A warm welcome to you from Sheepy Hollow Farm & Studio where we create whimsical, folky, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces for holidays, special occasions or just for yourself!
Our journey began over two decades ago when we purchased a former hay-field as we traveled ‘the back roads’. Our 30-acre farmstead has grown and evolved over the many years. We are located off-the-beaten-path in rural Armada Township (in northern Macomb County), at 73910 Coon Creek Road between Armada Center Road and 34 Mile Road, Michigan 48005. You may email me privately at grdepa@yahoo.com
After choosing to ‘retire’ as an environmental engineer (a career-in-the-making for over 23-years!) from a major automotive company… to be a stay-at-home mom to my two children… Sheepy Hollow Herbs, LLC was born. My small shop is located in an outbuilding here at the farm. Current on-line inquiries to my former website www.sheepyhollowherbs.com will be re-directed here, to Sheepy Hollow Farm Journal. For those of you who can’t visit the farm, you may also find a small selection of my farm hand-made items at ETSY (an on-line shop for artisans featuring hand-made wares for sale) under my seller name SheepyHollow at http://www.sheepyhollow.etsy.com .
As I mentioned, I’m a ’retired’ automotive environmental engineer specializing in wastewater compliance. Several years ago I left the corporate rat-race (I drove 60 miles one-way into the city…YUK!) to stay at home and raise my two children. I have subsequently started a cottage business, Sheepy Hollow Herbs, LLC, where I raise U-Pick organic lavender and other herbs for culinary, floral and medicinal uses. Our herbs are naturally grown, sold fresh-picked, a limited selection of dried herbs, or used as an ingredient in our hand-crafted herbal sundries and goat’s milk soap.
We also share our small farmstead with several beloved barnyard animals including my daughter’s Kentucky Rocky Mountain Saddle horse, a small ‘spinners’ flock of Shetland sheep for their lovely fiber, Alpine and Oberhasli dairy goats for their delicious milk (for cheesemaking and our hand-crafted goat’s milk soap), rabbits, chickens (gotta have fresh eggs!), 2 dogs for predator watch and several barn cats, our resident mousers. Our most recent addition to our ‘family’ is Brutus, a Pygora wether. Not a dairy goat, but a FIBER goat! Brutus is a cross between an Angora goat (which produces lustrous mohair) and a Pygmy goat, often producing soft, down-like cashmere. Brutus produces ‘TYPE B’ fiber. A wonderful fiber addition to my spinner’s flock! WELCOME BRUTUS!
Besides being a Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) advanced certified master gardener, I’m also a self-taught fiber artist – I do love my sheepies! Their beautiful wool often finds its way into my shop where I create one-of-a-kind primitive sheepy folk art, hand-made woolies, natural and hand-dyed wool batts, roving and yarn, herbal sundries and goat’s milk soap for sale. I am inspired by nature, antiques, history and my emotions. I practice earth-friendly ‘green’ (long before it became a buzz word)methods on the farm, both in the garden and animal husbandry.
Next time you find yourself in my neck of the woods, I hope you’ll drop by and say ‘howdy’! Shop hours: April thru December, Tuesday by chance, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and year-round by appointment. Please call me for additional info at 586-784-8328 ~~~ OR ~~~~ email me at grdepa@yahoo.com
♥blessings, Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I was just at your beautiful home tonight for the 4H meeting. Thanks for hosting! I was speaking to Anne Mills about my home business, Amelie Jo American Baby Boutique. Since you make American goods, I thought that you might want to check out my site and blog. If you ever decide to create a line for babies let me know.
Best Wishes,
Anna
Hi Anna! Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk…or you could have toured my shop. I do some baby items; we should follow-up. My focus has been on my sheepies wool and goat’s milk soap & herbals. Jen
I’d love to come out and see your baby items. Please let me know when a good time is!
Hi Jenny,
I must have those baby booties for Amelie. Do you carry them in your shop? I’ll try to find you at the Armada Fair on Wednesday!
hi anna!
aren’t they cute? i make ‘em & sell ‘em as time allows…don’t really stock them in the shop. hope to see you at the fair! jen
would love to come out and visit your farm this summer. Just read you web site and share your love and enthusiasm for till the earth and loving your animals. Even though I’m a city dweller, my heart is in the country
Mary, do plan a visit! There’s always something ‘new’ with every season on the farm. I keep regular shop hours, but welcome drop-ins…plan to call ahead of time to make sure I’m home! Happy Day! Jen
hi jenny, i have a wonderful mlberry tree near the driveway. It is old and almost got wiped out by a late frost a few years ago, but this year it is “bloomin- prolific” .. Would it be a good idea to freeze some of the ripe berries for future dyeing projects ? If i freeze them will the half ripe berries produce the saame color as the ripened fruti ? What do you think—-into the freeze or onto the driveway ??
If you have an adventurous soul and love to experiment, it’s into the freezer for future dye projects (ya know, some folks would envy your culinary berry stash for mulberry ‘jam’). I would select the ripened fruit; I’m told salt is a good ‘fixative’ to use with berries. I personally have never dyed w/mulberries. I’d love to hear about your dye results! Dyer’s mulberry is known as fustic, and actually produces yellow’s from the wood chips. Earth Guild http://www.earthguild.com is a nice resource for natural dyeing tips and supplies. Happy dyeing!
Hi Jen,
Teemie
I am SUCH a fan of your blog!! We’ll talk soon
Hey guys!
Haven’t heard from you in a while about Cool Cat! I actually lost touch with Katie when my email went down for a while (can’t find her email address). Just wondering how everything has been going with the farm and the horse. It took some thinking but I finally remembered the farms name and found your blog!
Hi Mike! Katie said you lost touch…she’ll be happy to hear from you! Cool Cat is doing great. Yesterday he was pawing and ‘rolling’ in a ‘lake’ that flooded his paddock from the recent rain. Silly horse…