Grungy Sauce Recipe

Hey, gang. I'm re-posting my Grungy Sauce Recipe because for some reason, people have trouble finding it on the blog. Even though it's in the Primitive Recipes category, some folks can't seem to find it. I think it's because it is posted in my Grungy Hang Tag Tutorial. So I want to make it easier to find and just post that recipe all by itself. Not sure why I didn't do this a long time ago! :)

Grungy Sauce Mix Ingredients:

• Instant Coffee (get the cheapest you can find...I always buy generic)
• Vanilla or Imitation Vanilla Extract (again, go cheap if you want to; I use good vanilla for baking so I always have some on hand. But if you're not a baker just get cheap imitation vanilla!)
• 2 Cups Hot Water (I just nuke it so it's hot enough to dissolve the coffee, but not hot enough to burn my fingers while I'm working.)
• Ground Spices (this is totally optional and I only use it occasionally; I mostly use cinnamon)
• A Bowl
• A regular spoon or teaspoon

 

Mix up your grungy sauce. Take the 2 cups of hot water and to that the instant coffee--twice as much as the directions tell you to. Mine says 1 TSP for each 8 oz cup, so I use 2 TSP for each cup. You want the grungy sauce good and dark, so really, you can add as much as you want--so add more if you want to! Also add 1 TSP of vanilla, and your ground spices, if you're using them. Just a little sprinkling of spices will do.

Once it is mixed up, you can use it right away, or you can let it cool off first. If you're going to be dipping things into it, I'd suggest letting it cool first so you don't burn your fingers! I store my sauce in an old jar in the refrigerator. Occasionally, I also put some in a spray bottle and keep that in the frig too. The spray bottle is great for when you just want to spritz some grungy sauce onto a finished project; whereas the sauce you have in a jar you can pour into a bowl and use for dipping things, like hang tags or what not.

There are many variations to this recipe out there. Some people use tea instead of coffee. I think I tried that a few times, but I prefer the instant coffee because it's just easier. You can't really screw this up, so don't worry in that regard. Have fun with it.

Now go forth and get grungy!

Rusty Tin Star Christmas Ornie

Since I was still in Primitive Christmas mode in my studio over the weekend, I made a few ornaments. This is the second of three that I made while the creative juices were flowing. It's my Rusty Tin Star Christmas Ornie.

I took a 3" long Rusty Tin star and painted it with a pale blue acrylic paint. Then I distressed the edges a bit with some brown ink, and I also light sanded with sandpaper to remove just a bit of the surface color. Next I took my Crop-a-Dile and punched a small hole at the top and bottom of the star. Then I fashioned a curly shape from some rusty tin wire, hung a rusty bell on the end, and attached that thru the hole at the bottom of the star. Finally, I took some more wire and fashioned a rusty ornie hook and attached it to the top of the star.

And voila! A new Christmas ornie. Simple, and prim. :)

Primitive Snowman Face Ornie

Well, I managed to make a few different primitive ornies while I was in the studio over the weekend. So I'll be sharing them with you over the next week or two. This first one is made of a small wooden rectangle shape with rounded corners. I thought it would be perfect to turn into a Primitive Snowman face.

First I painted the wood shape white, and then I added the facial features. Next I grungy'd up the edges with a little bit of brown stamping ink so it would look a bit aged and distressed. Then I made the hat using the top part of a baby sock. (I always have some cheap baby socks on hand in my studio for crafting purposes.) I cut off the foot part of the sock and used a strip cut from that to tie around the top of the hat. That way it is gathered up at the top. Then I used scissors to cut strips in the top part of the hat so they would curl over. Finally, I added a Rusty Tin bell to the hat with a rusty safety pin.

Primitive Christmas Tree Mini

When I was in the studio last weekend I wanted to make something a little Christmasy, so I decided on this Primitive Christmas Tree. It's mini-sized, perfect to add to some tabletop decor or to a little shelf somewhere.

I used a Rusty Tin bucket for the base and put some Styrofoam in the bottom. The tree itself started with a long cinnamon stick that I tied some homespun ribbon to. Then I added some green Pip Berries and rusty tin bells--and added a cute prim star to the top. Then I just stuck it in the foam in the bucket and added some Spanish moss over that.

You could always omit the bucket and just use the mini tree as an ornament for your Primitive Christmas tree as well. Super easy to make.

Primitive Harvest Pumpkin Magnet

Well, I finally made it back into my studio over the weekend. It felt good to get back in there. :) I wanted to make something for Fall but I wasn't sure what to make. Something led me to some blank wood shapes I had sitting around, so I decided to create this Primitive Harvest Pumpkin Magnet.

I painted it an orange color first and then grungy'd up the edges of the wood with some distress ink. Then I stamped on the pumpkin and the word, Harvest. Then I added some leaf rub-ons that I happened to have tucked away. I added a few paint highlights to the pumpkin too, though you can't really see them in this photo. And I added a magnet on the back so I can hang it on my refrigerator. :) It was just a simple little Primitive Fall magnet, but it was fun to make.

With a Chick Chick Here

I'm not sure I've ever shared these before, and it may seem silly...but I have a few little chickens in my kitchen and I love them. 

Let me start by saying that no, I don't have a thing for chickens. :) I just noticed one day that I had several little chicken items, so I grouped them all together on a shelf in my kitchen. And that is now the kitchen chicken shelf! 

I have a clear glass chicken dish (left) that used to belong to my great grandmother, so that's a fun bit of Vintage Goods and a nice part of my family history too. Then there are several little chicken knick knacks in there, four or five, I believe, and also a chicken tin (back right). There are other little what-nots on that shelf too, but it is mostly the chickens. Seems fairly appropriate that the little chickens should reside in the kitchen. 

I love antique items, prims, and vintage goods in my home. I especially love them in the kitchen, so we have a lot in there. When we get to move out to our farm property in the next few years, I imagine we'll have even more. And if the Hubs has his way, we'll probably have some real chickens too. Lord, help me. ;)

Fall Pumpkins Tags Freebies

I haven't been crafting as much lately--just can't seem to get motivated for some reason. But I didn't want you to think I'd abandoned you all together! So I created something to add to my collection of Primitive Freebies here on the blog. So here are some Fall Pumpkin Tags that I've made for you. This is what they look like.

These could be used as gift tags, bag toppers, or even as place cards for your Thanksgiving table. The free download has 6 of these on one full sized sheet, in PDF format. No watermark appears on the downloadable tags. Just click on the text link below and you'll be taken directly to the download.

FALL PUMPKINS TAGS FREEBIES

As always, please remember that these tags are for your personal, non-commercial use. They are not to be listed for sale (anywhere), nor claimed as your own.