Happy Birthday!

Margie, Chis, and Suzanne

The Farm is honored to have visitors who come out to celebrate their birthdays with us.  A drive through the country, lunch at Morningstar, then shopping and a walk through the garden at The Farm makes a special time for special friends.  And we have to admit, it's fun for us too--we love it when people pop through the door and say "the party's here!"

A View From the Window

Here's what a smart cat does on the dog days of summer!  Our Spot has grown into a long-legged-full-grown cat; but as you can see, he hasn't lost his spots that gave him his name.  These may be long lazy days of August, but inside we're gearing up for the fall season.  See  ya soon! 

How to Design with Frog Pins -- One Last Look

 A couple more ideas for designing with your flower arrangers that have the frog pins:


--Go Low.  Using a bigger flower at the base of the arrangement is an easy way to create a focal point.   The rest of the arrangement rises up from that point.



--or Spice it up.  Tuck in some herbs for their fresh color and fragrance.  Here the celosia is joined by some basil and rosemary.  And if you've got an umbrella palm that's you've been watering all season, throw one of those stems in too!


We hope you're enjoying your flower arranger this summer.    Send us pictures--we'd love to see your designs too!  If you don't  have an arranger  yet, come on in sometime.  We get new supplies from Rich on a regular basis.  And don't forget to pick up an extra one--they make great gifts too!

Part Three: Flower Arrangers

--It only takes one.  A single large flower such  as a  peony, zinnia, or this blue hydrangea, is beautiful by itself.

  --Far & Wide.  Here's another way to add grasses to your designs.  These blades of lily turf grass are bound with raffia and draped off to the side.

We'd love to see how you're using your flower arranger,  so send us a picture!

Tips for Using Your Flower Arranger

 As promised, here's the second of this week's series of ideas for the flower arranger.

--Take it up a notch.  Use grasses or  even a stick (we love sticks!)  to give your design some height.
--Smaller stems like a grass are a little trickier.  Add them last, using the larger stems to provide support.   Or you can bind a bunch of them together  as with the lily-of-the-valley shown below.  We've used wire here, but you can use ribbon or raffia too.
--Don't forget flower food.  It helps to prolong the vase life of your flowers by providing nutrients for the flowers and  reducing the growth of bacteria.   Flower food comes in little packets and can be found where ever flowers are sold.

Okay, we've got more ideas so stay tuned for part three!

Flower Arrangers

One of our best-sellers here at The Farm--the flower arranger by local potter Rich Zimmerman--makes arranging  flowers easy.   The secret  is the frog pin in the bottom--similar to the antique frogs that our grandmothers used.  Just add a few garden blooms and you've got a beautiful little arrangement to brighten up your kitchen counter, the bedside table, bathroom sink,  maybe  your desk at the office. . .

If you're cutting flowers from your garden, be sure to cut them early in the morning, when they are the most hydrated of the day,  to minimize wilting.  And don't be afraid to use different foliages along with your flowers--the pictured designs here feature lamb's ear, sedum, and sweet autumn clematis vine.

Watch for more tips  on making your own designs in the flower arrangers all week here on the blog.

Summertime Blues

Here are a couple of height-of-the-summer blooms in the garden these days.  There's just something about blue flowers, don't you think?  We get lots of questions about blue hydrangeas.  Like, how to make them blue. Some varieties are bred to be pink and only pink, but some can be either blue or pink depending on the acidity of the soil. 

Blue Mophead

To get the blue color, the soil needs to be more acidic.  One way to make this happen is to add coffee grounds to the soil around the plant.  If you're not a coffee drinker (or if you just want to get a jumpstart on the project), stop by Starbucks and ask for a sack of coffee grounds.  They'll give you as much as you can carry.

Varegated LaceCap

And if you want to make sure you get every bloom of the season, check out Gail's video about pruning hydrangeas in the spring.

Dried Arrangement at the Workbench

Even after all these years of practice, we find the art of drying hydrangeas tricky.  We'll show you how we do that one of these days too!  In the meantime, stop by soon to see them,  fresh in the garden,  and also worked into arrangements throughout the shop. 

Linens

 

Vintage linens at The Farm.

Do you have a linen collection stashed away at your house? Pillowcases made gorgeous with  lace or fancy embroidery. . . tablecloths. . . doilies. . . all made by hand with love by someone way back when.    Why is it that we keep them hidden away in  our closets and cedar chests?    Our display here at The Farm features multiple pieces, but it's okay to show off just one or a few at a time too.    Hang them on a ladder,  across a towel rack or a curtain rod;  insert a little one in a picture frame . . .   Cheryl suggests changing out our linens to match the seasons--much  more economical than buying new lamps or other home decorating accents, and then we get to enjoy them again and again.  So what's your favorite way to display your linens? 

A Note From Kynda

I'm stepping outside  the blogging voice today to say that  our blog is a whole year old!  Like many of you, I've been visiting The Farm for that unique country shopping experience for years.   Going to The Farm feels a little like going on retreat.  There's always something new to see--thanks to Gail, Cheryl,  Barb, and Sue who make it fresh and new  every season. But no matter how many changes you find, there's always that warm, friendly welcome that's at the heart of The Farm experience.     

A big thank you to Gail for giving me this opportunity.   I hope you're all enjoying this way to keep in touch between your visits to The Farm!

Cake!

  Here's an easy-to-make yummy chocolate cake recipe that's one of our favorites.   Try it next time your friends are coming over.  Or maybe you don't even need a special reason--just make it a cake day!

Cheryl's One Bowl Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour,  2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt

Combine these dry ingredients and stir in:

1 cup oil,  1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tbls vinegar)

2 eggs, 1 cup hot water

Batter will be rather thin.  Pour into a greased  9 x 13 pan and bake 350 degrees for  35-38 minutes.  Let cool and frost with:

Gail's Chocolate Mocha Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup brewed liquid coffee

dash of salt

Beat til light & fluffy.  Add more sugar or coffee as  needed for consistency.