A New Year

January 4, 2017January 8, 2017 ~ Martha B.

January celebrates the tenth year for Nibs. Hard to imagine that back in 2007 when I started blogging, my son Curtis was so young and now… now he’s off on his own in Europe. Wow! How time flies!

Nibs has proven to be a great refuge these past ten years. I enjoyed escaping for a few hours to explore and create an idea in fashion, decorating or photography. As I start the new year 2017 (and hopefully a new decade) I’m setting a few goals-

1. Return to photographing on a more consistent basis

2. Share about our life on the farm

3. Pursue some fun projects I’ve had on the back burner

4. Continue reading books

Wish I would do something not listed? Leave a comment.

Here’s to wonderful beginnings!

(Photo- Martha Browne)

July/August- Person, Place & Thing

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016 ~ Martha B. ~ 2 Comments

Person- A candid portrait of a quiet and honorable man…my dad.

Place- We, along with close friends, scouted out the town of Brevard, NC for the day. If you’re in that area, I recommend making a stop at Underground Salvage, Co. They carry all kinds of hardware, doors, windows, sinks and reclaimed lumber.Thing- Local farmers warn me about the dangers of ‘false dandelion‘ and its toxic effect on horses.

(Photos- Martha Browne)

Boden Clothing Display

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 ~ Martha B.

Years ago, I did window display work for Laura Ashley and later for Nordstrom. When I came across this styling effort from Boden, I couldn’t help but think- wow, what a fun idea for a young teen’s fashion window.

May/June- Person, Place & Thing

June 29, 2016July 3, 2016 ~ Martha B.

Person- Abbi is one of ten portraits I displayed as part of a community photography exhibit.

Place- Graduation day at UNC at Chapel Hill. Curtis joined over three thousand students to receive their diplomas.

Thing- I love how comical these horses look in their mesh fly masks.

(Photos- Martha Browne)

Family Life- On His Own

June 28, 2016 ~ Martha B. ~ 5 Comments

Our son Curtis spent a few weeks home before heading off on his own to travel. Top of the list was to hike to the Trolltunga cliff in Norway. After a ten hour hike (sixteen miles) in a mere! seven hours, he was beat. But he said the view was spectacular. And yes…that’s Curtis on the edge.

Related Nibs post-

Family Life- Childhood To Manhood

Family Life- Daily Chore

March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 ~ Martha B. ~ 4 Comments

6 a.m. Every morning my two donkeys (Boppy & Patrick) bray for their breakfast. After they’re done eating it’s time to muck out the stall.

Farm fashion- Cape, wool jacket, overalls, rain boots and manure fork.

(Photo-Martha Browne)

Decorating Our Farmhouse

March 22, 2016March 22, 2016 ~ Martha B. ~ 4 Comments

Lots of readers have emailed me the question- “What have you been doing inside the farmhouse?” The last time I wrote about decorating, Scott was busy with the bookshelves. Well…we finished those in early November. Then just before the holidays, I managed to paint walls/trim in the living room and dining room. In between paint coats, I shopped for furniture at Goodwill ( I hit the jackpot with a sofa and chairs) and off they went to be slipcovered. Weekly trips to local antique shops unearthed all kinds of wonderful things. This spring and summer we’ll begin working on the kitchen.

(Photos- Martha Browne)

Family Life- Decorating

November 3, 2015 ~ Martha B. ~ 3 Comments

Moving is one of the top ten most stressful things a person can do, but decorating a new place can relieve the stress…at least it does for me. It’s been over fifteen years since I’ve done a whole house and I’m having fun shopping for fabrics, paint colors and antiques.

Right now the dining room is at the top of the my list. This room will serve multiple functions- dining, library and a bed for overnight guests. Our first project was to design and build shelves for the loads of unpacked boxes of books. We left the back exposed and used cleats to showcase the house’s planking.

(Photo- Martha Browne)

September- Person, Place & Thing

September 19, 2015 ~ Martha B.

Person- I met this farmer at our town’s local farmer’s market. He had the best tomatoes.

Place- We downsized to a small farmhouse built c. 1865-1870. The first owners were the Caldwell family who emigrated from Ireland in 1766. After a long and interesting history (which I’ll share later) it’s now our turn to be caretakers.