Wedding Centerpieces



It's been a little over two weeks since my son's wedding.  Hard to believe all of the anticipation and planning is now well behind us.  The wedding was beautiful.  We were blessed with perfect weather for the outdoor ceremony, and also blessed with so many friends and family taking the time to come and celebrate with us.  Beautiful seems almost lacking in describing the bride, my new daughter.  She was absolutely stunning!  My son was so handsome and so happy.  I loved seeing him beam when his bride walked down the aisle. 

The colors were red, black, and white.  We had told Emma, the bride, that we would help her with the centerpieces.  I wanted to be able to use mason jars since I have a huge supply, and that would cut down on the cost of buying vases.  So after discussing ideas with Luke and Emma, mason jars it was.  They were filled with baby's breath, which was so pretty and simple.  Red ribbons were tied around the neck of the jar and a small black square with a hand printed "G" written with a chalk pencil on black paper was tied to the red ribbon.  Two little rhinestones were also placed beside the G.  Fresh red rose petals were sprinkled on each table on top of red and black paper, and finished off with silver glitter. 

Farm Chicks Treasures - Part 2

To finish off my posts of treasures spotted at the annual Farm Chicks Antiques Show, here is a very random photo of a display that caught my eye.  I think there must have been something else to keep this particular spool of string company, however only shredded paper was left when I ambled by:

Random coffee pots and flowers:

When I was a young girl I loved doing paint-by-number kits.  Now I see them popping up quite frequently in various shows that I attend.   It just seems funny that now they are sought after "works of art":

I immediately thought of one of my daughters when I saw this picture:

 

 

Rolling pins -- one of my favorite things:

 



I would love to have this sitting on my front porch:

 

 

And last, but certainly not least, I have always been fascinated by large cabinets filled with drawers.  When I saw this piece, I mentioned to my sister, Megan, that I would just love an excuse to buy one of these.  She had the perfect answer.  She told me that I could use it to hold all of my random Farm Chicks Antique show purchases that I wished I could buy but had no idea what to do with.  Perfect excuse.

 



Farm Chicks Treasures - Part 1

At the beginning of this month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane, Washington.  It runs for two days, of which I attended on the second day.  One would think that there wouldn't be much in the way of interesting items left after the hordes of shoppers were finished on Saturday; however, I managed to find quite a few fun things.

Roller skates -- I remember wearing skates such as these:

Blue enamel wear cups -- I just love enamel ware and think the different shades of blue available are so pretty:

 

Hand painted quail eggs -- such a pretty shade of blue:

 

Sweet birds -- I'm really not sure how these were made, but they sure caught my attention:

Salt shakers filled with German glass glitter -- I would love to have each and every one of these colors.  They remind me of my sister, Kass, who simply loves to use glitter on her art work:

And bundles of pretty lavender:

Fun Day Ahead

You have all undoubtedly heard that Disneyland is supposedly the happiest place on earth.  Well, I think that is debatable as I'm quite certain that today I will be visiting one of the happiest places on earth.  It's the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane, Washington.  I look forward to this show every year, and as a bonus, get to attend it with my sister, Megan.  I will take lots of pictures to share with those of you who aren't able to partake of such an exquisite event.  Here is a picture of her promotional poster .... now really, how cute is this!

Cherry Season

Since my last post, our lives have been going through a time of adjustments.  Adjustments in getting used to life without my father-in-law.  For those of you who left comments, thank you so much for your very kind words.  It's been nearly four weeks now, and it is kind of hard for the brain to kick back into a normal routine.  But God is good, and each day continues to bring blessing after blessing.  One particular blessing I had this past week was to pick cherries with my brother at his house which is not too far away.  I arrived early and we had the best time visiting and picking.  I determined that he picks cherries twice as fast as I do, but I guess since they are his trees, he has had a lot more practice.  I came home with buckets of Bing Cherries, Rainier Cherries, and Pie Cherries.  They have all been washed and are now in the refrigerator awaiting my next step.  I think today I will start with the Pie Cherries and get a few pies put away in the freezer.  Nothing quite beats being able to reach in the freezer and bake a cherry pie at a moment's notice.

Highlights from The Farm Chicks Show

Attending the Farm Chicks Show on Sunday was very much of a treat.  As always, it was a bit overwhelming; however, I think of it as a good type of overwhelming.  There are so many things to look at, I think that one could literally spend a week just wandering from booth to booth.  We only had one day so we made the most of it.  I can't really say that I had a favorite vendor .... they all seem to be good with a large variety of items throughout the show. 

Here is a picture of the big sign on the silo.  I have taken the same picture in previous years, but it just seems right to have a new picture each year.  This and the "howdy" sign that you see as you turn into the parking lot just seem to set the tone for the adventure that lies ahead:

One of my favorite sightings was this old sink planted with pretty flowers.  I think it looks so charming; and possibly one day I will plant a similar one right outside of my one day greenhouse.  It was set into what looked like an old potting bench:

A string of lights made out of canning jars ..... I think this is so cute, and would be such a great idea used in just the right spot:

A vintage embroidery that says "Laundry".  I can't remember if it was on a laundry bag or not, but I thought it would really be cute just to embroider a similar one, frame it, and hang it on my laundry room wall:

This booth caught my eye because of the big word "sisters".  It immediately made me think of all my sisters, and how much I like to spend time with them.  If we were to ever all be able to attend a Farm Chicks Show together, I can only imagine we would have just about the best time ever:

And last, but not least, these two little shakers.  One might not think too much of them initially; however, if you think about it, no one uses a flour shaker now.  But back in the day it only makes sense that a woman would have a flour shaker because of all of the bread and pies that she would make that would require frequent dusting of flour:

The 2012 show is barely past, but I have actually already added it to my calendar for 2013.  Serena really has it all dialed in putting on this show.  I honestly can't think of any improvements that she could make ..... it is simply perfect.

It's Time Once Again .....

Today I am off to attend one of my favorite annual events -- The Farm Chicks Antiques show in Spokane, Washington.  Serena does a great job of putting this together each year.  In fact I'm really not quite sure how she manages, but every year she seems to make it better than the last.  Stay tuned for some pictures of my favorite highlights from the show .....

Vacation Time

I am currently on vacation visiting my sister in a much warmer climate than I live.  Where I live it is still very early spring weather, meaning rain, no blooming flowers, Trees still without leaves, and temperatures too cold for planting.  On the flip side, I am in a nice place where the farmer's market is going in full force selling beautiful strawberries:

And artichokes which we can't even grow up in our neck of the woods:

And speaking of flowers, my sister's flowers are gorgeous, and her roses are in full bloom:

My Favorite Find

Many of you are already familiar with Serena Thompson (co-founder of The Farm Chicks).  For the past several months, she has been keeping us all very curious about her latest adventure called My Favorite Find.  By just giving us tidbits of information now and then to keep us on the edge of our seats wondering just what this new website was all about, she has kept the suspense very high.  Well, the day has finally come for the official launch of My Favorite Find.  I was privileged to have a sneak peek the past few days, and let me tell you, if you like yard sales, antiquing, estate sales, flea markets, etc., you are going to love Serena's new adventure. 

Recently I had the honor of asking Serena a few questions about her new business and her life in general.  Get to know Serena better and continue reading what she had to tell me.  After that, grab a cup of tea or coffee, set aside some extra time, and head on over to My Favorite Find -- you are going to love it.

1. Where do you get your inspiration and ideas for all of your amazing business ventures?

I don't know. My life just kind of seems like a patchwork quilt and I keep adding pieces. My Favorite Find really just came to be out of a need I was seeing with mail that was coming in from all over the world. Readers wanting to know how to find great shows or shoppes or how to promote what they were doing. Since nothing existed like what they needed, I decided to create it myself. My Favorite Find is that creation and it is sort of like a virtual show-and-tell. You can seek, find, and share great local shoppes and events and then show-and-tell your finds.

2. You seem to have your hand in so many different things, how do you manage juggling all of your projects with being a mom and a wife? Do you set aside a certain amount of time each day for your business time?

It always just works. I am lucky in that my family loves what I do, so they are really supportive. But yes, I try and work after my boys leave for school in the morning and then wrap things up before they get home.

3. Regarding the Farm Chicks Show – how does one go about being a vendor ….. is it by invitation only or do they have to submit a description of their shop and things they are selling for acceptance?

There is an application on my website, http://thefarmchicks.com , where anyone can apply to be in the show. It's not exclusive in any way (that's just not my style.) Applicants submit pictures, along with a description of what they are selling, so that I can get an idea of their goods and if those goods are the right fit for the show.

4. Are you amazed at how successful your show continues to be each year?

Yes! Every year I'm very overcome with emotion when I watch the show unfold and see the shoppers come out. I've never experienced anything like it.

5. I personally have two of your books … “The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen” and “The Farm Chicks Christmas”. Do you have any new books in the works?

I don't have a new Farm Chicks book right now, but I am working on a book with Jenny Doh, along with a few others, and I will have an entire section in that book. I'm unable to reveal the content of the book right now, but can say it's something I've always wanted to do and it is very "Farm-Chicky!" :)

6. Your latest adventure “My Favorite Find” sounds very intriguing. You have released enough information just to make us all very curious. What has been your favorite part about putting this new project together?

I love that My Favorite Find is going to be a way for other businesses or even someone doing something as small as a yard sale to get the much needed exposure they need to be successful. That makes me really happy.

7. You have publicly stated that you are always happy to offer encouragement and advice to those starting a new business --- what is the primary piece of advice that you find yourself giving over and over again.

Stay true to your own vision. Don't get sidetracked with what you see someone else doing or someone else being successful with. Your business needs to be about what you love and are passionate about. And don't give up. Business is hard and you have to be willing to put in the time to reap the rewards.

8. Of all of the vintage treasures that you have collected over the years, which piece means the most to you and why?

I have a couple of pieces of jewelry that belonged to my grandmothers. I used to have a set of one grandma's mixing bowls and one grandma's cookbook, but they were all lost when our home burned down when I was in high school. Both of my grandmothers died before I was born, so their jewelry is special to me.

9. You are certainly a busy lady, but whenever you find yourself needling a little break, do you have a particular hobby that you turn to to help you just slow things down a bit and get everything back into perspective?

Exercise is my friend. It's what I turn to, to keep my brain healthy and happy.

10. And last, but certainly not least, what is your favorite dessert?

Do I have to choose just one? Mostly it's cheesecake but sometimes chocolate cake with vanilla cream frosting.

Farmers' Market

Due to circumstances beyond my control (a very long, wet spring), I do not have a garden planted this year.  Instead I decided I would just frequent our local farmers' market from time to time.  Besides being a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning, it is really enjoyable to wander past all of the stalls seeing all of the vegetables, flowers, and crafts that everyone has been very busy with.  This past Saturday I brought home carrots, onions, and tomatoes.  Still a little early for cucumbers, but I'm hoping they will be arriving on the scene soon.

Cherry Season

I have been away for a bit -- away to spend a few days with my mom while my youngest daughter attended volleyball camp in the same city where my mom lives.  My daughter had fun at her camp, and I had fun with my mom.  We went out to lunch, shopped at antique stores, and stopped by my brother's house with an agenda in mind -- that agenda being to pick cherries.  He has a number of cherry trees, all of which are absolutely loaded with cherries this year.  While my mom supervised from a nice shady seat on their outdoor swing, my brother, sister-in-law, daughter, and myself all grabbed a bucket and headed over to his orchard.  Within probably an hour's time, we had picked a plastic tote box filled with bing cherries.  My brother estimated that we had picked between 50-60 pounds of cherries!  So needless to say, I have been spending my morning going through my big canning book choosing a variety of recipes to give a try today, tomorrow, and most likely the next.  Besides the bounty of bing cherries, we also picked a bucket full of Rainier cherries.  What are your favorite ways to fix fresh cherries?

Antique Tidbits

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending an antique show with my mom.  Simply attending an antique show is fun in itself; but when I can go with my mom, it is a real treat.  She knows so much about so many things.  I enjoy listening to her stories about how her grandmother used some of the things that we saw, and explaining to me the history about different dishes (her specialty).  We had a delightful day, and I managed to take a few pictures of some of the highlights.  However, when we walked in the door, and I looked at the first cute thing, I was taken back by the prices.  And then I remembered .... I wasn't at a thrift store, or at a Farm Chicks sale, I was at an antique show.  Therefore, I prepared myself for antique show prices. 

These cute salt and pepper shakers I would have loved to have purchased.  But because of the high price (yikes!) I brought home a picture instead:

This picture isn't very clear, but this is the biggest batter bowl that I have ever seen.  It measured 16" from handle to spout.  I think that would be a wonderful size, but I also wondered if I would even be able to lift it when full:

Here is a beautiful comb that someone bold enough could wear in their hair at just the right event:

And to wrap things up, I couldn't help but take a picture of this, even though I think it is just plain creepy.  An alligator purse that has the alligator's head incorporated into it.  I'll pass on carrying this around:

A Huckleberry Adventure

Out here in our "neck of the woods" we have huckleberries.  And it is my understanding that they only grow in the northwest regions of the United States, as well as across the border in Canada.  I have heard some people liken them to a blueberry .... well, they taste absolutely nothing like a blueberry.  They have their very own distinct flavor that just can't be beat.  Being small in size, it takes a lot more huckleberries to fill a gallon bag than it would if we were filling it with blueberries.

On a recent camping trip, the camp host of our campground, told us that she had heard there were huckleberries up a certain road.  As soon as my husband heard that, he knew that I would want to be up on that mountain picking huckleberries.  I have grown up with huckleberries being a part of my life, and whenever I have the opportunity to pick some, that is where I will be.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with huckleberries, here is what these little beauties look like on the bush:

They grow on bushes, and not tall bushes that you can easily stand in front of picking from.  But the bushes are just the right height that you have to bend over to get the berries, causing your back to complain from time to time.  But then there is also the option of getting them on the steep mountain side where one has to precariously balance with one foot on the uphill side, and the other on the downhill side being very careful not to tumble down the hill.

The other thing about huckleberries is that they aren't typically conveniently located on the main highway where you can just pull your car off to the side of the road, and leisurely go picking.  You have to usually drive up a steep mountain one lane dirt road.  And because you are climbing up the mountain, off to one side of the car will always be a steep drop off with no guard rail.  At times like this, you always hope you don't meet anyone coming down the hill because turn-outs are few, and there is hardly enough room for one car, let alone two cars.  You pretty much have to drive until you feel like you are on top of the world:

When you have reached this point, you know that there must be huckleberries nearby.  Once a good patch is found, everyone bails out of the car, and the picking begins.  In year's past I have passed out buckets to members of my family in hopes of coming home with gallons and gallons.  This year I gave everyone a plastic cup.  That helped them to pick at ease not thinking that I really expected them to each somehow fill a gallon bucket in one afternoon.  Realistically, you just can't come home from one afternoon of picking with gallons and gallons.  It is hard work, the berries are small, and then there is the eating factor.  One can simply not keep themselves from picking a handful of berries, and just eating them on the spot.

                                         

The other thing about huckleberries to keep in mind while picking them is that where there are huckleberries there are bears.  Huckleberries are a favorite snack for bears, and so we try to keep up the conversation and laughing to just politely let the bears know that we are in their neck of the woods.  One of the patches we were picking from actually had a game trail right through the middle of it.  So I knew it was a favorite spot for our furry friends.  We saw traces of bears, and even saw bear fur stuck to some of the bushes.

All of the adventure was well worth it, as we came home with nearly one gallon of berries.  I washed them, and popped them in the freezer, and we will now ration them throughout the upcoming year.  And ration them I do as they sell for $50.00 a gallon for someone that wants to avoid all of the adventure and just buy them from someone locally.

Setting Aside Some Time

One morning this past week I spent several hours working outside in my gardens.  When lunch time rolled around I set down my gardening tools and went inside.  After fixing lunch for my daughter, who had been suffering with a bad summer cold, I decided that all laundry, cleaning, and any other plans I had made could simply by set aside.  Instead I took a blanket outside on the grass; and my daughter and I spent the next couple of hours looking at the clouds, enjoying the sunshine, admiring a rainbow, and planning some imaginary trips.  And you know what --- that laundry waited patiently for me, and we had a very nice afternoon together.

Farm Chick Finds -- Part 3 of 3

As a final installment of my "Farm Chick Finds" posts, I will show you what I actually purchased.  They seem rather simple compared to the wonderful things I walked by; but then that is what makes the show so much fun -- just walking by seeing so many pretty and creative things all under one roof.

Only moments after walking in the building, this little salt and pepper shaker set literally shouted out to me to get my attention.  They are only about 1 3/4" tall, and were so sweet, it was an immediate decision to purchase them -- especially after I was quoted only $1.00:

Just a few days prior to the show, my mom had taken us out to lunch, and had been telling us that before restaurants had creamers in little packets, the cream was served in little bottles on the tables.  She showed us the few little bottles that she had back at her house.  I thought how much fun it would be to have one.  Well, lo and behold, only a few short minutes after the salt and pepper shaker find, here was a little creamer bottle waiting quite patiently for my arrival. 

This cute little bottle is also only at 1 3/4" tall -- the same as the salt and pepper shakers:

I just had to stop by the Hilltop Honey stand that Serena had talked about over at The Farm Chicks blog.  The honey has been delicious.  And as a bonus the nice couple at the honey stand was also selling this cute antique flour sifter.  It will look great on my shelf next to my grandmother's canisters:

And last but not least, I have been looking for one of these for the longest time.  At least one that didn't cost a fortune.  I have great plans for it --- stay tuned, and maybe in the next few weeks I will have it all put together, and will share the fun idea that I have come up with.

Farm Chick Finds -- Part 2 of 3

Here are a few more fun things that I saw at the Farm Chicks Show this weekend in Spokane:

A child's pair of red cowboy boots.  My dad would have highly approved of these.  He loved buying cowboy boots for the kids, and red was his favorite color:

Creative use of an old cooler (I love the pinwheels):

Raggedy Ann and Andy at the Seven Sisters booth (they sell the best brownies ever, by the way):

A creamer and sugar in the most beautiful shade of yellow.  I really would have liked to have purchased these; but for some reason, I decided to be practical realizing I don't really have a place to display them.  What was I thinking --- that really has never stopped me before:

And finally, this sweet little picture.  This young girl is feeding the birds bread crumbs.  I really liked this print; however, the price was too steep for me.  If anyone knows the name of it, please share, as I would like to find it some day.