What does an HTML tip and Lye Soap have in common?

Well... nothing!

But, today I learned how to turn words into clickable links! Yes, I understand that many people know how to do this and will probably think I'm a little strange that I'm all excited over this... But it's fun! (if you just learned) :)

Lana Manis of Honeysuckle Lane (see, clickable!)... She was so nice in teaching me how to do this. I thought I would pass it on to those of you who might want to know! "Pass it forward" as they say.

So you want a word (or phrase) to be a clickable word link. Ok, so select your word or phrase... I'll use Bluejean Primitives. Now take your mouse and highlight it.


In your edit functions... where you'd create a new post on your blog (or anywhere that has this button), there is a "hyperlink" button. It's usually a little button that has a world and a chain link on it. Well, once your word or phrase is highlighted, click on that button. Insert your website address (like mine would look like this: http://www.bluejeanprimitives.net) and then click ok.

It'll look like this: Bluejean Primitives

Isn't that easy and fun?! :)

Thanks Miss Lana!

Oh yes... the Lye Soap! Well... I'm not wonderful at taking candid pictures, but remember the other day when I was making Lye Soap? This is a partial shot of it laid out to cure.

I did end up forming that Chocolate Batch into balls and rolling them into ground cloves. I also made some other soap balls with my recipe of Sweet Potato Brown Sugar Cinnamon but decided to not roll those into any spices. Plus you can see some of the bars all lined up drying. (did you notice the clickable words?) lol!

These are pretty big soap balls. Bigger than a golf ball and should be done curing in a few weeks. Sometimes using the balls is easier than using a bar... then again, they just look nice in a grouping!

Blessings, Jean :)

Hooked Rug Laptop Cover

Sarah McNamara of The Paisley Studio (aka: The other half of HallowedHillPrimitives) has designed and is almost done creating this amazing hooked wool laptop cover!



I don't know how to make those clickable word links so here's the regular link to her Blog so you can read about it yourself. http://paisleystudio.blogspot.com/


She uses bits of paisley wool in it and the colors together just make this perfect! I can't wait to see it when it's all completed!


Kudo's to you Miss Sarah! Clap Clap Clap!


Blessings, Jean :)


ps.. Get the dog OFF the rug! lol

Lye Soap

I've spent the day making my lye soaps... and boy does my entire house smell wonderful!


This ummm very non-interesting picture is of a new little combo I came up with. I think I'm going to make these into soap balls and roll them in ground cloves. Doesn't it look like brownie batter?



It's a primitive chocolate.... and it's loaded with some yummy scented stuff! Sure smells like you could eat it.... but no.


I make my soap batches, one small batch at a time to keep control over it. This way it doesn't trace too fast or too slow... I can add the ingredients in at the right times and it sure makes some mild and wonderful old fashion soap.


Be watching over the next month for these on my web site. If you're interested in seeing some I've already made on my site you can click here. http://www.bluejeanprimitives.net/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=EarlySoaps There's a few pages with all different kinds. Again, I'll be restocking more over the next month.


Blessings, Jean :)

Cuteness Level High

Riley and the Alien cuddling.

I suppose I'll keep them both, but only because they're so cute!

Very First Hooked Rugs / Mats

So one day I went over to my Mothers house for a visit, and there she was, at the kitchen table planning her newest craft obsession of Braided Rugs.

I grab a cup of coffee and sit down with her...

right in front of me was a new copy of the Braidaid catalog.

I'd never heard of hooked rugs and Braidaid isn't anywhere to be found these days, but I saw some hooked rugs in there. They looked interesting so off Jean goes to do a little research. I read that all you do is take 1/4" inch strips of fabric and hook them into a backing of monks cloth... finish off the edges by turning them toward the back side and wallah... hooked rug right? HA!

I used an easy pattern out of that Braidaid catalog and made the below mat... being a quilter I had tons of calico cottons on hand...(well they SAID fabric) I also crochet so I had tons of crochet hooks. Went to the local fabric store, found monks cloth... used my quilting hoop and made the below mat.


It's NOT that bad. Of course I'm suprised I still have a right hand after hooking all those loops. Now come on, I did ok... Look! I even outlined the pictures... and I put a little red border on. LOL!

So the Hooker in me was born and more research was done...
Aha! you use WOOL!

Well of course you do so you don't have to pull THAT many loops through and
you can make the rug faster! lol duh!

So off to Goodwill to find some wool. Below is my second mat done, in "as is" wool, and the loops are VERY low.... but they are even! (ok it took a year or more to learn how to not pack... OK ok ok I still tend to pack but I'm much better now!) ha.

So here is Sunbonnet Sue... a Classic Quilting pattern. Trying NOT to pack my loops made little see-through spots in her hat. But she's still ok, and this time I made a little red border using two rows, not just one. :)

Over a decade has gone by and I've made hundreds of hooked rugs and mats... some are on my Picture Trail if you'd like to go take a look-see. http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=14608749&uid=7734189

As you can see I did get a little bit better.

After all these years and all this hooking... to this day, I've never seen another hooked rug in person. I've only ever looked at pictures. I still have a lot to learn and at the moment I'm in a hooking burnout that's lasted a year now, but I'll never stop hooking. Once you get the bug? You're a Hooker for life! (I still can't believe I showed you these two rugs! I'll be laughing for weeks!)

Blessings, Jean :)