Weekend plans ...

What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? Any flea markets or shopping happening? Well, if you're in my neck of the woods {greater Philadelphia area .... South Jersey} you can come hang out with Beth and me ... it's round two this Saturday at The Gypsy Market !!

The market is loaded with nautical themed vintage and antique items ... plus clothing and accessories.

Like the new gypsy carpet bags.

We would LOVE to see you in person.

Hope you have a great weekend ... with maybe a little shopping fun and digging for treasures!

xo

Jill

Voila! ... French Inspiration

Today is the weekly "Voila!" party over at French Cupboard.

Come on over for a visit and check out all of the French Inspiration!

Here's a peek of what I'm sharing today ... a "new" French dog biscuit jar.

Heck ... while you're at it ... bring some of your own inspiration to the party ANYTHING French goes ... see you there!

xo

Jill

Gypsy Eye Candy ....

Today I'm sharing a little gypsy eye candy with you ... I never want to be considered as stingy ... so, here ya go .... indulge in all the gypsy carpet bag candy you want ... They're very sweet !!

Did you enjoy your sweet fix?

I've been relishing every sweet minute creating new Prairie Couture Carpet Bags ... if this little taste wasn't enough, there's always more to be had here and here.

Hope you are enjoying sweet days!
xo
Jill

Simple Summer Whites ....

My latest jewelry designs are reflections of the season ... simple ... light and airy ... silver mixed with pearl ... chippy white painted chain ... and sunny vintage rhinestones.

They remind me of a sliver of a silver moon ... a white picket fence with chippy paint ... beams of sunshine ... a shell from the sea holding a pearl.

 I'm sharing my whites today over at White Wednesday.

Wishing you warm sunshine!

xo

Jill

Texture Tuesday ... My First

Like I need something else to do ... I do .... something else to take my mind off of everyday stresses and enrich my creative self. I've found it {like so many of you!} over at Kim Klassen Cafe. I've only scratched a teeny tiny bit of the surface over at Kim's site, there is a wealth of information and inspiration to take in .... however, I couldn't resist and jumped right on in with both feet and started messing around with her amazing textures. Below are my first two attempts at enhancing my photographs.

I'm sorta liking them ... not too bad for a newbie?

I think my favorite is the yellow one above ... there's something about the combination of white chippy paint and rust that I never get tired of!

The texture I used on my photos is Kim's "Stained Linen".
I didn't use any fancy photoshop programs ... I edited my pictures on-line using "Picnik" ... however, I'm eyeing up Kim's Photoshop e-classes ... I would LOVE to step up to the next level!!

Visit all of the participants of Texture Tuesdays Here:

xo

Jill

The Art of Playing ....

 Sometimes you have to let loose, have fun, and PLAY !!

That's exactly what Polly and I did at Nada while maybe we should have been working?

{ all photo credits "Mr. Blessings"}
The old zinc "Cowboy tub" filled with icy cold water  was a callin' our names ....

  These photos are in order as they were taken .... funny, goofy, unedited faces and all ...

 I do believe they are my most favorite pictures from the event .... when I look at them I can see the genuine fun I had playing on the farm with Polly.

Find a friend and take a little time to play today ... it's good for your soul!!

xo

Jill
p.s. I'm linking up today over at The French Cupboard for the "Voila! ... French Inspiration" party ... after all, Polly IS "Mrs. French Cupboard"!

White Wednesday ... ChiPPy !!! SHaBBy !!!

On my recent trip out to Illinois and the sweet Nada farm sale I met some pretty sweet new friends ... in person, face-to-face, for "real" .... one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging is actually meeting the women you admire on-line. I thought "White Wednesday" would be fitting to share with you one of my newest buds, Jeanine of "ChiPPy !!! SHaBBy !!!" fame. Here's Jeanine and myself below hanging out at Anne Marie's farm.

Why Jeanine and White Wednesday ... because of the fresh way she "does white" !!

 At first glance her whites immediately pop off the page ... they are crisp, clean and fresh. I think that's hard to do over and over again ... let's face it white is ... well white. We can mix it with various shades of cream and grey ... add multiple layers of fabulous textures ... like, rust, burlap, and chippy paint. But a lot of the time it can still fall FLAT ... flat white and boring.

Not at ChiPPY !!! SHaBBy !!!

 Take a closer look at how Jeanine "does white" .....

Do you see it?

YES! Big BOLD splashes of BRIGHT color!!

 Sometimes it's subtle ... a luscious green plant or a sunny yellow pansy ... but it always has IMPACT!

... and makes her whites a knockout.

 Speaking of impact ... check out Miss Jeanine below ... she's quite the little dynamo wrapped up in a petite package!

 Oh ... and attention to detail ... the smallest details .... can you guess who this Van belongs to?

I thought you could! It's white and "shabbby" .... Hmmmmmm I don't recall any "chippy" ... I guess that's a good thing when it comes to Jeanine's car ; )

 If you'd like to see more of how Jeanine does white, spend some time visiting with her over at her blog ... it's jam packed with inspiring FRESH white!

And of course you can always get your weekly dose of white at Kathleen's "Faded Charm"

it's White Wednesday after all.

I have lots more to share with you from my road trip, it may take a while and my Nada posts may be a little behind the rest ... but they are coming ; )

Have a ChiPPy SHaBBy HaPPy day!

xo

Jill

Four new "Girls" ...

.... and Ruby's first modeling assignment !! Ruby has completed her first official job as "dress form" and has had her first photo shoot .... here are some shots of her modeling four Faded Prairie Couture shirts made in full figured sizes ...

Meet "Kirsty" .... all done up in shades of grey.

 Her sister "Grace" ... so romantic in dusty rose.

Grace's friend "Cassandra"

 ... and her cousin "Lauren".

I think Ruby's done terrific, don't you? Now she's back in the studio awaiting her next assignment!

If you are one of my customers who have been anxiously waiting for these shirts, I thank you for your patience ... it's taken much longer than anticipated to see them to completion.

They are now available for purchase on my website

Gypsy Brocante

or on Etsy.

coming next ... more shirts, new jewelry, belt buckles, purses and hats ... whew! ... stay tuned.

xo

Jill

Porch of the Month ... June

Seriously ... did you think I could forget "Porch of the Month?" ... Absolutely not! ... I'm still getting settled in after traveling for the past few weeks. So, my apologies for the itty-bitty delay .... but, I think you'll agree with me, this porch was worth the extra day of waiting!!

June's Porch of the Month is a portion of Becky's ... "mini-farm" in Louisiana, y'all KNOW Becky ... aka "Buckets of Burlap"... make sure to take notes, there's a lot of good ol' down home ideas here ... take a look while I let Becky narrate for herself:

{all photographs courtesy of homeowner}

"My style is what I like to call "vintage country farmhouse".  The old farmhouse, "barefoot country life" just speaks to me.  I am a flea market addict.  I enjoy searching through old, worn items, looking for a treasure.  Here on the porch, I use vintage wine buckets, old chippy shutters and furniture, and vintage clay pots to add that country farmhouse appeal.  Then I add textures with my favorite fabrics such as grain sacks, burlap, and old feed sacks.  I found the handmade potting bench at an antique store in a little local town.  Each piece has a story behind it, and it makes putting it all together much more fun."

"We have lived in our modular "farmhouse" for 5 years.  It stands in the middle of a pasture.  We really wanted an outdoor space to enjoy meals and evenings together.  So, over a period of 2 years, my talented husband built almost everything by hand....the deck, flower beds, farm table, and even the stone pathway.   I basically plant the flowers and hope they bloom.  Some of my favorite blooms are hydrangeas and lavender.  I believe my love for gardening came from my sweet mom (whom I miss dearly). Now we have an area that we can enjoy almost year-round, due to such warm weather. This is my favorite place to have a cup of coffee as the sun rises on the chicken coop.  When we have large parties or family events, our porch is the perfect gathering place.  It's so relaxing to sit here on the porch watching the kids play, while the hens and pigs wander the yard.  It's a very comfortable, peaceful place with a gorgeous view."

"My family is unique in that we are all redheads :)  My husband and I work from home and have 3 happy kids. We love living on our "mini-farm" of 16 acres in North Louisiana.

While we enjoy traveling on vacations or sport-event trips... our heart is at home.  We enjoy fishing together, riding dirt bikes, and caring for our small "barnyard" animals...

5 hens and 2  mini-pot-bellied pigs. We started a veggie and herb garden this year, and are learning more about homesteading."

After returning home from the open spaces of Nada farm and now {virtually} visiting with Becky and her piece of heaven in Louisiana, I'm longing for a little bit of the farm life of my own! How about you? Couldn't you just picture yourself on a long lazy day sippin' cold ice-tea on Becky's porch? Yep, me too!! 

Want to see more of Becky's Farmhouse style? Then take a peek here ... oh, and make sure you keep your notepad out!! After seeing the rest of Becky's home you are going to seriously want to re-do some things around your own home this weekend ... I just know it!!

And ... here is some more barnyard fun!

Thank you for allowing us a visit, Becky ... and keep us posted on how the garden fares this year!

xo

Jill