The Farm Chicks

Clean & Pretty

I love love love a clean house, and think it's so much nicer to clean with pretty things.  I found a bunch of these happy little cleaning cloths at the farm sale this summer, all with their original tags from the sixties.  And now, everything is fresh and clean again.

Fig Tree & Co

Like all of you...we love beautiful fabric.  We've been fortunate to have a few designers send us some yardage to use for future photo shoots.  Joanna from Fig Tree & Company sent us swatches of her beautiful fabric recently and I had so much fun exploring her website that I thought I'd share it with all of you. 

We've Got Mail!

We really love checking our mail and finding packages from you.  It's like Christmas when it happens. We don't usually post our address, so those of you who have sleuthed it out get an A+ for your detective work!  Some of the items we receive, we're able to post about here on our blog or use in photo shoots and we love to do so whenever it's the right fit.  And we're extremely grateful for your generosity!  And since we've received so many emails requesting our address, we decided, why not?  You're welcome to send any items for our consideration.  We'll try to spread the word, whenever we possibly can.

The Farm Chicks
P.O. Box 1328
Mead, WA 99021

~Serena and Teri

P.S.  Don't you just love this mailbox?!  A few years ago, we were invited to go through an old fish camp tackle shop and this was the mailbox at the entrance.  The shop was filled with all the original old fishing supplies, rental boats, oars, and so much more.  Oh, and the boats and oars were all painted turquoise!

Farm Country Sale

There was an estate sale in the heart of farm country this weekend.  The sale was run by one of my favorite estate sale companies, Monarch.  I really appreciate the descriptions they give in their advertisements because I know they're always accurate.  They described this sale as a "digger", which means there will be a TON of things to "dig" for.  My neighbor Michelle loves their sales as much as me, so we decided to go together.  We also met up with her friend and business partner, Faith, and her daughter.  We ran into the Junebug girls there too.

The house, barn, outbuilding, chicken coop, and tents were jammed full.  Everything was for sale.  The advertisement described thousands of yards of fabric, which was perfect for me, especially because we're working on a shoot at the end of the month and can always use a good assortment.  (Plus, I've never met a fabric I didn't like).  After a few hours, our trucks were jammed full.  We stopped for lunch on the way home and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the trucks with their loads.

Backyard Inspiration

Serena and I are doing a photo shoot at the end of this month and we're in the process of looking for props.  The subject has a backyard party feel to it and what could be more perfect than this adorable retro lawn chair fabric!  An added bonus...it's available on Etsy! 

This is the work of the creative Betz White.  Take a look...I'm sure you'll be inspired too!

Better With Letters

I have a serious weakness for old letters.  And I have a lot of them.  Mostly from old signs or advertising.  But I've always wanted a set of old plaster letters - the type that poke into a bulletin board.

I was so excited to find an old set at an estate sale while junking with the boys last weekend.  And, it was only five dollars!  It's still in it's original box, which I love! 

I'm scrubbing, cleaning and painting inside my house this weekend, but will make sure to set aside some time to put these letters to use.  And I'll make sure to show you when I'm done.  Everything's better with letters!

P.S.  Don't forget to enter our GIVEAWAY!

Gotta love freebies!

My sister Beth told me about this great free paint offer!   It just so happens that we're in the middle of redoing our little bathroom just off of the kitchen.  I needed to pick up a quart of paint for the cupboard so the timing is perfect!  They're only offering it for a limited time...so go check it out!  Thanks Beth!

UPDATE:  Glidden has announced that due to the overwhelming response they have run out of their alloted "free quarts".   They're now offering a $5 rebate on any size can of paint. 

This just makes me happy!

I've always wanted a toy Wolverine stove and I recently found one!  It's little oven is the perfect place to store my dishcloths and my favorite never rust soap pads that I use on my big girl stove can sit right on top. Actually makes me want to do my dishes!

Handmade Journals

I'm a list maker.  For some reason I always feel better when I write things down.  Serena and I are in the homestretch before our upcoming show and there's a ton of last minute things to be done.  The only way I can feel any sort of peace is to write it all down. So, my day usually starts with a cup of coffee, a pen and a notebook. 

 

I love these notebooks/journals that are handmade by a local mom here in Spokane.  She sells them on etsy.  The best thing is that you can totally personalize them.  She has an amazing assortment of paper to choose from, dividers with pockets (love that!) and you can even personalize the text on the front or leave it blank. 

Now I can cross "blog" off my list!

Cute Cup Cozy

Whenever my folks come for a visit, one of the first things they do is bring in a box or bag full of goodies that mom found for me while thrifting.  We've all been there...you find something amazing, but maybe it doesn't totally fit your style or more likely, you alreday have one.  It's just so hard to pass it up so you try to think who would like it.  It's a pretty sweet deal for me, kinda like junking by proxy!  Recently she found these sweet little crocheted glass cozy's that just happen to perfectly fit tiny glasses that I picked up at a sale last summer. Gotta love gift bearing guests!

My Big "E"

I have a lot of stories about the "one that got away", but this is the opposite of that!  A couple years ago while at the Country Living Fair in Ohio I spotted this large letter E.  It was huge and red and priced right ($15). I was so excited until the end of the show when I went over to the on-site shipper and was told that it would be over $50 to send home.  $15 is a bargain $65...not so much.

The show was over and everyone was packing up and I figured that I'd just leave it behind and learn a lesson...always check shipping fees before purchasing.  That's when it hit us, we can take it with us and send it through as baggage for free!  So, we boxed up our space, grabbed our luggage from the hotel and headed to the airport.  It wasn't until check in that we realized we were over our baggage limit and it would be over $100 for the added package...here I go again.

I decided enough was enough and I would just leave it behind some garbage can at the airport.  I was promptly informed that if I chose to do that I would be detained by security.  (I hadn't considered what it would look like to drop off a large wrapped package at an airport and then walk away) That left no choice, but to pay the fee.  So, my big "E(xpensive)" hangs on the side of my garden shed always reminding me of "the one that didn't get away"!

Patriotic Finds

Kate (my daughter) and I had so much fun at the Sisters Sale on Friday!  Kathy, Chris and Carrie put on a great show.  There was sunshine and smiles all around!  Typical me...I didn't take photos.  Too busy shopping and visiting, but when we got back to Kate's house we pulled everything out for show and tell and I realized that some of my purchases had a bit of a patriotic theme.  The America song book, Washington ribbon, old map of western rivers, the concrete bird...ok, if you squint it kinda looks like an eagle...maybe? (I picked up the little blue Jeep dump truck in Pullman this week end and just had to add it in as well)

But, my favorite purchase was this old "Across the Continent" game board.  The graphics from this era are the best!  It's in great shape and came with all it's parts including the directions!  Can't wait for their Holiday Sale on October 24th! 

Retro outdoor chairs

We've all seen these fun chairs at yard and antique sales.  I've picked up a few here and there and love them!  They're timeless and durable.  I was so excited to see that Lowe's stores are carrying them this season in a perfect green and blue and even better...they're on sale right now for $31!  Their stock is very limited and I ended up buying two of the floor displays and then placed an order for two more that are in transit.  If you're interested...act quickly, they are not available online and they're going fast with no guarantees of store restocking.

Update:  I'm told that they are now available online!

My big girl doll house

When I was a little girl my Aunt Josie and Uncle Francis had a dollhouse that they always let us play with when we came over to visit.  It even had a barn and corrals for the toy horses.  To this day, I can still remember playing with that doll house.  Recently, I've been on a search for my own vintage doll house.  I could just picture a sweet little rancher in the upstairs bathroom with supplies for visiting guests or a two story version on my kitchen counter with dishcloths and kitchen supplies or a great homemade wooden one in my living room! 

My search is over...at least for the living room!

Servin' up some fun!

I saw these cute little snowcone cups at the store awhile back and I picked them up thinking...oh, if only the girls were still little.  Then I put two packages in my cart!  I knew I would regret not getting them. I'm using them as a candy dish for our Easter get-together, but the possibilities are endless...a fun way to serve up sundae toppings or hold condiments for a summer BBQ or (not as popular with the kids) hold individual servings of veggies with dip drizzled over the top or trail mix by the campfire or grapes on a picnic or...

Oh, I should have mentioned (thanks Elaine) that I found the cups at Bi-Mart. Unfortunately, it's a Pacific Northwest chain, but with summer coming up, it seems like any store that carries a snowcone machine would also have the extra cups. 

Not just for napkins!

While doing a little cleaning I ran across this old Dairy Queen napkin dispenser that I picked up years ago at a thrift store.  It was a bright orange color and I was never able to make it quite fit into my kitchen, plus the restaurant type napkins that it dispensed only come in huge quantities...so in the give away box it went. 

Then recently while working at the computer I was searching for a piece of scratch paper to jot something down and I had an idea.  A can of spray paint, some index cards and a trip to the give away box...it took me a few years, but I finally found a way to use that old napkin dispenser. 

Vintage Camp Bracelets

I love these old camp bracelets! As a little girl I spent a memorable week at Camp Roganunda on Chinook Pass. Bracelets were common souvenirs for girls to remind them of new friends, time spent hiking, telling stories around the campfire and of course, pinecone crafts! Most bracelets will have the name of the camp in colorful charms. They’re not commonly found, but definitely worth the hunt. When I’m not wearing mine I display them on a shelf in my campy living room.

Vintage Rosary Bracelets

I really love vintage rosary bracelets.  I came across my first one at an estate sale and have found many more at flea markets over the years.  I like to layer several together at one time and enjoy the way they jingle jangle together on my wrist.

 

Granny Square Goodness

Serena and I went junking one day last week and I found this sweet little wool granny square afghan at Value Village.  It looked pretty sad, but I figured for $1.99 it was worth a try.  After a day of soaking, an extra long cycle in the washing machine and a little bit of repair work...I think it was definitely worth it!  Originally, it was lap blanket size, but It shrunk by quite a bit in my effort to get it completely clean.  I don't mind since its more for looks than function. It's amazing how something so inexpensive can make me so happy!

Book Love

Today's a busy busy day, but I wanted to share the book love I'm having for my latest little find.  Don't you just love it?  I can't wait to get a minute and look through all of the fun contents!