~*First of the Month Updates*~

Hello Dear Friends! The school bus will be here any minute as I'm typing this... but I wanted to post real quick that May 1st updates are almost all ready. My Poppy shoppe is updated & The Primitive Gatherings will be very soon. Also... I'm thinking of adding a few goodies to Ebay tomorrow. You know how I love to start things at only 99 cents there! :)

Click on the links to visit my updated pages ~

Lemon Poppy Seeds

The Primitive Gatherings

*~*The Primitive Gathering page may not be updated yet... but you can visit the listings HERE if you like.

Warm smiles to you...

Betty

~*Only A Few Days Away*~

Hello Dear Friends! May Day is only a few short days away... and it has always been one of my very favorite days of the year... so... I'll leave you a bouquet of flowers on your desktop ~

~*May Day Freebie*~
© primitivebettys
75 by 43 stitches

I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner. Maybe it is small enough that you still have time to stitch before the glorious day arrives. Wouldn't it be sweet to stitch up a lil' pillow to leave on your friend's front door knob? Enjoy....

Wishing you all a warm day full of sunshine and smiles...
Betty

~*Mushroom Madness!*~

Hello Friends! Are you or someone you love suffering from 'Mushroom Madness'? My darling husband is! I think that he is hearing some sort of ringing in his ears... that just sounds like POP * POP* POP*!!! (that would be the sound you hear in the woods as the mushrooms ~ POP ~ out of the ground... so he says! LOL) He took off Friday to go a'huntin' & was gone most of the day. We didn't weigh what he found, but he filled his lunch bucket he uses for work. He walked up & down the wooded banks of a nearby river. He was so pleased with his bounty even though his body was suffering some minor aches & pains from the journey. Last night he whipped up a small batch for us to devour... and I must say... they were YUMMY! I'm sure the cooking process isn't very Weight Watchers friendly... but HEY... a little over the points won't hurt. Especially for a treat you only get once a year ~ if that! Mushroom season here only lasts for a few short weeks. It really is Mushroom Madness during that time! Folks that do go hunting for them will NOT share their favorite spot... for fear someone will beat them to it the following year.

It is true what they say. You know when you are eating something 'a little different from the normal'... it does taste like chicken. :)

~*~*~*~*~

Ok... on a stitchin' note...

I just gotta say ~ Goodness!

Becky has been one busy girl with her needle! She made another sweet pillow using the ~*Spring Freebie*~! This one is a birthday gift for her Momma who celebrated her 88th birthday on Friday. Happy Birthday to Becky's Momma! :)



Isn't it lovely? So bright & cheery! Thank you again, Becky, for stitching & sharing!

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The weather is rainy & stormy here this weekend... good for indoor crafting! I was up LATE last night putting some finishing touches on some punches. So far, The Primitive Gathering update will have four new goodies on my page and Lemon Poppy Seeds will have AT LEAST two. Those updates will be ready for viewing on May 1st. Please plan to visit them.

Wishing you all a glorious day of warm smiles!

Betty

~*Start Looking for Pickle Jars!*~

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Friday to ya! Today is gonna be a fun, full day! It is 1st Grade Party Day! I'm so excited... and hope Trinity is too. We will be potting petunias, face painting, and eating some yummy treats! The weather is going to be spectacular ~ in the mid 80s ~ and it is sure to be GREAT!

I wanted to pop on to share this blog link with you... Christy at Double M Sheep and Wool has posted a fun dye technique on her blog. Kinda like Sun Tea... but it is for Sun~Dyeing Wool! I need to start searching those garage sales for large pickle jars now!

Wishing you all warm smiles,

Betty

~*A Whole BUNCH Of Finishes To Show*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've been getting lots of emails full of finishes to show. Each is a delight & gives me a cheery smile! Let me get right to it...

This one was stitched by Becky as a gift for a friend that loves purple. Thing is... Becky loves purple too & says it is hard to give away. Hummm... maybe she should stitch up another for herself! She used the ~*Spring Freebie*~ pattern. It is very charming!



Next up... Charlene punched up ~*Woolly Freebie*~. Aren't the colors fun & playful? For some reason, I think of candies when I see it.... that is a GOOD thing! Charlene is offering this sweet one on Ebay now if you are interested.



This one isn't a freebie finish, but I still HAVE to share it. Anna stitched up a pattern I have for purchase, ~*Strawberries and Bunny Pinkeep*~. (available from my Etsy shoppe or at your local needle shop) Anna has changed the floss/fabric choices to make it a little less, primitive & more Springy. I'm really in awe of her finish too. Lookie...



Goodness... what a delight to see all the stitchin'! Thank you Ladies for playing with my charts & doodles... and for sharing! You have all done such lovely work!

I've been doing some punching, hooking, and stitching myself trying to get some goodies finished for the monthly updates. My gardens need work, but I'm really in the 'creative' zone right now with fibers. So... those lil' gardens are gonna have to wait a little longer for some much needed attention.

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*More Darling Freebie Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Before shutting things down for the night, I want to share some more freebie finishes. They were stitched by Dianntha. But these are not all.... swing by her blog to see the others she made ~ four seasonal designs all together, using the primitive kitty.

~*Christmas Kitty*~ Freebie


~*Falling Leaves*~ Freebie


The entire set of stitcheries are DARLING! Thank you Diantha for stitching and sharing!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*More To Share*~

Hello Dear Friends! The week has started out beautiful & OHHHH SOOOO SUNNY! This morning I decided to go for a long walk before diving into my daily routine. Heck, maybe I should make the walk part of that daily routine now that Spring seems to have hit us full force! We live in the country and my favorite walk is through the fields behind our home... but they are just too muddy right now. So today, I decided to actually walk to town. All~in~all, it is about a mile from our home to our small town park ~ so I went there and back. It was a relaxing & joyful walk to say the very least! Good for the body and soul ~ don't ya think?

When I arrived back home, of course I had to check email! To my delight, Julie sent me some awesome finishes! She has been one busy gal!

She stitched and shared her first ~*Spring Freebie*~ a few weeks back that she had made for her Mom. She stitched it again to make herself this darling pillow..

I do just love the variation in flosses for the bunnies! The vintage buttons are darling too!

Julie also stitched up ~*My Favorite Kitten*~ (pattern available from my Etsy shop or your local needle work shop). She made this one for her dear Aunt as a birthday present. Her Aunt appropriately named it 'Julie'. :) Very sweet!



Thank you, Julie, for stitching and sharing! Marvelous work!

Wishing you all warm smiles,
Betty

~*Woolly Freebie*~

Hello Dear Friends! In light of my woolly fun yesterday.... here is a symple WOOLLY Freebie for you! Hook it, punch it, stitch it, quilt it... just have fun with it! Please remember to share ~ YOU KNOW I WANT TO SEE IT... :)... and please remember to give credit for the design to me, Betty Dekat, primitivebettys...

©primitivebettys 2009

Warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*A Day in the Dye Pots*~

Hello Dear Friends! For those of you that offered help, suggestions, and guidance regarding my wool question the other day... thank you! I spent a good part of the day in the kitchen playing with wool ~ or as my boys say, "cooking fabric". Here are some pictures of my results... (I put a small piece of 'before wool' over the 'after wool' to show how it changed.)

I don't have very much Cushing's Dye, but I did have enough to try Khaki Drab. For this batch... I used 1 tsp. Khaki Drab and 1/2 tsp. Med. Brown to dye about 1 pound of wool.


This batch was about 1/2 pound of wool. I used PRO Chem Washfast Acid Dye. 1/2 tsp. 503 Brown and 1/8 tsp. 672 Jet Black


This was also dyed in the PRO Chem recipe from above...


For this one, I tried to dye with the color compliment of the dominant color in the wool. I saw more Navy Blue than any other color... so I used orange. I added 1/2 tsp. Orange 233 directly to the dye pot with about 1/2 yard wool. It changed more than the photo is showing... much more drab. I think it would make a fun border wool.


I also tried to do some 'changes' without adding any commercial dye. For this one, I 'stewed' about 1 pound of wool in 1 Tb. Tide for about an hour. I am very excited how this one changed! It was so bright red and green before!


My friend Cyndi is selling these sweet little notebooks. I purchased one from her the other day & was so proud of myself for taking notes AND adding samples of what I used and finished with. So, maybe the next time I get the pots & dye out... I can keep up my Dye Journalling!


All in all... it was a FUN time & I feel I really learned a lot and, more importantly, gained confidence to do it again!

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Another Sweet Rabbit Hopped In Today*~

Hello Friends! Today has been a full day! I spent a good deal of time trying to clean the house, ran a few errands, and finished the hooking on a lil' mat. I'll show it too you soon. But first... I had another rabbit hop into my email today. Lookie!



This sweet bunny was needle punched by Karen (no blog or online album yet... but she has it on her 'To Do' list). Karen worked with DMC fibers & blended the colors giving the finished piece a soft, sweet touch. Don't ya just love the background? It is lovely, Karen! Thank you for punching and sharing!

On my list tomorrow ~ do the finish work on a couple of hooked pieces, play with the dye on that red/blue/green~plaid pile of wool, and STITCH! The weather is going to be beautiful again and my gardens do need some attention... but I'm really wanting to craft. Let's see what wins? hee hee

Many warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Yet Another Wabbit!*~

Hello Dear Friends! The week is off to a great start here & I hope it is for you as well. I've managed to squeeze in a little bit of hooking... but have hopes & dreams to do a lot more & some stitching too! This will be a quick post as I have time for crafting now (the house is quiet & time is all mine!)... so I'm going to get to it! BUT... I've got to share this darling lil' pillow before I go! This one was stitched by Sherre (no blog or online album). She has actually made three of them & given two away as gifts. Isn't it precious?! The fiber choices & vintage buttons are so very sweet! Awesome job Sherre! Thank you for stitching and sharing!



Wishing you all many warm smiles...
Betty

~*What Wonderful Wabbits!*~

Hello Dear Friends! I hope you all had a fabulous Easter holiday with family & friends! We did... except that I have eaten (and continue to!) too much candy! You all know I'm suppose to be watching my Weight Watcher points. Well, it seems like they are racking up like I won a huge payout on a slot machine! Ouch!

I received another email with a fabulous freebie finish! These wonderful wabbits were stitched up by Rondell. The fiber colors are just super~excellent! I just LOVE it!



Thank you, Rondell, for stitching & sharing!

Oh I do just LOVE to see finishes!

The week has started busy, as usual. I've been doing a little hooking & dreaming of stitching. Hopefully this will be a productive week!

Wishing you all many warm smiles...

Betty

~*Fun Egg Dying*~

Hello Dear Friends! Tonight we dyed our Easter eggs! Trinity and I made marbled eggs just like my father-in-law, Kenny, makes. He has been telling me for years how to do this, but it wasn't until now that Trinity and I gave it a try. We were both wishing that I had boiled more eggs because this was so much fun!!! They look more tie~dyed than marbled... but oh~so~pretty!


(One broke and Trinity ate it! We did have a full dozen.)

Would you like to know how to do it too? The materials needed are very easy to come by & the process is super simple! You just need a box of Paas tablets ~ very inexpensive & easy to find... vinegar, water, and vegetable oil. Dissolve your tablets in vinegar and water as directed on the box. Next, drop about a teaspoon full of vegetable oil into each dye color. Now the FUN part! Roll your eggs around in the colors ~ just in a sort of here~and~there manner. The oil keeps the dye from marking the entire egg at one time. We rolled in one color, then the next, then another, and another, and another until we thought there was enough color on the egg. After we were done, we just wiped the egg with a paper towel to dry. The vegetable oil leaves a nice shine on the eggs & makes them sparkle!



Now that Trinity and I have tackled the egg dying successfully, I am feeling more confident about dying the wool I mentioned yesterday. Thanks to those of you that left me wonderful suggestions, hints, and tips on what to do with it. I'll be using your instructions very soon & will post up what I come up with... good or bad!

Now... doesn't Trinity look PROUD?


(He had fun decorating his basket given to him tonight by Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard too.) :)

Wishing you a warm & happy Easter!

~ Betty

~*Got Wool?*~

Hello Dear Friends! Got Wool? I do! Actually, I have had this wool for several years now, but it was all in the form of blazers, skirts, coats, shorts, etc. This has been accumulating & being stored in laundry baskets in the corner of my work room (4 over flowing baskets full!)... and I had been putting off the task of ripping it apart so it could actually be used for hooking. Well, I FINALLY did it! Yippee! After tearing it apart, I now have 3 full baskets (needing washed for the second time, of course) of good hooking wool!



Now, it looks like I need to probably get the dye out to play! Since I'm not too knowledgeable about that... can I ask YOU for help? What do YOU all do with the red/blue/green plaids? Can they be over dyed? Do they have to just be dyed black? What about hooking them alone? Do you like the outcome? Do they always have to be used for hooking rooster feathers? (I've never hooked a rooster rug ~ do I need to?) What are your suggestions for my red/blue/green plaids? I have a bunch of them!



Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions!

Warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*More Fabulous Finishes To Share*~

Hello Dear Friends! I hope your week is starting out on a good note. My house cleaning didn't get done yesterday. I was just too busy with other things I guess. Some parts of the house were cleaned up a little today, but it is still way off from where I would like it to be. Oh well... right? :)

More finishes are coming into my email that I would love to share with you. It is just awesome to see all the fabulous works you all create from my lil' charts & freebie doodles! Keep 'em coming!

This darling ditty was made by Jenny. She stitched up ~*Spring Freebie*~ to use for the apron of this sweet Annie. How cute is that?!?


These were both stitched by Joy (no blog). She likes to make small pincushions & then searches for pretty plates and saucers to give with them as gifts. Now that is a GREAT idea! She stitches up many smaller pieces and lays them in a wooden bowl until she finds the perfect lil' 'extra' to go with it. I just LOVE that idea!

Here is a sweet pinkeep she made using part of ~*Spring Freebie*~. It is tied to a pretty little saucer.


Joy also stitched up ~*Time*~, but added a little sprig of green to the bird beak giving it more of a Christmas look. Darling!


I'm really just amazed & thrilled with all the fabulous works you all do & share! Thank you once again!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Slow Down Sunday*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today... well, I'm hoping it will be Slow Down Sunday. However, I think it is going to be a Stay Busy and Speed Clean the House Sunday! Anyone else needing to get caught up on house work today? I've been busy playing & my house has been neglected!

Part of the playing was on Friday. It was the 1st Grade Field Trip to Topeka (an hour away). We went to a farm & home store because the kids have been learning about Farming as part of their science curriculum. The kids were so excited! They we able to see & pet baby chicks and ducklings... and even a couple of rabbits! Lunch was at McDonald's ~ of course! You KNOW they all LOVED that! After lunch, we went to Gage Park. This is THE BEST place for play fun! It is the park that I always loved best when I was a kid! This 'shoe' was always one of my favorite play toys ~ Trinity is on the very top right...

Seeing him so happy just made my day!


~*~*~*~*~

Before I go dust off my vacuum cleaner ~ I want to share some more AWESOME WORKS with you...

Both Ann and Pat (no blog?) worked up the freebie ~*1857 Bunny*~. Each is so super sweet!

Ann's darling finish ~


Pat's charming finish ~


Aren't they both just LOVELY? I think so! Thank you Ladies for working with my doodle & sharing!

~*~*~*~*~

I think I hear dust bunnies fighting... guess I better go get a handle on them!

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Gotta Share!*~

Hello Friends! I have a few more fantastic finishes to share with you!

My very dear friend, Ginger hooked this darling ditty up! She used my freebie doodle ~*Fat Robin and Cat*~ and did a super sweet job! I love tombstone shaped rugs & totally love the Black kitty!



Julie stitched this one up as a gift for her Mom. She wrote that it made her Mom cry... but we all know that is a good thing! :) Julie worked with the ~*Spring Freebie*~ chart. Look how she used different shades for the bunnies! Ohhhh so SWEET! She says she is stitching up another one for herself to keep. It is a cheery ditty! I love it Julie!



Thanks to both of you for working with my freebie ditties and for sharing! Wonderful!!!

Wishing you all lots of warm smiles...
Betty

~*As Promised*~

Hello Dear Friends! As promised... I have two new pattern releases to offer...

~*Hope*~ Pinkeep and Scissor FOB Pattern*~


This pattern comes with a full alphabet to personalize your FOB.

...and...

~*Symple ~ Herb Filled Sheep Ornie Pattern*~ a needle punch pattern

I've had several request the pattern for these lil' sheepies! They are so much fun to make & give off a sweet aroma too!

~*~*~*~*~

If you are interested in purchasing ~ they are available on Ebay, or in my Etsy Shoppe, or via email directly from me. (you can get my email link on the left sidebar)

I was getting really worried & concerned last night and this morning... our internet was out at the house. If you are on the computer as much as I am... you know how terrifying that can be... to be without your internet! YIKES! Now worries now, whatever the problem was, the techs have it fixed & I'm back online! Thank Goodness!

I've got more stitches working & hope to offer up another pattern or two in the next few weeks. It feels GREAT to be back 'at it'. Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and praise!

~*~*~*~*~

I've had some more yummy goodies HOP into my email... you know I have to share!

From Barbara... who has been keeping her needle VERY busy! .... comes a very sweet ~*Spring Freebie*~ finish...

...and, a darling ~*Symple Scissor FOB Freebie*~ finish too...



I also received a delightful ditty from Linda. She needle punched ~*Happy and Joyful Bunnies*~... using such warm and pretty colors!


Thanks to both of you Ladies for working with my charts & doodles... and for sharing! I do just LOVE to see all the fabulous creations made!

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

Betty