Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 114 and Hiccups

 

 Welcome to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop week # 114! Did anyone notice that we skipped a week? 

My apologies for the little hiccup in our Farmgirl Friday tradition! I guess the arrival of Summer finally caught up with me and I just plumb tuckered myself out. By the looks of your links from our last hop, I bet some of you are too, but in the best of ways. Happy exhaustion caused from having TOO much fun! 

Penny from Penny's Vintage Home is already getting ready for the 4th of July!

She's adding festive VINTAGE patriotic touches to her outside decor! Love this wicker lady! She looks like she's ready for the parade!

Mrs. H from Heritage Schoolhouse shows us how to make homemade vanilla home scent with her fabulous recipe and photos...I can smell it from here! I could have used it today, I burned the garlic bread, again! When will I learn to " stay near the oven " when I'm broiling?

Jes from Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth shares in vivid detail how to can and preserve your harvest step by step in her Canning 101 Series. You definitely want to bookmark, pin, print OR TATTOO  this post!

It's time to link up and share what's doin in YOUR  farmgirl worlds! 

Farmgirls love anything to do with homesteading, keeping chicken's, embroidering, sewing, knitting, spinning, quilting, natural home remedies for health care and cleaning, horses, goats, cows, organic gardening and cooking, caring for their loved ones and friends and are community minded. Creative UP-cycling and DIY are high on their list of " fun things to do too!

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses~  

Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking and me of course!

 Now, it's your turn to link up for your weekly dose of farmgirl soul food!
 Here are the rules for the Farmgirl/guy Blog Hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 
 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! New friends and followers are ALWAYS welcome!

 DON'T BE SHY~  
Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 
As always, thank you for your continued participation and welcome new friends and followers!


Don't forget to grab your FEATURED FARMGIRL BUTTON if you've been featured!

Window Box Beauty and Corgi in a Tub

 

Beach season is finally here along the northeastern seacoast and residents of our beach community are out and about adding summer touches to their cottages! 

I always look forward to this window box on our neighbors " keeper ". 

After a long walk  on the beach, Max always needs his belly rinsed off..

 

 

Fresh from the tub... Max, the cottage corgi!

Small cottage, small dog, BIG LOVE! 

Have a great day friends!

Tasty Tuesday~ Banana Pudding TO GO

  Welcome to Tasty Tuesday at Dandelion House! Your go- to spot for trying something new, healthy, and frugal ( with a pinch of pretty) each week in your homestead kitchen. 

Are you drooling yet? When ever I saw these delicious looking Banana Pudding in a Jar I just had to share Mr's H's of Heritage Schoolhouse yummy idea with you! How perfect would these be for a picnic, beach day, camping or a long car ride this summer?

 I love banana cream pie, but who wants to heat up the oven in the middle of summer? Not THIS 51 YEAR old farmgirl! I'm hot enough already! I'll be whipping some of these up for those hot nights to come when something cold and sweet fits the bill!

Pop over to the Heritage School House for the full recipe on this clever ( and pretty ) treat in a jar!

Dip into The Farmgirl Friday Recipe Box when you're looking for an old fashioned favorite or a home- cooked meal made from scratch with love. You'll find recipes from the best homestead kitchens, inspiration for setting a beautiful table with all the charm of a farmhouse kitchen PLUS tips for stocking and organizing your pantry. 660 now following! 

A little braggin' is a O.K.!  Be sure to grab your button if you've been a TASTY TUESDAY FEATURE!  Simply copy and save this image and paste it into your sidebar! Thank you!

Florence Blue VINTAGE Hutch and Buffet ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint )

 

 Dear friends, It's been a whirl wind couple of weeks what with keeping up with gardening, and re-stocking my booth Burlap and Bling but it's been lots of fun too! 

Some of you may have already had a peak at my latest finished piece painted with Florence ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint ) on the group page Burlap and Bling,  but I wanted to share it here as well just in case some of you missed it! This color reminds me Caribbean blue water, native American turquoise,  the color on a 1950's Thunderbird and the cheeriest of summer cottages. 

I chose to use this color " full strength" and finish Miss Florence with minimal distressing and clear wax.

I kept most of her original hardware, but updated her with some pretty glass knobs so she's ready to serve in cottage style!

 

 The color is a little green in the above photo, but I wanted to show you the distressing on the door  fronts.

  

Here she is all tucked in to Burlap and Bling! I hope someone adopts her soon!  She was a tough one to rescue being so big and all! Oh, I ended up leaving the back open but thanks so much for all your feedback! The burlap you see in the background is my " wall paper " in my booth! 

I've added a new tab at the top of my page for all of my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Projects!

Check in often so see the latest " painted ladies" from Dandelion House! 

Good Growin' with MJF Beach Farmgirl Deb

 Dear friends,

Happy Summer! It's finally here and I've got nothing but " good things" to say about it! 

In lou of our traditional Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop ( due to a very busy first day of summer for this farmgirl) I'm sharing my recent post for MaryJanesFarm on my Beach Farmgirl Blog!

Come visit me on the shorelines for some Good Growin'!

Tasty Tuesday~ Ravishing Rhubarb Recipes

 Rhubarb Cake

 Welcome to Tasty Tuesday at Dandelion House! Your go- to spot for trying something new, healthy, and frugal ( with a pinch of pretty) each week in your homestead kitchen. 
 It's Rhubarb season friends and Nancy from Prudent Living- on the Home Front blog grows enough of it to keep us all in Rhubarb bliss all summer long. Just look at her beautiful Rhubarb plants!

Nancy's Rhubarb Patch

Nancy dipped into her own recipe box to share two great Rhubarb recipes with us last week on the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop.
Rhubarb Cake and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.

I'll be trying both! However, I will have to buy my Rhubarb because I only have one plant and it is already spent! Nancy, you have inspired me to make more room for Rhubarb in my garden. It is my husbands favorite after-all! 

Pop over and get both recipes at Nancy's blog! 

Dip into The Farmgirl Friday Recipe Box when you're looking for an old fashioned favorite or a home- cooked meal made from scratch with love. You'll find recipes from the best homestead kitchens, inspiration for setting a beautiful table with all the charm of a farmhouse kitchen PLUS tips for stocking and organizing your pantry. 658 now following! 

A little braggin' is a O.K.!  Be sure to grab my button if you've been a TASTY TUESDAY FEATURE!  Simply save this image and paste it into your sidebar! Thank you!

Cottage Style DECK GARDEN

Deck garden, green house garden and hen house in the rear.

 It's almost that time of year where we gardeners get to sit back and begin to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Seeds are in, sprouts are shooting out of the ground, ( hopefully) and the old stand-byes are about to being their show for the summer. 

So many people have decks in their backyards today. They fit into just about every architecture style possible and they add usable living space in the spring, summer and fall. But a deck with out a comfortable place to sit, some shade if it's on the south or west side of the house and plants to enjoy close-up can feel anything but inviting.

 

 Our house had a deck when we bought it and I remember the first time we saw it very clearly. It was the month of June and the cottage style garden that surrounded the entire deck was in full bloom. I was so charmed by the flowers as I walked up the path to the side door, not doubt that was the second I knew this was to be our new home!  I wish I could say I was as enamored with the inside; it was livable and I knew we'd make changes along the way. That was twelve years ago and many changes, updates and adaptations inside and out have occurred but even before the chickens and the greenhouse garden came on the scene, I loved puttering in the Cape Cod Cottage deck garden when the kids were smaller  and I didn't have time to take on larger gardening projects.

The previous owner had planted, geranium, bee balm, day-lilies, creeping phlox, Shasta daisies, and oriental lilies in sort of a miss- mash arrangement. I loved the wild, unkempt way the flowers mingled together and enjoyed it for a several years until some of the perennials started to look tired or not perform as they had in the past. 

 

 I've gradually been ripping out the the older plants and replacing them with more traditional Cape Cod Cottage style plants. I felt the garden needed a few for fullness and romance so I added some 

Endless Summer Blue Hydrangea,

 

 A David Austin Rose ( not sure of the variety now )

  Knock out Roses, ( low to the ground variety )  and Cat Mint ' walkers low" for a little structure and more color!

The cat mint, and roses are in bloom now, and the hydrangea is just about to bloom! 

This is the South side filled with day lilies, tiger lilies, oriental lilies. daisies, and black eyed Susan's that pop up every where in mid summer providing a sea of happy yellow faces dancing above the top of the deck! All of these flowers and shrubs mix nicely with annual cut flowers for bouquets or all by themselves in a tiny vase next to your kitchen sink. 

 If you've got a deck and nothing growing next to it, consider taking a trip to your local nursery for some inspiration.  All you need is a couple of feet ( three feet in depth is perfect ) all the way around to add some life to your deck!

I don't grow anything more than 5 feet high because I don't want to block my view out to the rest of the garden and I don't grow anything really tiny either... 12 inches to 5 feet is my height range with the taller plants placed at the corners and in the middle on the longer sides for color and fullness. Of course, if you don't have any space at all next to your deck, container gardens are the next best thing!

 Oh, I should mention... veggies and herbs mixed in to your flowers and shrubs is a great way to save space too but you might want to plant your mint in a container.. It spreads and takes over in a hurry! 

What do you grow next to ( or on ) your deck? 

Happy Gardening friends!

 

Happy Father's Day Dandelion House Dads!

Wishing you all a fab Father's Day doin what cha love with who ya love!

Deb and Papa Boz

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 113 and SHABBY APPLE WINNER

 Welcome to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop now it it's 113th week! 

Heidi, Dolly and I are so excited to announce the winner of a 50 dollar gift card from Shabby Apple Vintage Clothing and Accessories.

 

  By random drawing our lucky winner is... Blog author,

Nadya of  Simple Life~ Made for Love blog 

Nadya is a brand new blogger so pop over to say hello and give her a big congratulations blog hug! 

Congratulations Nadya! And, a BIG thank you to all who entered this amazing giveaway and our hop! 

Let's get right to another week of learning, sharing and inspiring each-other shall we? I can't wait!  

As for this farmgirl, I've got some serious catching up to do in the garden...After all the rain we've had the slugs are having a munchathon on my newly sprouted zinnias... I've to get out there and show em whose' boss so we can have zinnias to cut this summer! In your blog travels this weekend, be sure to check out Heidi and Dolly's' blogs this week. They both participated in a Craft Swap hosted by Michelle of Little Piece of Heaven Blog and received some beautiful handmade and heartfelt items you won't want to miss!

Farmgirls love anything to do with homesteading, keeping chicken's, embroidering, sewing, knitting, spinning, quilting, natural home remedies for health care and cleaning, horses, goats, cows, organic gardening and cooking, caring for their loved ones and friends and are community minded. Creative UP-cycling and DIY are high on their list of " fun things to do too!

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses~  

Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking and me of course!

 Now, it's your turn to link up for your weekly dose of farmgirl soul food!
 Here are the rules for the Farmgirl/guy Blog Hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 
 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! New friends and followers are ALWAYS welcome!

Florence, here I come!

 I know what you were thinking...Is Deb really going to leave her garden right now and hop a plane to Florence, Italy? Of course not! I couldn't possibly leave all of my flower babies in their infancy right now! 

If it would ever stop raining ( flowers love it ) I could finish my next furniture piece for Burlap and Bling!  

I'm using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint~  Florence for this project!

 

Here's the hutch with one coat on. Since I took this photo I have finished the second coat and removed the cheep-o veneer backing ( a happy accident happened when it warped under the tarp it was covered with outside )

Thinking of adding chicken wire, beadboard or burlap to the back! 

What do you guy's think?

I've removed the doors and drawers and finished the frame on the buffet. But, this piece was just to darned heavy to make to my basement studio so it's sitting in the back of my Ford Explorer until the rain stops! 

I've hauled it all over town and back this week just to keep it dry.

I'm loving this color.. It's so warm and beachy! I've used it full strength and will wax with  ASCW ( clear wax ). I can't wait to get her down town to my booth and dress her up in seashells, and crystal lamps! Sea Bling! 

 I want to keep this piece light and cheerful! 

Oh, how do you like my Camo backdrop? Elegant isn't it? 

It's for my handsome Yankee's boat. You don't think his " precious " is going to go uncovered do ya? 

June Blooms at Dandelion House

Dear friends, 

Here it is the middle of June and I've yet to post about all the garden happenings here at the Dandelion House Homestead! A girl can only do some much in a day I tell ya and the garden rules right now! Can you relate?  We've had quite a bit of rain here in the Northeast this week. So much so I had to run out and cut several of my peonies in order to save them from being deluged and ending up on the ground before they even had a chance to blossom.

 

 To me, peonies are just the best June flower going.

Here they are drip- drying on our dining room table ( no pretty staging needed )  in the largest pitcher I could find to put them in! If you could only smell them! The large double blossom white ones are called " Gardenia " for the simple fact they smell just like them! One or two blossoms can fill an entire room with the most heavenly smell of gardenias. I just have one plant of each ( the pink is called Chestine Gowdy ) and I've learned to cut them to my hearts content. I leave a few in the garden but the rest come inside for big, luscious bouquets!

 Here's a section of our largest border. The Knock Out roses I added last year are a great improvement to the color scheme of this garden. They bloom spring - frost and from a distance they really pop against all of the green in the surrounding lawn and tree line. 

 Our wild beach roses are in full bloom at the cottage too! 

Back at home my pot of gold and yellow violas are shining bright next to the hen house

and my Lady Banks rose is climbing high up the side and around the front too!

Rhubarb

Lettuce

 Rainbow Swiss Chard

 Sugar Snap Peas

 Parsley

 

 Sunflower Seedlings

and Morning Glories are popping up!I'm trying some in pots this year just for fun!

 

 June is a jubilant month in the garden! I hope you saw something here you'd like to try in your garden. Most of what I featured today can be grown in containers on your patio or deck too.

  Even the peas!

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of our June Blooms! 

I'd better run... My garden trowel is calling! I've still  got geraniums, herbs and a ground cover tree garden to plant! 

I'll be back next week with more blooms! In the meantime, happy gardening whatever, wherever, or however you grow!

 It's all GOOD growin'!   

PS. So sorry about having to turn on Word Varification for comments. I'll try it for a while to see if I can slow down all the spam I've been getting lately. :( 

Hope it won't keep ya from saying hello!