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Happy Thanksgiving Day my Farmgirl Friends! I hope your day is full of all the good pies (my favorite thing ever!).
Do you remember my post where I told you about my Hoosier Bakers Cabinet that I bought last winter? Well, after I changed things up a bit to make it fit, I was suddenly in need of a unique coffee station! (You know how that goes right? One thing leads to another….!!)
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Happy fall farmgirl friends!
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One of my favorite things to gift is something home made! I struggle to think of things that could be useful and not just stuck in a drawer somewhere. This week I suddenly thought of a simple iPad case and I jumped right in and made one. It was simple and came out so perfect. Luckily I took pictures along the way so I could share with you (just in case it turned out)! So let’s jump right in!
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Sylvia Jacobus says: It’s so darn cute!
Marlene Cosner says: Thank You for all the details and pics, who knows….I might even try it one day!
Terry Steinmetz says: what a perfect idea! I need to make a birthday gift for a dear friend. This fits the bill to a tee!!! And she will appreciate it so much. Thanks, Dori.
Mary says: Dori, you come up with the most clever designs, and the colors are always so cheery and fun! You’ve given great instructions, and I’m certain there are sewing machines humming away with grateful Sisters who now have names checked off their gift-giving list – it’s true: the best gifts are handmade! Hmmm, wonder if I can start up that vintage White sewing machine I found for free? Thanks again, Mary
Hello Farmgirl friends! This post today is different than my usual posts… but it’s what has been on my mind for three weeks now and so I’m going to write about it! In one word, its called…
Continue reading Mary Murray says: Oh Dori…what an example of coming back. I LOVE the quote, “Let your comeback be bigger than your setback” that’s inspiring and just what we need to hear. For all of us there are times – whether it’s heath-related, grief, unemployment, or other stresses, when we simply feel we won’t ever bounce back, but those words can keep us moving forward. Sounds like you’re now on the road to recovery…great news! And also you gave me a wonderful thought…better check with my mom to see if I had chicken pox and/or was vaccinated – you’ve undoubtedly spared so many people the discomfort you’ve had. Take care, Mary
Dori Troutman says: Mary… YES to a vaccine. I have not had the Shingles vaccine, however I will be getting it. I have to wait 90 days post shingles before I can get it. Once you’ve had Shingles, the chance of getting it again is very high. I just can’t bear the thought of going through it again. So I’ll be getting the vaccine soon.
Hope you are enjoying some beautiful Fall weather?? It has been so gorgeous here in Tennessee!
Hugs,
Dori
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I’m so excited to share this super fun project! If you are on Instagram you might’ve seen these jewelry boxes turning to sewing boxes? You can use the hashtag #travelsewingkit to see all kinds of ideas! After seeing a few on my IG feed I decided I needed to take the plunge and make one myself. Today I’m here to step you through my process and you can use my ideas to make one, customizing it to your liking!
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Vicki Lawson says: I am so excited to make this sewing box! (I only have 400,000 other projects in my mind) but this one is a priority. I can see me making a few of these for gifts. I am 72, soon to be 73 and working full time at a healthcare facility (ALF-Assisted Living Facility) and I can see some of my residents embracing this idea. Thank you so much. I am new to the blog but will definitely check this out often!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Vicki! The great thing about this project is that you can make it VERY SIMPLE by only removing a few things and adding fabric. It will still look beautiful and be simpler!
~ Dori ~
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Hello Farmgirls! Just admit that we never really grow out of adorable little party purses, especially for those darling little girls in our lives!!! How about we sit down and make some today and you can have them ready to gift the next time a tea party is in the works!
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Kathi Rose Wilson says: This is darling. I have a 6 year old granddaughter and 3 great granddaughters, ages 7, 4, and 2. They will adore these!
Diane West says: Hi lovely little handmade purses.
Do you ever sell the finished product?
I’d buy several if you do.
Thank you for sharing!! ☺
Jeretta Bliss says: this is so cute. thank you for sharing.
thank you for the pattern. Hae a wonderful day.
donna says: Dori these are sew cute. Thank you for sharing. This is something the littles can make as well.
Hugs,
donna
Clarisa Desilvio says: Your writing is a gift!
Mary Murray says: Oh Dori, the cheery colors and fun patterns…inside and out – I would have LOVED to make this when my daughter was little! But you know, they’re so stinkin’ cute, who says we have to be little…looks like it would hold my phone and a little mad money – what else does a “big” girl need?!
Hello Farmgirl Friends! Every now and then I seem to write a blog post completely unrelated to my “normal” Farmgirl life activities and show you a little bit of the crazy part of my life. So buckle up!
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Margaret King says: Dori, You made me feel like I was right there with you and felt all of your exhaustion. WOW! What a race. Congratulations to all of you.
Judith says: Congrats to your son (and you and his wife).
I’m telling my son about this; he thinks this kind of thing is fun. I think it is torture 🥺.
Ladybug loves lilacs says: Congrats on the fantastic finish! No easy task whatsoever.
Thank you for taking us along on the run.
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Hello Farmgirl Friends! Do you remember last year when I put together the little May Day baskets for a few of my closest friends?
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Pamela Czurak says: Those are beautiful. I try to give flowers but things have gotten so expensive I wasn’t able to. This is an inspiring gift. You can make things throughout the year and have them ready for the actual day. Thank you for sharing.
Wanda Sue Aldridge says: Oh Dori, these pouches are beautiful! This would be a great pouch for my colored pencils. I have a growing collection of adult themed coloring books. I have the Enchanted Forest, an Ocean themed one, Barn Quilts, and just recently received a Bee coloring book from a dear friend. One of your embroidered pouches would be perfect to carry my pencils all together. Thank you for the chance to win one of your beautiful creations!
Sister Hugs,
Wanda Sue
FS#3677
Deanna says: Sweet, sweet! You are so creative and it’s great that you can share your talents with us. Your blog is always a highlight of any day!
Pat says: So cute! You’re very creative and I always enjoy reading your posts. I would keep hand sewing supplies in your bag should I win! I too enjoy hand sewing in the evenings and I need to keep my essentials together.
Audra says: I would use this beautiful bag for my travel bible. And as an example to make this for others. I am new to sewing and embroidery. This is a beautiful idea for gift giving. Thank you for sharing irregardless of the giveaway.
Jill Walton says: I love these little pouches. The beauty of the color/texture combinations coupled with the simple embroidery stitches and easy sewing project are just my style (and skill level). I’m happy to see such a lovely project that is doable for me. Thank you!
Mary Jane Jones says: These are such a beautiful gift. I would love to have for an example to make more!
Deb B. says: I love these adorable pouches! The colors of the felt and the linen background are perfect. I would use one for hand sewing projects. It is small enough to carry with me on the go and my tiny embroidery scissors, floss, and small project would fit in it perfectly. It has the added bonus of being beautiful and cheery!
Debbie Allen says: This is such a thoughtful idea!! I would gift the little pouch to my daughter along with a “May Day” 🙂 basket for a summer treat. She is a reading specialist and would use this in her school bag each day! Thank you for sharing so many great ideas!
Tina Vandaam says: Those are so cute. Perfect travel size. I would use one of those for a travel size embroidery pouch. You are so talented!
Gail Green says: I’d love one of your little linen pouches. You have done a beautiful job making it.
I would take it with me to carry my travel toiletries. Love it.
Ladybug loves lilacs says: What a sweet thoughtful gift of handmade Dori! Love them and so enjoy Mayday. I’m sure your recipients were blessed by your gifts.
Claudia Conti says: SO BEAUTIFUL! Love your work. I am a vintage soul at heart. My mother’s embroidery is displayed throughout our home. ❤️ I have an antique dresser with swinging mirror in my dining room. I do not think I could tuck your lovely pouch inside a purse or drawer. Instead, I would display it on that dresser top with some pretty vintage hankies peaking out from the open zipper, alongside other treasures. Thank you for sharing your creative ideas. 🥰
Jacqueline Bates says: I love this idea! Back in 2020 (the dreaded Covid year!), I sent packages of flower seeds in beautiful cards I made to a group of friends. It is a tradition I have continued and enjoy doing it.
Claudia Conti says: The pouches are beautiful! Thank you for sharing. I have an antique dresser with swinging mirror in my dining room. I would display the pouch on the dresser top, with a few vintage hankies peaking out of the open zipper, alongside other embroidered treasures of my mother’s.
Claudia Conti says: Sorry, I am trying to comment. It keeps saying “waiting moderation.”
Sharon Morgan says: What an adorable little appliquéd zipper bag!!💝. I would use mine for a cosmetic bag in my purse to hold chapstick, gum and breath mints!!💕
I love reading your articles, Dori, and seeing your sweet projects!! I feel like we’re friends since we have a mutual friend, Ellen, from Arkansas!!😊
Thank you for sharing!!💐
Debbie Fischer says: Such Sweet pouches Dori so Spring. I always love coming on here and seeing what you have made next.
Your magazine article was amazing and you have such a beautiful home. I know you are so proud of it and it shows. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us.
Deb Powell says: The zipper pouches are darling. I would use one to hold embroidery project supplies. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
Tracy Meeker says: Those are really cute and functional pouches!!! Thanks for sharing!
Brenda White says: A notions bag for one of my many on going crochet or knit projects.
Deborah Meaz says: I would usthis pouch to make a “Try It Out” kit for someone. The kit would include all the supplies necessary to make the pouch!
Marlene Burns says: These are gorgeous. Love the bird one. What a beautiful homemade gift!
Ruth Ann Farmer says: I think that the pouches are beautiful and I also like the Simple stitching. Thank you for sharing!!
debbi says: i love these and need to make some myself for friends. I would use it to hold little project pieces and threads and needle.
Joanna Ziolkowski says: These pouches are so sweet! I have recently gotten into sashiko stitching, and one of these pouches would be perfect for holding some stitching supplies for on-the-go projects!
Kelly says: I would use it to carry my embroidery thread or small project. I really like your color choices 😊
debbie kuklies says: I love this as I am not crafty 🙂
I would give this to my mom for her purse.
debbiek
Barb Falencki says: Love, love the pouches that I would tuck in my prayer cards to retrieve from my purse when stuck in traffic😉🙏💕
Jenny says: Pouches are adorable and creative!!! I would love to have a beautiful pouch from a awesome Farmgirl Sister. The first thing that comes to mind in how I would use it is a make up brush pouch, or a cute little change purse so my wallet doesn’t feel heavy and dump out change(some know how that goes). Thank you Dori!
Sue Gamel says: Absolutely adorable! I enjoy small project embroideries. Great idea!
Charlene Gravely says: I love these pouches! I would use them for a gift to my daughters.
Carol Smith says: I love each of these beautiful pouches. I have always loved anything made out of felt. They could be used for many purposes.
Karen Martell says: The pouches are quite lovely! 🙂 A wonderful gift! It would be a handy thing to organize items in my purse! 🙂
Cheri Sander says: I have been making handmade gifts for family and friends the past few years, usually to gift at Christmas. I will try to make these darling pouches, as I would love to have one for myself! I think it would make a perfect pouch to hold lip balm and tissue. I always dig through the purse searching for these!
Mary Murray says: Dori, those are adorable! The colors, the designs – love them! I can think of so many goodies they could hold and I love it when I read the word “simple”! I admit it, on May Day, I’m the ring & run type, but it’s not too late, the first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day!
Mary
Glenda York says: Adorable is right. Small gift for girlfriends is perfect. Or to carry lip gloss in. Or to carry change. Bright, cheery. Probably a thousand uses for these.
Christina Evans says: As part of a wedding gift I love to give something special, an old German tradition. It is Guarantee of a Happy Marriage, 12 Christmas ornaments to guarantee marital bliss. An angel symbolizes God’s guidance;a fish, Christ’s blessing;a heart,true love;and a rose,affection. A bird represents joy;a rabbit, hope; and a pinecone, fertility. A house is necessary to offer protection from the elements, a teapot for hospitality, a basket of fruit for jenerosity and one of flowers for good wishes. Finally, Santa is a symbol for goodwill. My first grandaughter is getting married, I would love to put this Wedding Wish in your beautiful purse for her and to someday pass on.
Lorraine Hess says: I love your projects. I want to make your grandma’s apron too. I would use this to keep my little scissors, embroidery threads, needles, and threader in for my take along projects. Thank you for providing your projects to us.
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Hello Farmgirl Friends!!!
Have you ever had your eyes wide open looking, looking, looking for a certain antique item and you just can’t find it? I’ve been in that spot for literally YEARS (I’m talking 12 years here). I’m sure you’re dying to know what in the world it could be!
Jerre says: I celebrated with you, Dory, for finding your perfect Hoosier cabinet! WHAT A FIND! It looks perfect in your area. Thank God for daughters who bring a different perspective to space and told you to “buy it we’ll find a space”
Pamela Czurak says: Absolutely gorgeous. I am so happy you found what you were looking for. It was well worth the wait.
Sue Johnson 🌷 says: That is such a great story! Thank you for sharing!
Karen Martell says: I would love to have my own Hoosier cabinet! It’s definitely a bucket/wish list item! 🙂 I’m starting small, as I found the bottom half of a cabinet at a local thrift store for a steal. It has metal bottom drawers and a beautiful oak patina. One day, I hope to find the real McCoy! Your cabinet is amazing in the corner of your room. How can you not smile when you look at it??! Thank you for sharing your story! 🙂
Mary Murray says: I am so happy for you…and your joy at finding the perfect Hoosier is evident in every word – I can almost hear the squeals of excitement! I love how it looks with all the vintage touches you had just waiting for it, and the original papers still inside, they are the best! I have an old Boone…it was listed for such a good price, I had to go see it. My daughter and I drove country roads that took us “in back of beyond” as the saying goes. When we arrived, the seller was so happy because she’d just found the Hoosier of her dreams and needed to make room for it…she even lowered the price of the Boone – how could I not bring it home? She and I were both winners! One of my favorite sayings is: Never Stop Making Wishes, and this proves that dreams can come true…love it!
Mary
Jennifer says: I love Hoosiers too and was happy to find one myself to bring home. It’s so old, has a tin top that slides out, a lined bin drawer, and a very little, metal plate on the front that is stamped “May 15 1906”. I had been looking “forever” for one. You have set this up so perfectly, it’s adorable! Motivating for me to make mine a cuter set-up, as right now it just holds my “desk stuff” in a nice hidden way.
Kim Bedtelyon says: Hi Dori,
I truly enjoyed reading your article! As an owner of the Michigan Hoosier Company that we closed many years ago, I have worked on both restoring and building many new Hoosiers and Side Cabinets with my family. You have a rare find and an absolutely beautiful one. I too have studied the history and visited the original shops at different times and love to decorate my Hoosier. Enjoy- I am so happy for you.
Kim
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Hello Farmgirl Friends! Do you remember the Liberty Nine Patch Quilt that I started almost two years ago? Normally I am a quick finisher… I do not do well with unfinished projects. But that quilt required more (expensive) Liberty fabrics and more time than I had energy for (smile!) so I literally put it away. (Knowing that if I left it in sight it would drive me crazy!)
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Arlyne says: Your quilt is beautiful!!!
Sandy Keller says: I agree about working on a quilt with someone or for someone makes it special! I often write on the label that love is sewn in with every stitch. That is just the way it feels.
I have only heard about Liberty fabrics, I am almost afraid to actually see and touch any! Would I ever sew with anything else?
STACEY M MITCHELL says: Such a beautiful. congrats for a finished quilt.
Wanda Sue says: So beautiful! Congratulations Heather!!
Ladybug loves lilacs says: Such a beautiful quilt and the best part is the love stitched into it by your momma as well as the conversation. Something for you to always treasure.
Congratulations to Heather my farmgirl sister!
MICHELINE D'ANGELIS says: This is the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen. Lovely! I can’t sew a straight line, but when I see this, I want to make one. My toxic trait is believing I can. Ha ha. That will not stop me from trying though. I simply love it! Such a great, clean work. You and your mom are real artists. Congratulations on finishing this absolute treasure.
Peggy Smith says: I love your quilt. It is absolutely beautiful. Do you use a quilting rack for hand sewing.
Patty says: It’s beautiful and I love the backing fabric. It’s so precious to know your mom helped stitch it!
Joanne Seruto says: Love it !!! Congratulations it is just beautiful !
Joan Piercy says: Dori, the quilt is beautiful! I love it that your mom worked on the quilting as well. What a treasure! And thank you for your blog. You always raise my spirit!
Sheila LaPoint says: Dori, your quilt is so pretty, it looks like spring time! I do not sew, maybe hem or sew a patch on. I do needle point and am working on a stamped cross-stitch my first one. I can feel the love as you talk about working on it with your mom. I makes me smile and makes my heart feel good thanks for sharing .
Mary Murray says: Dori, the 9-Patch pattern is one of my favorites! I love the colors you’ve chosen…together they create such a pretty vintage look. And the photo of your mom quilting alongside you is so sweet; I can just imagine the happy talk you both shared! Thanks for letting us take a look at the finished quilt, and for inspiring us to keep working on our projects, whatever they might be!
Mary
Rural Farmgirl
Judy says: Beautiful quilt! Love the fabrics you used.
Jennifer says: Your quilt is blue ribbon beautiful! And how special to have your mom working alongside you on it!!
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Hello Farmgirl Friends! I’m so excited that here in Tennessee we are seeing some signs of spring! Today I’m sharing a different kind of spring story on the blog! But I thought it was worth sharing for fun; plus I’ve got a giveaway at the end! So here we go…
Continue reading Debbie Allen says: The happiness comes through the photos, I see many things my mom and mamaw had in their kitchens, which I really love! Thank you for sharing!
Lara Johnson says: What an amazing opportunity! I love farm magazines (Mary Jane’s Farm is obviously top!) and country magazines. Can’t wait to see the article.
Kathi Rose Wilson says: I love your home. I just read the article about cleaning a cast iron piece. I have a wonderful, old cast iron skillet that I use for everything. Your Mom, as Mom’s always are, was right about burning all the nasty off!
Barbara Falencki says: Your craft room and love of HAND quilting inspires me! I’ve made several baby quilts and love praying for the new baby and family as I quilt❣️🙏
Denise Anderson says: I am glad you chose to share your home with us! It is beautiful, and makes me wish that our home could look like that as well. The outdoor kitchen sink is something we have been looking for, and would love to find one so we could add it to our outside kitchen set-up.
Thank you for sharing your home with all of us!
Monique Colizzi says: Makes my heart smile knowing yours is doing the same. What an honor and true reflection of the simple love and hard work you put into your nest! Congratulations!
Beverly ONeil says: Loved your story and pictures! You have succeeded in making your house into a comfortable farmhouse home that is inviting and reflects you and your many interests. I look forward to your blogs and appreciate you keeping us abreast of what is happening in your world. Thank you for sharing your exciting news with us.
Joy Hofman says: Everything is just so inviting and cheerful! Having a sink outback is amazing! You make everything seem so easy … keep inspiring us, please!
Mary Colgin says: I am a quilter and also love vintage Pyrex. I just love your sewing room! And this awesome kitchen!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Mary! Thank you! Vintage Pyrex is the best isn’t it?
~ Dori ~
sue says: Your house is adorable but I wondered right from the start – since they contacted you (and not the other way around), how did they learn about your home in the first place?
Dori Troutman says: Hi Sue! This is a great question that I don’t exactly know the answer! 🙂 However my guess is probably either my personal blog or my IG feed! Both have a lot of my home.
~ Dori ~
Tammy Huebner Langford says: I looooove the quilt on your bed! And I looove the daybed on the porch! Also the rolling pin hook shelf !! What really cool ideas! Do you have a diy for that ??
Dori Troutman says: Hi Tammy, that rolling pin hanger is actually one of MaryJane’s inventions! It’s been featured in her magazine. And I also wrote a blog post tutorial on mine! It’s so fun to make and you can find my step by step instructions here: https://www.farmgirlbloggers.com/19050
~ Dori ~
Wanda Sue Aldridge says: Hello Dori, Thank you for sharing your experience with the magazine. What a thrill and mixed emotions it must have been. I am so glad that they portrayed your true nature and that you were happy with the outcome of the article. Your home is beautiful and exactly what I would love. I always enjoy reading your stories and love how down-to-earth you are.
Joan Piercy says: HI, Dori, I love that your house was chosen for the magazine! I agree with Wanda Sue about “always enjoy reading your stories and love how down-to-earth you are.” You share the nicest things with us. I loved learning about your mother. I also love the projects you share with us. I am slow on everything I do, so I am still working on the apron project. It is a great pattern. One more thing, I wish I was closer to you as I would be buying the beautiful bouquets that you sell. Thank you for sharing your life with us!
Heather Neeper says: What an amazing story – and home!!! I love your style but the thing that really caught my eye is those yellow valances on the windows by the table. I have always wanted a bright and cheery kitchen with yellow curtains. Seeing your photo confirms it – I still want them one day 😉
Thank you for sharing.
Ladybug loves lilacs says: Dori,
What a beautiful home you have! Love the country look. And your craft room must be awesome!
I’ve never seen an issue of this magazine with the farmhouse style. You’re home definitely looks ready for Spring!
Thanks for sharing!
Denise
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
The removable shelf was for the hostess to take off and offer drinks or nibbles to her guests.
Hi Dana,
Thats what I was thinking too. Someone told me recently that my rolling cart was a medical cart used in doctors offices… and the removable tray held instruments etc… Have you heard that before???
~ Dori ~
Oh wow, that’s an absolutely perfect find, Dori! It’s an ideal fit with all of your vintage goodies, and I LOVE the color you’ve chosen…a great pop of turquoise with all of the other cheery colors. It’s the same color as my little 1963 camper…what inspiration! If I can find one and paint it, it would be terrific for holding almost anything..and when I say “little” I mean tiny, but sitting outside it could hold snacks, dishes, blankets, s’more goodies. Okay, now the hunt is on, thanks!
Mary, Rural Farmgirl
Mary,
Thank you! I love it too. And YES… go on the hunt!!!! :-).
~ Dori ~