Primitive Paddle Box Lamp

I don't really have a lot of Primitive Lighting in my home, but I do have this Primitive Paddle Box Lamp in my living room, sitting on the table by my couch. I really like it--but I didn't love it. It really didn't have enough color in it to suit me, so I decided to jazz it up a bit with more Pip Berries.

Yep, that's just what it needed. :) OK, they probably aren't technically pip berries, but they are berries. And now I love it!

Primitive Star Canvas

Over the weekend I created a deep red canvas in my studio that has a robin's egg glue distressed finish on it. I actually ended up using the canvas for another project too that I'll be posting on my Art Chick Studio blog, but this Primitive Star Canvas was the first thing I did with the canvas.

This is just a 5" square canvas that I painted with a deep, dark red color (which is fast becoming one of my favorite colors). It's "Napa Red" that I have darkened a bit too. Once it was dry I gave the edges a distressed look by dry brushing robin's egg blue along the edges. Then I took a Rusty Tin star and painted it the same blue, and then stuck it to the canvas to stick out in relief.

I think this is a really simply project for creating some cute Primitive Home Decor. Of course, you could use any colors you like (I'm just kind of loving the deep red and robin's egg blue combo right now), and put anything in the center that you like too. I just thought a star was perfectly prim and would add the right touch that I wanted.

Primitive Crow Bird Bath Decor

I was in the mood for some Primitive Crows while I was in the studio over the weekend, and I was also trying to find a creative way to use a mini Terra Cotta pot I had in my studio too. So what I came up with was this mini Primitive Crow Bird Bath Decor.

In the top photo, you'll see that I stenciled on a little primitive crow into the "bowl" of the bird bath. I actually used acrylic paint for that. Then I just added the pot underneath, along with a candle ring of pip berries, which also has some Rusty Tin stars on it. And I added a little resin crow as a finishing touch.

I just wanted a simple little project that could serve as Primitive Home Decor. This is small enough to be used on a table top, as part of a centerpiece. It could also be used just as decor on a small shelf. You could put a votive in the top too, but if you burned it, the wax might be too much for the small "bowl." So maybe a tealight candle would be better. :)

Linking up to the I Gotta Create link party. 

Primitive Crow Scoop Nest

It was a very productive day in the studio yesterday. I got some paintings started and several craft projects done as well. And it was such a gorgeous day--with the sun shining so brightly in the studio windows. Loved it!

One of my weekend creations was the Primitive Crow Scoop Nest.

I used a Rusty Tin scoop that I filled with Pip Berries and Spanish moss to make the nest. I added a Primitive Crow and a few cinnamon sticks to finish it off. Love it!

Primitive Scent Sacks

I'm always looking for ways to give fun Primitive Gifts and I think these Primitive Scent Sacks are sure to please anyone who loves to scent their home.

My Scent Sack is Cinnamon Bun themed and has several goodies inside. It contains the following items...

Cinnamon Bun Wax Melts

Cinnamon Bun Primitive Room Spray

 Cinnamon Bun Hips 'n Sticks Prim Fixins

Cinnamon Bun Primitive Refresher Oil

All you have to is just fill your sack with your favorite scented items. Punch a couple of holes on either side of the top of the bag and add a prim ribbon or some homespun. And add a cute label.

Primitive Easter Egg Topiary

I figured I had time for one more Primitive Easter project before next weekend, so when I was in my studio over the weekend, I created this Primitive Easter Egg Topiary.

All I did was take a plain plastic Easter egg and decoupaged it with some old newsprint tissue paper that I had on hand. Then I used stamping ink in brown and copper and dabbed it on all over the egg once it had dried. Then I added a homespun tie and a Rusty Tin star and hot glued the egg to a cinnamon stick. I put some Spanish moss in a small rusty tin bucket, and inserted the cinnamon stick. And that's all there was to it. :)

Goodbye, Google Reader

I've been using Google Reader for years to stay on top of my blog reading. I follow about 150 blogs at the moment (it used to be more), and Google Reader has always been my reader of choice for keeping up with them all. It's nice to have them all in one place, and I liked the GR format so once I tried it I just kept using it.

So imagine my surprise (and annoyance) the other day when I checked into GR and there was a message saying that Google Reader would be discontinued in July! Um, come again? What the heck are you doing to me, Google? You own most of the Internet, and yet you are constantly taking away things I love. First it was Google Friend Connect...now this?! Sigh.

Anyhoots, Google provided me with a link to be able to export the blogs I follow in GR using their Google Takeout service. So I have done that. There are many reader services that will let you import that file so you don't have to lose all of your favorite blogs when GR closes this summer. But I did a little, um, Googling, and found a couple of alternatives to GR that don't require any importing (as long as you do it before GR closes). The two I'm trying out at the moment are Bloglovin and Feedly.

Both of these reader services are very easy to use, and both allow you to connect ans sync with your Google Reader/Blogger Account with just the click of a button (no importing of files is necessary). Feedly has more of a magazine format and takes quite a bit of getting used to, but I do like it. It has a lot of options you can adjust for how you want the blog posts displayed. Bloglovin is a little more user-friendly and simple. 

Here is a screenshot of my Bloglovin home page, so you can see how it looks:

And here is a screenshot of my Feedly home page, so you can compare:

So far, I'm leaning toward the Bloglovin reader because I think it's just simple, straightforward, and easy to use. It lists all the blogs I follow on the left side of the page, and I can sort them by Date or by Blog. And Bloglovin also generates Follow Buttons for you that you can place on your blog. I've already added mine to the right side of this blog (so be sure to follow me if you sign up with Bloglovin!)

Feedly is a little slicker, and has more display options, and even color themes for the layout, which is very nice. My followed blogs are grouped into my GR categories on the left side of the page (rather than individually). Both services let me connect to Facebook if I want. Both readers also have apps that you can download so you can easily follow your blogs on your mobile devices as well.

I'm going to keep using both of these reader services for now until I decide for sure which one I like best. Google Reader will be around until July, so we have time to take things for a good, long test drive. But I do suggest you start looking for your new service now, instead of waiting until the last minute. There are many other choices out there, people. I'm only listing two because these are the two I have tried. So do a little research and find the one that is best for you. :)