My website is up, it is ranking, but no traffic! I am assuming my keywords are all wrong, but then again I could be wrong....I dont know! All I know is I have spent hours upon hours researching search engine optimization (SEO) and well I am officially scatter brained. Heres what I have learned:

1. Search engines love the heading tags
2. Search engines love good content
3. Search engines admire the unspamming webmasters
4. Search engines rank according to:
a. life of website (websites that are less than 6mo. old rank lower than those that are older)
b. content
c. keywords
d. meta tags
e. and headers
5. Search engines love blogs (because of the continuously updated content)
6. Search engines love internal and external links

Okay, so I have all that down and then some, soooooooooo..........what now? I have headers, I have meta tags, I have keywords, I have OKAY content............but I have read there is a difference between good and average links. The difference? I have no clue. I use stumbleupon, I have just recently started a ebay seller account, and have a 'me' page. I have blogs, all linking to my website........and I am clueless! One thing I know is this I should have left this to a pro....but I am in too deep now, I have to learn it for myself.

I will be checking in, and if you are a friend....check back to because I may go insane......LOL!

Primitive Holidays are Near...........

The primitive holidays are near!! Yes indeed they are, first we have the 4th of July, a very special holiday, one of heritage, glory, patriotism and remembrance! Red, white and blue....Stars and stripes forever!!!

The fourth of July, the day of independence. The declaration that is..........


Spirit of "1776"

Primitive artists often symbolize this day, by affixing the year 1776 to their work,
using a palette of red, white and blue, or stitch the most brilliant eagles togther eagles to symbolize freedom!

Firecrackers, stars, flags, and Uncle Sam are all primitive ways of celebrating.........Celebrate with us!!

Primitive techniques and Prim staining

By now many of you already know how to grubby up nearly anything......right? Oh! Okay so there are a few of you still looking for the "How did they do that" recipe.........its so easy and one trip to the grocery or dollar store for a few simple supplies should do it. will go over all of that at the end of this blog. But first I want to share some other ways I have found to give your primitives a time worn look. Here's some things I have tried, and have liked............no, LOVED!

Use some of the ash from your charcoal grill; yes the ash is a great substance to use for your prims....and it is not too messy! Well, accept your hands will be a bit darker when your finished (0: so use some latex gloves if you are concerned.

Another thing you can try......(and I absolutely love this one) is BROWN shoe polish, the waxy paste kind. I use this for the edges of tags, it gives it a deeper more worn/old look. I also use it around the edges of the graphics I use on my tags......I stain as usual (well almost, I use something other than vanilla...and I will get to that in a second)....let them dry or dry them in the oven, and blot some shoe polish around the edges. Next I find my graphic, TEAR in from the paper so it is EXTRA raggedy around the edges, modpodge the backside, apply it to my tag, and lightly dab shoe polish around the edges of my graphic, until I get the look I want. Add modpode to the entire surface, let dry.....and poof!! your done!

Okay, now I said I used "something" other than vanilla in my mixture..........and this one you will want to try! I was picking up my supplies at the dollar store one very blustery winter day and ran into some "maple" flavoring. So I thought what the heck, for a buck I will give it a try, and OMG ladies this is the best impulse buy ever! The maple flavoring has a very fragrant aroma that lasts......vanilla smells good, but maple is even better I think......and it is cheap! I can't help it , all my materials for my staining come from the dollar store....the cheaper the better, they all work the same!

Now, for that recipe I promised those who are still looking for a way to grubby or dye their dollies, dresses, make-do's, and ornies.

Here it is:

1 cup HOT water
5 Heaping t.s. INSTANT coffee (or you can use tea bags)
3 t.s. Vanilla (or go out to the dollar store and find maple flavoring)
and a healthy dose of cinnamon (you dont have to put this in, but if you do make sure your water is still hot).........Cinnamon will make a goop that settles to the bottom of your container. DO NOT throw this out, it is a great goop for added and extra grungy look to you work.

Apply your mixture to your doll, dress, or ornie with a sponge brush, and bake on about 200 degrees, turning about every 5 minutes or for a darker look set out in the sun and bake it naturally......or you can use a hair dryer on the hot setting.

There you have it......a couple new ways to add a few years, and the all famous dying recipe!!!

Come Visit me on Ebay! New hand crafted items listed almost everyday!

How to Rust Metal bells, safety pins, stick pins, etc......

There are a few different ways to rust metal BUT this is the best way I know of without worrying about the disposal of harsh chemicals:

I have tried this process many times and with trial and error I have found that the expensive bells, safety pins, and stick pins DO NOT RUST, the more expensive products have a shellac coating on them and will not rust unless you sand each of them first, so the best thing to do in my opinion is to buy the cheapest product to save time and money!!

First, take 1c. bleach and put it into a container, I use a old pickle jar and it works perfectly. Then put your jingle bells, liberty bells, cow bells, safety pins or what have you into the jar. Make sure not to add too many, you want them all to be covered.

Wait 24 hours, after the 24 hours has elapsed drain the bleach into the toilet....now you have a cleaner too!!

Next add 1c. white vinegar, again make sure all of your items are covered. Now add a healthy does of salt (just plain salt will do) . Again wait 24 hours.

Now, drain the vinegar/salt mixture down the kitchen sink.....yep another cleaner. Vinegar will eliminate any lingering odors, so let the mixtures sit in the sink for a while.

The Final step is to line a baking sheet or pizza pan with wax paper. Lay your bells, pins, ect on the paper and take them out into the sun. The metal will rust as they dry............leave them there for several hours for the best appearance, the longer the better.

Ta Da! YOUR DONE...............Now you have avoided the worry of disposing of a harmful and to say the least smelly chemical., and also got several uses out of the mixture.

Have fun and have fun rusting...................
Information and Technique gathered from "Old World Primitives"

Primitives the "Special" Art

I am asked all to often how I began liking Primtives, and to be honest I don't know! I can say that I have always enjoyed art, and more so folk art. I have always longed for those "special" creations by very "special" artists.

Primitive artist may not be well known to the world, but most of the work they do is phenomenal. As a primitive crafter/artist myself I know first hand that in the beginning it was hard stuff to create. It doesn't look like it, but it is definitely more challenging than one may think. Take for example my first grungy doll.....When I was through I was terrified! Really I was. It was only the beginning though.

It is hard, I guess as a woman especially to create something "worn, torn, distressed, and often times just plain ugly" when all you think when you picture a doll is "perfection, beauty, frills, and flawlessness." Primitives are quite the opposite of what we imagine naturally. They are made to be worn, torn, distressed, fragile, ugly---not in a grotesque way but in a very well loved way(o;

Since I began collecting and creating primtives, I see more beauty in these creations than I ever did in your "typical" doll. Primitives not only represent a time of purity, when our country was free of much crime, violence and hatred. It was a time when a family was truly a unit, a hard working unit. Each member of the family worked hard to keep shelter, and food. Years ago, less was better. Nothing went to waste, absolutely nothing. Mamma made a dress for her daughter, and with the scraps she later made a doll, pillow case, or tied scraps together for blankets. Wood chips were used in pillows and as kindling for the fire.

While the work may had been more strenuous at the end of the day it was all done for the family, and the necessities of life. No gold watches, fancy cars, or clothes....it was all pure love.

I guess, the love of primtives is different for everyone. But I can honestly say that my love stems from the longing for the love and unity that once was. I am not fancy, I prefer the country over the city. I despise driving on crowded highways, the sound of police sirens, and the local and world news spreading hatred and stories of tears shed. I want a simple life, one filled and enriched with pure love, a family unit that is strong with moral and with little influence of bad, and fewer conveniences. Convenience makes people lazy, less tolerant, and spiteful of real labor. I am spiteful because pure love and unity are nearly a thing of the past. Mothers are forced to abandon their children to strangers, fathers are disappearing at an alarming rate, and crime is at all time highs. But clutching a primitive doll, or an antique restores hope and faith, and above all they warm the heart like nothing else can.