Photo Capture of a Small Train Town

Having a love of all things vintage and crafty, we came across this cute little town, nestled in the shadow of a Mountain and I just had to take photos of it. With a population under 10,000 (2016), white fences with flower gardens galore and a Main Street with Cafes and local old time businesses, this town, less than and hour outside the metropolitan, had a perfect small town feel. Daily, trains run through it, blaring an announcement of their arrival, there are parks  in walking distance every block of the way and an old bridge which gets lit up the day after Thanksgiving. Quarterly, the city has a festival downtown filled with parades, daffodils, their famous rhubarb pie, Santa, crafts for kids and every boutique you can think of. The residents add to the ambiance of this town with their own charming homes. This is the kind of town, where you see "Yard Sale" and it's written on a chalkboard sign. The yards are filled with clocks and street lanterns, flowers and birdhouses, shuttered windows and garden gnomes. Here are a few pictures capturing some of the essence of this old train town. One of these days, I may get to include the festivals that fill the main street and the fields of berries that surround the town. For now, here are some shots from a few walks through town.

Some Shots off the Bridge

Blossoms & Front Yards

Every where you turn are gardens and blossoms galore. This town is well known for it's dogwood trees and blossoms

Among the flower gardens, you spy a piece of the patriotism that flows through this traditional town.

The residents of the town add to the charm you feel as you walk down the streets.

Main Street

..and of course, you can't fully experience the town with out slipping into a cafe and trying a piece of their raspberry-rhubarb pie.

HOME Decal, Flower Boxes and Signs

I designed this decal recently and I have fallen in love with it.  We've mostly used it for flower boxes but this last week I made it into a sign.

The inspiration for it was from a few different crafts I've done. I've been making a lot of these home tiles and love the substitute of Washington state for the O. I also really love this new font I got so I was hoping to combine the two and in such a way I could do it on the flower boxes.

It looked good but not completed. I had created this wheat wreath last Christmas for a wooden box. I had tried a few different borders with the HOME decal but this one had the 'farm house' feel I was going for and was simple but decorative.

I made the first box, which is approx 5x5" and sized the decal. I used Oracal 651 which should hold permanently to the stained box. Making one for myself helps so I can see how well it holds up.

Once I got going, it was easier to make more and I got a lot of positive feedback from them.

I have pictures where my "photo bomber" isn't so apparent but I love this one!

I was really hoping to make one for myself once things slowed down but we already have a lot of table decor so I decided to try the sign route. The sign is about 9x13". The wheat was MUCH easier to weed, making it even more desirable to make. I'm really happy with how it turned out. When I open my Etsy shop (plan is for this summer), I'm debating on selling just the decal in the two different sizes or selling the sign itself. I wonder what else I could make with the decal?