Primitive Witch Hat

I bought the pattern for this witch hat last year and figured I better 'get her done'. The pattern is appropriately titled 'Primitive Witch Hat' and is by 'Old Road Primitives'.

The pattern called for cheesecloth for the hat band but I didn't have any on hand, so I used some tulle instead. The pattern also includes instructions for staining and grunging the hat with a nice cinnamon, vanilla and coffee mix.

The hat reminded me of the 'Wicked Witch of the West' from the 'Wizard of Oz', so I used some of her famous last words on the tag.

This jelly cupboard is in my kitchen and it's the first area you see when you come in the door. I change the display on it fairly regularly. It seemed like the perfect spot for my new/old hat and some of my other treasures. One of my favorite things is the black victorian baby boots. I had been searching and searching for some vintage baby shoes and finally found these over the summer at an antique shop. I just love them!

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Linked to: The Shabby Chic Cottage and Someday Crafts and Tools Are For Women Too and Its So Very Cheri and The DIY Show Off and Sawdust and Paper Scraps and Funky Junk Interiors and Tatertots and Jello

Molly Sampler and Time Pinkeep

I recently started doing something I haven't done in a long time - cross stitch. It makes a wonderful take-a-long project and I believe I will be doing many more in the future.

This is a little sampler I made for one of our bathrooms. I have to remount it and give it a better pressing (it really doesn't look that wrinkled in person). The pattern is called 'Molly' and the designer is 'Linda Gillon' from 'Primitive Things'. She has plenty of other samplers that I have added to my very long 'to do' list.

I couldn't resist making this sweet pinkeep. The pattern is called 'Time' and is a free design from 'Betty Dekat aka Primitive Betty's'.

Be sure to visit her blog and check out her 'Freebie Patterns' and the other prim perfect patterns that she has for sale.

Until next time ~ Suzanne

DH's Love of Old Farm Implements

My husband and I share a love for antiques. One of his passions is for old farm implements - the rustier, the better.

Old hay rakes are one of his favorite pieces of farm equipment and he has quite a few of them. He has this one sitting out in the field.

He has this one placed up on a small knoll. DH likes his old farm apparatus to appear as if a farmer had abandoned them many years before.

This one sits along the edge of the long dirt driveway.

An old 'Hay Cutter' is tucked into the woods a bit.

This old 'plow' is also along the driveway and nature has given it a proper dressing.

An old 'oxen yoke' propped up against a tree.

'Iron Wheels' are another favorite of DH's and I think they look nice wherever they are placed.

A bullet riddled 'Milk Can' - another vintage reminder of days gone by.

This is his latest find - an old horse drawn 'Manure Spreader'. It now rests along the edge of the field.

We are very fortunate that this property is quite large and we are able to display these lovely old treasures in a simple uncluttered way.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Linking up to SNS#39

Primitive DIY Whale Tail Candle Sconce

I love the decorative detail of the 'Whale Tail' that you see in a lot of primitive pieces. I have read that it is a symbol for 'Good Luck'. I decided to incorporate it into this 'Candle Sconce' that I built with the help of my DH.

I first drew a pattern on a 1 x 10 board. We then cut the 5 simple pieces for this project. As you can see, the bottom piece was cut to length after this photo.

All the pieces were screwed together and the edges were then sanded to remove the sharpness and give the wood a nice 'worn' feel.

This is a view from the back. The screw holes were countersunk and then filled with glue and wooden dowels, which were then sanded down to a nice smooth finish. I think that this really makes a difference in the finish of the piece.

I then gave the piece a coat of 'Sage Green' paint followed by a coat of 'Black'. After drying overnight, I sanded the edges and some other areas to show 'wear'. I then gave it a quick coat of 'Minwax Dark Walnut' Stain and wiped the piece down.

And this is the finished 'Whale Tail Candle Sconce', as it looks now hanging in my home. Perhaps it will bring us some 'Good Luck'.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Primitive DIY Nesting Box

I saw an old 'Nesting Box' at the antique shop and thought it would look nice in my Primitive home, but the high price made me cringe. It looked like a simple enough thing to build, so with the help of my DH we made one.

First thing, I decided on the size and measurements for it. I wanted it to go on the kitchen counter - high enough to cover the outlets and not too wide, so as to not take up too much counter space.


It is made up of 7 pieces - 2 ends, 2 dividers, 1 back, 1 bottom and 1 front. We cut out the pieces and then put the 'Nesting Box' together with countersunk screws. We then filled each screw hole with glue and a piece of wood dowel and sanded them down till they were flush.

We sanded the sharp edges of the box to give it a nice worn feel.

I gave the completed box a beating to give it a nice primitive look and stained it with 'Minwax Dark Walnut' stain.

This is the finished 'Nesting Box' as it looks today. This was a fun project to work on.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Nice Old Footstool and a Photo Collage

I was at the antique store last week and saw this little footstool. I was debating about it and couldn't think of what to do with it, so I left without it. I went back today and it was still there calling my name. I ended up buying it and I am glad I did as it has a really lovely patina to it.

It has a little bit of cream paint splatter on it, but I am working on that with some old fashioned elbow grease. It now resides on the bathroom counter and I am liking it there (at least, for now).

Another project I finished up today, was this photo collage. I edited some family photos so they have a sepia tone to them and printed them on some nice photo paper. I placed them in the frame and hung them up.

I like the overall effect - I think it ties into my primitive decorating theme a bit more, than full color photos.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Primitive DIY Bowl Rack

I think a nice Bowl Rack is a must have for any Prim lover, so I decided to make one for myself (with some help from DH). My usual wood source - aka 'The Burning Pile'- is currently covered under a layer of snow, so I had to come up with another source for my wood selection. Found this 'seen better days' bookcase and decided it could be transformed into my new rack.

We took apart the bookcase and cut the top shelf into the 2 rails. We then cut an angle into the 2 sides and gave the middle shelf a cutout so that it is narrower than the bottom shelf and gives it a little more detail. We put the bowl rack together and filled the nail holes with cut pieces of dowel and then sanded them down. This is what we ended up with.

For the finish, I applied a base coat of 'Okra' and followed this with a coat of black and wiped it down to the shade you see. I filled it with some of my favorite things and really love how it came out.

An added bonus with this rack is that I was able to cover up the ugly thermostat. Now you see it.

And, now you don't.

This now hangs in our family room. My next big project is to strip the wallpaper and paint the walls in there. It has high ceilings and I have been putting it off, as the ladder work is not my favorite thing anymore.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Primitive DIY Candle Nail Board

What can you make with a piece of wood and some rusty old nails? This great old Candle Nail Board!

Char over at 'The Pickled Pepper Patch' has a tutorial for this. It's a very easy project - basically, just cut the board and hammer in some nails.

I painted mine in the same colors as my 'Pin Keep Box'. My DH has a huge can of old hand forged nails that comes in handy for all my prim projects.

I did a little tweaking on my wall box. I didn't think that it was prim enough the way I had filled it, so I changed it and I like it much better now.

If you remember, I couldn't locate the stud finder so I wasn't able to hang it up. I stuck it on the counter and ended up liking it there, so there it will stay (at least for now).

Sophie is on the mend and doing quite well. She had a quiet day on Friday after her surgery, but seems to be back to her happy little self now.

These are the pretty flowers my DH gave me for Valentines Day. Gotta love them.

Until Next Time ~ Suzanne.

Wall Box Makeover

I have been on the hunt for a wall box and was able to find this one at the local antique shop.

After a good cleaning, I thought it was time for an update to this nice old box.

I put a coat of black paint over the green and then wiped it down to let the green show through.

I filled it with a few things and it's now waiting to get hung on the wall with some nice hand forged nails. Where's the stud finder when you need it?

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Breadbox Makeover

My breadbox was too contemporary looking for me so I decided to prim it up a bit. This is the end result. The color is darker than it shows on the picture.

This is how the breadbox looked before. I beat it up a bit and stained it with Minwax Early American. I wasn't crazy about that look, so I decided to go ahead and paint it. I started with a barn red first and then wiped on some black paint. I like it better than the stained look and will keep it this way for now.

A package arrived today with this lovely enamelware bowl and goats milk soap. It looks lovely in my bathroom that I just redid.

The soap is pumpkin apple butter scent and it smells so wonderful! I also got a nice prim looking bottle of her goats milk lotion and after one use my hands feel quite soft and supple. I bought them from Nellie's Acres. I absolutely love her candles and her scents are just heavenly. I highly recommend her.

Until next time, Suzanne.

Primitive DIY Candle Stand

In my previous post, I forgot to include my 'Candle Stand'. I found a tutorial from Kris's 'Simply Prim' blog.

I went on another 'burn pile' adventure and found a lovely old shovel handle for the vertical piece and a smaller old piece of wood from something else for the base. I beat the wood up a bit more with my 'medieval torture chain' (a chain with misc nuts, bolts and metal objects attached) that my husband had made for me. For the finish, I painted it a barn red, followed by a black and then sanded in some wear spots and finished those areas with a bit of Early American Stain.

Until next time - Suzanne.

Primitive DIY Towel Rack

I needed a towel rack for the bathroom that I've been working on. I love the antique blanket cranes and thought that a smaller version would work perfectly for a towel rack. This is what I came up with.


If you recall, I had used the tines from an old hay rake for the pegs on my peg board.


I used the remaining parts to make my new towel rack.


It turns back and forth just like the blanket cranes. This makes it nice to slide the towels off the end.


The hinged end is simply a nail on each end that allows the rake to pivot. I really like how it turned out.

I purchased a lovely new reed diffuser at a a local prim gift shop and it now has a new home on top of the medicine cabinet.

I ended up hot gluing it to the cabinet, to be sure it didn't get knocked off.

A view of the medicine cabinet (my husband built the medicine cabinet many years ago) and the towel rack.

This is an overall shot of the bathroom counter area, including my peg board. The bathroom is very small and it is really difficult to get a good picture. I still have to replace the faucet and the light fixture, but then this room is done and I'm off to my next project.