The Farm Chicks

What You Found! Lindsea's Clothiers Shop Mirror

I'm happy to introduce Lindsea - the creative and talented mind behind the beautiful online shop House of Harvest. Her style is really well curated and I was excited that she was willing to share the story behind one of her favorite vintage finds. It's always fun to hear how collectors identify with the pieces they add to their collections. I'll let Lindsea tell you about it in her own words:

One of my favorite finds is an antique clothiers shop mirror I found at a local antique show. It has many of the qualities I look for in things that I enjoy collecting. It is one of a kind, lovingly handmade by someone about 100 years ago, with dark old oak & hand-cut mother of pearl lettering. The quality of material & care someone took to make this advertising piece really speaks to me, as does the time-worn age and patina of the faded mirror, all of my favorite things! I love imagining the creativity of the maker & the attention this mirror would have grabbed in its day--it certainly caught my eye a century later!

I am always open minded when I am on the hunt for antiques and love to be surprised by the quality &  ingenuity of a by-gone era. I usually find myself drawn to items from the turn of the century, be it hand-made, advertising, natural, primitive, or industrial-era. I love things I can put to use in my home or garden but I also love things that have no real purpose other than to make me smile--anything is fair game!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading about Lindsea's find. If you want to see more of Lindsea's style (and her home!) click here to read her feature in Country Living Magazine. You can visit her beautiful online shop here.

 

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Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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What You Found! Shannon's Vintage Ice Machine

Last summer, Shannon's husband ripped down their deck and built a much larger one. But with all of the new deck space, they were faced with the challenge of finding the right pieces of furniture to fill it. Shannon started by pulling a table from their fire pit area which created the perfect outdoor eating space and began filling in from there. They used the new space a lot but found themselves going in and out of the house quite a bit for cold drinks. Then one afternoon, she stumbled upon a vintage blue ice machine on their neighborhood garage sale website. It was perfect! The dimensions were just right, it gave the subtle splash of color she was looking for, and was only $30!

Of course, she snapped it up and it now serves as the perfect ice cold drink party vessel. Better yet, it can be moved about as needed. What a find!

Notes:

1. Shannon is the author of the Lady's Little Loves blog. You can find it here. She's also a regular visitor of The Farm Chicks Fair. You can read her post from this year's event here. And you can find her on Instagram here, where she shares beautiful images of her home along with darling D-I-Y's and lifestyle inspiration.
2. Next up, I'll share the details of her sweet, summery table decor - the perfect inspiration for your next gathering. Stay tuned!
3. Images: Urban Rose Photography

What You Found! is a recurring topic on my blog where I feature you, my readers, and your favorite vintage finds. You can read the backstory here. If you would like to be featured with your favorite vintage find, please email me to be considered!

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Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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What You Found! Toby's Embroidered Top

Toby was out visiting her favorite vintage spots in Spokane and perusing the racks of vintage clothing at Boulevard Mercantile when she happened upon this darling top. The hand embroidered names were so charming she knew she had to have it!

 

Toby says she instantly fell in love with names such Mildred, Elsie, Tilly, Rose, Frieda, Ella and how they were all individually embroidered in place. And isn't it her outfit perfectly darling and complete with her vintage linen high waisted pants?

Special thanks to Toby for sharing her find with us!

Notes:

• Toby is a wonderfully talented furniture upholsterer. You can follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.
• Toby envisioned tattoos that resembled a vintage post card and hers were done by Cassie Eisenhour. I'd say her vision was definitely brought to life very well!
• Images: Amber Glanville

What You Found! is a recurring topic on my blog where I feature you, my readers, and your favorite vintage finds. You can read the backstory here. If you would like to be featured with your favorite vintage find, email me to be considered!

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Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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What You Found! A Preview...

I'm excited to tell you about a new feature I'll be sharing here frequently! First, a little backstory.

If you've read about my story at all, you know that my parents were scavengers and collectors and that we traveled in our little gypsy wagon home all over the US, Canada, and Mexico finding special vintage discarded objects along the way. Because of this, I've always loved the thrill of a good find. About five years ago, I founded a new venture, a website named My Favorite Find, which was sort of like Pinterest meets Show and Tell. Anyone could join in and share pictures and the story of their favorite vintage finds. Sadly, the timing was poor, and faced with some life changing family medical issues, I had to shut My Favorite Find down. My family needed me more.

But, the idea has always stayed near and dear to my heart and I realized that I can still bring these stories to life, just in a less complicated way, right here on my blog. So, next week I'll be sharing my first feature and look forward to sharing many more. I'm calling it What You Found! And the premise is simple, I'll be sharing your fun finds for the world to see, like another show and tell. Who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to start a new collection, enjoy seeing what someone else was lucky enough to find, or just have a happy little moment in your day, reading about something simple and fun.

Do you have a favorite recent vintage find you want to share? Email me and tell me about it and maybe I'll be able to feature you too!

Here's a sneak peek of Toby Rae, who will be my first feature next week. Stay tuned!

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Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Image: Amber Glanville

Vintage Holiday Shopping

It began snowing again on Saturday morning, so I decided to head into Spokane for a little vintage shopping. You've heard me say before that one of my favorite times to visit the local vintage shops is around any holiday season because there are a lot of unique seasonal finds to be had. It can be kind of tricky timing around the Christmas season though because a lot of shops will wait to really stock their full holiday collections until their annual in-store open house holiday party. This is becoming a lot more common in our city, and maybe throughout the U.S.?

What the shopkeeper will usually do is close their store for a full day to bring in all of their holiday vintage pieces and get the store looking really Christmasey. Then that evening, they'll open up for a big holiday open house to start the Christmas shopping season. It's worth calling around to your local shops to find out if they do this so you can make sure to take part!

All of the shops I visited were still in full Autumn mode, which was nice because I'm trying really hard to hold on to Thanksgiving before my heart settles into the Christmas season. (It's so hard to not start filling my house with Christmas when the snow is coming down so hard!)

I found the sweetest, most simple Sunday paintings at my first stop, Rare and Retro. They ranged in price from FREE to $2:

I also picked up this great plaid trunk that I'll use on my porch at Christmastime:

And this jolly red basket from Paint in my Hair that I'll use during the holidays too:

The shops I visited were Rare and Retro, Paint in my Hair, Tossed and Found, Boulevard Mercantile, Lucky Vintage & Pretty Things, and Chosen Vintage.

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Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Quiltsaver!

I'll admit I have a soft spot for the underdogs. To me, worn-out quilts are just that - often passed over because of stains and wear, and no longer desirable to many. And that's a shame. If you have a tiny bit of patience, these quilts can be given new life.

The first thing I do when I bring home vintage quilts is to soak them in OxiClean (I promise this is not an advertisement). It takes out most old stains and and brightens the fabric too. I like to fill my big laundry room sink with burning hot water and then mix in several scoops of OxiClean, stirring with my hands to dissolve. (Rubber gloves work well to protect hands from the hot water). When I fill my sink, I usually add in 3-4 full scoops and after the OxiClean is dissolved, I submerge the quilts, 1-3 at a time, depending on the size of the quilts. The water usually becomes very filthy with the soaking. Eek! 

Notice the stains on this quilt top before soaking: 

 And after: 

Generally, I soak each batch for anywhere between 2 hours - overnight, depending on the severity of the stains. After soaking, I run them through the washer on warm, with a little laundry detergent and softener.

As for the wear, I like to restitch pieces that have become slightly detached, and to patch little holes when possible. Any repairs I do helps to strengthen the quilts and gives them a longer life span. To me, they're worth saving.

Tips:

In my experience, OxiClean is best for a long soak stain removal rather than adding it into a load of laundry in the washing machine.

Transferring a heavy, soaking wet quiltt from the sink to the washer can be sort of a pain. If your sink isn't near your washer, I recommend transferring the quilts in a big tub so they don't leave a wet soapy trail from the sink to the washer.

I've never had issues with color transfer on old quilts when I soak them this way.

**Post Edit** If I had a really delicate quilt I was too worried about harming in a soak or washing machine, I'd take it to a professional cleaner I trust.

I've found many of my quilts at The Farm Chicks Show, which is held the first full weekend in June each year in Spokane, Washington. You can read all about the show here.

Note: I was NOT paid to write about OxiClean, it just happens to be a favorite of mine.

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks

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Creating the Gallery Wall

A while back I purchased a wonderful old collection of unframed Audobon bird prints.

I knew immediately that I wanted to create a gallery wall with the collection. So, I began collecting inexpensive frames from estate, farm, yard sales, and thrift shops, to make it more affordable.

It took a long time, but it was worth it. After about a year, I had accumlated enough frames to get a good start. I laid out the collection, bit by bit, choosing which ones I'd be using. Because there are hundreds of prints, it was a slow process, but an enjoyable one. The prints are just so beautiful to work with.

After making my selections, I framed each one and then layed them out on the floor, creating a test-run gallery wall. It made it really easy to move the frames around until it seemed right.

 The prints would be going on this wall in the living room. My plan was to move the piano across the room, from where the piano currently was, so the sofa would be facing the windows and view of Mount Spokane.

Before:

After:

Eventually, once I've collected more frames, I'll probably add to the wall. But for now, it's really made a warming difference to the room. We adopted the caribou seen high on the wall after our oldest son Cody discovered it at M&M Antiques in Monroe, Washington. It's a reminder of his Alaska roots and our time there. We named him Tutu, which means caribou in Inupiaq.

Collecting: Honey Tins

One of my favorite collections is my honey tins. They're my go-to source for flower arrangements in our home. The old graphics are so cheery to me.

I found this tin at a yard sale in Spokane:

This one from my friend, Dena, at the Mad Hatter Flea in Spokane:

And this special tin was a gift from my good friend, Heather:

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The Best .10 Cents I Ever Spent

It was shortly after the birth of our fourth son, the last of three born 15 months apart. Our home at the time was an old schoolhouse built in the thirties, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Spokane. We were adjusting to life with a home full of young boys and struggling to make ends meet.

I'd recently begun making a modest amount of money selling yard sale finds on ebay and although it wasn't anything to write home about, I enjoyed it immensely.

One afternoon, my friend Teri called to tell me she'd just been to an amazing yard sale in Deer Park, which was about a half an hour from my home. Dishes, fun vintage purses, neat old scarves and so on. I was so excited about her finds that I dropped my yard work, hopped in the car, and headed on over to her house to check it all out. When I arrived, I was surprised to see how much stuff that she, her sister, and two girls had scored. I asked if there was much left at the sale when they'd left. "Quite a bit!", they replied.

And so we headed back to see what I could find.

We pulled up and all I could really see were several tables piled high with clothing. Not what I was hoping. But when I neared, I could see that the clothing was at least all vintage and I was intrigued. Digging in, I came upon an interesting old Hawaiian shirt.

    At some point leading up to that day I'd read an article in Country Living Magazine about vintage Hawaiian shirts and remembered learning that certain ones could actually be quite valuable.

I added the shirt to my pile and went to pay. "All clothes are .10 cents each", the lady said with a smile. Well, I thought, I can't go wrong.

Later that week, I listed my shirt on ebay and crossed my fingers that it'd be worth something. Maybe $50? And then something began to happen. The bids started coming in and the price began to rise. $50 - - - - - $85 - - - - $125... WHAT?!

I called Colin, heart pounding, "MY SHIRT IS AT $125!" Then I'd call Teri. MY SHIRT IS AT $125!!!  No, Wait! It's at $135!

And so it went for seven days. Eventually, Colin's co-workers were watching the auction too. Who could believe this shirt was going this high?

When the final minutes on the auction ticked away, and we continued to click refresh! refresh! refresh! with the mouse, the price ticked on up to a final bid of $860!

$860 dollars!

Yep! That's the shirt, and the $860 check.

But the fun didn't stop there. Ebay loved the story so much that years later I shot a commercial for the company, re-telling my story. I don't think the commercial ever aired, but it was a fun experience none the less.

Collecting and Other News

I'm pretty into old cake tins. I think they're so interesting and can add so much to a simple cake. Here are a few I've picked up recently.

I always remember where these finds come from too, which makes each cake special because I'm baking and thinking about that good memory.

The top one came from Junebug, at their Mad Hatter Show.

Second one down was from a rummage sale in Sandpoint, Idaho this summer. $1!

And the last two I picked up this weekend at the Junk Salvation show in Oregon.

Oh yeah, that reminds me. This weekend I met up with my friend, Heather, in Portland and did some antiquing and collaborating. It's really nice to get out and see the shops and shows that exist outside of my everyday life.

And the the sun has been shining for several days and that makes me happy. In honor of that, I wore sandals today when I met Colin for lunch. It was 45 degrees, but I didn't care. Spring is in my heart.  :)

Collecting: Christmas Mugs

There's something special about collections just for the holidays. Like holly mugs - for Christmas. And aren't they so wonderful, displayed for all to see?

Do you have holiday collections? If so, what do you collect?

Image by John Granen

P.S. Melaine at My Sweet Savannah is giving away a copy of my book, The Farm Chicks Christmas. Head on over to her blog to enter!

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Collecting: Glassware

When I designed our dining room built-in, I wanted to make sure I'd have a spot to store all of my extra glassware.

I love how something so simple can add such sparkle to a room.

My favorite source for glassware is estate sales. It seems that most people just pass them by. Most of the sets I find are quite large, which is a must for me. I usually won't buy any sets with less than 12 glasses. Although I couldn't pass up this set of 8 tiny juice glasses (shown at left) recently.

The set was mine for $1. And I do really like how old-fashioned juice glasses are tiny. I think juice is more special sipped, not guzzled.

I still have several shelves to fill and can't wait to see what I'll find next.

P.S. Have you ever seen Matthew Mead's Entertaining Simple book? I love his use of glassware throughout.

Post Edit: I ordered our table from Antico. It works really well for our big family because it seats 12. I love that their furniture is made from reclaimed and sustainably harvested wood. The chairs are from Cost Plus World Market.

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Collecting: Milk Glass Hen Dishes

Milk glass is an all-time favorite collectible of mine. I love how such a simplistic color can be beautiful in an understated sort of way.

Last fall, I stumbled upon this collection of milk glass hen dishes at a barn sale on the prairie, near my home. I paid $30 for the set of 8.

I'm drawn to the older pieces that appear opalescent in light:

It's collections like these that add another layer of specialness to our family holiday celebrations. I look forward to using my new collection this Easter and for many years to come.

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Adding it to the Collection

Look what I found while out antiquing the other day! A perfect addition to my collection of paintings. I love old originals.

Do you collect paintings?

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What do you collect?

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The Perfect Fit

I stopped by the Vintage Rabbit today. I like to do that whenever I'm passing by. And, I've been looking for things for the new house.

I was also hoping to spot some

And look at that! Signs of spring in the Silver Suitcase booth:

Wait! What is that I see? That big *huge* basket under the table? Let me take it out to get a better look:

An old horse blanket basket? Will it possibly fit in the laundry room, in that space that I've been having the hardest time finding the perfect basket for?

Hooray! Yes! And the good news? You held horse blankets. So, you're used to animals and animal smelling things. Perfect, because now you'll be holding things coming down the laundry chute from my little animals upstairs. And hopefully, there won't be any worms.

Welcome home, basket. You're the perfect fit.

Notes:

The Vintage Rabbit is owned by Jan who is a vendor at The Farm Chicks Show.

I found my basket in the Silver Suitcase booth. The girls from Silver Suitcase are vendors at The Farm Chicks Show as well.

The Vintage Rabbit is located in Spokane at 2317 N. Monroe.

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Collecting: Lockets

I've been collecting lockets as long as I can remember. When our home was burglarized a few years ago, they took most of my grandma Marjorie's jewelry and the locket that contained her picture. But luckily, they left her picture. So, I still keep her with my collection. Isn't she beautiful?

My favorite locket has the inscription:

Butterfly
Mornin
Wildflower
Afternoon

As a girl, I collected butterfly jewelry too. But that's a story for another day...

My collection was started for me by my mom because she LOVED hearts. Anything hearts. By the time I left home, I was so sick of hearts that I never wanted to see another one again. But thankfully, this year I've warmed up to hearts again (in moderation) and am so glad that I still have my collection...

...after all these years.

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Barbed Wire

One of my favorite "great finds stories" of all time was from Elaine Tolson. One day, while out thrifting, she stumbled upon a box of old barbed wire, which for me, is a beautiful piece of our Western American history, and one that speaks volumes about the hard work that went into shaping our countryside - dating back to Abraham Lincoln and the Homestead Act.

So naturally, when I heard about her find, I had to see it for myself.

A meticulously labeled collection, identifying each piece, including the year, like this one from 1899.

Farmcollector.com describes the history of barbed wire as the original tool used by farmers in the west to protect their crops from roaming buffalo and cattle.

And its rustic beauty is not lost on me. I can't help but get lost in the miles and miles of barbed wire that twists and turns its way across the back roads of the west. Our home.

It's also a reminder that sometimes, we forget about what we see. The things we pass day after day. And it makes me wonder what am I missing? What have I overlooked?

And it makes me want to take the long-cut home. Because I don't want to miss a thing.

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Collecting: Christmas Kitsch

Meet kitsch.  Although she's a wee bit, well....kitschy, I'm a big fan.  There's always a place for a little kitsch in my collections.  Because, after all, kitsch is happy.

And so am I.

Do you collect Christmas kitsch?  What do you collect for the holidays?  I'd love to hear.

Image by the wonderful Samantha Cabrera.

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Collecting: Old Gardening Books

I'm a big fan of old gardening books.  And one of the biggest reasons why is that they give me good inspiration for an older style of landscape design.

These books are invaluable to me as I dream and begin to design the landscape around our new home because I don't want what's trendy.  I want classic.

I've never paid more than a couple of dollars for a book, and have had great luck finding them at my local thrift shops and estate sales.  And the bonus?  They smell like old books (because they are), one of the best smells on earth.

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Collecting: Farm Paintings

I've been collecting original paintings for a few years now and love when I find ones depicting old farms.

I found this one while doing a book signing at my friend's antique shop (Forget-me-Not) in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. One of my favorite things to do after buying a painting is to find out about the artist.

And although I haven't found anything on this particular artist yet, the real fun is getting to see the artist's vision on my wall every day.

 

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Christmas Collecting: Santa Mugs

 
I do love vintage Santa and what could be cuter than mugs?  Thrift stores are a great place to find them, and they're usually priced just right, at $1-$3 each.  I can't resist.  What do you love collecting for Christmas?

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December 1st

Happy December 1st!  May the Christmas cheer begin!

 

I love this time of year with all the festivities, school programs and good will.  And I love collecting vintage decorations like this great old Santa original painting.

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Cookbooks

I love collecting cookbooks and it sounds like a lot of you do too!  Since our book has been out, I've been approached by several women who have introduced themselves and told me about their collections.  One woman told me about her collection of over 600!  I love reading them like books.  And if I get some tasty recipes, that's great 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!

Collecting Cans

Whenever I see cute old cans for sale, I make sure to pick them up.  There are so many uses for them around the house, including use as a utensil holder.

Jam Pots

I want to re-package everything I buy. (Unless it's cutely packaged, of course!)  And I do, which drives my family a little crazy. But I really love moving pasta from the bag to a jar. And rice.  And nuts.  And chocolate chips ... and ... and ... and...  I enjoy opening up the pantry and seeing pretty things - not packages. So imagine my excitement when I found these darling little jam pots at the Sister's Sale. (I'll have more on them and their fun sale sometime in the future). Now, when I open the fridge, I'll see pretty things there too.

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!