creatively made home {for the holidays} GIVEAWAY!

I am SO happy to be part of a fun & creative GIVEAWAY today for the Creatively Made Home {Home for the Holidays} edition!

What exactly is the CMH {Home for the Holidays} series? 

I think Jeanne Oliver, the creator, said it best...” My hope is that this course will help you slow down and find the joy and beauty in the holidays.”

It is not about the hustle & bustle of running around, finding gifts. It is about enjoying the season, your family and your home. It is taking a deep breath and a step back to create and enjoy the spirit of the season. 

My sweet friend Anne Marie, from the NaDa Farm blog, hosts the Spring & Fall Barn Sale I participate in, and she is showcasing her creative talents for the Creatively Made Home Series. 

Jeanne Oliver is the creative genius behind the Creatively Made Home series. 

 I am sure most of you know of her, she is the woman behind an ever growing creative network…she is also a terrific clothing & bag designer with an eye for detail and a heart for comfort.

In addition to Anne Marie, she has assembled an amazing group of women to participate in this season's event. 

To sum it up: In Jeanne's own words. here is what the e-course is all about:

You will be encouraged as you hear honestly from each woman about the times things did not go as planned during their holidays.

 You will hear honest discussions about their own journey of hospitality.

 You will walk away inspired as you hear about the traditions and special moments from their childhood and how they create special moments with their families today.

You will be able to watch beautiful videos with gift giving ideas, decorating projects and favorite family recipes.

 We all want to create authentic moments with our friends and families.

 We all desire for the ones we love to leave our homes knowing that they were welcomed and loved.

 My hope is that this course will help you slow down and find the joy and beauty in the holidays.

 *****

 *There will be 30+ project videos

 These will be incredible videos that include everything from cooking, gift giving and decorating

 *Tons of beautiful house photos from each of the nine women

 *Supply Lists and PDFs for each project

 *A digital recipe book of the recipes shared in this course

Now, on to the FUN part - the GIVEAWAY!!

Anne Marie has graciously provided me with complimentary spots in the e-course for 2 of my readers!

How do you put your name in the hat to win??

Just leave me a comment on this post telling me what you love to create most at the Holidays! Do you bake with your kiddos, deck  your home out with all the trimmings of the season?

 Give me the scoop...I want to know what you do to be creative during the Holidays!

(giveaway will be open until midnight Tuesday September 3rd - winner will be announced Wednesday morning, September 4th!)

Are you excited and can't wait to see if you have won? Get signed up today!

 Registration is NOW OPEN! 

You can click over and get signed up for the course. There is a $58 registration fee - and you will have full access to all the course, and these 8 talented ladies have to offer for this season! 

goin' to the chapel...y'all

tap...tap...tap...is this thing on??

WOW.

How long has it been since I have done a blog post?? Waaaaay too long. 

And as usual, I am coming late to the party on my post about my new ADVENTURE for the fall. I was going to post this some time ago...started to type...then became a little sad realizing no one probably reads my blog anymore since I haven't done a meaningful post in well...like...forever!

So, I announced what was happening over on Facebook and Instagram and left it at that. But lately I have had a wave of "hey, I can do this! I can hunt down my vintage goods, run my shop, sell at the flea, paint a bazillion pieces of furniture each month, have a meaningful life AND blog."

I can..................right?? {hee...hee!}

So starting with THIS blog post I am back at it. 

(cue the trumpets, I am standing with my hands on my hips, Super-Hero style!)

Urban Farmgirl is going back to being a regularly active blog. I can do this!

Yay!!

Anyway, on with the fun stuff. 

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of once again spending some time with this amazing couple. 

Kevin and Layla from The Lettered Cottage were traveling through the Midwest and we had planned to meet on her way through Illinois. 

When Layla first texted me and asked if she could stop by my shop...I about died. The shop had just come off an 'open weekend' and it was a hot mess. It was practically empty, and looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Talk about wanting to just DIE. Layla is coming for a visit and this is what she is going to see?? But, after my usual quick panic and freak out session, I reverted back to my calm self and thought 'it is what it is' and I just rolled with it. It was real. It was authentic. And it meant we had an awesome weekend at the shop. How could that possibly be embarrassing, right?

{it still kinda was, but don't tell anyone - ok?}

So, there was a little of little of this...

And a whole lot of talking and laughing!

A few minutes after they left, I get a text with this amazing photo....and the idea to sell vintage goods inside that ridiculously amazing chapel!!

Ummmm....and since I suffer from serious wanderlust, LOVE selling my vintage wares, and a fly-by-the-seat of my pants kind of girl, I of course could not type YES fast enough! I think I responded within   about 2.3 seconds that I would be there! No need to give me details, just tell me when and where and I am there!

So, on October 19th I will be found selling my vintage wares at the chapel building in Layla's neighborhood along with some of the most AMAZING ladies in blogland. I am so honored to be among those selling, and I have no idea how I fit in with all their greatness, but I am sooo happy to share their company! You can go here to check out the vendor line up and the details. 

Oh, and the other REALLY fun part?? I get to road trip with this girl all the way down to Bama because we are going to be sharing a space that will be decked out with all the vintage goodness we can pack in a trailer! Remember when Oprah and Gayle would go on their "Big Adventure" trip every year?? 

Yeah, I have a feeling it's gonna be something like that. 2 girls in a truck, hauling a trailer we have no idea how to pull, and trying not to whack it into everything in our 1,600 mile path from Illinois to Alabama.

The question is...which one of us is Oprah and which one is Gayle?

Someone call us a camera crew, I feel a new reality show coming on!

Hope to see some of you there! It is going to be SO. MUCH. FUN!!

owning a shop - my most important rule!

Each week, I get tons of email and Facebook messages from girls with a dream like I once had. They want to open a little shop that is all their own. 

I sometimes feel as though I should write a series for you all on opening your own vintage shop, so I am working on that idea. I am taking mental notes of lessons learned and when I have been at this a little while longer, I will give you some helpful hints of what to do to help your dream come to life. It is very different than a 'gift' or 'decor' shop....there is a whole side of things most of you wouldn't even suspect would be involved in a 'mostly' vintage type brick-and-mortar shop. 

My immediate circle hears my one most important rule all. the. time so I thought I would give you this tid-bit as my 'mantra' of the moment...

Honestly, I think they are sick of hearing me. But, to know me is to hear me. So they will have to deal. :o)

My number one rule for anything in business, or life for that matter...is:

DON'T WASTE YOUR RESOURCES! 

Simple as that. As the owner of a new and pretty successful little shop, I cannot stress enough how important it is to acknowldege that fact that you cannot do it all. 

Let me repeat that.

You CANNOT do it all. Try as you may, it is impossible to do all the things necessary to make your shop the very best it can be! Learning to recognize that and be willing to let go of the control a little is not easy. Because lets face it, if you have the ability to steer the ship enough to own your own shop, you have to have a little bit of 'control' in your personality. That is not a bad thing, to me it just means you can carry the weight. You bear the responsibility and you are not afraid to act and guide in the appropriate way. 

That being said, what I mean by 'don't waste your resources' is this. You need to surround yourself with the very best people you can. This may mean an accountant, employees, a cleaning crew, a handyman and for me...a stylist. 

I am sure you all know Susan from the blog fame Maple & Magnolia. Well let me tell ya, bringing Susan on board was one of the best things I have ever done in my LIFE!

She is my wing-man. Wing-woman? Wing-girl? Whatev. She is my words of wisdom. The girl that snaps me back to reality when I am thinking crazy. We plan. We plot. We work out the details. She cracks. me. up! She is my friend, and she is my stylist. And it could not work out any better to have her be a part of Urban Farmgirl. 

And here is why. 

When you work a bazilliion hours hunting down the vintage goods, dragging them home, cleaning them up, painting 80+ pieces of furniture each month, repurposing things. pricing them, selling it all, sometimes shipping it and doing all the millions of behind-the-scenes details that go along with owning a shop, you NEED help. {whew...I am tired just typing all that!}

That is my advice for the day. A little something for all of those that have asked me about how to bring their dream to reality. Do what you love. And be prepared to work double the amount of hours you think you will. {wink...} but most importantly, surround yourself with good people. 

Did I mention that since the shop is only open twice a month, we tear and down and rebuild it with new displays and merchandise each time we are open?? Crazy. But important!

So I guess what am trying to say....it is ok to let go. It is ok to ask for help when you just don't have enough hours in your day to get it all done.

And if you have someone as fabulous as Susan available to give you the hand you need...you grab her and hold on tight! 

And did I mention she sews some pretty fabulous pillows, too?? They are amazing. We carry them at the shop! And all those cute buntings you see? Yep. She sews those. too. 

See. Told you she was awesome. {wink...}

If you haven't read her blog post today, you have to click over and read it...and the one before that since they go together. The girl is hilarious!

Are you close to Rockford, IL?? We would LOVE to see you in the shop sometime! Stop by for a visit! Here are the open dates through Summer. 

Nada Farm Sale - GIVEAWAY!!

Anyone have time for me to sneak in a last minute giveaway???

Entries start today, and I will pick a winner Thursday night at 9pm central time! 

The lucky winner will receive 2 admission tickets to the Nada Farm Sale, and 2 of Anne Marie's dreamy cupcakes AND a little surprise from my shop! (you will LOVE it...I've made up a little basket of vintage goodies AND a little something extra from my shop for the winner!)

Here is all you need to do to enter:

 Leave me a comment on this post telling me what one vintage item you would like to find at the Nada Farm Sale that would make your heart flip!

For additional entries:

 Hop over to my Facebook page and SHARE my post about this giveaway. (leave me a separate comment here letting me know you did!)

(photo take at the May 2012 Nada Farm Sale)

I am sharing a HUGE booth again this year with Anne & Julie from Tattered Tiques in Barrington, IL! 

Ok, girls...GOOD LUCK! Hope to you see you at the Sale this weekend! And if they are still calling for a little rain, don't let that scare you away. The barn is BIG and most vendors are inside. Along with the Bakery, which has the cupcakes. That is the most important part, right?? {wink...}