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Flippin Furniture Blog

Why I LOVE Winter!

I know it is not a popular opinion, but it is mine.  I LOVE winter.  There, I said it. Do I love our usually unmaintained gravel roads in the winter?  Covered in ice with barely a rock poking through for traction sometimes for a month straight?  Or having to take the ditch because it isn’t as slick as the road itself? Nope.  Not at all. But they are nothing to brag about in the spring when they thaw back out either.  Or when Helen’s Bottoms is flooded, and we have to go around. Or when they are full of potholes.  But that isn’t what this post is about. Our roads just happen to be the worst part about living in the country.  Other than that, I wouldn’t change it for anything.  Our home is my safe haven.  I wasn’t super excited when an insurance salesman tried to encroach on it today.  Normally I would make sure the lights were off and hide.  But hubby happened to be home for lunch, so he dealt with him. And even gave the guy his number to call him to talk about it another time.  What the heck?  But, again, not what this is about.  The reasons why I love winter.  For one thing, I am extremely hot-blooded.  I can only wear a sweater or sweatshirt if I will be doing nothing but sitting still.  Maybe while going out to eat with friends.  Maybe not. Any type of movement, and I start to sweat.  I do not glisten. It’s not cute.  But at least I can wear light layers in the winter.  And jeans.  And boots.  I avoid all outdoor activities in the summer. Another reason I like winter is that it can be so pretty.  Like the picture of my house.  I know the snow and ice can be very dangerous but also very beautiful. When I was a kid in school, but especially when my kids were in school, snow days were the best!  Sledding. Pulling them around on inner tubes behind the four-wheeler.  Snow made ice cream.  All the things memories are made of. But for me, the best part of winter is just a little more time with my husband.  We are both very hard workers all year long, but in the winter, we seem to find a little more time when the daylight hours are shorter. When it gets dark at 5pm is probably my absolute favorite.  He does go back out and work in the shop after supper quite a bit, but sometimes he doesn’t.  Do I have plenty to do with my own little business? Heck ya, I do.  BUT, I can rearrange a few things if it means a movie on the couch with my best friend.  Or a lazy Sunday afternoon watching Longmire or Ozark and catnapping.  I know it’s crazy, but when the days start really getting shorter, I get so excited.  Excited for Harvest to be over.  Excited for all fall fieldwork to be done as much as the weather will allow.  Excited for the holidays to be wrapped up.  As I type this, it is February 25th.  Spring is approaching.  Not soon enough for most people but all too soon for this chick. The daylight hours are getting longer.  I heard birds chirping last weekend. It’s not dark until well after 6pm these days.  Just another sign that spring planting is just around the corner.  We will most likely have to start mowing the yard again in a little over a month.  Oh well, I don’t mean to be a downer—just my thoughts on why I love winter.  Does anyone else in the whole world feel the same way?  If so, I haven’t met them yet!  Or at least I have never heard anyone else admit it. Just my ramblings on a beautiful winter day….

The Flippin Society

Well hello there lovelies! It is a gorgeous, cold winter day here in Illinois today! I need to be packing to go to a business Mastermind this weekend, but I felt like I wanted to make a blog post first. 🙂 I want to be in here more often.  January was a rough but good month.  Full of stress and learning, teaching, and hopefully figuring out ways to avoid these stresses the next time. I’m not necessarily bringing you a project today. Nothing about farming today. No cattle today. But this is something that is completely lighting me up these days! Have you heard about my private furniture painting group?  It is called ‘The Flippin Society.’  I started this group for several reasons.  One of them was having people reach out to me multiple times a day, most days, asking me about furniture painting.  I was spending hours a day trying to help them.  And those hours were keeping me from getting anything else done. I love to help, but I just couldn’t answer them all and work on my own furniture and my own business like I needed to. So, in July of 2020, the year of the pandemic, ‘The Flippin Society’ was born! We started slow.  I wondered if anyone would even join.  I opened the brand new group and stated that they would be my founding members, paying a very low monthly fee that would only be available that one time.  They would be helping me mold the group into what it would become. I do not know how this happened, but we ended up with 55 members!  I was ecstatic. If you remember, I had previously had a brick and mortar and had closed it about 6 months before this.  I had suffered major burnout in several areas.  Furniture painting being pretty close to the top of that list. In the initial start-up, I had said that I would be doing mixed media, repurposing, crafting, and furniture painting and techniques.  And I secretly did not want to do the furniture part of it.  Like at all. We got started, and I did do a piece of furniture with them from start to finish.  It didn’t kill me.  But it didn’t thrill me either.  I did minimal furniture in there.  No one complained, but I felt like I was letting them down.  I know, I know, ‘that’s on me,’ lol. Anyway, months come and go, and I am still not catching the furniture bug again until about November.  I can’t even explain how or why.  But that didn’t matter.  I was back!  Back into all things furniture!  I wanted to try new techniques and teach others EVERYTHING I know about furniture!  But I hadn’t wholeheartedly realized this. I knew that I wanted to paint again and was so excited.  I felt like I so totally escaped complete furniture painting burnout by the hair on my chin.  I am so thankful that that wasn’t the case! At the urging of a friend of mine, she said I should do a private coaching call with someone she knows.  That she thought she could help me.  It wasn’t cheap, but I trusted my friend, and I was already Facebook friends with the person she was talking about.  After that one-hour coaching call, I have realized that I need to niche down.  What am I known for?  Painting furniture, right?  I mean, after all, this is my business name. So much clarity was gained in that one hour.  I will forever be grateful.  I still have so much to learn and tweak, but I really feel I am on the right path. My message is clear now.  And having my message be clear helped people understand what my group was about. I have been teaching more furniture related classes.  I have taught prep, decoupage, and a tabletop technique.  Planning a couple more coming up in April and May.  One of them will be on painting, distressing, and antiquing/glazing.  The latter one will be all about decoupage, stenciling, and transfers.  At least that is what I am thinking at this point. So guess how many members are on this furniture flippin journey with me now?  Keep in mind that some people will come and go.  But as of 11AM this morning, we hit 189 members. This was just a milestone I wanted to eventually reach and today is the day.  I know it’s a strange number to land on, but that is a story for another day. If you have made it this far in my ramblings, you are amazing! I will pop the info of my private group in here, ya know, just in case you are looking for a beautiful group of furniture painters (some brand new!) who are so supportive and uplifting of each other. I just could not love this bunch more!  Oh, and we recently, last night, in fact, had our very first ‘live’ Q&A call through zoom!  They get to see and hear me all the time, but it is a treat for me to get to see and hear them!  Makes me so happy!  And this is something that I think we will do monthly moving forward!  So I definitely need to add that to the list of things we accomplish in the group!

Thrifting Haul

So, we don’t talk about it a lot, but my daughter has epilepsy.  Thank God they are the absent kind.  It could be so much worse.  But that isn’t what this is about today!  But since we go to Mayo for doctor appointments, we decided to turn lemons into shopping! Her doctor appointment was scheduled for Monday at 12:30 PM, so we decide to head up the day before and try to get some Christmas shopping done and hit some thrift stores.  It’s about a 6-hour drive for us to get there, and we usually plan her appointment for around that noon to 1 o’clock time so that we can drive up in the morning and head back home right after. One other appointment in November, we decided to go up the day before, checked into the hotel around 5 PM so I could get some work done without interruption.  I was trying to get ready to teach a class, and I needed to focus.  I really cracked down and got a ton done in that room!  And stayed until checkout time and felt so productive! But I digress!  Again, not what this is about!  Let’s get to the shopping!!! We stopped in Coralville, Iowa, on the way up. Courtney searched for thrift stores around us, and ‘Stuff’ was our first stop!  I had never been to one or even heard of one before.  It was pretty big!  Even had an elevator!  It was very similar to Goodwill, in my opinion.  I did a horrible job taking pictures this trip for the most part.  But I did get a lot of fun stuff! At Stuff, I ended up with mainly Christmas items at 50% off!  Who doesn’t love a good sale, right?! And Courtney managed to find a Christmas present for her boyfriend there! I was too impatient to wait in line at Salvation Army, so we rolled on to TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.  Found a couple cute Valentine’s Day items! Dollar Tree was a bust, so we headed on to Rochester, MN, and made it to Savers before closing!  Here are some of the fun things I saw at Saver’s, and I even brought a few homes.  Can you guess which ones?  I’m pretty sure this is a wreath holder—kind of kicking myself for leaving it behind but oh well.  We also hit a couple farm stores that day but had no luck finding anything we were looking for there, as far as Christmas gifts anyway! After Saver’s, we found a place to spend the night and had Denny’s deliver to us.  It seemed to take forever.  Finally, Courtney went and opened the door, and the food was there.  They never knocked or anything.  Of course, we paid for it ahead, and I understand the whole contactless delivery, but a little knock on the door would have been nice.  The next morning we got going at a decent time and hit a couple more farm stores with very little luck.  Then we searched for antiques and hit one.  It was jam-packed and pretty much what I used to think every antique store was like.  Floor to ceiling stuff.  Lots of glassware.  Lots of cool stuff, though, too.  But also priced way out of whack, if you were to ask my opinion.  But again, Courtney found another Christmas gift there for her boyfriend, so it was worth the stop. Then we decided we had time for one more stop before we had to go.  And this one was my absolute fave.  We had a little trouble finding it, but it was worth it. When we first went in, I didn’t see much.  It is also a Feed Store.  I went in and looked around was ready to go and walking out the door, and the guy said there was a lot more in the back.  He wasn’t kidding!  I loved this place! It was so cool!  The antique store was in the back of the place and it was totally my kind of store!  The stuff was organized so well!  Suitcases, and thermoses, and tins! Oh My!!!! These coffee tins had amazing graphics!  I don’t drink coffee but the yellow one really made me wish that I did just to have an excuse to buy it!  The green one was pretty cool, too! And so many suitcases!  I have a thing for suitcases, but I already have too many so I held strong in that area! They had a few toolboxes also!  Another one of my weak points! How cute are these!  If I had any grandkids, I probably would have snagged that barn! And the metal dollhouse reminded me of the one I had as a kid! They also had fans, linens, ice skates and so much more!  PIX OF THESE THINGS So much to see!  This will definitely be a stop on our next trip!  And Savers!  Those were my favorite stops for sure!!! Do you know of any fun stores like this in your area?  I would love to hear about them!  And possibly check them out sometime!!! XOXO, Tammy

2020: My Year In Review

Well…let’s just jump right in here! I closed my brick and mortar in 2019, December 22nd, to be exact.  That was our last day open.  And that was the day my hubby and I cleaned out my carport to make room for anything that would be coming back home with us.  It was a beautiful day, and we got rid of a bunch of junk to make room! I had also tried to re-arrange the far garage of our three-car garage for a little more storage.  Thank goodness.  We needed it.  Then we had the task of packing up what was left, which didn’t look like much until we dug into it. We were boxing things up, packing in totes, trying to decide where to store them, deciding what to take to my friend’s store in Macomb, putting the vendor’s remaining items in piles, and then letting them know when they could come to pick them up. And then came the store items. We were listing and selling some of the things we wouldn’t need on Facebook, meeting people to see the items, and meeting vendors to get the rest of their items, packing up the trailer to bring whatever I didn’t take to my friend’s store, back to my house.  We still had to go through everything in the bakery.  My mom picked up her items, and I took mine, and then I sold a bunch of them in one lump to a friend who was opening up a café. That was all so exhausting.  As if the store itself hadn’t been exhausting enough!  But it wasn’t over yet.  We still had to sell the building.  We had met with our realtor a couple months earlier but had told her to keep it on the down-low as much as possible.  There was some interest right off the bat, but nothing 100%, so we then listed it. Again, there was interest, but everything takes so much longer than it should.  One person was interested from the get-go but tried getting grants and all that hard work, and it still fell through, so they ended up just getting a loan.  But again…it all takes so much time.  And then, of course, it was Christmas and New Year’s, and God only knows whatever else that plays into it to make it take forever with banks and lawyer’s offices. Anywho, we were finally done and papers signed and out of there for good on Friday, February 21, 2020.  Right before Covid hit.  To say we were thankful and blessed is a true understatement.  We would have felt that way anyway, but knowing what we now know…we feel thankful and blessed times a million.  God guided us 100% of the way!  Of course, we would have loved to have it sold a month a two sooner, but it’s all in God’s time.  Backing up a smidge…January, once we had the store completely cleaned out, I focused on my house for a couple weeks, purging, organizing, and cleaning.  It had been years since I had taken any kind of time to really go deep on my house.  Re-doing furniture and then the store itself, along with the furniture, had consumed almost every waking hour to that point.  It felt so good to get a handle on some things in my house. But time waits for no one.  And I jumped into blogging finally.  I had been wanting to start a blog since the previous March but had no time for it.  My first blogpost was live on January 21st of this year.  It was a Valentine’s Day craft. You have to start somewhere, right?  I have about 69 blog posts under my belt now. I continued on with the blogging, in addition to trying to regain my house and myself.  Little pieces of myself were coming out every day.  Pieces I didn’t even know that I had lost. It’s hard to put into words, but I could just see myself thinking more clearly, the way I used to before furniture and the store had completely taken over.  It has definitely been an eye-opener.  I did not truly realize how much of myself I had lost until after the store was closed.  Let’s just say that it’s good to be back! I did furniture sporadically during this time.  It wasn’t lighting me up like it used to.  I wasn’t finding as much joy in it.  I think I had been cranking out furniture like a machine for so many years that I had burnt myself out.  I just couldn’t get into it.  I started doing more crafting: signs and home décor.  So much easier and less time consuming, and start to finish was very fulfilling.  I set out to do 30 days of lives.  If I am honest, I wanted to at least do 10 in a row and see how it went!  I made it!  And ended up closer to 60 with only missing a few days here or there.  That was fun doing all the crafty stuff with everyone!  But as an introvert, it was a little much to be “on” every day, even if it was only 30 minutes to an hour! In July, I started my very own private group.  The things we were doing were painting furniture, mixed media, sign making, repurposing, etc.  And I had to force myself to do the furniture things, lol.  I just could not get into it.  We have done so many things in there, including mixed media, stenciling a wall, recovering bar stools, upcycling, and doing furniture from start to finish. Oh, and I should mention that I have been taking my finished furniture and home décor items to a store in Macomb all this time.  There were actually a few months where I didn’t take anything over because #covid.  So, just a recap, once we get to September or so, I take my finished pieces of furniture and home décor items and signs to a store in Macomb, IL.  I am blogging.  And I work with the women in the group on all the creative things.  Then came harvest.  I had not been able to help much in the field for the last few years, and I wanted to make a point available this year.  I was rusty.  If you want to know more about how Harvest went, feel free to check out this blogpost where it talked all about it and how I felt! After Harvest, the guys had beautiful weather and got so much fieldwork done.  I can’t remember the last time they were able to get so much fall work done!  After I got out of the combine, I had to make up some classes with my girls and get back to blogging and the mess that was my house after being out in the field.  But it was all good. Somehow, somewhere in November, my furniture mojo came back with a vengeance!  I’m back, baby!  And it feels right!  I think I narrowly escaped being completely burnt out on furniture forever.  I am refreshed and have so many techniques I want to try! And that furniture mojo led me to focus on furniture painting and techniques in my private group.  I have gained a lot of clarity this year.  And the furniture is still a very strong passion of mine.  So, earlier this month, we started deep diving into furniture.  We have been doing a lot of prep work, which is so very important.  We’ve also done some techniques, and I am so excited to see where we go in together in 2021!  I always say that I have more ideas than time, and it is more true than ever today! Going forward into the new year, I plan to Keep Blogging Keep Guiding My Ladies in my Private Group Creating One of a Kind Furniture and Home Décor to Sell.  Those are my three main focuses.  I would also love to plan some junkin’ trips!  I have several places in mind so far that are fairly local to me!  If you know of any ‘must-see’ shops I need to hit, please let me know!  And you can rest assured that I will blog about all these things! I think I have gone on long enough!  I wish you so much joy, peace, and blessings now and in the coming year! XOXO, Tammy

DIY Hot Cocoa Bar

Learn how to style your own DIY Hot Cocoa bar that will for sure knock the socks off of any guest you have this holiday season. A Hot Cocoa bar is just what you need to add the finishing touches to your decorations for that holiday party you are planning. I love how easy a hot cocoa bar is to throw together. The ease comes from the items you already have at home. You likely do not know it, but everything you need is already in your possession or can simply be bought on a budget from a thrift store. Step back and watch as I show you how a hot cocoa bar can add that special touch and bring a fun vibe to any party. How To Make Your Own Hot Cocoa Station With some cute finds from thrifting, a few homemade wood signs, and cute little jars you are ready to get started. You may even have everything you need already in your own home. This isn’t a hard thing to do trust me! You might not think you can but if I can do it you can surely can too! Follow along as I walk you through exactly how to style and set up your own Hot Cocoa Bar station. How To Set Up A Hot Cocoa Bar Using my little mini buffet as the perfect spot for my hot cocoa bar I got to work decorating. You can use anything really to make your hot cocoa bar. You could use a side table, countertop, or an old microwave table. I am sure you have the perfect place in your home if you just look around! Once I found the perfect spot I got to add all the decorations I had gathered up. On the left side, we have trees, a vintage jewelry box from the Salvation Army. A garage sale mug that I bought so long ago that I don’t even remember. On the right side is a crock pitcher that I turned to the back. I did this because the writing on there is blue and did not go with anything else.  More trees. Little brown pitcher came from a thrift store at some point.  On top of the buffet is a little white-tiered tray. Filled with a vintage red snowflake tin, little jars with red and white m&m’s, kisses, etc., plus another little sign I made, and some greenery to fill it out.  The greenery would look cute with some white spray paint on it to look like snow. I didn’t do that but might go back and change it. The vintage Christmas truck came from a thrift store. They are the perfect place to find vintage-looking items to use on these types of projects. I am always on the hunt for a good thrift store find. Once you have your decorations in place it is time to start placing your containers around that hold all the fixins. I am mostly using glass jars, but again you can use what you have. I grabbed a little bitty drawer and put a coffee mug in it. Then added a couple jars with candy canes, straws, and some napkins in there.  And there is a jar with marshmallows. I suggest adding a runner to your table if you are looking to bring a pop of color out. You don’t have to go out and buy anything fancy. I bet you’d be surprised to hear that mine is actually a scarf! Just be creative and use what you have on hand. I promise you there is no right or wrong way to make a Hot Cocoa bar. Everyone loves hot cocoa. As long as you have some mugs, cocoa mix, and a few toppings everything will be well within their souls. Make your own Wood Signs These signs for sure help add the final touches to any hot cocoa bar. They bring in cute but fun pieces to the decor. You can easily make these DIY hot cocoa signs and add your own personality or them to the signs. Once you have your cute signs made, some glass jars, and have purchased all our cocoa supplies you are ready! Time to get styling your own DIY hot cocoa bar. Enjoy the memories you will make as you and your guest share laughs and small talk. All while sipping on some of the best hot cocoa they have ever had.

A Quick Thriftin’ Haul

Hey there!  Have you ever tried to stuff 25 pounds of sausage into a 5-pound bag? Hahaha! Well, this isn’t quite like that, but I did try to stuff shopping in 3 stores into about an hour and a half, so it kind of feels like the same thing to me! I was on a very tight schedule.  I had to take my daughter to the dentist at 8am.  The appointment should have taken about an hour.  Ok.  Then gives me time to run to the Wal-mart and get some groceries, etc.  I got her to the appointment a little early.  Bonus.  That will give me more time at the thrift stores! And one opened at 9, and the other two opened at 10.  I had a virtual meeting that I wanted to make it home in time for at 11, but if worse came to worse, I could play it on my phone on the drive home. I should be picking up Court about 9, or possibly even heading downtown and ready when the doors open! Things are going good.  I get everything and head to the checkout.  Of course, there are only two lanes open. Insert massive eye roll here.  The one lady I had had before and knew better.  Bless her heart, but she is slower than molasses in December.  But the other checkout had a longer line. I was torn. I made the wrong decision. And, of course, I had a cart full.  And instead of going and getting another cart, or asking me to, or simply putting some of the bags on the floor, she keeps holding one in her hand and only using one hand to check out.  You have got to be kidding me!  And I still have a lot to unload out of my cart before I can take my empty cart down there to unload the bag carousel. Could she not flash her little light and request someone bring her a cart? Finally, I grab my purse and run off to grab another cart.  Yay!  She can put the bag down and speed up the process, right?  Not. I could not see any noticeable speed increase.  And Courtney had texted when I first started to unload the cart that she was done.  I said I’ll be there as soon as I can.  At least 10 minutes later, I texted her and told her I was still in line.  Hoping the nice little lady would get a clue—no such luck. I really wish I would have timed this whole fiasco.  It had to be 20 minutes.  I’m sure she doesn’t get paid any more for moving any faster, but gee whiz, it was painful for me!  Plus, if you know me at all, you know that I am extremely hot-blooded.  Stupid me, I was wearing a cowl neck top.  And a mask.  Both were holding in the heat that I so desperately needed to let out!  Finally got out of the store and stripped my mask off, and my face was so sweaty!  Ugh, but I digress! Anywho…I leave Walmart and get Courtney, who had to have been waiting at least 15 minutes for me.  Sorry, Courtney. So, we finally get to the Salvation Army and do a little shopping.  This one is in Quincy, IL.  I’m pretty sure they are all this way, but they just seemed so overpriced.  I didn’t get too much there.  I did buy some 29 cent notebooks.  We use those all day, every day at home, and in case we didn’t make it home by 11, Courtney would need to be taking notes for me! I also managed to snag some old coffee mugs with a vintage green stripe.  I got 3 of those.  Did I mention my main focus for thrifting was to find some cute things for a hot cocoa bar? Also found some big orange ornaments for next Fall.  I am definitely not opposed to buying out of season! Then on to the next.  I just remembered this store that morning, so it was a last-minute addition.  The one that sealed the deal that I would be listening to the meeting from my car.  But it was worth it. Little Bits and Pieces Antique Mall was the next stop.  And since the Salvation Army was kind of a bust, we were 10 minutes early.  And the worker was 5 minutes late.  But it was still worth it.  I ended up with a like-new pair of ice skates and the most adorable vintage truck!  You can see it in the picture!  I almost passed it up.  Then I went back for it.  I am so glad I did!  It would have been one of those that would have haunted me if I hadn’t!  It has trees glued into the bed and snowflakes painted on it!  I love it so much. I bought an old vintage truck off eBay to replicate it!  It should be finding it’s way to me this week! The main thing I was looking for for my cocoa bar was an old, vintage, red plaid thermos.  The ones you see at all the antique stores.  Just not today.  On to my last stop.  Good Will.  Not a whole lot I couldn’t live without there either, but I did score this amazing gumball machine! I took it all apart and ran the globe through the dishwasher, and cleaned up every other piece of it.  Then I had to google how to put it back together!  Oh well!  It is clean and all in one piece again!  And did mention it was only $6.99 So, all in all, it was a pretty good haul.  I really didn’t need much, so I’m glad I didn’t find too much! When I got home, I went live, showing everyone what I got.  And the next day, I decorated my cocoa bar with my new finds.  During one of those videos, a vintage store owner saw that I was looking for a thermos, and she sent me pictures of two she had.  I loved them both.  They will also be finding their way to me this week!! To see the Facebook video, click below! https://www.facebook.com/866333623502601/videos/414029249725215 Her Facebook page is called ‘So pretty, Designs by Melissa Cechota,’ so if you are local to her (in Georgia, I think), check her out.  But definitely check her out online.  And don’t forget that she ships! I am already itching to go junkin again!  Planning to go a week from today! Where are your favorite places to junk?

Harvest 2020

The Good, Bad, & Ugly What can I say about Harvest 2020?  Well, it’s over as of Monday, late afternoon. Was it all smooth sailing? NO.  At least not for me.  I have spent very little time in the field in the last three years, and it took some time to get my combine mojo back! When we are harvesting corn on our bigger farms where there are long rows, we usually like to have all three of us in the field: my husband Greg, son Brendan, and myself.  I run the combine and Greg and Brendan flip flop between running the grain cart and catching me on the go and hauling to an elevator or bin. A lot is going on in the cab of the combine.  Buttons, toggle switches, monitor, iPad, hydrostat, throttle, unloading auger, etc.  And then they want to talk to me on the two-way radio.  Have you seen the meme about multitasking?  Where the definition is screwing up several things all at once?  Yeah, that’s me! Between not getting any younger and having had two crazy busy businesses over the last twenty-some years (cake decorating and the brick and mortar), I just can’t do it like I used to! I am trying.  I used to get a little um…irritated at my husband when he would tell me too many directions.  Work from east to west.  Watch out for the trees.  There’s a fence back there.  Watch your snout.  Keep the auger out of the trees.  There’s an extra set of end rows around that pond. Head toward the ‘Huskew’ building. And ALL the questions… What’s it making now?  What’s your average yield? What’s the moisture testing?  How fast are you going? Is your two way dead? And most of these questions come at the most inopportune times.  While I’m turning around on the end rows.  Or going through a ditch.  Or unloading on the go. That is what it’s like working with the husband.  Very tolerant, good directions (whether I want them or not), patient.  And then I work with Brendan.  You’re full.  You are in the trees. You are gonna hit the fence.  What are you laughing at?  What’s so funny? Let me back up a little.  Brendan likes to run the combine.  So do I.  And that has always been my job during Harvest.  So sometimes he gets a little pissy when I come out and drive it.  At least that’s the vibe I get!  So I already feel like he doesn’t want me out there.  I start playing head games with myself about what a sucky job I am doing.  I should have lifted my head sooner.  I didn’t start this row perfectly.  I should have seen that ditch coming.  And talking to myself in the combine saying, “If I have three choices: hit the trees, hit the fence, or run over a little corn…then I am gonna run over some corn!”  I gotta pick one! Brendan could see me laughing one day and wanted to know why.  Well, my hubby made some ditches last year.  Like a lot of ditches on this one flat farm. Too many.  And they were jarring if you didn’t slow down enough.  Brendan and I are not impressed.  Anyway…I see Brendan hit one, and he just looked like a rag doll!  Arms and legs flying!  I needed that comic relief!  I don’t think he found it quite as amusing as I did! Unloading on the go can be so stressful.  I just need them to go at a steady speed and stay there.  I can do the rest.  Sometimes I have to go faster or slower to get the corn on the grain cart where I want it.  Sometimes I swear they get going and don’t look back, and I have to keep speeding up, and I finally grab the two-way and, apparently not so nicely, ask them to slow down. That’s usually Brendan.  He told me he doesn’t respond well to yelling. After tensions were back to normal, I told him… “Can I tell you something?” “I am not yelling at you because I’m mad.  I am yelling because I am scared.”  There is a big difference.  It’s a big machine I’m running, not to mention expensive.  I don’t want to screw it up, and then we keep going faster, and my anxiety ramps up, and feel way out of control, and it scares me.  Being up in that rig on those huge bouncy tires, going faster than I want to, trying to keep up with the tractor and grain cart, and not spill the corn can send me over the edge! But here’s another thing.  I do have anxiety/depression.  I may or may not have forgotten to take my meds one day that week.  Possibly two.  It is amazing how much it can affect me. So that added a whole other layer. The head games were worse and louder.  Have I always sucked at driving the combine?  Did I always suck, and they were just too nice to tell me? Could they just not find anyone else?  I need to retire from farming.  I can’t keep up with all this technology.  I’m not doing a good enough job anymore.  I’ve been out of it for so long that I can’t catch on anymore.  I have my own business to work in.  I don’t need to be out here feeling like a failure. I never understood how my mother in law was so welcoming of me to join the guys in the field.  I would have been jealous until this year.  Now I get it.  At least to a certain degree anyway!  Now that my meds are leveled back out, I don’t feel quite that way!  But…that one day for sure, I was ready to throw in the towel and pass on the torch.  NEXT. My poor husband.  Having to listen to me saying that I am ready to retire.  Find someone else to help during harvest.  I’m not good enough at it anymore.  And crying.  And him asking if I can just get through the rest of this Harvest and they will figure out something else next year. I’m such a basket case.  Several days later, I realized that I had missed at least one day and, more than likely, two days of meds.  Then it all made sense.  So after that fiasco, Harvest went much smoother for all of us. I think, and Greg was super glad to know about my medication faux pas! We had some small breakdowns with the combine along the way, but thankfully nothing major.  I am pretty happy that we finished on November 2nd.  Now to do fall tillage.  It never ends, lol.  I have a lot of catching up to do in my own biz now, so I don’t think I will spend too much more time out there this year, but I will definitely make sure I take my meds correctly if I do! I can never forget the ride-alongs we have! Our neighbor boy Broxton rode along some days! And of course, Sadie got to ride in the combine some with grandma. And some special thanks to the ones we are thankful for bringing us meals in the field! We definitely have our fill of some gas station pizza, but we also thank Courtney’s boyfriend, Corey, Brendan’s girlfriend, Kaity, and Greg’s mom, Nancy! Sorry this ran a little long! I guess I had a lot to say. Our family friend, Phoebe, videoed our operation with her drone in 2016 and we absolutely love it! The machinery changes but the hard work doesn’t!

My New Staging Wall!

Since I have been getting my furniture groove back lately, it only makes sense that I need somewhere to stage the pieces when they are done. I used to have a plastic sheet of a white brick wall that I would photograph in front of but usually ended up other things being in the way and having to move them before I could put the newly finished piece in place and take its picture. Lately, I have been trying to take them outside and that works well except for some of the pieces are just too heavy to be carrying in and out any more than I have to.  And the weather is starting to change so my days of being able to photograph outside are numbered. We recently redid our middle garage bay for me to have a nicer, cleaner studio.  While we worked on that, everything from the middle bay had to find a new home for a while.  This first bay of our garages caught a lot of it. Now that the studio is in mainly good working condition, I have finally been able to start working on a few pieces again.  So in the middle of working on a buffet and two side tables and get the idea to make a staging wall in there.  I don’t think I have any pictures of it, but at that point, I still had two 10’ folding tables in there holding a lot of ‘stuff’.  So this past Monday morning (Columbus Day), I enlisted my daughter’s help and we tackled this bay.  We put away or stowed away almost everything that we could.  Moved things to other storage areas when applicable and even threw a few things away. The plan was to paint the wall.  I thought I had a gallon of white that Greg had found a while back.  I did but I didn’t.  The paint had about 6 inches of oil sitting on top and was hard as a rock underneath.  So on to Plan B.  I have a good gallon and a half of a beautiful black but just didn’t think that felt right.  Also, have a couple shades of some pretty blues, but wanted it more neutral. In the midst of realizing I didn’t have the gallon of white that I thought I did…I kept walking in and out the back door.  The plan was also to hang a barn door on the newly painted wall as a backdrop.  So I kept going outside to look at it and get a feel for the look I was going for. In the meantime, there are also these three wooden doors that we sanded a couple weeks ago for other projects.  Nothing in stone, but wanted them ready for whenever I got that far.  It dawned on me that they were all basically the same style of door.  And the three of them together could make a unique backdrop.  A new plan was forming. I found some white chalk type paint, not a full gallon, but enough to do what I did.  I put the doors up against the wall to get an idea of how much room they would take up and then painted around.  That saved me from needing quite as much paint.  And as I started painting, I decided to keep it minimal coverage.  Saving me paint, time, and creating a different look.  My only problem now was that there were two outlets behind the doors and I have an outlet shortage in that bay.  I posted my problem on Facebook and one of my friends, Amy Pembrook, had a brilliant solution.  Sleek socket ultra-thin electrical outlet covers.  I never knew these were a thing!  So I have those ordered and they should be here soon! Link to Outlet Covers – https://amzn.to/2Hdh30G I finished painting and then screwed the doors directly to the particleboard walls and then sealed them.  Not bad for a day’s work.  Hubby was impressed. Here is how it turned out and some furniture pieces that I photographed against the new staging wall! Yes, I could have gotten more plastic hangings but I wanted it more permanent.  I’ve gone the other way before and didn’t love it. Now I just need to get a neutral rug to place where I can roll up when I don’t need it.  As I’m typing this, I remember that I may just have a bamboo rug out in the carport!  I love it when I can use something that I already have! Hope you are have an amazing week! XOXO, Tammy

Hay Bale Camper Scene

Hey there!  I know it may be too late to get this going this year, but here is my Fall yard décor! And I cannot believe it, but I think I took quite a few pictures this time!! To start with, you have to have an amazing husband that may or may not see your vision but continually helps you bring them to fruition. I won’t tell you that I wanted the hay bale there at least a week before it got there because that’s not important.  It got there when it got there, and I made the most of it! We actually left the bale on a little car trailer to make it easier to put it where we wanted it and for removal later.  So once it was in place, I just started spray painting.  I started with the red door and went from there.  I was pretty nervous to start, but I think that is the main thing.  Just start.  It’s only paint, and it can be painted over if need be. The next steps were painting the blue for the bottom and the white for the top part.  And with the black, I painted the doorknob and the windows.  Easy peasy. Then I got to start decorating.  I was torn between making it look decorated for Fall or Halloween.  At one point, I had a mix of both, and that just wasn’t working for me.  In the end, I went with fall.  But I did keep my black crows.  I think they can go either way. Then I decided to grab one of my old bicycles from the end of the garage, where it has been in a flower garden for a few years.  I added some fall florals in the basket and at the base of the handlebars.  If I had had more florals, I would have used them, but that was all I had on hand that worked.  And this is where I finished at the end of day one.  I felt it still needed mums and pumpkins. Several days later, I finally made it to town.  But, I can be kind of a tight butt.  The thought of spending that much on all the pumpkins I thought it needed, and mums seemed crazy.  Almost wasteful, lol.  Because I know me.  The mums will die.  They will not get transplanted.  It’s fall here and were are always busy, but now you throw in Harvest besides and just trust me, taking care of and transplanting mums ain’t gonna happen. Anyway…I couldn’t bring myself to buy pumpkins but I did cave and buy one large mum and one small one, only because they jumped out at me on the way to the checkout.  As I drove by a neighbor’s house, I saw her wooden pumpkin outside and remembered that I had a trio of those same wood pumpkins.  I just needed to find them.  Not the same as real pumpkins, but I was ok with it.  I did not find those pumpkins, but we did find some corrugated tin pumpkins, some cheap wire pumpkins, and a huge wooden pumpkin…all in my stashes.  BONUS.  No need to spend any money on pumpkins! I also added two little vintage chairs on either side of the door and a wooden flower to one of the square bales.   So cute! You really can’t see the doormat, but there is one!  And it was only a dollar at Dollar Tree!!! Here is how I would like to up-level it for next year…1.  Paint the cinder blocks to match the blue color. 2.  Maybe more mums but if not, at least have them blooming for the picture  3.  Add a welcome sign over the door.  4.  Maybe add a fire pit.  5.  May add some corn stalk bunches with sunflowers tied in the ribbon. 6. Maybe an awning on one side. And thankfully I will be able to remember all of this because it is in a blog post! Oh and a friend challenged me to do a mixed media project on this!  I made a few changes but I think it turned out pretty cute! Now what will I do for Christmas???? Supplies Rustoleum 2x Flat Black – https://rstyle.me/+Gr_wxLAUpTBEbei-hmi-FQ Rustoleum 2x Satin Aqua – https://rstyle.me/+qzOSin2Afa-sFBIXG_4jYg Rustoleum 2x Flat White – https://amzn.to/3kVZJMB Rustoleum 2x Satin Colonial Red – https://amzn.to/3cyP6fp Spray Can Trigger – https://amzn.to/33aadlv

Jewelry Box Makeover

Hey, all you cool thrifters and repurposers!  I did not remember to take a ton of pictures of the processes (whoops), but I do think that you will easily get the gist of it! When I actually get out and get to go thrifting…the “wood” section is one of my favorite areas to hit up!!!  I love little wood shelves, I can use them on so many other projects!  I have no idea how many I currently have, but I’m sure it’s not enough! Another thing I love in the “wood” section is signs.  Maybe the sign is outdated.  Can I sand it off and use it for something else?  Or simply paint over it and make a new sign?  But the project that I am talking about today is this little jewelry box!  In the last couple of years, it is like they have sprouted legs and jumped in my cart when I’m shopping!  I have done a few over the years, but not like this one.  Oh, oh, oh, and totally of this subject…but, these can also make awesome furniture for American Girl dolls!  Sorry!  Squirrel brain!!! Anywho…I did this one in my private group, so if this is something you enjoy, please be sure to check out my Flippin Furniture page and maybe think about joining us in the Flippin Society!  Details here:  https://flippinfurniture.lpages.co/opencartflippinsociety/ Back to the jewelry box…obviously, the first thing I had to do was clean it up.  Soap and water and let it dry.  Then I just roughed it up with a sanding sponge. I did not take the hardware off.  It wasn’t going to come off easily (no visible screw to unscrew), and I am all about the path of least resistance! Next up, paint! I used Fusion Mineral Paint for this project.  I am new to Fusion, but from what I read and hear, it is quite amazing.  The best thing I like is that it doesn’t require a sealer!  Drop the mike!  No sealer?  Definitely a time saver!  And when it is fully cured, it is unbelievably strong. Now, that being said, when using dark colors like black and navy blue, I found that I did still need to use the sealer; otherwise, it would show fingerprints and look “smudgy.”  Just my unasked for opinion. It’s been a while since I painted it, but I am pretty sure that I used the color, “Putty”.  I did not paint the inside.  I was working with the ceiling fan on over me, so I was able to paint the first coat and come back and touch up and add a second coat where needed, fairly quickly.  Then I got out a beautiful floral transfer and tried laying it out different ways to see where I wanted it.  You can see from the photo where I landed. Once the transfer was on, I then decided to antique it a little bit.  And done! Pretty simple and could be cute in a spare bedroom or make such a cute little family heirloom!  I think of a young daughter, niece, granddaughter, or goddaughter.  Something she can keep and cherish forever.  A gift for her birthday, Christmas, special event, or just because!  I have so many of these in my stashes and this is making me want to work on them!  I just picked up the smallest one I have ever had last week and the most unique one I have ever come across a couple weeks ago!  Stay tuned!!! XOXO, Tammy Supplies Re-Design Transfer – Beautifully Native – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/beautifully-native-redesign-decor-transfer Fusion Mineral Paint – Putty – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/putty-fusion-mineral-paint

How to Paint a Stencil on a Wall

Want to change a wall in your bedroom? I am showing you how to stencil a wall. It’s easy, budget-friendly, and fun! I have loved this stencil for a few years now.  So much that I actually bought it years ago, just in the smaller furniture size.  I have even used it on at least a couple of pieces that I can remember.  I love script and numbers in my décor.  And I have loved “French” décor for a long time also.  So throw in some French script, and I’m in love. How To Stencil A Wall I was able to teach my Flippin Society group how to stencil a wall in our private Facebook group. This is a group where you can find lots of tips and tricks on how to repurpose furniture and flip it like a pro. Please join us over there for all the fun. This is the type of project you will find there. We’ve also recovered bar stools, made rag garlands, flipped a piece of furniture, do mixed media projects, decorated a fall tree, made a pumpkin out of a book, made fall ornaments, and the list goes on and on!!!   How to Paint a Stencil on a Wall  Are you looking for a way to add some personal detail to your home? I love using stencils. You can see that in all the stencils I do on wood mainly to add some holiday decor to my home. Have you been thinking about stenciling your wall with an intricate pattern or design that showcases the colors in your room? If so, then this blog post is perfect for you. I will go over how to stencil a wall and give tips on what supplies are needed, where to buy them, and how much time it will take.  Now let’s get started! Supplies Needed: Screwdriver for Outlet Covers CuttingEdgeStencils French Poem Stencil  4″ Stencil Roller  4″ Replacement Foam Rollers  Paint of Your Choice – (I Mixed My Own Color) Paper Towels Painter’s Tape  Ladder Plastic Tray for Paint  Wet Wipes or Wet Paper Towels Wall Stencil Instructions: Order your supplies and make sure you are ordering a large enough stencil to cover the wall to where you do not have to do so much moving and painting. Do a complete cleaning of the wall and surrounding areas. This means making sure there are no cobwebs attaching from the wall to the ceiling Next, you will need to take the outlet covers off if any are on the wall. Now you are ready to start painting your stencil onto the wall. Using painter’s tape, tape down your stencil and secure it to the wall area you wish to start painting.  Time to dip your roller into your paint and start applying it over the stencil.  You will keep doing this until you have completely covered the part or all of the wall or walls you wish to paint.  Allow your paint to dry for a few minutes before moving your stencil and retaping before painting the next section.  Tips and Tricks to Using a Stencil on a wall Buy two stencils so you can use one to keep in one piece and another to cut to use in the smaller areas.  Space it out so you do not have a huge gap between the edge of the wall and where the words on the stencil end.  Ask for help. This is not a job to do by yourself. I repeat do not try this alone!  Allow yourself plenty of time to complete the project. This is not a job to start late at night.  I am in love with the way this turned out. If you are wondering what my stencil says here is the translation of the French Script Poem –  “Oh time suspend your flight, and you favorable hours suspend your course! Let us savor the fleeting delights, the most beautiful of our days!” Just pin this How To Stencil On A Wall tutorial below to find the steps for later!

DIY Fall Pumpkin Mixed Media Canvas

I ♥ mixed media! If you’ve followed me for a bit, you’ve seen I’ve started to dabble more and more in different things and adding it to mixed media. For example, the charcoal pencils and the pastels! Let your imagination run! Supplies Canvas, Canvas Panel, Piece of Cardboard, Anything Really! – https://amzn.to/3harNtd Putty Scrapers – https://amzn.to/3bBefWm Joint Compound – https://amzn.to/3jTXskr Craft Heat Gun – https://amzn.to/3jYkoPm Acrylic Paints – Black, Off White, Orange, Red, Blue, Tan Pallet Knife – https://amzn.to/2R7CGBi Scrapbook Paper Scissors Mod Podge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/mod-modge-matte-notions Sponge Brush – https://amzn.to/3iahJ4R Squeegee (Optional)- https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/the-blue-tool-hp Charcoal Pencil – https://amzn.to/3m2a1vT Pastels – https://amzn.to/327MCRH Small Paint Brushes – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/finnabair-brush-set-set-of-7-redesign