Easter folk art Archives - Primitive Folk Art by Old World Primitives

Celebrate365 Magazine Spring 2011 Issue

I received the Spring 2011 issue of Celebrate365 magazine in the mail this week, and am very pleased to share that two of my spun cotton ornament designs are sharing spots on both the front and back covers along with such talented artists as Debbee Thibault, Lori Rudolph, Nicole Sayre, Sharon Andrews, Vergie Lightfoot and too many more to list! Take a peek at all of the talent that Connie packed onto the covers of this issue below.

My Victorian Girl spun cotton ornament is in the center right of the front cover, and my spun cotton bunny ornament is in the center right of the back cover (the bunny has a brother available in the Old World Primitives Etsy shop now – along with many other new designs, pictured below).

spun cotton ornaments and primitive wolf doll

Roderick Cattingham Selects His Buttons

Roderick Cattingham is almost ready to meet his public – he just has to select the perfect antique shirt buttons to match his pants first.

primitive folk art cat doll

Mr. Cattingham decides to enlist the help of Frederick Bunworth, who is known for his impeccable taste. Mr. Bunworth helped pick out an outfit for Horatio Hopkins too, and Horatio has since hopped off to his new home.

primitive cat doll

Roderick will be all dressed and ready to present himself in the Old World Primitives Etsy shop tomorrow. Two new spun cotton Easter bunny ornaments are looking forward to his arrival.

Of Primitive Rabbits and Springy Things

Meet Frederick Bunworth.

Frederick is my newest design, a primitive folk art rabbit doll. He has a cloth body and a paper + chipboard head and neck. Frederick is demurely awaiting spring.

Frederick has joined the gaggle of spun cotton and chenille ornaments in my Old World Primitives Etsy shop.

spun cotton ornaments on a peg rack

More new designs are in the works this week!

More Spun Cotton and Chenille Ornaments

I am happy to report that nearly a month into 2011, I am sticking with my goal to be more productive this year! Pictured below are all of the new creations that I have added to my Old World Primitives Etsy shop since my last post. I am on a roll and I plan to keep going!

original spun cotton ornaments by Stephanie Baker

Published in Prims Magazine

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the newest Stampington & Company publication, Prims Magazine, in my mailbox for some time now – so I am very excited that it’s here! As I tore the box open and began thumbing through the pages, I found myself impressed not only with the quality of the magazine and photographs (nothing less than what you’ve come to expect from Stampington if you are already familiar with their publications), but completely wowed by the quality of the artwork inside. I feel truly humbled to be included in the premier issue amongst so many artists that I have admired for a long time now.

Pictured below is the magazine cover and a peek at the two page article that my doll Rebecca is featured in.

Prims magazine feature - The Life of Cloth and Clay

Since my last post, I have also added a bunch of new goodies to my Old World Primitives Etsy shop, including spun cotton ornaments, a set of 3 patriotic 4th of July chenille ornaments, and two primitive black Halloween cat dolls (yes… I am starting to think Halloween already!).

Antiques, Spun Cotton and Izannah

Since our last visit here, I had the pleasure of once again attending the Antiques in Long Valley show in Long Valley, NJ where I scored my beautiful blue antique chimney cabinet last year. This year the show was just as amazing as the last… there were so many wonderful goodies that I wished I could have brought home with me. The booth where I bought my cabinet last year was once again filled with wonderful pieces of furniture and many Sold signs. This year I was on more of a budget than last year, but I did manage to come home with two finds that I am really pleased with – a small and extremely primitive hand forged shovel…

primitive antique shovel

…and an antique German spun cotton ornament to add to my collection. The technique used to make it is different than I have seen before, so studying it will also assist in my education process as I learn this old technique.

I am continuing to really enjoy where my journey into spun cotton has been taking me. Below are my newest spun cotton creations that are still available. I am also archiving my designs on a new spun cotton ornaments page of this blog. Custom orders for designs you may have missed are always welcome.

And finally, I have some progress on my first Izannah Walker style doll from the workshop that I am taking. It has been hard to tear myself away from my current obsession with spun cotton to work on her, but I’ve gotten a bit completed! I have her torso sewn and stuffed, and her head with shoulderplate stuffed and pinned onto the torso.

Izannah Walker Doll Workshop progress

After sewing the shoulderplate in place, I shall begin sculpting her face – I will share how I do with it in an upcoming blog post.

I will end for now with a big thank you to Cathy of the always-inspiring One Pink Goose for presenting me with the Sunshine Award, which is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I am honored!

sunshine blog award

Spun Cotton Ornaments and a Cozy Kitty

Due to wonderfully encouraging customer response, I have been busily working on more spun cotton ornaments since my last post (as my doll parts still sit patiently waiting). Below are pictures of my latest spun cotton creations – all except the bunny holding the Easter basket sold before I got the chance to post them here (some traveling as far as South Korea… that was exciting!). If you see one that you like but missed, custom order inquiries are welcome.

spun cotton ornament

I had fun doing some shopping on Etsy last week as well. My little Trooper has been happily snuggled up in a cozy new cat bed that I bought for him from mimi0201.

Trooper in his cat bed

Trooper is the baby of the family, and he likes to have his very own bed in each room of the house. Until last week, the living room was the final room he was missing a bed in… and I knew that he needed one there when my husband set his empty backpack down on the rug, and Trooper snuggled up on it like it was a bed. He seems very pleased with the switch to his cushy, fleecy new spot.

And speaking of needing… or shall I say kneading… I also picked up this adorable card from Pet Scribbles for my hubby for Valentine’s Day. I absolutely love it, and her customer service was amazing!

Pet Scribbles handmade greeting card

New Ornament Designs Abound

It’s unexpected sometimes where a creative journey will lead you. I think this as I look over at two unfinished dolls that are still waiting patiently to be painted and clothed. It seems that ornaments completely took over my time during the holidays… when I was originally thinking I’d be making a lot of dolls… and that I am just now thinking about getting back to my doll making again. I have taken a few baby steps getting back into it by beginning my Izannah Walker doll workshop… well, okay. I’ve cut out the pattern pieces and traced them onto my fabric. 🙂 I hope to get a bit more done this weekend, and perhaps paint and clothe one of those patient dollies sitting on my work table.

But for now, I have bunches of new ornaments to share. Chenille dog ornaments for small dog lovers with a pug, a terrier, and a little mutt in the set; two sets of chenille St. Patrick’s Day ornaments, and another new spun cotton ornament. I have yet another mostly-finished spun cotton Easter rabbit ornament that I will also be offering for sale soon. All of the ornaments below are available now in the Old World Primitives Etsy Shop.

Valentine Cats, Easter Bunnies and a Chick

This weekend I reluctantly packed away my Christmas tree and ornaments and all of my santas, belsnickles, lights, garlands and other Christmas decorations and bid them farewell until the next holiday season. I am always a bit sad to see all of them go. My very favorite Santa doll will be staying put all winter long because he’s just too fun to pack away so soon. But, now there is room to start bringing out some Valentine goodies.

This week I added two new sets of chenille ornaments to my Etsy shop – a new set of cat ornaments and a new set of Easter ornaments. I made each set versatile enough to be multi-seasonal too if you’re like me and like to stretch out each holiday season as long as you possibly can.

I am also excited to announce that I will be offering a new line of spun cotton ornaments in 2010. My first offering has sold already (photo below), but more will be added to the Old World Primitives Etsy Shop soon.

spun cotton rabbit ornament

I still have some primitive dolls to finish up as well – they have been sitting neglected in my little studio for too long now and will be getting some more attention this week. And in just one more week, I will also be starting on another new adventure – learning to make Izannah Walker style dolls, courtesy of Dixie Redmond’s Izannah Walker Workshop. I cannot wait to get started learning how to make these beautiful antique style dolls. If you would like to join me, a link to the workshop is below. I am sure it will be both challenging and great fun!

Primitive Bunnies in a Cabbage Leaf Garden

The bunnies are back once more, just in time to welcome spring! The primitive bunnies in a cabbage leaf garden are available now in the Old World Primitives Etsy shop.

This primitive garden vignette was handmade by Old World Primitives using a Kentucky Primitives design. The bunnies, carrots, and turnips are made of muslin stuffed with natural fibers that have been painted, stained, sanded, and grungied with cinnamon. The cabbage leaf is made of two layers of painted, stained, and cinnamon dusted muslin. It also has a stuffed stem and a few wire “spines” between the leaf layers to help it hold its shape. The primitive bunnies have antique rusty square nails for legs, vintage cotton batting tails, and hand sewn eyes and noses.