Happy Valentines Day

Christmas Swap 2009

We hope that you have all had a Merry Christmas and we would all like to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

Autumn Swap 2009

We have a lovely feast for your eyes for Hallowe'en.

We have just completed our Autumn Seasonal Swap and once again we are very appreciative and blessed by the gifts we have received from each other.

Spring Swap 2009

We hope that you are all enjoying the better (!) weather and the brighter and longer evenings.

It is that wonderful time for us at Crows 'n' Roses - Swap Time! Once again our members have excelled themselves and have created some wonderful items that each of us were absolutely thrilled to receive.

Please take a look at the fabulous items from our talented members - enjoy!

Sisterhood Award

A very big thank you to Carole of Prim n Raggedy who has awarded Crows and Roses the Sisterhood Award, which is for attitude and gratitude.



I think I can speak for the rest of our group know that we all appreciate the friendship, support and creative talent that makes up our little group.

Thank you.

Christmas Swaps

We hope that you have had a restful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Crows 'n' Roses members have taken part in our final seasonal swap of 2008. We know its a bit afterChristmas but the swaps were gorgeous and we really wanted to share them with you and Father Christmas very kindly agreed to show all of you each of the swap presents.

May 2009 be all that you wish for and more.

Happy New Year from Crows 'n' Roses

Welcome to Prim 'n' Raggedy

It all started with a course for decorative crafts at her local college about 15 years ago, and Carole was bitten by the crafting bug! She started with sewing, making many different items from cushions, wall-hangings, rag dolls & old fashioned teddy bears .... then Carole ventured into wooden signs....Now Carole has added home fragrancing to her list of crafting loves, and she makes a wide range of wax melts & room sprays....In all of her handcrafted items, Carole uses American fabrics & fragrance oils, and loves to make home decor items in primitive or shaker themes, Carole also has a real love of the Amish culture, after a holiday to Pennsylvania two years ago! She is always looking out for new crafting ideas, and is about to give soap making a go....Carole is Mum to six great sons, four of whom are married, two teenage boys still at home, and has four beautiful grandchildren, so she's kept quite busy! Carole also works part time as a registered child minder for 5 children...& last but not least, she has a fantastically supportive husband who, when he's not busy working, is happy to cut wood for her, go to the post office etc!

Carole also has a special offer at her web store primnraggedy.com , take a look as she is offering 10% discount on all her website sales from 10th-17th November, go have a look you wont be disappointed!

Autumn/Fall Swap

Each season our group participates in a seasonal swap and we thought you might like to see the creative talents of the members that took part in the Autumn/Fall swap.

Another Member Introduction

Welcome to another one of our members.


Stephanie is a member of our Crows and Roses Group who enjoys creating various types of fabric craft. She says that she cannot remember a time when she wasn't creating something. Her love of crafting is often influenced by prim, primitive, country, shabby chic or sometimes a little retro, all depending on what fabric she is creating with at that moment in time.


Handcrafting presents for family and friends was the starting point for Stephanie and this has developed more and more as people asked her to create that little something special just for them. She says that she likes nothing better than creating for someone who appreciates the time, skill and the love that goes into everything that she handcrafts.


When asked to share with us which craft creation she was most proud of Stephanie found this difficult to pick just one, but finally dedcided on this angel, as she has a passion for angels. She loves the fact that this angel has a neutral feel but still manages to incorporate lots of texture by using different techniques which gives a beautiful finish without lots of patterned fabric.


Stephanie is married with two children and is currently working within education. She is continuing to create her range of fabric gifts under the name of My Calico Heart and is a committed and passionate supporter of all things handcrafted.

So . . . Just what is Primitive?

If this is your first time visiting a primitive related Blog and you're wondering just what primitives are, let us explain it for you. "Primitive" is a present-day term coined from the early 1800's referring to a style from an era where making-do was a way of life. Back in those times, sewing was not so much a hobby but a required skill. For example, quilts were needed to keep warm in the winter and folks didn't have alot of spending money for fabrics, so old clothing was used instead. And all of those pieces were sewn by hand (no machines then!). Dolls were often stuffed with rags or sawdust and had very little, if any, clothing or detailed faces.

Today, you will find primitive artists creating pieces such as dolls that look old, worn, stained, and very simple; this process takes several hours or even days to create. Many artists use vintage elements within their artwork to 're-purpose' and give life again to something otherwise known as junk to those around us. In some cases, the more older and worn items you use, the more value it has. Many artists scour antique shops and flea markets, looking for that perfect piece to work with, to inspire a whole creation.


In styling terms, primitive can mean rustic, simple, grungy, worn, and anything to reflect a style of yester-year. From time to time our members create wonderful OOAK primitive items to fill your home from rag garlands and wreaths, dolls, fixin's, soap, candles and many more unique products.

Congratulations to Carole and Stephanie

Two of our members son's had their "A" level results yesterday and both of them passed with flying colours.

Congratulations to both of the boys and also to their proud parents.