This is my James Christensen ornament

I don't know if you have ever heard of Jame Christensen but he is an awesome Whimsical artist, educator and he was a profesor at Brigham Young University. I don't know if he is still teaching there as the book I have of his was from 1996. It is called "A Journey of the Imagination" and the other book of his that I have is called
"Voyage of the Basset" It was made into a movie. If you ever have some time to spare take a look at his work at the Greenwich Workshop
http://www.hiddenridgegallery.com/art-of-james-christensen.html

I make these from Cinnamon applesauce dough then decorate them when they are dry with beads and stones and gold foil over hot glue. I looks like it is coated with real gold. I made this one last year but I have another in the oven right now. I will post pics when it is done
If you have that composition gold leaf sheets and a hot glue gun you can do some really incredible things like this. Just do your design with the hot glue let it cool a bit then lay the sheet over it and rub. It sticks like glue. The glue must be dry though. Weird huh. This piece here is about 3 years old.

This is the first of the Christmas cup swap photos

This is the first of the Christmas Cup Photos that I have received. I do hope that you all email me a photo of your cups so I can post them on the blog.  I think it will be fun to see what everyone got.
Thanks again.
This Is the cup that Pam received along with some extra goodies from Cindy Weeks.

Please send me pictures so I can post them too.
Thanks Pam

Here is Kathy's cup swap from Deb.

Red Velvet Sandwich-cookies at the Hive

I am absolutely going to have to make some of these. These look so much like a great cookie to serve up at a Christmas party. The recipe is posted at the Hive

http://creatingthehive.com/blog-post/44279/red-velvet-sandwich-cookies

Gotta check these out.

My new Christmas Stocking

I just received this in the mail today. I was hosting a Christmas stocking swap on another website that I am a member of called Dave's Garden. I tried to host it here but didn't get enough interest going so I did it there and wow. We had a great turn out. I will try it here again next year. Maybe we I can stir up enough interest to make it go here.
Anyways, It was called Christmas Stocking Swap with a Twist and the twist was that you could pick out your theme and color scheme that you prefered then your swap buddy  would do the same.
Mine was Ole time Christmas and colors were traditional red, greens, cream .
This is the stocking I received.
It was made from nice tapestry fabric with some very nice tapestry fringe. She also made a small one for my little 90+ lb lap puppy.  I can put a cookie it it for her but I will have to make a new one for Wallace. Don't you just love the fabric?

Well, I got it all decorated and lights are on

Aww.... I think its a sweet little tree and my sweet Petie likes it too. I mean, how many canaries have their very own Christmas tree.
He seems to like it too as he has his own little Christmas theme going on.
Well I just finished my last Christmas stocking that I was making for my Christmas stocking swap on another website called Dave's Garden.
All I have left now is the bed spread and my other daughter Christmas gift. I can't say what it is as then it wouldn't be a surprize.
Well, it's nap time for me and then will get busy again.
Hugs everyone and I hope that you have all had a nice weekend. Its been raining here for the past week. I guess thats why Oregon is so nice and green so I can't complain too much. I left the desert to get away for the dry drab brown landscapes.

I just finished this Ornament

http://hangingonbyaneedleandthread.blogspot.com/2009/12/quilted-christmas-ornament.html

I made this ornament last night from the instructions that I got at this you tube tutorial. It is so easy and fun to make to. It is a no sew project. I would suggest using a lighter weight fabric then I used. I used velvet in the center and a brocade on the outside. It didn't lay as nice as the one on the tutorial but I thing it looks pretty nice anyway. I added a crystal to hang off the bottom and added a hanger on top.

This is another one that I did today. Its done with some lighter weight fabric but it still hasn't turned out as nice as I would like it to. I just can't seem to get that perfect 3"x3" square cut perfect. I think I am going to have to invest in a rotary cutter and cutting pad.

Look at this wonderful giveaway I won from Hillcrest Home Prims from Tricia

I Just received this awesome giveaway from Tricia at Hillcrest Home Prims. It has a huge snowman with a scarf and holding vintage bells and three long candy canes and an awesome twig Christmas tree with ornaments and light that i need to get a battery for but that is great as where I have it there is no plug in. I also got a sweet scented bag of potpourri and two neat grungy pillar candles. It is a really awesome giveaway and I just wanted to say thank you so very much. You are so sweet and generous to create such a great giveaway. Thank you Tricia.      

 I also wanted to mention that you can get these adorable snowmen at Tricia's Hillcrest Home Prims store http://www.hillcresthomeprims.com plus so many other cute Christmas items. 

Whew we survived the big food day.

Whew, we are thankful for all the wonderful yummies that we were able to share with friends yesterday. I made my traditional Navajo Tacos and ambrosia fruit for dessert. It was very yummy and no one seem to be suffering too badly afterwards.
I hope that all of you had a very happy Thanksgiving day and although our Canadian friends to the North celebrate Thanksgiving on a different day, I do hope that you had a great day also.
This is a very vintage Christmas card that we received when we lived in Japan when I was 6 years old.  Yes I said it was very Vintage. heheh
Now on to the completion of the Christmas gifts.  I am very nearly done with most of them and hope to have it all done by the end of the month.
I am very thankful to all of you that took part in the giveaway "In the beginning there is a giveaway". I think it was a lot of fun and many had an opportunity to win something even if it wasn't the biggy.
 There will be another big giveaway for the New Year so keep checking back in. You will only have a week to sign up and then a week to wait so that means that sign up will begin on the 16th of December.  You will have to wait to see what it is till then. Don't ya love the suspense?
So, get busy and get your fingers working on the next project as Christmas is just  28 days 17 hours and 7 no 6 minutes away.
Big Prim Hugs to all my fellow bloggers and friends and family

And the Winner is

Yes, its been a long time coming but we have had such fun but rather then wait till tomorrow when everyone will be up to there necks in Turkey I figured I would just have my Dear Sweet Husband draw the name.
And the winner is..

Congratulations Val. Please contact me with your mailing address.You can email me at
primitivejan@gmail.com

Way to go. Remember, there is a surprise addition to the give away but no one will know what it is till you get it.

The lonely little Christmas cactus flower

Some time this summer a piece of my Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus broke off and I stuck it into my Aloe cactus plants container. Today I was in the laundry room folding clothes and I noticed something pink poking out from the back of the container.  I turned it around and low and behold this lonely little Cactus blossom was smiling back at me.. It this not just the most precious little flower. Yes, I admit that it is totally dwarfed by the size of my Aloe plant as it is a very healthy specimen.

Now, this is the mother plant that it came from. It has just begun to produce its annual Thanksgiving day
explosion of beautiful little blossoms. Minus the one that found its way to the Aloe plant.  It has found a foster home.

Phoebe first experience in the snow

My sweet little lap puppy got her first taste of snow this morning. Yep, it snowed here last night. I open the back door to let the kids out and she always has to be the first one out.  She stepped into it and bounded back inside. Wallace just looked at her and stepped into it and down the stairs. She look at me and then at him and skipped the stairs and bounded out into the snow.  She has been begging to go back out and play in it all morning.  Just like a kid..I know because of Her size everyone thinks She is a He but She is a sweet big boned girl...... as her dad says. She isn't fat she's just big boned. So Phoebe is a big boned girl.

I finally finished my daughter sampler too. I started it last year but finished it this year so this is finally going to go to its final resting place in my daughters home. Well, I off to finish some more Christmas gifts. I still have two more daughters to finish their gifts and some swaps that I still need to finish. I have a bed spread to finish and a Christmas wall hanging.  I was working on a Christmas tree skirt but it didn't work out, much to my disappointment.
Two days left till the biggy.  Are we getting excited?  I am... eheheh  HO HO HO HO.

.

Well, its almost time for the big drawing

Its been a long time coming but I think that I have kept it interesting and fun too.. there have been some fun giveaways along the way to the big drawing.. Now it is just four days away..
I just want to say that I am so thankful for all of your participation in this giveaway and I do hope that after it is all over you will still continue to visit.
I am so happy to have made so many new followers and feel honored that you would want to follow my blog..
I look forward to seeing and visiting all of your blogs too. I think that I am going to make one day a week, visiting day. I think its nice to stay up with what happening in everyones lives and I enjoy sharing most of my life with all of you too.

My sweet Lap puppy Phoebe is always ready to take a break and its usually on my lap.  I don't think she realizes just how big she is.  She isn't always very lady like but she is always lovable.
So, I will be drawing the name of the winner on Thursday morning, Thanksgiving day.. I won't expect to hear from you till Friday but please, be sure to contact me if you are the winner so that I can get you mailing address.
Have a great week my friends and I hope that you all stay safe, warm and watch out for all those wacko's out there that aren't watching out for you.. believe me,  they are out there.  Most of them are so preoccupied with the holidays and their cell phones that you are low on their list of priorities.  So just be careful and make this Holiday season a joyous one.
Oh Yea, I forgot to mention that there is going to be one extra special surprise in the giveaway but everyone will just have to wait till you let us know what it is.  So be sure to post send pictures so I can put them on My Primitive Nest..
Hugs everyone.

I am so sorry I forgot to give the names for the christmas cup swap

I am so sorry, Debbie reminded me that I needed to post the
names of the part ners for the Christmas Cup Swap.  This should be easy as we only had 6 sign up. Oh well, their loss.
Okay, here goes, I will list the name and then hopfully I have everyones addresses. If I don't please email them to me ASAP so I can send them to your partners.
Jan - Lori
Kathy- Debbie
Pam - Cyndy

Lori, you already know what you are getting, sorry but I am sure you will love it. I do. Heheh
I hope that you enjoy doing this even if it is a small turn out.
Thanks for being a part of it all and Happy Hollidays.

 1    Jan / http://my primitivenest.blogspot.com/ coffee drinker

  2    Lori/ http://makeprimhappen.blogspot.com/ coffee drinker

  3    Kathy/ http://katonaprimtwig.blogspot.com/ coffee or tea

  4    Cyndy/http://craftystitchers.blogspot.com/ coffee or tea

  5    Debbie/http://debbiesdodads.blogspot.com/

  6    Pam/ http://queeniesbeads.blogspot.com/prefers tea cup

The Fifth and final weekly drawing.

Well, we have reached the end of the weekly drawings. The next drawing will be for the biggy. I have moved up the final drawing date to Thanksgiving day. I want to give thanks for all my great followers and blogging friends and what better way to end this giveaway then to do it on Thanks Giving.
So now for this weeks drawing winner, I am reaching into the bag,........and I have a number that correlates to the numbers on the list on the sidebar. And that number is..........15.
And it is Wendy from Raven Wood Whimseys. applause **************
Congratulations Wendy. Woo Hoo. Oh, you want to see what you have won I suppose..... Well, okay, if you insist.
Please email me your address.
primitivejan@gmail.com

Just a reminder, don't forget to check in at least once this week and once during the week so that you will be eligible for the big final drawing. Just a little reminder of what you will be getting for the giveaway

                                                                      " In The Beginning
                                                                    There Is A Giveaway"

Todays hint for Thursdays giveaway

Hint #2    .......    Leave them alone

All giveaways that were suppose to get mailed today didn't

I am sorry, I was totally under the weather today and didn't make it to the PO. Tomorrow is the plan now. I am sorry but everyone has to have a down day. Mine was today but I will be up tomorrow.
Thanks for your understanding.

Hint #1

 Hint #1 .......   Wooly Bully. Heheh

Woo Hoo, I just won The Primitive Bucket giveaway

I have just been so very lucky these past few months. I truly can't believe that I just won another giveaway. Holy Toledo, Thank you so much and thank your dear sweet children for drawing my name from the hat. How very sweet of them to do the drawings.
This is the cute shelf sitting Snowman that Joleen made and I won. I am so excited and just flabergasted to say the least that I won another one. I am not bragging at all just in total amazement.

Thank you so much Joleen.
be sure to stop by and visit Joleen at her wonderfully creative blog
http://theprimitivebucket.blogspot.com

MY OH MY one final weekly drawing left???? What will it be???

Okay my friends, there is one weekly drawing left and this one

is going to be a surprise. I am going to keep you in suspense until the

drawing but if I were you, I wouldn't take a chance and not stop by. 

Those of you that are still eligible for the weekly drawing will be

disappointed if you don't stop by and leave a comment. 

This one will be very special.

Got your interest sparked now????

Good!

Until next week I will leave the light on

I made the lamp shade from beads that were left after stringing 300 5'strands for a beaded curtain for a restaurant in NY. The shade weighs 25 lbs. Thats a whole lot of beads.
Notice the finial. It is a glass door knob that my husband gave me to complete the lamp. Quite a nice ending don't you think.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We had the most wonderful thing happen last night. I had just taken a quiche out of the oven along with some fresh baked cheese biscuits when there was a knock at the door. Our best friends stopped by with a huge box of new Christmas ornaments to decorate our new artificial tree. I had been stating my disappointment in buying and artificial tree and I think that they decided that I wasn't going to be upset about it anymore. So after having them share our quiche and biscuits with us we decorated the tree. I have never had a tree decorating party before. I only wish I had know so I could have offered some hot cider and cookies for desert.

This is my best friend Linda and her wild and crazy, energetic and enthusiastic daughter Michele. Linda has just finished her final chemo treatment and that alone is a reason to celebrate Christmas this year, Michele is building a humongous barn style home next door to her mother to be closer to her. I will post some pictures of the home later.
Our little girl Phoebe is sitting next to Michele just dying to wrap her little mouth around one of those pretty tennis balls over there.

I just wanted to share this very special night with all my friends and to say Thank You to two of my Very special freinds for making this Christmas a memory to cherish.
Love you both, Jan

Horns blowing ***DA DA DA DA...DA DA**** The Winners Are....

This weeks winners are
1st place for Cloe and Flynn is Cindy Weeks, congratulations Cindy.
2nd place for the Christmas rabbit is Erin, way to go girl.
3rd place for the Gingerbread man is Linda Cartwright. You rock Linda.

Remember now that this removes you from any further weekly drawings but you are still in the bowl for the biggy on December 1st.
To all of you remember that you still need to stop by at least once a week and say Hi or by all means you can stop and visit for a while and leave a comment. This must be done to remain eligible for the final weekly drawing and the biggiy too.
Congratulations to all of todays winners. Please email me you mailing addresses so I can get you gifts sent out. I will be sending those on Monday. Thank you all ladies.
Have a terrific day

Looks great, Everyone has stopped by to say Hi

Well, it looks like everyone is on the good list and all will be in the weekly drawing. Now the special thing that I mentioned last week is that I am going to draw three names. The first will get Flynn and Cleo the second will get a Ball jar Rabbit and the third will get a gingerbread man. The final weekly drawing will be on November 18th. After that the big drawing will be on December 1st.
This is the rabbit and the gingerbread man.

On top of keeping up with all the giveaways. I have been very busy trying to finish up my usual last minute or last years Christmas gifts that didn't get done last year.  I just finished stuffing  8 snow men and 6 more ginger bread men along with finishing up this Pinkeep Drum.
I have also done something this year that I swore I would never do. I bought an artificial tree for our future Christmases. I am trying to do my part to go green by preserving  at least one tree. I hate to see all the wasted trees that no one bought that just go to the dump after Christmas. In some areas they recycle them for mulch. Anyway, I like my little tree. It is 7 foot and prelit and doesn't take up a whole lot of room and once I get all my decorations on it, it will be beautiful and just perfect for our little family of  four,my dear sweet husband, myself and our two sweet dogs.
Well, I have spent way too much time here and need to get busy again and get my fingers to stitchin agin, so you all take care and check in tomorrow to find out who the lucky three participants are and good luck to all of you

This weeks giveaway

Look who is going to be making a trip this week. Yep.. it is Cleo, Flynn.

Unfortunately I can't give or send the skate as its very heavy but may you have one laying around from yesteryear. They really like scuttling around in there skate mobile. Woo Hoo.   Who is going to be the lucky winners this week?  Remember, You still need to stop by once a week to be eligible for the weekly drawing AND to be eligible for the big drawing. Just because you can't win anymore of the weekly drawings doesn't mean you don't need to stop

visiting. So my friends and fellow bloggers, be sure to leave a comment or just say Hi I was here so you don't get dropped from the big drawing. Remember, its just around the corner and Santa knows whose been naughty or nice and followed through on the rules. I will forgive if you have missed past weeks but this week is the last one and I hope to see everyones name that is on the big list.
Good luck to the remaining participants for the weekly drawings, Cleo and Flynn will be making a trip soon.

Woo Hoo I foungd the perfect cup today

Took my friend out  to lunch and wouldn't you know it, she ended up buying mine. Isn't that just like a friend? We went to the chowder bowl down by the beach and had a great bowl of clam chowder and some garlic toast. Oh yummy. Then we walked though some great Gift shops and I Found the perfect cup for my Christmas Cup swap. I am so excited so I am going to show you and the person that gets my name will just know in advance that they are getting a very special cup.  I hope she is a hot chocolate or coffee drinker but then I could picture myself having a nice hot cup of spiced cider or Christmas spice tea out of it.  I had a hard time choosing between this one and another one that was really colorful too but this just screamed take me, take me, so I did.  Hope you are all having good luck looking or maybe you are waiting to find out if they are a tea or coffee drinker,  It would be nice to see a few more sign up but I understand that we are all spreading ourselves thin. I am involved in 4 other swaps and they all entail some hand crafting so you can only do so much.
Oh yes I also wanted to show you my newest completed project.
This is my wolf in Sheep's clothing

Notice the scarf on the wolf. Any thing that you can't identify?
How about the little white and black figure with X's through them. Hum...... What could those be. heheh. I think he turned out just great. Here is one more picture.

Okay my fellow Christmas buddies Join in the Christmas Cup Swap

I only have 5 people signed up for the Christmas cup swap. We can do better then that. Check out the rules and guidelines and jump on in with both feet.  I think that it is going to be fun. I have been searching all over for just the perfect cup and or mug. I am getting one of each just encase I get a tea drinker or coffee and or hot chocolate  drinker.
I have to admit though that I absolutely love this little cup but its a bit more then I care to spend. I guess I will have to put it on my wish list from Santa. Heheh. It is a Krinkles holiday cup. I think is so whimsical.
So my dear holiday friends. Jump on in and sign up for the Christmas cup swap.

Well It looks like Belinda is headed to Tricia's home at Hill Crest Prims

Woo Hoo Tricia, Belinda will start her journey today. Congratulations. This will make you ineligible for any further weekly drawings, but you are still in the biggy on Dec. 1st so be sure to keep checking in.
Once again Congratulations Tricia

I haven't quite decided what next weeks drawing will be yet as I have a couple of things in mind and need to choose which one or I may leave that up to the winner to choose which one. Never the less, I will post pictures a little later.

My Holiday Christmas Cup Swap

 What ! ! ! Another Holidays Swap???
Well, first off I want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season to all my friends and followers.  As most of you that know me,  the Christmas season is my very FAVORITE time of year and my very FAVORITE holiday. So, of course I feel the need for a special Christmas Holiday Swap. This swap will consist of swapping a nice Holiday coffee mug or tea cup with another partner. The cup should also be filled with some sort of holiday goodies or some little Christmas  treat or gift.
Now doesn't this sound fun. I love getting a new holiday coffee mug or tea cup each year and I use it all year long.
So without further ado if you want to be a part of this fun exciting swap all you need to do is sign up.

There will be a couple of stipulations with this swap though.
 I am still dealing with a few problems from the All Hallows Eve Exchange so I am making a few rules for this swap. I know, Rules, smules, blah blah blah, but no one like to be left out after sending there gift and not getting one in return.
1.  We need to set a price limit so I am setting the price limit at no more then  $15 . That does not include shipping. I am also saying that since we are all collectors and appreciate the vintage and Primitive way of life more or less, that a nice vintage cup or mug in excellent condition is acceptable. No chips no cracks!  That being said don't you just love the cups that I have picked for the display. I absolutely love the first one with the feet. That is my favorite.

2.  The next rule is you need be a blogger and have your own blog. When you sign up you need to post the url for your blog so you will not only help me but others can visit your blog too.
3.  I also request that you email me your address so that I have that ahead of time just in case I need to contact you. When you do email me just add Christmas cup exchange in subject area.  My email address is primitivejan@gmail.com

As far as style and choices there are just a huge amount out there to pick from. As I mentioned above, excellent quality vintage is acceptable too. When you sign up also please state if you prefer Coffee or Hot Chocolate Mug or Tea Cup.
So lets get going and sign up
Sign up starts now and ends on November 14th and I will draw and list partners on the 15th.
4.  Cups must, absolutely must, be sent out by November 26th so that everyone can enjoy their cups during the holiday season.
So............. what are you waiting for.
Just leave your comment, name blog and preference and I will add you to the list. You must commit to sending out your gift or please don't enter.
If you don't have a blog, please be sure to email me your address other wise I can't add you to the list.
Participants list:
  1    Jan / http://my primitivenest.blogspot.com/ coffee drinker

  2    Lori/ http://makeprimhappen.blogspot.com/ coffee drinker

  3    Kathy/ http://katonaprimtwig.blogspot.com/ coffee or tea

  4    Cyndy/http://craftystitchers.blogspot.com/ coffee or tea

  5    Debbie/http://debbiesdodads.blogspot.com/

  6    Pam/ http://queeniesbeads.blogspot.com/prefers tea cup

  7

  8

  9

10