Tuesday Tutorial

We have another great tutorial from Barb at Barb's Heartstrokes!!! Thanks Barb! Please stop by and visit Barb on her Etsy shop to see some of her wonderful handpainted creations. What great gifts for this holiday season!

This cute, fun and easy craft would make great gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends and family. Feel free to click on the "Print Friendly" button at the end of the tutorial to save, print or even email the instructions for future use.

Snowman Pin or Magnet

You will need:

1 ½ x 2 inch rectangle of ¼ inch birch wood
1 inch long wood shaped cutout cone for carrot nose
One piece of 1/8th inch doweling cut at about a 2 ½ inch length
¼ inch square cutout of ¼ inch thick square doweling
2 black buttons for the eyes-different sizes
1 inch pin back or ¾ inch round magnet

Paint by Decoart:

Buttermilk, Charcoal Grey, Country Red, Burnt Orange, Bright Orange, Russet, Snow White, Black, Dazzling Metallic’s Glorious Gold, Glitter paint, and JoSonja’s Burnt Umber paint.

Other supplies:

Pencil, ruler, tack cloth, paint brushes, small circle stencil, fabric paint brush, circular hand sander or sanding block, Matte 1311 finishing spray, Tacky glue

Refer to photos and read all instructions before beginning this project.

On the rectangle piece of wood draw a pencil line from 1 inch from the top left angled on the diagonal to about ¾ inch upwards to the right side dividing the hat from the face.

Paint the top of the rectangle, the doweling and the hat buckle with Charcoal Grey. Paint the bottom portion with Buttermilk.

Dry brush the cheeks in a circular motion with Country Red on the Buttermilk. A circle stencil can be used for the cheeks. This is the snowman’s face.

Sand off as much as you like from the rectangle and the doweling with either a circular sander or sanding block. Wipe clean with a tack cloth. Mix water and a bit of JoSonja’s Burnt Umber paint for the antiquing paint. Now antique the rectangle face and hat area, the cone nose, and the doweling making it as light or dark as you like. At this point I also paint the back of the rectangle with the antiquing paint. Let everything dry.

Glue the doweling on the line that divides the hat from the face using the shorter end at the left side and the longer end to the right. Glue the hat buckle or small ¼ square into place above the hat brim doweling and Glue the eyes into place.

For the nose roughly base coat with Burnt Orange. Once dry roughly highlight the top of the nose with Bright Orange. Shade the bottom of the nose with Russet. Roughly add snow with Snow White on the center of the nose. When the paint is dry add glitter paint to the nose.

Now is the time to paint the hat buckle with Glorious Gold. If you choose not to cut this piece of wood just paint a square where the buckle would go directly onto the hat above the brim. The other option would be to add a snowflake button instead of the hat buckle.

Thin Black paint to ink consistency and line 2-3 times around nose and face with a 10/0 liner brush. Let all of it dry and spray with Matte Krylon finishing spray. Once the finish is dry glue either the pin back or the magnet on the back.

Enjoy!

Barb Stock
Heartstrokes

Tuesday Tutorial

We have a guest blogger today! Rhonda of Katty Whompus Primitives. Rhonda is stepping in and  graciously

Shedding Light on Product Photography

By Rhonda Bruce 

itsakattywhompuslife.blogspot.com

Let me begin by saying, I am by no means an expert photographer. Much of what I’ve learned, I’ve learned through trial and error. And sometimes my photos are still not as good as I’d like them to be, but they’re improving. I hope what I’ve learned along the way will help some of you.

When I first started selling on Etsy, my photos were not very good at all. Here’s an example:

My camera is a Sony Cyber-shot, 7.2 Mega pixels. This photo was taken in my dark living room, against a dark background, with a light source (table lamp) to the lower left, using the flash on my camera. There’s not much that’s right with this photo. It’s not centered. The angle is strange. It’s cluttered. It’s grainy. It’s dark. And let’s face it; it’s just not esthetically pleasing. I can hardly believe I sold anything with photos like this.

Here are a few more examples of “off” photos:

  

As you can see from my examples, lighting is everything. The items are adorable…but the photos are terrible. These were taken on my kitchen table, camera flash on, using 2 “work lights” with halogen bulbs. Not only are these lights hot to work under, but as you can see this kind of bulb gives an unattractive, artificial yellow cast. Do you notice the yellow tinge and blurry look these photos have? Notice the glare around the cow’s face created by my flash? These are better that the apron photo, but not by much.

There are a number of easy and low cost things that you can do to improve the overall look of your photographs. I hope these tips will help you avoid my mistakes and start you on your way to better product photography.

First let’s talk about lighting. Low light causes blurry pictures, period. There’s no way around that, and no substitute for good lighting.

Your best bet is always the natural light provided by the great outdoors. This is hands down your best choice during good weather or if you live where the climate is mild year round (lucky you!). The best exposure will be under the shade of a porch or tree on a bright sunny day. Photos taken in direct sunlight will sometimes look harsh and washed out. If I am photographing small items I prepare a tray to carry things outside on. This makes it easy to arrange small items on different backgrounds without too much trouble. I use the largest squares of scrapbooking paper I can find, and I try different colors and patterns to see what photographs best with each item. Plain colors work great, as do small or undefined patterns that are not too busy. You can also use fabric backgrounds, just be sure they are clean and wrinkle free. Heavy fabrics work best to eliminate light spots and shadows in your photos. Other choices for backgrounds might include a set of old shutters or section of solid fence. Almost anything that you find pleasing can be used as a background for your photos- just use your imagination! You’ll want to choose backgrounds that either make your item pop or coordinate with your item for a softer look. Keep in mind that light backgrounds reflect light, while dark backgrounds absorb light. So the darker your background, the more light you’ll need and vice versa.

Notice how these little houses POP against the blue background?

And in this photo the soft background paper compliments the color of the vintage lace?

If you are unable to go outdoors to photograph your product, there are several options you might consider. One is to take photos near a sunny window in your house or apartment. You will need to observe the natural light to see what time of day works best in the location you choose. I have a large kitchen window that gets southern exposure, so morning is best for taking photos in that location. Avoid shadows, glare and dappled sunlight, all of which will negatively affect the quality of your photos.

Because I live where the weather is often inclement, and because other duties typically need my attention in the mornings, I had to come up with a way to take photos at any time of the day, and in any weather.

And because I’m on a limited budget, I also needed something that wasn’t too expensive. This is what I came up with:

I used a large plastic bin, turned on its side, to create a make-shift light box. (We might also call this a “make-do” in the primitive world J) You’ll want to choose a translucent bin large enough to accommodate your product. The frosted plastic creates filtered light, allowing just enough soft light to pass through its sides. Using double sided tape, affix your background paper inside the light box. Starting at the front edge lay your paper up and over the bottom/back corner and work the paper up the back of the box. Do not crease or fold the paper, thus giving your background a seamless look. If you want a product, such as ornaments or jewelry, to hang in the box, you can simply drill a small hole in the “roof” (with is actually the side) of the box and hang the item in front of your paper background using clear thread.

In addition to a bin, you will need 3 or 4 clip-on lights outfitted with daylight bulbs to give your photos great natural color. I used inexpensive, clip on, aluminum reflector lights with Bright Effects, 60Watt Daylight bulbs (The Bright Effects bulbs are available at Lowe’s for $3.98 each. Ott also makes a great twist in Daylight bulb, but they are a little pricier at about $15 each). These lights should be placed at both sides, on top, and at the front of your light box. You will need to experiment, moving them around to see what gives you the best light placement with little or no shadow. In some instances, like when an item is too large for the box or I just want a different look, I take photos right on my wood countertop. I use the lights, arranged in the same way, adjusting them to focus light on my product. Here’s how that looks:

I’m fortunate to have a place to stow everything just beneath the spot where I take photos. I keep my lights, along with a power strip, tucked in the bin (aka light box) and ready to go. During a shoot, I find it easier to plug everything into a light strip so that I can turn all four lights on/off at the same time. Keeping my supplies in one place also means it’s not a chore to set up a photo shoot. If you’re anything like me, you’ll put off a job that requires a major effort. So if you can, I suggest keeping all your photography supplies in one place.

In all instances, I use my camera without the flash. In my experience, using the flash seems to make photos look garish and unappealing. I find it very difficult to get natural color using flash photography.

A tip for getting great, clear close ups is to use your macro setting. The macro setting allows you to focus on the details of your item. Macro is used to take crisp, clear, extreme close ups. On your camera the icon for the macro setting will look like a little flower. Most digital cameras have a macro setting, even the more inexpensive models. Consult your camera’s manual to find out if your camera has a macro setting, and how to turn it on. And while you’re at it READ THE REST OF THE MANUAL. J Understanding how your camera’s settings work will benefit you greatly.

Look at the detail in these photos taken using the macro setting.

Are your hands shaky when you take photos? Even very slight movement can cause blurry photos. If you notice that your photos seem grainy or blurry, try steadying yourself on a nearby wall or piece of furniture before you press the shutter. Setting your camera on a tripod will also help more than you can imagine. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a tripod, something basic will do. You can also tri (get it?) putting your camera on a flat surface to take photos, but this method will not give you the versatility of a tripod.

The effective use of props and mannequins can be the difference between an average photo and a great photo. Clothing and jewelry always look best when displayed on a proper form, or at the very least artfully arranged. There seem to be mixed feelings about using live models to display these types of items, so you’ll have to decide for yourself how you feel about doing so. In any case live models should always look neat and clean. The chipped nail polish or blemishes that are part of everyday life should not make an appearance in product photos. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this and how unappealing it makes a product appear.

 



The first photo shows an effective use of props. The little bird picks I are especially pleasing when perched on pretty cupcakes. In the second photo you see how lifeless this vintage apron looks when hung on the back of a door, never mind the bad lighting.

A few more thoughts about choosing backgrounds… I think the kind of background you choose to showcase your product is a personal choice. The background sets the mood for your product and also the overall look of your shop. Some people swear by a solid white background…and no doubt about it, white makes an item pop. And white will always look clean and professional. But personally, I think white is a little…well, boring. I know that most of us who “do” primitives, like to create nifty vignettes that show off our goods in the kind of setting they will be displayed in. Our particular challenge is perhaps not to use TOO many props, which can confuse the customer about what they are purchasing, or even looking at. And avoid using photos that are so dark that they don’t show our product to its best advantage. Just make sure that whatever you choose for your background, it compliments your product without overwhelming it.

Since you’ve read all the way to the end, I’ll tell you my biggest photography secret. I sometimes take 30-50 photos of the same item, just to get 5 good shots for Etsy. Items should be photographed from every angle, back front, inside & out. In the case of vintage items, you should show any wear or damage in at least one photo. Remember to center the item you are photographing, especially for use on Etsy, which crops photos from the center. When photographing my items I intentionally change backgrounds, props, and even tweak the lighting a bit to give me several looks to choose from. I take close ups, photograph from weird angles, and sometimes just take a picture of a tiny corner of an item. It’s not a quick process, but surprisingly, one I’ve found that I enjoy a great deal.

After the shoot, I load my photos onto my computer and view them in “slide show” mode. This view fills my entire computer screen, which helps me see the details of each photo and imagine how it will look to a potential customer. Next, I weed out photos one by one using a side by side comparison. I try to choose photos that accurately represent my items in an interesting way. When I’ve done a good job photographing, my photos need very little editing. Generally, I only have to use Photoshop to crop and resize photos, which saves valuable time. If you aren’t lucky enough to have Photoshop on your computer, there are a number of great free photo editing programs online for you to choose from, such as Picasa, and Picnik. A Google search will help you find what you need.

Remember, even though a picture is worth a thousand words…your description is important too. Please include important details in your listing that tell us what we are looking at. Great photos and great descriptions should go hand in hand. And using all the tools in your toolbox just might bring you more sales. And isn’t that what we’re after?

I hope you’ve found this tutorial helpful…please feel free to email me at the address listed on my blog page with further questions. ~Rhonda~

Thank you Rhonda for sharing this very informative tutorial with us!!! Stop by and visit with Rhonda. We know she would love to hear from you and see some photos using her techniques.

Tuesday Tutorial

Teresa, of Teresa's Primitive Treasures has put together a wonderful Winter Blessings Ornament tutorial for the Old Farmhouse Gathering Team. Take some time to visit Teresa, thanking her for her tutorial and maybe even sending her a photo of your finished ornament. We're sure she would love to see what you've created from her original design.

Before we continue with the tutorial, this is a Copyrighted pattern. If you have any questions about altering, selling, etc., please contact Teresa.

Winter Blessings Ornament

Supplies

2 X 3 Chalkboard w/frame (Can be purchased at JoAnn’s, Michaels or local craft store)
Stain
Black Paint

Osnaburg or muslin

White or off white Wool, wool felt or Warm N Natural batting for snowmen

Dark green floss

Burnt orange floss

Heat N Bond

Transfer paper

Coffee/Vanilla Stain

Mod Podge

Cardboard

Sand Paper

Transfer the outer chalkboard line and the words “Winter Blessings” to your fabric with transfer paper. Click here for the pattern. Stitch the words “Winter Blessings” with 2 strands of dark green floss.

Cut the three snowmen heads out of your white wool, wool felt or Warm N Natural and place them onto your piece of osnaburg or muslin just below your stitched words. Using 2 strands of white or off white embroidery floss make tiny straight stitches all the way around the heads. Using 2 strands of burnt orange floss make the noses with 3 long stitches. Using 2 strands of black floss make the eyes and mouth with tiny X’s. TIP: Keep all your starting and ending knots outside of the finished area..... they tend to create bumps when ironed onto the cardboard.

Soak your finished piece in a coffee/vanilla stain. Let dry.

Now you want to iron a piece of Heat N Bond onto the back of your stitched piece.

Cut the finished piece out on the outer chalkboard line. Remove the paper backing and iron it onto a piece of cardboard.

　　

Paint your chalkboard frame black making sure to get the inside edge and a little of the chalkboard surface just incase you cut your finished piece to small. Sand the edges slightly and stain.

Now for the tricky part..... trim your ornament to fit inside your frame! Make small cuts at a time and keep checking to see where you need to trim. It should be about 1/8" all the way around. Once you have a good fit apply Mod Podge to the entire inside of the frame and press your finished piece securely.

There you have it! A nice primitive ornament for your tree or use as a tag on a wrapped package!

Prim Blessings,

~Teresa~

Copyright Protected 2010

http://www.teresasprimitivetreasures.com/
http://www.teresasprimtreasures.etsy.com/
http://teresasprimtreasures.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Tutorial

Patti at Ahl Cooped Up has graciously allowed up to share her wonderful tutorial on creating Faux Primitive Rusty Tins. I'll let her speak for herself:

I came up with an easy, quick, less messy way to make my tin cans look rusty. This method is much easier than using mod podge and cinnamon. They are done in no time at all.

There are so many uses for these in primitive crafting. Mine are going to have a grungy label on the front, and a prim Christmas tree placed inside with moss. 

Here goes:

You will need a can of satin cinnamon color spray paint, and a can of rustoleum texture paint. I purchase these at Walmart and Michaels arts and crafts store.

I have to laugh! The can says "stops rust", and I'm wanting the rust! Next step.  Spray the cans with the cinnamon color and let dry.  I like to do this outside for obvious reasons.

 

After the cinnamon color paint dried, I sprayed the texture paint on.  You don't have to be fussy, you want the cinnamon color to show through a bit.  The two colors will look like rust when dry.

 

Voila! you are done!!!  I was able to paint 20 cans and a large canister lid with one can of the texture paint. 

There's plenty of paint left in the other can.I' m adding labels to mine.  I always pick the side that looks the worse, maybe some lumps and bumps etc., and glue the label on that spot. I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. 

Thanks so much Patti for sharing your amazing tutorial with us. Please make sure you stop by and visit Patti. While you're there, you might want to follow her blog. She has some great things to share!!!

Tuesday Tutorial

Here's a wonderful tutorial by our own Barb, owner of the Etsy shop Barb's Heartstrokes. Click on her link and visit her wonderful shop. She is one talented lady. Now without further ado, let's take a listen:

Mr. Turkey Pin or Magnet

You will need:

1 ½ x 2 inch rectangle of ¼ inch birch wood

1 inch long wood shaped cutout heart for beak

One piece of 1/8th inch doweling cut at about a 2 ½ inch length

¼ inch square cutout of ¼ inch thick square doweling

2 buttons for the eyes different shape and sizes with floss through the button holes if you prefer

1 inch pin back or ¾ inch round magnet

Red embroidery floss

Paint by Decoart:

Deep Burgundy, Mink Tan, Antique Gold, Charcoal Grey, Dazzling Metallic’s Glorious Gold and JoSonja’s Burnt Umber paint

Other supplies:

Pencil, ruler, paint brushes, fabric paint brush, circular hand sander or sanding block, Matte 1311 finishing spray, Tacky glue

Refer to photos and read all instructions before beginning this project.

On the rectangle piece of wood draw a pencil line from 1 inch from the top left angled on the diagonal to about ¾ inch upwards to the right side dividing the hat from the face. Paint the top of the rectangle and the doweling with Charcoal Grey and the bottom portion Mink Tan. Dry brush the cheeks in a circular motion with Deep Burgundy on the Mink Tan. This is the turkey face.

Sand off as much as you like from the rectangle and the doweling with either a circular sander or sanding block.

Wipe clean. With water and a bit of JoSonja’s Burnt Umber paint antique all pieces of wood the rectangle, the heart, the small square, and the doweling making it as light or dark as you like. At this point I also paint the back of the rectangle. Let everything dry. Roughly paint the heart with Antique Gold.
 

 
 
Glue the red embroidery floss to the back of the heart folding it to the front and letting the floss hang down the front of the heart like the gobble. Now glue the beak to the face of the rectangle between the cheeks angling the beak to the right corner of the wood. Glue the buttons for the eyes into place.
Glue the doweling on the line that divides the hat from the face using the shorter end at the left side and the longer end to the right. Glue the hat buckle or small ¼ square into place above the hat brim doweling and now is the time to paint it as a buckle with Glorious Gold. If you choose not to cut this piece of wood just paint a square where the buckle would go directly onto the hat above the brim.

Let all of it dry and spray with Matte Krylon finishing spray. Once the finish is dry glue either the pin back or the magnet on the back.

Enjoy!

Barb Stock
Heartstrokes

Tuesday Tutorial

Dried Orange Ornaments

Teresa at Teresa's Primtive Treasures has shared her tutorial for making Dried Orange Ornies. She just loves the smell of her kitchen when she's making these Dried Orange Ornies! Can't you smell them? With Christmas just around the corner, this is a good time to start thinking about those little things you can do to make your holidays a little sweeter. Make sure you stop over and visit with Teresa and check out her blog. She is a wonderfully creative lady who is busy, busy, busy.

First you want to pick the largest oranges you can find..... I like to use Navel Oranges. Just look at how much they shrink during the drying process.

Take about 3 slices off the navel end of the orange. After each slice, sit the orange on a flat surface checking for straight cuts. Some are really lopsided when sitting so cut accordingly to help straighten it up. You will also be able to work with it during the drying process.

Scoop the pulp out of the orange by loosening up the edges with a thin tablespoon. Don't throw this out!!!! It is yummy...nothing like fresh squeezed orange juice ....................and you can also add powdered sugar, coconut and cherries to the pulp for a wonderful dessert! I think it's called Ambrosia....... a recipe I learned in Home Ec way back in my high school days!

After it is all cleaned out it will look like this! It doesn't need to be spotless!

Now you are ready to place the whole cloves around the top. You can use any pointy object to make the holes for the cloves..... an ice pick works great! Just poke your holes about 1/2 inch apart the whole way around the orange and then insert a whole clove into each hole.

Dry in a 200 degree oven by placing the orange, hole side down, directly on the oven rack. Check every 15 minutes or so. After the inside seems fairly dry flip it over and place on a cookie sheet. If it is not sitting straight try pushing it into shape. Sometimes the edges tend to turn in or out so keep adjusting them as needed. Drying times will vary but be prepared for an hour or two! Dry the slices on a piece of foil along side of the ornies or dry in a dyhydrator. You can let your ornies air dry but I found they tend to lose the round shape.

After they are dry, remove 2 cloves from opposite sides and insert a piece of rusted wire for a handle as pictured in the first picture. They look great on a tree or you can sit them around too! If you make some, please let me know... I would love to see them! Enjoy!!!

Tuesday Tutorial

Sweet Annie

A Prim Crafter's Best Friend

Birgit has a wonderful blog called The Primitive Country Bug. She has so graciously offered to allow us to use her tutorial on Sweet Annie, the prim crafters best friend!

Sweet Annie is also known as Artemesia Annua or Annual Wormwood. It is grown in herb gardens for its aromatic foliage as well as for medicinal puposes, so it's appreciated for much more than her crafyness and sweet scent.

Leaf tea can be used to treat colds, fevers, and diarrhea, while poultices can be used externally to treat abscesses and boils. It's also been used in connection with Malaria and intestinal parasites. Sweet Annie is an excellent deer deterrent, so planting a hedge around your garden will help protect your veggies and it will smell good while weeding. :)

You can find seeds for Sweet Annie (Annual Wormwood) at many sites online.

Here's a few that I found while preparing this post.

• Botanical Interests
• Penny's Seeds
• Pinetree Seeds

Sweet Annie is an annual that's easy to grow from seed. Simply sow the seeds after danger of frost has passed. She likes full sun and average soil. No extra attention is really needed except for occasional watering during dry spells but don't overwater. Sweet Annie is a tall gal, she'll grow up to 6 feet tall so be sure to plant her in the back of your flower bed. Some might call this a noxious weed and it can become invasive, but Sweet Annie attracts bees, butterflies and birds. In late summer, watch for the development of “beads” ~tiny yellow flowers along the branches. If the branches are cut too soon, they will be of poor quality, so wait until the blossoms open, giving the plants a yellowish cast.

To harvest Sweet Annie, simply cut the stems off close to the ground. The stems will be thick and woody so use a heavy pair of lopping shears to cut them with. Then cut the smaller branches off the main stem and group them together in small bundles, wrapping the ends with heavy twine or rubber bands. Be sure to leave some stems in the garden if you want it to self sow the following year.

Hang the bunches in a warm, dry, dark location with good air circulation for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks to dry; garage or attic rafters are ideal. When the centers of the bunches feel completely dry, hang them in a dark, dry place to store them or place them in a cardboard box.

Sweet Annie has been used for a long time as a natural room air freshener. Folks in the old general store would hang a bunch of Sweet Annie from the corner of a room to cover up musty odors. In the olden days, and most likely in many Amish and Mennonite homes today, Sweet Annie would be hung in the pantry to give a pleasing scent, but also to act as a pest deterrent. Hang a bunch in your bathroom or closet for a clean, fresh smell when you enter.

Sweet Annie will keep her scent for a very long time, even when not preserved. Preserved Sweet Annie will stay soft, hold its color and last for years. Air dried Sweet Annie will stay green when kept out of direct sunlight but will become brittle and shed, eventually turning brown over a long period of time. Preserved Sweet Annie is easy to keep clean (just blow lightly with a hair dryer) while air dried Sweet Annie is hard to keep clean, it is too brittle to blow the dust off from.

Preserved Sweet Annie ~ Not Preserved

If you want to preserve your Sweet Annie after it's been picked, stand it in about 3 inches of HOT water mixed with glycerin oil 2 to one and you will see in a couple days the color changing to a dark green sorta like spinach. Remove it from the mixture and gently dry it off or lay it in front of a fan to dry so it won't mold. It will be soft and fragrant but will have a darker color to it.

Another method of treating Sweet Annie is by mixing regular school glue half and half with water and spraying it on your sprigs. Some people have been known to use hair spray too. Whatever method you choose, you'll be able to enjoy your Sweet Annir for a very long time.

****************

CRAFTING WITH SWEET ANNIE

Aside from it's medicinal and natural repellent purposes, Sweet Annie is truly a primitive crafters BEST FRIEND!

Some people's skin may be sensitive to handling Sweet Annie, so until you know whether you are or not, you might want to wear gloves while working with it. It is great in potpourri's and sachets. I've seen many different wreaths and swags made using Sweet Annie.

Primitive crafts are great on their own but when you add a sprig of Sweet Annie to them, it just adds an extra little touch of something special.

Here's one of my heart shaped pantry cakes.

A beeswax cone

A sprig of Sweet Annie added to grubby pillar candles gives it a nice touch!

More of my pantry cakes.

Sweet Annie makes great carrot tops and when tucked in the pocket or arms of your favorite prim doll, is a great addition!

This doll is my friend, Betty's, creation.

This is a little pillow tuck with a clothespin doll I made for one of Char's swaps. See how adding just a little sprig of Sweet Annie here and there can add a nice prim touch?

When you're working with your Sweet Annie and little pieces drop, don't throw them away! Gather them up and sprinkle them on your carpet before you vacuum, it will leave a nice fresh scent. You can also roll warm candles in the Sweet Annie to grunge them up a bit and make them smell oh, so sweet. If you're a soap maker, I wouldn't recommend using it in your soap as it can cause a reaction on some people. But if you're up for the challenge of trying something new, try using Sweet Annie in your crafts. You'll be so glad you did!

Hugs ~ Birgit

Thank you Birgit!!! Stop over to visit her blog, say hello and thank her for allowing us to use this wonderful tutorial!