By Zan Asha

 

BIRDSare singing, flowers are blooming, and the sun finally peeks out after months of unending winter weather. Now would be a great time to pull out some spring and summer essentials, right? We think so, and we've searched online to find some of the most quaint, charming, off-the-beaten-path interesting stuff to add "spring" to you step for Spring and Summer!

Lehman's.com - If you haven't heard of Lehman's yet, you're really missing out. This store carries most of your "farmgirl" essentials, including outdoor gear, old fashioned garden supplies, natural foods and beauty care, even replica wood stoves, for goodness sake! A treasure trove of items awaits you!

If you're the gardening type, Smith and Hawken is the online place for you! They have all sorts of lovely outdoor garden and patio merchandise, including gardening implements, outdoor kitchens, firepits, patio furniture and lanterns, and much more!

Don't want to spend too much on seeds?

If you're looking for some good old fashioned sewn aprons, bibs, pet blankets, heating pads and MUCH more nostalgia, Stitchthrutime.com is the place to shop. Men's, women's, and children's aprons are just the tip of the iceberg. Old Fashioned cooking utensils, recipes, and pet items are also included in a large smorgasbord of whimsical items for kitchen and home.

For lovely adventures on your lawn--why not try the classical approach? Have a wonderful TEA PARTY with the help of Tea With Grace, which carries, beautiful tea sets and accessories, including children's tea party items. For the boys--and girls--who want more outdoor fun...First Steps Outdoor Gear has all sorts of camping and adventure equipment for children (and pets!) including hiking, mountain climbing, rafting, cycling, and more!

For the stay at home types, adventure and learning can still be had! Farm-women and all around crafty folk can delight in online classes in Quilting from Quilt University, learning to knit with KnitHelp.com, and making paper, fabric, and doll crafts from Crafty College.

 

If you are looking for total emersion in craft and other fun, folksy classes, why not go all the way and actually attend a school? The John C. Campbell Folk School, located in Brasstown, NC, is one of the only schools in the US to boast teaching the "old fashioned" arts, such as blacksmithing, fiddling, tinsmithing, pottery, and needlecrafts, to name a few classes regularly held in week-long intensives. Want something a little further North? Try North House Folk School in Minnesota, which has a very similar curriculum....Learn, have fun, and find perspective in what hopefully isn't a by-gone era!

 

What better way to celebrate summer than with a cold, tasty icecream cone? Summer isn't summer without icecream, right? So why not go online to make your own, and even name it? ECreamery is the premiere online icecream shoppe where you can actually CREATE your own flavor, choosing from fresh ingredients, and have it shipped to you. Fun base flavors, additions, and toppings make your icecream unique, and you get to name your icecream at the end!

 

Finally, make a spring or summery statement: Shade your head with some lovely hats from The Village Hat Shoppe or The Hat Junkie, put up your feet, and relax!

Have a great Spring and Summer, everyone!