We're so ready!!!

I just had to show you a couple more pictures - I could live in my barn!


Such a lovely kitchen area!  What's for breakfast?
Oh ya - Breakfast potatoes from the Potatoe Wagon!

One of my Fairy gardens...the first night, some little creature ate all the petunia blossoms!!!
They thought it was a little buffet for them!  Today Addy made little paths in both trunks - she did such a good job!

The next night I just shut the lid but the spikes didn't really like that. 
So I guess they don't like Alyssums and Lobelias...oh darn!

Thanks to my friends, daughters and grandkids for their help today!  Audriana, great grandgirl at 8 months, supervised!  And it was hot in the barn...not complaining though - at least it wasn't raining!

We're ready!!!

Bonnie

We're gettin' there!

I have the most talented and hardworking friends and family!  Kathy and Bev and Barb were here today to make magic happen in the Barn!

We had lots of help from the hubby and our son, Dave, too.  They moved in our very heavy stove for the kitchen area - hopefully their backs will be ok!  Then they went over to the neighbors to get the big blue cupboard (almost 8 ft. tall) that they gave us!  It's so perfect and will hold lots of dishes.  I get carried away buying dishes and chairs.

Bev and Kathy busy making sense out of piles of stuff!

Garden area!

Our new blue cupboard!

The Library

Farmgirls gettin' it done!  Come to the Farmgirls Country Sale if you are in the area!

Bonnie

Shopping Spree Alert and More Moving!!!

Today we visited our youngest son and family at a huge camping resort about 30 miles from our house.  Ok - so this is really exciting...not only did we see other family members and a very cute great grandgirl but they were having garage sales!!!

Now how perfect is that???  Because we have been so busy with our new little barn project we haven't done the shopping and fixing and repurposing, etc. for our next sale the end of next week.  We did need to replenish our stock.  So this was great!  Yay!

Lots of big things with little fixin' needed on most of the items.  Ok - so we got a nice long bench (needs washing and a little paint), a great white bench that just needs tightening and a little gluing, a glass top table that just needs some Windex, a small organ bench (needs hinge repair), another little table that might get a little paint, a lamp shade for my birdhouse lamp I got on vacay, etc.

Whew!  Not just anyone can go to this garage sale so woo hoo - kind of a exclusive sale!  There were a bizillion golf carts going everywhere - in and out of many little areas (1100 lots in this little village) - like a giant game of bumper cars!  So fun!

I promised some pics of our arranging party - so here's a few and one of my two new large planters that I did work on tonight after supper until the little mosquitoes drove me in the house and the fear of the woodchuck and her little ones visiting me!

Our indoor garden area that greets you
 as you walk through the door...it will look better!

The back bedroom area with brass bed frame and library, etc.

Little girls bedroom area with quilt, pink chair,
 vanity and another brass bed frame.

The future kitchen area!



Checkout!  What a mess!



One of my trunk gardens
 that I made into a Fairy gardens tonight!

Well - as you can see we have lots of work to do but it will be what it will be!  And another sale in August to look forward to!

Thanks for checking in!

Bonnie

Moving, moving, and moving some more...

I've read that moving is high on the stress chart.  I'm here to tell you that its true.  We're not moving far - just across the yard but it is tedious and tiring and stressful.  The Farmgirls now have a permanent shop.  Yay!

The begonias are loving this weather!

The process is long and the rainy weather has dampened our spirits.  Today the sun finally came out and it was warm and humid.  But so much better than the last month - the water is taking its time soaking into the ground.

The barn is done except for the electric - the inside wiring is done but the line from the pole that actually will turn on the lights might be channeled into the ground early next week.  Patience...patience.  The lights are in the ceiling and the switches are installed but when I thought about running a fan today - I was reminded that there really wasn't any electricity yet!!!  Boy - am I spoiled.

Today we dragged more stuff out of another pole barn...old chests that stored things...like clothes and other treasures.  Now I will take two of them and plant flowers in them and they will welcome customers to our new little barn.  Just like raised beds or large plant containers.  We found other garden items - a little white cart and turquoise shelf to add to the new wicker chair and ottoman and other fun garden stuff.

We also brought over an old cherished brass bed frame and another old bed frame to set up in the "bedroom" area of our sale.  It is fun to play house and arrange this larger area into little rooms of furniture and books and lamps and stuff.

I will take pictures tomorrow and show you our progress.  For now - I'm going to bed.  Tomorrow is another day!

Take care,
Bonnie

Visit to a Magical Cottage!

I think we had the best week ever at the lake!  Dinner with friends...meeting new friends...Farmer's Market ...Church Garage Sale!  We were so busy that I could have left most of my craft stuff at home this time!!!

There's Jack and Breezy!

We were invited to Jack and Deb's home and discovered it was a magical place.  I will show you just a fraction of what we saw.  They have a gorgeous German Shepherd named Seabreeze or Breezy.  He is such a smart dog and very handsome!  I love German Shepherds! 

They have an outdoor living space with windows on one side to shield them from the cool/cold breeze off the lake.  Many furnishings inside and out were on wheels so they could be moved easily!


Lovely painted chest and mirror!

One of the many little structures tucked around this home and garden!



Oh so pretty!



Love to read a book here!



A beach on the ocean is a favorite place!

Fantasy lighting!





Deb's Fairy Homes - September on the right made of birch bark
and Belle's on the left made out of 100 yr. old wood. 
Tiny furniture in a little garden!



Deb loves to paint - here's her little tool shed!



One of Jack's series of decks down to the lakefront
 and pontoon he covered in wood!

We had such a good time, we hated to leave!  Of course, the hospitality was warm and wonderful!

Thanks for the visit Jack and Deb!

Take care, Bonnie 

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

We have been busier this time at the lake so I haven't gotten very many projects completed!  I was counting on this time to restock the items I sold at our first Farmgirl Country Sale. 

Monday we went to Brainerd and I was the winner.  Stopped at the quilt shop and then on to JoAnn's and then Menard's and then the Family Dollar Store! 

I got a pattern and a little fabric at the quilt shop.  They wrote their first pattern and its a Mug Caddy for storing your sewing or craft or office stuff.  I hope to get at least one done in the next few days.  At JoAnn's, I got a little fabric, a great jewelry magazine and some jewelry findings that I needed.  Menard's was running a special on outside lights that we need for our new barn...code says so!  And at the Dollar Store, we got a few groceries (name brand only - no Chinese plastic or other things), storage bags and wooden clothespins.

Here's what I assembled with the clothespins!  Some will have magnets and some are just for fun office organizing or just decorating a gift.

Love my yo yo's!

Yesterday we went to Crosby to the antique malls and for an always great lunch.  I picked up a few reasonable pins to use in my mixed media/altered/recycled jewelry projects.

Aren't they wonderful???

Ruttger's Resort has the best gift shop so as we turned the corner, I got my wish - to stop once more where hubby had a great red chair in the shade so I could spend a few minutes shopping.  I found the greatest ring that has interchangeable beads.  Two extra clay ones to make a pair of earrings to match the ring.  They have a special name but I don't remember it.  Funky stuff!

The middle comes off and you can change the beads.

When I got back to the cabin, I made two pair of earrings and embellished a large necklace piece.  

It's a large round disk so I added the Sweet Memories piece, butterfly and the ball chain.

Just simple earrings with sayings and a pair with Laurel Burch cats!

I completed a couple of journals with old pictures printed on muslin and decorated with sayings, old buttons and old trim to embellish.

The babies are me and my cousin - we were born on the same day, same year!
The other lady is an adopted family member!

So today we ran home for a couple of hours to check on Norma, our cat, and see how far the construction guys have progressed with the finishing touches on our new barn.  Oh ya,  I ordered a couple of bars from The Little Bread Factory so we picked those up too!

Had to add a macaroon along with the Brownie 7 Layer bars.

Then we got a phone call to invite us to dinner with new friends for Lemon Chicken on Jasmine Rice.  We have more of a social life here than at home!  It was great fun, good conversation, tasty food and the white wine wasn't bad either!

Take care,

Bonnie

Ta Da!!!

Just a short post - we left the cabin and went home to check on our cat, Norma, and to see what happened to the barn while we were gone.  It's done!  It has a nice new cement apron and the slabs of rock that were by our house are now the walkway that leads up to the barn!

It does need something above the doors...we'll have to figure that out!
One of the workers suggested phony windows...think its too late now!
I'm leaning towards a big quilt square or plain.

And I now have a real sidewalk to my house instead of hard packed class 5!!!  I love it and so does Honey, our dog, because its much easier to get up that first step!  Isn't it nice???  I'm so excited!

Nice new curved sidewalk and they didn't hurt one plant or weed!

Now we're back at the lake for a few more days before we go home and have to move rugs and furniture and all else to its new home in our new little shop!

Take care,

Bonnie

Back Up to the Lake!

We're relaxing at the lake after a crazy couple of months!  The sounds of the Loons playing around on the lake echo across the bay.  It's like we're in a real, live nature documentary.  I love looking out the windows seeing all the green leaves, evergreens, and a peek of the lake down the path from our cabin. 

The view from "my" porch at the lake!

There are new owners now of "our" resort and they are a nice family and things seem almost the same.  I like the sameness of my life but life doesn't stay the same.  I guess I like contentment.  "Our" old handyman greeted us when we came and made the introductions.  That was very nice. 

Today we went into the nearest town and visited our friend at her log cabin shop, Wooden Nichols.  We roamed around the shop and talked and roamed and talked and came back to the cabin with a couple new, old things...well, after we had lunch, of course.

The item on the left is a paper cutter and will hold wrapping paper in our new barn.
  The washboard will be a door on a little cabinet!

While we were gone, the previous owners stopped to see us.  We were out gallivanting!  So, hopefully, tomorrow we will visit with them.  They are new friends that seem like old friends.  I love when that happens and we sure value their friendship.

I thought I would bring less to do this time, but alas! I still filled up my car and then I filled up the porch.  

My cabin sewing station!

My cabin workbench!

I continue to work on making new shipping tags look old. I painted them with Walnut Ink Crystals and then stamped them. Today I stamped words on them and decorated them with fine silver glitter. I should just be content with them but I want to add some three dimensional items.

Little tags all in a row!

A tag up close!

I signed up for another swap - The Handmade Gift Exchange - I had better get going on that project.  It needs to be mailed by June 30 so I better have it done when I leave here because when we get home - it's moving time. 

Our barn is progressing quite nicely...the cement floor is in so the builders will come back and frame the last window in and then complete the siding this week.

It needs a great, big quilt square above the doors
 - don't you think??? 

We hope to insulate it by fall and use the wood from our dear old barn on the inside walls.  We'll white wash the walls and it will be so wonderful!!!  It will probably take longer to do the inside walls than it took to build the whole barn.  Darn! 

More later! 

Take care,

Bonnie  

Another Amazing Farmgirls Country Sale!

Wow - we had a great sale after a disappointing, rainy start but then the weather improved and people came to the farm to shop and eat!

Of course, we didn't have time to take pictures until the day was well under way but here's a taste of what we had!!!

1940's kitchen area - love red!

Farmgirls mascot - our one eyed Aussie, Honey!

 Plant Pockets out of recycled, woven plastic bags!

Lovely magnets!

Girly vanity!

Striking, functional dresser

Polymer clay earrings and survival Para cord bracelets!

Fun, funky headbands, quilted bags, ribbon pins and card carriers!

It was a very busy, fun two days!  Sales were tremendous and those potatoes from the Potatoe Wagon were wonderful.

Our new little barn is under construction so our next sale will be in a permanent little shop.  No more taking things down and packing them away for the winter!  Yay!

Take care,

Bonnie