~*Another Bunny Just Hopped In!*~

Hi Again Dear Friends! Another super bunny finish just hopped into my email! This one was made by Tanya & is her first punch needle finish! She also worked with the ~*1857 Bunny*~ doodle...



Now... how sweet is that?! I love the cheery look & bright spring colors! Thank you, Tanya, for working with my doodle & sharing!

More smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Oh Sweet Bunny*~

Hello Dear Friends! Here is another fabulous finish...



This one comes from Tea in Perth, Western Australia. Tea worked with the freebie doodle, ~*1857 Bunny*~. It is needle punched, rag stuffed, hand sewn, and dunked in a walnut crystal bath. She did the punching with Valdani threads. (hummm... I still have not tried those ~ maybe I should!) Oh how sweet it is! I love it!

Tea doesn't have a blog, but will be offering her delightful goodies on The Chocolate Crow Trader beginning April 15th. This is a great site that I was not familiar with. You will want to check out the wonderful artist offerings & freebie patterns... so be sure to swing by!

Thank you, Tea, for punching & sharing... and for pointing me to the direction of the great new, online magazine!

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Tomorrow is April 1st... that means website updates for The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds (truth be told... I'm still working on the goodies for this update)... AND, YES, I will be releasing two new patterns. One is for cross stitch and the other is for needle punch. Please stop back by tomorrow to see!

Warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*How Could It Be?*~

Hello Friends! How could it be freezing rain and snow one day and upper 50s the next? The last couple of days were so scary... with ice, sleet, freezing rain, and snow. We were stuck inside and praying that we didn't loose power like so many in our area did. Luckily, our lights and heat stayed on and we didn't have to leave the house... but it is crumby that here it is now Spring and we were suffering with Winter weather. Today though, was just beautiful. It was warm enough to melt all the ice and snow... but left us with a soppy, soggy mess. Our daffodils seemed to be smiling today ~ they survived...



Today we met up with several of our family members to attend our first auction of the year. We all had GREAT fun & found a few new treasures. (I'll try to get some pics of my finds in the next few days.) Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard bought a wheelbarrow (and a few other goodies too!). Laying inside were a couple of brand new ~ in the package, kites. Since Trinity was the only lil' one with us... he was gifted with both of them. (Thank you!) After supper tonight, Tony and Trinity braved the soggy yard and took advantage of the blue sky and crisp wind (here they are in the center of our go kart track ~ safe from the power lines in the distance)...



Trinity slipped on his snow boots to avoid getting his socks wet... but was having a GREAT time & did very well navigating through the wind...



He wanted me to be sure to get a picture of the kite up in the sky...



Now... this is what Springtime is all about... daffodils, blue skies, sunshine, and family smiles!

Wishing you all warm, Springtime smiles too...

Betty

~*Lookie! Another Freebie Finish!*~

Hello Dear Friends! While in the midst of this terrible winter storm... Patti has stitched up a wonderful Spring delight! She has worked with my ~*Spring Freebie*~ and created this wonderful lil' pillow...



Patti often adds olde keys to her works... but this one is especially sweet since it has been stitched to the front. Darling isn't it?

Thank you, Patti, for stitching and sharing!

Wishing you all a warm, safe weekend full of smiles,

Betty

~*Just Added a Poll*~

Hi Friends! Please take the poll and share your FAV cross stitch and needle punch finishes. Do you mostly frame your works? Do you just seem to LOVE to make lots of lil' pillows? Are you an avid ornie (ornaments ~ for those that may be curious) maker? Or, do you just simple LOVE any ol' prim finish? Maybe you just leave your work simple, plain, and prim to be tacked up inside an antique cupboard. Please leave a comment to share your thoughts and ideas.

From the freebie finishes I've seen... there are lots of pillow makers... but there have been some really delightful ditty bags too!

Lets see what the poll tallies up... shall we?

Warm smiles & thanks to you all...
Betty

~*Is Anyone Else Tired?*~

Hello My Dear Friends! Are any of you tired... I mean just plumb worn down~tired? Could it be the weather? Here in Kansas we were so fortunate to have beautiful Spring, warm weather for many days... followed by cloudy, cool temps... and now we are getting really chilly with rain turning to snow over the next couple of days. They say we may get 3-6 inches. That may not be a lot of snow for where some of you live... but for us, especially in Spring, it is a tragedy! I'm thinking the whacky weather changes have something to do with why I'm just so tired. Tony commented on how tired he had been feeling last night at work too. However, Trinity woke up this morning pretty chipper... and believe it or not, he is NOT a morning kid ~ at least not on school days. LOL

Waiting with him for the bus, I noticed all the buds on our trees, bushes, and in the flower gardens. It is heart breaking to know that after this weekend they will be ruined.

Well... I'm not really in a bad mood... just tired. So... let me start posting more happily! I have some more fabulous freebie finishes to share. Let me repeat that... I have some more fabulous freebie finishes to PROUDLY share! It is just so sweet to see what you all do with my designs... just tickles me inside!

These first couple of sweet ditties were made by Cindy. She has them offered in her Etsy Shoppe. Cindy worked with the freebies ~*Beholden*~ and ~*Blessings*~ to create these warm delights. Each one is a cupboard hanger with a ribbon sewn to the top. Very sweet indeed!





And look at this! Kathy has been doing yet more stitching! She made ~*Spring Freebie*~ into a darling ditty bag! She wrote me that she intends to stitch this one again ~ making a lil' pillow. How sweet!



Thank you, Ladies, for stitching and sharing! All the works are wonderful!

Yesterday I kept extremely busy getting some things done for The Primitive Gathering update. (Yes, I still need to do some finishes for Lemon Poppy Seeds... but I'm workin' on them.) I decided yesterday too... that I WILL have two, maybe 3, new pattern releases on April 1st! Really, NO FOOLIN'! Please don't ask what they are before that date though... I'm gonna keep it a secret until exactly that day. I will give you a little hint... they are primitive. ha ha ha Just keep an eye open on that day & you will see.

Wishing you all plenty of rest and lots of warm smiles,

Betty

~*Another Week Already Flyin' By*~

Hello Dear Friends! After a hectic, but fun weekend... the week is just flying by already. Here it is Tuesday & I'm up to my ears with projects that desperately need to be finished for updates on The Primitive Gathering, Lemon Poppy Seeds, maybe even an Ebay listing.... and YES, pattern releases! Really, honestly... I promise I'm working on patterns! I have two cross stitch ones and even a little needle punch one that I'm wanting to release VERY SOON.

On that note, this will be a short post. Before I sign off though, I want to share a couple of finishes with you. These darling needle punches were made by Lisa. They have both been finished so nicely! The frames, she says, were made by her husband... one is old beadboard and the other is part of an old door casing. Both have the original paint. The needle punches and the frames are just AWESOME ~ aren't they?! WOW Lisa! Thank you for punching and sharing!

Made from the freebie ~*Happy and Joyful Bunnies*~


This one was made from a pattern/doodle in my ~*Welcome Spring*~ booklet. (This booklet is available from me via email if you are interested.)


Oh... and one more thing I would love to mention... my very good friend Marianne honored me with this Friend Award!

Thank you, Marianne! You are so sweet!


Ok... I gotta get crackin'... well stitching, sewing, punching, and hooking actually! Hummm... I think the laundry room is needing a little attention today too... and the floors could probably use a good sweep. Oh so many things to do....

Wishing you all many warm smiles to fill your day!

Betty

~*Tag Sale Finds and Fun*~

Hello Dear Friends! I was going to wait until tomorrow to post about this, but tomorrow is looking to be a busy one... plus, I'm really excited about my new treasures!

This morning, Trinity and I hit a few Spring~Time tag sales while getting some other errands finished. We spent less than $5... but had so much fun with it. Here are SOME of our finds ~



I have seen some hooked items attached to old boot jacks & am thinking of how or what I'm going to do with this one. Maybe I can work up a needle punch to dress it up? I'm still thinking about this. When I saw the wooden spoons, I remembered a primitive spoon holder that I had seen. It was a hanging pocket sort of thing with slots to poke the spoons down into. Maybe I can get to work on that little ditty in the next few days. The towel holder is already hanging in our kitchen, thanks to my darling hubby... with a couple of towels drying on it from tonight's supper clean up. It isn't old, but looks it! The basket was only 10 cents... you all know, we can never have enough baskets! The broken strainer? Well... this is what it has become...



With the help and inspiration of Char at The Pickled Pepper Patch it has been reborn into a vintage, fly screen. This broken lil' treasure too ~ was only 10 cents! Tony used a grinder to cut the busted handle off for me. I asked him to leave the knobby things because I kind of liked them there. Then I painted a wooden cabinet handle/knob and screwed it to the top. I have it sitting on one of my White Ironstone dishes that I HUNT for at all the tag sales. It is empty of any foods under the screen right now... being on a strict Weight Watchers diet, our home is empty of chocolate chip cookies right now. But it is pretty cool huh?

I also found this darling little shoe form 'thingy' for $1... I just liked it, but don't have any 'make dos' planned for it...



Trinity found a new hat and a vintage Yahtzee game. I say it is vintage, because the original K Mart label is still on it. New, it only cost $3.47 'back in the day'. We spent a little time this afternoon playing the game. He beat me something silly!



Tag sales wasn't all the fun today. I was inspired by The Pickled Pepper Patch for this today too!



I have had this knife holder set for a number of years. They are not the best knives in the world, but I use them. I can now say, I'm PROUD to have this sitting on my counter. I think the change is AWESOME!

The label was found in a print program that we have downloaded on our computer. It was sweet, I thought, that is was for knife polish. Here is a close up...



So... none of this has anything to do with stitching, hooking, punching, or dolly making... but it was fun prim crafting & treasure hunting!

Wishing you all a weekend of joyous smiles & happy crafting!

Betty

~*Another Fabulous Freebie Finish*~

Hello Dear Friends! We have been really enjoying our Spring Break week & have kept extremely busy! Today is Trinity's last day off school & we have lots of activities to fill this day too. One thing we are doing is hitting a church rummage sale. You know, the kiddo loves a good tag sale just as much as his ol' Mom! If we find some fun ditties, I'll post them to share.

Before we head off for the day though, I want to share this sweet finish by Kim. I feel bad, she sent it to me a few days ago & I haven't been able to find the time to post. I'm sorry to take so long Kim.... please forgive me.

Kim stitched up the freebie ~*1857 Bunny*~ and says she is going to stitch it again to give to a friend. Now... isn't it darling? And it is so sweet that she is going to stitch it twice!



Thank you, Kim, for stitching and sharing!

Wishing you all a day full of sunny, warm smiles...

Betty

~*The Stormwind Fortress*~

Hello Dear Friends! We are in the midst of a wonderful Spring Break here & the weather has been so delightful! It is really hard to stay indoors ~ which we really haven't been doing much of. I hope you are all enjoying the days too!

Today, Jamie came over to help with the clubhouse re~do. Trinity just L*O*V*E*S to hang out with his big brothers! (too bad Craig had to work!) The boys and I painted the inside of the ol' metal box to cover the graffiti from days~gone~by, 'lovebirds'. (I think it said Steve loves Tina or something along those lines... not what boys need in their fort!) After the painting was finished, I let them do~their~thing... and the transformation became ~*Stormwind Fortress*~ (the boys came up with this name).....hummm... maybe they need a sign? That might be something I can help them with.





The box sits next to a small wooded area on our property. The boys searched in the woods to find sticks & logs to complete the fort. Jamie also wrapped one up in some rope to hang from a nearby tree. This one is for whacking with their handmade swords!





I caught them battling each other too...



I think they both had a very good time. It was great fun to watch them & listen to all their creative 'knight & amour' battle talk. I imagine there will be lots of playful hours spent in this fortress!

Many warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*This is So Cool!*~

Happy Monday to you ~ My Dear Friends! I have begun my morning as usual (minus getting Trinity ready for the school bus that is) ~ by checking my email. You just gotta see this...



This is a felted soap made by Jenny from Armada, MI. I have never heard of this ~ but felted soap is, according to her, a handmade soap that has a 'built in' washcloth. She used my freebie ~*Willie Has Found Love*~ to do the felting. I think this is just so cool! Don't you? Thank you, Jenny, for sharing this awesome art form!

Jenny has a cottage industry too that you will want to be sure to check out ~ Sheep Hollow Herbs.

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Today is going to be another beautiful weather day here ~ upper 70s! Trinity has a dentist check up (we hope he doesn't have any cavities!) today... but maybe we can get started on that lil' clubhouse too!

Wishing you all a beautiful day with lots of warm smiles,

Betty

~*Ahhhhhhh Kansas ~ The Land of Oz*~

Hi Friends! I just returned home from an hour long walk through the fields and along the dirt road behind our home.... I took our new camera to play with & thought you might enjoy some of our scenery.

The day is beautiful here... hope it is where you are too!

Smiles,

Betty

~*Sensational Sunday*~

Hello Dear Friends! It looks like Spring is really trying to get here today! The sun is shining, the temperature is due to warm up to the 70s & the daffodils are starting to bloom! Isn't it grand?! It may be a good day to take my craftin' outside & soak up some of the delightful sun!

I do have a fabulous freebie finish to share with you before I head out. This one is from Leah. She stitched up ~*Fat Robin & Cat*~ to make this sweetly, prim pillow...



Isn't it darling? I just love the sweet, simpleness of it. Thank you, Leah, for stitching and sharing.

I have worked with this freebie too, but don't have a picture to share yet. I have actually done a lot of punching this past week ~ punching four or five pieces... but all are needing finishing work. Humm... maybe I should be taking those outside to work on. Oh, and I can't complain about my camera any more. Tony and I treated ourselves yesterday and bought a new one. I've been having fun learning about all its bells & whistles!

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

~*Saturday Sharing*~

Hello Dear Friends! We are beginning Spring Break here. Trinity is off school for a week & it looks like the weather is going to be very nice ~ in the 70s. I'm not sure what we will do to keep busy together, but think we have plans for visiting the zoo, going to the park a few times, and maybe painting his clubhouse. Oh, I've been wanting to share the clubhouse with you... it is going to be a Fun Boy Hangout! I'll try to post some pictures of it this week as we work on it. In the meantime... I've got to share some wonderful freebie finishes with you....

Smashingly Amazing!

Robby worked with my ~*Spring Freebie*~ to work up this totally darling, Easter bag...



She is now selling on Lemon Poppy Seeds. This lil' ditty may be one of her offerings soon. She has some really great prim bunnies listed now... be sure to swing by!

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This version of my ~*Spring Freebie*~ was stitched by Loreta. It is so delightfully PRETTY! I love the softness, sweetness, & delicateness of it! WOW!



Isn't this just beautiful?!

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The last for the day ~ but I sure hope to see more soon! ~ Bren has also stitched up the ~*Spring Freebie*~! Another TOTALLY DARLING finish! Isn't it just GREAT to see all the bunnies?!



Thank you Ladies for stitching & sharing! All the finishes tickle me silly with delight!

Many warm smiles to you all...

Betty

~*Spring Is On The Way*~

Hi Friends! Yup, they say Spring is on the way... but it is awfully chilly here today! It has been awhile since I've posted on my blog & I really feel guilty for not doing so. My camera is not cooperating and may be on its way out. Humm.... guess we should be shopping for a new one! Anyway, my scanner is working... so here is a Springtime freebie for ya! Enjoy....


~*Fat Robin and Cat*~ Springtime Freebie


© primitivebettys 2009

Please give credit where credit is due ~ thank you kindly!

Warm smiles,
Betty

~*Sharing Sweet Freebie Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today is a new day and I'm feeling a little bit more on the healthy side. Thank you all for your well wishes of happy healing! I'm delighted once again to share some sweet freebie finishes with you... Enjoy...

From Ranae, I received the first showing of my latest cross stitch freebie, ~*Spring Freebie*~. There has been a tremendous response to this freebie offering. I've got a feeling there are TONS of bunny lovers out there! Ranae did a charming job stitching & finishing this up. What an extra sweet Easter pillow!



My buddy, Tanya, stitched it up last night too. She hasn't decided on her finish yet, but the stitching is awesome!



Doing the design, I worked the tulip up as blue... thinking of DMC 930 and 931. I don't 'grow' blue tulips... and really not sure that I've ever seen one in real life. Are there some? I do LOVE to create them though. I've heard blue tulips are symbolic for friendship. Well... whether the tuips are blue, pink, violet, yellow, red, or orange... they are all beautiful. Hummm... probably one of my very favorite flowers EVER! It won't be long & it will be time to visit all the Annual Tulip Festivals!

Back to the fabulous freebie finishes... This bunny comes from Laura. She punched up my ~*1857 Bunny*~ freebie doodle. Oh how super sweet!



And... even more bunnies!

She also punched up ~*Happy and Joyful Bunnies*~~



All the finishes, stitches & punches are GREAT! Thank you Ladies for working with my freebies & sharing!

Many warm smiles to you all..
Betty

~*I've Been Playing With Some Designs*~

Hi Friends! I've been getting a lot (maybe too much) of rest these past few days and haven't been up to crafting yet... however, I did 'doodle' some on my stitch program. Here is a gift for you...

~*Spring Freebie*~

© primitivebettys
90 by 70 stitches

We are having a beautiful day here on the prairie ~ it is about 80 degrees & sunny! I've walked around the yard a little, but still fighting the sickies. I did spy a few iris, lilies, and poppies poking up out of the ground.

Warm sunny smiles your way...
Betty

~*Slowly Feelin' Better*~

Hello Dear Friends! Well, it is official. I have bronchitis ~ according to the doctor anyway. I've started taking the prescribed meds and using an inhaler. It seems I just can't get enough sleep right now. BUT... I have so much to share! Seeing all these finishes has helped cheer me up and has definitely given me a warm heart!

This first one is from Debbie. Debbie is hooked on punchin'! She is a marvelous doll maker by trade... but seems to have a new passion. Look at this sweet pinkeep made from the ~*Willie Has Found Love*~ freebie doodle. Awesome I tell ya!





Barbara has been stitching up LOTS! Lookie at all the fabulous creations she is sharing!





~*Blessings*~, ~*Beholden*~, ~*Time*~, and ~*Home is Best*~.... goodness has she been busy! Be sure to check out Barbara's online album too. There are even more fine finishes!

This freebie finish comes all the way from France! Lili stitched up ~*Boo Jack*~ on 25 count Lugana distressed with coffee. She stitched with two strands over one using half cross stitches. Lookie at how awesome this one is!



Finally for today, there is this sweet finish. This is made from a pattern that I offer for sale on Etsy... ~*Friends Always*~ Sampler. This is one of my very favorite patterns because it was made with the inspiration of my Grandma and my Great Grandma. Cheryl did a very sweet job sitching it up. This is how she spent some of her 'snow' time over the past weekend. Just DARLING!



Thank you all for stitching and sharing! It truly is a delight to see all the fabulous finishes.

Many warm smiles to you...

Betty

~*Lots Of Catchin' Up To Do*~

Hello Dear Friends! Goodness... me~o~my... do I have a lot to catch up on! I've been down with an awful cold for the past several days, but thankfully am feeling a little better now. I haven't felt like doing anything but sleep & this has caused me to get way behind with all that I want to tell you!

So... let me pick somewhere to start and I will get you caught up on all the hoopla & fun!

First off, this past Saturday was the annual hook-in at Lenexa. My SIL, Robin, and I met up at 7am to drive the normally hour and a half drive. Well, we also met up with a terrible snow storm. In all truth, we probably should have stayed home. The drive took us more than two and a half hours... and we passed maybe as many as twenty wrecks, skids, and turnovers. Thankfully we arrived safely and the drive home was a piece of cake as the snow & ice was all gone. The hook-in was still great fun! Even though I was in the beginning stages of my dreadful cold (completely lost my voice by the end of the day)... it was still great to meet, mix, mingle, shop, and drool! We were delighted to meet my good online friend, Ginger, in person. Ginger and I have been friends via the cyber world for a good long time now... it was wonderful to see her in real life! She was visiting from Oklahoma with her good friends Pati and Sandra. They are all just as sweet as pie!


Ginger and myself in front of the rug display.


Robin and myself getting a little hooking in.


Pati, Sandra, Ginger, and myself.

Want to see some of the awesome rugs? I didn't take notes about the makers, designers, or patterns... please forgive me...

This one was made by my sweet SIL Robin ~














This is only a small sampling of the beautiful works displayed... wish I would have been able to take a pic of every single one!

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Secondly... I have a few fabulous freebie finishes to share!

This one was made by Robby of Glory River Primitives. She used the freebie ~*1857 Bunny*~ to make this really sweet ditty bag! PLUS... she is offering it at a giveaway on her blog! Swing by to sign up! She did an awesome job! It is so sweetly prim perfecto!



This one we have already seen, but it is a delight to share it one more. You see, this fabulous finish was made by Kathy and was given to Linda of Behind My Red Door. Kathy shared it with us before she gifted it to Linda. We all loved how Kathy displayed it... but I know we will all love it displayed in Linda's home too. Lookie...



Linda also noted that the sweet lil' birdie was made by Kathy as well. WOW! What a darling display, sweet friend, and awesome gifts!

Thank you Ladies for stitching & sharing!

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Lastly on this post... I would like to mention that Ginger is having a super giveaway too! She is going to gift a lucky winner all the needfuls to start punching! Be sure to drop your name in the hat!

Ok... I'm going to sign off & go get a little more rest to heal this horrid cold.

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty