Sunday, May 23, 2010

My Grandmother's Shoo Fly...


Just thought I would share with you a picture of a real antique shoo fly cover. This was my grandmother's. I don't remember her using it too much. But my little sister and I used to pretend it was an umbrella. When my grandmother passed last year I took this little gem back with me. Haven't found a place for it yet, but I figured I would post this picture since I made the tutorial on shoo flies.


Enjoy the rest of the pictures!





Thanks for taking a peek!



                                                      

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Primitive Shoo-Fly Tutorial




Well, I promised a tutorial. And so I deliver you one. This one took a little longer for me to post because I am going to show you three examples with three different types of shoo-flies. I was a little hesitant to post this because of my husband. He had said if I did a tutorial no one would want to buy one from me. But I thought, you know it's not fair to people out there who really want to make one and can't find the information they need. I too was looking everywhere online for how to make one. And no one had a tutorial. They were just selling them. So, I am going to post this and in hope, it will help someone out.  I hope it will help YOU to make your own if you want. I am not saying you should not buy one. By all means there are plenty of beautiful ones out there. I am just giving you some ideas on how to make one if you are interested in doing one yourself.  Ok, onto the fun part.



Lets begin.


What you will need

  1. A strainer( try to look for one with the handle connected to the rim on the OUTSIDE of it. Not connected IN it. You'll see what I mean with the pictures below) or a pre-made shoo-fly from a store like Hobby Lobby.

  2. You will need pliers for removing the metal handles on the metal strainer. (omit this if you are using a different type of strainer or you are using a pre-made one.)

  3. You will be using my faux rust technique (You can look back on it on my blog. Look under Faux Rust Tutorial.)so grab the primer and rustic umber. On these shoo flies I used Autumn Brown

  4. A wooden knob or your knob of choice( I used old kitchen cabinet knobs)

  5. And lastly, if you are going to be using the strainer with the plastic rim you will need jute rope.

Ok, here are the three different types of strainers I have used in this tutorial. You can choose which one you would like to try.
The one on the left is the pre-made one from Hobby Lobby. The one in the middle is a large strainer with a plastic rim. And the one on the right is the metal one. Make sure its the one with the handles ATTACHED to the rim. I like this kind because it doesn't leave holes. If you can't find one then by all means use the ones with the handles attached on the inside. To cover up those hole you can use some wire and wrap it through the strainer and around the hole to make it look like a repair.  Those are great looking too!


(This is what I mean that the handle is attached to the rim.)


If you are going to use the one from Hobby Lobby remove the flowers from it completely.

Once you have all the flowers removed from the cover remove the ones on the rim and handle.



Now that it is stripped of the flowers and trim you can now prime it with your primer. Once dry, paint the cover with your Rustic Umber or Autumn Brown. Then if you like you can wrap some twine around the handle for a more prim look. And then your done.


( Update: I think I am going to add some rusty wire to this shoo fly. I am going to have it attached to the underside of the handle going to the rim. I'll post pics of it when I finish.)

( Update2: Here is the finished screen.)


Now if you are going with the plastic rim strainer you will need to remove it from the plastic rim

You may find that you have to work the mesh a little. But once it gives it is pretty easy to pull away from the plastic rim.

Here it is with the plastic rim removed. At this time I put my knob on. I primed it and painted it altogether with the cover. But, if you have a wooden knob ,you can paint it and add it later.


 Once primed you can then spray it with your Rustic Umber and or Autumn Brown. Add your knob to the top ( If you used a kitchen cabinet knob then it should already be on.).  Then with this one I used jute rope to line it and create a rim for it. I just glued the rope all the way around it. But you can choose not to use one at all. It still looks very prim.

Here it is without the jute rope rim.


Here it is with the jute rope rim.




Now to the tough one. I am not going to lie. This sucker was hard.


I had a tough time removing the handles from the rim. I didn't have a blow torch so I just popped it in my oven. I didn't have it on the highest setting because at the time I had a pantry cake in there. So, it was on 170.  But I had it in there for quite some time. You can put it in your oven at a higher temp. You just want to help soften the metal so you can work it off better. But if you have a blow torch then go ahead and use it. It might be easier. But whatever works for you use it. This just worked for me.
After I took it out of the oven
(Be careful when removing, it will be VERY HOT!)
  
 Once taken off you are ready to prime. After it is primed and dry, go ahead and spray it with the Rustic Umber paint or Autumn Brown.



 Add you knob of choice and your done!

Well, there you go. I gave you three choices to work with. I hoped I have helped you with this tutorial. All I ask is that you do not claim this tutorial or pictures as your own. If you do decide to put it on your blog or website you need to give me (Genevieve @ Olde Pear Primitives)credit for it and link it back here. For all the work I have done on this tutorial it would not be fair of you to claim it as your own. Plus, the blog fairies will get you. And you don't want that.


Thanks For Stopping By!

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sign For Sis


Here is the sign I have been working on for awhile now. I think it came out pretty darn good if you ask me. LOL. It's not prim but I love how Peter Rabbit came out.
My sister had asked me to make a sign for her new garden. I guess she dedicated to my nephew. I hope he likes it. Well, he has no choice. So, a few more coats of poly and off it goes! Thanks for taking a peek!


Saturday, May 15, 2010

Rain, rain, go away!


It's been raining over here non-stop for three days now. I guess it is a good thing for the flowers. But not my craft projects. It is taking my paint FOREVER to dry. But I must press on and get things done. I promise to put a tutorial up real soon. I just have to get some things done first. Wish I had more hands to help. So, just be patient with me and I promise they will be up soon. For now, I am going to try to stay dry and productive. :) 

Hugs to you all!

                                                    




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Old Glory Coasters


Here is another wonderful project from Country Sampler Magazine . I just love this magazine if you can't tell already! But here is another idea for you to use for 4th of July decorating. I am not much for sewing. I try, I really do. But I am not very skilled. So, for those of you who are. This project is for you! Old Glory Coasters, just in time for July. How sweet are these coasters?! I love them but I would probably use them as bowl fillers. Or make-do hangers. Lots of possibilities! Well, enjoy and happy crafting!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Fabric Flower Pots






Here is a wonderful project over at Country Sampler Magazine. It is a Fabric Flower Pots Project. A really neat idea for the summer. I thought I would share and hopefully inspire you all to start on your summer decorating. Enjoy! And happy crafting!

Monday, May 10, 2010

To Give or Not to Give......

I was thinking and thinking. Should I have a giveaway? I had been pondering on the idea and wasn't sure if I should. It seems everyone is having one. And I don't want to be left out. But I don't know if I would have enough people interested in participating.  So, if anyone would like me to post a giveaway let me know by posting a comment. If I get enough people interested then I will have one. So, let me know!

A Great Giveaway!


There is a great giveaway over at Sweet Prairie Dwellings. And there is a twist to it! So sign up for the fun! The items are terrific! You won't be disappointed!

I have a horrible cold.


I have had a horrible cold this past week. My nose was stuffed. Throat sore and eyes blood shot red. I was in bed most of the week. Thankfully, I was recovered by mothers day and I was able to enjoy my day out with the boys. Mother's day was really nice. I got this wonderful laptop that I am writing to you all on now. My husband is just the greatest. It is much better then the family computer. I don't have to fight the boys for a seat in front of it. And I can now write in bed. How sweet is that!
Well, onto a sour note. The booth I have in this store I am selling my wares is not doing well at all.  I have been there for about two months now and only made 30 dollars income.  Yup, just 30.  I thought at least I would make 100.   I knew that my first year was going to be a rough start but this is ridiculous.  I think I may need to start to spread my wings else where. Not sure where. But this one is not cutting it for me. Sometimes I think maybe it's  my stuff. Maybe, no one likes it. Maybe it's crap. Or maybe I am pricing it to high. But my husband and I did the math on how much time and effort I put into my item. And for the price of my time and effort I think they are reasonable.  It's the stupid people who buy cheap products from China and sell them for much more. I have this one woman who has a booth also in the same store. She buys her stuff from China and sells it for a ridiculous amount. And she is profiting quite well. No one seems to want to buy hand-made American products. Blows my mind. But what can you do?  Anyways, I will post you guys a tutorial tomorrow on how to make a shoo-fly cover. I wanted to make one for sometime and I could not find what I was looking for on the internet.  So, I was inspired to try one on my own and I will share with you what I did. So, check in tomorrow!

Prim hugs and blessings,


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I hit the mother lode!

I went to my local Salvation Army and came back with a full van! I couldn't believe what they had there. And do you know what my total was?! It was 20 BUCKS! Yup, just 20. Couldn't believe it. I am so excited to get going on some of them and make them beautiful once again.
I have no idea what those big brown things are or what they are used for. I am going to use one as a broom holder. But if anyone knows what they are let me know. They have me stumped.
I am going to go back there more often. I don't want to miss any treasures!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Today's Tutorial.....Faux Rust

Here is my tutorial on how to rust anything without making it rust for "real".




What you will need:



  • Rust-Oleum MultiColor Textured Spray Paint in color Rustic Umber

  • Primer(but you may ommit if you want some of the metal to show through)

  • Your choice of objects to be "rusted". (I used a jar lid in this tutorial)





Ok, now to the fun part.

First you will want to clean the surface of whatever you will be painting. Once that is done take your primer and spray and even coat on the surface. What till the primer dries completely.




Once your primed obect is dry take your Rust-Oleum in Rustic Umber and give it a nice even coat.


                                                           ( Here it is without primer)


 Wait till dry and your done! How easy was that! Now you can rust without using harsh chemicals or buying those rusted jar lids that cost an arm and a leg! You can ommit the primer if you don't want a solid coat of rust( see above picture) and you want some of the metal to peek through. Either way it looks great. Have fun. And thanks for reading! Oh, and if you are going to post this on your blog or website please remember to link it back here and give me credit for this tutorial. :)






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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Coming Soon......


Hello friends. Sorry, I have not updated my blog. It's been busy around here and I can't find my TIME. I wish I could buy some. LOL. But anyways, I am making a promise to you and myself. I will start posting more tutorials and how-to's. PROMISE! Heck, I might even through in a give away. But I am pushing it. So, keep checking back. I am going to post a tutorial this weekend.


Prim Hugs and Blessings to you all!


Gen

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Finally finished the potato bin!

Drum roll please...........and here she is!

I added an old cabinet handle to it. I think it looks much better now. Can you believe that someone threw this out?! I bet they would want it back now. But they can't, ha! 

Here it is again before restorations...

And after.......
Much better :) Thanks for taking a peek today!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Makeovers Video

Found this video over at aprimitiveplace.org. Really great site. I thought these makeovers would inspire you to re-do some things you might have over looked otherwise. Enjoy.

Friday, April 16, 2010

What a find!

I went pickin through trash yesterday. It was bulk pick up day. I was a little dissapointed this year. I could hardly find anything. But after dropping my kids off to school I went driving around to find some goodies. I was about to call it quits when I saw this potato bin. Yay! I am so glad I didn't give up. This one is a keeper. It is pretty well made. I had to take the top off because it had "taters -n- onions" etched on it. So, it is in my garage waiting for me to fill it and sand it. But I will post pics of it when I am finished. Not sure whether or not to sell it. I'll see how it turns out.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Garage Sale Find!


I found this wonderful bread box at a garage sale this weekend. But believe me it wasn't as pretty as it is now. I wanted to show a before pic but I was too excited to get started on it that I didn't take a picture. But I am so happy how it turned out. I was going to sell it but I needed the bread box. Lucky me! I am going to post some pictures of my booth I am renting out. I am slowly building it up. I just wish people would buy my wares. Oh well, I have to be patient. I will be putting more pictures up so check back soon. Thanks for reading!
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