Dec 27, 2010

Nutcracker Tea Party

I know Christmas is over but I was so delighted to get an email from Shannon, a recent customer at the Classic Farmhouse on Etsy, showing how she put her purchase to use. I'm sure you'll be as delighted as I am with this little soiree!!!


How darling my (former) holly and ivy tea and dessert set looks amongst the Nutcracker party she styled.


Check out many more wonderful pictures of this event at Pizzazzerie.


Or to find out more about Shannon's and her delightful soirees stop by her blog at Sweet Pea Soirees.

Dec 25, 2010

Merry Christmas to All

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”


Wishing you and your loved ones all the comfort and joy that this holiday can bring!

Merry Christmas!!!

Dec 10, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

The Funky Junk Sisters have been gathering goodies to giveaway every day for the first 12 days of December!!! They are giving away some of my goodies today....

up to nine framed magnets
in your choice of letters in vintage plaid font

vintage Christmas apron 


$15 gift certificate to my etsy shop

There are multiple ways to win so head on over to their blog and find out more...

Be sure to check back daily as they are doing a drawing every day!

Dec 3, 2010

Decorating with Vintage Glass Ornaments

My all time favorite decoration for Christmas is vintage Christmas glass bulbs. They can be used in so many different ways!

The most obvious way to use them is on your tree...


or how about a more unique version of a tree...


pop a couple tops off and stick them over your Christmas lights for a glowing mercury glass appearance...


mix up a variety of the most unique ones in a basket...



or a fancy container...


Make yourself a vintage Christmas bulb wreath...


Anyway you use them they are sure to add holiday sparkle!

Happy Decorating...

Dec 2, 2010

What a Rue



I love magazines! I can pour over a good one for hours and the new Rue is no exception!

Page after page of beautiful photos, lovely rooms of all styles, great articles, interior design and clothing trends, and tons of inspiration. The best thing about it? It's free! Browse the almost 300 pages of beauty in their Nov/Dec 2010 magazine here.

Nov 30, 2010

Newly Added Vintage ...Christmas at the Farmhouse

It's beginning to look a  lot like Christmas around the Classic Farmhouse!!! Many new Christmas, holiday and winter themed items have been added this past week. There's more to come but here's just a sampling of some of the newest...

Embellished Knits at Grosgrain

It's Embellish Knits Month over at the Grosgrain blog! This gal has such vision for things and the talent to back it up! She took such ho hum sweaters and turned them into Anthropologie worthy pieces of art. But she doesn't stop with just showing you how cute they are, she walks you step by step through doing it yourself. I am totally rethinking every plain and basic sweater in my closet right now!

Here are a few of my favorites...





See I told you she had talent! Browse the rest of her fabulous designs here...




Nov 29, 2010

Cartolina Christmas Cards




I stumbled upon the site of designer Fiona Richards just a few days ago and immediatley fell in love with her style! It's a little modern and a little vintage with as they say "an exotic collage of colorful inspiration, their designs feature centuries old block prints and antique cartouches".

Aren't these Christmas cards fabulous?! Not only do they look beautiful but these cards are printed with vegetable based inks on bright white cardstock made from recycled paper making them oh so eco-chic!

Shop these and other Cartolina Cards here.

Nov 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Weekend Sale ...25% Off Vintage

I don't know about you but you will never find me out fighting the crowds at 3am for the hot deals around town the day after Thanksgiving. The crowds, the mad parking lots, the lines...ugggh, enough already! You are a true bargain hunter if you can endure that kind of shopping.

For those of you who choose to avoid the crazy shopping madness (like I do) but want to get a little holiday shopping done be sure to stop by Etsy for those on your list that love handmade and vintage. There are a ton of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales going on all weekend.

And starting at midnight tonite
I'm marking everything down
in my shop by 25%!!!
Sales runs through midnight on the 29th.

And a special offer for my blog readers...if you sign up for my newsletter you will recieve an extra 5% off your order!!! (valid only 11.25 and 11.26)

Simply sign up via the form on the upper right hand side of my blog and I will email you with a discount code. Or if you just can't wait to get shopping go ahead and sign up for the newsletter hop on over to my shop to complete your order and I will refund the 5% to your paypal account upon completion.

Offer only valid at http://www.theclassicfarmhouse.etsy.com/. Discount excludes shipping costs.

Nov 25, 2010

Thanksgiving Greetings

It seems last Thanksgiving came and went with out much ado. I'll admit it was a rough year for me and my heart was not as thankful as it should have been. Thankfully seasons change as well as attitudes and this year my heart is extremely full! I am truly blessed and thankful for so many things.


I am surrounded by family who love and support me...
I have friends who love me through my weakness and challenge me on toward greater things...
I am running a fruitful business in an economy where jobs are hard to come by...
but mostly I'm full of gratitude for the faithfulness and goodness of God who has seen me through trials and had grace to help in times of need.

So where does this Thanksgiving find you?
Whether it's filled with gratitude or with a heavy heart if you look hard enough you can always, always, always find something to be thankful for!
So take a moment to count your blessings and show gratitude to those around you...

May this Thanksgiving fill your heart to overflowing and find you surrounded with those who love you the most!

Nov 24, 2010

Nina Campbell Admiration





If you're looking for the most luxurious wallpaper and fabric collection then look no further then Nina Campbell. I fell in love with this collection the minute I saw it! Especially that gorgeous floral in the top pick...so modern yet with a vintage feel.

Nov 20, 2010

Sew Busy

I've had three custom orders for drapes this month so I've been busy at my sewing machine creating panels and valances of all shapes and sizes.

The first order was actually for a dear friend who had a bare and rather large window in her dining room that needed attention. She picked out a beautiful black and ivory damask which was the perfect accent for her rich red walls and masculine dining set.

I set to tackling the longest set of drapes I've ever done and thankfully they came out as beautiful as she had hoped. She's adding a gorgeous rug and some art on the walls but dosen't her room look great so far?

Nov 17, 2010

Giveaway at Faded Plains


In honor of promoting a handmade Christmas the sweet gal over at Faded Plains is having a giveaway for a handmade scarf.

Click on over before November 24th and leave a comment to be entered to win.

Don't just stop at that though! She's got a great blog full of all kinds of pretty things including these lovely napkins that can also be found in her shop on etsy...


From the Other Side

I admit it I cheated on my blog! I left to set up a new website and try out Wordpress. I'm not proud of myself and I'm here to report the grass is not always greener.



It was not all it was cracked up to be. And when it came right down to it, I miss my old blog...
I miss comments that aren't spam...
I miss changes that take less then an hour...
I miss my followers...
I miss seeing random updates from my favorite blogs...
I just plain miss YOU...

So I am humbly coming back head bowed and ready to apologize for walking away. Please forgive?

On a happy note I see you've changed blogger...and I like what I see!
So glad to be back!

Oct 30, 2010

Newly Added Vintage ...Fall at the Farmhouse

Fall has officially arrived at the Classic Farmhouse on Etsy !!!

Here's just a sampling of some of the newest goodies added...

Oct 24, 2010

Vintage Doughnut Fail

I recently ran across a 1954 recipe for cake doughnuts in a magazine.


"Oh, how fun it would be to make doughnuts from a vintage recipe!" I thought to myself.

My cousin stopped by one evening so we put on our vintage aprons and got busy!

We mixed, we melted, we laughed, we cried (ok not really, at least not yet) and we had such fun...then it chilled.

The rest was up to me the next day so I went to work rolling out, cutting, deep frying and then sugar coating what turned into nearly 6 dozen doughnuts.

Ok, so maybe I overdid it when I doubled the recipe but I had to share a batch with the neighbors, send some to work with my dad and deliver a platter to my aunt and cousins.

I was feeling so proud of myself and quite domestic...

that is until the next morning when I grabbed one to have with coffee.

Those doughnuts were so dry and thick I couldn't choke them down!

Guess I owe some people a better batch of goodies...what must they think!?

Lessons learned:

1. Don't double the batch unless you know you love the recipe.

2. Don't share your goodies with people you hope to stay on good terms with unless you are absolutely sure they are good.

Oct 22, 2010

Making it Home

They say your home is a reflection of who you are.

If that is true I do not want to know what mine says of me currently!

I'll admit it, I've highly neglected my space. My excuses? Non really, except that when I first moved in I had in mind that this would be a temporary landing space and I guess I didn't want to put in the effort to make it 'home' if I was going to move again shortly. Seeing as how I've been here for over a year now and it still looks half lived in I decided it's time to do something about making it feel like home.

First on the list...

#1 Give the bathroom a facelift.

I've begun cleaning it out and started a sample color on one wall but as you can see it's nothing fancy.

As small as it is though it has good bones and lots of potential.

Of course I started browsing the web for inspiration.

Here are a few that caught my eye...

I love so many aspects of these bathrooms!!!

So which do you like? Or are there certain aspects you think would look good in my space?

Stay tuned...

Oct 10, 2010

Funky Junk Sisters Flea Market

For all of you who are not yet following me on my new blog/website


I am back in the craziness of the Flea Market world and am joining the
Funky Junk Sisters for their
Junk Salvation Flea Market.

Save the dates
October 15th & 16th
Read more here...


Sep 27, 2010

Newly Added Vintage

I've been hard at work stocking the Classic Farmhouse on Etsy with tons of new vintage!!!
Here's just a sampling of some of the newest goodies added...