Girlfriends on the Farm has been a dream of mine
for a few years now. I have wanted to have a monthly or
semi-monthly shows where friends could come & sell
their wares in a fun venue. Well Jeff built that for me in
Ellington's Mercantile. We opened the doors this past
Saturday for our very first Girlfriends on the Farm with
HUGE success. Part of the wonderful success came
from the fact that I had an overwhelming amount of
support in artists wanting to participate....we had eight
for our very first show including me. Well the venue
couldn't be cuter. Jeff certainly outdid himself....& he
usually does. Let me tell you a little bit about the shop
itself. This particular building housed an original
1850's Blacksmiths shop on the farm. In the back
portion of the building which will be the second portion
of Ellington's Mercantile there is an actual chimney where
the blacksmith hand forged his horse shoes & tools. We used
all Indiana hard woods on the walls from Jeff's tree jobs
that he had milled in Spencer IN & we hand planed
here on Ellington Farms with a planer Jeff actually bought
for this project....that's the kind of good I love about
Jeff. Maybe back in the 1850's projects were done with
tools without cords but we didn't just rush to Lowe's
for everything....I think that is neat....& you can tell when
you walk into the room....it just smells woodsy. In a photo
further down in the post you will see them better...but I will
speak of them here....the flooring is gorgeous. Jeff salvaged
it from one of his demolition jobs. It was removed from
Bloomington Tire when they tore it down. Now the average
person would have thought this flooring was ugly & thrown it out....but
then Jeff isn't just your average guy....& I knew that...that's
why I snatched him up 23 years ago. So he painstakingly
salvaged every piece of it....we even used it in Lincoln's
newly remodeled closet in his bedroom. The floors are
absolutely stunning to me. Oh....& I bet you are
wondering about the awesome cabinet! It's wonderful
isn't it??? Jeff again found this great cabinet out west of
town for Ellington's Mercantile because we wanted it to
resemble an old store. He found all the old coffee tins &
coffee grinders in one of his demolition jobs & we thought
they looked adorable filling the shelves of the cabinet. I don't know how long they will remain....we may need those
cabinets for actual merchandise but until further notice
I love them there!
This is in the process of our setting up stages. It was
no where near the completed 'tweaked' time. It was already
adorable. We made the table from the door that we
took off & replaced. The guys threw it in the trash....but
no....Hope to the rescue....that will be my table. Jeff
screwed it on an old ammo box & oiled it up with mineral
spirits & viola' a great cornerstone for Ellington's Mercantile & didn't cost a penny! The walls look so bare....but they
didn't for long!
Now you can see the flooring in great detail. Isn't it
pretty! It doesn't squeak anywhere either. Those are
some ornaments that Sue Blackwell brought. She also
made wreaths & glittered fruits. He glittered custom
ornaments were very popular.
These are my friend Pam Voorhies hand painted
vintage signs. She goes to my church & I first fell in
love with her when I heard her sing. She has the most
beautiful voice. She is a most talented girl...but then
you can see that. Her signs were very poplur....but
then I bet you had already guessed that! Jeff bought
a sign for our home at our church holiday craft show &
wanted me to see if I liked the one he chose....I too was
a vendor that day & was swamped & couldn't leave my
booth for one moment...literally. I said....Jeff...any
sign you choose will be the right one...you can't choose
a wrong one. Wouldn't you agree? I have commissioned
Miss Pam to paint a sign for Ellington's Mercantile &
Jeff & I can't wait to put it up! I don't have very many
photo's of the other artists work....but I want to mention
my very best friend in the whole world....Christy Myers.
I call her Chrissy...I don't know why I do...I just do...we have
been best friends since we were 15 years old & my sister
married her brother. She paints the most beautiful
furniture & makes the most gorgeous wreaths &
arrangements. She also paints the cutest old chalkboard
& frames. She just has a very good eye for style. She lives
in Illinois. She came down. Another great friend Stephanie
Oyler sold her Origami Owl, although not hand crafted
we thought it was new enough & fun enough to warrant
a bid to our fun show. She is a very gifted artist though
& will bring her wares another day. Lisa Orme, owner of
Lola Rue where I sell my wares on any other given day
brought painted holiday signs, jewelry, & mini wreaths.
Lindsay Bradley brought her gorgeous jewelry of which I
am one of her biggest fans! And Miss Bailey Tichenor,
she is lovely, but she was a very shy, timid girl until she started designing
jewelry & wow....she came alive....this was 2 years ago!
She is now a high school junior & she creates awesome
jewelry....truly spectacular work. Again....I think I am her
number one fan! Truly....when I wear her pieces....literally
people grab me off the street & want to know where I
got it. Of course I say....it's a Bailey Tichenor original. And
you can just tell she has a remarkable eye by her pinterest
board....and you would NEVER know she was just a
teenager!!! So, Girlfriends on the Farm is my dream come
true. It was such a fun day. I hope you can join us for the next one or maybe you would like to come display & sell your
wares. It sure was fun having such fun girlfriends here. I
hope your day is filled will love & creativity. Blessings!
