Antiques, Spun Cotton and Izannah

Since our last visit here, I had the pleasure of once again attending the Antiques in Long Valley show in Long Valley, NJ where I scored my beautiful blue antique chimney cabinet last year.   This year the show was just as amazing as the last… there were so many wonderful goodies that I wished I could have brought home with me.  The booth where I bought my cabinet last year was once again filled with wonderful pieces of furniture and many Sold signs.  This year I was on more of a budget than last year, but I did manage to come home with two finds that I am really pleased with – a small and extremely primitive hand forged shovel…

…and an antique German spun cotton ornament to add to my collection.  The technique used to make it is different than I have seen before, so studying it will also assist in my education process as I learn this old technique.

I am continuing to really enjoy where my journey into spun cotton has been taking me.  Below are my newest creations that are still available.  I am also archiving my designs on a new spun cotton ornaments page of this blog.  Custom orders for designs you may have missed are always welcome.

And finally, I have some progress on my first Izannah Walker style doll from the workshop that I am taking.  It has been hard to tear myself away from my current obsession with spun cotton to work on her, but I’ve gotten a bit completed!  I have her torso sewn and stuffed, and her head with shoulderplate stuffed and pinned onto the torso.

After sewing the shoulderplate in place, I shall begin sculpting her face – I will share how I do with it in my next blog post.

I will end for now with a big thank you to Cathy of the always-inspiring One Pink Goose for presenting me with the Sunshine Award, which is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I am honored!

Spun Cotton Ornaments and a Cozy Kitty

Due to wonderfully encouraging customer response, I have been busily working on more spun cotton ornaments since my last post (as my doll parts still sit patiently waiting).  Below are pictures of my latest spun cotton creations – all except the bunny holding the Easter basket sold before I got the chance to post them here (some traveling as far as South Korea… that was exciting!). If you see one that you like but missed, custom order inquiries are welcome.

I had fun doing some shopping on Etsy last week as well.  My little Trooper has been happily snuggled up in a cozy new cat bed that I bought for him from mimi0201.

Trooper is the baby of the family, and he likes to have his very own bed in each room of the house. Until last week, the living room was the final room he was missing a bed in… and I knew that he needed one there when my husband set his empty backpack down on the rug, and Trooper snuggled up on it like it was a bed. He seems very pleased with the switch to his cushy, fleecy new spot.

And speaking of needing… or shall I say kneading… I also picked up this adorable card from Pet Scribbles for my hubby for Valentine’s Day. I absolutely love it, and her customer service was amazing!

New Ornament Designs Abound

It’s unexpected sometimes where a creative journey will lead you.  I think this as I look over at two unfinished dolls that are still waiting patiently to be painted and clothed.  It seems that ornaments completely took over my time during the holidays… when I was originally thinking I’d be making a lot of dolls… and that I am just now thinking about getting back to my doll making again.  I have taken a few baby steps getting back into it by beginning my Izannah Walker doll workshop… well, okay.  I’ve cut out the pattern pieces and traced them onto my fabric.    I hope to get a bit more done this weekend, and perhaps paint and clothe one of those patient dollies sitting on my work table.

But for now, I have bunches of new ornaments to share.  Chenille dog ornaments for small dog lovers with a pug, a terrier, and a little mutt in the set; two sets of chenille St. Patrick’s Day ornaments, and another new spun cotton ornament.  I have yet another mostly-finished spun cotton Easter rabbit ornament that I will also be offering for sale soon.  All of the ornaments below are available now in the Old World Primitives Etsy Shop.

Valentine Cats, Easter Bunnies and a Chick

This weekend I reluctantly packed away my Christmas tree and ornaments and all of my santas, belsnickles, lights, garlands and other Christmas decorations and bid them farewell until the next holiday season.  I am always a bit sad to see all of them go.  My very favorite Santa doll will be staying put all winter long because he’s just too fun to pack away so soon.  But, now there is room to start bringing out some Valentine goodies.

This week I added two new sets of chenille ornaments to my Etsy shop – a new set of cat ornaments and a new set of Easter ornaments.   I made each set versatile enough to be multi-seasonal too if you’re like me and like to stretch out each holiday season as long as you possibly can.

I am also excited to announce that I will be offering a new line of spun cotton ornaments in 2010. My first offering has sold already (photo below), but more will be added to the Old World Primitives Etsy Shop soon.

I still have some primitive dolls to finish up as well – they have been sitting neglected in my little studio for too long now and will be getting some more attention this week. And in just one more week, I will also be starting on another new adventure – learning to make Izannah Walker style dolls, courtesy of Dixie Redmond’s Izannah Walker Workshop. I cannot wait to get started learning how to make these beautiful antique style dolls. If you would like to join me, a link to the workshop is below. I am sure it will be both challenging and great fun!

Primitive Folk Art Vegetable Garden

The bunnies are back once more, just in time to welcome spring! This set is available now in the Old World Primitives Etsy shop.

This set has been SOLD, thank you!

This primitive garden vignette was handmade by Old World Primitives using a Kentucky Primitives design. The bunnies, carrots, and turnips are made of muslin stuffed with natural fibers that have been painted, stained, sanded, and grungied with cinnamon. The cabbage leaf is made of two layers of painted, stained, and cinnamon dusted muslin. It also has a stuffed stem and a few wire “spines” between the leaf layers to help it hold its shape. The primitive bunnies have antique rusty square nails for legs, vintage cotton batting tails, and hand sewn eyes and noses.

****************

I am also pleased to announce that my primitive folk art heart with dove make-do won first place in the American Craft Guide Community 2009 “Red, White & Pink Craft-Off” contest. They are running a feature article announcing the results here: Red, White & Pink Craft-Off Winner: Stephanie Baker.