Primitive Birdhouse Find

I spent the day with the Hubs doing a little shopping on Saturday, and I was so lucky to come across a great Primitive Find at Hobby Lobby. It's this wonderful country Primitive Birdhouse.

How is that for cuteness? The colors are exactly what I love for my Primitive Home Decor, whether it's inside my house or outside. For now I've got this sitting on an old milk can on my side porch. I may move it at some point, but for now I am just going to live with it there for a bit and see how it fits.

Grungy Primitive Pumpkin Ornie

OK, so I guess I really must have pumpkins on the brain! But hey, it's Fall, right? If it were February, then I would be worried about this old brain of mine. I decided to make this Grungy Primitive Pumpkin Ornie out of felt. 

I drew a pumpkin shape and traced it onto cardstock to create my Primitive Pumpkin pattern. I used that to cut two pieces of felt into my pumpkin shape. Then I sprayed my felt shapes with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, in Coffee Shop color. It's a great, quick way to add a grungy effect if I don't feel like messing with my usual Grungy Sauce mixture. And it's great for small projects like this one, which is only about 3-3/4" long. You know how much I love Grungy Goods by now, so making stuff grungy is always fun for me. And it's perfectly primitive too!

After drying the felt it was time to add the face. I used buttons for the eyes, and a scrap of gingham homespun for the nose. Then I just sewed on a crooked little smile. To the back half of the pumpkin shape I sewed on a piece of cinnamon stick to be the stem. Next I started sewing the pumpkin body together, until I got 3/4 of the way done. And then I stuffed the body with fiberfill and sewed it closed.

Another cute and fun project to add to my collection of Primitive Ornies.

Pumpkin Jack Dough Ornies

Amazingly, this is going to be my 100th Post! Hard to believe I've posted that much already. But hey, yay! Some people post a lot more than I do, and some a lot less. So I'm not sure if 100 posts in 10 months is really any sort of accomplishment. But it's a milestone, so I'll take it. :)

I am going to be in Primitive Fall mode until after Thanksgiving, I'm sure. That's about how I roll anymore. So I'm doing as much Fall crafting as I can (though sometimes, that's not as much as I'd really like!). This time I'm serving up some Pumpkin Jack Dough Ornies. Dough Ornies have always been a favorite of mine, so it's fun to make them for every season, don't you think?

These Pumpkin Jacks are about 2-1/2" to 3" around. These could easily work well thrown in a bowl of Prim Fixins. They are great as actual hanging ornies too; you can even add them to the top of a gift box. I use silicone candle molds to make them (and in case you're wondering, I don't remember where I got the molds). And these are just made with my Primitive Dough Recipe. You could also paint them. Or you could save yourself some work and add powdered orange tempera paint to your dough before baking and then the pumpkin jacks will already be orange when they are baked. That's a real time saver! Then all you'd have to paint really are the features. But heck, they're primitive, so you don't have to really paint anything!

Rusty Tin Star Hangtag

One more tag to post for today. Since I usually do the usual rectangular tags, I decided to make a round one this time and I used Rusty Tin stars as my inspiration for this Primitive Hangtag. And hey, some Pip Berries always add that little touch of primitive we all love too. Click on this tag to open it to full size, then right-click and save it to your computer.

There's not pre-set hole at the top of this tag, so you'll have to punch one yourself. Sorry about that! And again, please remember that my freebies are for personal use only.

Fall Pumpkin Tag

I haven't been too super crafty the last week or so, but wanted to add something to the blog. So I decided to create a couple of Primitive Hangtags to add to my Primitive Freebies category. This first one is just in time for any Primitive Fall gifts you might want to give. Click on the image to view the full sized version of the tag. Then right-click and Save the image to your computer.

Also just a reminder...my freebie graphics are NOT for commercial use. They are free for your own personal use, but they are not intended to be reproduced for sale or profit in any way. I am creating these as a kindness. It takes time a good deal of time and care to create them, and I am happy to do so. But only if you are taking them for personal use. If I start to see my custom tags appear for sale on any websites, I'll have to stop making them, and I would hate for that to happen. So please respect my wishes where these freebie graphics are concerned, so that everyone can continue to enjoy them.

Spiced Cider Simmering Spices

Now that cooler temperatures are trying to sneak in, I can really start thinking about Fall, and Fall scents for my home. One of my favorite things about Fall and winter is scenting my home with my favorite scents. In the Fall, I especially love the smell of Spiced cider. It's one of my favorites. So here is a quick and easy Primitive Recipe for my Spiced Cider Simmering Spices. (Note: this is not a beverage...it's like potpourri and is only meant to be enjoyed as a way to scent your home.)

Now this recipe is simple because there aren't precise amounts of anything. You can use whatever amounts you'd like of each ingredient, based on your preference, and the total amount you're trying to make. And you can add your own additional ingredients if you'd like, or leave out things you may not like. It's totally up to you. But here's what I use.

• Dried Apple Slices
• Bay Leaves
• Whole Cloves
• Star Anise
• Cinnamon Sticks (small chunks or large, your choice)
• Crushed Corn Cob (this is used to help absorb the fragrance oil since some ingredients are less porous than others--so it will help maintain the scent)
• Fragrance Oil, Spiced Cider scent

I just mix these ingredients in the amounts I want to fit in whatever pan or simmering potpourri pot I'll be simmering them in. I add the ingredients to a glass bowl and then drizzle in a couple teaspoons of the fragrance oil and stir it up well. Always do a little oil at a time, especially if you're only making a small amount of simmering spices. You don't want to add too much. Then I put it all in a glass jar for a few days to cure.

When you're ready to simmer, just add the simmering spices to your pot or pan with some water and simmer away. You can totally simmer these spices on the stovetop if you don't have a potpourri pot--but be sure to use an old pan. Any time you use fragrance oil you want to use an old pan, because the oil could ruin it. Also be sure to check your water level regularly so that it doesn't evaporate away. I always use just enough water to cover the spices. 

These Prim Fixins are just the perfect way to make your home smell like Primitive Fall has arrived! You can also make batches of this and package them up to give as gifts, or to sell too. They'd make great hostess gifts at a Fall party.