Winter Blues giveaway winner!

Oh goodness, I was so nervous and so anxious to see who was going to win my Winter Blues giveaway!!  I couldn't hardly get all those pieces of paper folded and in the bowl fast enough!  But I had to play Santa... checking my list twice.  Well okay, I guess I am more OCD than Santa... I checked my list four times, lol!

I was overwhelmed with all the entries!  I want to thank each and every one of you that entered.  It warms my heart so to know that you would like to own something made by my hands.  Are you ready for the winner now??  Yeah, I know... I dislike when people ramble on and on before announcing the winner.  I usually cheat though and go to the end of the post to see who the winner is, then I go back and read the post, haha!  I know I'm not the only one that does that, am I?  It's like going to the last chapter of the book and reading it first to see how it ends, then going back and reading the book.

Okay, okay... The winner is...

My new friend, Kady of Stoney Hill Cabin!!  Thank you Kady!  I hope you like it!  Please send me your address at:  berryhomespunprimitives@gmail.com. 

Thanks girls!  This was lots of fun and lots of new blog friends to meet!  I really appreciate your visits to my humble little blog!

On another note:  Hobby Lobby has their realistic fruit on sale this week for 50% off!  Now is the time to get over there and buy some to try out the dipped wax on them.  It was fun and the end result was worth the mess I had.  Or if you would rather not make the mess... I will be listing them for sell here on my blog and on my facebook page soon.  =]

Have a blessed week my prim friends!  Stay warm and cozy inside your home and create away~

Waxed Fruit

Well I waxed some plastic fruit for the first time.  Not what I envisioned, but I think they turned out okay.  I'm happy with them.  I use the same method that I use when grunging my candles (the tut link is on my sidebar).

First, I started off with the bags of plastic fruit from Hobby Lobby.  $5.99, on sale half price for $2.99.  A bag of 16 pears and a bag of 16 apples equals out to 19 cents for each piece of fruit so if it doesn't work out, I'm not out much money.  I also bought 3 pineapples at the Dollar Tree but they are still a work in progress.

I didn't have coffee grounds so I added some coarse pepper to the wax pot.  Yep, pepper.  Honestly, it worked out great.  I used old Scentsy wax.  It was so strong that you couldn't even smell the pepper, haha!  See the texture forming?

I was impatient and just threw them on the mat as they came out of the wax like I do my candles.  But guess what... you have this when you do that...

So, after scraping that off, I threw them in the wax again for a second coat.  I tried just throwing them in the wax like they are, but the bump was still there.  They were still warm so it was easy to scrape it off.  Then they went for a cinnamon/nutmeg mix bath.

Side note:  I bought this 6.5 oz jar of cinnamon at the Dollar Tree!  That was exciting, now I don't have to dip into my cooking stash.

Look at the pears, aren't they so cute?  The fruit covers well and the texture looks great on them!

Two wax dips.

Spice dip.

Another wax dip.

Another spice dip.

One last wax dip.

Once they slightly cooled, I didn't dip them but lightly rubbed the spice mixture on them.

Here's how the pears turned out.

The flash made the apples look so much more red than they are.  They are actually more brown than that.

See the cute little rusty star on the one apple?  Well, the whole inspiration for waxed fruit came from the Early Spring '11 issue of The Country House.  I borrowed this picture from their website, aren't these just the cutest?  

Yours for only $15.99 for a set of 4.  Not a bad price, but my Dave Ramsey budget doesn't allow it.  So I dug out these sets of rusty star and heart garland that I bought at Hobby Lobby after Christmas at 80% off.  For 40 cents a package, I got quite a few little stars and hearts once I used my wire cutters and snipped the wire off each one.

I had a tough time getting my stars to bend just perfectly around the apples.  Then I pulled up their picture on the website to get a closer look and their stars aren't on tight.  I really like the brown colors of my fruit but the rusty star just blends in too much so I painted it black.  I think I am going to just put black stars on the larger fruits and leave the smaller ones alone.  What would you do if you were making them?

As always, thanks for your visit!  Don't forget my giveaway ends in a couple of days.

My purchases

Girls, don't you just adore my new Valentine's pillow?  I just LOVE it! I bought this from  Shari at Homespun and Primitives.  That link is for her website to purchase her wonderful handmades and that girl is always throwing things on sale to give you a great deal!

You can also go to Shari's delightful blog:  Homespun and Primitives.  She is always showing her beautiful creations and telling you when she is having a sale.  I also bought this lovely star candle holder that will look awesome in my patriotic living room!

I can't remember what I paid for these items but I do remember thinking that I was stealing them from Shari!!  When I opened my box and saw how wonderful these items were, I wanted to send her more money because I felt like I was ripping her off!

Not only did Shari have a variety of colors for me to choose from for the pillow and star, she also surprised me with a little brown bag.  Don't you just love surprises!  This sweet little homespun heart with a rusty bell was in the bag!

Thank you so very much Shari!  You are a real sweetheart and very talented!  I love my handmades and will treasure them for years to come!  Please go visit her, I promise you won't be disappointed!

 I don't get to purchase very many prims from you all because we have been following Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  I'm happy to report that we paid off a loan today!!  YAY!!  Now we have two loans that total $5,000 and a student loan from when my husband went to school for Avionics... that one is a big one but we are tackling it one month at a time.  Sorry, I'm just so excited about it that I haven't slept for two nights, haha!  So I had to share with you.

My sweet little baby girl turned 12 this past Saturday.  I love you with all my heart Amariah Jade and I'm glad God blessed our family with your precious life!  She is the one on the right.

Well that's it for today.  I've been cleaning and organizing my kitchen.  Whew, what a job!  Gotta get it nice and clean so I can get in there tomorrow and make a big mess, lol.  I am going to be waxing some fake fruit, clothespins, and icicles.  I'll share with you all soon.

For those of you still laden with snow, I wish we could take it from you.  We've only had a couple of inches all winter and we are wanting more!  It's been getting in the 50's here, the birds are coming back and singing to us, and the sun is setting later and later.

Have a delightful week my friends~

Winter Blues giveaway

Happy 1 year Berry Homespun Primitives Blog Anniversary to me!

My first post on my personal blog, Ramblings from a grateful heart was on Tuesday, April 04, 2006.  I can't believe that it has been almost 5 years since I entered the blog world.  I wish I had found you wonderfully, sweet, prim blog friends back then but I am very thankful for the friendships that I have formed over the past year.  Although I've never met a single one of you, I think of you daily.  You are always in my prayers.  I miss you when it's been a day or two since I've been able to visit.  I delight greatly in this wonderful prim community that I have been welcomed to with open arms, you all are the greatest!!

Okay, enough mushy stuff... on with the Winter Blues giveaway.

The tray measures 13 1/4" across, 19" long and is almost 2" deep.  It is pretty heavy.  You can see a couple close-ups on this past post.  I will show close-ups and give you details of the rest then I will give you the rules.

The pillow tuck is handmade by me.  It is a homespun fabric that has a simple cross stitch crock pattern on it.  Both pieces have been tea stained with vanilla, then rubbed with cinnamon and nutmeg.  It is filled with fabric scraps that has been rubbed with cinnamon and nutmeg also.

The ditty bag is 7" tall and handmade by me.  The bag and the small muslin patch that I stitched 1842 on, have been tea stained with vanilla, then rubbed with cinnamon and nutmeg.  I stuck some boxwood from my bushes and two candles that I grubbied, down inside the bag.  The wooden candleholder is a makeover by me with a gray finish, stained cheesecloth, and one of my grubby candles.  It looks like the candle is falling over in the picture for some reason, but it stands straight up.

11 rag balls in four different blue homespun prints, measuring 1 1/2" to 3 1/2".  The homespun has been tea stained with vanilla, then rubbed with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Two homespun towels made by me that measure 14 x 25 1/2" and have been tea stained with vanilla.  These are brown and more like a turquoise blue which would be perfect to add to those pretty Spring/Easter displays.  They have a zig zag edging that I hope you can see in the close up picture.

Lastly is a picture of the pewter piece.  It is 2" tall and 3 1/2" inches wide.  It is marked RWP.  So it has the historic look of pewter but made by the Wilton Company of Pennsylvania.

Now for the rules.  There are only two rules to this giveaway.  1. You MUST comment on this post only.  Anywhere else won't count.  2. You MUST have a blog that I can come visit.  If you don't have an open blog for all to see, then I will delete your comment.  That's it.

This giveaway is open to all, everywhere.  You can post it on the sidebar of your blog if you want, but sorry... no extra entries will be given.  I will draw the winner on January 31.  By then, there will be an extra goodie or two thrown in.

Thank you for your sweet friendship over the past year.  I am very thankful for it and I hope this giveaway shows that as there is lots of love put in to each piece.  =]

A sneak peek

Well girls, after that last post I thought I would move on to something more cheery.  I'm sorry but I just can't sit and do nothing about such sick injustice when I do have a voice.

Anyway, I bought this sturdy, wooden tray at a yard sale this past summer.  Do any of you ever have a hard time sanding down and painting over something that someone so lovingly created years ago?  It's so hard for me to do.  Even though I grew up with blue ducks all over the dining room and kitchen, I'm still not particularly fond of them.  My mom would probably like this though, hehe.

So I sanded it down and painted a base coat of Blue Mist.  Then I topped it with two coats of Battleship Gray.

After some sanding and ebony Briwax, this is what I ended up with...

Do you like it?  I hope so because it's part of my one year blog anniversary giveaway.

So if you don't like it, then don't come back next week hopefully on Monday when I announce my giveaway.  =]

No, my Amish dolls are NOT included (or the other things pictured), hehe.  But here is a sneak peek of some things that will be included...

Do you see a theme yet?  I thought it would be fun to have a Winter Blues giveaway since so many people are ready for spring to show up. I am enjoying winter.  But if you have the winter blues or grays, then this giveaway might be for you.

I wish for you a fantastic weekend.  Whether it be sunshine or snow, enjoy it while you can.  Stay safe and warm my friends~

How very sad

I came across this from another blogger last night and I'll be honest, I was outraged,  shocked, so angry.  An Etsy artist who goes by the name of "You Stupid B%#@&" is causing quite a stir.  The following text is from the petition for Etsy that I signed, along with adding it to both of my facebook accounts and twitter.  Please scroll down to the link, click on it, and add your name to the petition.  It takes less than a minute.  There have already been over 1,000 people sign it since I did last night.

"Congratulations. You Got Bad Touched."

That's the message printed on cards currently for sale on your website by the user "youstupidbitch." That card is offensive, demeaning, and potentially traumatizing to survivors of sexual assault. The same user also sells cards that mock breast cancer patients and mothers of special needs children. All must be removed from your website immediately.

The first card in question feautres a drawing of a naked sexual assault victim curled up on the floor of a shower stall, "printed on heavy duty white cardstock" complete with "red accents and matching envelope." Can you imagine if someone sent that to an actual rape victim? The cards for breast cancer and Down Syndrome are no better. 

Your official Terms of Use state that you "has no control over the quality, safety, morality or legality of any aspect of the items listed." However, in the list of prohibited items, Etsy says that it does not allow items that harass others or that are deemed obscene. I think a strong case can be made that this card fits both categories.

Etsy may not have a legal obligation to remove the cards in question from its site, but it does have, in my opinion, a moral imperative. Does your company really want to be known as the go-to website for cards that harass, offend, and traumatize survivors of sexual assault, breast cancer patients, and parents of children with Down Syndrome? Do you want to open the doors for sellers like youstupidbitch to peddle the wares unimpeded? I hope not. 

Please remove this card from their website and send a message that this type of product is unwelcome on your website.

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_etsy_to_remove_rape_congratulations_cards_from_website

It even made it to CNN.  Here is the link to the video:

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/01/07/jvm.greeting.cards.hln

Yes, I was outraged, so angry but now that I've had time to settle down, think about this, and pray... I have decided to leave you with the information and let you do as you please.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

How very sad

I came across this from another blogger last night and I'll be honest, I was outraged,  shocked, so angry.  An Etsy artist who goes by the name of "You Stupid B%#@&" is causing quite a stir.  The following text is from the petition for Etsy that I signed, along with adding it to both of my facebook accounts and twitter.  Please scroll down to the link, click on it, and add your name to the petition.  It takes less than a minute.  There have already been over 1,000 people sign it since I did last night.

"Congratulations. You Got Bad Touched."

That's the message printed on cards currently for sale on your website by the user "youstupidbitch." That card is offensive, demeaning, and potentially traumatizing to survivors of sexual assault. The same user also sells cards that mock breast cancer patients and mothers of special needs children. All must be removed from your website immediately.

The first card in question feautres a drawing of a naked sexual assault victim curled up on the floor of a shower stall, "printed on heavy duty white cardstock" complete with "red accents and matching envelope." Can you imagine if someone sent that to an actual rape victim? The cards for breast cancer and Down Syndrome are no better. 

Your official Terms of Use state that you "has no control over the quality, safety, morality or legality of any aspect of the items listed." However, in the list of prohibited items, Etsy says that it does not allow items that harass others or that are deemed obscene. I think a strong case can be made that this card fits both categories.

Etsy may not have a legal obligation to remove the cards in question from its site, but it does have, in my opinion, a moral imperative. Does your company really want to be known as the go-to website for cards that harass, offend, and traumatize survivors of sexual assault, breast cancer patients, and parents of children with Down Syndrome? Do you want to open the doors for sellers like youstupidbitch to peddle the wares unimpeded? I hope not. 

Please remove this card from their website and send a message that this type of product is unwelcome on your website.


http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_etsy_to_remove_rape_congratulations_cards_from_website

It even made it to CNN.  Here is the link to the video: http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/01/07/jvm.greeting.cards.hln

Yes, I was outraged, so angry but now that I've had time to settle down, think about this, and pray... I have decided to leave you with the information and let you do as you please.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Our first snow... finally!

My favorite thing in my home is not an antique or an heirloom or even a piece of furniture, it is this...

Although, it is flanked by family pieces.  The fireplace tool set belongs to my husband's 97 year old grandma and she has had it as long as he's been alive so it is at least 44 years old.  When I was visiting my parents on Christmas Eve, my mom was showing me some new decorating she had done in the basement... this is the large family room where we have all family gatherings and it is a wonderful and homey place!  Back in one of the corners I spotted the old coal bucket that we used in our old house when I was growing up.  Since she wasn't using it, she let me have it.  =]  Funny sidenote: after the little shopping trip that day with my mom, my husband was putting something in the suburban and was asking where all we had been, he thought we were antiquing and I bought that.  I said "Shh!  Be quiet!  It came from the basement and don't let my sisters know!"  There are four of us girls and mom won't let us have any family heirlooms because she's afraid to make one of us mad.  So I had to sneak it out of there before one of my sisters saw it.  Hehe!

I adore my fireplace and use it every single day of the winter.  I feel that I am very blessed to be living in the Central US in Oklahoma where we have the privilege of experiencing all four seasons.  You won't hear me complaining about the weather at any time because I am thankful God gives us such a variety and I'm grateful for it all.

The kids are super excited about the snow finally coming!  I know some of you are tired of it already because you've had several feet of it for several months but this is our first snowfall this winter which is really odd for us.  We always have a white Christmas and didn't this year.  Five year old Robbie thinks it's Christmas now because it's snowing.  Don't you just love their innocence?  It is so adorable.  He's a little upset that it's not Christmas after all.  Okay, it's barely snowing but you can see the gazebo roof is covered.

As I'm sitting inside where it's nice and warm, I'm enjoying looking beyond my red door at the beauty of the snowfall.

I hope you all are able to enjoy the beauty as well.  Please be safe and stay warm wherever you are!  We are patiently waiting (well, some of us are) for the brownies to come out of the oven.  My boys and I like to add butter to our brownies as soon as they come out of the oven.  Mmmm so delicious when it melts down into the chocolate!  Now I know, I didn't say anything about healthy but you should splurge every once in awhile.  =]

Have a delightful week~

Cookie Christmas Tree

Since the kids were out of school for the week before Christmas, I knew this project would be a fun one for all of us instead of a headache just for me.

Robbie rolling out the dough

We have a cookie tree kit that came with ten different sizes of stars.  You cut out 2 of each size.  Let me tell you , those big stars are hard to come up in one piece.  Well actually, they didn't haha!  We had to piece them back together on the baking sheet.  But they healed beautifully in the oven .

I normally use buttercream icing on this but I really love the powdered sugar icing for sugar cookies so we went with that instead and I'm so glad, it was delicious!  Start with the biggest cookie, ice it, set it on the platter with a dollop of icing under it to keep it from sliding.  I use a cake board covered in Christmas tissue paper.  

Next is the other star the same size.  Ice it and set it where it lays with its points between the points of the other star.  Follow this pattern all the way to the smallest star.  Save one of the smallest stars for the tree-top star.  This icing hardens faster than the buttercream icing so we had to put sprinkles on it as we went up.  Rich said the guys from work loved it and was even taking pictures of it.  One of them even texted me to thank me and said it was beautiful and tasted great.

Amariah self appointed herself as the photographer.  She had to see how many neat angles of the cookie tree she could get.  

I really like this angle a lot.  It makes the cookies look so thick but airy and oh so delicious!

We had a most wonderful Christmas surrounded by lots of love, family, and laughter.  I'll leave you with this picture of Rich's grandma Soudry and little Robbie.  Frances is a 97 year old full blooded Italian that came to the US from Italy many years ago.  She is definitely a feisty one, but also a real sweetheart.

I'm grateful that my family was able to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.  I'm so glad that God brought us all together and allows us to have great relationships... where we look forward to spending time together... where we can laugh at ourselves yet still feel good about ourselves... where we feel like we belong... because we do.