Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Last Sneek Peek before Friday ....

O.k. .... for your pleasure ..this is our Last sneek peek picture to share with you before Friday ...



Scrumptious Pink Paper Roses Dipped in Silver Glass Glitter ...the perfect addition for any Christmas Tree ..or Romantic Room ..

Snow Birds ...Beautiful and Glistening ...and ready to fly right into your heart !...

And So much more ...

Abbey and I are still working ..and tomorrow will be our day to begin packing up and loading up ...Then it will be time to set up ...and then ....the Creme De La Creme ...

Opening day of the Chateau De Fleurs Marketplace ..

See you there ..
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Support Handmade in America Artisans ....

Support Handmade In America Artisans ...

Join us this Friday and Saturday ...at the Chateau De Fleurs Vintage Marketplace....


Where you will find Fabulously Unique apparell ...Jewelry, Home Accessories, Furniture ...and vintage finds ...

In coming out you'll be supporting local artisans ..quality offerings that are handmade right here in America !

You'll also be supporting Local Merchants offering Antique and Vintage decor and collectables ..which ultimately is the perfect way to jump on board and support recycling...

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And here's another sneek peek at another Sweet Magnolias Farm Original ...headed to the Marketplace ...







Think Christmas Trees ...and Think Shabby White ... Aged Romance and ..Pretty In pink ...

Handmade right here at Sweet Magnolias Farm ...

See You Friday and Saturday ...



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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Giving Thanks ...

Abbey and I would like to take today and Wish everyone a Very Beautiful Thanksgiving Day !
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We are so Thankful for so many things everyday ...Most nights before my eyes close ...I am always telling the Lord how thankful I am for a roof over my head, for the food in our cupboards, for good health, for family that loves and cares for me, for two smiling pups that make my heart happy, and of course most of all for my dear Lord and Saviour ..and I know Abbey feels the same way.

As hard as times are for so many right now ..I am Thankful for the place in which we are at. Knowing that God will provide for us our needs ...he tells us ...how important we are .."that he provides for the birds of the air and if he provides for them ..then how much more important are we that he shall provide for us." I know that too be true first hand. I have seen his might hand at work ..from the time I was a wee girl ..and To him goes the Thanks and the Glory.

We are Thankful ...for our gifts he has bestowed on us ..the Gift to create ...to see things in new and wonderful ways ... to be able to share that with all of our friends and aquanitances and to a world of souls we don't even know.

We are BLESSED !

May your Thanksgiving be full of many thanks and your day be full of blessings ..

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving ..!!

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Sneek Peek at Our Romantic Christmas Offerings ...

As Promised ...here's a few sneek peeks at a few of our offerings just rolling out of the Creative Production Dept ...here at Sweet Magnolias Farm ...LOL !



A Little Farmhouse ...A little Romance ...A little Shabby .. A little White ...A little Cream ...and ...that pretty much sums up ...Our Sweet Magnolias Farm Originals ..



Layers of Yummy textured cloth, lace, ribbon, glitter and vintage baubles ...really can make a girls heart pitty patter ...and what better time to enjoy all these things than at Christmas !



Coming to the Chateau De Fleurs Marketplace ...Dec. 3rd and 4th ...






Above are our Sweet Magnolias Farm .."Original Designs" ... Soft , Scrumptious, and Sweet Signs ...in many sizes ..perfect for Hanging from the Mantle ....A Large wreath ..accentuating the doors of an old cupboard ..or even a Beautiful oversized decoration for the tree ..



Each one is Custom Designed no 2 are alike ..and the quantity is limited ..so be sure to get their early to secure one of these for your Home Sweet Christmas Home !

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OR ...how about these little sweeties ...




Another Sweet Magnolias Farm Original ....and the little Sisters to our soft signs ..are these wonderful Romantic Christmas Ornaments ..Or package Accessories ...



Embellished with antique and vintage laces and trims ..sparkling with pure silver glass glitter ....every ornament is custom designed and handmade here at Sweet Magnolias Farm ..with lots of Love and pure Farmhouse Romance entwined ....



There will also be a limited amount of these available ...so be sure to arrive early Friday to secure your own little piece of Christmas Romance ..



See you ...not this weekend but the next ...plan ahead now ..and gather up that trio of girlfriends ..or make it a family affair ...and come visit all the Chateau Girls and Guys ...in Fallbrook, CA... for address info ...check out our sidebar ....




If your far away and ever see us post a picture of an item you would like to purchase by all means let us know we would be glad to make our offerings available to you.



Sending you early warm winter wishes ...



Linking up to Kathleen of Faded Charm for White Wednesday

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Taking an Old Fashioned Drive ... The Perfect Day Trip

Have you ever taken an Old Fashioned Drive ?



If you haven't you've missed out or so I think.



Growing up ..my parents always liked to take a drive somewhere ..there wasn't any particular destination spot ..Like Disneyland or some special spot that we had to end our drive at....It wasn't about how quick we could get there ..it was all about "The Drive."



If your familiar with the old addage ... "Stopping to Smell the Roses" ... that's what an old fashioned drive is like ..enjoying the scenery.. taking in the beauty of the land ...enjoying all the splendor and all Gods' creatures.


Add a little rain storm in ..and well add that we Love the rain ..the calmness it brings over the land ..the smell of the fresh rain...the pitty pattering of the rain drops ... the exhiliration of the cold rainy wind nipping at your nose ...and it's a perfect combination for a relaxing Old Fashioned Drive.

Mix that with the need to get away from all the stucco walls of a housing development ..away from all the traffic...away from all the business and hubub and away from all the every dayness of just being home....

And

We decided to take a drive that we hadn't been on in probably over a year ... toward the Julian / Ramona Area.

Now to have a proper Old Fashioned drive ..there are only a couple rules ...Number One and the most important one to remember ...is your not on a race or in a hurry to get anywhere ! So no speeding and preferrably a little slower than the speed limit is the right way to go about a good old fashioned drive. Of course your going to get those people that have forgotten how to stop and smell the roses and want to tail gate ...they may become highly aggitated and flip their lights on and off at you or slight swerve from one side to the other behind you ...really pay them no attention...there's always the chance they can pass you when there is no oncoming traffic as that's what the divided lines were created for ...and or pull over to the side of the road out of courtesy when it's safe and let them pass ..do it with ease of heart and a light attitude and remember that was you just yesterday ..forgetting to smell the roses and enjoy your surroundings. The only other rules are ..stop when you want to ..have lunch at your own convenience ..stop at a roadside store and walk around a minute ..or just pull off the side of the road and enjoy the beauty that you forget to enjoy the other 364 days of the year !

So we began our drive ..by taking every possible back road we could to leave the city and head for the country ...












Once we get out on the open road of Hywy 79 ....it opened up into a beautiful landscape... My favorite area begins about Warner springs ..and continues all the way into Santa Isabel.

If you thought the changing of the leaves only happened back in the midwest and east ...well it's not so ...we may not get it to the same degree ...as we definitely don't have the amount of trees those areas have ...but we do have some wonderful foliage changes ...you just have to go to the right places to find and "Enjoy" them.

We stopped to admire the view ... while the rain had let up for a few minutes ....and off in the distance was a Beautiful tree line that was showing it's changed colors in all their splendor ...set against the desert prairie style back drop ..it was just beautiful ...



Our drive was so nice today ..not to many people in a hurry ..and for the few that were, we graciously pulled over and let them proceed past us ...



Why is it that pictures just can't capture what our eyes see ..this tree was just stunning ..it's colors were changing splendidly ...the picture just doesn't do the tree the justice it really deserves ...







As we made into Santa Ysabel ...we decided to stop in at an antique mall in Wynola ..just a few miles from Julian and walk around ...

It was pouring down rain and the temperatures were in the 30's ...and the little old mall ...really felt it ...my how it was freezing ...I told Abbey they sure know how to keep their customers moving ...LOL !!! Nonetheless it was fun ...and we got to wear our winter jackets today which felt mighty good considering the weather ...



After all that cold ...and the hour and half that we had been on the road ..we decided a little lunch was needed ..so we headed a few miles more up the hill as Julian is a quaint little mountain town full of charming little shops .. most well known for it's apple orchards and Apple Pie Shops... Plus a little restaurant that we have frequented over the years ...






The Julian Cafe and Bakery. For years this has been the place we stop to grab a bite to eat ..



There's nothing like returning to a place you have fond memories of and finding that it's still the same ...little has changed and the things you loved about it then are still there now ...it's something that warms your heart and gives you a since of comfort ...there is a plus to things staying the same sometimes ..progress can sometimes strip the world of all it's warmth and security and keep us in a since of insecurity ...which leaves me ever so thankful for little towns like Julian that keep on keeping on in basicly the same way.



At the Julian Cafe our Favorite Home comfort food ...was still being offered and was exactly what a cold ..blustery day like today needed and that was a homemade chicken potpie ..some garlic Mashed potates and gravy ... crisp sweet coleslaw and a beautiful garden salad....

Isn't it yummy looking ...Yes this is it ...and I admit I ate just about everything there. And about now I'm wishing I had another plate full it tasted and felt so good !







Julian was bustling with people as always ...the streets and shops were full ....










...I saw this sign on the street and thought it was so cute !


Well I must admit we didn't walk the shops in Julian ...we weren't out so much to shop ...we really just wanted to enjoy our drive ..the rainy weather..and the beautiful scenery of being out in the country !



We headed back down the hill ..toward Santa Ysabel ...and decided that we couldn't leave the area without some of that yummy apple dessert that makes the area so famous !



So we ended up at the Julian Pie Co.










It's Red, White, and Blue Exterior boasts ... "As American as Apple Pie" ....and the window boxes, awnings and parlour tables and chairs make the pie co.... even more charming ..not too mention the enticing smell that oozes from every door and window sill ...

Inside ...the choices of Apple Pie combinations are endless ...apple-peach, apple-boysenberry, apple-mountainberry and many more, too many to mention and each with a yummy pie crust or crumb topping, each pie is made fresh by hand daily. Have a slice as it is or served warm or...A La Mode. Not up for pie then how about .... Apple Cider donuts...some covered with sugar and cinnamon, others topped with caramel or chocolate icings. Then there are ..Sweet Memories ..which are flaky crust hearts and apples rolled in cinnamon and sugar ......or Wunder Bars ..Cookies that are luscious creamy peanutbutter and chocolate. I would guess they have about 30 different desserts to choose from and each one is sooooooooo good!



After we finished oohing and ahhing we finally made our choices and throughly enjoyed every bite.....every single morsel ....YUM!
With our tummies full [very full] and our sweet toothes satisfied we get back on the road and head for Ramona ..Ramona is another small, quaint, rural town surrounded by thousands of acres of horse and cattle country. The roads going east take you up into the hills and mountains while the roads going west take you down into the big cities and on to the pacific ocean. After the long drive we needed to give our legs a stretch and so we took a spin around the Ramona Antique mall and one other antique shop ...and then decided to head back home while it was still daylight so we could enjoy...the same ...slow ...winding..relaxing and enjoyable route we came....

By now the rain had moved on, the sky was beginning to clear and the sun peeked out here and there and shone on the earth with such beauty ...and just a short time later ...the sky fell dark ...and all was peaceful ....

Just a short while from home ....as we came around a curve in the road ..the mountain peaks were lit ever so stunningly ...and the full Moon was just beginning to rise it's big glowing self right into the sky ...

It was a Perfect ending to a most lovely of lovely days .. a day that helps you remember to stop and breathe and remember that life is only what you make of it ...that all the stress ..we many times bring on ourselves ...and that most of the time we think we are good at stopping to smell the roses ...but really we haven't smelled them at all ..because all lifes business blots out the beauty. It's up to us ..to stop ...really stop ...and take a moment ..or a day ..or a week even ...and enjoy the Beauty of God's earth. He provided such wonderful beauty for us to search out and find beyond the manmade jungles we live in...but ultimately it's up to us to find them..it's up to us to stop and Smell, Taste, Touch ,See, and Hear ...the Beauty of all God's Creation !

Today ..I Smelled , I tasted, I touched, I saw and I heard God's Beauty ...and I was blessed to share this Beautiful Old Fashioned Drive and Day trip with my Parents ..My best friends !,

Take time out to Smell the Roses ....there close by ..if you just take the time to search them out !

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Chateau De Fleurs Marketplace ...just around the corner

It's that time again ...time for the Best Marketplace ever !!!

Once again Christie Repasy and Rita Reade ..are hosting the Chateau De Fleurs Marketplace ...

On

Friday Dec. 3rd and Saturday Dec. 4th ...

So Mark Your Calenders Gals and Guys !!!


Keep in mind ...that we will be closing a bit earlier this time ...due to the fact it gets dark earlier ...

Friday hours will be: 9-4
Saturday 9-3

Abbey and I are feverishly working on some wonderful Christmas offerings ...I'm hoping to share a sneek peek at a few offerings sometime in the coming week with you all ...when the Sunshine comes back out and I can take some nice pictures.

Until the next time .....Have a real Sweet End of the weekend and a Beautiful Beginning of a whole new week ..where the possibilities are endless if you just look for them.


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Friday, November 19, 2010

Last day for our 20% off SALE at Treasures N Junk ....

Another Busy week here at the Farmhouse ..you know a Girls work really never ends ...it doesn't matter how bad she feels ..how sick she is ..or how much she's worked ...it just keeps on presenting itself to her day after day ...

Abbey and I spent the first part of this week ..digging in our garage ..! 4yrs ago when we moved into the house we now reside in we had just come back from the midwest ..where we had been on a buying trip ...after arriving here and moving in the long story short is My Dad was hospitalized with a Triple bi-pass and the story is everything got left in it's boxes for the most part and has been awaiting it's cheery day to be sold ...

So after digging out box after box ....we found some wonderful old china ...somd fabulous cottage finds ..vintage quilts , vintage curtains, vintage lamps ..and so much more ...We priced a fair size portion of it all on Wednesday and along with some new furniture finds including a vintage washing machine we hauled all over to T&J yesterday to our back shop ..the farm and cottage style one and gave that shop a makeover and filled it with all new goodies .

As we posted in earlier in the week ..Our Sale was set to run throught Friday which is today ...so if you would like to get in on the sale ...and all those wonderful new goodies ...head on over there today ..!!!

Here's a sneek peek at Yesterdays work ...

































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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Inspiration Friday ....Lampshade Xmas Tree Tutorial

As Promised earlier this week ...I'm here to share How to Make your own Lamp Shade Christmas Tree ...for those of you odd balls like Abbey and I that want "DIFFERENT" ...!



Here's the wonderful Lamp Shade Christmas Tree in all it's glory ...and we're sure there are so many other ways to create and decorate your own ..as Abbey and I have had endless ideas on how to make these trees ...in different ways and different styles ...but since there's just 2 of us ...it would be fabulous to see all you sweet blogland chickadees make your own and then share with us pictures of your own take and design.
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So Here's What you need.....

Obviously some old Wire Framed Lamp Shades ....(if the shades are still covered that's ok too)

A Base of some kind ....(let your imagination come up with something unique from your junk pile)

3/8 inch Threaded rod which can be found in the Electrical Dept of your local home improvement store. ( Ours only came in a 10ft. length and we wanted a 6 ft length ..so the guys at the store were kind enough to cut it down to our desired size)

3/8 inch Nuts (locking nuts would probably be preferrable)...you'll need 2 per lamp shade...

So these are the basics and of course you may need some other goodies once you get started depending on how unique you get with your design.

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So First of all Abbey and I ...had this great Cast Iron base in our antique hardware drawer ...It had been waiting around to be used on just the right project ...and well finally the right project presented itself ....


Next ...we gathered (6) of our wire lamp shades all in different sizes ...the bottom ones were similar in size and the top ones of course smaller.





Here's a close up of what "threaded rod" is and how the nuts spin above and below the lamp shade center ...

Please keep in mind the threaded Rod is somewhat Flimsy ...so your tree will be slightly flexible when working with it.



Keep In mind ...with the rod one length and 6 shades and 6 ft of rod ...it's a process that takes a bit of patience ...Because you have to start spinning those fun little nuts into place...

1 nut spun towards the center ..then apply the lampshade ..then another nut spun down to the top of it ...then another nut on and into place then the shade and another nut on top of it ..and so the fun process goes. ( I mentioned locking nuts because these are another type of nut that locks in place unlike the type we used for our project ..Abbey and I think after fashioning our first tree that the locking nuts would have been the way to go... sot that the shades are held in place better...)

Once you have all your lamp shades in place and your base on .........




It's time to start covering that ugly threaded rod !!!

We opted for 3 inch wide strips of burlap that were about 6 ft. in length ..


We Tied off the burlap at the top ...and then started twisting it around the base ...then when we ran short we just tied the ends of the burlap lengths together and kept twisting it around the rod..... the knots just gave the center a wonderful old knarly look ....Plus because we used regular nuts the burlap helped secure the lamp shades in place better.
P.S. Originally as shown above we put the top shade facing down ... we later changed our mind ..and took it off ..then ran wire every which way between the frame ..so we could turn it into a nest. Then we re-fitted it on top with the open end facing up ..we filled it in with spanish moss ...and then added some Glittered birds to the top ....as shown in the finished Picture at the top.

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So that's it Bloggerettes ...it's really a rather simple process mixed with a bit of patience ...!

Abbey and I have never seen such a tree made ..so we think we finally came up with a fabulous unique design of our own ...However ..who knows ..maybe some Grandma ..in some small town of 15 somewhere ..we just don't know about ..has been creating lampshade Christmas trees since the 1960's ...ROFL !!
It's a Great Altered, Upcycled and Rustic Vintage Christmas Tree ...Perfect decorated in any color ..or any style ..and Oh my what a conversation piece for the holidays ..it's for all those relatives that just don't get us Vintage Junkies ...LOL !!!





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Monday, November 15, 2010

Holiday Sale at Treasures and Junk ....

Hello to my sweet blog land friends ...

It's been a while since I last posted ...there's been so much going on here at the farmhouse and add that to being a bit under the weather the last month ...and you don't realize how behind a gal can get in blog posting.

In fact so much that I didn't get up the post letting everyone know this last weekend that the Holiday Sale was going on over at Treasures and Junk ...

Now if you missed it by all means don't despair ...There are a great deal of us that are leaving our sales up through the week ..so that all of our customers and friends who couldn't make it over the weekend can still get in on the savings.

Abbey and I are offering 20% off EVERYTHING in our shops ....

That means ..Our Farmhouse Romance Lamps ..are 20% off ...we even have our Farmhouse Aprons and our Recycled Jewelry available this week at the shop for the 20% off ...which is a very special deal !!!

I have a few sneek peeks at our 1st shop ...of course I ran out of time and didn't get picts of the 2nd shop ...but it's full of wonderful offerings too !


The above Picture is this Years Christmas Tree that Abbey and I designed from old Lamp Shades ...Unless it's been done before and we just haven't seen it ...I'd say we came up with a really unique design for a tree and everyone so far Loves it like we do. I'll be putting up a tutorial on how to make your own later this week hopefully for Inpiration Friday !



Don't forget to sign our Guest Book if you drop in to our shops !





Yes everything you see ....20 % off ..only through Friday !





And these are the last Roses ....available at the 20% off ...

So call a friend ...make a play date and a lunch date ..and come on over to Treasures and Junk ...there's some awesome finds being offered throughout the entire mall at great discounts !

Of course for those of you far away ..if there is ever anything you see in our pictures you would like by all means just contact us and we can let you know the price and shipping costs to get it to your home sweet home.

Until Inspiration Friday ...Have a Lovely week !





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