We are having a true spring this year in New England! Not too hot, not too cold, mostly sunny days with cool mornings followed by warm afternoons. We are seeing more birds and wildlife, the days are longer, and there are buds on the trees. Best of all, it is time to open up Gidget, our vintage camper/glamper! C’mon in and let me show ya around!
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”.
Just love it. I’d be in it everyday reading or embroidering.
Thank you, Marlene! It is my favorite place to knit. I have also done sewing in there before, too. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love this ,Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Charlene! I am so glad you enjoyed the post. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Beautiful Camper….Happy Spring
Thank you! Happy Spring! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
This weeks blog comes at a time when my locked down spirit needs lifting. The Vintage Camper tour has unlocked memories long forgotten, memories of playful days at the beach, nights under the stars warmed by a campfire. A time when newly found friends exhausted the daylight hours exploring for lost treasure and trying to catch a glimpse of Fairies napping on moss covers stones in the forest. The end of the day brought with it complete exhaustion and a first class ticket to nighttime adventures anywhere your dreams could take you.
As I mull about the invisible confines of my garden today, I shall indeed bask in those new found memories of childhood freedom and foley. For in the garden everything is possible and life starts anew with each passing moment. Although this pandemic has created invisible barriers between family and friends, this too shall pass and we will once again find ourselves snuggled up in old quilts beside the campfire catching up with old and new friends.
Hi Pauline, this was such a beautifully written comment, thank you so much. I think you captured perfectly how we are all feeling. Thank you. Big farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love Gidget!! The decorations are perfect!!
Hi Elisabeth, thank you so much. It’s funny how I remember using some of the same kinds of things we have in the camper as a child, like the Tupperware shakers and melamine plates. Weird when things we used “new” become “antique”, lol! Have a great spring! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I enjoyed reading this blog. Pictures are wonderful of wildlife and Gidget. Sounds so inviting! You look beautiful sitting inside Gidget. Surprised to see my picture with your brother and my 60’s Ford!
Love,
Mother
Hi Mama, thank you. That is where I sit many times when we talk on the phone. I love that picture of the two of you! I love that you made that beautiful dress, too. Love you, Nicole
Nicole, you look adorable sitting in that wonderful little trailer! We had one called a Trillium that was fiberglass but looked a lot like yours inside. We went on many cross-country trips with her. I love your turquoise stove and the quilts. Such fun. Enjoy the new season.
Hi Bonnie, thank you ever so much! The photo was taken on Easter, and it was a very happy day. Your camper sounded like it brought you on many great adventures! I hope you are having a happy spring. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love your little your little camper with all the beautiful vintage articles (many of which I grew up with !!)…I can certainly see why you enjoy relaxing in it surrounded by mementos from friends and family – Happy Spring !
Hi Donna, thank you! It is so sweet how many people have thought of us; much of the decor has been gifted. It makes the little space a very precious one. Happy Spring! Thanks for stopping by! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love your camper! Hope you can out on the road real soon.
Enjoy,
Elaine
Thank you, Elaine. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Gosh I love that Gidget. I remember when you posted pictures when you first got it and what you were doing to make her so cute. It is sad that times have been changed so that people can’t get together like they used to, but hopefully with summer approaching you can find a way to go camping again somewhere with all your glamping buddies. i will pray for that to happen. We feel like our home here is a lot like camping as we sit on our long porch every evening and watch our neighborhood and all the people here trying to get ready for summer with spring cleaning and yard clean up and gardening. We enjoy all our neighbors and they stop by and sit on the porch or just talk for a while. Have a great summer Nicole.
Hi Sandi, thank you! I miss having tea and lunch in Gidget with friends when she is set up at home, but hopefully life will get better for us all soon. I can’t wait to start up the firepit and sit outside more. Today is rainy but we needed it so that is okay. I think it will be awhile before the camping rallies are like they were. Seems like a lifetime ago, but until then, I am happy to share her with all of you! I miss seeing friends in person, but summer is coming! Have a great one, Sandi! Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I assume you never move this cute, cute camper. We have traveled all over North America with a trailer the last 20 years. You have really decorated it in the period I grew up in. Well done!
Hi Cecile, thank you! It was fun to recreate that time period. However, Gidget is quite movable and we tow her to campsites to go camping. We did not go last summer because of the pandemic, but she is a camper first, playhouse second. It really only takes me about an hour to pack her up and an hour to set back up. I have it down to an art, lol. The longest part when we get back from camping is the laundry! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Your little camper is so cute! What a great find it was for you. It’s like a little time capsule! I’d love to have one.
Hi Renee, thank you! That is what it feels like inside…like a little time machine or time capsule. Turn the vintage music on, and it really feels like you are back in time. My favorite part of when we went to a vintage camper rally was peeking outside, very early morning before everyone was up. It really looked like 1960 something. Thanks for reading and commenting! Happy spring. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
What a lovely camper. I love the way you have it all fixed up. The things are so fun and vintage. Enjoy the camper.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, thank you so much! I love vintage and retro style, so it was a real joy to put together. Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Gidget looks great! Must have been fun to decorate her up. Xox
Hi Heidi, Yes, it has been fun. It has been an adventure just seeing how it transforms. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I love your vintage camper! We have a newer camper but I still dream of finding a vintage model to fix up and enjoy with my friends. I hope you are able to travel and enjoy it this summer with friends. Thanks for sharing
Hi Wanda, thank you! Having a vintage camper is a lot of fun, and I can imagine having a newer one like yours is, too! I think it would be neat to have both, depending on the trip you make. Have a great spring! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
This camper is such a treasure of warmth, artifacts, and the innocent ambience of 1960’s family camping adventures! I’m so grateful to be one who has seen it in person! I also love the photo of your mom and your brother. Displaying that for this blog, before you were even born, illustrates the authenticity of your sentimental heart for any Farmgirl reader…
Hi Don! Oh my, what an awesome comment from someone I respect so much! Thank you! We miss seeing our dear friend! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love what you’ve done with Gidget! I chuckle that you reference 60’s as vintage. Born in 1946 I grew up camping in a cute, cozy 13′ travel trailer. Best memories! I hope whoever owns it today takes good care as you have Gidget.
Wishing you and your family many happy times on the go or at home!
Happy Spring!⚘
Hi Gail, thank you! I love that you have memories of camping in a camper not much smaller than Gidget! (Mine is 15”). They are little gems of history. Thanks for reading and commenting, and have a Happy Spring! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole! I love your darling camper. While I haven’t had memories from a camper, your Gidget reminds me of very fond memories growing up at Osceleta Lake in South Salem, NY where my great grandparents built a camp. My grandparents lived there during the good weather months and since we lived right over the NY border in Ridgefield Ct, we often visited daily. My memories of the decor and kitchen are much like in your Gidget, with the addition of my Grammy and Campy of course! We spent many happy hours there, swimming and running as fast as we could off the dock to avoid being gently nipped in the heels by our dog Laird. Such great memories. Thank you for bringing them back to me! ❤️
Hi Meredith, Oh I love this comment! I know the area you are talking about, and Ridgefield is in my “stomping grounds”. Before the pandemic, my friends and I loved going to lunch and then poking around the Ridgefield Thrift shop, which has been in town for generations. The flamingo and the quilts on the bed in the camper came from there.
It sounds like you had an amazing childhood filled with super special memories with your grandparents; you captured the innocence of a summer day filled with childhood fun. Thanks for sharing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I remember the Thrift Shop well! So cool that your flamingo and your quilts came from there! I haven’t been back in several years, but my oldest cousin is now caretaker of the camp, and I plan to visit him there this year! ❤️
I enjoy your blog so very much! Thank you for taking taking the time to share your vintage life with us. I am now just getting started on my vintage glamper and want it to be just as cozy and filled with love as yours is!
Hi Cathryn, Thank you so much! Congratulations on your vintage camper! How exciting! Enjoy and cozy it up – what fun! Happy camping! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I am liking the whole camper thing. We have an old RV that I might tackle. Love your blog. Happy Summer as it is almost over.
Hi Carol, thank you! Fall is a great time to tackle a RV update, when it gets cooler. What a fun project! Thanks for visiting the blog! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole
Thanks for the tour of Gidget, she’s a Bute! I’m looking forward to getting an RV to live in full time. As I get older apartments are way too expensive, and a house is just too big. I loved the 60’s, and Gidget is a grand example. Thanks again.
Krissi
Hi Krissi, thank you so much! I love that you will live full time in an RV! How exciting! Happy Hunting! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole