~*Done EARLY*~

Hi Again Dear Friends! Yes, I'm early! I've updated my Lemon Poppy Shoppe a couple of days before schedule. With being gone tomorrow it was the only time I could work it into the schedule. Pop on over if you get a chance. The Primitive Gathering will still be updated on the 1st... I've sent my information to the webmaster to update that site. Of course... or should I say as always?... I want to get more finished ditties to offer... but only have two for each site. I keep telling myself... one of these days I'll be back on track! So goes the story of my life eh?

Here is one of my very favorite prairie dollies... she is over at Lemon Poppy Seeds...



Okay... time to get packing for the hook-in. Have an awesome Friday and super Saturday... with many warm smiles...
Betty

~*Freebie Finishes for Friday*~

Hello Dear Friends! I'm delighted to share a few more finishes with you. This first one was made by Murf (no blog or album) for our friend Marianne. Murf stitched up ~*Oh Sweet Valentine*~ and made a darling pillow. Marianne has it sitting next to a dolly I had made for her that she calls 'Betty Ann' (yup... that is my name). The whole display is very sweet ~ isn't it? I love it! The aging Murf did is perfect & the construction of the pillow is wonderful. Look at those rick rack edges! :)



Next is a needle punch finish by Charlene. This freebie title is ~*Happy & Joyful Bunnies*~... and Charlene made them look especially happy & joyful! I think it is very interesting how she used a different yarn for the bunnies ~ it adds uniqueness & charm don't ya think? Cute Cute Cute!



Thank you Ladies for crafting with my freebies... and SHARING so we can all enjoy your creations! You are all awesome!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Before I sign off, I want to share some more excitement with you. Tomorrow is the 13th Annual Rock Creek Hook-In & Rug Show... and I get to go! YIPPEE! My SIL, Robin, and I are leaving bright & early (ok, well it might still be dark outside but you get the idea). The hook-in is in Lenexa, Kansas... held in the Lenexa Community Center from 9:00 to 3:00. It is sure to be a GREAT day... even with the snow flurries forecasted. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the rugs, wool, patterns, and friendly smiling faces! Hopefully my camera will work well enough so I can share lots of yummy photos when I return. (My camera hasn't been acting right & we are thinking it is time for a new one... keep your fingers crossed that it holds out one more day!) Swing by if you are in Lenexa tomorrow!

Many warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Another Marvelous Freebie Finish*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've been frantically working to get ditties ready for The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds that are both due to update on March 1st. That is just a few short days away! It seems the 1st just sneaks up on me every month! Please keep an eye out to see what will be offered.

I received an email sharing another marvelous finish... and, of course, have to share it with you! Lisa stitched up my ~*1857 Bunny*~ freebie. Isn't it just darling? :)



Lisa commented that the doodle finishes beautifully in needle punch; but since she doesn't know how to do that yet, decided to stitch it. Well, I think stitched is beautiful too. Don't you? (I also did my best to try to persuade her to try needle punching ~ because it is such a fun craft!) Lisa's finish is darling & I love the frame. So very sweet!

Thank you, Lisa, for stitching & sharing!

I've gotta run & get back to work. Wishing you all many warm smiles...
Betty

~*Beginning The New Week Showing Off*~

Some new goodies that is! Hello Dear Friends! I received a few delightful emails over the weekend with some fabulous freebie finishes & thought you all would love to see them too!

The first if a needle punch done by Debbie of Barefoot Primitives. Debbie is new to needle punching, but not new to crafting by any means! No Way No How! Be sure to swing by her blog & check all her links for some awesome works! Debbie choose to punch up my ~*1857 Bunny*~ freebie & made it into a darling cupboard hanger. Now, really, don't you all just think it is super sweet?



This next awesome ditty was made by Sarah. She did a 'first' too... she is new to backstitching. She stitched up the ~*Willie Has Found Love*~ freebie. Look at the stitching and the totally awesome frame! WOW! Also, be sure to swing by Sarah's blog too ~ her home is AMAZING!



A huge thanks to both Ladies for working with my doodles & sharing your beautiful creations!

Warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*Final Weekend Update*~

Good Evening My Friends! It is time to wrap up the weekend. I've got one final finish to show you. This is another punch that I worked up a few weeks back ~ I only just finished the final touches on it tonight. There is a lot of hand stitching with this one... trimming around the bag & sewing along the handle. The doodle used for punching is very similar to my ~*1857 Bunny*~ freebie doodle... but I did change it up some for the purse.



All in all... it has been a fabulous weekend. We had lots of family fun & I am very pleased that I was able to get lots of finishes in too. I hope your weekend was just as enjoyable!

Warmest smiles to you & have a blessed evening,

Betty

~*Another Weekend Update*~

Hello Dear Friends! So, here it is now almost 3:30 on Sunday & I have yet to pull out my crafting supplies for the day ~ BUT I AM ABOUT TO. We have spent the majority of the day at my In-Laws celebrating the birthday of our 10 year old Nephew. We ate homemade pizzas, salads, and ice cream cake. YUMMY! We are back home ~ along with many of the boys in the family. They are out on the go kart track & I'm about to get to work. I thought I would just update you since I hadn't posted yet for the day. Hopefully I will have some more finished ditty pictures before nightfall.

In the meanwhile... you may enjoy the recipe for one of the salads I made for the party today. I have been watching my Weight Watchers points trying to loose some weight (doing pretty good so far too ~ goodie!). I found a recipe similar to this one online & changed it up some to cut the fat. This seemed to be a big hit today... from both dieters & non-dieters.


Mexican Salad Mix

1 large head lettuce, chopped
1 can Rotel Original, drained
2/3 c frozen corn, thawed
1 can kidney beans (or other red bean), rinsed
½ bottle Catalina French Fat Free Dressing
1 cup 2% or Fat Free shredded cheddar cheese
½ bag (4.5 oz) Frito’s corn chips, slightly crushed

Mix all ingredients and serve immediately.

1 cup salad = 2 points


Warm smiles to you... I hope to post again soon.

Betty

~*Final Update For The Night*~

Hello again Friends! This is my final update for the night... I'm BEAT! Kelley is the founder of An American Primitive Gathering (our lil' Ebay group holding the online retreat). She is very motivational & inspiring... not to mention friendly & talented. Anyway... she gave us all the task of finding an oatmeal box for this retreat. She inspired us & gave us a little tutorial for covering these boxes. I eat oatmeal everyday & have many empty boxes ~ so I was game for this one! The large oatmeal boxes are about 10 inches tall and 5 inches diameter. She said they would make great containers for holding our woolly snippets in. (scraps of left over wool from rug hooking ~ I save them for pillow & pinkeep stuffing) So... here is my box...



I should say, I sew tomatoes about as good as I grow them... which isn't that great. But, maybe this one is slightly more prim and olde looking. The pattern for the tomato is from Stacy Nash's latest booklet...From Me To Thee. It is made from dyed wool and filled with sawdust. I attached it to the lid by sewing through the tomato, lid, and a vintage button (on the inside of the box).



The lid is not the one that came with the oatmeal box. This one is constructed of cardboard that I covered with batting and some scraps from an old army blanket. (Kelley's idea) The box itself is covered with vintage mattress ticking that I found at an auction last summer. I took more of the army blanket to make a band for the top of the box. Using my linen thread, I stitched the word 'Wool' for a little whimsy.



This box was made just tonight. I started it after supper. It was a quick & fun project.

Well... sweet dreams for the night... more tomorrow.

Betty

~*Another Weekend Update*~

Hello Dear Friends! The bowling birthday party was great fun... we took pictures but somehow lost them on the digital camera. Bummer! Trinity was very happy & proud to report that he ALMOST scored a few spares. There were 17 little ones in the group to celebrate. They all seemed to really have a wonderful time. Supper is now eaten & dinner dishes are washed... so I'm back at crafting for the retreat. Here is my next finish...



This needle punch was also punched a few weeks back. I only just now did the finishing work on it. I stumbled around trying to decide 'how' to I wanted the finished piece ~ thought about a pinkeep, but it seemed too large ~ thought about framing, but didn't like my selections of frames ~ thought about a box topper, but didn't have just the right box.... so I just made it into a tiny rug. It is backed with a piece of vintage wool & has edges trimmed with hand spun wool yarn and my favorite linen thread.

More smiles until later...
Betty

~*As Promised ~ Weekend Update*~

Hello Dear Friends! I'll be posting updates throughout the weekend ~ at least that is the plan ~ of my finishes. This one still counts even though it was finished LATE last night... it was about midnight! (that is LATE for me)



The punching for this ditty was completed a couple of weeks ago. It is a gift for my dear~sweet MIL. I did the framing last night.. mounting the punch on a piece of textured wool & trimming with hand spun, wool yarn. For a special touch, I decided to add a little cross stitch to it too. I had thought about writing on a piece of muslin ~ but those of you that know me, know my penmanship is horrible! (It is true!) I stitched on some wee, itty bitty, teeny tiny, scrap of linen the words 'Snowy Days'. The name of the freebie doodle is, of course, ~*Snowy Tony*~ in honor of my sweetheart's birthday... but decided to change the wording to something more common. Oh, did you see I forgot to flip the design before I started the punching? Silly me!

The first birthday party for the weekend is in a couple of hours. Maybe I can sneak in a little more finishing time before we have to leave.

More updates later. Warm smiles to you....
Betty

~*Friday ALREADY?!*~

Goodness.. where does the time go? Hello Dear Friends! I've been running around like a mad women getting things done here and there... I wanted to share some of my finished works with you. But, rather than have anything completely finished... I've got 'stages of progress' on numerous pieces. *sigh* There may be hope for me yet though! My buddies from An American Primitive Gathering and I are having an online retreat this weekend. We will be near our computers working on our ditties & trying to get some finishes done. So... with the encouragement from my friends ~ I've got a positive attitude. (I'll keep ya posted with some photos over the next few days ~ both with works in progress & finished... at least that is the plan!) Although, there are a few family commitments that I'm not going to miss... a couple of the little boys in our family are celebrating birthdays this weekend ~ one will be 4 and the other 10. Saturday is bowling & Sunday is pizza! FUN!

Here is one ditty I can share with you ~ not made by me though. This charming piece was made by Kathy Brewer. Kathy used the chart for the freebie scissor FOB to stitch this delightful ditty.



Another beautiful piece! Thank you, Kathy, for stitching & sharing!

Wishing you all a joyful, crafty day full of warm hearted smiles...

Betty

~*Sharing More Stitches*~

Hi Dear Friends! I hope you are finding lots of crafting time & enjoyment in your week. It is only mid week, but I'm still rushing & working to get some ditties finished. Hopefully I can show some in the next few days.

Charlene has found some stitching time. She made this sweet lil' pillow from my ~*Home Is Best*~ freebie chart. I just love the sweetness of it. Making the home a red saltbox is totally charming!

Thank you for stitching & sharing Charlene!



I'm wishing you all a happy mid~week full of smiles & crafting!
~Betty

~*Another Sweet Valentine Finish*~

Hello Dear Friends! I'm still plugging away at finishes this week. Yesterday I made some pear & strawberry pinkeeps. Hummm... they weren't in the photo from last week and I do still need to get all of those pieces done. Maybe I shouldn't worry. I am finished with the pears & strawberries... and I have been crafting.

Yesterday I received another delightful ~*Oh Sweet Valentine*~ freebie finish. This one comes from Bonnie (no blog of photo album yet ~ I'm still checking). Bonnie is known as the 'forty~eight count stitcher'. She loves to stitch tiny, dinky, and oh~so~small! When she stitches, she normally stitches over 'one'! She told me she stitched this piece on 45 count linen & the finish is only 2 1/8 by 2 3/8 inches. WOW! That is TINY! It is is so precious too!



Thank you, Bonnie ~ for stitching & sharing!

Well... I better sign off & get back to my projects. I've got a few cross stitch patterns ~ NEW ONES ~ staring me in the face to finish up models!

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Beholden*~ Freebie Finish & More Sharing

Hello Dear Friends! I've got more charming ditties to share!

The first comes from Katherine. She emailed me her finish and told me that her MIL recently passed away ~ this finish is in honor of her. She speaks very fondly of her & said that her MIL was her biggest supporter. She goes on to say that she has been in a sort of 'slump' since her passing ~ they were very close. Katherine made this ditty special to sit on her MILs favorite doll. This is Katherine's first attempt on stitching on a fabric other than aida ~ I think it is remarkable. The story & the finish are very special.

Katherine changed the word 'Beholden' to 'Beloved' and added her dear MILs initials. She then stitched it to this lovely blue heart.



I would also like to share another kitty finish. This adorable kitten was made by Tanya as a Valentine Gift for her Mom ~ how sweet is that!?. :) Tanya is one heck of a stitcher! She told me she worked this one up in just one night. Speedy, Proper, and Super Talented she is! (This is one of my pattern offerings that you can find on Etsy.)



Thank you, Ladies... for stitching & sharing. I do love to see finishes!

Many warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Happy Belated Valentine's Day*~

I hope you all had a glorious & lovable day! I spent the day at Judy Cripps' month hook-in with my sweet SIL & some very special friends. We all had a great time hooking, sharing, laughing, & eating. Afterwards, we rushed home for dates with our honeys. Tony gave me a sweet card & bouquet of flowers. They were actually sitting on the table when I woke up that morning. A great start to the day! For supper, we went out to a local steak house. Neither of us had steak... but it was still yummy & nice to be out together.

I have been blessed with gifts from some of my friends on Valentine's Day too. You know I just HAVE to share!

This gift is from my buddy Sharon. Sharon is a member of many of the Ebay groups I'm in & is always making us laugh with her great gift of humor. Sharon was also one of the girls responsible for the push of confidence to start offing my designs for sale. (She was in love with my sheep, Willie, from the get go!) She made me this beautiful woven pinkeep, heart using a tutorial from another buddy's blog... Laurie of WoolyRedRug ~ be sure to check out the tutorial. It is awesome!



Sharon also gave me the instructions to make a rag rug ~ crochet style and a really cool Boy Scout tin. I'm dying to make some of these for our kitchen. I hope to master this soon! The Boy Scout tin is very vintage ~ probably early 60s. I suppose I have to share this one with Trinity... but he has been warned this is not a toy. I want to keep it nice & display it in his room. It is a box for a first aid kit.

cool cool cool!


One more gift to share with you is from Charlene ~ aka redlocksrocks on Ebay. She needle punched this stunning pillow using a pattern given in Create & Decorate magazine. Isn't it beautiful?



Thank you, Sharon and Charlene. You have made me feel very special with your charming gifts. Hugs to you both!

I have much more to share with you about my weekend... but have to finish up supper & feed the family now.

Until next time... many warm smiles to you...

Betty

~*I've Said It Before... But Here It Is Again*~

Hello Dear Friends! Maybe I'm just feeling a little goofy this morning. I wanted to pop in to post something for you, but didn't have any new, cool photos to share. So, I thought I would just lump all my unfinished works (well, most of them anyway) on the table & play with photobucket. Here you can see that I have been punching, hooking, stitching, and even dolly making. Showing symptoms of ADD? Yuppers... guess I am! :) There are so many inspirations & fabulous mediums to work with.

Many smiles to you & happy crafting!

~ Betty

~*Many MANY More to Share*~

Hello Dear Friends! The emails are just a' rollin' in with so many wonderful finishes! I'm so tickled each time I get one of these special messages. Thank you to all of you for stitching & sharing. It truly does touch my heart to see the fabulous creations you are all making.

These first few come from my dear friend & Ebay buddy, Doris. Doris is a member of two Ebay groups that I'm honored to be a part of... TWFG and CPLG. Her Ebay seller id is Wellingtonwoolies. She doesn't have these two ditties listed (at least not yet), but always has charming works of hooked or punched offerings.

~*1857 Bunny*~ Freebie


~*Daisy Doodle*~ Freebie


Next are a few prim ditties stitched up by Leslie of Harvest Home Primitives. She is offering these in her 'booth' on Crazy Ladies Primitives, a brand new online craft shoppe. I'm new to this site ~ thanks to Leslie ~ but have already seen lots of sweet offerings... including Leslie's.

~*Time*~ Freebie


~*Oh Sweet Valentine*~ Freebie


~*Oh Sweet Valentine*~ seems to be the favorite freebie of all! I haven't kept track of the numbers of finishes, but it does seem I have seen this one finished most of all. There is just lots of LOVE out there!

Karen has also stitched up the Valentine freebie. She used linen in Tin Roof and Vicki Clayton silks. Silks????? OOOOHHHHHH laaaaa laaaaa :)



Thank you again Ladies for stitching & sharing! Thank you too for inspiring me. After receiving all these emails yesterday, my mind was whirling. I had trouble sleeping last night because there were creative inspirations floating around in my head! On that note... I'm headed off to work these designs up & hope to be offering them to you very soon.

If you are looking for all my freebies... there is a link in the upper left of my blog. This will take you to my online albums where you can see them all in one spot & there are a lot of them! Also, there is another album that shows all the freebie finishes. It is always a joy to browse through that one.

Many warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*Sharing More*~

Another freebie, fabulous finish...

This one was stitched by Carla. The stitching & finish are darling... but I especially love the display. Carla doesn't have a blog, but she does have a really cool Webshots... full of crafty things, family photos, and AWESOME decorating pictures of her home & garden. Check it out! Thank you Carla for stitching & sharing!

I'm in the midst of another busy week. The temperatures outside are still nice today ~ suppose to be near 70, but we have a chance for snow when we wake up tomorrow. Now that is just CRAZY! I suppose the snow will keep me in & get me closer to working on the punching, hooking, and stitching that I have been trying so hard to get to. I have several projects started & always many more rambling around in my head. Guess that is the nature of the crafty, arty soul!

Many smiles to you...
Betty

~*Making Something Special Out of Something Simple*~

Hello Friends! Recently I made a couple of gifts for two of my dear friends ~ buddies from An American Primitive Gathering on Ebay. They are both kitty lovers & I wanted to incorporate a cat or two into their gift. A few weeks earlier I was shopping at one of our local Dollar General stores. I wasn't looking for anything for my friends at the time... just shopping for household paper & cleaning goods. BUT... I ran across these sweet looking & smelling candles. The scents of the candles are Vanilla Honey & are housed in a ceramic container that resembles an antique, enamel milk can. I was immediately drawn to them & tickled that they were Made in the USA. A light bulb went off in my head! Here is what I made...

I thought a couple of little candle sleeves would be darling wrapped around the candles. I made them so they can be removed & tied onto another candle or taken off to clean out the burnt candle in this holder... they are just tied on with a little floss & some vintage buttons.

I stitched on a scrap of 10 ct (a lot larger than I'm use to!) wool fabric with DMC flosses. To form the sleeve, I assembled the stitching, a layer of cotton batting, and backing of sweet calico. Then, of course, I stained them with my walnut & spice mix. I've very proud with how they turned out... but happier yet to hear that both friends were pleased with their gifts. Happy Belated Birthday to both Kelley and Joanne!

Oh... and I have another freebie finish to share! One of my bestest buddies, Ginger, didn't waste any time at all working this one up from the freebie I offered just the other day...
~*1857 Bunny*~ done in redwork
It is just lovely, Ginger! I love the barnwood frame, the antique staining, the stitching, and the 'linger here' version. I just love the whole thing ya know! Thank you for stitching & sharing!

I have needle punching that is calling my name... so until next time... warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Sharing a Few Finishes*~

Hello Friends! I hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead of you. The weather is very nice here & we are sure to be spending the day outside. It is sure to be a great weekend of family & fun!

I have a few freebie finishes to show off...

First is some Redwork by Rosie. Willie found love in this sweet pillow for sure!


Barbara stitched up both of these...




All the finishes are so super sweet! Thank you Ladies for stitching & sharing!

Best wishes for you all to have a special weekend with lots of sunshine & smiles!

... Betty

~*Freebie Friday*~

Hello Friends! I've been doodling & have a new one to offer you. Enjoy...



As I was doodling, I had the word 'Live' & thought of 'Love' in place of '1857'... but then thought you could add your own choice. Please feel free to make any changes you wish ~ just please give credit where credit is due.

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*I Just Realized Something!*~

And it may be a good tip to pass along....



I have been using the same Cameo punchneedle for over three years now. Lately is has been hard to pick it up to use it... something just didn't feel right about it. I have been using it, but there was a struggle going on with the whole mind/body/desire sorta crafty thing... ya, whatever that means, huh? LOL Several months ago (or longer) I bought a replacement needle thinking that if the current one ever broke I would be lost without my needle. My Cameo has never broken & has been so worth the money I spent on it. However, tonight I had a brainstorm! Maybe my needle was getting dull? After all, I have used it for so long & on so many projects. So I thought I would change out the needle. Sure enough! There is a huge difference in it! It punches like new again! Yipee!

Of course, I have not thrown the old needle away. It is now clearly marked as being my Old Needle & in a safe spot just in case I do need it again.

So... just an FYI... if your punchneedle is feeling a little olde & wonky... maybe it needs a little update with a new needle.

Many smiles your way...
Betty

~*Where Did It Go?*~

The warm weather? Where did it go? This past Saturday was so nice... in the lower 70s. Now today we will be lucky to get to the upper 20s. Goodness... it does seem just crazy doesn't it? The forecast is saying it will be back up to near 70 by the end of the week, but a real cool down right now.

Saturday was the PERFECT day! We celebrated a couple of Fairy birthdays. My niece, Emma, has just turned 3. Angie's (my sister) boyfriend has a daughter, Carter, that has just turned 4. My Sister & Mom worked hard preparing for the big bash... Fairies & Knights was the theme. The celebration started in my Mom's basement... there was pink EVERYWHERE, bubbles hanging from the ceiling by curly ribbons, goodie bags full of pink foiled chocolate kisses & pink snowballs, a fairy cottage display complete with fairies on the table, fairy wings & knight armor attached to the chairs for the children to keep, and butterfly nets hanging on the wall for the kids to use later... to catch some of their own fairies. They started decorating for this party over a month ago... and it showed. I'm sure there was more that I have failed to mention... but it really was GREAT! The basement was GRAND... but unfortunately my camera didn't like the light too well & all my pics were blurry. However, because it was so nice... we took off for the park to play and we did get some good snap shots!

Here are Emma and Carter with their wings & bubbles... aren't they both just stunning with their pink tutus? (Emma is on the right ~ Carter on the left)


Even my Mom played! I think she was enjoying the swing as much as Trinity!


Angie and Carter's Grandma worked together to make the cake. It was so cute! I hated to cut it up!


I would like to mention a little more 'PINK'! I may have showed this earlier, but it is well worth another note. Sheri hooked up this sweet pillow with one of my freebie patterns. I love to look at this one because it reminds me of the Valentine candy hearts ~ you know, the ones with the little sayings on them. That is how sweet I think it is!

Sheri told me she will be bringing her pillow to the Lenexa Hook In. I am so excited about that! I'll get to see them both... Sheri and the pillow! Goodie! Thank you for hooking & sharing, Sheri!

Time for me to get busy... I'm stitching up some birthday gifts for friends today. That sounds like a great activity since it is too cold to be outside!

Many warm smiles to you...

Betty