Lovely Christmas Giveaways

Here are some lovely giveaways - hopefully just in time for the holidays!

Men's unique leather urban cuff - ends 12/8



$25 gift certificate to Etsy shop - ends 12/10


Upcycled bracelet - ends 12/15

A Fun Folk Art Etsy Treasury!

Looking for some folk art and primitive Christmas gifts?  Then check out this great Etsy treasury by Diana McKay, it is too cute!

Happy shopping!
Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Some Nice Giveaways for Christmas

Here are some nice giveaways to win just in time for Christmas. These will make great gifts - either for yourself or someone else!

$25 gift certificate from Timeless N Chic Etsy Shop. Hurry to enter as the giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central US time tonight! Open worldwide.

Here's one of the vintage and upcycled items in her shop:


Lovely six piece seashell soap set. Open to US only. Ends 12/3.



Stenciled burlap pillow - winner's choice of square or rectangle. Ends 12/5 and open to US only.

Great Rustic Country Christmas Etsy Treasury

Susan Williams from The Laughing Cabin made up the great Etsy treasury pictured above and I wanted to share it with you, something about it just really appealed to me!  Enjoy all of these lovely rustic treasures and be sure to check out Susan's shop, she has some really cute items!

Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Some Great Giveaways In Blogland!

Hi everyone, just wanted to share some of the great giveaways that I've stumbled across here in blogland.  Just click the blog names below to go to the respective blogs and good luck!

Buttermilk Creek Farm

Ends November 15th (so hurry!)

Colleen's Craft Shed

Ends November 16th

Old Crow Mercantile

Ends November 18th

The Barn Hollow

Ends November 21st

Sweet Bear Creek Whims

Ends November 21st

The Olde Cupboard Door

Ends November 28th

Cat Haven Crafts

Ends November 30th

PAFA Etsy Team Winter Wonderland Giveaway

Ends November 30th

The Rusty Thimble

Ends December 1st

Bumble Bee Lane

Ends December 1st

Hearthside Happenings

Ends first week of December

Happy clicking!!

Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Christmas Quilts, Placemats, and Tree Skirts

Enjoy this treasury of lovely Christmas quilts, placemats, and tree skirts!

Christmas Candles and Tarts

Aren't these handmade Christmas candles and tarts absolutely beautiful!?! I want one of each please. :)

Mesquite Forge and Cooperage

Isn't this lovely?!  The colour and texture grabbed my eye as soon as I saw it.  Hand made from end grain mesquite, this Mesquite Cutting Board Round With Forged Hoops has stainless steel hoops driven in at a 10 degree angle to prevent the board from splitting, and since it was crafted by a retired aerospace engineer I'm pretty sure it will last a lifetime!  Jack, the talented artisan behind Mequite Forge and Cooperage, says he has always had a love of wood and metalworking.  He is a cooper as well, a craft steeped in history and I am so pleased to see someone upholding that wonderful handmade tradition.  Please be sure to check out his Etsy shop, he's been dabbling in blacksmithing as well, I'd say he is a true Renaissance man!

Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

A Very Vintage Giveaway

I had the pleasure of interviewing Gail from Miss Hettie Etsy Shop. She's offering a $20 gift certificate to her shop. The giveaway is open worldwide.

I'm loving this Vintage Estate Silver Plated Basket.



Hurry to enter, cuz the deadline is Nov. 7th at 11:59 pm Central US time.

Autumn and Christmas Aprons

With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to put on something pretty when cooking and baking. Of course, you want to put an apron on to protect your clothing, so why not put on one of these pretty autumn or Christmas aprons?

Handmade Christmas Soap

Rub a dub dub...though these handmade Christmas soaps are just too pretty to want to use!

A Pennyrug Treasury

I've been wanting to try my hand at making pennyrugs for a couple months now. Hopefully once I'm settled in my new home, I can get started. I've actually gone so far as to purchasing a kit at Etsy...just gotta get the right thread. One day, I'll be able to make beauties like these!

KinSale Girl

I don't know about you but I am a sucker for vintage textiles.  Quilts, doilies, blankets, towels ... you name it, I love them.  So when I saw this Vintage Crazy Quilt on Etsy, I just had to share it with you.

Isn't it lovely?  Anne aka Kinsale Girl tells us it is from the 20's or 30's and that the backing has a fabric with tiny dancing reindeer on it, how whimsical and wonderful is that?  It measures 74 " x 67", a perfect size for snuggling!  $150.00 + shipping, what a wonderful addition to your vintage textiles collection!  Click here or click the picture above to go to the listing and make sure you check out Kinsale Girl for more great vintage and antique finds.

Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

A Treasury of Artisan Interviewees

Here's a treasury of artisans I've had the honor of interviewing over the past couple months.



If you'd like to be interviewed for Screaming Sardine, please email me at screamingsardine ~at~ yah00 ~dot~ com

Autumn and Christmas Pillows

Enjoy these lovely autumn and Christmas pillows!

Frick and Frack Scrap

Okay, I must be on a recycled/upcycled furniture binge right now because this Rustic Weathered Pine Coat Rack just leaped out at me on Etsy today!

Hand crafted by Frick & Frack Scrap (don't you just love their name?!) from an historic Southern feed mill floor board, this great little coat rack measures 24" long by 6" wide and is only $60.00 + shipping.  A one of a kind treasure for your prim and country home, who can resist? Click here to go to the listing and be sure to check out the rest of their shop, lots of wonderful treasures to be discovered there!
Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Spaulding's Woodworking

Every now and again Etsy does get it exactly right when they show me their selection of new items that "match my taste".  Today was one of those days when I signed in and saw this amazing Vermont Sap Bucket Hanging Lamp by Nathan Spaulding of Spaulding's Woodworking in Vermont.

I love it!  Can't you see it hanging over your antique table or over the island in your country kitchen?  Nathan says that he made it from 100 year old sap buckets and a piece of timber that was milled in a water powered sawmill over 150 years ago.  $250.00 + shipping for a handcrafted piece of history, sounds like a deal to me!
Deb ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Sunburnt Cow on Hold

Due to the lack of interest in guest posting for you to showcase your shop, I'm putting the Sunburnt Cow on hold. For how long? I have no idea. It may be permanently.

For artisan spotlights, you can find them usually twice a week at Screaming Sardine. Some of the interviews also have giveaways to go along with them. This month, I'm also highlighting handmade Halloween items for sale from many shops on Etsy. If you'd like to be included, leave a comment here. I'm a big proponent for handmade, and it is my hope that the larger audience at Screaming Sardine will reach a wider audience in the handmade community.

Much thanks to Deb from Paxton Valley Folk Art Shop for regularly contributing, as well as Michelle from Michelle's Bears for her teddy bear-licious post.

Artisan Interviews and a Giveaway!

I've done several artisan interviews over at the Screaming Sardine.

Beth from Unraveled Revelry


Kimberly of Kimberly Glesenkamp

Kimberly is giving away two of her Christian Art Prints. Deadline is tonight, so hurry to enter!

Laura from Moags and Smeet


Eunice from Eunice Makes


Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs

Blog Yard Sale

Lil Raggedy Angie is having a week long blog yard sale! She's cleaning house and has oodles of vintage and prim goodies for sale at rock bottom prices. Stop on by and check out her great items for sale. :)

Halloween Giveaways

Shabby Chic Girls' Club is having their first giveaway.



Winner announced Sept. 15th

Wicked Faerie Queen is having a Halloween giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 17th

Iowa Junk Gypsies is having an enamel sign giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 10th

Freckled Laundry is having a Halloween giveaway.



Winner announced Sept. 12th

Cat Haven Crafts is also having an adorable Halloween giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 30th

The Barn Hollow is having a prim Halloween giveaway.



Deadline: When she reaches 75 followers.

Winding Vine is offering a giveaway of an item from her Etsy shop.

Deadline: Sept. 17th

Blessings in the Country is having a September Autumn giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 19th

Prim Crafts is having a prim pumpkin giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 15th

Old Road Primitives is having a Mouse and Pumpkin giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 16th

Prim Cats is having a giveaway to celebrate 200 followers.



Deadline: Sept. 15th

Homespun Hugs and Calico Kisses is having a cool giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 10th

York Mountain Primitives is offering $20 worth of York Mountain Mercantile Bucks.

Deadline: Sept. 16th

Stonewall Craftique is having a beautiful fabric pumpkin giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 14th

Donna's Garden Shop

Hi everyone.  It's time again to introduce you to another talented undiscovered Etsian and this evening I'd like to introduce you to Donna of Donna's Garden Shop.

I first discovered Donna's shop when I did a "pounced" treasury at Etsy several months ago.  I was searching shops that had not yet had a sale when I came across her lovely garden shop.  I love her nature inspired floral creations and her topiary 'JOY' series above particularly caught my eye.  Each topiary measures about 13" high and this elegant, one of a kind floral design could easily be displayed any season of the year.  I can just see those lovely topiaries nestled in some white twinkle lights on your mantle for the coming Christmas season!  $40.00 + shipping, click here or click the picture above to visit this listing and be sure to check out the other lovely floral inspired items in Donna's shop!
Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art

Pattern Cupboard Sale

The Pattern Cupboard is having a Labor Day Sale, featuring over 100 pages of sale items. Sale lasts until Sunday night, Sept. 11th.

New Artisan Interview

There's a new artisan interview over at the Screaming Sardine: Kristin of Krystal Ring Kreations. She offers lovely Chainmaille Jewelry in her Etsy shop.

Teddy Talk

Hey all!
My name is Michelle of Handcrafted Teddy Bears by Michelle and I am a bear artist, a collector and a restorer of vintage teddies! My dear friend Tracy asked me if I would like to contribute to The Sunburnt Cow blog and I was, of course, only too happy to accept her invite! Thanks Tracy!

I previously contributed to one of her other blogs “Handmade Teddy Bears and Raggedies” with a post about how I got started in the booming teddy bear business and we took a fun trip down “Memory Lane” with some photos of classes I used to teach and some special bears I made along the way!

This time, however, I’m excited to talk about some of my favourite antique bears….sorry, not mine, personally…oh my, it would be an honour to actually own even one of these bears! No, these bears are part of some very extensive collections throughout the world and certainly deserve the attention that has been bestowed upon them throughout history!

Teddy bears have been a childhood favourite for over one hundred years now! Some say that it all began with President Theodore Roosevelt (nicknamed “Teddy”) who was rumoured to have refused to shoot a live bear cub that was tethered to a tree by his attendants and in turn solidifying his place in history as the “Father of the Teddy Bear”. There are many versions of that rumour but we’ll just stay with that for now.
Others will tell you that it all began with the famed Steiff Toy Company and its founder, Margarete Steiff where her nephew, Richard Steiff , a well established artist in 1902, created the very first Steiff bear who would be known only as "55PB" (55 cm tall, sitting, P = plush, B = jointed ["beweglich" in German]). The debate still rages on even after all of these years!

No matter how teddy bears came to be, they’ve become one of the world’s most beloved and treasured toys not to mention one of the hottest collectibles around! As I'm sure most of you are aware, the "artist bear world" is a very big world but perhaps you didn't know that there are some even more famous bears out there? While there are many vintage teddy bears we could talk about, only a few really capture the attention of major collectors around the world such as Paul and Rosemary Volpp, Sue Pearson and others.

Let’s begin with my absolute favourite antique teddy bear…
”Happy”!

Happy is best known for being one of the world’s most expensive teddy bears! In 1989, collector Paul Volpp paid the incredible price of $86, 350.00US for this special teddy bear at the famed Sotheby’s auction house in London! He then presented the bear to his wife, Rosemary as a gift for their anniversary! While he was not able to attend the auction, he had a representative take his place. During the auction, he received a call from that representative to say that the original amount he was willing to pay had been outbid and without a word…Mr. Volpp said to him “get that bear!”
The history of this particular bear, her rarity and size were defining factors in her high price! She has since “paid her dues” as a “charity” bear raising thousands of dollars for several different causes!

“Winnie The Pooh”

This special bear actually belonged to author A. A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin! The history of “Pooh” is a popular one which really bears no repeating here but I can tell you that this original teddy bear spent a good portion of his life with the real Christopher Robin. He was then sent to the publisher of the now famous Winnie the Pooh stories, E. P. Dutton after Milne died and since 1987, has been on display at the Donnell Library Center of the New York Public Library!

“Alfonzo”

In 1908, the Grand Duke of Russia commissioned the Steiff company in Germany to make a special teddy bear for his daughter Princess Xenia Georgievna. It was to be made from an unusual red fur. Her Nanny made him a lovely outfit and the Princess named him Alfonzo. In 1914, the Princess took her bear with her to England where she stayed with relatives at Buckingham Palace. Due to civil war in Russia and the subsequent assassination of her father, the Princess never returned but the bear remained very dear to her heart. After her death in 1965, the special bear went to her daughter and then was auctioned off at Christy’s auction house in London garnering a hefty price of nearly
$20, 000.00US
This very important bear is said to be residing at Teddy Bears of Whitney in the United Kingdom.

“Fritz”

This extraordinary teddy bear is one of the lesser known famous bears but surely deserves a place in history alongside his counterparts! Fritz was found under some dusty old floor boards in a hut that was occupied by a German prisoner of war during World War II. Once cleaned up, it was discovered that he was a 1906 Golden mohair-plush Steiff bear!
Although he was discoloured and worn, he was found completely decorated with German and British badges! It’s not known where he resides to this day.

“Fire Guard Bear”

Perhaps one of the most impressive bears, to me is this one! He was the “mascot” bear to the London Fire Brigade during the “Blitz” of London in World War II! He is a very rare 1906 golden mohair-plush Steiff bear who was found in near excellent condition with the exception of some singed paws. He must have seen his fair share of firefighting during a horrible time in history. This lucky bear now resides at the Cotswold Teddy Bear Museum in the United Kingdom!

And finally…
”Mr. Whoppit”

Merrythought, one of my absolute favourite bear manufacturers of all time, made “Mr. Whoppit”. This particular bear, photographed here, led an amazing life during the 1950’s and 1960’s when he was owned by daredevil “Donald Campbell” who broke many speed records on both land and water! Unfortunately, it all came to an abrupt end in 1967 when Mr. Campbell was killed in England on “Coniston Water “during one of those record breaking moments! Mr. Whoppit, who accompanied him on almost all of his death defying attempts, was the only one whose “body” was recovered.

“Teddy Bears spell comfort and security. They remind grown-ups of the happiest times of their childhood. There’s nothing threatening about him ~ he never yells back. It’s comforting to have something around that’s lived with you all of your life. And still likes you .~ Dr. Leonard Kristal

I hope to continue this wonderful story very soon…there’s always a vintage bear or two to talk about!

Before I go, I would like to invite you over to my blog to take a peek at my latest creations or perhaps to read about my latest teddy bear restoration projects and also to my Etsy shop where you can see, not only the handmade teddy bears I am offering but some great vintage bears as well!
And finally, I will be hosting another great giveaway (the prize being one of my own handmade teddies as well as a great vintage item to accompany the bear!), starting September 15th! I haven't quite figured out, yet, which blog I will host that giveaway from as I host two but you'll be among the first to know when I do!

Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks, again, Tracy for this fun opportunity!
Now go hug your bear!
Michelle

Giveaways at the Screaming Sardine

Here are a couple giveaways going on at the Screaming Sardine.

Handmade Vintage Necklace - winner's choice.



Deadline: Sept. 5th

$25 Gift Certificate to Seasons of Wool Etsy Shop



Deadline: Sept. 1st

Prim Items on Sale

Just found this in my email box: Factory Direct Craft purchased a million dollars worth of prim craft items and are offering them on sale.

A Whole Bunch of Prim and Autumn Giveaways

Sweet Meadows Farm is having an adorable bear kit giveaway.



Deadline: Aug. 27th

Northern Lodge via Paxton Valley Folk Art is having a giveaway of one of her lovely knitted scarves.



Deadline: Sept. 4th

Prim in the Country is having an adorable autumn giveaway.



Deadline: Aug. 30th. Tell her Deb from Paxton Valley sent you.

The Vintage Polka Dot is having a whimsical autumn giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 7th

Raggedy Creations is having her first giveaway.



Deadline: Aug. 31st

Lee Hill Primitives is having a perfectly prim giveaway.



Winner announced Aug. 26th

A Primitive Place is having an adorable teddy bear giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 18th

Dixie Samplar is having a surprise giveaway.

Deadline: August 31st.

Country Creations by Denise is offering an amazing Halloween Tree Giveaway.



Winner drawn: Sept. 1st

The Painted Pear Basket - aka the amazing painter Terrye French - is having an ornament giveaway.



Deadline: Sept. 1st

Sweet Home Stitchery is having an autumn stitchery giveaway.



Deadline: August 31st