Thursday, February 25, 2010

Busy Day

Hi everyone, hope you've all enjoyed your day today and had fun crafting. I've been wanting to make some of those cute prim tea towels so have been busy today staining cheesecloth. I'll be making some from muslin and some on a nice heavy print I love. I've also been painting my stove board, (yippee for me)! Of course I'll share pics of it all once finished. While working today, I ran out of tarts so went to the bldg to get some extras. I was in a hurry and wanted something different so I grabbed some Lemon Cookie tarts. Oh boy am I glad I did! They smell soooooo yummy....like mix of fresh baking lemon/sugar cookies! That is the best Lemon Cookie scent I've ever tried. The lemon isn't over powering and too strong as most are, and is mixed with just the right scent of a cookie. Makes me so hungry I'll have to make some tomorrow!












And, I wanted to add....those of you entering my first giveaway on my selling blog need to be a follower on that blog and leave a comment to be entered. I won't know you're wanting to be entered if you don't leave a comment. That's the only 2 requirements I have for the giveaway. Just wanted to make sure everyone understood that correctly and wasn't using this blog for that. Rusty Shed Crafts

What have you been crafting lately? Till next time, have fun crafting!

Hugs, Libby

Sunday, February 21, 2010

APJ Contest/Giveaway!

Wow! Diane is having an awesome contest/giveaway so rush on over to the APJ blog to get details! The winner will receive: "A 25.00 Gift Card to Hobby Lobby Or Michaels ** winners choice**** and a tart melter with yummy tarts!" And be sure to join APJC (A Primitive Journey Community forum) to up your winning chances! APJC forum. You can't win if you don't enter, so get going to the APJ blog and find out how! And while you're there, take time to join the APJ community. It's filled with lots of awesome crafters, sharing, fun games & prizes, chat tutorials, member tutorials, and so much more!









This ends on Feb 28, 2010 so hurry over and get in on the fun!

Hugs, Libby

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Few Things....

Here's some pics of a few things I've been working on. First, I painted the legs on the 1st sheep I made, then finished a couple more today. Also made 4 Colonial mob (nighty) caps.













I think he looks much better with black legs.




















































I still have 3 more yet to make. Also going to make a nighty gown to go with mob caps. Can't wait to get started on those! What have you been crafting today?

Hugs, Libby

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Easy Prim Sheep!

I wanted to share with you a pic of a quick n easy sheep I made from a car washing mitt. Yes, you heard me right, a "car washing mitt." But let me say first, before you grab one and start your project, machine wash and dry the mitts, LOL! That gets rid of all the lint and fuzzies from them plus prepares them for staining. And they look more like real sheep wool after being laundered. I soaked mine in coffee stain mix then let air dry. Just use your imagination for yours to make how ever you like. Stuff it nice and full, even the cuff, so you'll have a nice face there. I got these $2 car washing mitts at the local Family Dollar about 2 yr ago especially for this purpose and just now putting it into action. But I think it turned out nice n easy!

Plain laundered mitt:
 













My first sheep, (I have lots of mitts, lol!):















Mine's face is stitched with button eyes:

















Sorry about the pics but still having fits with the camera. Hopefully I'll find what's causing it today. Hope this gives you some neat ideas of your own! As always, have fun crafting!

Hugs Libby

Monday, February 15, 2010

My First Mob (Nighty) Cap!

I hope everyone enjoyed your Valentine's Day and didn't eat too many chocolates, LOL! All I wanted was a nice dinner which I got, YUM! I also was busy making my first mob (nighty) cap. Unlike the others I've seen I made mine with doubled muslin and think it worked out pretty good for a first try. I love these cute caps and the history behind them. Mine turned out to be a child size cap and will make larger ones later.














  
I wanted to make one for some time but never got around to it till hubs made me a cute wall shelf, the taper stand - which you've seen, and a stove board. The wall shelf has a cute rusty wire going across the front top and some rusty square head nails for hangers on the bottom. I'll post pics once it's painted. I'm wanting to hang my mob cap, rug beater, and some other goodies on it. And speaking of those old rug beaters, look what I found while going through my stash of goodies, lol!

Hen

















Apple

















Sheep

















And Barn

















Isn't it amazing what we can find while cleaning/clearing out our crafting supplies, LOL! And it's truly hard to say what I'll discover when going through the storage building. I've probably stuck back lots of treasures, hidden, and waiting to be found. I think we all see things we love, get them, then put in storage for a later purpose/creation. Within a year's time when we return to clear things out, seems we find those special items we just had to have. I don't know about you, but to me it's like finding a golden egg, LOL! (Okay, maybe that's just a senior moment on my part?) But have you found any forgotten treasures lately?

Hugs to all, Libby

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Just wanted to take the time to wish each of you a very Happy Valentine's Day!












May your day be filled with happiness and love!

Hugs, Libby

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Prim Jar Sleeves

Good morning everyone! First I'd like to say I've ended the offer on the tapers early. I wish to thank each and everyone that placed an order for them. I hope you enjoy them and they find a nice spot among your prim decor! With that said, let's get on to today's tutorial....

Prim Jar Sleeves
copyright ©2009 by Libby Bryant















These prim jar sleeves are quick, easy, and fun to make. The jars can be used to fill in any "empty" spot and made to fit into your decor.

What you'll need:
Scrap pieces of fabric (choice to blend in with decor)
Scrap pieces of stained muslin
An old toothbrush
Favorite rubber stamp
Permanent stamp ink pad
Cotton twine, jute, or sisal
Jar(s) of your choice

Since you can make these for any size jar I can't give exact measurements for the sleeve or muslin jar lables. What you'll need to do is determine how tall you want the  sleeve on the jar and write down that measurement. Cut an oblong strip of scrap fabric using that measurement. Ex: I wanted mine 4" tall so I cut an oblong strip that was 4" wide. Next place that oblong strip of fabric around the jar, over lap 1/2 inch and cut of excess. Using an old toothbrush, brush the top and bottom sides of the strip so the fabric frays and looks used/raggedy. (Refer to pic above.) Place the two ends together with fabric wrong side out and sew a 1/4" inseam to make the sleeve. Next determine what size you want the label on the sleeve and cut a piece of stained muslin. Using your permanent ink pad and favorite stamp(s), center and stamp the muslin label. Turn the sleeve right side out and lay flat, seam on bottom and front side facing you. Lay your stamped muslin label on that, center, and pin in place. Hand sew around the edges stepping in 1/4" inch. Slip your sleeve over your jar bottom to make sure it fits nice and snug. For the top you can use the lid on the jar or leave it off, your choice. Lay a scrap piece of stained muslin and center over top of jar (lid if used), wrap tightly and tie off with cotton twine, jute, or sisal. Trim off excess to your preference. You're all done and ready to place that jar in the perfect spot that needed a little something! Be creative and use various prints of fabrics for your sleeves. Do one in muslin and stamp the whole sleeve, you can add a label or not. If not using a label try tying some twine, jute, or sisal around the sleeve and adding a sprig of Sweet Annie. There's endless possibilities here so use your imagination and as always, "have fun crafting!"

Hugs, Libby

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Handmade Colonial Hanging Tapers

Since posting pics of my hanging taper stand, I've had so many request of those wanting to buy my taper candles, so I'm posting some here for a short time only. I will be adding them to my website once my site is finished. The only form of payment accepted will be a "postal money order." Sorry, I'm not yet set up with site for sales, but I do have prices lowered for this inconvenience. If this is a problem please don't contact me with an order. For those of you wishing to order please use my contact button in right side menu. Tell me what and how many you want of each item. (No bulk orders please! If in doubt, please ask.) Include your zip code so I can get actual shipping amount. I will be shipping via USPS. I will then contact you with the total plus actual shipping amount. I don't charge for package & handling. Once I receive your pymt your order will ship, same day if possible. I'll try to describe each item as best I can but please ask any questions.

13" to 16" Long Skinny Colonial Style Hanging Tapers -
These are handmade by me, black wax (not beeswax) grunged in spices, have 100% cotton wick, and range from 13" to 16" in length. One set consist of 2 candles on joined wick for hanging. For decorative purposes only. These will come in a clear bag with prim tag. Price: 1 set = $8.00















8" to 10" Skinny Colonial Style Hanging Tapers -
These are hand dipped by me, black wax (not beeswax) grunged in spices, have 100% cotton wick, and range from 8" to 10" in length. One set consist of 2 candles on joined wick for hanging. For decorative purposes only. Comes wrapped with label, tied with string, in a clear bag with prim tag. Price: 1 set = $4.00
















Lantern Lighting Candles -
Or better known as Lantern Lights. These are hand dipped by me, have 100% cotton wick, range 9" to 10" long and very skinny, comes in a bundle of 8 candle lights. Bundle will have label, tied with string, and sprig of Sweet Annie. Choice of rusty orange color scented in Cinnamon Spice, or dark gold color scented in Southern Vanilla. (Will have more color/scent choices later on site.) Bundle also comes in clear bag with prim tag. Bundles shown are for sample pics only. For decorative purposes only. Price: 1 bundle of 8 candles = $4.00















Please make sure you read and agree with ordering information at top of page before contacting me. Also note that I make all these items fresh, so depending on your order I may need a day or two to get them made. I wish to thank all of you that have inquired about my tapers. Warm prim hugs, Libby

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Taper Display Stand....

It isn't finished yet but wanted to show you all the display stand hubs made me for my long skinny black wax Colonial tapers! Yip, he finally got busy and made the display stand, a cute prim wall shelf (home use for hanging my own tapers on), and a stove board! I've been so happy and doin' my Happy Dance! I still need to distress it and put those floor protectors on the bottom legs, (why I have it on a scatter rug, lol). I don't have the shelf or stove board done yet but will post pics when I finish them. Oh, and my camera was giving me absolute fits when I took the pics, too bright and distorted. But I fixed them the best I could so please overlook the bad pics.


















It holds 32 hanging tapers (what I have on it now) but I can double/triple them if I need to, so it would at least hold 64. (These are the real wax ones, lol, not the faux I had on the tutorial.) The long tapers range anywhere from 13" to 16" long, are hand rolled then dipped and grunged. The smaller tapers range from 8" to 10" and are hand dipped 40 times.





































I just love these long black n grungy Colonial tapers and will be making some in Burgundy and Gold. Can't wait to get my cute wall shelf finished and hang some on it! I think hubs idea for the display stand was awesome and would be really handy for shop owners or those that do craft shows. As you can see they're simple and easy to make. Hope this inspires you with some ideas!

Hugs, Libby

Friday, February 5, 2010

Faux Hanging Tapers Tutorial

Faux Hanging Tapers
copyright *2010 by Libby Bryant
http://rustyshedprims.blogspot.com
http://www.rustyshedprimitives.com














Forewords: Thanks to a sweet and very talented lady, Kathy, or better known as motherbee, http://mammieandme.blogspot.com/, these faux hanging tapers came into existence. Unaware, you gave me a creative challenge to make a no wax, no sew, no dough creation. For those who don't work with wax, or don't sew, or don't like using dough, you can make your own. And we can all have those adorable prim (faux) hanging tapers we love! I would also like to thank another sweetie, Mary Brien of  http://odd-eyedcatprimitives.blogspot.com/, for her tip on painting these. I can't thank you enough Mary as your tip will save us all double work, LOL!
My personal thanks to both of you sweet wonderful talented ladies!

What you'll need:














6 yd pk of cheesecloth
Mod Podge crafters glue
Your favorite spice mix
100% cotton butchers twine (or something for wick)
Paint brush
Newspapers
Crafting paint (optional)

To start with I'm using the easiest and quickest technique for making the hanging tapers (as shown in pic at top) but I'm also including other variations to them. Please read through entire tutorial before starting so you'll know which technique you want to start. For these long skinny tapers open your cheesecloth and unroll a couple turns (but don't unfold the cheesecloth) as shown in pic....















Determine the length you want your tapers and cut cheesecloth. (Length being from open end of cheesecloth back toward the roll.) Unroll cheesecloth some more and cut another piece the same size. Separate the two pieces and lay one on your work area. Using the cotton butchers twine or candle wick of your choice, measure length needed for your hanging tapers as shown in pic below. If you'll look closely you'll notice I've looped the twine on the left side of pic for my hanging wick. I like the long wicks but you can make yours any desired length.















Once you've decided on the desired wick length, cut the twine. Take one end of the twine and lay down the edge of the cheesecloth, then apply some Mod Podge down that edge on your twine and cheesecloth as shown in pic. This helps to start your roll and keep twine/cheesecloth in place.















Using fingertips start rolling the cheesecloth around the twine keeping the roll nice and even as you work the roll. Work the ends and center area together to form a nice roll as shown in pic...















Continue rolling till you reach the end and your roll should now look similar to mine in pic....















Using your paint brush and Mod Podge, gently paint the edge of the cheesecloth from one end of the roll to the other. Paint a little extra on top wick end and pinch together with fingertips to form a tapered end as shown in pic.














Carefully lift and lay this roll (as it's still wet) on the side or above the immediate area you've been working on. Lay the second piece of cheesecloth in that same area and taking the other end of the twine, lay across cheesecloth edge. Now you're ready to start the same process for this roll, starting with applying Mod Podge to the twine and cheesecloth. Refer to pic below...














After rolling this second one remember to taper the top end. Your faux tapers should now look similar to mine....















You'll need to lay these aside to dry a little while. Check and turn them several times while drying so they don't stick to the newspaper. Next you'll want to add a little water to some Mod Podge (but keep it thick) and get your favorite spice mix ready. Once dry, paint one of the tapers with the Mod Podge/water mix. Hold taper over a pan of your spice mix and sprinkle spices all over the taper. Paint with Mod Podge/water mix and sprinkle spices over the other taper then lay aside to dry. This is the first grungy coat and will look a little bare. Refer to the top tapers in pic below. Turn tapers as they dry so they won't stick to newspaper.















Once dry you will need to paint and sprinkle spices over both tapers and lay aside to dry again. The second coat should be all you need but you may repeat the grunging process several times. After the second coat your tapers should look like bottom tapers in the pic above. Once dry they are ready to hang as they are or you can seal them by applying another coat of Mod Podge/water mix then allow to dry. You can also paint them in color of your choice. Since we all love the look of those blackened beeswax Colonial hanging tapers, I painted mine with black paint then lightly dusted with spices before completely dry.















Painting the tapers: This is where Mary's tip comes in handy and saves us applying several layers of coating! (Don't we love shortcuts, LOL!) Instead of applying sealer/dry, and paint/dry, and sealer again/dry, add your paint to some Mod Podge and give it ONE coat. Wow! A colored sealer! This makes a better sealer and over all look to any project. (Smart thinking, thank you Mary and many blessings to ya!) Remember that some instant coffee can be added to your paint/MP mix for a grungy paint look (as you can see in the yellow tapers below). If you want your tapers to have the dusted grungy look as I did mine, give them a light dusting before the paint is completely dry. You may want to leave them without the dusting as shown in pic below. I'm showing a pair of plain sealed spice grunged tapers and two other painted pairs that have not been dusted.















Various rolling techniques: If you want your tapers to have a kind of swirl look, (as shown in pic above with the brown and yellow tapers) use the 3 yd pk of cheesecloth and unroll edge as shown in pic below. Determine the length of your taper wick desired and cut from twine. Ex: for a 10" taper measure that length from end of twine and mark with black marker. Allow extra for hanging wick then add another 10" for total length of twine needed. For these tapers you will be rolling from the top (wick end) down to the bottom of the taper. So lay the twine on a slant across the cheesecloth as shown, lining up the mark on twine with the corner shown on right side in pic.















Carefully start rolling the cheesecloth till you're at the end of the twine. Cut cheesecloth and roll the excess to finish roll as shown in pic below.















Feel the thickness of the bottom end of the taper and cut bottom evenly across.















Repeat the same process for the other end of twine to complete the hanging tapers. Next you will apply a coat of Mod Podge over both taper rolls and allow to dry, turning to prevent sticking to newspaper. You will notice these are hardened once dried. When dry you will use the same steps above for grunging as other tapers. If desired you can paint these as well.

If you like the look of the thinner red tapers in pic above use the same process for cutting the twine, but cut the cheesecloth into 1" wide long strips. Starting the roll at the mark on twine, roll the cheesecloth strips down to end of twine or taper bottom. You can use several layers of these strips till you achive the desired look. Trim the bottoms for an even edge as show for other tapers above. Once both tapers are rolled, paint them completely with Mod Podge and allow to dry. Turn to keep from sticking to newspaper. Once again you will use the same steps for grunging these as the other tapers. Paint your tapers after applying the grungy layers if desired.

So there you have it, my process for creating different looks is in the roll. What ever technique you use when rolling keep the roll neat and tight as possible. On the two techniques above you can smooth out any areas on the tapers after coating with Mod Podge and before drying. The grunging process given in the first technique must be applied to any rolling method you use. This grunging process is what builds up and makes the tapers. It makes them strong and hard by bonding in the cheesecloth weave. Any questions feel free to contact me through my blog or on the APJ (A Primitive Journey) forum. Make as many as you like for yourself, family, friends, or to sell. Just don't claim my tutorial or my techniques used. Do not share my tutorial but tell any one interested where to get my free tutorial instead. As always, have fun crafting!

Hugs to all, Libby

Note: You can download this pdf tutorial from my share box on the right side.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Faux Prim Hanging Tapers

It was so good to hear Kathy (motherbee) is back home from the hospital! She's very tired and needing lots of rest but that's to be expected. She's one tough lady for sure, I'd still be whining! Kathy we all wish you a very speedy recovery and sending lots of prayers your way with some big warm hugs!

Here is my latest project I've been working on, Faux Prim Hanging Tapers. We were talking about the long skinny black beeswax colonial tapers and was wondering if there was another option beside wax. I love playing with wax but there's some of the girls that don't do wax, some don't sew, and some don't care too much for the dough. Loving to experiment as I do I sat down and went to work with those things in mind. My end result, I created these no wax, no sew, no dough, handmade faux grungy tapers. These can be left grunged in spices or painted in your favorite colors. They're quick and easy to make and anyone can make them. I'm still playing with more techniques for these but as soon as I'm finished I'll make a complete tut with all the variations. I didn't have gold paint so had to suffice with the yellow. I'll also be making these in black, dk blue, and burgundy (that's barn red shown). These look adorable hanging but I don't yet have a taper hanger. That is definitely my next wood project!














I got that beautiful doily you see from my friend Rebecca of Rebecca's Creations. A very talented girl and I love her work! After making these faux tapers I got the hankering to play in wax and make some real ones, LOL! And here's some I finished this evening. The larger ones are 13" long and hand rolled, the smallest ones are 7" long and wick dipped multiple times. And since I was playing I scented them in my favorite scent, Cinnamon Spice!


















(Over look that old plastic hanger on the counter as I told you I haven't made a taper hanger yet, LOL!) These were lots of fun to make, the wick dipped ones are time consuming but fun. I'll get into colors on these too. Till next time, have fun crafting!

Hugs, Libby

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Happy Groundhog's Day everyone! Too bad it looks like 6 more weeks of Winter weather! I was so hoping it would be the opposite so we could go on to Spring, LOL! To celebrate I'm posting some more freebie graphics. Yip, I'm on a graphics kick. How long it will last, it's hard to say. These are my new Stoneware graphics, just click to view original size and save to your puter. I'm also adding these individual pieces today to the share box files so watch for them to come shortly. You can resize these, add to labels, tags, or other graphics such as my prim cabinet posted yesterday. Use your imagination but as always, please don't claim them as your own.

















































These would also look cute resized and sitting on top of a prim wall shelf. I'll show some sample pic uses for the graphics later. Hope you have fun crafting today!

Hugs, Libby

Monday, February 1, 2010

More Graphics To Play With....

I said I'd post more background graphics that you could mix n match and here is the next set of them. There's still more to come so hope you're collecting them all. Plus today I'm adding my prim cabinet, then will post prim goodies to use with it later. Use them how ever you like, just don't claim them as your own.






















































Till next time, have fun crafting!
Hugs, Libby