Friday, February 29, 2008

~*I did it..... opened an Etsy shop!*~

I joined way back in July.... but it wasn't until this morning that I took the plunge and opened a shop. So far, only my patterns are listed. But - WOW! - was it easy to list! The rates weren't bad either. If you would like to see ~

http://www.primitivebettys.etsy.com/

A little reminder too.... tomorrow is March 1st ~ update day. I'll have a few new goodies on each site..... The Primitive Gathering, Simply Primitives, and Lemon Poppy Seed. (the links are way down at the bottom of this page)

I am still working hard on my next pattern releases & hope to have them done in the next couple of weeks. I'm wishing/planning for a full productive weekend!!

Many smiles,
Betty

Monday, February 25, 2008

~*Primitive Sewing Simple*~

Well, there is still an Ebay boycott going on.... and maybe I should join..... but I did list this last night.

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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140210402175&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=004

This box is very sweetly, primitive ~ it is fabric covered with a little padding to stuff the lid (sheeps wool) & has a sampling of pins, buttons, and sewing notions. There is also a naively constructed strawberry that can be pinned to the top or tucked away inside.

So, while I am thinking it would have been a good idea to join the boycott..... I think about all my friends & customers that have given me so much joy because of Ebay...... and listed this lil' ditty anyway.

On Saturday, March 1st ~ I will have MANY goodies offered on The Primitive Gathering, Simply Primitives, and Lemon Poppy Seed. I have cross stitch, needle punch, and hooked goodies made up! And YES!! I am still working on my March pattern offerings too. However, it will still be a couple of weeks until they are ready.

Warm smiles to you!

Betty

Sunday, February 24, 2008

~I Have Been Tagged Again!~

My buddy Paula of http://octobermoonprimitives.blogspot.com/ has tagged me!! Now I have to share 5 weird facts about me...... hum?? Am I weird?

#1 I wouldn't consider myself a 'neat freak' (although I was at one time - gotten over that after having kids!), but I must make my bed each and every day!

#2 Being a lover of primitives ~ I choose olde & worn out over brand new most of the time.

#3 I have never done karaoke, but if I did ~ I would love to be part of a group of 'performers' and sing Love Shack by the B-52s! Yup..... I'm an 80s girl.

#4 If I sit to watch TV with nothing 'creative' in my hands ~ I fall asleep!

#5 Talking on the phone is something that I generally hate to do...... but do enjoy a nice conversation with an old friend & will sometimes talk for over an hour.

Now..... as part of the game, I get to tag 5 of my buddies. And they are ~

BJ of http://daughternatureprimitivefolkart.blogspot.com/

Lana of http://www.honeysucklelane.blogspot.com/

Jule of http://www.plumruncreek.blogspot.com/

Maria of http://starrugcompany-maria.blogspot.com/

Jean of http://bluejeanprimitives.blogspot.com/

Ok...... whew...... got that done! I wonder when I'll be tagged again? Enjoy your weekend. And, watch for updates on The Primitive Gathering, Simply Primitives, and The Lemon Poppy Seed on March 1st for lots of goodies!!!

Smiles,
Betty

Thursday, February 21, 2008

~*A little How-To Hint*~

Have you ever used raw sheeps wool to stuff a pin cushion, pinkeep, or pillow? It is much different ~ very much different ~ than polyester. However, it is really good to use in pin cushions..... where the polyester isn't. Plain polyester batting will dull your pins & needles.... and it isn't a 'natural' fiber ~ you all should know by now, I love using natural fibers way more than I do man-made. (I just love the olde~tyme ways!)

Unlike that man-made batting, sheeps wool doesn't pull apart easily to seperate & fluff. I read in an old stitchery book that you should scissor your wool before stuffing. It really does work wonders! Scissor the raw wool into about 1' inch 'chunks' or smaller. This will allow you to stuff & fill your hand-did with ease.

Sheeps wool is great to use on your pincushions because the lanolin will get on your pins & needles helping you use them better.

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Happy Stitchin!

Betty

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

~*Just found out about April's GiveAway*~

You might want to stop by to enter ~


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http://aprils.wordpress.com/

April is an amazing oil-painter. Here is what she says about the painting ~ Colonial Lamb ~ 12 x 16 inch portrait canvas, with 1 1/2 inch gallery frame sides , the sides are painted . This whimsical portrait oil painting has a rustic finish for a primitive, aged appearance.

Monday, February 18, 2008

~*Hey! Let Me Share Some Happiness!*~

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."

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Well... I thought it was due..... time for another gift from me to you!

Enjoy!

:) Betty

Sunday, February 17, 2008

~*Happy Sunday!*~

Warm greetings to ya! Did you all watch the Daytona race today? I did, sort of...... I was busy trying to get this listed on Ebay.....

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Let me tell ya.... I had a heck of a time getting a good pic today. Oh well.... is what I finally said to myself. It really is a sweet little thing.... hopefully the pictures show well enough.

I was disappointed that our hometown boy didn't win.... Clint Bowyer grew up here! He is still a HOT racer & I am sure will continue to have lots of successful races!

Have a happy Sunday evening!!

Smiles,
Betty

Friday, February 15, 2008

~*Lemon Poppy Seeds*~

Please stop by if you haven't seen it or heard of it... you won't be disappointed!

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http://www.lemonpoppyseeds.com/

This is a new site with gobs & gobs of primitives and super talented artists!

An update on my busy hands.... I have been stitching, punching, and designing.... busy busy busy!!! I should have a finished needle punch offering listed on Ebay by Sunday evening. I swear.... I had to wipe the dust off that needle! LOL It has been a long time. I filled the day punching today & have three things almost finished. One will be for Ebay & the others should be listed on one of the online sites soon. My cross stitch patterns for March are coming along smoothly too.... and I have a feeling it is going to be a 'bunny' month..... but only time will tell.

Time to get back at it..... so 'til next time..... happy stitcin'

Smiles,
Betty

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

~* Bees & Stitchin' *~

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Did you know there was a connection?

Well, there is.... sort of. I had heard about this tip years ago when I started my cross stitch passion.... but had forgotten about it. Then my BLESTB buddies reminded me of it last year. It really is a great thing to know. If you rub some beeswax on your thread before stitching ~ it will strengthen the thread, help it glide through the fabric better, and help with those pesky knots. There are actually holders (new and old) that are made to hold your wax. However, I just use a beeswax tart made for melting in a tart warmer. When it is too 'cut' from the threads, I melt it & grab a new one. Plus.... the wax tarts I use have a delicious scent to them too!

Happy stitchin'!

Monday, February 11, 2008

~*Yesterday's Haircut*~

How bad is a crazy haircut? It isn't like he is wanting a tattoo or to pierce something yet...... but he is only 5! Trinity was asking, begging, and pleading to have a mohawk! Well, it is best to 'pick the right battle' right? Hair will grow back ~ usually. My husband warmed up the clippers yesterday for the haircut that was past due...... luckily, he was able to negotiate with our little boy & do a faux hawk in place of a full mohawk......

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Now.... let me tell ya ~ this requires lots of gel, blow drying, & styling from Mom to get it to stay in place..... but he LOVES it! I was worried the kids at school would tease him about it. However, he came home today gleaming with pride! His friends all wanted him to do their hair up like it. (There are 2 boys in his class of 20 that do already have haircuts a lot like this!)

Trinity also reported that he had a GREEN day!!! His teacher gives them a color card each day to report the daily progress. Green is the best with black being the worse. Days of late, he has only been able to get yellow or blue.... with an occasional red. It has been about 2 months since my little angel has had a green. Do you think the wild oozed out of the fin at the top of his head? LOL

~*A Pal Of Mine Is Having A Give~away!*~

Stop over & sign up! Lorraine is a fabulous artist & someone is going to win a delightful TREAT!

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http://piecakeprimitives.blogspot.com/

She has posted 100 times on her blog.... WOW! That is a lot of chattin'! LOL

Sunday, February 10, 2008

~*Auction Treasure Finds*~

Oh my gosh! One of the things I enjoy most is spending the day at a farm auction! Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing just that! It was a great time spent with family & bidding! Two of my beautiful Sisters-in-law, one Brother-in-law, my kind-hearted Mother & Father-in-law, and my ANGEL of a Son went & had a BLAST! (YA! A good number of my family was there!) LOL I was really worried about taking my 5 yr old & thought he would be bored out-of-his-mind.... but he had just as much fun (if not more!) than the rest of us. He is ready to go again too! Goodie Goodie!

Here are some of my treasures! I am not great at knowing what an antique or collectible is worth 'dollarwise', but I think I did pretty good & love the pieces I was lucky enough to win!

This Crazy Quilt was my most favorite win of the day. The auctioneer threw it on the table with two ugly hat boxes (my opinion anyway) & called it a 'throw'. He did the bidding as your pick. There were a couple others bidding against me & it was clear that they too wanted the 'throw'..... but in the end I was the winner at $25.00! (The hat boxes sold afterwards for about $5 each..... I didn't pay too much attention to them though.) Now, this treasure is old & decaying badly..... but it is totally hand pieced & stitched with vintage silks and velvets. It measures 66 by 80 inches. I don't know yet what I am going to do with it.... but was happy I could SAVE it & give it a new home. Maybe it will be displayed laying across my old, white iron bed in the spare room.

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Here is the backside of the quilt (or quilt top)..... it is made of the sweetest, early print blue calicos....

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Some of you may remember me telling you about the Hoosier cabinet I bought from my Mother-in-Law. I won a vintage, ribbed Hoosier Tea jar yesterday too.

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My Brother-in-Law & I both had our eyes on this wooden box. I love the old advertising on the sides. In the end, he let me have it...

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Inside the box is an old walnut cracker. We have about 6 walnut trees here & have discovered that those nuts are really hard to crack without this handy tool!

All in all.... it was a great day! Thanks for letting me share my new treasures.

Many smiles to ya,
Betty

Thursday, February 7, 2008

~*Just Released Today!*~

I have been working hard (but lovin' every minute of it!) getting my next primitive, counted thread charts ready. And here they are......

~*Strawberries & Bunny*~ Pinkeep
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~*Blue Tulip*~ Long Pinkeep
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~*School Girl Pocket*~ a fully lined ditty bag
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~*Friends Sampler*~ a unique 2 chart design
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I just finished listing them all on ebay.... but they are also available directly from me if you are interested. Now... of to make more. (There are times when I think eating & breathing are secondary to a needle & thread!)

Happy stitchin'..... with lots of smiles!
Betty

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

~*It is a snow day!*~

After a night of falling snow.... my kiddo is home from school today. So far, all he has wanted to do is watch cartoons & color...... but that is going to change later today! He will be going out in the yard to run around ~ even if I have to throw him out the front door! The snow seems to have stopped now & the sun it out. It is very pretty!

I have been stitchin' the week away working my fingers to the bone...... so I can have my new patterns ready by the end of the week. I hope to drop them off at the printers tomorrow & have them posted for you all to see by Friday. There will be four to offer..... a 'very special' sampler, a school girl pocket, and two pinkeeps.

Have a fabulous day & stay safe in this extreme weather!

Happy stitchin'!
Betty

Sunday, February 3, 2008

~*Super Bowl Sunday Ebay Offering*~

It is a rainy morning here on the prairie... but better a little rain with NO ice than cold, blowing snow. It has been a quiet morning giving me a chance to schedule a little ebay offering. (It will start at 8pm CST tonight) I made up another sewing roll.... similar to the one from my Valentine Give Away.

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I must have been thinking of Spring! Aren't the bunny & strawberry vine CHEERY?!

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The sewie has been filled with a generous sampling of rusty pins, old buttons, and a gathering of my FAVORITE linen thread. You know though.... I am really low on old, worn out needles..... maybe it is time to visit some antique & junque stores! LOL (To see my auctions, click on the ebay link to the left or search seller id primitivebettys.)

I am still working on my next counted thread patterns.... I promise, they will be available by the end of the week.

Have a GREAT time watching the game & commercials tonight! Stay safe & be creative!

Smiles,
Betty

Friday, February 1, 2008

~*It is February ALREADY!*~

Oh my does the time fly?! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe & warm in the cold, wintery weather that has been hitting the country. Hopefully too, the groundhog won't see his scary little shadow tomorrow morning!

I have been keeping VERY busy this week working on numerous things.... but mostly getting my next cross stitch designs ready for YOU. I have three of them almost ready & should have them available by next week. One of them is very dear to my heart as I had my Great Grandmother in mind while stitching it. I can hardly wait to show it to you all! (but, yes, I have to wait until it is fully ready) Please keep watching for the patterns to pop up here & on my eBay offerings.

Did you all hear? BLESTB is having our Memories of the Heart themed items for February. My buddies have been talking about putting up some super hand~dids. Stop by to see what they have done when you get a chance. We do month long launches for this group.... so stop by more than once. You won't be disappointed!

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Isn't this banner awesome? It was made by BLESTB member, Shelly Auen (primitive-stitchin). She is so talented!

Until next time.... keep warm & many smiles to ya!
Betty