amazing VINTAGE SHOPPING this weekend!!

If you live in the area...clear your calendar, girls!

There are 3 good places to shop for vintage goodies this weekend!

Susan from Maple & Magnolia is having her 'Cottage Sale' on Saturday...this is a don't miss event. She has cleaned and purged every room in her home, guest house and garage. Email her at mapleandmagnolia@gmail.com for an invite & directions. Her blog has lots of preview photos, too! 

{And yes, she is selling this dining table, those awesome metal chairs and loads of ironstone!}

Tattered Tiques in Lake Barrington, IL is open this weekend, too!! (their shop and Susan's house are only about 2 minutes from each other so you can hit BOTH!) Sooooo much good stuff here, let me tell you first hand. Industrial goodies, farmhouse wares and painted furniture, too!

The shop is open today, Friday and Saturday from 10-3.

They carry Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

AND 

the newly released Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!!

{used on the chest below...such a cool, chippy look!}

Also, the Nada Farm Sale is this weekend in Esmond, IL! 

There is a loooong list of amazing vendors in the line up this year! Click over to Anne Marie's blog for a list and a map of the layout. Amazing shopping having so many great girls at one sale!

'

There you have it. One weekend. 3 awesome places to shop for vintage goodness. 

 I just may see you there!

maple & magnolia SALE PREVIEW

Just in case some of you missed my post the other day, I wanted to remind you that Susan from Maple & Magnolia is having her sale this week!! 

NOTE: Due to possible bad weather, the date has changed to:

 this coming SATURDAY October 20th, from 9-1. 

She announced today she is PRESELLING a few of her larger items, so if you see something you want  click over to her blog for pricing and email her right away! Everything must be picked up at the sale on Saturday.

Her surveyors cabinet...which is beyond words. Soooo cool!

Her AMAZING work table, which I have coveted for some time now...

A HUGE card catalog...

Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue sideboard...gorgeous!

An antique watchamaker's cabinet...imagine all the things you could put in those drawers!! I {heart} organization!

An incredible double-sided insurance sign...totally original in all its awesomeness!

And finally...her Glen Oaks Inn sign which came from a hotel in New Hampshire. LOVE it!

Good luck girls, let your fingers fly across that keyboard so you can get your name in if you want one of these beauties!!

I am off to work on a little project I have going on this week...I hope to be posting about it by Friday! 

Happy Monday!!

chicago area SALE OF THE CENTURY

I am still suffering from heart palpations, but I think I can get through this post. 

My girl Susan, from Maple & Magnolia fame is HAVING A SALE!!!

Do you know what this means, my Chicago peeps?? Good stuff. REALLY, REALLY good stuff is on the chopping block!

Everything from new to old, vintage to Pottery Barn will be at her sale. Stuff from HomeGoods, Target, Ralph Lauren, repurposed goodies...you get the idea. 

I have been in her house. Her guest house. Her garage. And let me tell you first hand....this is going to be a GOOD one. 

Would it be weird if I set up a tent in her ditch so I could be the first in line on Friday morning??

Need more enticing? Check Susan's blog often. She will be posting preview photos leading up to the sale. 

To be sent an invitation please send an email to mapleandmagnolia@gmail.com with 'sale' in the subject line. (And tell her the Farmgirl says Hi!) Invitations containing the address, map and details will go out via email early next week. 

Hope to see you there!

I {heart} City Farmhouse

I am back today with another of my favorite places in Tennessee!

City Farmhouse. (even the name is cool, no?)

My hubs now refers to this shop as 'where the Urban Farmgirl would live'. Get it?

City. Farmhouse. Oh, he thinks he is sooo funny. But I love it so much, I would move in if I could!

This time we are in Franklin, which is right outside Nashville.  If you want to visit the town where you are most likely to be eating lunch at  a table next to Kelli Pickler or Faith Hill...this is it! Most of the country stars live in and around Franklin. It is a charming, quaint and has some SERIOUSLY good shopping! Antiques, boutiques and fabulous restaurants are everywhere!

Before my visit, I had found City Farmhouse on Facebook and through their blog. Kim, the owner sent me a message and told me to be sure to stop by and I am soooo glad I did! Kim and her husband David are two of my very favorite people on this Earth! We talked and talked forever...another blogger-meeting with a happy ending. I just love meeting the people behind the blog! They made me feel so welcome, I can't wait to go back and visit them again!

There store was amazing, so I thought I would take you on a little tour!

I {LOVE} the tractor grill hung on the wall with a light in it! That would be sooo awesome in our media room! David makes those, by the way. 

They carry some of the best painted furniture...but it doesn't stick around long, so if you see a piece you want you have to get it when you see it!

I about died over this door...and yes, it did cross my mind to ask if I could take it off the hinges and take it home with me. I really should start carrying a screwdriver in my purse for such occasions! 

{smile...}

Let's have a closer look, shall we??

{sigh...}

I stared at this old window for a loooong time. Isn't it fantastic? It is so big, and the beveled glass was almost too much. It was ah-ma-zing!

Don't even get me started on this antique table wrapped in old zinc. I want one soooo bad, but it needs to be larger. My hubs would just think I was the coolest wife ever if I brought home one of these for his poker table. 

Love, love, LOVE this chandi! 

And my favorite piece of the whole visit..this old farm table. If I had a way to haul this baby home, I would have. It is really long, maybe 8-10 feet. It would have made an incredible dining table out on my porch. 

City Farmhouse has a ton of architectural salvage, too! Doors, window...all with chippy paint in a rainbow of colors! 

And the lockers?? Well, I have a little 'thing' for lockers, I admit. There were such a cute petite size, perfect for a kids room!

I heard from so many of you after yesterday's post. You either live near Nashville or are planning a trip there, soon. You really MUST take a day to visit Franklin! I will do a longer post tomorrow about their Main Street area where all the boutiques and restaurants are. 

But one of the best things was seeing City Farmhouse, so be sure to stop in...and give Kim a big hug from me!

my visit to Vintage Junky

Ok, so I realize I have been home from my Nashville trip for a couple of weeks now...I took a little {too long} off from blogging, but now that I am back I just had to share with you one of my very favorite stops while I was there!

Vintage Junky in Spring Hill, Tennessee

I have always loved Michelle's blog, so when the opportunity popped up for me to tag along on a trip with the hubs to the Nashville area, I jumped on it! I was soooo excited to meet her in person! I am always so nervous meeting a fellow blogger for the first time. Are they what I will expect? Am I what they will expect? Will it be awkward dead silence or will we be like long lost best friends from the word go? Well, let me tell you...Michelle fits into my 'long lost best friend' category. {LOVE HER!} And her little family! I wish she could have closed up shop so we could have spent 2 days shopping our tails off around the Tennessee countryside. But, a little thing called 'business' got in the way, {darn responsibility, right?} so I took a raincheck, because I KNOW I will be back in Tennessee soon!

Brace yourself, there are a lot of photos ahead...and very little words. Michelle's shop is so awesome, it just does all the talking for me. And photos of pretty things are always the best part anyway!

Somehow I just knew when I walked up to this cute little entry, I was going to {love} what I found inside!

And WOW, was I right. I stepped inside and immediately knew I was in trouble. But the good kind of trouble...the kind where I wanted to buy every. single. thing. in her shop! Wait...is that a 'good' kind of trouble?? Guess it depends on how you look at it. To me - yes. Yes, it is. 

{sigh...)

Her husband, CJ makes the most amazing chalkboard art. I showed you the piece I had him design for my booth at the shows this summer...and I have a feeling as soon as I am done with this post I am going to be ordering another. I mean look at that trailer, would you??

 Love....

This little yellow cart was soooo close to coming home with me. I miss it already. 

Even her signs are cute, no? I would like to buy the silver...and the sign, please!

The 'Thank You' sign below came home with me. If you visit my booth at any of the shows I will be selling at this summer....you will see that beauty proudly displayed at the check out!

If you live near Nashville and want a piece of {GORGEOUS} custom painted furniture, Michelle is your girl! She does amazing work! I would love the dresser below for my guest room...

Speaking of custom painting...if you would like a custom chalk art piece of your own, don't forget CJ can do that, too! I am slightly obsessed with his work can you tell? 

{sigh...} 

I miss Tennessee. It is such a beautify state, with such beautiful little shops. I can't wait to go back! If you are in the area, you simply MUST make it to Vintage Junky. I promise you will love it, and love meeting Michelle and her little family! 

It is so great to know that the person behind the blog is just as {FABULOUS} as you knew she would be! I owe a big THANK YOU to Michelle for making me feel so welcome! I swear we could have talked forever...she should have just put me to work! I was there so long I could have painted a few pieces of furniture for her while I talked her ear off! 

Tomorrow I will be back with another of my very favorite places...this time it is in Franklin, Tennessee!

Happy Wednesday, girls! I am off to take photos for Etsy!

HOMEBOUND - the Spring edition!

I am so happy to announce Heather, from Post Road Vintage has put together an amazing Spring issue of her Homebound e-zine! It is even more amazing than the last...full of inspiration with amazing photos!

In this issue you will find inspiration on things like photography, table settings for spring, seed starting, shopping a Paris flea market and even how to make the cutest door-stop ever! 

You can find me between the virtual pages with a little bit of info on one of my MAJOR decor-crushes...

white English ironstone

Heather has an amazing line-up of bloggers that have contributed:

Becky from Buckets of Burlap

Kristin from Faded Prairie

Courtney from French Country Cottage

Janet from Shabby Fufu

Andrea from Faded Plains

Maria from Rusty Hinge

If you have not already subscribed...click here to visit Heather's blog so you can sign up! Oh, and did I mention...it is free? Yep, thats right...we are just here to spread our love for the things we love!

Oh, and speaking of ironstone....Ironstone-palooza will be happening in my Etsy shop Wednesday night. It went so fast last time, I thought I would give everyone a heads-up so you know when to expect it! 

Happy Monday, girls! 

I will be back tomorrow showing you one of my favorite places in Tennessee to shop! Stay tuned! 

awww, THANKS Flea Market Style Mag!

So here is how the scenario played out at my house last night.

Allow me to set the stage for you.

It was about 6:30pm. I am laying on the couching, praying for an end to the head congestion that has some how followed my Influenza diagnosis from last weeked. My head is completly stuffed, I believe it has somehow morphed into a sinus infection at this point. I can only lay on the couch because sitting up makes me dizzy. I am bored and watching a DVR'd episode of "Who Do You Think You Are".

I reach over to check my email on my phone.

I see have one from my friend, Jo of Secret Garden Cottage fame. I click on it and read the first line..."Hey Mary I want to congratulate you on your mention in Flea Market Style Magazine." Of course, in my crazy mind, I immediately think, "Oh, Jo must have emailed the wrong Mary. She couldn't mean me. Silly Jo."

But as I read on...she says her and I are BOTH  mentioned in a category called "If You Swoon Over White" as a blog to follow. Ok, now my mind goes " SAAAAY WHAT?? ME???"...I do love white...maybe it wasn't just in my mind that I said this...I may have kinda sorta screamed it a little, because my dog did that funny head-tilt look thing he does when I say something outrageous and he is trying to figure out whats wrong and if I need medical attention...and my cat gave me that typical "annoyed meow" he does when something is about someone other than him, and  ran off the couch. 

 So I grab the phone and call my sister (she lives right next door, thank goodness!) and I scream into the phone all excited...WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW??? She knows my tone of voice and when she hears me like this, it ususally means there is something fabulous in the neighboor hood trash and we have to go get it RIGHT NOW!

She never fails me, and always gets just as excited right back at me and she says "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING...WHERE ARE WE GOING??" See....she knows her little sister well.

(And yes, the capital letters are to indicate excitement in our voices. We get a little loud at times. Thats how we roll.)

Now at this point, I am acting as though I had just won the lottery or something...and I say "WE HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE RIGHT NOW! SOMEONE JUST TOLD ME MY BLOG IS MENTIONED IN FLEA MARKET STYLE MAGAZINE!"

She screams! I scream!

So in the pouring rain, and with a stuffed head, I back the car out, go next door to pick her up...and away we go.

We try the grocery store. Nada.

Next we go to Walgreens. Zip.

Next up...CVS. And they came through for us!! Thank you, CVS! We grab it like it is made of gold, turn to page 27 and there I am. Little 'ol me mentioned on just one teeny little line under the "If You Swoon Over White" category, just like Jo said.

And right between Rie from Home & Harmony and Jo from Secret Garden Cottage. Could I be in better company??? I don't think so! I *love* both of these fabulous girls!

I realize it was just a teeny tiny little mention of my blog. But it made me smile. Because I don't consider myself a "great blogger" and I sometimes wonder what in the world you fabulous girls find so interesting over here in the land of Urban Farmgirl. I am just a simple girl that likes simple things. Pretty things. Old things. And you couldn't be more right, Flea Market Style magazine...I do swoon over white!

Thank you for making this sick girl have a really fun night!

And congratulations to all the girls listed on pages 26 & 27 in the article "Its Ok To Be A Blog Follower". I am truly honored to have my name in just good company. I am not sure how it happened, but I am beyond humbled that it did.

Oh, and just because I am about to burst with even more over-the-top excitement...stay tuned...I have another little announcement coming in a week or two! This one made the whole neighborhood hear my sister and I squeal with anticipation and delight! (Yes, they all do think we are totally insane, but in a good way. I hope.)

Happy Tuesday, girls!

 I am off to photograph my weekend finds for an Etsy update! It was a fantastic shopping weekend, so be sure to check back tonight to see what goodies I found!

etsy inspired project...and a shop update!

One of the best things I have ever done is start selling my smaller treasures on Etsy...in the past I have sold my painted furntiure, but in December I decided to open up a new Etsy shop...share the love and offer some of the smaller things I find. Oh my gosh, has it been a whirlwind! I cannot thank you girls enough for all of your support. It has been so much fun!

Actually...let me be honest...I am thanking you for giving me a reason to keep up my junking addiction! I was slightly afraid that since I loved to go to auctions, estate sales and yard sales so much I was going to end up as a subject on Hoarders...but...you have saved me. So I thank you. And my hubs thanks you, too

....*smile*...

When I am wrapping and labeling packages, I often wonder where they will end up...who is giving this little piece of history I found a new home. One day I decided to add a little "P.S let me know what you are going to do with these" note at the bottom of my thank you card to a customer. It was the first time I have done that, and I didn't think I would actually hear back from her.

But, Lauren from Our Hiding Place, surprised me the other day...and sent me a link to a post on her blog where she showed me what she did with the vintage envelopes she purchased from my Etsy shop.

Isn't it just so stinkin' cute??

She was inspired by something she saw in Pottery Barn's catalog...

But decided to put her own spin on it...and found my vintage envelopes...

she strung them on a little jute twine...used a few clothespins...

and she had a simple and beautiful bunting above the bed!

I love this Lauren, thanks for sharing! Hmmm...maybe I should save some of those envelopes for myself!

Take a minute to visit Lauren's blog..she is a newlywed and her and her husband are decorating their first home by the sea...and she has done some beautiful things!

I have a long list of things to add to the shop today...so check back for an update! I am finally listing a basket with chippy aqua paint, an old wooden toolbox tote, more antique keys and bottles and maybe a piece of furniture or two! Lots of other things, but that is all my tired brain can think of at the moment!

Happy Thursday, girls!

i heart the growers daughter....

Every once in a while I stumble on a blog that stops me in my tracks.

I am immediately taken in by the beauty...the music...the photos...a *love at first sight* kind of thing, I guess you could say!

That is how I felt when I found Maria and her blog The Grower's Daughter!

A page or two into it and I was head-over-heels! 

Smitten. 

Inspired.

*Tickled.*

First, I found her Etsy shop...and I got really excited!

Gorgeous photography and such incredible vintage finds!

It was from her amazing shop that I found her blog.

Instantly, I was head-over-heels!

Inspired.

Smitten.

How could I not fall madly in love??

The girl makes the most beautiful muffins I have ever seen!!

And her living room is sooooo incredible!

The lamps...the pillows...the sofas...I *love* every single inch of it!

(all photos property of the Grower's Daughter, please do not use without permission from Maria)

*sigh*

Isn't it just so pretty??

You should see her dining room...and she has the most amazing old cabinet in her kitchen, too!

I just had to share Maria and her amazing talents with you! Head over to her blog and be inspired...and after you have a look around...don't forget to take a moment to visit her Etsy shop!

 I am off to dream about Maria's beautiful home...don't you love drifting off to sleep feeling inspired??

*sigh*

Sweet dreams, girls! I can't wait to catch up with you all on Monday morning!