The Paisley Farmhouse

You'll Need:

Large urn
Large craft pumpkin
Medium craft pumpkin
Small craft pumpkin
Tin dome spot light
Electrical tape
moss/silk leaves
hot glue gun
Drill and 2 sizes of large bits
X-acto knife

1. Cut large holes in the bottoms of all 3 craft pumpkins with an X-acto knife.

2. Cut large holes in the tops of the large and medium craft pumpkins. (Not the small one.)

3. Drill random holes of different sizes in all the craft pumpkins.

4. Hot glue the pumpkins together from largest to smallest. Make sure the large holes are big enough for light to shine through well.

5. Separate the spotlight fixture from its tin shade and attach it underneath the pumpkin tree with electrical tape so that it illuminates all the pumpkins. Tape over all openings in the light hardware.

6. Glue moss and silk leaves around the top of your urn.

7. Nudge the pumpkin tree down into the moss and urn. Hold steady with hot glue if needed.

8. Plug it in and enjoy your pumpkin topiary under a well covered porch or inside your home!

If you are a local crafter, artist, or maker of yummy treats and would be interested in hosting a booth at our Handmade Harvest, please contact shanda@paisleyfarmhouse.com. Tell us a little about you, your art/craft/treat, and attach a picture or two of your goods. Space is limited to about 20 vendors, and we want a nice variety so we can't accept every entry.

Email us your submission by August 24. We'll let you know by August 31 if you're in. There is a $35 entry fee required of all accepted applicants and 15% commission on all sales to cover advertising, promotions, credit card fees and outdoor music. All transactions (cash, credit cards, debit cards, and sales tax collection) will go through The Paisley Farmhouse checkout center. The event will take place on October 24th, 2009 in Birmingham Village shopping center (980 Birmingham Road, Milton, GA 30004).

Also, we would like to extend the invitation for groups and organizations to participate. For example, a youth group could accept cash donations for face painting or a pumpkin carving contest at the event! There is no entry fee for this type of booth. Email shanda@paisleyfarmhouse.com to get involved.

We look forward to hearing from you,
Dianne, Shanda, and India
The Paisley Farmhouse | paisleyfarmhouse.com

Materials:
Acetone nail polish remover
Cardstock
Inkjet or laser print
cotton balls
Hard edge such as a Popsicle stick (optional)
Ventilated area

Directions:
1. Lay your inkjet print facedown (printed side down) on the cardstock.

2. Soak your cotton ball in acetone nail polish remover.

3. Hold the print still with one hand and rub the wet cotton ball all over the ink area so that it is soaked with the other hand. The acetone will evaporate and dry quickly. Repeat. If you can, buff/rub with a hard edge.

4. Lift the inkjet paper to reveal the transfer!

Use your creativity to use this method on greeting cards, tags, etc. Email us to share your paper photo transfer creations anytime!

Happy Birthday to you from The Paisley Farmhouse! Come shop on your birthday. Present your ID at the time of purchase and we'll give you 20% off your total! There are no clubs to join or coupons to bring in, but here are a few rules:

1. Ages eligible: 16 and up with valid ID
2. It must be ON your birthday. If it happens to land on a day we are closed you may come in the day before or the day after.
3. Items cannot be held prior to your birthday.
4. Cannot be combined with any other sales or discounts.
5. This will be an ongoing tradition so if you missed out this year, mark your calendar for next year.

How's that for a great birthday present?!

Mark your calendars:

A Handmade Market - June 6th from 10am-7pm. Join us for our first craft fair in Birmingham Village. 20 artists are preparing their goods as we speak to dazzle you! Check our website often for info on this event. There will also be other events happening on the same day in the village... we’ll keep you posted.

Summer workshops and classes are in the works! Let us know if you have a skill that you’d enjoy teaching to others or if there’s a skill you’d like to learn.

Our online store will be launching this Summer! Stay tuned...

Also, we are working on a frequent buyer program to reward our very loyal customers! Hopefully, we will be starting this June or July, so keep checking back for updates!

By India Harvey http://indiaharvey.com

1. Dorms are blank, dull spaces that will quickly swallow up your stuff. The best way to avoid this boring-factor and to create a homey feel is to use the ENTIRE space (even if it's small)...the walls, the floor, even the ceiling! Add a floor rug, wall decorations, and even a canopy out of an old sheet to acheive that warm and cozy atmosphere all around you.

2. Dorms are white. You gotta have some color! The quickest way to add color to a dorm room is by adding bright wall hangings. You can really use anything to do this too...quilts, blown up photography, paintings, just a few yards of whatever fabric you choose. (I hung a rug for example.)

3. Dorms have bad lighting. Lamps are the easiest way to make a dorm room warm and inviting, because they will give off golden light instead of the florescent lighting you most likely have overhead. (Floor lamps seem to work better than just a desk lamp).

4. Dorms are cramped. It can be difficult, but try to arrange your furniture in such a way that it is open and inviting to visiting friends. It's always good to face your bed towards whatever other seating you may have, even if it is facing your roomate's bed. This way, it is easier to hang out and have people over. Also, for more storage it is good to lift your bed with bed risers and hide your stuff underneath!

5. Dorms are used. Things are often stained, broken, etc, but remember to laugh about it. Be creative and hide stains with a rug or hide nail holes with your own wall hangings. Also, candles and diffusers are a great way to muffle that dorm funk as well as fill your new home with smells from back home.

Have fun!

What you need:
plate/dish
can of chalkboard paint
foam paint brush
chalk
Optional: steel wool & painter's tape

Step 1: Paint a layer of chalkboard paint in the center of your dish. Keep the edges clean and straight as you can. Painter's tape comes in handy on a square plate. Let dry.

Step 2: Use steel wool to smooth, then paint another layer. Let dry.

Step 3: Write a nice message and pair with a plate hanger, plate stand, or chalk for a great gift! Teachers and others will love it!

This project was adapted and inspired from http:tuesdayswithmolly.blogspot.com.

By Emily Kirk at http://perkybird.com

1) Have your friends help you remember those unforgettable moments. Have a memory book ready and have each guest jot down one of their favorite memories with you from high school. Make this memory book even better by adding snapshots from the memory, or from you with them at the party!

2) Load up on some disposable cameras and have them lying around at your party. Let your guests know that you want to capture all the candid moments you can, because it could likely be one of the last times you're all together.(Don't worry, you can usually get a CD of the images when they're developed, so you can upload them to your Facebook.)

3) Make a display of all your yearbook photos through the years. Don't be embarrassed we all looked that way at one point or another.

4) Theme your party! What was one of your favorite memories or events from over the last few years? Recreate that moment with food and decorations that will bring you right back to that unforgettable memory.

5) Say cheese when you say thanks. To make your thank you's a bit more personal, add a photo from the party to their thank you, to let them know you appreciate them being a part of your party and a part of your life.

By Misti of http://studiomdesigns.blogspot.com

Marketing yourself in today’s world has never been easier.

Whether you are setting out for your first job, or building a name and career, Social Networking is a very powerful tool, but one that should be well thought out before beginning the process.

The world of blogging is still new to most. Only a handful of people in your everyday conversations will have heard of a blog, and yet they will still question the reason behind the mysterious, new kind of website.

A blog is simply an interactive site where you can journal about whatever interests you. Other bloggers (people online who are interested in reading these said journals) will then comment on what you have written. New friendships are made instantly; you feel a bond with strangers who you will most likely never meet in person.

Before starting a blog there are a couple of things to consider:

What type of blog will you have? What subject will you write about? Decide on a subject and stick to it. Wishy-washy bloggers who can’t decide what to blog about usually lose visitors quickly. Some blog about life in general, some about plants, some blog about crafts or hobbies, some blog about their career or the career that they are studying. People identify you by your interests. So make it interesting!

Decide on a writing style and keep it going. Will it be more casual or more professional? Either way, remember that if the blog is not private, anyone can read it. Potential employers have started using social networking sites as a background check. There are so many things to learn about your personal life, so again, remember…if you don’t want the world to know about it…keep it out of the blogosphere. That is another term you will hear. Some lovingly call it Blogland.

Once you make the leap of starting a blog, which will be one of the most fulfilling things you may have ever done, be sure to be consistent. Building a body of work allows the search engines to find you. Be prepared to blog for several months before others decide to “follow” your blog. Following is the term used to show how many people subscribe to receive your blog post updates automatically through email.
Be sure to visit and comment on other blogs that interest you, and always reply to your own comments. It keeps people coming back for more!

Start a blog; you will be so glad you did. It’s kind of like a personal addition to your resume. Get your name out there, and make your mark on this world.

~Misti England

We are having an art/craft fair on June 6th and WE WANT YOU! Click on the image below to see the flier much larger.

Info:

Crafters & artists, this is a call for entries to join The Paisley Farmhouse at our first annual Handmade Market art and craft fair. Mark your calendars: Saturday, June 6th at the Birmingham Village Shopping Center (980 Birmingham Road, Milton, GA 30004).

During the day, all the shops in the village will be hosting fun activities! The Paisley Farmhouse’s activity will be the Handmade Market fair. Around 8:30, the shopping center will kick off the first of many summer evening “Movies Under the Stars”!

If you are a crafter or artist and would be interested in hosting a table at our outdoor daytime event, please contact shanda@paisleyfarmhouse.com. Tell us a little about you, your art/craft, and attach some pictures of your products. We are also interested in food vendors (jellies, candies, baked goods, and more). Space is limited to about 20 vendors, and we want a nice variety, so we cannot accept every entry. We don’t have much time, so we hope to hear from you soon!

Now, don’t be shy ... let’s see your stuff! Email us your submission by May 16. We’ll let you know by May 20 if you’re in.