Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Crafting Havens From Clutter Comes Creative!

or•gan•ize [awr-guh-nahyz] verb, -ized, -iz•ing. –verb (used with object)

1. to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, esp. for united action: to organize a committee.
2. to systematize: to organize the files of an office.
3. to give organic structure or character to: to organize the elements of a composition.
4. to enlist or attempt to enlist into a labor union: to organize workers.
5. to enlist the employees of (a company) into a labor union; unionize: to organize a factory.
6. Informal . to put (oneself) in a state of mental competence to perform a task: We can't have any slip-ups, so you'd better get organized.




           There are articles and even entire magazines and books dedicated to organizing your home, your workspace, your craft area………….I’ve bought them, I’ve read them, some of them I truly covet, like the magazine Where Women Create………..but how do I get from where my space is now to that heavenly, organized, welcoming, creative inspiring space? I think I have finally found the answer, good old fashioned competition. Our farmgirl sister Joyce told us that she and another friend have agreed to photograph their crafting spaces now, “before” and at the end of the month, be prepared to photograph them again as “after”. Well of course sharing that with four other women, we were all inspired and took up the challenge. So here we are posting our “before” pictures, the only constraint placed by some of us was that no names could be tagged to the picture, HA! So here are our before pictures, and our challenge is to create welcoming, work inspiring spaces that we will photograph and share at the end of the month! Some of us have rooms, some a space in the garage or other outbuilding, some of us are blessed with entire studio space………..each has a personality, even in the clutter, and some of us, well actually one of us, already has a place of perfection, the rest, well let’s just say we participate only because of the promise of anonymity!




      What do these farmgirls make? Shabby chic treasures, painted furnishings, gifts and florals, tags and paper treasures, aprons, totes, fluffs and flourishes, soaps and candles, and well, just too much to name – but all goodies you will find at our Cottage Sales, soon on our farmgirlsisters.com website store, and three of us have fabulous flea market booths filled to the brim with treasures and delights!



      Once my space is a tad more welcoming and ready for visitors, we will all enjoy a weekly crafting night where we can gather, work on projects, share ideas, test new techniques, and just be together and enjoy our farmgirl camaraderie.




       So here are our “before” pictures, and at the end of the month……….we are all committed to sharing our “after”! Maybe we’ll let you match the farmgirl to the workspace ……..and give prizes to the first 10 who match them correctly! Watch for details!










Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I can hardly believe it is December 1st! Oh my and what a day, it was first day of our Christmas Cottage Sale and an incredibly hectic day all around.  First I want to thank all of the Farmgirl Sisters for their support and help to make this sale possible, the Cottage looks amazing............and what a great turn out.  All of our Facebook postings, our blogging, Craigslist, newspaper ads, and post cards paid off - we had shoppers lined up, and all through the evening, actually sold out of some things, but no worries, we're restocking tomorrow.

A very special thank you to Tina and Kailie, who stepped up and just pitched in helping with that initial rush, when I was late to the party! ha!

Miss Olivia took some amazing pictures, and as fab as they are, they don't do justice to how spectacular everything looks.

The sale continues Thursday evening, 5PM -9PM and Fri/Sat 9AM- 3PM, so be sure to stop by, and tell your friends.  We are at 606 Kingsway, downtown Branson, follow 6th Street past the old schools to Kingsway, and the cottage is the second house off the corner on the right!

Remember, only 23 more days until Christmas, so come shop with us!  Decorations, gift items, and well, just about everything you can imagine!

There is a map on our website, http://www.farmgirlsisters.com/, on the contact page.

Thank you Miss Olivia for the wonderful pictures below.......................they are maaaavelous!

OUR WONDERFUL LITTLE COTTAGE

A porch full of rustic and lodge decor!

Kitchen treats and sweets for the tree!

A little Country, A little Primative, this and that


A bedroom of pinks and pretties

Ornaments and gift items

Shabby Chic and Victorian delights

....a few more Shabbies

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

My Thanksgiving

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I think it’s for many reasons. I love the Fall, the colors, the cool crisp days, wool plaids and bulky sweaters, and there is something about cooking in the Fall, that first big pot of chili, baked apples, and of course Thanksgiving dinner. The more people around my table the better, family and friends, maybe a new acquaintance that doesn’t have someone to share the day with…..it is my day to be thankful so many things, and to share my table and cook like crazy. This year we will have nearly 20 around our table(s) – four to be exact, and included in our gathering is my son, an Army medic (need I say how thankful I am that he is once again home safe from deployment!); my mother, who just celebrated her 87th birthday; my very dear friend Sherri; adopted and extended family with our youngest guests age four, Hailey and Skylar to Mom, 87.


It could only be more perfect if my sister Bonnie and her family in California could be with us too.
My pantry list of menu items includes two 23 pound turkeys, two hams, 30 pounds of potatoes, 3 quarts of mixed berry compote, yams, 2 pounds of buttered carrots, apple sausage dressing, corn soufflé, Italian pasta salad, dinner rolls, and a dessert table that rivals any bakery window.

Amidst all of this cooking preparation, my Farmgirl Sisters and I are still busy readying for our Cottage Christmas Sale beginning December 1 and running through Dec 4 and what a amazingly fabulous sale this will be. Thousands of ornaments from over 30 theme Christmas trees, holiday décor items, collectibles, gift items, antiques, home décor, furniture and so much more.

For more information on our sale and a map to 606 Kingsway at 6th, downtown Branson, visit our website at http://www.farmgirlsisters.com/.

So, I will post a few more pictures to tantalize you with what awaits at our sale, and then I’m going to return to the kitchen to finish up the oatmeal raisin cookies for our dessert table – my son’s favorite!


I encourage you to take a moment of quiet time and make a mental list of all of your blessings; you will be amazed at how long this list is…..its easy to forget in our day to day living.

I wish each of my Farmgirl Sisters a wonderful and thankful filled Thanksgiving and I thank all of my family and friends for filling my life with love and laughter.





til next time, Stormy