The Farm Chicks Office Tour

When I started my Farm Chicks dreamin 2002, we were living in an small old schoolhouse at the base of Mt. Spokane and all of my work was done from the sofa and kitchen table. After we built our first home, the laundry roomdoubled as my office at first, shared with the folding counter and eventually we carved out a little space in a nook the size of a closet. Colin would always joke and call it “Farm Chicks World Headquarters” because it was so tiny. I loved that space and made it really cute but I did start to dream a bit about having my “work” away from the living areas of our home, so that I wouldn’t think about work when I was with my family. When we built our farmhouse, we decided to build an officefor me that was separate from the house. At first, we continued to call it World Headquarters but after a while it sounded kind of weird to us because the new space is much larger and the joke just sort of fizzled out and the name fell away. My family simply calls it my office these days.

I like for my office to be very clean and free of clutter, to keep my mind clear and not distracted in any way. I remember when I shared a visit to Country Living Magazine headquarters a couple of years ago and some readers were surprised to see that the offices weren’t decorated with a lot of clutter and were very clean and bright. When you’re always coming up with new projects, material, and content, it’s really wonderful to work in a space that’s clutter free!

Dreams continue to be formed and manifestedin this special space and I’m so thankful for the area to build large projects (like the installations for The Farm Chicks Fair), the natural light that always fills the space (even on the gloomiest of winter days), and the quiet that inspires me and allows me to form creative thoughts and plans.

Sources:

The Farm Chicks Sign: Recycled from an installationat The Farm Chicks Fair, made for me by Chase and Toby.

Hanging Barn Lights, 8 Compartment Cubbies, Cubbie Storage Boxes, Tall White Stools: Ikea

White Table and Plain White Chairs: Fred Meyer(Painted white by me and table covered with oilcloth from Cath Kidston).

Intricate White Painted Chairs: Purchased at The Farm Chicks Fair.

All of The Farm ChicksPosters are framed by Spokane Art Supply. Posters are available for sale each year at The Farm Chicks Fair.

Honey Tins: all vintage, collected by me over the years and gifts from friends.

Quilts: all vintage and acquired at The Farm Chicks Fair.

Grandma Greencolored Furniture: Martha Stewart. (This line was purchased from Home Decorator’s Club but similar is now being sold at Home Depot, found here).

HoWdY sign was handpainted for meby my dad, a copy of the original that hung in our Gypsy Wagonand was lost when our home burned down.

White Desk and White Chair: Pottery Barn.

Oilcloth on White Desk: Cath Kidston.

Serena Prize Ribbon: Handmade by Amanda Rydell.

Cheer Up Jar: Fishs Eddy.

IT'S ME, SERENA!

I bounced through the first years of my life in a hippie gypsy wagon, hand-built by my father, wandering the back roads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. My family eventually settled into a tiny cabin in the woods on property that was once inhabited by Native American Indians.

I spent my childhood days searching for arrowheads, teaching myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine and to bake in a wood-burning stove, with no running water, refrigeration, or electricity in our home. My family lived frugally and early on, inspired by my parent’s thriftiness and style, I gained a knack for thrifty creativity and turning ordinary objects into something useful. And I dreamed of the home I would create for my own family someday.

Now I’m married to my husband, Colin, and our children are all grown. After 24 years of producing The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair, I'm spending time visiting other markets around the world. You can watch episodes of Serena Goes to Market here.

I share more about my life story from time to time, here on my blog. You can also find me on Instagram, and Facebook.