly by the seat of my pants, jump in with both feet and hope it all turns out for the best.

And I think this time I've done something that just might turn out to be quite fabulous!

Today my sweet hubs is taking me 5 hours to Indiana to pick up {FOUR} of these beautiful old pharmacy cabinets....once upon a time they were all lined up along the back wall behind a pharmacy counter. I found them in a little town in Indiana on my way to the Country Living Fair in September. They are so worth the trip back to pick them up! I hope you can see the potential like I do!

( My apologies for the ugly photo...but I took it with my iPhone in a very dark antique shop. )

Not so spectacular now...but just you wait!

Each of the 4 cabinets has had a 1960s refinish job that went bad. Very, very bad. The pulls they put on are just tragic, the shelves hurt my eyes and the color of the stain....well...I am not having a love affair with that either.

I plan on spending a little time this winter giving them the library pulls that would have been original...the kind that hold the little paper card - {LOVE!}....new stain....new 'old' shelves. I think the cabinet may reach out and hug me for making it pretty again.

Happy Weekend, girls!

Indiana here I come!

are yours real or fake?

2011-11-30T20:46:00.001-06:00

Ummmm...the subject of todays post is GREENS....as in Christmas Trees and Wreaths.

Lets not let our minds go crazy places with what I am asking is real or fake, ok?

Trees. Wreaths.

That is all.

Just thought that title might wake everyone up this morning.

{wink...wink...}

Artificial trees & wreaths have always been part of my Christmas. My parents always had a 'fake' tree and I have 3 of them for our house, but truth be told, I {LOVE} the look of a real tree.

I love the irregular shape, the smell, the natural look it has. It is just so "me".

And to be honest, I love the idea of not having to store anything in my basement the 335 days of the year I am not using it.

(By the way, isn't that mini flag bunting on the tree below just the cutest??? I am in love with it! I have a feeling we will be seeing bunting on one of our trees this year. It is just so simple and sweet. )

I feel a little guilty about cutting down a living, thriving tree only to let it decorate my house for a month, then throw it to the curb as soon as its loveliness fades. But after talking to a blog friend on the phone last night, she has me feeling a little better about it. She pointed out tree farms grow Christmas trees just for this purpose, so I am not just randomly kiling an innocent tree.

And I realize she probably things I am a total nut for even worrying about it in the first place. But I am making my annual trek to the Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, WI this weekend and I need to decide if I am going to come home with a tree strapped to my roof or not.

(By the way...if you are anywhere near Southern Wisconsin and love big old barns, french pastries, gorgeous Christmas greens and fabulous antiques & home decor...you have to make the trek to Northwind. You can read about my visit last here and here. It is AMAZING!)

(all images can be found via my Pinterest board - Christmas)

So I just have to know, girls....

REAL or FAKE??

What are you doing this year?

giveaway winner!

2011-11-28T07:24:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday, girls!

Hope you had a wonderful Holiday weekend!

I am back today with the winners of my Artful Blogging magazine giveaway, then I am off to photograph things all day today for the Etsy shop! Stay tuned, I have some awesome finds getting posted later this afternoon!

But before I get to that, did you all download Heather's fabulous E-zine?? Nothing like a little eye candy...and can you believe...it's free!? You can sign up on Heather's blog, Post Road Vintage. I am between the virtual pages giving you a little info on how I transformed this cabinet for my home office. You can find some of my favorite bloggers in it, too!

Ok, onto the fun stuff....the 2 winners of the Artful Blogging magazine are:

The UnSoccer Mom

and...

Kat from Pretty in Pink & Green

Congrats, girls! Email me so I can get your package on the way!

I am off to photograph some vintage goodness now...keep your fingers crossed I get sunshine all day today! Darn this Midwest winter weather!

Homebound e-zine!

2011-11-24T20:16:00.001-06:00

I have some exciting new to share!

Heather, from the beautiful blog Post Road Vintage has put together a GORGEOUS new e-zine for everyone to enjoy...and I am so lucky to have been a part of it!

You may remember me showing you a "before" of the cabinet below on my blog last month....

(click here to subscribe)

Between the virtual pages of the e-zine, I am giving some info on how I took it from 'before' to 'after'!

You can also find projects and decor inspiration from some of my very favorite bloggers:

Andrea - Faded Plains
Carol - Raised in Cotton
Lynda - Lynda Naranjo Photography
Courtney - French Country Cottage
Heather - Post Road Vintage

If you would like to have pages of endless inspiration delivered straight to your email inbox, click here or below the photo above.

No strings...no spam...and best of all this Holiday season...it doesn't cost a dime!

Just sharing the love of all things home...homemade...and vintage! I hope you will take a moment to check it out! It is Heather's very first e-zine, and I think she did a FABULOUS job!

I will be adding new goodies to my Etsy shop after the weekend, so stay tuned!

And there is still time to enter my giveaway! You could be one of 2 lucky readers to win a copy of Artful Blogging! Click here to enter!

thank you Artful Blogging...and a giveaway!

2011-11-23T09:25:00.001-06:00

I just added one more thing to my list of things I am thankful for.

I received an email a couple of months ago, asking if I would be willing to be featured as one of the bloggers highlighted in the issue they were working on.

I thought for sure they had the wrong farmgirl. I mean, really....Moi?? In the pages of Artful Blogging? I double checked the email address, and read the email a few times before I answered. And sure enough, as crazy as it was...they were indeed asking me! Exciting, right?

I am forever grateful to Stampington & Co. and Jennifer Jackson Taylor for seeing a little something in my little corner of the world they wanted to share with all of you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

You have no idea how you made a girl that constantly doubts herself...feel so very humbled and just plain happy!

I thought I would share a little of that happiness this weekend...I am giving away 2 copies of this gorgeous publication!

Some of my very favorite bloggers are in this issue...

Anne from Fiona & Twig

Tracey from French Larkspur

Tricia from A Rosy Note

and one of my all time favorite photographers...

Lynda Naranjo

We are taking some serious eye candy between the pages! I am in good company, or what?

Just leave me a comment on this post, and I will draw 2 names Monday morning!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Have a happy, happy Holiday...and safe travels!

*** COMMENTS FOR THIS GIVEAWAY ARE NOW CLOSED ***

I'm flipping out...

2011-11-15T07:47:00.001-06:00

Well, really just house-flipping, as they call it!

I have been an absent blogger these last few weeks, so I thought I should explain a little. I have missed everyone...and THANK YOU so much for all the "Mary where are you??" emails! It sure makes a girl feel good to be missed! Here is the low-down on whats been going on in my world.

I have been CONSUMED with trying to finish a house project we have taken on. The hubs and I do this about once every-other-year. We stumble on a house that had LOADS of potential but needs LOTS and LOTS of love. We give ourselves a time frame of 6 weeks to get the house done, and then its up for sale and ready to be a cozy new home for a new little family.

I do 75% of the work...and I love every single minute! Choosing finishes, hanging light fixtures, painting walls...I just WISH I had more time to blog about it.

Darn it. Reason #379 I need a personal assistant. Wouldn't it be fun to see this process step-by-step in real-world time...not edited HGTV time where it looks all fast and glamorous? Trust me, it is far from either one! Its exhausting and dirty but I looooove it so much!

Want to see photos of the house I am taking on at this very moment??

WARNING: The following photos may hurt your eyes. They may cause burning, stinging or for you to gasp out loud when you see them. We are talking some major ugly here, girls.

Living Room

Living Room/Breakfast Nook

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

I cannot wait to make all those cherry-wood walls and ceiling beams bright white!

It is a petite little house, which has unintentionally become my specialty. I have found a niche in the market of small starter homes, usually the buyer is a single, younger person. In my corner of the world, I have found the secret is making the house very "Pottery Barn". It appeals to the young, first time buyer that can't afford a large house with a large payment...BUT they cannot find what they like in their small price range. So, it has worked for me to make it cute...clean, simple, classically modern...and it sells fast every time! Lets pray this one goes the same way!

The last time I sold a house we had redone, it was only 850 square feet..and I redid every single surface in the house for under $2000...it had new and cute everything! Bathroom, kitchen, flooring, windows, gutters, fixtures....we had seven offers on the day of the very first open house. Crazy for this market!! I hear the same thing over and over when I sell this size of house "I can't find anything this nice in my price range". Bingo! If anyone is thinking of doing a project like this, small houses seem to be the way to go!

I am not even going to show you the kitchen or bathroom yet. I didn't want to do that to you on a beautiful Monday morning. There are some painful 1970s memories going on in those rooms, so I will save it for when I can show the before-and-after in the same post.

Happy Monday, girls!

I am off to start my workday! Paintbrush, here I come!

I'm over at Vintage Junky today!

2011-11-02T08:11:00.000-05:00

Just checking in to say hello to everyone! I really thought life would slow down a little and I would have more time to blog when my show season ended a few weeks ago...but the whirlwind continues!

I am a busy little bee setting up an Estate Sale at my hubs grandmother's home and planning the updates to her cute little bungalow in hopes of a quick sale when it is finally on the market. So don't forget about me! I will show you some of my projects as I go through the process of updating her cute little home. Sorting through 85 years of "life" has been all-consuming the last few weeks. But I am finding some amazing things I will be adding to my Etsy shop over the next few weeks!

And for some fun news...come see my post over at Vintage Junky today! Michelle is doing a fabulous series every Wednesday called "What I Keep" and I am spilling the secrets of the finds I just can't seem to part with! I'm even going to add a few new goodies to my Etsy shop in honor of the occasion!

I'll be back soon! I just need to get through this Estate Sale this weekend so I can breathe again!

made-to-order roman shades??

2011-10-20T14:55:00.002-05:00

Anyone out there know of a good source for made-to-order roman shades?

Maybe a fellow blogger...or an Etsy shop?? I like to support handmade, you know!

I am working on a master bedroom makeover, and I need to have some made to fit a large corner window.

Next question...anyone out there have a corner window like the one in the photo below?

Do you use drapes or another type of window treatment. Do tell!!

Most of the photos I have found on Pinterest or Google with corner windows show no type of window treatment at all. Not an option for a bedroom.

It is the HARDEST kind of window to dress, I swear! I would use white drapes, but then my hubs would have fabric hanging behind his nightstand, which seems kinda weird. (Our bed sits where you see the sofa in that photo, so his nightstand is positioned under the window for the most part.)

I thought a white roman shade would be a perfect solution. Our bedroom overlooks a large and private, somewhat wooded backyard, so privacy isn't a huge issue.

(all images via my pinterest)

Ideas, anyone?

let's talk halloween...

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every year the hubs and I organize our part of a Halloween event at our local museum.

It is SO. MUCH. FUN!

(I love seeing my 6'3" hubs wearing a mask that makes him yet 4" taller towering over the kiddos...they LOVE it!)

It gives our city's kids a safe and unique place to come out all dressed up and trick-or-treat. Behind the museum's main building is a town...a general store, an old hotel, a white clap-board church, a firehouse, a big barn. There are quite a few buildings and businesses, and they make up the most charming "Little House on the Prairie" type town. Each a historic building that has been moved from its original location to the Museum's ground.

A local business signs up to sponsor one of the buildings. They employees volunteer to decorate their building, they dress up in costume and hand out candy to the kids. There are other events too, bobbing for apples, hayrides...the usual old-fashioned style fall party.

Last year my hubs was Frankenstein and I was Red Riding Hood.

(I never realized this until I uploaded this photo on the blog...there is a mini Red Riding Hood behind my hubs - so cute!!)

Oh, and just so you know...I cannot be held responsible for what looks like huge 1980's bangs piled high on my head.

I blame the hood.

I swear I don't walk through my normal life like that.

Anyway, I need help. Ideas. Creativity.

What should I go as this year?? Do I give Red Riding Hood one more run before I retire the outfit, or should I try something new?

Any ideas from all you creative ladies out there??

Oh, and for any of you in the Northern Illinois area, this event is soooo worth the trip out! It takes place at the Midway Village Museum in Rockford, IL next Friday October 22nd from 2-8pm. You can find me in the Police Station handing out goodies all day!

a happy accident...

2011-10-12T13:53:00.003-05:00

I normally wouldn't post such an ugly pic...but I just had to show you the "happy accident of the day"...

Remember my last post where I showed you a photos of the cabinet with all the small drawers I picked out of the trash?? Well, I know some of you wanted me to leave the original finish. And trust me, I would have if I thought I could. I {LOVE} me some chippy, old paint!!

BUT, since it was in a printing factory all those years there was ink all over the bottom half of the cabinet. Someone either dropped a big jar of it, or a machine was continually splashing it in the direction of the cabinet...whatever it was...I hated it. It just looked so gross and killed the look of the cabinet.

So I took my palm sander to it this morning, and look what I found!!

(See...I told you that ink was gross. Blah.)

Each drawer has a number underneath, and the gray paint lightens and brightens to be a PERFECT shade for my office.

Isn't it wonderful when something works out even better than you planned??

Ok, its back to the sander for me, girls! I can't wait to get this one finished!

what I'm doing today...

2011-10-10T14:50:00.001-05:00

First order of business...Midwest girls - can you BELIEVE this weather??

A-MA-ZING!!!

I feel like I am living in the South! Shorts and flip-flops in October?? I love it!

I am doing yard work, painting trim, getting my flower beds in order for winter...so being a procrastinator hasn't proven to be a bad this this year after all!

Anyway. just thought I would check in and give you a tiny peek at what I am going to work on when I have some spare time this week...I know she is not much to look at now, but she has such potential! I have always been a sucker for cabinets with lots of little drawers.

16 drawers of loveliness...

{sigh...} I think I am in love.

old, chippy gray paint that needs a little 'sprucing up'...

not a full paint job, because I love the character of this one...but a fresh look is in order for this old girl

{removing old stickers...a dry brushing of a fresh gray paint...and old maps to line each drawer}

she served an old printing company in my city for over a 100 years, then was discarded and headed for the landfill. I rescued her and can't wait to give her a new home in my office!

Back to work for me, girls! The huge tree in my front yard decided to drop every single leaf it had overnight.

Anyone want to help me rake??

recovery mode...and a winner!

2011-10-04T09:37:00.003-05:00

{aaaaaahhhhhhh.....}

That is all I could say as I plopped into my super-cozy down filled sofa Sunday night.

My flea market season has officially come to an end for 2011.

(thought I would show you a few photos from the weekend. It was c-r-a-z-y busy...I tried to get some before we opened...so sorry they are not the best, but at least you can see some of the things I brought to the show.)

And now I am in what I call "recovery mode". After 6 shows in a row...and hundreds and hundreds of pieces of furniture later, I am tired. My house needs to be cleaned. I need to regroup and work on some projects in my own home.

It was an AMAZING summer, to say the least. You girls rocked my socks off with the support you showed me and my little biz this summer!! I have been doing this so long, and every spring I wonder if this is going to be my last. If you will get tired of my work. Tired of seeing everything painted white.

I start every single show off with those same fears, and every single time you come through and show me the love. This month was no exception, and all I can say is THANK YOU!!!

I have a fantastic giveaway coming up next week to show just how much I appreciate you. So stay tuned! I think you are gonna {LOVE} it!

Speaking of giveaways....

How about I announce the winner of the $50 La Posh Style giveaway!?

Chosen by random.org...the girl that better be ready to get her shop on is....drumroll, please....

KELGIRL

Email me, KELGIRL. Its time for some new boots!

HGTV magazine & a flea market weekend!

2011-09-30T17:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, how did this one slip by me??

HGTV came out with a magazine?

And I didn't know about it ahead of time? Did anyone else miss this or was it just me??

I am a girl that has 2 major obsessions in her life (so sad, I know). HGTV & decor magazines. How in the world did I not know the 2 worlds were merging!?

I am happy to report I will be tucked in to bed extra early tonight, all in the name of curling up and seeing what is under the cover of this beauty. When I was flipping through at the grocery store, I did spy Sarah Richardson between the pages. Don't you just love Sarah?? I do. I think we should hang out. Or at the very least she should decorate my house. Whichever is fine with me.

Oh, and just a reminder to my local peeps...this weekend is my LAST SHOW of the 2011 season! I can't believe how fast it has gone by! But, I have to admit I am slightly relieved to be able to give my paintbrush...and my wrists...a break for a little while. You girls have kept my sooo busy this summer! I am so very grateful...and humbled...that you love my painted furniture. I cannot thank you all enough...you are what keep me going!

I will be in my usual spot at the Kane County Fairgrouds in St. Charles, IL...the Arena Building...main aisle...just look for the sea of white furniture.

And while you are there..be sure to stop and say hello to some of my blog friends that will be selling this weekend...they have AMAZING booths and sell AMAZING things!

- Stacey {A Sort of Fairytale}

- Anita & Judy {Iowa Junk Gypsies}

- Jackie & Jill {2 Chicks & A Fancy Owl}

Polly {Counting Your Blessings}

Hope to see you out at the flea this weekend! It is going to be a gorgeous weekend in Chicagoland!

And I will of course give you a full report on HGTV magazine next week!

Have a fabulous weekend, girls!

$50 La Posh Style gift card giveaway!!!

2011-09-26T07:24:00.000-05:00

The change of season is upon us...and I know that means one very important thing for me...SHOPPING!

I love, love, LOVE that very first crisp, autumn day when I can pull on my boots and a cozy sweater, don't you??

Well how about pulling on a brand spankin' NEW pair of boots or a NEW cozy sweater?

Even better, right??

La Posh Syle has graciously offered one of my readers a $50 gift card to use on their website! Have you seen their site?? I am not kidding here girls...such cute stuff and the prices are amazing!

You could have some cute new things arrive on your doorstep...like maybe this sweater that is sooo cute...

or this amazing camel colored coat...

and check these out...aren't they fabulous??

{sigh...}

I could go on and on...

So here is what you have to do in order to be entered to win...just leave me a comment on this post!

So easy, right?

BUT, if you DO want a little extra credit...hop over and "LIKE" LaPosh Style on Facebook. Just be sure to come back here and let me know you did in a separate comment, ok? That way I will be sure to enter your name twice!

{comments for the giveaway will close at 11:59pm central time on Sunday, October 2nd. Winner will be announced in a post on Monday morning, October 3rd}

Good luck, girls!

country living fair 2011...part one

2011-09-21T08:27:00.003-05:00

I am finally getting back into the swing of things after being gone most of last week to the Country Living Fair in Ohio. The trip was a-ma-zing! We stopped in so many cute little towns along the way...and I can't believe I am admitting this...but we had the van totally packed less than 24 hours into the trip!! (There were many discussions through the miles about which of the 3 of us would be nominated to be on Hoarders first. Since I was the only one in the car that had an industrial warehouse full of my goods...I won hands down. Ha!) Needless to say, the packing tape and boxes I brought along came in very handy!

As I was going through the hundreds, yes HUNDREDS of photos I took...I knew I had to show you this booth first. It was beyond amazing!!

I caught some sort of bug a couple of days into the trip. I wasn't feeling myself by the time we arrived at the CL Fair on Friday morning. I had moments where I was 100% fine...then it would hit me and I was tired, dizzy and had an awful headache...then I felt ok again. Weird. It was not how I planned my tour of the fair to go. But, nothing can come between be and a beautiful display of wares, so it didn't hold me back a bit.

Despite this crazy onset of not feeling well...my eyes were still razor sharp when I saw this sign out of the corner of my eye.

It was metal. It was gray. It was industrial. I was instantly in love.

It was about 6 booths from where I was...the girls I was with tell me I stuffed what I was holding into my sisters arms and sprinted through the crowds straight to this booth...Stash. Thankfully my illness keeps me from remembering any of this, as I am sure I looked like a bumbling idiot as I swooned over everything they had for sale.

Stash had such an eclectic mix. Everything worn and rusty...with a bit of an industrial edge. It was beyond fabulous in person.

I love words on things, especially old things. Isn't the concept of this door fantastic??

And I have a serious love for quotes! And rusty things, and boots. Basically everthing and anything in this photo.

The sign above their clothing line, is well...genius! I see these old embroidery hoops all the time! Hmmmm...I just might have to come up with something similiar...but different for my shows next year!

This pillow they had almost gave me permission to make a sign like that for myself, don't you think?? Haha!

I am not sure which I love more...the gorgeous bags or the chippy piece they are hanging from...

So much vintage-y goodness. I think I was overwhelmed. Do you ever get like that at shows or flea markets? I am kicking myself for coming home with only 2 little things from their booth. I loved everything!

loved this...

Such perfect words, and the paint brushes are so me!!

{Sigh....}

For those of you that couldn't make the trip to the Country Living Fair in Ohio, you still have a chance! The Atlanta show is coming up in October! I think next year I am going to try going South...I hear it is going to be in Texas! I would love to meet up with a few blogger friends down there, so it would be a perfect weekend!

I'll have more photos to come Friday. I can't wait to show you who I was lucky enough to have a little chat with first thing when I arrived at the fair! This beautiful girl and I are long lost best friends, she just doesn't know it yet!

{wink...wink...}

I'm baaaaccck...

2011-09-19T07:52:00.001-05:00

What a weekend it has been!

Last week I mentioned I was off on a roadtrip to Ohio...

And while I was there I spent a little time at an incredible show you that may have heard of...

I can't wait to download all my pics and get a post up about my trip!

But until then, I just wanted to spread the love a little and let you know about a FABULOUS giveaway!

You could win a $50 coupon to use in my sweet friend Andrea's shop! The giveaway is being hosted by Heather over at Post Road Vintage...pop over and get your name in! (Oh, and there is a great little Q&A interview with Andrea, too!)

Happy Monday, girls! I will be back tomorrow with details from my trip!

country living fair...I'm off!

2011-09-14T07:13:00.000-05:00

Au revoir!

I am off to the Country Living Fair in Ohio today!

And thanks to all the fabulous suggestions yesterday, I have lots of places to stop along the way! I am super excited about visiting the flea in Springfield, OH and the Pottery Barn Outlet, too. I have a feeling I am going to pack the car before I even get to the CL show! Good thing I remembered to pack a few boxes, packing paper and some tape. A girl should always travel prepared, you know!

I will be back on Monday with lots of photos, but until then...you can find me on Twitter yaking on about my adventures, my finds and whatever random thoughts pop into my head while I am on the road...again!

Want to follow along?? You can find me on Twitter under the name {urbanfarmgirlco}.

Ahhhh....have I ever told you how much I love a good roadtrip?? Yeah...yeah...I know I have many, many times!

Oh, and the photo above has absolutly nothing to do with my trip...I just found that stack of books at a sale over the weekend, they may soon find their way to my Etsy shop! Aren't they pretty?? {wink...wink...}

Did I mention there is something FUN in it for you, too?? I am going to host a giveaway when I get back! What kind of girl would I be if I went to all these fabulous places and didn't bring a souvenir back for my friends?! I promise I'll make it a good one!

Have a great week...and weekend, too!

{On a sidenote: Blogger isn't letting me leave comments on your blogs...again. Anyone know what is up with this? Ugh. Wordpress is looking better and better all the time. Grrrr...}

roadtrip time...suggestions needed!

2011-09-12T14:05:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how absent I have been from blogging this summer! I have just been so overwhelmed with painting furniture and orders...I totally lost my mojo for a while. But, now that my show season is winding down...I feel it coming back again!

I am leaving for a little trip on Wednesday, and I can't wait. A little R&R before selling at my last show of 2011...and I am READY! I am hoping it will be me in the mood for projects I have to start around the house and making things pretty for fall!

I am heading here...

to the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio.

I am super excited to take in all the beautiful displays and shop my little heart out. Oh, and I am also VERY excited to meet up with this cutie blogger while I am there, too! Stacey is just so sweet and I just know we are going to love spending a little time together while we are away! So funny that we only live about an hour away from each other...but we are meeting up 3 states away from where we live! Isn't the blog world fantastic that way??

Ok, back on track here regarding the trip. I am leaving Wednesday so I can hit every little antique shop and junking spot along the way! I know I showed this to you in a post before...but thought I would put it out there one more time...just in case any of you had a new ideas of where I could stop along the way.

Here is what I need from you, my fabulous readers...where should I stop to shop along the way?? We will be spending our first night in Indianapolis...then on to Columbus on Thursday. The Country Living Show starts Friday, so I will have some time to spend checking things out.

In know of a few bloggers that have shops along my route...but I don't want to miss anything so PLEASE share with me if you know of a shop that I just can't miss! There may even be a little sometin' somethin' in it for you when I get back!

{wink...wink...}

Happy Monday girls, it is sooo good to be back!

I missed you!

we have a winner!

2011-08-27T07:26:00.000-05:00

We have a winner for my Cabbages & Roses giveaway!

My apologies, I am a day late on announcing the winner. We were laying in bed the other night when there was a huge explosion in our backyard. Apparently the transformer on our electric pole blew. Wow! Now that will wake a person up, it was like a cannon going off in our backyward! We have been without power until some time early this morning. I am just sooo glad it is back, selfishly, because it means I can use my blow dryer again. {smile...}

Anyway, on to the winner...

2 yards of the Cabbages & Roses fabric will find a new home with...

AMANDA from SIMPLY HOMEMADE

Congratulations, Amanda...random.org has chosen you as the lucky lady today!

Thank you to all that entered!

Email me, Amanda!

just spreading the love...

2011-08-24T08:47:00.001-05:00

Did you hear?

My sweet friend Andrea, over at Faded Plains is having a Cabbages & Roses giveaway, too!

2 yards of gorgeous farbic, and one of Christina Strutts books, too!

It ends on Friday, so hop over to her blog and leave a comment to get your name in!

Tell her the Urban Farmgirl said "Hi"...

{wink...wink...}

And just a little reminder...my giveaway ends tomorrow...so click on the image below if you didn't get your name in yet!

Good luck, girls! I can't wait to see what the winner does with all this gorgeous fabric!

cabbages & roses GIVEAWAY!!

2011-08-18T07:58:00.002-05:00

I {heart} Cabbages & Roses...and I know you do, too!

I was super excited when they asked if I would be part of a giveaway for their new line of fabric with Moda! The BEST part??? It is going to be sold in the United States, through Moda beginning in September!

To celebrate with my readers, Cabbages & Roses wants to send the lucky winner of my giveaway 1 yard of the gorgeous fabric shown below..

and a coordinating solid blue, too!

Did I mention the fabric is 54" wide, and is 55% linen/45% cotton?? Just think of the project possibilities! Need ideas?? Visit the Cabbages & Roses website for some stunning inspiration!

If you have not yet heard about C&R new collaboration with Moda, click here to read all about it and see some stunning photography on the C&R blog!

Now for the rules of the giveaway...

Easy peasy...just leave me a comment on this post telling me what you would do with the farbic!

Would you make pillows? Cover a chair? How about a new fall skirt? Hmmm...the possibilities are endless, so do share!

Giveaway comments will close on Thursday August 25th, at midnight Central time. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced Friday August 26th.

Good luck, girls! I can't wait to hear your project ideas!

***comments for this giveaway are now closed***

new things in the shop....finally!!

2011-08-09T08:39:00.003-05:00

Just checking in...I know I have been such a bad blogger the last couple of months. Once summer comes, my world goes crazy! I want to give a H-U-G-E THANK YOU to everyone that stopped by my booth at the flea this weekend! You never cease to amaze me with your support of my little biz. You are what keeps me painting in 110 degree heat! I love to see smiling faces when a client finds just the piece of furniture they had been looking for! I am truly humbled that you love what I do...as much as I do.

I was really hoping to snap some pics of the furnitue I brough this weekend. But as soon as the gates flew open it was insane...to say the least! The pieces were flying out of my booth before I could snap a single pic. So....maybe next month I will be able to give you a little snippet of my space at the flea.

Anyway...what I am getting at with this long tale-of-woe about my lack of time to post this summer....is that not only have I been neglecting my blog, but my Etsy shop, too!

I did add a few new things this morning, with lots more to come tonight or tomorrow!

Always one of my favorites...a vintage Big Ben with a beautiful chippy patina!

Vintage bingo numbers...but not just your normal bingo numbers...no sir, these are quite large. Perfect for a project or display!

This birdcage had me doing the "Do I keep this one or let someone else enjoy it" game. I *love* this one...it is just so unique and pretty!

Vintage cow ear tags...and these are paper, too! I never even knew such a thing existed! These were the temporary tags they would use at cattle auctions. I just loved the typography on each card. I hope someone out there has a project just waiting for these beauties! If you need specific numbers, let me know!

Folding wooden measuring sticks...I have one on my desk in front of me as I type this...it holds business cards!

Tarnished silver is always one of my favorite things...I am becoming quite the "hoarder" of this stuff, so someone needs to give this one a home before I do.

*smile...*

Hmmm...what else is coming?? Well, a beautiful large metal tool box in the most GORGEOUS shade of blue (old paint of course), more tarnished silver pieces, french books, antique maps...oh, and a couple of old metal baskets with ruffled liners!

Ok, that is for today girls. I am off to take more pics, do some laundry, clean bathrooms and weed the garden!

Have a happy Tuesday!

its that time again...

2011-08-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

You always can tell when it is "flea market time" around here. You don't hear a peep from me because I am working like crazy getting things painted for the show.

I have a long list of pieces to paint for today, so just thought I would check in and say "Hi"...and leave you with a few pics I have saved in my "furniture inspiration file" on Pinterest.

If you are coming to the flea in St Charles, IL this weekend...the weather is going to be gorgeous! I will have my regular pieces...bookcases, dressers, vanity tables, and a matching pair of gorgeous french twin beds, too!

Oh, and for those of you that have asked...I'm bringing a couple of large cabinets with chicken wire doors and a HUGE armoire that is all girly and pretty!

I found this quote on the web this morning. I think someone is trying to tell me something.

*smile...*

I am off to get some work done girls!

Happy Monday!

country living fair 2011

2011-07-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

Oh, happy day!

Look what I received in the mail today!

Are you going?

I am making my list...and counting the days.

I've rented a big 'ol cargo van and reserved the hotel.

Any ideas of places I should stop along the way!?

Because you know I want to turn every little shop and salvage yard along the way up-side-down!

*sigh...*

Have I ever told you how much I love these kind of roadtrips with the girls?? Yes. I think I have. Many, many times. But they are just so much fun! Shopping, laughing, shopping, eating, shopping...you get the idea.

So are you going too?? If you are...lets meet up!

totally random...

2011-07-18T15:49:00.006-05:00

I just realized how little I have posted this summer. Between trying to keep up with furniture orders, getting ready for shows, getting my mother-in-law moved into assisted living and her home ready to be sold...the time has flown by so fast!

So today I thought I would check in...say hello...and release a few of the random thoughts floating around in my head.
Here we go...

- I went to a county fair on Saturday night. I love a good fair! What could be better than farm animals and food on a stick?? Oh, and cute farmboys, lets give them and their tight jeans a little credit for the ambience at a fair. {wink...wink...}

- Anyone out there have a magic cure for summer allergies you can share?? I am miserable. It is like having the worst cold of your life...that never goes away. I've tried Zyrtec, Singular, Claratin...they provide zip in the relief department. Ugh. Help. Please.

- It is going to be HOT here today. So it is Barbeque Chicken Pizza done on the grill for dinner...oh, and Margaritas are on the menu, too. We must stay hydrated on a hot day, you know.

- Right now I am drinking lemonade. And I put frozen strawberries in it rather than ice cubes. It is my very favorite summertime drink. You should try it.

- Remember my post about wanting a white slipcovered chaise for my office? Well, Ilast week I bought the 'armless' Etktorp chaise from Ikea. *LOVE* it!

- Have you ever had a fried Snickers bar?? I am just taking a survey. I did not partake. I was too scared. Fried foods kinda freak me out. But I do love a Snickers ice cream bar. Those things are so bad, yet soooo good.

- As I type this I am looking out the window at my sister's Hydrangeas (she lives next door). Hers are huge and pink and beautiful. Mine are dinky and barely blooming. What??

- It is 12:41 and I am still in my pjs. Oh, how I love being my own boss.

- I found a beautiful quilt at a garage sale this weekend for $3! Three bucks!? That was an awesome moment.

- I am trying to plan a vacation for the Hubs and I in December. Any ideas for me? We are thinking Key West. Anyone visited during the winter months? Is it going to warm...like beach weather...or no?

Ok, thats all I got for today. I will be amazed if any of you made it to this end of that post, and didn't click off somewhere around random thought #3. I am off to paint furniture in my garage. I brought 4 dressers home from my warehouse just so I could go in and out of the air conditioning today. I am such a whimp.

Stay cool, girls! I will be back tomorrow to share an up-and-coming roadtrip!

dash & albert rug questions - help!

2011-07-11T08:31:00.002-05:00

I am in the middle of a little make-over of my home office. I brought in a farm table I had sitting in my warehouse for the last couple of years...bought a beautiful white slipcovered chaise for the corner...and now I am have thoughts of a rug swirling around my brain.

Specifically, Dash & Albert rugs.

And I have a few questions for anyone out there that may own one...or maybe has a shop that sells them...or just dreams about them the way I do.

One thing I really need to know...how heavy are they? Are they going to wrinkle every time I try to move my desk chair, which is on wheels?? That would drive me insane, so someone please give it to me straight if that is the case. I will forgo the whole rug idea for this room. I am looking at a 6'x9' rugs for this space, if that makes a difference.

Second questions...how easy are they to clean? My dog, Jake, apparently thinks I cannot function for a moment without him by my side, so as I sit at my computer (or lounge in my chaise watching a little TV when I am really supposed to be working...shhhh!) he lays in the room with me right where this rug would be going. He tends to shed...and I have to vaccuum...well...daily. Thank goodness for the invention of the Roomba! But, if he wanders in after being outside with a muddy paw or two am I going to freak out after finding I can't clean it up?

And lastly...what is your favorite Dash & Albert rug?? I can go any direction with this room. At the moment, it is a wonderful, dreamy white. I could go bright and fun or neutral and rustic. There are so many gorgeous rugs, its so hard to choose!

Thank you for your help, girls! I can't wait to read your comments! You know how you get a project in your brain and you want to finish it...well, like...yesterday? Yeah, that is the stage I am at right now. I just want to get it done!

snippets from the flea market...

2011-07-05T09:57:00.001-05:00

Whew! What a weekend it was! It was hot, hot, HOT here...and of course in the Midwest you can't be hot without being slapped with 90% humidity to add to it. But, despite all that it was a *fabulous* weekend selling at the flea. I was worried it would be slow since it was a Holiday weekend, but as always...my customers ROCKED! They came early, stayed long...and gave my furniture new, happy homes!

I just thought I would show you some snippets of what I brought to the show. Now, keep in mind the photos had to be taken in about 2.5 seconds before the crowds came running in the gate on Saturday. So they are not pretty, staged shots...just a "here it is so you can see that YES, I do actually paint furniture for a living. I- am-not-making-it-up-I-swear-kind-of-shots." Hee...hee!

I say that because I always laugh when someone is in my booth and they look at my business card...their head whips around and they say "YOU are Urban Farmgirl?"...I say "Yes"...and then they say "I read your blog, I had no idea you painted furniture and had a business." I am soooo bad, I know! I never, ever show before-and-after shots. I never, ever really talk about what I am doing for the biz. And the simple reason is this. I paint between 80-100 pieces every. single. month. There is just no time. By the time I find the pieces, prep them, paint & distress, put hardware on...in all honesty...I am pooped. I am stressed. I wonder if I have lost my mind trying to do all this and blog too! I need a personal assistant. Anyone out there want to apply for the job? I will pay you in furniture. Haha!

Anyway, on with the show. Just a day in the life at a flea market with painted furniture. Most of what you are going to see it white. I do paint any color, I antique some pieces etc...but at this flea, my cusomters want white. So white is what I shall bring them!

This armoire is so huge...and awesome...and it found a new home in a nursery. I love being part of something like that. Makes me *smile...*

And this dresser?? Beyond awesome...why o why didn't someone take it home? It is just so pretty! A lot of people wanted it, but no one had a car big enough to haul her in. Sad.

And this little cabinet was one of my favs of the weekend. Pale gray...distressed to show the white underneath...and white painted checken wire. *sigh...* I miss her already. This one should have been a keeper. Oh well, maybe I will find another one someday.

This little gray desk was so much cuter in person, I didn't do her justice with my quick photo. She is so curvy and dainty...

and her drawer is lined in antique french books...

and then there was the barrel top desk...such a cool piece!

I always paint my cubbies inside. I just don't feel a piece finished unless all parts are painted. The little extra time it takes to do it is so worth it in the end. It would look funny when you roller her top back. Not an easy paint, but necessary in my eyes. And anyone at home that has one they want to paint...don't be scared. The cubbies come out, most are just held in my 2 little nails. Soooo much easier that way!

Oh, and I lined the pull-out tray with an antique map, too.

I love the curved top...

I brought frames, frames and more frames...big and small, simple and ornate...every singe one found a happy home!

I had quite a few ornate mirrors...

desks of all shapes and sizes...

and last...but not least...this antique french bed, which I just *loved*!! She found a home with a girl that I know is going to dress her up pretty with soft, flowing shabby chic bedding.

I hope she sends me a photo!

So there you have it. Little bits and pieces from my weekend. I hope you all had a safe & happy 4th! Mine was spent at home, relaxing and recovering!

Happy Tuesday, girls! Don't you love it when a Tuesday feels like a Monday? Ahhh....I {heart} long weekends!

99 things I love...summer edition

2011-06-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

Last year I decided to start a running list of things I love...it is ever changing, evoloving and getting quite long! I decided it was time for a strictly "summer edition" to my 'list of loves'.

(via)

light filtering through white curtains

watching lightning bugs in my backyard

flea markets

window boxes full of flowers

nights spent at the drive-in theater

day trips

disneyworld

dining al fresco

farmers markets

summer memories growing up on our farm

gravel roads

night swimming

white sheets fresh off the clothesline

camping at state parks

dogs hanging their heads out of car windows

bare feet

sound of ice cream trucks

fireworks

eating foods on sticks at the state fair

the smell of fresh cut grass

painted toes

running for ocean waves

road side fruit stands

roller coasters

hammocks

lake superior's shoreline

the sound of crickets

outdoor summer concerts

water balloon fights

the smell of suntan lotion

white lights in the trees around my patio

spending time “up north”

tiki torches

evening bike rides

u-pick strawberries

sunglasses as a headband

snow cones

the sound of cicadas

the sound of lawnmowers from down the street

the sound of a vintage fan

a good yard sale

neighbors sitting on their porches

cute elderly couples out for a walk

ice cold watermelon

drive-in movies

singing in the car

sparklers

falling asleep with the windows open

weekend trips

laying in the grass on a summer night

planning a vacation

collecting driftwood & shells

being spontaneous

100% Grape juice popsicles

sandcastles

picnics

drippy ice cream cones

michigan sand dunes

fabulous sunglasses

wedding cake flavor ice cream

the smell of a campfire

all white covers on my bed

planting petunias

eating dinner off the grill every.single.night.

the sound of summer silence

a cool shower after a long day on the lake

hanging clothes on the clothesline

the slam of an old screen door

lemonade stands

basball games

camping in the backyard

a cool breeze on a really hot day

sundresses

marching bands in small-town parades

drinking lemonade out of a mason jar

flip-flops

beach hair

lingering daylight hours

wildflowers growing along gravel roads

mini golf

driving with the top down

a night spent crusising the river slowly on a pontoon boat

fresh raspberries

picking my salad from my garden

the smell of my neighbors grill

dreamsicles

s'mores

kids playing in the sprinklers

neighborhood block parties

linen

grilled corn on the cob

tank tops

bonfire parties

fresh peaches

beach balls

squirt gun fights

sparkling blue swimming pools

retro lawn furniture

the simple fact that mosquitoes never EVER bite me

There really is so much to love about summer, isn't there?

I would love to know...what are some of your favorite things??

Happy Thursday, everyone! The long weekend is almost here!

....and the winner is....

2011-06-23T08:30:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the winner of my Shabby Apple dress giveaway!

DESIGN-A-PEELE

(My apologies for the lack of personalization there...but I searched your blog and could not find your first name anywhere! Lol!)

Send me an email Miss Peele!

On another note, is anyone else as happy as I am that Blogger FINALLY fixed its latest issue?? Geesh! I have been wanting to do blog posts since last week and was not able to add photos. So frustrating!

I will be back tomorrow with a post on a fabulous antique show I shopped a couple weeks ago! I can't wait to show you my find!

Happy Thursday, girls! I have a date with my paintbrush today!

shabby apple giveaway!

2011-06-15T09:50:00.003-05:00

I was so excited when SHABBY APPLE asked if I would once again give like to give away one of their amazing dresses to one of my readers! Well, you know how I love you girls...and I always love a good giveaway...so of course I could not say YES fast enough!

Have you seen Shabby Apple's new collections?? I have one word for the eye candy I was just soaking in over on their website.

AMAZING!

They have the most incredible selection of women's dresses, little girl's dresses...even maternity! Each and every one gorgeous...I love how everything is vintage-inspired!

After you enter to win...you really have to pop Shabby Apple and take a peek. I saw a few things that I just know I will be ordering for the summer wardrobe this year!

I had trouble picking just one of their gorgeous dresses for the giveaway...so I settled on 3 and decided the winner could choose which one she loved best!

AHOY....a yummy green dress in a comfortable voile fabric. For me, this would be a perfect addition to my vacation wardrobe! Simple and pretty...perfect for dinner and a stroll on the beach.

DA VINCI...I *love* this dress! Doesn't it just look so soft? Perfect for those days when I am running around all day but still want to wear something a little chic.

And just in case you are more of a skirt girl...ADELAIDE is my FAV! Love the pencil skirt style...and the bow just gives it a little something extra. Love, love...LOVE!

Ok, let gets right to it, shall we?

HOW TO ENTER:

Pop over and visit SHABBY APPLE on Facebook by clicking HERE...show your love and "LIKE" them while you are there. Just leave me a comment telling me you did, and you are entered!

If you are not on Facebook, leave me a comment anyway...and you will be entered!

There is always room for a little extra credit, right?? So here it is.

1. Become a follower of my blog. (This earns you another entry, so leave me a seperate comment telling me you are a follower!)

2. Share the love...TWEET, FACEBOOK, BLOG or add the thumbnail below to your blog SIDEBAR. (Yes, this earns you an entry for EACH AND EVERY ONE you do! Do all 4 and get 4 MORE ENTRYS! Woohoo! BUT be sure to leave me a seperate comment for each one tell me you did it!)

Oh, and if you see something over on their site that you just can't wait to order...mention my name and get 10% off ! Until July 15th you can enter 'urbanfarmgirl10off' at checkout and receive the discount!

Good luck, girls!

(giveaway will close at Midnight central time Wednesday June 22nd, winner will be announced on the 23rd!)
(My apologies to my International readers...but the winner must have a US shipping address...)

monday's randomness...

2011-06-13T09:56:00.002-05:00

Why do Monday's seem to come so fast? I don't even work a 9-5 job, but still there is something about the feel of a Friday afternoon. Such promise for a fun & productive weekend. But then before I know it Monday morning comes and slaps me in the face. Such an injustice. I vote for reform to make it a 2 day work week, and 5 day weekend! Who's with me??

So today we are going to revisit the 'bullet point style' blog post. It has quickly become my favorite, and it seems yours, too! So here we go...just the thoughts that are floating around in my head on this lovely Monday morning.

I have porches and patios on the brain the morning...

- First let me say to all you girls that came out to see me last weekend at the flea market...it was sooooo great to meet all of you! I could not believe how many times last weekend I heard "I read your blog". My apologies if I seemed like a deer-in-the-headlights, I was just in shock ever time I heard someone say it. Really? You read what lil 'ol me has to say?? I *LOVE* you girls for that, seriously! You sure know how to make a girl blush!

- I did a little landscaping this weekend. I keep looking out my windows to stare at it. Is that weird? I am sure it is, but I am just so proud! But let me say, my body is telling me this morning WHY people hire people to do that stuff. Ugh.

- I am moving an old farm table into my home office today to use as my desk. Am I going to miss having drawers like in my desk? Or is compulsively-organized me going to find a way to make it work? I just really love the table so thought I had to at least try it. Stay tuned for the results on that one.

- I have a giveaway coming this week. Woohoo!!

- I have some AMAZING things going up on Etsy this week. Serioulsy good stuff, so be sure to check in. I am photographing some of it today. Old scales, tarnished silver, french flashcards, old wood tool totes, birdcages...I am cleaning the warehouse!

- I asked my husband last night what he thought of me whitewashing the wood floors that run through our house. He gave me his usual answer. "Sure. Whatever you want." I love that man. Never even questioned it for one second. Now, to find time to execute my plan.

- I have officially decided to roadtrip to the Country Living Fair in Ohio this September. Anyone out there going?

- This post is becoming way too long.

- I am plotting an planning a make-over of my patio & porch area this weekend. That would explain all the lovely photos I am showing you from Pinterest. Speaking of Pinterest...I have 2 invites if anyone out there needs one. The first two people to send me a note with your email address can have them so you can start your obsession, too!

- I have decided I need to start a support group called "Husbands of Pinterest"...because my poor hubs can't be the only one being ignored while I am pinning away all night long.

Ok, I have bored you enough for one day. Anyone still reading??

If you are...I love you for it. I am off to paint furniture at my warehouse today!

Happy Monday, girls!

Miss Ollie Faith...

2011-06-09T12:57:00.001-05:00

When I first started blogging I connected Annie from The House that Jade Built. Annie has an amazing energy and spirit and a cute little family full of love, life and pure happiness! She lives only about 2 hours from me, so it was great to find someone "local" in blogland. I can't wait til I can meet her (and her Mom & sisters in person!)

A few months ago, Annie had a beautiful baby girl...Ollie Faith.

Today is the big day for Miss Ollie...

Her little heart was not strong when she was born, and today the doctors in St. Louis are going to do their very best work and make it a healthy, strong heart.

She has been given a life with the BEST family a little girl can ask for...and I hope you will just take a quick moment to remember her and her family in your thoughts today.

It is a big day for everyone.

Surgery is scary for anyone, but when it is such a sweet little baby it is even more heart-wrenching. I figured this little girl needs every prayer we can offer her today!

2 chicks and a fancy owl...

2011-06-03T09:15:00.002-05:00

Raise your hand if you are from the Chicago area and will be going to the Kane County Flea this weekend!

I am! I am! Wait....I will be there selling. And for the first time in 5 years, I will be bringing lots of vintage things with me, too! Usually I bring painted furniture only to this show but I decided it was time to clean my warehouse! (Yes, that is cheering you hear in the background from my hubs.) There will be LOTS of chippy paint chairs, old maps, linen lined metal baskets, silver...you get the idea. Stuff. Good stuff! Oh, and I even have a vintage Schwinn bike, too! So come see me early! Arena Building across from the Fairgrounds Office & Bathrooms.

But enough about me...I am here to tell you about 2 friends that will be selling at the show this weekend, too! And for those of you that are not local - they have an Etsy shop! Woot! Woot!

2 CHICKS AND A FANCY OWL

Jackie & Jill are two amazing girls that stumbled on the most incredible vintage ceramic molds for birds, gnomes, owls, mushrooms, frogs...just really cool pieces! They make each piece by hand and with love. Isn't it a great feeling to know you are supporting a handmade business?

I have a beautiful bird that I used in my guest room makeover. My Mom loves birds...so I knew that would be the perfect spot to perch this beauty!

I am drooling over this watering can! I think I am going to run over to their booth and pick one of these up! I love the simple, clean lines!

And what a great idea this yarn bowl is!

*LOVE*

And what yard doesn't need a frog prince! He is quite handsome, I have to say...

Awww...and the gnomes. I love gnomes! Maybe the patio could use a couple of these little guys, too!

Most of what Jackie & Jill make are in a beautiful bisque color...but there are some pieces that are colorful and gorgeous! Their colorful mushrooms are so cute!

So if you are at Kane this weekend, stop by and say "Hi" to Jackie & Jill...and tell them the Urban Farmgirl sent you! They are easy to find...they will be at the far North end of the Swine Building.

Want to take a peek at their Etsy shop?? Click here...

I hope to see some of my readers this weekend! It is going to be gorgeous weather...PERFECT for a day at the flea!

I am off to put finishing touches on a few mirrors, pack a truck and think reeeeallly hard on parting with my vintage...huge...school chalkboard and bringing it to the flea this weekend. I don't think I can do it. Yet.

random things...

2011-05-31T07:35:00.004-05:00

Today, I am totally copying Teresa from Meadowbrook Farm. I love her posts with 'bullet points.'

She is pure genius, that girl!

Thank you, Teresa for letting me steal your brilliant, Monday 'morning and I am tired' blog-friendly idea.

Ok, here it goes. A quick little blog post with random things that make no sense together at all. My specialty!

- I know I promised you pretty photos from my weekend in Michigan, but I don't have any. It rained. Sideways. Every day I was there. Enough said about that. Moving on.

- If you have Blogger and see I am visiting your blog and not commenting...don't hate me. I am still just having problems leaving comments. Anyone find a way around this yet?

- I am totally obsessed with Pinterest. TOTALLY OBSESSED. The photos in this post were all from my the pins I was adding at midnight last night. When I should have been sleeping. Obsessed, I tell ya!

- By the time my head hits the pillow tonight, I have to paint a desk, a nightstand, 4 beds, a bookcase and 45 old picture frames. Kill me.

- I am thinking of buying an iPad. Anyone out there have one? Do you love it?

- If you purchased anything on Etsy from me since last Thursday, your package is shipping out today. Just so you know.

- I read a lot of blogs that give nicknames to their husbands that tie into their blog name. It seems too cruel to call mine "Mr. Farmgirl"...it would just strip his manhood right away...any suggestions? He does so much for me 'behind the scenes'. He is my furniture-fixer, truck-loader, delivery boy...anything I ask of him. It seems he deserves a proper name, no? How about Urban Farmboy?? Hmmm...maybe I should stick to just calling him "the hubs".

- We were at an antique shop in Michigan this weekend, and I was wearing my Hunter boots. I was at the checkout, and the older man working there had a thick German accent. He was a very flirty old man...and he offered me 10% off without me even asking because he said I had "nice boots". I have never seen my husband turn around so fast. I had to clarify that he did indeed say "BOOTS" and not something that sounds a lot like "boots"...only naughty...if you have a German accent.

- It is supposed to rain here AGAIN today. I can't take much more of this, I swear. Who did what to tick Mother Nature off?? Is it too much to ask for a summer that actually has sunshine??

- I know I promised a post on the wood wall in my guest room, but I have been so stinkin' busy getting ready for another show at the flea this weekend, I have yet to post it. Its coming soon, I promise!

Ok, signing off.

Did anyone actually make it to the end of this post?

If you did, feel free to leave me your suggestions for "Mr. Urban Farmgirls" nickname.

Happy Tuesday, all! Hope you had a great long weekend!

michigan or bust...

2011-05-26T07:18:00.001-05:00

I {love}...as in down to my toes...LOVE a good roadtrip!

I am a traveling girl. A gypsy, at times.

It is in my blood.

The open road is one of my favorite places to be. To get lost with my thoughts.

To see what I can discover.

Fresh air, open fields as far as the eye can see.

*sigh*...it just makes me happy.

Today, I am leaving for a quick roadtrip.

Just me and the hubs. Listening to music, laughing 'til our sides hurt.

Stopping to gaze at the majestic Lake Michigan. I love it there. I have so many wonderful memories on that shoreline.

Have you ever been to Sleeping Bear Dunes in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan??

If not, you MUST go. It is incredible. I can't wait to see it again!

I swear it is the best kept secret of the Midwest. The dunes are so beautiful!

Tomorrow I will be getting my workout for the day climbing the dunes and getting sand between my toes...

(Unless I fall and roll down. Which, if you knew me, is entirely possible.)

And you KNOW I am going to stop at a farm or two along the way to see what I can dig up...if they will let me.

{wink...}

I will be back with photos from our trip on Monday.

Until then, catch me on Twitter. I'll be tweeting about our adventures from the road!

Au Revoir!

thought for the day...

2011-05-25T09:04:00.001-05:00

(photo via pinterest...)

This says it all for me today!

{ smile... }

i needed some pretty today...

2011-05-24T08:34:00.002-05:00

It has been a loooong couple of weeks. I have been MIA from blogland so I have a lot of reading and catching up to do. The last two weeks have been a blur...we are trying to transition my mother-in-law to an 'assisted living' facility.

Wow. What an eye opener that is.

Who knew getting older was so much work!

In between forms, phone calls, visits, buying her all new things for her new little apartment...I have been feverishly painting about 9,712 new pieces for my booth at the flea market next weekend. So this morning I decided to spend a few moments getting lost in Pinterest. I love Pinterest. Whoever came up with this idea...I would like to tell you...I think you are pure genius!! Oh, and thank you for saving my hard drive. It was 90% full before I found you.

These photos really have nothing to do with this post. Other than I wanted to check in to say Hi to all of you...and share all the 'pretty' I am finding.

I am noticing a theme here though...all the photos I am drawn to today seem send the message "relaxation"...I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

I am heading back to the land of Pinterest for a few minutes. I want to squeeze in a a few more pretty photos until I am switching over to catching up on your blogs. Then its off to my warehouse to finish a piece a client is picking up today, a metting and lunch for my mother-in-law at her new digs, then back to my warehouse to paint furniture into the wee-hours.

Anyone wanna come help me? I play really good music...and tonight there just may be margaritas in the blender to help up get through the night! And did I mention my warehouse sits right on the river? I can open up the back side...at night it is so pretty! The breeze last night was incredible! Come on, didn't THAT make you all want to come help me? It could be a big blogger painting party!

Oh, and since this post has no real theme, and my subject matter is jumping all over the place...I have to ask...do you Pinterest??

Happy Day to you all!

guest room...questions & answers

2011-05-18T08:33:00.003-05:00

What a wonderful bunch of girls you all are! THANK YOU for the bottom of my heart for your sweet comments on my guest room update. I am always so busy painting furniture for clients, I rarely have time to show you snippets inside my home. Maybe I should start making time, it was so much fun!

I received so many emails regarding things I used in the room, so thought I would answer them in a blog post in case others were wondering the same things! So here it goes...your questions answered...part 1.

How did it happen that Cabbages & Roses became involved your guest room makeover?

I received an email one day telling me they had seen the post Andrea, from the blog Faded Plains, and I did about working together to make over my guest room. They wanted to collaborate with us, and each would get to do a space in our homes using Cabbages & Roses fabric. I was so excited they would even consider lil 'ol me! It was a very positive experience, and I would work with them again in a second!

How did you add the fabric to your headboard?

This is what my headboard looked like before:

(photo taken from the web, I forgot to take a "before"...oops!)

The headboard is from the Crate & Barrel Outlet store. I am lucky enough to live about 1 1/2 hours from Crate & Barrel headquarters in Naperville, IL. Their warehouse where everything gets shipped from is there, as well as an outlet store for damaged goods and overstock items. I was there one day and they had this headboard for only $59!! Score! I am a girl that *LOVES* a deal, so I threw myself on top of it before anyone else could snag it. (Seriously, I did. It was a Saturday and the place was packed! A girls gotta do what she needs to, you know!) It was marked down from some crazy price (I think about $1100) because it had a little black mark on the fabric. I knew it would be slipcovered someday anyway so that didn't stop me. I am a girl that always looks for potential, not necessarily the perfect piece.

I slipcovered it in the C&R Hatley fabric in Cerise, which is a wonderful faded red color. It is incredible in person!

Where did you get your duvet?

Pottery Barn. It is called the 'Hadley Ruched Duvet'. It was my one big splurge for this room. I am a thrifty girl, so it killed me to spend $179 on a duvet, but I love it so much. It was worth every cent!

Where did you get your bedskirt?

Target. It is from the Simply Shabby Chic line, and is called Snow White.

What color did you use on your dresser?
Where did you find the knobs you used on your dresser?

I used one of my favorite furniture grays...Silver Chain by Benjamin Moore. Pearl finish is my favorite sheen. I distressed it to show the white primer peeking through the gray.

The knobs are from Anthropologie. They are called the 'Gemstone' knob in clear.

Where did you find your gray curtain rod?

Well, I can never seem to find a curtain rod "off the shelf" that I like. Huge finials on the ends make me crazy, and I just wanted something more natural...vintage...simple. So I wandered over to the trim isle at Home Depot. It is actually just an unfinished wood 1 1/4" diameter closet rod, which cost about $10. I cut it to my length and finished it with white and gray paint I thinned with water. You can still see the wood grain through, so it looks a lot like my wood wall in the room.

The brackets are from Home Depot, too. They are in the curtain rod isle, and come in unfinished wood for $7.97. I just gave them the same paint treatment as the rod.

I will be back tomorrow to answer your questions about the wood wall! It was overwhelming to get messages from so many of you wanting to do the same treatment to a wall in your home! And to think I was hesitating on doing it! Poor Andrea was on the receiving end of about 10 phone calls where I was freaking out wondering if it would look "weird". Once is started to go up, I wanted to do it in every room in my house. I love it, and it was soooo easy!

Ok, girls. I am off to paint more furniture today! I have another show in 18 days!

cabbages & roses guest room...the reveal!

2011-05-16T08:03:00.003-05:00

Well, I never thought I would ever get around to showing you the "after" of the Urban Plains project...but today is the day! For those of you not familiar with the UP Project, you can go here and here to read a little about how our collaboration came to be. It has been an AMAZING experience, and I cannot thank Cabbages & Roses enough for the opportunity to use yards and yards of their gorgeous fabric in my guest room!

I am going to keep this post to few words...so I hope you like what you see!

The headboard in the room is fully upholstered...done in C&R 'Hatley Cerise' linen. The softness and texture are incredible. I am truly in *love* with their linen fabrics!

They sent me a few pillows for the bed..the two matching ones are from the 'Podge' collection in the color Cerise. The one in the middle is a white linen. All have the cutest shell buttons for closure.

Andrea has inspired me to embrace what she calls the "unmade bed". Love that girl...who knew NOT making the bed could look so fantastic! She has made my day one step easier...haha!

This is the nightstand to the left of the bed...with my coveted dairy box underneath.

This is the one on the right...I *LOVE* that etched mirror!

Above the bed hangs a vintage chandi...just for a little extra sparkle at night...

I painted an antique dresser pale gray...I thought it would compliment the 'New Penny Pink' curtain fabric well.

I added new crystal knobs to play off the chandelier...the vignette on the top I put together from things I found around the house. My grandmother's house blessing print is framed with a little chicken wire, the crusty old bottle holds a love note from the late 1800s.

I have a serious affinity for driftwood. I believe I have a little in every room in my house. I added some old metal hooks to this piece...perfect to hold the totes Andrea made for me out of the matching fabric from the room. She used the pattern from Christina's book Romantic Home Sewing.

The room has such a wonderful softness...it turned out so cozy and comfortable. I love how the light streams through the curtains...

And the bed makes me want to crawl in and stay all day. I think I may eventually hang a piece of architectural salvage above the bed...but for now I am enjoying the barn wood wall. I have such fun memories of taking that old barn down. It was a lot of work, but its just another page in my personal history book.

The girls at Cabbages & Roses sent me such a pretty journal for the room! I cannot wait to put it to use, because I have one requirement of all my guests. When they stay, I have a "guest book" on the nightstand and I ask them to make an entry before they leave. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes it is sweet...but I love looking back months later to read about the visit we had. I cannot wait to read about their first stay in the "new" room!

* sigh *

I owe Christina Strutt, Lily & Suzie a huge THANK YOU for this opportunity! And Andrea too, for taking my 924 phone calls and helping me decide how to best use all this gorgeous fabric!

I think I just may go lay down in my guest room today...with my pjs still on and with a big stack of magazines. Just relax and soak in the beauty of the room. Sounds like a perfect day to me!

Oh, and be sure to go over and visit Andrea at Faded Plains, too! She did something incredible in her foyer using Cabbages & Roses fabric as wallpaper!

And did you know Cabbages & Roses has a blog? They do...pop over and visit...it is a great way to keep up with their latest products and projects!

Happy Monday, girls!

stay tuned...

2011-05-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

coming soon...I promise!

my Cabbages & Roses guest room make-over reveal will be coming this week!

It's been a crazy few weeks...due to family events and a set of gorgeous new closet doors arriving damaged...grrr....but I am working hard...so I hope you will love it!

one AMAZING DIY kitchen makeover!

2011-05-06T16:20:00.001-05:00

Have you girls seen this gorgeous kitchen??? I am sure you, have...but I decided I just had to showcase it anyway! I am in L-O-V-E! Kimberley, from Restoration House completed a DIY makeover on her kitchen...I am in crazy about every little detail!

It never ceases to amaze me what one can do with a can of white paint and a brush...

I know you are gonna love this as much as I do...so ENJOY!

One thing I love about Kimberley is that she is all about the details....

I can't stop staring at her faucet...is that weird??

I think I want one.

I love that she took basic, oak cabinets...

and transformed them into this gorgeous kitchen.

All.by.herself.

(Well, ok...the Hubby was right along side her, but you know what I mean.)

(All photos are property of Kimberley at Restoration House, and used with her permisson. Please do not copy.)

You have to see more of this kitchen, girls! It's a good one, so pop over to Restoration House and have a look at all her gorgeous photos!

Amazing.

these boots are made for sellin'...

2011-05-02T08:35:00.001-05:00

Is anyone still out there??

I have not posted in...well...let's see...FOREVER!!

I have been in "show mode" all month, which for me means working a ridiculous amount of hours painting furniture. I get a little carried away. I forget there is more to life than painting anything that will stand still. I have promised the hubs a more 'normal life' this summer...a little more play and not all work. This past weekend I had my inagural show for 2011 and it was an interesting one, let me tell ya!

Saturday I only had 2 hours sleep before I had to wake up and drive to the flea in St. Charles, IL. I am not a girl that does well on less than 7 hours sleep, and I don't drink coffee.

Enough said.

We set the booth up. We were ready for a fabulous weekend.

But then the 35 mph winds started...with gusts up to 50 mph.

Yeeeeaah. Not fun.

It goes without saying that 50mph wind + flea market = one really bad day. But Sunday was fabulous and people were out shopping and buying so the weekend reedeemed itself. For the most part, anyway. I am choosing to be grateful and look on the bright side.

*smile*

(I have just had a slap in the face after looking in this photo. I think I need to do less painting, and more working-out. Skinny jeans + my thighs = SCARY! Sorry to do that to you so early in the morning! Hahaha!)

I thought I would show you some of the things I had at the show...this bed being my FAVORITE thing of all time. Can you believe the french style curved headboard on this little beauty of a bed?? And the best part...I had 2 matching beds!!

I so wanted someone with 2 little girls to take them home and put them side-by-side in a room full of girly goodness...but only one found a home, so the other is a orphan. If anyone is interested, let me know. I can ship it just about anywhere within the US.

I love the shade of this drop-front secretary desk. A light blue/gray...distressed to show some of the white underneath. The inside is awesome...little cubbies and drawers for storage!

This one is right in line with the french bed as one of my all-time favorites. A pale gray secretary cabinet...I painted the inside white...and behind the drop door the inside is white with all the cubbies painted in the gray. Soooo pretty in person! I was shocked no one took this one home!

Antique dressers with glove drawers are always a hit. This one found its home in a little girl's new room.

As did this armoire. There are drawers behind those top drawers. Always a favorite...storage is the name of the game!

The girl that bought this china cabinet had the greatest idea! I saw her take her shoe off and put it inside the door. Of course from across the booth I was thinking "what the heck"?? They when she was purchasing it, she told me Real Simple magazine showed a china cabinet painted with chicken wire in the doors to be used for show storage. What a cool idea! I didn't see that, but I guess Real Simple and I are on the same wave-length! She is going to put all her cute heels on display! Love that!

So there you have it. A little slice of the other side of my life.

I am a girl obsessed with furniture. And white paint.

I met so many wonderful bloggers over the weekend! It was so fun to have you all come out and say "Hi". Thanks for making a girl feel so warm and fuzzy...and loved. Especially on such a windy day.

And you know what I realized over the weekend?? I was asked by a customer how long I have been doing this. When I did the math I realized that April was a milestone....11 years! I feel a celebration giveaway coming on!!!

I cannot even imaging what a 24 year old girl was thinking back then when she thought "Hey, I am going to start a business. I am going to give new life to antique furniture and sell it." My parents are proud of me now, but at the time I am sure they just wanted to say "You want to do WHAT??? Go get a real job!" Life is a funny thing, isn't it? You just never know where your path is going to take you.

Ok, I am off girls. Right now my path is taking me to Target and the grocery store. The cupboards are bare.

Happy Monday!

mary...mary...

2011-04-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

My namesake.

A beautiful dresser with curves and carvings...and she is painted the most beautiful shades of gray and white!

My friend Michelle...from Vintage Junky...gave new life to this antique beauty. One day last week she posted a note on Twitter saying she needed to come up with a name for a piece she was finishing. (She names all the pieces she paints, isn't that the coolest thing? Why don't I ever think of things like that??)

Anyway, I of course responded that "Mary" sounded like a nice simple, yet vintage name. Hee....hee!

Wow. As I just typed that I realized even my first name is considered 'vintage'. My Mom knew what she was doing!

Anyway, that crazy girl Michelle did name her Mary!! And I love her. Every inch of gray paint and chippy-ness is just so "me", so I would say the name fits perfectly!

I love how she lined the drawers...

The contrast of the gray and the white is so beautiful...and those handles??...beyond fabulous!

Now, who lives in Tennessee and wants to adopt me...I mean 'Mary'??

I wish I lived closer, because I would scoop her up for my guest bedroom. I hear she is waiting patiently at her new home at Winchester Antiques in Franklin, TN so if someone makes the drive to take her home, I want to hear about it! And just so you know, I will be jealous.

Oh, and did you all know Michelle has an incredible Etsy shop, too!? Well she does...so click over and take a look at the goodies she has to offer. I've got my eye on a couple of things myself! She has an amazing collection of milk glass and tarnished silver that makes my little heart go pitter-patter!

Ok, I am off for another day at my warehouse. I have 2 huge trucks that need to be loaded with furniture on Thursday, so I have to get the finishing touches done today! I hope to have a photo preview of what I am bringing to the show on the blog by Friday.

Wish me luck!

take an 'urban journey' and win $175!

2011-04-17T08:36:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunday, girls!

I am off to a farm auction this morning...those are the BEST! I love mixing in with all the farmers, they are the salt of the earth and I love my Sunday morning 'mixers' with them. They offer to load my truck...buy me hot chocolate when its cold...all the while laughing at the things I buy. I just play the 'silly girl that doesn't know what she is doing role' they seem to love so much and walk away with some AMAZING things. Do you go to auctions? I hear a lot of women are intimidated...maybe I should do a post on it. Hmmm...

Anyway...the real reason for today's post is to spread the love of my friend Jen Rizzo's spring collection over in her Etsy shop. Have you seen her flip-book showcasing her spring line?? AMAZING...AMAZING...AMAZING! Do you get that I love it? Just a little?

You MUST click over to her blog...I'll even give you the link at the end of this post...she is one uber-talented girl! I am slightly jealous of her creative...AND photography skills.

Oh, AND she is having a giveaway in her Etsy shop. Not just 'a giveaway'...a $175 giveaway to her Etsy shop!!

Isn't she the most generous girl out there? Love her.

(all photos property of Jennifer Rizzo)

So go on...pop over to her blog HERE...check out the AMAZING collection of photographs in her flip book and enter her giveaway! It ends Monday....so HURRY!

Speaking of being in a hurry...there is an auction waiting for me. Maybe I'll keep you posted about how its going on Twitter. Stop by and see what goodies I find!