antique lockers

At an auction, I bought a set of antique lockers. It was the best $35 ever spent. I am absolutely in love with them! Black rusty metal... it is perfect in my farm home 💜

 

[ The lockers were unsold at the auction when I returned to pick up my purchases. I could not understand why someone would not buy it. I fell in love with the lockers at first sight. There was so much possibility! ] 

This set of antique lockers has been repurposed in my rustic farm home. Once I moved the set of lockers into my house, I realized how big it actually was. WOW! It is stunning in my living room. 

The top of the lockers was uneven. To it, I added a cross member from the old corn crib. I love how it looks! It creates contrast and polish. Such a warm feel! And, I adore the knot in the wood. It has so much character  💜

A rustic elegance is the vibe of the lockers. In styling, I used...
black + white photos
clock
antique turquoise canning jars
wood candlestick holder [ Magnolia Market in Waco, TX ] + black taper candle
table lamp
accent chair + frilly black pillow
palm

I framed three of my favorite black + white prints... two 8x10 and one 11x14 lean against the wall. It is pretty great being a photographer... it makes styling my farm home even more special. The framed photos create more height to the lockers. They are at the center of the lockers as the focus. And, I love the layering of the frames. It creates some texture and dimension. The antique canning jars in turquoise add a pop of color for a nice contrast. The wood candlestick holder [ on clearance at Magnolia Market in Waco, TX ] creates height and balance to my framed farm photos. The black taper candle coordinates with the black frames. A lamp on top of the lockers was perfect for this corner of my living room. 

. wood . glass . metal .

The styled lockers add so much coziness to my farm home! The wood, glass, and metal elements created a lot of warmth in the corner of my living room. In love. A plant and an accent chair really completes it.

I then decided to add the vintage bird cage I bought at an antique store while visiting a friend on a road trip to Texas. I had been trying to find the perfect place for it in my home, and I found it... in this corner.  

This corner! So in love 💜 I absolutely adore how it looks!

[ Since posting, I switched out the lamp. I chose a clear glass baluster lamp. I love it. It is even more perfect. ] 

kitchen shelving

. a farm find .

Years ago, I found shelves in a barn on our farm. When I spotted it, I fell in love. It needed to be in my rustic farm home. Fantastic pick off the farm!

 

 

The rustic wood shelving is a focal point in my kitchen. Over the years, it has been so much fun to style. The old shelving has so much charm. And, I add my rustic farm chic style to it. A 2.5' x 5'  antique slate chalkboard leans against the wall beside the shelving. The two look great together. In love!

[  Recently, I decided to make a small change in décor to the shelving. To our old cattle farm sign, I added antique ceiling tins and photos. Both needed the perfect spot in my home. On the shelving was it! It created a neat layered look. And, I am really into layering with my décor. This also added more height to the shelving against the wall. I am in love with how it looks!  ]

The barn board shelving is styled with some of my favorite things...

wooden family farm sign [ Jolen Shorthorns ]

tin ceiling tiles

a 1912 b&w shorthorn bull photo

purple glass lightning rod from a local antique store

antique brass numbered tag from our farm

antique turquoise Ball jars

turquoise insulator

dark brown pottery bowl [ my parents gave to me for a birthday ]



antique brass cow tag from our farm



On the second shelf are more favorites from the farm...





1965 WIU judging team





framed b&w print of my dad as a young boy on a Farmall H
antique Farmall oil can 
framed b&w print of my dad with the 1965 WIU judging team going to the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago

horse shoes

 

And, I could not resist this photo of my dad as a toddler with his favorite dog. So cute!

antique berry baskets [ found in Texas ]
antique Ball jars
vintage plates [ purchased at auction ]

On the second shelf, I placed the antique berry basket I fell in love with at an antique shop in Texas. To it, I added the dishes and turquoise jars. The dishes are so simple and sweet! They have a scalloped edge that is so cute. I love them! I made two stacks with the dishes to fill the shelf and to also display the antique jars. I sat a jar beside and on top of the dishes. This really added color to the shelf.  

 

Illinois Shorthorn sale catalogues
American Shorthorn Association membership certificates
Western Illinois University bull test certificate
The Shorthorn World

On the bottom shelf, I have some history from our 1943 Shorthorn cattle farm. My grandpa had kept catalogues from Illinois Shorthorn sales when he would sell heifers. I especially love seeing prices he had written in with pencil. In one catalogue there is a two-page photo with his cow herd grazing in the pasture. So special! In an issue of The Shorthorn World, he had placed a farm advertisement.



As a photographer, I adore photographs. They are always incorporated in my décor. Old family farm photos, or moments on the farm...they are in my rustic farm home.

This old shelving brings so much warmth to my farm kitchen. I love having it hold so many wonderful pieces. It makes my heart smile every time I see it.
 

rustic boho bedroom

[ rustic farm chic bedroom ]

Slowly, I have been styling my bedroom finding the perfect décor. I started with my antique bed and designed from there. My bedroom is a room I want to be comfortable, rustic, funky, and a little frilly. It is of a rustic boho inspiration.

 

My bedding coordinates but does not match because I wanted it to be unique. The fitted sheet is tan, and my flat sheet is brown. My comforter is a turquoise and white pattern + a nubby turquoise blanket [ a find @ Buc-cees in TX ]. I love pillows... so I have a lot of them. From shopping trips to Junk Gypsy in Round Top, Texas, I found two pillows... a 'dream big' pillow, and a pillow in shape of a camper 'wherever you go, go with all your heart'. So cute!

At the foot of my bed is a wood bench my dad made me years ago. On it, is a basket with pillows to add a soft and comfortable touch. I have a pillow from one of my favorite local stores, and a frilly cowgirl pillow from a road trip to Texas. I also have a pretty fern for some texture.

My nightstand is a file cabinet I painted. It holds a brown glass lamp, a 11 x 14 b & w framed print of O6, an antique turquoise ball jar, and a felt letter board with a message of 'but first... cows'. The file cabinet also neatly stores my favorite ball caps.

cow hide love

The carpet was torn out to show the original hardwood floor. And, I ordered a 6 x 9 sisal rug from Wayfair to compliment the floor. A cowhide rug also coordinates with the sisal rug. As a cow chick, I absolutely love my cow hide rug. These rugs add character, texture, and warmth to the room.

My curtains are from Target. They are a medium tan fabric with black stitching. The curtain panels are drawn together using jute twine. Along side my windows... I have two old, large wood doors. They were salvaged from a house. These gorgeous doors enlarge the wall and windows. They have so much charm. And, they add a lot of character to my bedroom. The antique doors are also perfect to hang photos!

 

From a barn on our farm, I found a chippy white paint table. It adds a rustic boho edge to my room. I adore it. I also have an old wood ladder leaning against the wall as a functional interest piece.  

I am in love with my bedroom. It has taken quite some time to style...but it was well worth it. My room is so cozy after a day on the farm.

farm chick favorite

One of my favorite finds from Texas was a Longhorn...

It is a Longhorn made of small branches. Oh my goodness. When I saw this Longhorn at a shop outside of Brenham, TX... I had to rope it. Ugh. It is so flipping cute! [ post from my road trip to TX ]

 

This Longhorn now has a new 'pasture' at my rustic farm home in IL! I am in love with it! It is just what this cow chick needed.

 

When I returned home from my road trip visiting Keri, I decided to turn my Longhorn out on my patio to graze. Since it is a planter, a beautiful plant will be a nice accent. We are nearing fall, so I bought a purple mum and kale. These plants will add a pop of color and texture throughout the fall. My Longhorn looks so cute on my rustic farm patio! In love!

 

 

When Illinois weather turns cold and snowy, I will have to bring my Longhorn inside for the winter.



#farmchickfavorite

summer road trip: 2018

[  IL - TX  ]

. follow your arrow...mine pointed towards Texas . 
 

So, I road tripped to Texas this summer...I love road trips! They are full of adventure and are good for my wandering gypsy spirit. I decided to drive to Texas to visit my friend, Keri...we always have a great time. And, it makes my heart smile with wonderful memories made.

On the way to Texas, I always pit stop in the Fort Worth Stockyards. During the summer, I love enjoying a burger from The Love Shack while sitting outside and soaking in the sunshine of Texas. This time I tasted the Dirty Love Burger...beef with bacon and quail egg. Yumm! It was so good! And of course, I have to go to the White Elephant Saloon for a cold beer... on tap was Revolver Blood and Honey.

Before leaving the old stockyards, I wandered into Lazy J Ranch Wear. Oh goodness. I loved this shop! Their Hereford tees and caps were crazy cute. This cap was adorable! It is my new favorite. I will most definitely be going back to their shop. [ tees will be in a future #farmchickfavorite blog post ]

On a pit stop in Waco, I rambled into The Findery. There, I found two pillows for my kitchen chairs. I had been wanting rustic pillows to make my kitchen chairs cozy. They are perfect!

 
A great way to live life...


lemon lavender cupcake

And while in Waco, I obviously roamed into the Silos Baking Co for cupcakes at the bakery! Of course, I brought home cupcakes for my parents to enjoy... chocolate with vanilla icing. I would be more than happy to back to the Silos Baking Co if my parents wanted more cupcakes...

 

One morning, I prowled around Whistle Stop Antiques in Giddings. Oh my goodness. I wanted all the things. This antique store was absolutely amazing. Seriously. I wish I had driven my truck to haul home everything I loved. I cannot wait to stop at this antique shop again! There were so many antiques that would be perfect for my rustic farm home. Berry baskets and flat, wash pan, chicken feeder, corbel, cow bell, and stool are what I picked at Whistle Stop Antiques. I am very excited to style them in my home!



This painting! Strolling around Round Top, we found this painting outside of a shop. I am in love with it. It is gorgeous!

Keri [ and Berkley ] and I enjoyed chatting over lunch in Round Top at The Garden Co. It is such a beautiful café to gather for lunch! And of course, we had iced coffees for the road.

 

my longhorn

We meandered through the Rustic Center. I loved seeing all of the beautiful clay pots and fountains. I ended up buying a longhorn while in Texas... a longhorn made of tree branches. It is a favorite! I am looking forward to displaying it on my patio. [ a #farmchickfavorite blog post to be written ]

 

A trip to Texas is not complete without a pair of boots. We stopped at South Texas Tack where I found a gorgeous pair. I love the smell of a boots.  

 

 

Sunsets on a cattle farm in Texas... it does not get much better. The sun through the Live Oak trees was glorious. I am very thankful for great friends that let me visit their cattle farm. 

While in Texas, I do love shopping and going to fun places to eat or have a drink... but, I enjoy spending time with a fellow cow chick. It is always great to see my good friend, Keri [ and Berkley ]. It is good for my soul. Every time I visit, I have such an amazing time and memories to forever cherish.

For the road back to the farm in Illinois, I had to have a little Blue Bell on the way... the perfect way to end an spectacular road trip.