MERRY CHRISTMAS
to you and yours!
December 24, 2011
December 20, 2011
December 16, 2011
WHAT? No Room in the Stable?
Can you imagine?
It's bad enough that there was no room in the "Inn" but to not have access to the Stable?
Well, now.......I'm changing the story just slightly to better suit my own inadequacies. Let me explain.
I bought a pattern from Tawny over at the PRIMITIVE NOOK.
Hers is quite a bit more primitive than mine but you have to remember this 'Primsy thing' I've got going on.
See? The color thing just can't be stopped!! I used some brown corduroy for Joseph and a blue knit for Mary. Baby Jesus' swaddling is natural batting and then a small amount of homespun is added for detail. I didn't pinch sew there noses and I painted mine flesh color and then washed them with a brown acrylic. That whole 'coffee' thing just isn't for me.
I also sewed up the sides of their robes. (I'm sorry, Tawny! I couldn't help it!)
I love how they turned out! Joseph's beard and hair is unwashed sheep's wool from the Homestead Wool and Gift Farm.
Well, I couldn't leave it at that. They needed shelter and of course we all know that Baby Jesus was born in a Stable and layed in a manger in the Stable, right?
Only Joseph couldn't go in.
Okay.....more explanations!
My hubby brought home an old palette. Mmmmmmmmm, but I LOVE me some wood!
Anyhoo, I decided to make a Stable for the Trio so I did. Measured it up and cut it out; nailed it together with my brad nailer......it's almost as fun as shootin' my 22! I think I might need a holster!
Here it is! Looks like it'll work, right?!
"Uh, HELLO??!!" says Joseph, just a bit agitated. "Did you forget about me?"
"Well no, I didn't", I reply. I just misjudged your height and ......
Mary had to do all of the work anyway! She fits just fine!"
He's not happy so I need to go back to the drawing board. (Just between you and me, I think he's ticked 'cause he can't find the TV remote. Sound familiar?!)
Sigh.......I HATE it when things go wrong. 'Cause now I have no one to blame but myself and that just stinks to have to own up to it. It's so much better when we can blame someone else!!
Kids are now out of school. If you hear some strange sounds coming from the southeast end of the country, you'll know I've gone insane!
Hope your holiday events are all coming together and you find yourself 'STABLE'! HA! Couldn't resist the pun!!!
Stay Tuned!
}}Hugs{{Vicky
December 13, 2011
Gingermen Tutorial and Other Ornies
WARNING: This post is heavily loaded with pictures!
I meant to get this posted sooner, however, life (meaning my children!), get in the way sometimes! We're dealing with a nasty case of strep that won't leave a certain little girl alone. Next step will be the removal of tonsils....I think I'll let the doctor do it since my skills are mostly with the saws and sanders!! Cross your fingers for me that it doesn't go that far, pretty please.
Gingermen: A Tutorial
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| I started off with a 'hand drawn' pattern. I made my OCD version on the left but chose to work with the Primitive this time! |
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| Sewed 'em up and based them in Americana Lt. Cinnamon. |
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| Sponged them first with Americana Cocoa and then lightly with Buttermilk. Be patient! One side at a time, please! |
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| After they dry then sponge on some of that Lt. Cinnamon once again. No heavy hand needed here! |
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| While wet, splatter them with a toothbrush full of black paint and some glass glitter! We like it all shiny and sparkly, now don't we?! |
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| I took them out and sprayed them with some Matt Sealer. This is optional as is a light sanding when fully dry. |
I pinned a rusty safety pin for hanging and tied a strip of homespun around their necks and....
....my VooDoo Gingermen were born, LOL!!
Here are the rest of the ornaments that I've been working on these past few days!
I got this gourd from Judy with a Giveaway prize this past summer. Love it when it's 'easy peasy'!
These were cut from cotton canvas and an old cutter's quilt. I painted them all over with white acrylic paint and glittered up the wings after getting them all stitched up. I was inspired by a talented artisan and friend, Barb of Barb's Hearstrokes. (Check out her ornie by clicking the link!).
Primmed up Candy Canes cut from muslin and painted then wrapped with modpodge soaked homespun. I stained them with a wash of brown acrylic paint and then sprinkled them liberally with glass glitter!
Last, but not least, was a custom order by my 6 year old twin daughter! She LOVES "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" as much as my hubby loves James Bond...no, Clint Eastwood....no, Basketball.....no, my chicken wings....well, you get the picture!
LOL!! I get cracked up every time I look at him!! She tells me she's been 'The Grinch' this year! She's not kidding, however, I did remind her that his heart grew 3 sizes and hers will, too!! Aren't I a nice mommy? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (that was an evil laugh)!!
I've a couple of more projects for gifts and then I think I'll take a break. I'm not loading anything else up on Etsy. I was going to have a FB Giveaway and this sick little girl of ours is taking up all of my time and energy so I'm going to take the advice of a good friend and just 'let it go'. I even let our local Walgreen's make my Christmas cards instead of killing myself with a wordy newsletter: GO ME!!!!
My best to you as you finish up your shopping and get your lists fulfilled. Take mine and my friends advice and 'LET IT GO'!
Golly Wobbles but it's down right EMPOWERING!!
}}HUGS{{
Vicky
Vicky
December 7, 2011
More Snow Folk!
I couldn't resist making some more of these guys. I'd already sewn them up and had put them away until next year when I realized that WINTER has yet to come!
I named this guy 'Buttons'!
This guy has a Stove Pipe hat like the other one but a few inches longer! I love their little branch noses!
I bought a large bag of 3" wooden candlesticks and got the brilliant idea of making these! I decided to reduce the head size of the other big guys and WALLAH (is that how you'd spell it?), the Snow Pals were born! Actually, you've already met the one on the left from the last Giveaway but his cousins have now joined him!
I'm now finishing up the last of my ornaments! Can't wait to show you my VERY PRIMSY Gingermen! They make me think of voo doo dolls! I'll show you why and share a brief Tutorial with you about my technique so give me a 'few' to finish up!
Hope your Holiday Season is a joyous one!
STAY TUNED!
Vicky
December 5, 2011
A New Design and Some WINNERS!!
Good morning EVERYONE!
I hope your weekends were restorative! I got the best sleep I've had in weeks last night! We've had Strep and nasty cold germs in our home and I'm happy to see them all leaving!
I have a 'painting' friend that comes over every-once-in-a-while on a Friday and we 'paint the day away'! Lots of laughter and good hugs make both of us feel SO much better! What would the world be like without that special Girl Friend?!! She came over last Friday and we painted something I'd designed. I ran across a similar design somewhere but am unable to give credit as I can't remember where. I drew it up with measurements on a small piece of paper.....
I cut it our of 1x6 pine and 1x12 pine.
I used my brad nailer to go ahead and put it all together.
And then we painted our hearts out!
This is Barb my friend!
And here's our final pieces!
Hers is on the right and mine the left and hers turned out SO MUCH better than mine! We always get tickled 'cause we'll start with the same design and it ALWAYS ends up different (I need to make my 'eyes' a bit larger)! LOVE how they turned out!
Well, on with the winners!!
Thank you ALL so much for participating in my last blog Giveaway for the year of 2011!
I'm so blessed to have good people like yourselves who come by and give me a 'pat on the shoulder' for good work done. Let's admit it.......we all need that validation, right?!
Random.org chose me 2 winners and they are:
# 64 BRENDA GRIFFITH of the RUSTY THIMBLE
AND
#1 NANCY BANK
CONGRATS TO MY WINNERS!!
I've got your addy's girls so just shoot me an email at VicWeave@aol.com and tell me which item you'd like to have!
Thanks again everyone for all of your sweet comments! I appreciate the new followers, too!
I'll have a FaceBook 'mystery' again in a few days so make sure you 'LIKE' my page (FB badge is on the right sidebar) so you can see when it comes up.......I'll let you know here, too!!!!
May you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!!
God Bless
and
}}HOLIDAY HUGS{{
Vicky
November 29, 2011
OFG Giveaway!
Go sign up to win some lovely wintery items! Just in time for Christmas! Our gift to you........
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Don't forget to sign up for mine in the post below!
}}Hugs{{
Vicky
Vicky
November 25, 2011
CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY---Last one until next Year!! (CLOSED)
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I've got my last GIVEAWAY to share with all of you! I've been busy putting together some new designs and some "inspired" designs. I've found some great patterns and have made some cute things to share with you.
I've got a friend who loves to bake. She bakes for family, friends, her small business, and THERAPY! She's not only a good friend but also a great customer! This past summer she was talking about all of the baking she'd been doing and it inspired me to create something. I LOVE GARLANDS...you can find a few on my Etsy so, with one in mind, I created this one!
I usually join my Garlands together with black wire but thought it much more appropriate to use Baker's Twine with this one! The candy ornaments are from the Dollar Tree! I promise I painted the other ones!
Nancy Girl, you've got one coming to your home! I can't be inspired by someone and NOT send them one now can I?!!! Don't forget to ALSO sign up for the Giveaway, too! Come and visit Nancy on her 'SUPERMOM' blog! She's so 'no nonsense' and funny in a sarcastic kind of way. My kinda Gal!
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You can also choose to have a Garland in this Giveaway (all of the cookies are decorated differently on each Garland so no one is exactly the same) or browse through the rest of these pictures and tell me which one you'd like to have in a comment. You'll see the rules at the end!!
I've got a friend who loves to bake. She bakes for family, friends, her small business, and THERAPY! She's not only a good friend but also a great customer! This past summer she was talking about all of the baking she'd been doing and it inspired me to create something. I LOVE GARLANDS...you can find a few on my Etsy so, with one in mind, I created this one!
Nancy Girl, you've got one coming to your home! I can't be inspired by someone and NOT send them one now can I?!!! Don't forget to ALSO sign up for the Giveaway, too! Come and visit Nancy on her 'SUPERMOM' blog! She's so 'no nonsense' and funny in a sarcastic kind of way. My kinda Gal!
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You can also choose to have a Garland in this Giveaway (all of the cookies are decorated differently on each Garland so no one is exactly the same) or browse through the rest of these pictures and tell me which one you'd like to have in a comment. You'll see the rules at the end!!
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| My newest design made from a cedar fence board. I didn't even bother sanding this as I LOVE the texture! |
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| Snowman Make-Do: about 15 1/2" tall and sits on an old vintage spool that's been painted black. |
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| Lil' Johnny Jingle! Since he's just starting out in Santa's workshop, his hat's a bit too big for his little elf self ! |
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| My 14" Santa Doll from a pattern of Sandy's at The Olde Country Cupboard. |
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| Another pattern from Sandy. Large Santa Make-Do (about 19" tall on a beehive spindle) |
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| Oh, my little man is simply adorable! He's only 5 1/2" tall and he'll come with a couple of 'extra' ornaments for your tree! |
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| My "Be Merry" blocks cut from 1.5 pine. The vinyl is Dk Green. |
I sure hope so!
Here are the rules!
For 2 chances:1. Be a follower. New followers are welcome!
2. Tell me what you'd like in a comment.
You can stop there or for
2 more chances:
3 and 4. Place this on your blog's sidebar, FB, or Tweet it.That's it!
I'm going to choose 2 winners!
I'll run this until DEC. 5th.
Come back that Monday morning and I'll tell you who my winners are!
Don't forget that I'm offering 15% in my Etsy store right now until Tuesday the 29th. Look at my right side bar for my Etsy mini. Look for more participating stored in my post below. ALSO, don't forget the PAFA Giveaway found on my right side bar, too!
As always, I appreciate your support!
HUGS to you all!
Vicky
November 24, 2011
Participating OFG Shops
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!!
Here is a list of links to all participating in the sale from the OFG Team!
Just type in the code: OFGthanksyou2011 at check out if you find something in these participating shops. And, BELIEVE ME, there is PLENTY to like!!!
November 23, 2011
"Token Of Thanks"
I'll be offering 15% off! Come shop Etsy for some WONDERFUL 'Handmades' and support small business America!
Type in this code at check out starting tomorrow!
OFGTHANKSYOU2011
Type in this code at check out starting tomorrow!
OFGTHANKSYOU2011
November 21, 2011
New Patterns
I wanted to share with you a pattern that I recently purchased. Tawny over at The Primitive Nook is quite the talented lady! She's very primitive in her artistry...I'm not but I'm making it work with something I call "PRIMSY". Yeh, I like THAT word. Primsy is Primitive + Whimsy! My kind of artistry!!
This is from her Grungy Turkey Ornies pattern.
I enlarged the pattern by 50% and added a bit more color than she. I don't 'coffee stain' my pieces but I color wash them with a brown acrylic paint. They still have that 'stained' look and I don't have to smell the coffee....blech, blech! My apologies to all of you coffee drinkers!
I'm also making cookies. No, not the kind that make your kitchen smell so good and your fat pants fit!
I've got something special to share with you the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you like it!
Stay tuned!
Vicky
November 19, 2011
Shop Handmade for Christmas!
Just an example of the wonderful goodies you can find on Etsy from the PAFA Team's "Winter Wonderland" Celebration!
Click on this link to find more!
Buy at least one thing Handmade for Christmas! Support 'Small Business America' and get someone on your list a special gift!
}}Hugs{{
Vicky
Vicky
November 18, 2011
November 16, 2011
Finishing Up!
I announced a winner on my FB Page.
Here's what those pieces of wood turned into.
The truth is they could be ALL of those things that were listed. If it's something YOU can see then it can be done! I LOVE seeing something through another person's eyes! I've also drawn up a Scarecrow pattern for these for next year. SO very easy to make from dog-eared cedar fence posts. I didn't even sand them! LOVE the rough texture and dry brush technique! I cut the nose from 1/4" birch plywood and then added lots of Sno Tex. Lots of fun and SUPER FAST & EASY!!
The remainder of my table.....
It's getting done and it's nice not to be stressed about it!
The PAFA Team is going to have a new Celebration starting this Friday. I'll be sure to announce it but meanwhile get over to the Pafa Team's Blog and SIGN UP for this great Giveaway!
My last Giveaway will be launched soon. It's a nice one with some choices for you. I hope you
STAY TUNED!!!
}}Hugs{{
Vicky
Vicky
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