Just worn OUT!!!!!!! ;)

Yep, I am as worn out as my prims! Boy this has been a busy holiday season....I am kinda glad it is over, but I just love Christmas, so I want it to stay around a little longer...I still have my lights on....Some people take their lights down the day after Christmas....NOT me ;)....I have been known to leave them up till July...lol.....Well, as Gretchen Wilson said...."I keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long".....I DO live in Tennessee ;).......Yes, that was a joke! ;)
I love it here in Tennessee! I wouldn't live anywhere else in the whole world....I was born and raised right here! And I love it!

I am going to post a couple of pictures of my gorgeous kids....(they get that part from ME)....;) I took this black and white picture of them on Christmas morning...aren't they just darlin'??? ;)







Here is Jake.....Santa FINALLY brought that Xbox 360!!!! ;)







And here is Kolbi...Just excited to open presents!!! LOL





Waiting on Christmas Dinner at my parents house! My mom is the BEST cook in the whole world!! :)





Well it is late, I'd better sign out for now...Thanks for letting me share my awesome kids with you :)


Until next time........Stay warm and be safe!!!

Christmas Past~In Tennessee :)

Oh yes, Christmas is almost here.....My kids are WILD as hungry jungle animals with no raising whatsoever...;)....I can remember being SO nervous, excited, scared, couldn't think of ANYTHING else, loosing sleep, and wondering how in the world would Santa make it to our house in time! Then I would be worried..."Oh I hope Santa didn't see me do THAT...I'll get the shaft for sure, if he did".....but for some reason, he never saw me do that real mean stuff, like being a mean little brat to my big sister ;)...Who just happens to be my best friend EVER....I sure got lucky! Of course, she wasn't always the little angel of the family either....Oh no! :) She was mean to me, too, but she was smarter than me and was a lot more sneakier (If that is a word)...lol...I still have a few battle scars from my years with her! ;) Oh and lets not forget to mention the time that she made me wear a crochet toilet paper cozy on my head for a hat to school because I couldn't find my hat!!! YES....she did.....and the bad thing was, I WORE it and didn't even put up a fight..I must have liked the colors my Mom chose when she made it....lol

Here is a picture of a similar one.....lol







Either way, my head wasn't cold when I went to school...;)


Christmas time at our house was GLORIOUS! My sister and I would wear the pages out on the big Sears Christmas Wish Book, making our list out to Santa. We made out several lists throughout the month, changing things, adding things, etc. I can remember the year that I wanted a "Mrs Beasley Doll"....The same doll that Buffy had on the show "Family Affair"........I just HAD to have that doll..and of course, I got it ;)....Here is a picture of me with Mrs Beasley, and my sister, Donna, and my grandaddy :) I sure miss him!





Wasn't Donna so cute!????? :) I could just pinch her cheeks.....hehe ;) But I won't do that now, since she might not like that....lol


Our Mom and Dad are the BEST, most AWESOME parents! Now I know that a lot of people think that about their own parents, but I tell ya, if I can do one half as good as they did with us, and not meaning money or how much they could buy us! I mean by how much love they gave us! If I can do as good as them, then my kids will grow up and look back on me and my husband like that, and I'll know I did a job well done with them! My Dad always made sure that Christmas was a magical, special time! Of course, he DID say he was gonna break both of Santa's legs on Christmas eve, or at least bruise his shin bones so he couldn't get down the street to our house....LOL...We KNEW he was kidding, but then we DID wonder sometimes....LOL





Yes, our dad IS THE BEST dad in the world!!! And so is our Mom! The same woman who used to stay in her robe all day long with a phone on her ear talking while she watched soaps..:) The same woman who has made EVERY SINGLE Christmas filled with Christmas candy, apples, oranges, tons of awesome twinkling lights and decorations!





She is the best cook in the world, too!! Turnip greens, turkey and dressing, and of course, her famous buscuits and gravy! Make my mouth water! :) She is also GORGEOUS...I hope I look as good and she does at 63!!!! She was also my inspiration and the whole reason I wanted to be a stay at home Mom! She always stayed at home with us when we were little, and I REMEMBER that! I remember how good it felt to be able to come home from school and there she would be waiting on us! I wanted my kids to have that same feeling ;)


I can remember staying in our darkened livingroom with nothing on but the Christmas tree lights..Laying in the floor watching the colorful lights blinking with butterflies in our stomach, nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs! Wondering if we were good enough that year to get what we wanted from Santa! What a magical time in my life! I can also remember the year I saw Santa peek in our livingroom window! OMG I was scared speechless!!!! LOL





I can remember never getting any sleep on Christmas eve night! We went to bed at dusk! lol....Or at least it seemed so...We would listed to a record on my parents' big HUGE stereo that took up most of our living room area! We had an album of "Scrooge"...I can still hear the cracking and popping that old album would make when the record player needle would fall on the album to start! (Shame, my kids don't even know what a record player looks like!!!) Soooo exciting to hear that voice say......"Long, long ago, on a cold bleak Christmas Eve, there lived a grumpy old man, named Ebenezer Scrooge".........And my sister and I just LOVED David Cassidy, on the Partridge Family! The song "Cherish" by David Cassidy, my sister played it OVER AND OVER AND OVER one Christmas, so many times, that it became a traditional Christmas song in our house! And it still is today...even in mine :)


Traditions are so important! Remember to start your own! And be sure to watch "Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story"! No holiday can be complete without those movies ;)




I hope you have a VERY MERRY Christmas!!! HO HO HO!!!!! ;)

Want your own Auction template? I know where you can get one JUST FOR YOU :)

YES.....I DO have the answer to your questions about auction template graphics!! I've found one of the sweetest graphic artists around, and she is SUPER TALENTED!!! A fellow stay at home mom who you'll just love to pieces!! Meet Sara, of "The Vintage Rooster"........Right now she is just on eBay selling her auction templates! And she will do a custom template for you if you want one like I did where nobody else can have it ;).......She does Auction templates, store fronts AND About ME pages all on eBay.......Here is a link to my eBay store.......Check out those awesome graphics ;)........ http://stores.ebay.com/Tennessee-Ridge-Primitives , And here is my About me page link..... http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=tennessee*ridge*primitives ........It all matches my auction template....You won't be sorry :) And Sara has some of the best prices around for custom graphics!!! Here is a link to her ebay store! http://stores.ebay.com/The-Vintage-Rooster_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm Be sure to tell her that I sent you :)......................................

Changing the subject real fast........ It is COLD here in Tennessee!!! Officially about 17 degrees at my house here in Tennessee Ridge! I never know how to dress.....Last week it was 78 for the high................UGH........I just want some SNOW! ;) I am hoping we get some this year......it was terrible last year..Hardly any snow at all!!!

Alright.......past my bedtime :) I'll be back tomorrow! I'm sure you just can't wait to read something else, huh? LOL

Until next time....................................................................................................................

Need A Host For Your Website??! I know the PERFECT one for all of you primitive crafters!!!! ;)

Good Morning! ;) I've gotten a lot of emails lately from some new crafters who are just starting their websites, and they've asked me who/where is the best hosting service to place their website!!! I started with one of the more "popular" website hosts.....I was VERY dissatisfied in the customer service!!! I sent them a couple of emails and they have STILL NOT been answered, and I stopped using almost a year ago....all of the 'extras' supposedly included, with 'award winning' customer service combined, leads me to give that hosting service a negative 1!!!! ;)

Now....for the best service around, go to http://www.hatties-u-design-it.com/. Brenda will help you get your website up and going in no time at all! And if you EVER have a question, she will usually answer you within the hour!!! She works HARD to get it up and going! She worked on my website for 2 days to get it the way I wanted it!!! She even designs graphics, too! So if you need a set of graphics, just ask her! ;) She can also fix that up for you!

Bottom line, she is the best around.....She comes HIGHLY recommended by all of her customers :)

I know that sounded like a sales pitch, or an Internet commercial.....lol..but it's not....Just sharing some of my experience with web hosting that I learned through trial and error ;).....Hattie's wins hands down!!!!!

I am going to have to get off of here and get busy getting something crafted for my ebayers! :) You have a great day!!!!

brrrrrrrrrrrr it's cold here in Tennessee this morning!!!! :)

Hugs..............until next time! ;)

Mailing Lists & Picture Hosting

Do you have a website or ebay site and want to start your own mailing list!??? I just had to let you know about this AWESOME mailing list provider......It allows HTML newsletters...AND, for about 14.00 every 6 months, you can have it AD FREE!!!! I tried bravenet, and lets face it, it has WAY too may ads for the free version, and the paid version is REDICULOUS!!!!! At $99.00 a year!!! If you go to http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com and sign up for your own newsletter, you won't be sorry you did ;).....It is easy to do, too..even for the beginner!

Now I know a lot of you use photobucket, or something similar to host your pictures....But this website is worth it! VERY reasonable rates.....I pay $14.50 every 2 months, and I can store LOTS of pictures! About 3500 I think......anyway, the best part of it is that the down time for this site is almost NEVER! So you pictures for your website or auction will always be showing up for your customers to see ;)........Just go to http://www.villagephotos.com and check them out......

Ok..enough for tonight, I am beat!!!!! Tired doesn't even describe it! LOL
Have a great night!
See you on the flip side................;)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

To all of my AWESOME customers who have all become such great friends! :) I am so thankful and VERY blessed to have met some of the SWEETEST ladies around the USA through my primmin'! I just wanted you all to know how VERY much I am thankful for you ALL........You've made this my best year yet! ;)........Each and every one of you are very special to me :)
Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I am STUFFED ;)

Spent the whole day with my family! I was so excited because my sister and her family were able to come down from Kentucky and stay all day.....Nephews and neice, too! :) Why do we eat till we are stuffed, then get sleepy???? :) Yeah, my hubby told me something about turkey has something in it that makes you sleepy!! I will tell myself that anyway, so that I don't keep believing it was just because I am lazy! LOL

I've been meaning to blog more lately, but never enough time in the day! I've got to get out all of my Christmas decorations this weekend and HOPEFULLY get the house decorated and the tree up......Maybe I can get my hubby to get the outside lights up, too! ;)......He is not a "Clark Griswald" for sure! LOL......but he will eventually get those lights up!

I'll be back in a bit.......I need to finish watching an episode of CSI.....I LOVE that show!!!!!! ;)

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!!!!!!

Bless you all!!!!!

((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))

Being a Work @ Home Mom

Ok ladies....I know that we have all dreamed of being able to stay at home with the kiddos PLUS be able to bring in a couple of extra dollars to help with the bills.....YOU CAN DO IT IF you really want to! Of course, in the beginning you will have to give up some things! Being able to sacrifice some of the little extras you are used to enjoying is the 1st step!!! Oh come on, you can do it!!!! ;)......Do we REALLY HAVE to have our nails done? Nope....Not when you are a stay at home mom, you can do your OWN nails!!!!! I've even learned to cut hair! Bought a fancy pair of hair shears and I cut my whole families hair!!! Even my dad comes over to get his hair cut! With the internet WWW being at our fingertips, you can find lots of ways to cut back and save save save!!!! After all, you will need to get some fabric and instant coffee to get you started with your crafting!!! :) The ONE thing that I say DO NOT cut back on, if you are planning to work at home and sell on the internet.....is your ISP provider!!!! IF you can get Cable, DSL or whatever kind of highspeed internet, then DO IT! Dial up will drive you NUTTY as a fruitcake!!!!!! LOL....So I would definitely recommend that you spend the extra for highspeed internet if you plan on making your business online!

Another thing that you don't have to do is fill your working wardrobe with a lot of expensive clothes!! You will be working at home....grab an old t-shirt of hubby's and some sweats or boxers! There you go....Your working wardrobe is fitting! ;)........You'll have to have that one nice outfit to go to the grocery store, or go to get the kids from school....Either way, you are saving a TON on fancy clothes! :)

Get the kids involved with your crafting work!!!! Give them some stuffing to do! We can always use an extra set of hands to stuff those primitive crafts with :)....And the kids feel like they are helping you out, too! What better way to earn that allowance!?!?! Set aside certain times of the day that are just for your crafting!! Other times just for the dreaded housework! You can always do the laundry in between projects...not hard to keep up with :)........(Wow, I can't believe that I just made that sound EASY!!!!!) LOL.....It's NOT easy....you will come to realize that your Work @ home job of being a mommy, crafter, ebay seller, etc., is going to be the hardest job you can have in the world!! When I used to work outside the home, I punched a timeclock just like the rest of the working moms...I went to work for 8 hours a day....then home! When your job is at home, it tends to take over! So it is very important that you set guidelines for yourself.....Pace yourself and make a schedule to go by...if not, you will be like ME at times and be up after midnight cutting out things to sew the next morning!! Then wondering why you are tired and cranky the next morning when you have to get out of bed to get those kids off to school at 6:00 am!! ;)....Of course if you do that, then you will have to schedule a nap in there so you aren't so cranky :)
I will be posting more on this subject in the near future! So check back often! Remember, you DON'T have to keep up with the Jones'!!!! Always put family 1st....In the long run, that is all that matters!!!

Be safe..........peace ;)

A fresh start.................

For the last couple of weeks, I haven't been making many new things...sure, I've kept auctions going, etc., but no new patterns or brand new designs! BUT that is about to change!!!!! I have some new ideas and I am excited about them :)......But 1st, I have to get kids ready for school, and they are not in a hurry to go.....LOL
Oh, and more coffee will be nice, too! Nothing like that 1st cup of coffee to kick you in your butt and get you moving!!

Stay tuned till next time...........I plan on posting a few tutorials in the near future as well....

Have a great Monday! ;)

Sunday Night.................

It's been a few days since my last blog.....spending time with my family and taking a well needed break.....but I am back and ready to start working! Of course it helps that I don't have to punch a time clock ;)....I LOVE working at home and making my own hours....:)

I've had a TON of emails lately from people asking about copyright laws.....I've had some lady on eBay who copies all of my work, then calls it her own designs........I TOTALLY understand that we all get ideas from each other...tips, tricks, etc., but to outright COPY ANYONES work, whether it be their art work or whatever is STEALING!!!!! And I can NOT STAND a THIEF! It really makes me mad to see someone like this "lady" (Term used for lack of a better word to describe this hateful person), copies not ONE, but ALL of my original work, then denies it! Says she never looked at my things....Yeah, right!! LOL! Not only does she steal, but she also lies! What a winner!!!!! :) I had no choice but to turn her in to VERO through eBay and have her auctions removed.
ANYWAY............................I thought I would list a few FAQ's about copyright laws and how they have changed since the Internet came along :)

Q.When is my work protected?
A.Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. (This law was changed because of all of the people on the WWW who can simply copy and paste and steal your artwork!)

Q.What is protected by copyright law?
A.Your artwork is your intellectual property, and it is protected by copyright law.
Your art (graphics, photos, music, art, sculptures, toys, dolls, paintings, etc.) becomes protected by copyright when you take it from an idea or concept and make it into something fixed and tangible. The basic requirements that a work of art must meet to qualify for copyright protection are:
It must be original. The artwork must be original, not copied from anything else.

It must be creative. The artwork must show at least a minimum amount of creativity.

It must be fixed in a tangible medium. The artwork must be fixed in one of these tangible mediums—in its digital state as 1s and 0s; paintings and drawings; original music; your original artworks scanned into your computer; artwork you have created using bit-mapped or vector drawing, painting, or photo-manipulation programs or any combination of these digital media; buttons and graphics, cartoons, illustrations, and original writing that you have created for your Web site and that reside on your Web site.

The list is extensive, though not complete. If you can see or touch your artwork, with or without the aid of a machine or device, no matter what its medium, it qualifies as being fixed in a tangible medium of expression. And you own it and the copyrights to it.

I'll be adding more on this subject in the future......It is time for bed here in Tennessee, so I have to sign out :).....................Until next time...............be safe!!!

German Glass Glitter & Mica Flakes~Where to Get Them!

It is a cold fall morning here in Tennessee! I am LOVING the change of seasons....my favorite time of the year! :)
I have had a lot of customers email me to ask me where to get that awesome real German glass glitter and mica flakes! Well fellow crafters, I've bought from several people over the past couple of years, and you'll find NONE better than splintersandragscrafts on eBay! You can go to http://stores.ebay.com/Splinters-and-Rags-Crafts and find a lot of different colors and grades of glass glitter! You can also find Mica flakes in her ebay store! Always the best and top quality product from this online seller! And the prices are great, too :)

Shipping Supplies For FREE!!

Do you sell on ebay or your website? Having trouble finding boxes to ship your goodies in? Look no more! You can go to http://www.usps.com and order all of your PRIORITY MAIL boxes and get them TOTALLY free.....They will even ship them to you for free!!! Priority mail is just pennies more than the slow 1st class or parcel post mail....Your customers get their packages faster, and for only pennies more! To me, this is the best way to go :).......and you don't have to go to stores and ask them for their boxes before they crush them! :)

E-patterns, or Printed Patterns?? That is the question!!!

I have had a lot of pattern designers ask me if the e-pattern market is profitable....I have one answer to this question.....YES....absolutely!!! There are a few things to look at when you are considering converting your printed patterns into email patterns! Here are some pros and cons to consider.......1st, if you have a large lot of patterns to convert, then it will take quite a while to convert! You are going to have to scan your pattern pieces! Then you will have to get all of the pattern pieces, instructions, materials list, etc., together and convert them into PDF files. You can get someone to do this for you, to save time, but that will also cost you extra. A good investment I would say :)......What is a PDF file? you ask? PDF is a file used to view documents in Adobe Acrobat Reader! This is what your customers will have to have in order to view and print their patterns! If they don't already have Adobe on their computer, then it is real easy to get! They can go to http://www.adobe.com and download the free version of Adobe Reader! Most newer computers already have adobe preinstalled, but if not, it is easy to get! And if is FREE! Now if you want to do your own pattern converting, then you will need to have the FULL version of Adobe Acrobat! This program is costly! About $299.99! Yeah, very high priced! But there is always a way around that! You can either pay someone to convert your pattern files for you as I said above, OR, you can get another program that will do all the coverting just like adobe, and only a fraction of the cost!!!! You can get this awesome program that I have used for a long time to convert.....go to http://www.eprintdriver.com/ and for about $49.95 you can get a printer driver program that will convert your JPG's, DOC, GIF and MORE files into PDF files. You can read all about it on their website. You are also going to need a nifty pattern cover for your e-patterns!! I've found 2 awesome sources for you to choose from! I've used both of these ladies to design, and they are ABOVE and beyond perfection!!! They won't stop till YOU are satisfied!!! Go to http://www.ewenmeprintables.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=E-PatternDesign and ask for Deena! Tell her that I sent you her way :).....She is awesome!!! Also, another super sweet awesome lady is Brenda, of http://www.hattiesworkshop.com. Brenda is also a perfectionist who won't stop till you are satisfied! They both have great prices for converting your files, and for creating a pattern cover that you will love!!
If you are like me and print all of your paper patterns off yourself, then you will save a TON on ink supplies!!! That is another good thing! Your customers can have INSTANT gratification! Meaning they get their pattern in record e-mail time, and dont have to wait on their post office to get it to them! There is a con to all of this......there are some rude people out there who like to buy an e-pattern, then pass it out by email to all of their friends and family.....Yeah, sad to know there are so many thieves in the world! But trust me, there are a LOT MORE honest folks out there who won't steal your work!!! They realize it is hard work, and that you spend HOURS and HOURS working hard to make their email pattern!! Always be SURE to use the © symbol on your patterns!!! Your name, address, website, etc., is also a must!! Copyright your designs!!!! And DON’T STAND for it when someone steals your work!!!! :o)

There are a lot of things to consider, but let me tell you, e-patterns are DEFINITELY the way to go :o)....Have fun!!!

Start Blogging!!!!

Well I decided that I wanted to start blogging! And what better way to share some of my tips of the trade with you?!?! I have had a ton of gals email me to ask me if they can put their prims in the MICROWAVE to dry! Ok..my experiement with the microwave was HORRIBLE!!!! LOL.....I would NOT recommend microwaving your primitives to dry them! Now some people do! But me, it is the good ole' fashioned conventional oven! Heat it to about 250-300 degrees! Always watch your things close and don't leave them in there too long! I like to check my stuff about every 5 minutes or so! It is a good habit to get into! Especially if you have had something burn to a crisp on you like I have! LOL...It smells HORRIBLE! And it looks just as bad...:) Another great way to get that time worn, old grungy look to dry is to take it and let it SUN DRY! Sometimes I think that is the best way.....however, it is not always the best way for me, since I don't have the patients to wait for it to dry! :) But on those hot Tennessee Summer days..it is PERFECT....they'll be dry in no time at all!! :)

Keep an eye out for new posts here! I'll be blogging more real soon :)
Bless you all :)

Have a wonderful day!

TRP :)