Happy Easter!

We have joined Twitter. Come 'tweet' with us at http://twitter.com/countryaccents or just click on the link to the right. It's very easy to sign up and you can follow all kinds of people.

Wishing you all a very blessed and happy weekend!
~Nita

Stating the obvious

The obvious being, it's been awhile. I feel compelled to make an excuse. I've been busy just doesn't seem to be right. Everyone is busy. What should it be? My car broke down...that can't be right. My dog kept eating my blogs...oh wait, I don't have a dog. My blogs are being held for ransom and I refuse to pay. Ok, just pick one you can work with and we'll move on.

So, the holidays are over. Closed my little shop. Had a total hip replacement done in January. Ouch. Recovered. Which pretty much catches you up. Winter will just not let go of us here in the north east. So while recovering and avoiding the outdoors, I have been working on product and building a site on Etsy.

http://www.countryaccentsbynjb.etsy.com/

I have been working on these bunnies. They are my very favorite ones to do. Here are some pics I took along the way. I put the finished bunnies in my studio to await a nice day to finish the ‘shading’ on them. When walking past the open door today, this is what I saw:

There they were, looking out the window at the snow storm we are currently having.

Will it ever end?
~Nita
www.countryaccentsbynjb.com

Sharing

I asked my friend Jess to paint these candlesticks for me. I think they came out great. She painted some black and red and some black and mustard then 'grunged' them up in a most wonderful primitive technique. I will put them out for sale on the website soon.. We added a grungy candle and pip berry candle ring. They would look terrific on a table or mantle.

I just love it when customers come in and share their latest project with me. Bonnie came in the other day to show me her latest project, 'the beacon of light' featured in the Aug. '08 issue of Create & Decorate. She did a terrific job and I was thrilled that she shared it with me!

Another customer, Dorothy, came in with one of the ornaments she is making for her church fair. I bought one that was similar years ago and I have always loved it. She gave me a quick lesson on how to make them, although I don't know if I will have that kind of patience! I have the best customers!

Don't forget to visit us online at Country Accents by NJB

Thanks so much!
~Nita

Fall in New England

Visit us at Country Accents by NJB

No doubt our New England fall is beautiful. I never appreciated fall because it just signaled the end of summer and the beginning of winter, but our fall weather seems to be getting more and more comfortable. Actually it seems to last longer too. In the shop, we started putting out our fall product at the beginning of August. It seemed early to me but the big box stores are already putting up their Christmas displays! That's just too much for me.

Here at Country Accents by NJB, I have been working on a few primitive fall projects. This primitive pumpkin head makedo is 7" high, has a rusty star attached to his hat with a rusty safety pin. He has been shaded with glossy wood tone to give him a nice prim look.

The pillow was adapted from a pattern in the October 2008 Create & Decorate magazine. It measures 11.5" x 8.5". I did it with wool felt. The pattern is from Backyard Friends. She has it framed and I am doing that also but thought it would make a great prim pillow too!


That's it from me today. I am off to upload these things onto the website. You will find them under Studio Favorites--Fall
Thanks!
~Nita

Primitive Projects

It's been over a month since I last wrote...wow...hard to believe. Long story short I have been without a computer that will do all the things I need it to do for about that long. Arrgghhh. No worries...I am back in the game once more!

I have been busy doing other things though. I have finished the House on the Hill wool felt wall hanging. This primitive project by Backyard Friends was in last months issue of Create and Decorate and was a lot of fun to do. As you can see I did not do the tabs on the bottom...just got lazy I guess. My cousin thought it would make a great gift for a teacher. Of course she is a teacher so maybe that was a major hint!




Here is the other wool felt project from the same issue of Create and Decorate. This primitive pattern was also designed by Karen from Backyard Friends. Somehow I managed to do the whole thing in reverse but I think it looks great anyway!

You can find both of these finished prim projects on my website (www.countryaccentsbynjb.com) under "Studio Favorites--Everyday Items"
That's it for today...Nita

Gingerbread Ornaments - Great Ideas!!

We just got through a blistering 3 days of hot and humid weather. For those of you that live with hot and humid on a regular basis...God Bless You! Here in the northeast...we do a lot of whining with that kind of weather. We love hot...we hate humid. That said, I wanted to show you what I do to keep cool... working on all these little gingerbread guys! Yeah...'cuz stuffing in 90+ degree weather somehow seemed like a plan to me.

These little guys are approx. 8" high. The pile is a bunch of gingerbread ornaments. All of them have been aged with Design Master glossy wood tone. This stuff is terrific for aging felt projects. We use it to give our wool felt projects depth. (note to self...put the glossy wood tone on the website) Now I have to 'ice' them up, add the details and they will be ready to go! Fortunately the weather is wonderfully warm and dry today. The paint will dry nicely. I do love New England!

I'd Rather Be Crafting...

Ok, so today I am sitting here trying to get my wesite straightened out and it occured to me that I would much rather be crafting! I am almost finished with 2 projects I chose from this issue of Create & Decorate. (note to self...something else to get up on the website!) One is a wonderful applique project of a light house (Backyard Friends) that I am doing in wool felt. It was on the front cover. It stitched up pretty fast. My husband just brought up the frame he made for it and I am dying to frame it up, take a picture and...oh yeah...put it on the website. But I can't...I have to blog and get the rest of my pictures up. The other project is the House on a Hill Sampler (Backyard Friends). This took a lot longer but I love it! I just have to add the backing on it and it's ready to be...yes, you guessed it...put on my website. So, now I have to get back to the mission of the day. Hopefully these projects will be up before to long...all in good time I guess.Happy crafting!~Nita