in the garden...

sorry I have been silent lately...it is such a busy time of year at our farm

every year I try to grow more food, learn a new homestead skill or two and of course we are always junkin for both our shoppe and our studio!!

OH!  and yes I have some exciting news

I have been creating and writing like crazy and I have several articles coming out in Sew Somerset, Somerset Studio, Greencraft and Holidays & Celebrations, so stay tuned!!!

on a totally different front - we bought a camper that I am psyched to fix up & make adorable

so I have been collecting ideas & inspiration

I am drooling over this

credit  thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com

and this

credit  vintagelady2010

but first I have to get the cabbage planted :)

be back soon, but in the meantime...

here are some fabulously fun planting ideas I am going to try this year

credit Fern Richardson of Life on the Balcony 

 credit twokitties.typepad.com

new projects

wooooo-eeeeeee!  its been busy around this farmhouse!

kinda out of breath...

we are opening our antiques shoppe for its 5th summer season

and hubby and I have been junking, thrifting, cleaning, dusting, fixing, pricing, setting up displays

we. are. tired.

but we love it - its always a big push for opening day and then we settle into the groove and have a blast

I will be happy when we open because I have a list of house projects a mile long once I can move onto them...besides the typical spring gardening push, we need to refresh our porches

source

few minor fixes, new paint, new look

sooo, I have been bopping about online looking for inspiring photos

source

love this one - the overhead light and the accessories - yum!

source

the ceiling color is pretty

source

simple and beautiful

source

would LOVE to renovate our porches to be larger and more useful like this one

source

light, bright & pretty

so what do you like best about a farmhouse porch?

easy-squeezy whimsical planters

today I wanted to share a super simple planting project that is very inexpensive but super-cute

find a bunch of used shoes - I especially like to use baby shoes

my mom has used old boots on either side of her steps and they look great

you can even plant up high heels

one of my baby shoes freshly planted with baby succulents

fill your shoes with a good quality potting soil

and then have fun filling them with annuals and succulents!

You kind find used shoes at yard sales, Goodwill, Salvation Army, thrift shops, or sometimes even at the dump (if you have a "sharing" shed like we do).  The key is to find shoes that have a nice shape, pleasing color, etc - don't worry if they are worn & grubby

Photo: Courtesy Gary Bachman on msucares.com

you can plant up a single shoe or a pair of shoes - you can even hang your shoe planter!

I saw someone plant up a 2 rows of shoes and boots and then lined them up on a plant stand - it was adorable

Photo: Courtesy Josh Mccullough on PortlandMonthlyMag.com

what fun we had

yesterday's online Valentine's Party was so much fun!
you can still check it out at
STAR FEATHER FARM

my mom did not disappoint with some really cute DIY projects

DIY Project - SWEET HEART free tutorial at STAR FEATHER FARM

DIY PROJECT - SWEET HEART Pin Keep Detail at STAR FEATHER FARM

Adorable view inside an amazing art doll - STAR FEATHER FARM
I made all the minis on the top shelf  SMILE! :)

DIY PROJECT - A TINY HEART free tutorial at STAR FEATHER FARM

SWEET NOTHINGS - ORDER HERE

SWEET NOTHINGS interior - ORDER HERE

as well as an adorable new product launch called Sweet Nothings...all teeny tiny miniature.

as I mentioned I created a bunch of very limited miniature pieces for the event and wanted to share a bit...I am tickled that a bunch has already sold out but have made a few more batches of this & that

TINY GARLAND 1/4" scale - ORDER HERE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

TREAT FOR TWO 1" scale - ORDER HERE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

TINY BOTTLEBRUSH STYLE TREE - ORDER HERE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

VAL a folk art figurine - ORDER HERE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
handsculpted and painted at a little over 1" high
she is one of my favorites - absolutely adorable

what a blast I had making them.  who knew - even though I grew up with miniatures in my blood (my parents have been self-supporting miniature artists since I was born) I never thought I would get into the scene.  As I grew older though my heart strings tugged back towards the teeny and the tiny.  Creating these in my studio involved a lot of patience, very fine painting on the tip of my finger but  LOTS of giggling with delight!

so if you haven't had a chance yet - go check out STAR FEATHER FARM for some yummy eye candy

VALENTINE'S PARTY TODAY!!!!

my uber-talented artist parents are hosting an online Valentine's Party today over at my mom's blog


STAR FEATHER FARM
Valentine's Party
February 2nd 2012- starts at 12:00 noon EST


There will be recipes for some AWESOME Valentine treats, a miniature Valentine inspired DIY project and their latest miniature kit...Secret Book - "Sweet Nothings" a Valentine inspired edition.


I have also created some limited quantity teeny tiny miniature pieces, Valentine inspired of course, for the party. A few of them are 1/4" scale. They will be available as the supply lasts.

Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. What else can you do on Ground Hog's Day that would be more fun than this?  Sure hope you stop by - we'll have fun!!!

**If you know someone who would enjoy a party, miniature style, please invite them to come along!

starfeatherfarm.blogspot.com

Valentine's Party - Feb 2nd at 12:00 noon EST