Summer Fun

Good Morning Friends! It's almost that time again, time to open up shop and welcome you all into The Briar Patch. I am looking forward to seeing you again, or maybe for the very first time! If you haven't been here before, let me tell you a little bit about us. The Briar Patch is set on about 2 acres of beautiful farmland.  There is so much to see here, I can't wait for you to see us. We have the little Settlers Cabin, filled up with primitive finds. A cozy, welcoming little cabin setting on the edge of the garden, come on in and look around. Beautiful walk through gardens surrounding our resident old rust bucket "Rackety Boom", a 1940 International truck that rests among the flowers. We have so many little fun items to see. The old front porch holds perennials for you to purchase, lovely false indigo, so beautiful, bright and cheerful galardia, lovely daisys for you to take home. Whispering ornamental grasses wave in the breeze and welcome you into the gardens. Our newest shop is named The Old Homeplace and I can't wait for you to see it. Hand built by my wonderful husband Bob and I (with a little help from our friends too). Made from 90% of recycled materials we have gathered for years now. Wood and tin from an old farmstead, wonderful large windows from an old pharmacy from many, many years ago open up to show off our colorful gardens. Come on out and visit us.

2015 Folk Art Gathering at The Briar Patch June 27th

Hello friends, it's that time of year again. Time for the annual Folk Art Gathering right here at The Briar Patch. The gardens are in bloom, the vendors are ready to set up their tents and the time is right to welcome you to our party. We will have vendors of all kinds set up around the property, music will be playing and we just can't wait. La De'zert Cafe will be serving lunch all day, along with her delicious cupcakes so you won't want to miss it! June 27th is the date so don't forget, 9-3, we hope to see you here! We are one mile west of 6 & 31 in Lapaz, that is exit 233 from the by-pass, then one mile North on Oak. Call if you need better directions. 1-574-784-3533. See you then!

Welcome to The Old Homeplace at The Briar Patch

Good Morning Friends! The Briar Patch and The Old Homeplace are finally open! We are so excited! It has been a long cold winter but the sun is out today and the doors are open. Come on over to our little slice of heaven in the country and visit. We recently finished construction on The Old Homeplace out newest addition to our little "village" out here. Antiques, Primitives and Just plain old stuff, that's what we call it. Farm house furnishings to take to your own little home. We have some great old cabinets, rocking chairs, candles, just all kind of wonderful stuff. So come on out and wander around a while. Visit the walk through gardens, pick up a perennial or two and stay and visit a while. We are planning our annual Folk Art Show on June 27th this year. Lots of great vendors will be here, offering jewelry, handmades, garden items, and more.  Lunch will be served by Plymouth's own La D'zert Cafe, we'll have music and drawings too. Always free to attend, so plan to spend the day. Today (May 1) is the beginning of our Month long Shop Hop, 10 businesses are participating so stop by and pick up your punch card to be entered into a drawing for a prize valued at $100.00 with items from each of the businesses. This offer runs the whole month of May, so round op your favorite friends and plan a girls day out and visit one or two each week, you don't want to miss any of them! Help support local business by shopping local. Come on by....can't wait to meet you.

Exciting things going on at The Briar Patch, we are almost ready to open for 2015

Hello friends, time for another Briar Patch update. The Old Homeplace is almost finished! I can't wait to show you all the fun things we have been working on all winter. Here is one of my latest projects, a settee. Can't you just see it  next to the fireplace where you can warm yourself on a cold winter night. Excited about things to come this summer,  I  been gathering vendors for our Folk Art Show on June 27th here on the grounds. I have some great talent lined up. I hope you will stop by and spend a fun day in the country. We will have vendors, music, food and demonstrations. Keep checking back for updates. The Briar Patch will open for business on May 1st. Hope to see you!

Barn Quilt Trail

Hey friends, In my last post I mentioned The Barn Quilt Trail and I know that some of you might not know what that is, so I thought I would give you a little tutorial on it. Marshall County alone has more than 60 barns on the local trail, but they are gaining popularity all across the country. Determined to save not only wonderful old barns but also to celebrate the deep quilting heritage some talented folks got together and married the two to create these wonderful old barn quilts. Quilt patterns are painted on sheets of wood ranging in sizes from 4 x 4 foot to 8 x 8 foot. Time honored patterns are then painted and mounted on these massive old country barns. Many of the quilt patterns reflect the history of family honored quilts and their history. No two barn quilts are quite the same. The barn quilt trail travels over 150 miles of roadway, meandering through back roads and gentle landscape. So stop by the Marshall County Visitors Center and pick up a barn quilt map to keep in your car and enjoy a leisurely weekend searching out these wonderful quilts. Or download from their website www.VisitMarshallCounty.org. You can also pick up a map when you visit local shops (mine for example) who are fortunate enough to be a member of the trail. Our own quilt pattern is the eight sided star and sits outside of our little red cabin here at The Briar Patch. Come on by and pick one up.

Spring Plans!

Hey friends, we are making plans for spring of 2015. We will we be opening our new shop, The Old Homeplace, which is just filled to the brim with farmhouse finds. Old fireplace mantles, benches, a little bit of everything from primitives to shabby chic. I hope you will stop by and see what we have. We also would like to invite you to join us at our 7th Annual Folk Art Gathering on June 27th, here on the grounds. We will have vendors, music, food and all kind of fun things. Come on by and wander the gardens, visit with our vendors and just spend the afternoon. Someone will be here from the Marshall County Visitors center to speak to you about the Barn Quilt trail. If you haven't heard of this before, you are in for a real treat, come and learn about the trail and maybe even get a quilt for your barn. We will have free copies of the Art and Earth Trail magazine for everyone. This magazine is just full of wonderful places to visit from all of the surrounding counties, you won't want to miss it. Stephanie from La'Dezert will be here , serving lunch and offering you her tempting deserts, Mmm you must have one. So save the date: June 27th from 9-3, admission is free so come and spend the day with us. One mile west of 6 & 31 in Lapaz (exit 233), then one mile North on Oak.

Shop Update

Well friends, just wanted to give you another update on The Old Homeplace. We just finished the tin ceiling, isn't it great. I love the way it is all coming together! You would never guess that it is parts and pieces from so many places. There is a story that goes with every little bit of it. The windows came from a pharmacy that was built almost 100 years ago, the wood is from barns that were built about the same time. Just imagine that if the barn had been up for 80 or 90 years, the wood is much older than that. After all it takes about 40 or 50 years to make a tree big enough to make beams from. It just blows my mind. I have climbed over rubble and ruin to find this barn wood and it is so special to me. Every time I go into the shop I fall in love with it all over again. So at this point, we just have to finish a little bit of trim and put up the ceiling fans and Shazam, we have a shop! Yippee. Be sure to stop by the first of May when we open our doors for the first time. You can wander around the grounds and look at the gardens, choose some perennials to add to your own little cottage garden. Check out the little shop, The Settlers Cabin, complete with the old rope bed I made this winter. Can't wait for you to see all the changes going on here. We have so much going on around her, we are members of the Barn Quilt Trail, the Art and Earth Trail and new members of the Primitive Traveler. We are gearing up for our Annual Folk Art Gathering to be held here on the grounds on June 27th. Whew! Lot's going on, come on out and check it out.

It started with a dream

It all started with a dream here at The Briar Patch. My husband Bob and I built this little cabin in the back yard over 10 years ago. A perfect place to get away from the phones and just outside of the horse pasture where we can watch out horses romp, it became a favorite place to go after a long days work. There we talked about our plans and dreams as we just we starting our life together. That summer as we built our little cabin, we realized that we both had a passion for working with wood. Building and dreaming we talked about where we could go with our life. What would we do with our land? We have just about 15 acres out here and the possibilities are endless. We do raise our own hay and work about 5 acres for that, the rest is mostly pasture land. At the time we had only two horses to care for and didn't really need all that land in hay so my husband, being the dear sweet man he is, gave me about 5 acres of my own to do with whatever I wanted. All my life I had wanted to have a small business, something that would allow me to stay here on the farm. Working in the dirt is a passion of mine that I just can't seem to outgrow. So I decided to start my own business, selling perennials . I figured that I was going to be working in the garden anyway, so I might as well share the love.  So we spent a few years, building more buildings, making more gardens and growing our little business. The Briar Patch has been here for 8 years now, and many changes have gone on in our little part of the world since those early summers on that little cabin porch. Along with our 2 horses, we now have a rescued cow named Baby. Not much of a baby now, she went from a tiny 3 day old calf, to a gentle, playful cow that gives the horses a run for their money in the weight catagory.  The cabin from so long ago, is now a playhouse for our many grandchildren, 11 at last count. From the oldest at 18 to the youngest at 8 months, it has seen a lot of use. Together we have built 3 buildings on the grounds now. The latest, The Old Homeplace will be finished in early spring and open for business in May. This will be our 8th year for our annual Folk Art Gathering here on the grounds. Every year in June, we invite folks to spend a whole day here to walk through the gardens and visit with our many vendors. We have vendors from the surrounding states and counties showing and selling their wares. Garden items, birdhouses, and so much more. There are so many great things to see. So be sure and save the date, June 27th.  I hope you will stop by and visit us. We are planning  a Grand Opening in May of 2015 for the opening of The Old Homeplace. Filled with primitives and farmhouse furnishings there is always something to see here. Purposeful clutter we like to call it. You just never know what you are going to find here. Walk through our perennial gardens and just make a whole day of it. Can't wait to meet you!

Winter at The Briar Patch

Hello friends, It's winter here at The Briar Patch, but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty. Out for a walk with Gus our farm dog this morning , this caught my eye and I headed right back to the house for my camera. This was a shot I just couldn't pass up. The snow softly settled on the garden and made such a pretty show this morning. It makes even the plainest things pretty. Don't you just love this old wagon? It seems right at home in our garden..don't you think? I just love old stuff, it seems like the older it is with all it's scratches and patches, the more I love it. I guess I always have had a soft spot for the underdog, the thing that seems to be everyone else's castoffs. So the worn and worn out have a special place in my heart. This old wagon has been around here for a lot of years, moved from place to place and has finally found a comfortable spot in the garden. Guess it's here to stay, which is just fine with me. Enjoy your tour around The Briar Patch in the next few blogs, I hope you will come out and visit us in May when we open for the summer. You won't want to miss the Grand Opening of The Old Homeplace!

A Briar Patch update

Another update on my newest project. I told you girls can do things too! I am always looking for something to do, I think I mentioned my adult ADD in a previous post. Anyway, here is my latest project, a sweet little rope bed. I love nothing more than finding something to do with pieces of wood I find in my "stash". I must say, I horde wood like squirrels horde nuts. I just can't seem to burn a perfectly primitive piece of wood.  The posts are made from some old 2 X 4's we had in the barn, they are just the perfect faded gray color. The foot and headboards are wonderful old barn wood, pieces just a little too small to use for anything else. The headboard has gnawed places I teasingly told my husband looked like some child teethed on it. Actually I think I said.."hey Pa, the chilren been chewin on the bed again". (Tee Hee). Anyhow, I love the way they look. After an afternoon of routing out all the joints and measuring and re-measuring, sanding, and measuring some more, we were almost done. We stood there, admiring our work when my sweet, wonderful, always helpful husband turns to me and says"do you think we should put a couple of screws in it to help stabilize it?" WHAT???? My head swiveled around so fast it almost knocked me over and I know for a fact that my eyebrows shot straight up! No, I didn't spend all this time making this thing look as old as all this to put SCREWS in it. Silence filled the shop and I tried not to glare....Deep breath....Don't glare....ok, as I gathered myself and  tried to figure out what to do next, I thought, ok there has to be something  we can do. So we went to plan B. I always have a  plan B somewhere in the back of my mind. So straight to the basement I went to my second "stash". Now I just have to tell you, if you can't find something any place else, it's probably in my basement. As it happened I had a jar full of masonary nails that I found at Habitat. In case you don't know what those look like,  they have these great wide flat heads that look like old square headed nails. So we drilled a pilot hole (to keep the wood from splitting ) and pounded them in. They look positively primitive. I have to say, I just love the way it turned out. I'm almost sorry we're finished, but then...I can't wait to find another project! I hope you will come out for our Folk Art Gathering that we are planning for June 27th this year. I can't wait to show off my new shop and all the fun stuff we are making. Keep checking back for more updates.

Girls can do things too!

 Just an update to let you know how the new shop is coming along. Might I just say...I is really beginning to look like a home. I am so excited that I get up everyday looking forward to what I can do today! I have to say that I think I might suffer from some form of Adult A.D.D.. It seems that my mind works at warp speed most of the time. One project barely gets done that I start thinking of what I can do next. Now my wonderful husband tolerates my crazy ideas and is always willing to do whatever I ask him to do. I know that he would be willing to do all of these projects for me if I asked him to, but that just isn't in my DNA. I am not one to sit back and watch someone work without lending a helping hand. So instead of doing all of these things for me, he teaches me. Together we have built this whole building (except pouring the concrete floor, we left that to the pros), from the top to the bottom. I learned to cut tin and use a table saw as well as he does. Most days I would have the walls done by the time he came home from work, waiting to see what my next move should be.  Now trim and fancy angles, well, Mr. B. is in charge of those. It has been so much fun to learn all of these new skills. Since the shop is almost finished I have been thinking of what else I can do with my new found skill. Searching the primitive sites on the internet I stumbled across a picture of an old antique rope bed. Oh, did that get my creative juices flowing! So first thing this morning we headed for the shop and by the end of the hour I was up to my elbows in sawdust! My first time using a table router and this is what I did. You are looking at the very first leg for my rope bed, complete with mortise and tendon joints. Whoo Hoo! What can I say....GIRLS RULE! Can't wait to show you my completed project. Be sure and check back later in the week! See you then.

Cozy by the fire

Well, The Old Homeplace is truly beginning to feel like home.  I just finished building my first piece of furniture for the shop. After all, what makes a home more cozy than a fireplace? I seem to spend most of my free time searching the county for old barn wood. I have a passion for barn wood that I can't explain. Well, I guess that isn't really true. I find as I get older that memories from my childhood are the foremost in my thoughts, and some of my fondest memories are of my parents and our home in Tennessee. I didn't live there for very many years, but I am inclined to believe that those few years were my happiest. I fondly remember our old house, the land and barns. To look back at pictures of our homeplace now you would have thought we were poor. I think that poor must be a matter of perception, for I never felt that way. At any rate, in those memories someplace came my love for old wood. Tobacco barns are one of my favorites. I still remember my father and brother hanging tobacco at the top of what seemed like a huge barn. I was too young to help at the time so I sat in the back of my dad's old pick up truck and watched on many a hot summer day. Ah, the memories are sweet. So as I work around my "new" Old Homeplace, I enjoy every day the warmth of the old wood that surrounds me. Making me feel like I may have just come home again.

Looking through the windows of time

       

   Morning friends, as I was walking around the new shop today, I took the time to reflect for a few minutes on what went into building our new place. I just love the looks of The Old Homeplace, it is so cozy and welcoming. Old barn wood and rusty tin cover the walls and even the ceiling of our new place. The majority of our building materials were salvaged wood from barns and buildings in our area. I had so much fun scrounging around in barnyards and old building sites for this wonderful primitive wood. Most of this has been collected over the last few years, but many years before that this whole project had a start before I was even aware of it. I truly believe that God puts opportunities in your path and sits back and just watches to see what you do with them. He has a funny sense of humor that way. I honestly believe this was one of those challenges. One summer day a friend of our contacted us and told us that the old Bourbon Pharmacy was scheduled to be torn down soon and would we be interested in salvaging from it. What an exciting opportunity we thought, what would it be like? What will we find there in that wonderful old building  we wondered.  According to a friend of ours, her mother remembers going to the pharmacy when she was just a child growing up in Bourbon over 84 years ago. As far as we can figure, this wonderful old building  has been standing here for over 100 years. We were excited to see what this old building was like,  so off we went to check it out. Wandering around the old pharmacy was quite an experience and we had fun thinking of all the possibilities. We didn't have any plans for them in mind at the time, but when we were offered the windows from the front of the pharmacy we jumped at the chance. We collected 3 large windows, each with 20 panes in them, so each window measured 5 feet by 8 feet. Now that is a window!
              We carefully packed them away in the barn and they kind of went to the back of our mind. But as the years went by the Lord put more and more opportunities in front of us until we finally came to the conclusion that it was time to build our next building. As we started collecting materials we remembered these wonderful windows. There they were, safely tucked away in the barn just waiting to be put to use. As we started designing the new shop we found that we would  actually have to build the shop to fit around  that old wavy glass from so long ago. As we set the windows into their new home, we couldn't help but notice that the view in all directions is almost breathtaking . In the summertime the sunflower and dappled willows swaying in the breeze catch your eye. As I stand in the warmth of the sun and gaze out across the fields I can't help but wonder what sites these windows have seen. 100 years ago, the sidewalks were still made of wood and the streets were mostly unpaved. Horse and buggy was still the way many folks got to town on Saturday afternoon . Did the pharmacy have a place where the old men gathered and talked or played checkers on a warm summer day? Did children stand and peek over the counter at jars of penny candy and tiny wind up toys? I can only imagine what these windows have seen.
                As the sun warms me through these wonderful old pieces of glass from so long ago, I thank God for putting them in our path so long ago. I hope that if you stop by The Old Homeplace, you will take the time to stand and enjoy the view, feel the warmth of the sun and appreciate the many things these windows have seen.

A Place to Linger

Well Friends,
              Things are going along well for the new shop, The Old Homeplace. I just can't wait. My goal has always been to make my shops a place where folks will want to linger, wander and just sit for a  visit. We have finished up all the walls in old barn wood that has been begged, bartered and scrounged from every corner of Marshall County for almost a year now. Two walls are done in barn wood and two are done in wonderful old tin. I just love this tin, it is a soft gun metal blue with just the right amount of rust to it. It really makes the place cozy and warm looking. We are working now on putting tin on the ceiling and I have to say, this is the hardest part yet. Holding 9' pieces of tin above your head long enough to get it screwed on is to say the least....challenging. But I have to give most of the credit to my wonderful husband Bob. He has been behind me on this project and beside me everyday. We have so much to do here on the farm that every couple of days we put down our hammers and nails and have to finish up on other chores. Last weekend I really put him to the test I think. Every fall we walk the fields surrounding our home and pick up all the corn left on the ground after the farmer has finished in it. So we set off for the field  last Saturday morning, one of those mild fall morning with just a misting of rain. Now rain and fog are two of my favorite things, so this was like the perfect day. We spent about 5 hours in the field and picked up what we figure is about 10 bushels of corn. Now that is a lot of corn! The horses will thank us every day. So after a short afternoon nap to warm us up a little after walking in the rain all morning we headed back out to the shop. Working on insulating the ceiling and starting to add the tin we worked until dark. I must say we were feeling very satisfied with how much we got done. But as I am sure I suffer from some form of adult ...ADD I, of course I  wasn't finished yet. Did I say "suffer"? I'm not sure that would be the right word to use, I must say, I do get a lot done during the day. But poor Mr. Bob was looking forward to sitting down and putting his feet up for a while. It was already dark by then and the rain was still coming down, I swear it was calling to me. So being the wonderful man he is, he got up off his warm chair and took me for a walk in the rain that evening, something we have done since we first met almost 14 years ago. See what I mean....he's a great guy!
               So to say that I am truly blessed to do what I love to do and share it with my favorite guy, well it doesn't get any better than that. Check back for further updates on The Old Homeplace, opening in May 2015.

Fall is in the air

Hey friends, looks like fall is here. The leaves are blowing, pumpkins are everywhere and the nights are made for snugglin. Our days have been filled with building and decorating and all kinds of exciting things. We are looking forward to spring when our new shop "The Old Homeplace"  which will be open for business, spring of 2015. We have repurposed and salvaged all the wood and old tin we can find and it is coming together so nicely. Warm and cozy and oh so primitive, I can't wait until you see all we've done. Filled with farm house furnishings, farm tables, dry sinks, pie safes.....do I need to say more?  We even hope to host "girl parties" in our new digs. You know what I mean, if you have a gaggle of best friends who love to get together and spend the day making stuff, we would love to have you here. We have front porches just right for gathering and spending the day, roaming around the gardens, sipping tea in the shade just and having fun. It's a great place to wander. Keep checking back on our progress.

My New Baby

Well Friends, Meet my new baby.....and my baby daddy. My new baby is our newest shop, "The Old Homeplace" and my baby daddy is my husband Bob,  Affectionatly  known as Mr. B.  We have been working all summer and it is finally  beginning to take shape. Windows, Doors and a Roof, Whoohoo!! Soon to be the home of all the farmhouse furnishings I am always stumbling across. I have been fortunate enough to collect farmhouse tables, great wardrobes and pie safes. Ohh, I just love old stuff don't you?  We expect to be finished by early spring and we are planning to have our usual Folk Art Show this June. Keep up with all the news on the shop, check back often. I'll see you soon. Watch our new baby grow.

A Beautiful Day

Good Morning Friends! Another beautiful day at The Briar Patch. Work is coming along on the new shop, The Old Homeplace. So excited to be adding another building to our little village out here. We are looking forward to adding more farmhouse furniture to our collection. Dry sinks, pie safes, old farmhouse tables.....ohhhhh can't wait. In celebration of our newest venture we would like to spread the joy a little bit. In memory of my mother, Lulu Pearl who has been gone from us for so long, but still lingers in our hearts every day, I would like to offer a bouquet of beautiful zinnias to your mother. Bring her on out to walk around the gardens and enjoy a day in the country, and we'll send her home with a handful of posies. Hope to see you soon.

A Loving Piece of History

Hello friends,
              It's another beautiful day here at The Briar Patch. I wanted to share with you this wonderful quilt I found at the auction yesterday. I just knew it needed to come home with me. Isn't it beautiful.  The material is weak and worn and a little stained, testament to the years it has seen. I can't help but wonder, what loving hands made this wonderful treasure. Did they give it to the honeymooner's moving into their very first home? Did it cover them gently on cold winter's nights, swattle  a new born child snuggled against their mothers breast? I can almost hear the stories it has to tell. I think I am meant to have it. It's time has come to rest here on my shelf so I can hear it's whispers. I hope in your day you take the time to listen to the whispers of the aged, they have so much to tell. Please come by and visit us, there is always a treasure to be found here at The Briar Patch.

What's new at The Briar Patch

Hey Friends,
       Took this picture of the front of The Marketplace here at the Briar Patch.  Is this the best table you've ever seen? Love the legs on it. The fireplace is hand made from all recycled materials and will fit a log insert. Ah..so much going on here. We are in the process of building the new shop, The Old Homeplace. We plan to have it filled to the top with farm house primitives, quilts, just a little bit of everything. Stay tuned for updates on the building. We are planning to have a Fall Open House, so don't miss it. Find us on Facebook. You can reach me directly if you have questions at phyllis.horvath@yahoo.com. The Briar Patch is open everyday 9-5, except Wednesday's and open on Sunday by chance. Hope to see you soon.

Hello Friends! It's finally here.....Spring. We are so excited to announce the "upcoming birth" of our newest shop..The Old Homeplace. Construction is expected to begin in May and I can't wait. I've got the furniture, the great design ideas and even the sign, now all I need is a building to attach it all to. Soon enough, soon enough. All good things come to those who wait. We are now in our 7th year of business here at The Briar Patch and I think we are ready to expand. We will carry much more home furnishings that our little cabin would allow. I hope you will come and visit us and see how the construction is coming along....we'll even let you help if you want. The Lord has allowed me to acquire so much of the material for this building that I have to think it is the right time to build. I found the roof trusses at a yard sale, was given the barn wood for construction, stumbles across 2 matching screen door for the entrance and just this weekend was given over 300 bricks for the floor
Coincidence?? I don't think so. So anyway, I hope you will come out and see us. We will be open for business the first of May. Perennials, Primitives and just plain old stuff.