About Me

WELCOME to my blog! I'm Melanie from ONTARIO, CANADA.
I'm the wife of a wonderfully supportive husband & Mom of 5 amazing children.
(OH! and also 7 pets!)
I'm a woman of few words, but I created this blog to share my own farmhouse style interior design, every day family life on our 35 acre farm with apple orchard and of course my handmade RUSTIC FARMHOUSE 'WARES'.

My primary job is taking care of my large family and making our house a home.
Even though the house is usually a mess, I burn dinner a LOT and just may forget to feed the cats,
I still like to call myself a Domestic Engineer!!

My secondary job is working from home.
I sew, paint, refurbish/reupholster furniture & make handmade goods and have been selling from home for the last several years.
In the past some of my hand painted beach totes were being sold at Cottage North Soapworks, a local shop in Port Dover for which I am very grateful.
I design and create unique items made from antique textiles which I
have shipped around the world! I also do custom orders.
I sell through paypal. 
I am now the proprietor of RUSTIC FARMHOUSE WARES here in Norfolk County ON,
and plan to open a shop from home.

  

I have a flair for decorating and for farmhouse-inspired style and country aesthetics.
I took a Home Staging class at Fanshawe College, but I am really a self taught stylist/designer/artist.
A long time dream of mine came true when our home was featured in the May 2014 issue of PRAIRIE STYLE magazine.
Those photos were also featured in LANDHAUS Living magazine Feb. 2015 and we got the COVER SHOT!!
It was a great privilege to work alongside interiors & lifestyle photographer ROBIN STUBBERT and stylist KIM DAVIES.

Robin and I also did a SECOND photo shoot of our home & orchard,
which I produced & styled myself.
The exterior shots of that photo shoot are featured in PRAIRIE STYLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016, where I am listed as a contributing stylist.
I will keep you posted regarding the interior shots!
 

Through my blog I have met women from all over, kindred spirits, and some I can now call my great friends!
I am so inspired to be around such amazingly talented gals who support and encourage one another! Some have their own shops or market booths, and some have also had their homes featured in magazines as well.
And most are every day Moms like me trying to keep it all together!

a few of my Rustic Farmhouse WARES:

You can also find me on instagram as rusticfarmhousewares , pinterest & facebook as Rustic Farmhouse.

In a world where everything seems to be moving faster & faster and becoming more technologically advanced, I feel the need to slow things down and have a more simple home life.
The old simple ways seem to appeal to me more & more each day.
Growing a garden, collecting eggs from the coop, quiet evenings by the fire.
Living in a perfectly imperfect home filled with furniture and items that are old, chippy, cracked and worn that reflect days gone by.
I like items that have had a long past and if they could speak they would have lots of stories to tell. Antique nubby textiles weaved by women long ago, furniture and items with age written all over them make perfect Rustic Farmhouse style!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy your time here!
Mel

***UPDATE***
We have SOLD our farm and are starting a whole new adventure!
Please continue to follow along as we restore a beautiful c.1863 brick farmhouse!

click HERE to get your copy of  Country Sampler's PRAIRIE STYLE Summer 2016!


Thank you and I hope you enjoy your time here!!
Mel