I just traced out a pattern for a witch doll. She is going to be huge, and amazing! Her flax tow hair arrives tomorrow, so I’m hoping to complete her parts, assemble them, and dress her today⭐
I also have a witch boot ready to stuff and paint. I love making spooky, Halloweeny things!
I’ve been keeping myself very busy, creating new things and learning stuff every day. I always have 27 tabs open in my brain, so I feel really lucky to have the time to switch gears as often as I need to in the creative process.
Yesterday I did prim stitchery, finished another Americana crow, and dabbled with blackened candles. I’m constantly trying to come up with rustic decor ideas that are unique and not seen before. Make-do’s are fun ❤
My first Americana crow doll should be finished and listed on Etsy tomorrow! ⭐
it’s so rare that I keep a doll that I make. But this one is definitely staying in my house! I just love her. She’s about the size of a barbie and looks adorable in the primitive rocking chair that my husband thrifted and I refinished. ❤ (Her pattern was created by Stacey Mead of Raven’s Haven)
Tonight I’m finishing up sunflower poke orders, completing a couple of Herb Crow Ladye dolls, and starting on my first primitive hen! My work week never ends. But it really doesn’t feel like work, when you love what you’re doing🌻
**Sold** This Folk Art Tulips arrangement is available in my Etsy shop! Come check it out …
I always wondered how that blackened beeswax look was achieved. Today I finally figured it out. Bazinga!
I really need to start listing some tea light candles on Etsy. I have a ton ready to go. I’m also contemplating dusting off my cricut and designing stencils for signs. It’s been a long time. This was my last.
If I had to choose a favorite primitive craft, it’s making candles grubby! Pillars, votives, flameless, or real wax candles…. I just love the process & the effect.
What’s in my grubby prim mix? Mod Podge (matte) cinnamon, and coffee grounds. Oh, and a dash of cloves. That’s it!
You can leave them as they are, or paint over them. I just love the texture of coffee grounds under matte black paint. Nice and witchy for Halloween!
My shop offers the lowest prices around on Maine made primitives… and that’s something to crow about!
I’m building up my stock of crow pokes and new folk art tulips this weekend⭐
Yesterday my husband woke up with an ear ache and was very fatigued. He had a long zoom meeting to get through that ran right up until lunch, poor guy! I was scrambling for something good to feed him. I didn’t have chicken soup ingredients on hand, so I made my next go-to for comfort food…. beef stew in the instant pot. It came out great. I fed my husband and convinced him to knock off early and rest. He slept a good chunk of the afternoon, and today he’s 90% better.
I really can’t say enough about this instant pot. The speed and ease of use is awesome for a flake like me that doesn’t know what she’s cooking until an hour before meal time haha! It’s so useful when you need to make a quick broth and then a soup when someone in the house is sick. And I’ll use this all through the summer when it’s too hot to cook.
The title of this post really is true. As I paint, stitch, dress, and photograph them…. these crows become my companions. They help me to pass the time. They make sheltering in place a little less lonely. I send each of them off to their new moms with a hug and sometimes, a tear. I think most artists probably are melancholy about parting with things they create. If you are putting love into them, it only makes sense that it feels a tiny bit of yourself leaves when they do.
What is so rewarding about this process is the customers that buy them and love them. I often receive pictures of herb crow dolls displayed in their new homes and it fills my heart back up again. That’s the main reason I keep doing what I do. ❤