Old and Made

OLD

 MADE

 OLD

 MADE

 OLD

 MADE

karen

Primitive Pumpkins

When I'm out browsing the flea markets I always come across a booth or two with handmade primitive folk art.  I love the stuff, but rarely purchase it because I know I can make similar items myself.

Last weekend was no exception.

I came across a wonderful booth all decked out in Primitive Fall Folk Art.

This time I actually got busy and made myself a few simple pieces.

I made these pumpkins from an old chenille bedspread and stained them with a mixture of strong instant coffee and vanilla nut flavoring. They have a wonderful fragrance just like the gift shop candles that smell of gourmet coffee.

 The basket was a flea market find that I got for just $2 and the leaves and sunflowers are from my garden.

 These were made from an old pillow case and a tattered doily.

 I just love Fall.

Don't you?

karen

Gifts From My Friend

Last week was a week filled with emotions, both good and bad.

Since this is my HAPPY go to place, I'm going to share the good.

I received two wonderful packages from my dear friend Marcie, filled with the most wonderful folk art ever and I just had to share some photos. 

This is one of the dolls. I just love her.

 And this sweet dog, looks like my Jack.

 A tiny plush pony in a special pouch.

All stitched up by hand with pattern included.

 And these crows are just two of the amazing handmade birds.

I love them all, but these are my favorite!

 Did I mention how much I love the crows?

They are painted fabric that feel and look like leather.

 Such sweet horses.

A mama and a baby.

 Great big fruit.

How fun!!!

 A stack of special papers for framing and for crafting.

These are but a few of the wonderful handmade goodies that I received from Marcie.

It was the best part of my week.

Thank you Marcie!

karen

Primitive Hanging Cone

Thick jute is a bit difficult to work with, but gives you a nice primitive natural look.

Crocheted in a spiral pattern in back loops only,

 I started with a small circle of single crochet and added random stitches to increase as I went along.

I attached 4 evenly spaced jute cords at the top for hanging and embellished it with buttons cut from vintage deer antlers that were found in my mother's basement. 

Now I need to decide what I'm going to put in there.

A plant would be the obvious choice, but I thought it might make a nice home for my collection of vintage wooden knitting needles.

What do you think?

karen

Primitive Hearts

As the snow continues to pile up around here, I find myself sorting through some of last summers flea market finds. Odds and ends that I picked up with the intention of using as craft supplies.

These primitive hearts were stitched together in a sort of wreath, but were coming apart.

 I added a few old buttons...

 and some string...

They are hanging in my kitchen until Valentine's Day and then they will go into the Jar of Hearts.

karen

Primitive Valentines

Hi.

I'm taking a short break from the jewelry making as I wait for some supplies to arrive.

I don't usually do much decorating for Valentine's Day, but as I rummaged through my craft supplies, I figured, what the heck, I have all of this STUFF,  I may as well do something with it. So, my next few posts will be devoted to handmade valentines.

This is my rusty heart tart tin hanging thingy.

It consists of three rusty heart tarts, a piece of driftwood, some jute twine, antique tattered lace, a couple of white stones, vintage dictionary text, and some Martha Stewart clear glue.

I drilled holes in the ends of the driftwood and the tops of the hearts.

Then I glued the lace and text to the hearts and hung them from the driftwood with the twine.

I like the way the rust was soaked up by the glue and is peeking through the lace and paper.

It gives it a real primitive look.

The stones add some interest to the overall look.

It's been a while since I've played with ink and stamps.

In the past I had used coffee or tea to give my tags an aged look, but this one was soaked in vanilla and smells wonderful.

You can't get more primitive than this.

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, so I will be posting more ideas on making valentines using recycled odds and ends.

I hope I've inspired you to make some decorations of your own.

See you soon.

Karen