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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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Debbie Bosworth
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.’”
Rebekah Teal
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.
Cathi Belcher
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
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.
Mary Murray
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.”
Alexandra Wilson
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!
Nicole Christensen
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”.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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!
These are such a beautiful gift. I would love to have for an example to make more!
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!
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!
Those are so cute. Perfect travel size. I would use one of those for a travel size embroidery pouch. You are so talented!
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.
What a sweet thoughtful gift of handmade Dori! Love them and so enjoy Mayday. I’m sure your recipients were blessed by your gifts.
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. 🥰
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.
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.
Sorry, I am trying to comment. It keeps saying “waiting moderation.”
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!!💐
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.
The zipper pouches are darling. I would use one to hold embroidery project supplies. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
Those are really cute and functional pouches!!! Thanks for sharing!
A notions bag for one of my many on going crochet or knit projects.
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!
These are gorgeous. Love the bird one. What a beautiful homemade gift!
I think that the pouches are beautiful and I also like the Simple stitching. Thank you for sharing!!
i love these and need to make some myself for friends. I would use it to hold little project pieces and threads and needle.
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!
I would use it to carry my embroidery thread or small project. I really like your color choices 😊
I love this as I am not crafty 🙂
I would give this to my mom for her purse.
debbiek
Love, love the pouches that I would tuck in my prayer cards to retrieve from my purse when stuck in traffic😉🙏💕
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!
Absolutely adorable! I enjoy small project embroideries. Great idea!
I love these pouches! I would use them for a gift to my daughters.
I love each of these beautiful pouches. I have always loved anything made out of felt. They could be used for many purposes.
The pouches are quite lovely! 🙂 A wonderful gift! It would be a handy thing to organize items in my purse! 🙂
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!
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
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.
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.
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.