A Peek Inside Prims and a Giveaway....

One of my favorite styles to create is Primitive Country.

I have been making my own style of primitive country for years. 

I sell a lot of that style locally at festivals and shows.

So I am over the moon to share that I am within the pages of the current issue of Prims from Stampington and Company.

It is a great issue for fall and winter.

Let's peek at a few inspiring projects within this issue.

There are so many cute characters.

I am going to make some of these great pumpkins and turkeys from Renee Tousignant.

I love the simplicity of her designs.

This fabulous ghost would look haunting on anyone's front door.

Angela Clark Prater is brilliant.

This little primitive pumpkin gal is just the right amount of sweet from Trudy Honeycutt...

There are pieces from Chuck McClenning that look like authentic vintage Halloween pieces.

 Once I refine my skills, I may attempt something as fabulous as this cat from Carly Smith.

If you are already thinking winter, have no fear...

There are plenty of those too.

Like these little guys from Char Hosea.

Or this little guy that utilizes a recycled can from Heather Ledyard Hodges.

I am definitely going to work on some pieces that this project will inspire.

And nestled in the gallery pages are these little guys and gals...

Made from socks.

Really....

How do I know?

I made them....

And here they are...

I am over the moon proud.

I made this little block snowman too.

So, is primitive country a style that calls out to you?

If it is and you would like a chance to win a copy of Prims for yourself, leave a comment below about your favorite project shown and you will be entered for a chance to win.

A winner will be chosen next Tuesday and announced Wednesday here on the blog.

Stampington will send it right to you.

Thanks for stopping by....

Felt Snowman Ornaments

Remember I wanted to share a couple ornaments with you each month?

These little hand-stitched felt snowmen are the perfect little project when it is cold outside.

Just think, an evening of stitching while watching your favorite movie will leave you with several cute snowmen for Christmas 2015.

You will need:

felt (I used white, orange and a pale blue)

buttons

scissors

a circle to trace in the size you want (a glass, small plate, bowl)

thread (I love using cotton crochet thread)

a needle

marker

stuffing

Trace and cut out two circles.

Cut a carrot nose shape from the orange felt.

Stich the eyes and nose to one of the circles.

Blanket stitch the circle.

Before closing, stuff with a little bit of poly-fill stuffing.

Finish stitching closed.

Add a loop of thread for your hanger.

The next little guy is similar.

Use two pieces of the light blue felt for your circles.

Trace a white circle and trim away some of it so the blue felt shows along the one edge.

Stitch and stuff as described before.

I ususally do things in steps.

I trace all my pieces.

Cut out all my pieces.

Lay the pieces for each ornament together .

Then I sit down to start stittching.

I love hand sewing.

 I find it very relaxing...

It is perfect for this time of year when it is so cold outside.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these blogs...

Stiffened Fabric Snowmen Ornaments

Now that Christmas is over, I realized I still had lots of ornaments I never got a chance to share with you.

I don't want to wait until next year...

So I decided to share a couple each month throughout the year.

  If you make a few with me each time, we will both have enough for gifts and tree decorating come December 2015.

Today I want to share some stiffened fabric snowmen.

They are perfect for this time of year.

I start by cutting circles and ovals from a variety of fabrics.

Then I mix white glue, a strong coffee mixture, and some ground cinnamon.

I wear latex gloves and dip each piece of fabric in the glue mixture.

Make sure it is completely saturated with the mixture.

Then I squeeze it out and flatten it out.

I lay it on a tray to dry.

Then the fun begins...

This fellow is made from white felt.

He gets a cinnamon stick nose, button eyes and a piece of garland for a halo.

To hang, he has a twirled piece of rebar wire.

The next little fellow is made from a scrap of old bedspread.

His nose is a scrap of orange felt.

Cheesecloth serves as a raggedy scarf.

He also has a twisted wire hanger but it is more of a spiral.

This little guy had his nose glued on before I stained and stiffened him.

It gives him a different look.


He is also made from Warm and Natural cotton batting.

Little half-round eyes, blush cheeks and a scrap of homespun give him his look.

For the hanger, I just glued a piece of twine to the back of the circle.

I am always amazed how changing an element can change the snowman's whole personality.

A different shaped base, varied buttons and homespun in different colors and patterns can change the whole look of him or her.

These are a quick and easy craft.

One you could easily do with children.

I think they would love squeezing out the gooey glue.

The fabric buttons give this guy a different look at well.

Changing the angle of the nose makes quite a difference.

Whether you have snow where you are now or not, I hope you feel inspired to make some little snowfolk of your own.

Thanks for stopping by.....

Linking up with these great blogs...

Polymer clay Snowman ornaments

I was playing with polymer clay recently.

I wanted to make some fun Christmas ornaments for the tree.

I rolled a little ball of Sculpey Original white clay into small balls and pinched and rolled to make a little nose.

I used a skewer to make a more defined edge at the bas of the nose.

I cut a small piece of wire and bent it into a U shape.

I pushed it into the top of the snowman head.

I also pushed 2 half round eyes into the clay.

Then I followed the manufacturer's directions to bake them in the toaster oven.

I have one dedicated to clay only on my covered back porch.

It was really cold when I baked them.

This caused two issues.

Some of the noses got a little singed.

And the eyes got a little melted if they touched the tray.

They each got a quick touch up for their noses with DecoArt's Tangelo Orange.

I added a little twine loop for hanging.

This little fellow is so cute.  you can see his eye was touching the tray.

Gives him character.

These are little.

They would be perfect for a mini tree.

It is a great craft for kids and could be done in an evening.

They would also look sweet as a package tag...

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these amazing blogs...

First Fall Show

I had my first fall show last weekend.

It's the biggest I do anymore.

Thought I would show you a little bit of the booth.

It was super busy right away Saturday so these photos were actually taken Sunday morning.

I love the sheer curtains.

  I feel like they look a little different than other  booths.

My trunk of pumpkins up front is one of my favorite display pieces. 

 This is the only show I use it for.

It is quite large.

There are all kinds of pumpkins in it...

Sweater pumpkins, burlap pumpkins, fancy pumpkins...

My favorites right now are the fairy tale pumpkins...

So frilly and lacy and fun.

Some have sweet tags added.

Some have a touch of mica glitter for frost on the pumpkin...

There was lots of jewelry.

I love this long wooden tray I found. 

 It looks great with bracelets in it.

I set it on top of the open trunk lid.

fabric, clay, beads, leather...

This wooden tray is filled with washi tape bracelets and rose bangles.

Stamped heart charms  fill a silver pedestal.

I used to have old shutters along the back of the booth side and I hung necklaces on those.

Things got tangled and occasionally the shutters fell or blew over even though they were clamped to the table.

So I changed it up this year.

Necklaces were put individually or in sets on old book covers that were discarded after a book sale.

Then I nestled them in old suitcases.

Trays and other displays held key chains and necklace charms.

In the center of the booth, I tried a couple spinning racks I bought from a fellow crafter last year.

They were perfect for snowmen, jars and such.

The other side of the booth is the primitive country side.

There is some jewelry and such mixed in.

The crates are from a local orchard.

I always have too much stuff to do perfect vignettes in the crates...  

Someday...

 This spinning card rack was a freebie from a local shop that is no longer open.

It perfectly holds my handmade cards.

I did another show this weekend but it was so cold and windy I did not take any photos.

Luckily, the next two shows are inside.

Thanks for stopping by...