{Throwback Series}...Farmer Family Christmas Card!

Proverbs 31 describes a woman of high character, a wife, a homemaker, a cherished lady and so amazingly too describes a beloved mother. This particular verse from Proverbs 31 kept running through my mind this past holiday season – our first without our Mama. But a thought kept running through my mind – a thought that pierced the chaos of the holidays, work, travel and life in general. It was a thought that the “Proverbs 31” woman was blessed – by her children. What a comfort and joy!!!

In the wake of losing a parent, kind words, delicious meals, warm thoughts, fond memories, heartfelt letters and cards and flowers and calls and texts and emails pour in after the fact. Then, there is the melting of the ice that packs around our mind and heart and you realize a month later, a few months later, a season or two later – whenever – that your parent is gone. And you are faced without the shield of shock with the brutal reality of your loss.

The “firsts” are the toughest I feel. The first birthdays, holidays, events and even simple life happenings without your Mama just wind your heart and soul into knots. Yet, you get through them. Peace finds its way amidst the disorder and disarray. Even your faith grows stronger too. Friends and family remember to call, write or simply send a text. Those notions mean the world you. And, somehow, you want to thank them all – thank them all from the bottom of a broken heart… but thank them nonetheless. You want to be as good a friend as they are to you – and you have refined their friendship like gold through a fire.

So, as Christmas came zooming at lightning speed towards us, I realized I just could not pull it together and send a card this year. Then, that verse in Proverbs kept pummeling through my mind and onto my heart. The Proverbs 31 woman is glorified by her duties, actions and love. So much so that even “her children rise up and call her blessed.” Blessed is the life – however it ends – for the children to rise up. That I feel is our honor, our duty and joy.

From the 2015 side of the holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year y’all! And thank you for all your love and support! Trust me, it means the world to us!

  

Merry Christmas Y'all

Merry Christmas from JFI!!!

Rejoice! Rejoice! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Perry! Carroll Street is festooned with greenery and lit up ever so lovingly – home for the holidays is truly a delight. We hope to see y’all downtown this Christmas season!

From all of us at James Farmer Inc, we wish the season’s blessings upon your homes – your homes and thus their stories that you have so graciously allowed us to be a part. 

Merry Christmas, y’all!

 (Jason, Sami, Stacey, James, Laura Lyn)

Red, White and Blue for a Holiday Tableau

There’s no denying it. I. Love. Plaid. My roommates at Auburn referred to my closet as the “Al Borland Collection.” You remember Al from Tim Allen’s Tool Time on Home Improvement… anyways. I do love plaid – especially blue plaid. And gingham, and Tattersall’s, and buffalo and cabin… ya’ll know this.

 

I love the geometry that plaids and checks create (geometry the only course of math in which I excelled) and I relish how the repletion of pattern creates order and style. For a tabletop in particular, I just cannot wait to blanket the board with a grid of gingham or plateau of plaid. Christmastime in particular is a plaid-tastic time of year – from the shirts to the pants to the socks and stockings and ribbons – plaid finds its way into our décor and into our wardrobes.

Teach a Man to Fish… or Farm! Or Just, Give a Goat!

Growing up with a farm, we had farm animals. Cows, chickens, ducks, geese, a pig or two and Marvin, our buffalo, made up a part of our menagerie. A few guineas, a pair of peacocks and of course dogs and cats rounded out our zoo. Mrs. Mary referred to my middle sister Maggie as “Ellie May” because of her love of all creatures great and small! As ardently as I loved the flora of our farm, Maggie loved the fauna. Meredith, aka “The Baby,” too loved the critters and squealed when the baby cows licked the sweet corn from her hand.

 

 
To quote Gerald O’Hara, “…land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts.” I love this!!!

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Christmas House

We’ve decked the halls, y’all! Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles presents their Christmas House in the lovely Chastain Park neighborhood, and Team Farmer is so glad to have a wonderful space to decorate! This is the last weekend to tour the house, so scoot on over!

With the help of Sami my assistant extraordinaire, Jason my project manager and Martin and Aaron from McCorquedale Transfer providing lifting, logistics and smarts, and of course, the ever gracious, fun, talented and best pal a Farmer can have Maggie Griffin, we got our room together and the house opened to the public.

 

 

Taking inspiration from the traditions of Christmases past with an eye for the future and staring up at a stairwell just begging to be a gallery, our Mudroom and Back Stair Hall became a warm and classic space with a touch of Christmas chic and a nod to a few of this Farmer’s Favorite things – red cabin check, Oushak rugs, blue and white china, simple greenery, red bows, and a Farmer’s dozen fabulous works of art depicting bucolic cow scenes – all on loan from the wonderful folks at The Madison Gallery through Foxglove Antiques.

I wanted the space to feel as if I found painting after painting stowed away in my grandmother’s attic - or maybe a great aunt - and collected these treasures for my gallery-like arrangement on a stair wall.  This display creates a heavenly scene leading the way to the guest room with exquisite paintings of farm life and this Farmer’s favorite farm animal, cows. I guess this is the result from growing up on a cattle farm.

We had a blast decorating the space and I cannot wait for the next show house – they are always an amazing opportunity! Hope y’all can make it!

My New “Old Kentucky Home”

When asked to be a part of a Christmas decorating event in Kentucky, I was first intrigued and then foaming at the mouth nearly to get started. The project would include outrageously talented designers, a venue with historical provenance, social circles this Farmer could only dream about, and Southern hostess the likes of which will always bring a smile to my face (and pang in my heart to not be with them every moment of every day…these ladies endeared themselves to me ever so dearly.) My “Old Kentucky Home” whirled throughout my mind that week and I had to amend it just a tad – so that the fair commonwealth would be my “NEW Kentucky Home.”
 

It is not everyday this Farmer gets the opportunity to work with a design hero and friend as well. Jon Carloftis is such a fellow, and I had the amazing task and pleasure of decorating for Christmas The Old Kentucky Governor’s Mansion in Frankfurt, Kentucky, last December. What a blast!! Jon, Dale and their crew made “work” way to much fun as always –such an awesome time!

Through the Years…

We all will be together… this line from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” chimed through my mind as I was setting my table. With sweet memories and poignant reflections, each element of the tablescape brought thoughts, stories and smiles to mind – the china, the linens, the glassware – all a part of a tablescape that has become near and dear to me.

Though this tablescape is very traditional – and the story of this tableau does commence with a woman great with child – it is not a parody of THE Christmas story by any means! 

 

My mother was truly great with child (yours truly) back in June of 1981. A stroll past an antique store in our small Southern town was the outing du jour for Mama on this particular day, hoping the jaunt would cause her carriage to soon deliver (I was over two weeks late and walks had become a part of her routine to entice delivery… sorry Mama for the inconvenience.) I digress…

As she perused through this particular store, she spotted a set of Johnson Brothers Christmas china that she wanted to purchase for her mama, the soon to be branded Mimi. The combination of a severely pregnant lady walking about in the sweltering Southern, early summer sun, and further coupled with the mindset many expecting mothers have (we must feather our nests, prepare for our children, buy Christmas china in June, yada, yada yada…) lead the shopkeeper to abate Mama’s pleas and lowball offer and sold her the set for a song. Mimi has been using this set now for thirty years, so I felt it apropos in using a few pieces for my Christmas table, with this coming June marking my entrance into the family thirty years ago.

 

The glasses, a gift from Aunt Kathy to Mimi and Granddaddy on their fiftieth wedding anniversary a few years ago, are monogrammed with a “G” for Granade - and the he claret red glass, gold leaf rims, and lettering are that perfect touch of elegant glam my table needed. They inspired the Jefferson cup arrangements filled with red roses and variegated boxwood sprigs to punctuate the tabletop with floral freshness. The Jefferson cup is shorter than a julep cup, more of a tumbler. Silver, pewter, copper and gold styles abound and these I found on a hunt through an antique mall now have their home with me, for they boast a “G.” I love to mix the initials of my surname and mother’s family maiden names – this mélange of initials gives representation of the generations at my table.

 

As for the linens, a mix is always fun! The hand embroidered cloth with candles, poinsettias, and holiday foliage is from Panama – a gift from a pair of dear friends who served as missionaries there. They brought this to us years ago and we all relish in the opportunity to use it. I use a round table my great-grandfather built as my dining room table, and I love to use different linens to herald the season. A sucker for checks, buffalo plaid and gingham, I used one of the red covers from my book launch party with buffalo check napkins – giving the delicateness of the table topper some pizzazz and punch.

 

Green chargers anchor the Christmas china and a wreath serves as centerpiece. Being round itself, it is the perfect center point for a round table, low enough to see over and to cloak a classic hurricane. A boxwood base, this wreath is filled with other Farmer’s seasonal favorites – preserved orange slices, dried pomegranates as a further Granade nod, pine cones, cinnamon sticks and a baby artichoke or two. Wreaths don’t have to don doors and windows alone!

The combo of this tablescape not only made my dining room merry and bright, it made me merrier and brighter. Faithful friends and family gather near to us – gather near the table. Set your tables with traditions and twists, and from this Farmer’s table to yours, hope you had yourself a merry little Christmas!

 

Wreaths – an Outward and Visible Sign of the Season

Frasier Fir, boxwood, magnolia, grapevine – all traditional bases for wreaths. We can pick them up at garden centers and Christmas tree vendors and even grocery stores, but sometimes it is fun to spice up ye olde wreath with some seasonal flair. In this December’s issue of Southern Living, I took some traditional wreaths up a notch or two to festively deck our halls, doors, windows and tables with versions of wreaths donned with a bit of Holiday zest.

Rosemary and grapefruit – two of this Farmer’s favorites! From their scents to their colors and flavors, the combo of these two can be appealing to many of the senses. Sliced grapefruit and Meyer lemons combined with Savannah holly foliage and berries on a boxwood wreath is garden glam at its best! Add fresh cut red roses in varying shades and sizes for a boost of elegance and fragrance. The jewel tones of the fruit and flowers on the deep green base are luscious!

Keeping it green – a basic Frasier Fir wreath spiked with artichokes, ivy and pine sets a green theme for this updated wreath. Pine cones and pheasant feathers ground the greens with earthy browns and textures that complement as well. The tapestry of greens in various hues, tints, shades, and textures makes this wreath at home in your home all through the holidays and even into winter! With the absence of holiday sparks such as red, this wreath is soothing yet warm for the coming winter months.

Summer Lovin’ for the Holidays – preserving your blue hydrangea blossoms is a garden living great! Using them for a Christmas wreath adds a dose of delicate blue that is sharp with the vivid reds and greens of the season. Nandina berries and its foliage punctuate the dried mopheads and dry well themselves! Kept out of direct sunlight, this wreath will last a long time, looking good in January too as a piece of post-Christmas door décor or winter tablescape.

 

Magnificent Magnolia – Magnolia wreaths are probably my favorite in their sheer simplicity and versatility. Magnolia is a year-round décor element in my opinion and Christmas may be the swan song of this Southern staple’s regimen. Burford holly berries and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) snuggle into the broad leaves of this magnolia wreath. Textural complements of the fine Cryptomeria foliage and the magnolia is striking and the bold red berries of the holly punctuate the wreath with some of the season’s best. This wreath is easily made from the trappings of many Southern gardens, for magnolia, Cryptomeria and Burford holly abound.

 

Cinnamon Twist – Taking a good ol’ grapevine wreath and weaving in some fantastic foliage is an easy way to boost this simple form from drab to fab! Eucalyptus, rosemary, magnolia leaves and sliced Meyer lemons all intertwine the grapevine. A bow of cinnamon sticks further enhances the amazing aroma this wreath boasts and picks up on the color of the magnolia leaves backing. Another wreath well suited for not only the holidays, this wreath can celebrate the winter season, for citrus is a Southern winter crop, rosemary is evergreen in the Deep South and eucalyptus can be found growing in many a Southern garden. If your garden isn’t growing deep in Dixieland, then your florists and craft shop should have all these same elements.

Take a traditional wreath and jazz it up. Remember this Farmer’s “Three F’s” to making an arrangement fabulous – fruit, flowers, and foliage. A fourth “F” of “feathers” never hurts either! These wreaths are apropos all through the holidays and even into January.  From the vow’s Granddaddy uses when performing wedding ceremonies, “the ring is an outward and visible sign of…” May these wreaths be your outward, visible sign of the holiday season! From this Farmer’s garden to yours, Merry Christmas and happiest of holidays to you and yours!

Holiday 2011

Well ladies and gents, this book tour has come to a close for 2011 and this Farmer is humbled by the reception my book and I have had across the country! We have slap sold out of books! Second printing coming soon!

I’ve been doing some fun decorating this season and wanted to share a few things with you. No shock here, but I am still obsessed with peach/salmon/ coral orange and how fab it looks for the holidays! Of course, you can’t forget red and green but mix them all together and you’ve got something pretty grand! From the julep cups filled with my favorite hues to mantles laden with holiday splendor, I hope you enjoy these pics! Another note of fun, I’m going to chat on Martha Stewart XM Radio on Monday, December 12, 2011 at 1 o’clock EST… hope you can catch it but if not, enjoy these tips for this marvelous season! Merry Merry!!!

1.       Remember the Rosemary! During the holidays, one of the quintessential herbs of the season, Rosemary is not only fabulous for flavor but great for décor as well. Rosemary pairs lovely with pork, chicken and beef but the savory nature can go sweet with apples, pears, and even pecans. Roasted Rosemary Pecans are a favorite and my Mimi’s Apple Pie with Rosemary and Pecans is divine! Even Rosemary Ice Cream is so good with desserts this time of year. I also love to use rosemary as greenery with red roses in julep cups for bouquets and also as a key ingredient in my Farmer’s Garden Wassail.

 

2.       A Twist on Traditional Red and Green – I love to use red and green for the holidays but a twist on this tradition is to take shades and hues of pinks or oranges and mix in for a splash of other colors. Taking peach and salmon colored amaryllis, tulip and roses and mixing them with cedar blue greenery gives a lovely touch to the classic color combo. Pink can be used in the same fashion and pairs so well with brown pinecones, cinnamon sticks, and lotus pods.

 

3.       Think green – tone on tone décor of greens is classic and crisp. Shades and hues of nature’s neutral color can be layered upon one another and accented with green fruit. Green apples, grapes, limes or pears tuck in boughs of pine, cedar, cypress and holly is simply divine! Going green is so chic! Wreaths, centerpieces, and mantles can be adorned in a green on green scheme that looks great well after the holiday too. Your friends and neighbors will be green with envy!

 

4.       Have a Blue Christmas – if red and green ain’t your thing, try a blue Christmas! Blue cedar berries, ligustrum or privet berries, blue cypress and even hydrangeas make gorgeous tableaus when set in silver containers, blue and white jardinières, or creamware. This cool palette is fantastic with an accent of chartreuse or lime green too. take some gorgeous blue and white jars, fill them with blue spruce, cedar berries and some blue hydrangeas and then garnish the ledge with a garland of the same, and you’ll have a blue Christmas that’s nothing shy of spectacular!

5.       Think Inside the Fruit – grapefruit, pomegranates, oranges, lemons and limes – so gorgeous inside and amazing with greenery and holly berries, this little slice of décor advice will take your bland holiday to the next level. Gorgeous coral, ruby red, garnet, jade green and topaz yellow colors, like jewels, are the actual inside colors of these fruits. Wired to wreaths, donned on mantles, and accenting centerpieces, make a statement with sliced fruit for your own holiday event!

 

6.       The Farmer’s Christmas Sweet Tea – a holiday twist on a classic Southern drink, this version of my sweet tea recipe will welcome you and your guests to the holiday table. Delicious hot or cold, serve this drink however you fancy or depending on the weather. If it is frightful, then serve warm. If you’re having a sunny, warm holiday, then iced is totally apropos. Scents from the season and garden fill this recipe and engage the senses to celebrate this time of year.

Whatever or wherever you are this Christmas season, I wish that all is Merry and Bright! From this Farmer’s kitchen and garden to yours, Merry Christmas!!

And just for fun....here are more pics.

The Farmer, Fox 5, Fruit and Flowers

For a segment on Atlanta’s Fox Five this past week on holiday centerpieces, this Farmer created a few different portrayals of pizzazz for your very own holiday tableaux. From a more modern usage of fruit, thick glass, and moss to a classic green and white wreathed pieced to a fancy and fruitful formal homage to the season, I had a ball creating these for this segment. Here are some details on making your own holiday centerpieces and arrangements! 

• Modern Shades… shades of red such as garnet, ruby, deep coral can be found in pomegranates, apples, and pears. Try pairing pomegranates with oranges in a thick, cut glass container for a Mod Squad approach to centerpieces. Using floral picks or shish kabob skewers, anchor the fruit into a block of oasis surrounded by lovely moss for an updated look with classic elements. Use some chartreuse reindeer moss for a pop and tuck in some holly leaves for additional color. Williamsburg meets modernity! I love it!

• From Christmas to New Year’s and Beyond! Try using a green, brown, and white palette that will hail the holidays and look great into the New Year. Pine, pine cones, cabbages, cedar, and holly are all over the garden and woods and look super with pillar candles arranged in different heights. A few lime green apples make the tapestry of greens POP and a ‘Little Gem’ magnolia leaf or two keeps the brown and green as a killer combo. Use this all holiday season long and into January for a gorgeous look! Plus, this arrangement is textured galore!

• Who says ya gotta use red and green? If you‘re not aware, this Farmer loves shades, tints, and hues of oranges. From salmon, to peach, coral and copper, mixing different variations of this color is lovely mixed with greens. Sliced grapefruit and pomegranates and a touch of red from Winter Berry (Ilex verticilata), makes this combo fit right into the holiday season. A few orchids, callas, amaryllis, David Austen roses set in a creamware tureen – ah!!!! Just divine! And if visually this arrangement isn’t enough, the smell of the grapefruits and greenery is heavenly with that twinge of spicy sweet from the orchids.

Go put your garden to bed for the winter, trimming your evergreens for holiday décor! Add some fresh fruit, a modern twist, or candles for your centerpieces and enjoy the party! Whether you have a house full of heavenly hosts or just you, make something special for your centerpiece. From this Farmer’s holiday tableaux to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Farmer’s Garden Wassail – Here We Come a Wassailing-

“…Among the leaves so green…

love and joy come to you,

and to you your wassail too,

and God bless you and send you a happy new year,

and God send you a happy new year.” 

Though I’ve never actually gone wassailing per say, I have though, made a batch of wassail to fill my home with the scents of the season and share with friends and family. This Farmer’s wassail incorporates the garden and seasonal produce that will pack your home with fragrance for days to come. I actually make two versions of this wassail… the base basically the same for both, but one is much better for ingesting than the other, mainly because of the presence of sugar. 

Wassailing is actually an act of celebrating somewhat noisily while drinking a concoction, wassail, of warm beer or wine seasoned with spices and fruit. An English tradition that was brought to the colonies, wassailing and making wassail became a source of delight, warmth, season’s greetings, and entertainment for merry folk; and rightly so! Making and sharing wassail is merry and bright! 

A small pot, simple ingredients, and a few minutes – that’s all one needs for wassail making. Stir the pot occasionally as it sits on a low heat, gently simmering and perfuming your home with the aromas of its elements. Said elements – oranges, cinnamon, cloves, tea, rosemary, and juniper – are readily available from the garden and grocery. Citrus is coming in by the truckloads from my neighbor state to the south, and oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and the like have always been a part of our holiday season tableaux.   

     

Make some wassail for you and yours: it is a perfect gift to give your neighbors, friends, hosts and hostess as a party favor from your own holiday bash. Add this batch to this Farmer’s sweet tea and you’ll have your very own delicious Christmas cocktail – Arnold Palmer meets Santa! From this Farmer’s garden, Merry Christmas, and may God bless you and send you a Happy New Year!  

The Farmer’s Garden Wassail

4 cups of water

2 small oranges sliced into rounds

2 bags of Earl Grey Tea

2 tablespoons of whole cloves

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

3 small cinnamon sticks

2 stems of rosemary

1 cluster of juniper berries

Combine all ingredients into a small to medium sized pot and simmer on low heat, stirring as you pass by the stove! Enjoy for a few days and serve hot with the Farmer’s Sweet Tea. Merry Merry!