Saturday, January 30, 2010

February Farmhouse Romance Free Giveaway ..

Well I thought I would let you all know ..that Abbey and I are hosting the Free Giveaway over at the Kindred Sisters Gathering Post for the month of February ....



We are offering to those who sign up ...our "French Farmhouse Romance" Heart Bowl Fillers.



These are made from wonderful Vintage Floral repro barkcloth ...then embellished with a vintage seam binding ribbon stamped with a french sentiment and topped on each end with 2 vintage mother of pearl buttons. They are stuffed with sawdust for that wonderful old Fashioned appeal.



All 3 pictured are part of the Free giveaway this month.




All you need do to enter is visit the KSGP Shoppe and sign up for their mailing list ..then every month a new giveaway is offered you are automatically entered into it ...such a great deal !!



Click HERE to Visit the shop and join the mailing list to sign up ....

Spring Time and Going back in Time

It's been an interesting week here at Sweet Magnolias Farm ....

This week Abbey and I have been a bit out in left field ...unable to get really creative in making things ..we opted to work on some different things ..

One was changing the backdrop for our pictures ..and trying to go a bit lighter ..we hope you will enojoy our new look in photos.

The other was digging in some old boxes we've been carrying around for 15 years ..clear back from the days we live in MO ...

We had a few boxes full of vintage linens that we aquired at a farm sale ..Yep 15 yrs ago and had all the best intentions of getting to them but never did ..so this week Abb went through and pulled out some cute aprons and other linens ..washed them and ironed them ..and below are just a few that we have listed either on our website or Etsy this week.



(the 2 aprons above are listed on our website)

OH ..I had to share this great cannister set with you ..found this recently and loved the look of it ..was going to do something creative with them ..then changed my mind as they are great just as they are..so they are now being offered in our Etsy Shop.




And These Two Pretty Pink Sweeties aren't they just lovely ..so perfectly springy and with Easter on it's way ..they would be just charming to hostess in. We've added these 2 to our Etsy shoppe.

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More Great finds to come ...so stay tuned ...you never know what Abbey and I will be up to ..rather it's hitting some of our favorite haunts for new finds to offer or just digging in some old stashed boxes ...finding treasure right here in the farmhouse.





Thursday, January 28, 2010

Our Feathered Friends ...

I think Spring is on it's way and it just might be a little early for our area ...

As I sat here working at my computer today ..there is a window that peers out into a little garden section we have that is enclosed with lattice and of which a water fountain hangs ..and star jasmine climbs and blooms in the spring and pours out it's beautiful perfume ...

This little Garden section ..the birds have taken a liking too ..they come and sit in the lattice holes and perch on the vines ..while the sing their sweet songs ..

However this morning ..2 little birdies were awfully friendly ..and well ..that usually foretells spring is on the way ..

Last week ..during our rain storms I shared with you ..we made sure the birds had their fair share of food and moved the feeders under cover ...within minutes after moving the feeders under the patio cover ...we had between 20 and 40 birds at any one time ..flying in and out ..

Below are a few shots I was able to snap ...














These Sweet little Feathered Friends ..always brighten my day and put a smile on my face...for Look what the Lord has done ....it's a Beautiful thing !

May God Bless Your Day and Everyday ..


Your Kindred Friend ...Sara




Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Starting tonight on E-bay ...

My little fingers have been type..typing away today ..preparing new offerings to start tonight on e-bay ....

Here's just one item we'll be offering ....This Early Antique Enameled ..double sided Laundry Advertising sign ...is it not awesome !!!

We just aquired this wonderful piece and Oh my is it hard to let go of ...How often do you fine Antique Laundry Signs ??? Well in all my years not ever !!!



We have several antique Laundry items we will be offering ...just pop on over and visit our listings ...

See you there !!!

Click HERE to visit our E-bay listings.

Friday, January 22, 2010

In The Kitchen at Sweet Magnolias Farm...

In The Kitchen at...
Sweet Magnolias Farm
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Do you love chocolate ?

Oh how we love chocolate here at Sweet Magnolias Farm ... I think we would pass on diamonds for a good piece of chocolate.

A few weeks back ..Abbey and I wanted something yummy, chocolate and homemade ..she decided to try a vintage recipe from her "Betty Crockers" Picture Cook Book ...and boy did she ever hit a "Home Run."

Yesterday she made it for a second time and I don't know how she could improve on the first time ..but she did ...I was singing "I'm in heaven" the whole way through eating it ...

Below are some pictures of it ...to enjoy ...and following the recipe so you can make and enjoy it for yourself.












From Pg. 132 of the Betty Crocker Cook Book

Black Midnight Devils Food Cake.

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1. Grease and Flour a 9x13 Cake pan

2. Cream Together Until Fluffy:

2/3 Cup Butter ( Real Butter NOT margarine)
(Abbey substituted Butter for Shortening which we liked better)
1-2/3 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs

Blend Together:

2/3 Cup Cocoa
1-1/3 Cups Cold Water

Sift Together:

2 Cups Sifted Flour
1/3 Teaspoon baking Powder
1-1/4 Teaspoon Soda
1 Teaspoon salt

Stir in Alternately:

Cocoa-Water Mixture

Bake at 350 degrees 35 to 45 minutes.
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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Place 3 cups Powdered Sugar and 6 tablespoons of Butter in a mixing Bowl ...
Use Whole Milk, Evaporated Milk or Cream approx 1/4 cup and Warm
Add to the Sugar and Butter intermitently while mixing with electric mixer until desired consistency is achieved.

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If you love Chocolate ...I promise you'll love this cake ...and what makes it better is it's homemade ..this cake has such a wonderful consistency ..not anything like the boxed cakes that come out spongy ..this is so light and fluffy and just "Heavenly" !!!

Enjoy ...Dear Kindred Friends




Chocolate Cake Anyone ???

Here's a sneek peek at my post coming later today ..Recipe included ...

Mom's Old Fashioned Made From Scratch Homemade Cake ..

To Die for ...I seriously thought I had died and gone to heaven last night ..LOL !!!


I'll be posting more picts with recipe and instructions for this Positively delicious cake ...later today ...so stay tuned !!!

Blessings ...Sara

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Another Storm Filled Day !!!

I Know I'm a nut ...but I love the Rain and Rain Storms ..I love it when the wind rushes through the trees and I love when the rain is blown sideways ..I love to here the rain pound against the earth ...I love the smell and the feeling of it ...It brings about a calm excitement in me and at the same time a wonderful peaceful feeling when I lay my head against my pillow in the evening.

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As Many of you I'm sure know from watching t.v. news ...here in CA we've been getting pummeled with rain storm after rain storm ...Today was definitely the worst ...and produced a steady amount of rain for hours upon hours ..it has only just let up and I'm to understand we are in for another 24 hours of it ...I can't say I'm sad about that I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

Today the rain played havoc on the lake that is directly behind our house ...and filled it to overflowing ...it's a 2 acre lake with a 2 mile circumference of concrete walking trails.


Directly behind the house and looking across the lake ..the water was rising and just crested on to the walking trail.

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Just across from our place on the other side of the lake ..the water had covered the trail and was brimming up to the light pole and the slope behind the houses ...



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Just outside our slider doors ...a nice pond was forming which we had to use buckets to remove ...so it wouldn't flood the house ...LOL !!!

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Just Behind our house these benches sit next to the lake ..I went upstairs on our deck to take this picture ...this side of the lake in the 4 years we have lived here has never crested ...that's how much rain we have had this week.

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A closer shot of the water rising ....

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Early this morning we noticed the birds flying to all our feeders looking for food ..we went and filled all the feeders ..and the birds were coming from far and wide to fill their sweet little bellies ...When I went upstairs to take pictures of the lake ..I was suprised to find a whole flock sitting on our patio cover ...

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This was a wide shot of the lake ...through the bathroom window ..it's hard to see but the water in the lake was being blown heavily by the wind and waves were being made ..it was really quite exciting to watch .. A little while after I took this picture ..a break in the clouds came and sun came out for about 15 minutes ..a guy in a khayak was out on the lake ...Looked like fun to me !!

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Well it's Cold and Windy the sky is growing darker and more rain is on it's way ..I'm savoring each moment and enjoying the time we have with rain ....

Your Kindred Friend ...Sara








Monday, January 18, 2010

Rain and the Fun it brought our way !!!

Well The rain arrived last night and came down steady most of the night ..we had a brief reprieve early this morning ..and then the storm pushed it's way through and boy did it ever push through !!!

Of course our storms here don't even come close to the extreme weather I have experienced in other places such as when I lived in MO ..but nonethelss for sunny CA ...this was quite a storm.

The Wind blew like crazy ..I read up to 50 mph gusts and it sure seemed that way ..the way our house is situated we face the north west ..so the back of our house gets all the oncoming weather ..and we definitely have a view of it coming over the mountain range that divides us from the ocean.

The storm has now come to a halt ... and we are waiting for the next part of it to head through...while I was sitting here looking out the sky opened up beautifully and I captured a beautiful shot I wanted to share with all of you.



This is a little of what this first storm left us ...some standing water outside our slider doors on our patio.

And off to the South West ...the skys are darkening and the next portion of the storm is rolling in...


Oh ....and lookie what all the fun the weather brought our way...I have been working on new offerings for the shop all day and went upstairs to my work room and as I was picking through some old hardware find ..I heard a drip drop .. I looked up and sure enough the ceiling had bubbled and was leaking....
We called our rental agency and they promptly sent someone out ..and have it temporarily fixed until the rains quit ...then I'm sure we will get to have more workmen out to fix this hole in the ceiling.

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I just looked at the forecast on MSN weather for our area and once again they have changed it ..early this morning there was rain forecast through next wednesday ....now it's through Saturday and the percentages for the remainder of the week have dropped significantly ...I'm telling you that doppler machine they use ...is worthless ...LOL !!!

Well Rain ..and cloudy skies seems to bring the desire for Hot Soup to one's soul ...and that's what we are having for dinner tonight ...Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup ...It's cooking away on the stove ..Abbey prepared it this afternoon ...she's an amazing home cook . I can't wait to sit down in my chair tonight ..throw a segment of mythbusters on and have my soup and a nice roll with butter on it...

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Wishing you a Beautiful Evening with your loved ones ..

Your Kindred Friend ..Sara




Sunday, January 17, 2010

Stormy Weather arriving .....

Well This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunshine filled sky that was clear and blue ...and a warm day at that for January.

They ( the weather forecasters) keep telling us we are in for quite a series of rainstorms ..and when I checked last night when going to bed and again this morning the little weather chart showed mostly cloudy today and rain 40% chance.

I had to laugh when I awoke this morning to a beautiful sunshine filled day ... It always amazes me how the forecasters boast about their doppler 5000 machine (or whatever name it is) and make predictions. Here they have probably spent millions if not more on a machine that's supposed to tell them the weather patterns and help them predict the weather ..and it can't even get things right ..It takes me back to a saying my Mom used to say a long time ago ..."That God makes fools of those who think they are Wise"

What I want to know ..is how the Farmers Almanac seems to get the weather right more often than not. Maybe the forecasters should forego their computer generated forecasts and try their hand at the farmers almanac. LOL !!! My Great Uncle who lived in Kansas and is now passed on ..used the farmers almanac like it was a bible...he raised cattle and used the signs of the body in the farmers almanac to ween his calves and it worked like a charm for him. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways ...sometimes progress isn't better ..just sometimes the wisdom of those before us ..can't be improved upon. The next time you think you know better ..think on that ..

I just took this picture out in our backyard...the skys are now cloudy as of about an hour ago and the rain is lightly falling now ..this under a 20 % chance that they changed it too ...O.k. now I'm really laughing.

Yes that is a lake in the background ..we back up to a man made lake ...Yep I can hear you thinking how wonderful ..we did too when we moved in here 3 yrs ago thank goodness we just rented.

I cannot deny it's very nice to look at during the day time ..while doing dishes or working ...But there is a walking path that you cannot see just below the fence line ...and to my dismay ..it's not always pleasant to have people walking behind your home.

We get to hear conversations we would prefer not too ..language we don't prefer... and for some reason people think it's o.k. to let their children walk up the little hill and peek in our backyard. No thought for those living here at all.

Oh and ..we get the teenagers that like to hang out in the summertime on the benches that ..have colorful language and like to smoke ...and make quite a racket at 11 o'clock at night ...Or the Summer Parties that go on across the lake from us until 1 or 2 in the morning or even earlier ..the water between us makes for a wonderful echo chamber.

All this to say ...that Sometimes the most Beautiful things are not what they seem. LOL !!!

Off that subject and back to the weather ..I am so looking forward to this series of rain storms they say are headed our way for the next week. I love the rain ..and cloudy days ..I love the sound of it pitty pattering on the roof ...I love the feeling of rain dropping on my face ...and the feeling of it in the air...the smell of it is just divine ...and the way the lights in the night glimmer behind the falling drops ..warms my heart ever so much.

Beyond how much I enjoy it ..our little part of the country really needs rain so badly ..we have had very little now in several years. So I hope and I pray ..that this rain will bless our land and while it's blessing the land it will bless my heart.

Wishing you all a Beautiful Week ...May God bless your heart !!!

Your Kindred Friend ...Sara

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pretty in Pink ...and Spring time

I guess my body and mind are running ahead of the seasons lately ..I was working on Christmas in September of 09' and now Spring has been on my mind lately ...Abbey and I were up in the workshop ...going through boxes of vintage lines and such ..and came across some sweet pink pieces. Immediately ..I knew what I wanted to do with the pieces ..and this last week it all came together.

Mrs. Rosenblooms
~ Spring Fresh Laundy ~

Clothespin Keep ..

I love how it turned out ..and I think this is a beginning to some more Pink Creations to come.

I just listed this piece on Etsy Last night ..Click HERE to visit our Etsy shop.







More New Offerings from The Sweet Magnolias

It's been a busy January thus far ..full of creating and seeing those creations through to the end. Abbey and I have been like the energizer bunny ..the cooler weather always energizes both of us.

I think we have been getting more new offerings finished quicker than I can keep up with the normal day to day chores ..and trying to photo shoot them and list them on the site. I can't complaine that's always a good thing ..!!!

Yesterday ..I worked the better part of the day adding these new offerings below to the site plus more that I don't even have pictured here ..

Come on Over to the Shop ...and see all the new pieces we have ..rather you love Primitive, Shabby, Or Cottage ...our Farmhouse Romance Line ..will suit them all !!!


~ Farmhouse Romance ..Cabbage Rose Spoon Board ~
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~ Farmhouse Romance... Anna May's Memory Keep ~
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~ Farmhouse Romance .... Early Inspired Mirror and Towel Keep ~
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~ Vintage Find ...Embroidered Tuesday Iron Towel ~
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~ Early Work .... Mrs. Kitty McGwires Fine Laundry Baskets Clothespin Keep ~
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

White Wednesday New additions ....

Another White Wednesday New Additions ....

Working on the Rail Road all the Live Long Day ...seems to be the tune that keeps crossing my mind today ..I guess because I have been working all the live long day's lately ..it's going to become my theme song ...LOL !!!

Well I'm a little late in getting my White Wednesday post up ..but better late than never ..right !

Here are just a few of our new offerings ..that we just listed on our website today ..and more to come in the next few days ..that I still need to photo shoot.

First up is our Rustic Charm Whisk Broom done in Shades of whites and browns ..with vintage jewelry finds .. it's simply "Farmhouse Romance"


Second ..this Vintage Pressed Glass Cake plate ...is just perfection and fits the Romantic White style just Beautifully !!!

A little Something I've been working on ...a new design ..for my Farmhouse Clothespin Keep .."Songbird Laundry Works" ..
Remember last week when I posted my Junk Finds ..well here's that fabulous vintage talcum bottle ..Frosted swirl glass with it's original Lilly of the Vally label and some talcum even inside.

Here's another one of my fun Junk finds ..this vintage frosted glass perfume bottle ..in the shape of a tassel and with it's original tin cap ...So sweet for the farmhouse washroom or vanity !!!

You can find all the above items just listed today on our website ...and I'll be adding bunches more through Friday ..so be sure to stop back in !!!

Click HERE to visit our website

Tomorrow's junking day ...I'm ready to hit the road and see what new finds Abbey and I can come up with ..hopefully we will have some awesome things to share with all of you !!!

Blessings ...your Kindred Friend ...Sara




Friday, January 8, 2010

Junking in the New Year ...

Well it's been a fun start to the New Year this week. It was our First week out junking in a long long time ..and the first time this new year and boy did we have some fun and find some wonderful goodies ..

First up ..the picture below ..on the top the antique glass compote was a great find ..it probably had a lid at one time ..but no matter now ..because this gem is perfect for holding a birds nest and eggs and draped in some old lace. Next to it are to old bottles ..the left one is an old frosted swirl glass talcum bottle with the original label and talcum is still in it. The one on the right probably held a lotion ..and it's also a frosted glass and has a pattern that makes the bottle look like a tassel ..it's pretty wonderful I must say !! Then an old mug that has a sweet raised porcelain flower and leaves ...these are all sitting on an antique 4 piece mold cake stand that is in perfect condition ..and just to die for ..I love old cake plates ..
We also found 2 vintage bibles ..a box of old White buttons a tin can and some old cute rustic hangers and a whisk broom ..bet you can't figure out what I'm going to do with that ...LOL !!!

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So then we hit another sale ...and we were in need of some vintage jewelry ..and I have to add that Abbey had just prayed the night before and told the Lord we were getting low on our vintage jewelry supply and we sure would appreciate him directing us to some. ...Well Abb heads up to this sale ..and there is one little piece of jewelry and she asks if they have more ..Lo and behold the gal says yes ..and look at this !!!!










God Provided the desire of Abbs heart ...and gave us a bargain at that ...now we have lots of pieces to use on our handmade offerings ..and some of the pieces were perfect so we'll be offering those as they are ..we just can't bring ourselves to chop them up.

Abb and I had a fun time the last 2 days ..going junkin is always alot of fun. You never know what goody your going to happen on ..and you can't wait to get back home to start using them in one way or another or listing them for sale for some other kindred soul to cherish.

Abb and I have been junking together forever and a day ..I remember when I was a young girl ..heading off to flea markets, antique malls, and antique sales ...we never had alot of money so Abb never bought much ..but we had alot of fun looking at all the wonderful offerings. Our memories of junking together will always be with us ..and each time we go out ..it's another fun memory made.

I'll never forget when we were living in MO and we went to the farm sales ..it was a hot August ..and I found some things to stay for and bid on ..well ..there was this little enamel creamer I wanted ..and I waited near 4 hours to get it ..when all of a sudden a young gal popped up and started bidding on all the things I was hoping to get my hands on ..I lost out on all of them ..and when they got to this creamer ..she didn't bid ..only me and one other person ..I think we had it up to like 4 dollars ..anyhow at last call this gal pops her hand up and bids ..I got so irritated that I bid again ..Abb gave me the eye ..like that's too much but I was determined this gal wasn't going to get this from me ...Well she didn't and the laugh was on me ..I WON !!!! Yep I paid 15 dollars for it ..and that was alot back then for it. But I WON !!!! LoL ..that's a funny memory I'll just never forget ..I never get to riled up ..but that day that gal managed to get my big girl panties in a bunch ...!!!

Wishing you all happy junking !!!

P.S. ...I will be listing several of the items for sale ..if you see anything your interested in don't hesitate to ask about it ..

Your Kindred Friend ..Sara