~*August GiveAway Posted on CPLG!*~

Hello Dear Friends! I hinted that one of my dollies would be a giveaway on CPLG earlier. Well, I have just started the sign ups for her! Go to the CPLG Blog to enter. If you can't get the link to work, it is ~ http://cplgblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/august-giveaway.html

Here is the dolly for the giveaway ~


I'm not going to retype the details... but you can read them on the CPLG Blog. :)

Best of luck to you all!

May you all have a blessed weekend full of warm smiles!

Betty

~*Another FUN Day!*~

Hello Dear Friends! Yesterday was so much fun! Trinity and I loaded up in the car & left out early to visit with my dear friend Sher and her family. It was a fun day for all I think! The kids got a chance to run & play (the weather was awesome again!) and Sher and I had a chance to chat & hook the day away! Sher and her hubby, Keith, made a delicious lunch of grilled chicken, salad, and angel hair pasta... topped off with Peanut Butter Pie. YUMMY!

Sher gifted me with a darling basket full of wools. She said this was a belated birthday present. Thank you! :) I also had a chance to give her a gift that I stitched up a few months back. You see, Sher is always giving me crafty supplies & inspirations. In fact, she also gave me a box full of other fabrics yesterday she saved from a clean out at her Mom's house! A while back she gave me a couple of old wood pieces. They look like old door panels or cabinet doors ~ with old, white paint on them. She had the idea of attaching a sampler to them & said I ought to try it. Well, I did & knew she had to have one. I think she liked it.



Here is the sampler closer up...


I designed and stitched this one especially for Sher ~ including her initials and motifs that I felt were special to both of us. The wording "Give Her The Fruit Of Her Hands" seemed appropriate because she is constantly making something or tending to her home/garden. I attached the sampler to the board with just some simple, black carpet tacks.

Sher, thank you again to you and your family for sharing a fun day with us & having us in your home.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for today & I am up way earlier than normal. Maybe I'll sneak outside to watch the sun rise!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Stitches To Share*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've got some stitches to share! The first one is from Patti. I'm always delighted to see Patti's finishes. I love the way she incorporates antique skeleton keys on her keeps! They are so sweetly unique ~ don't ya think? Patti stitched the freebie ~*Wicked*~. Thank you, Patti, for stitching & sharing!

Patti offers many of her wares on TDIPT Mercantile. Watch for this pinkeep to be on her August 1st update.

Well, this next finish (finishes actually) are my dollies all dressed...

I did add a little bit of preserved Sweet Annie to each of them, tucked into the tie around their waist after the photo was taken, but they are finished! Some of you said you were not familiar with stump dolls. A stump doll, in my opinion, is just a simple doll that does not have any legs. This batch of dollies have been filled with fine sawdust and aged with my walnut & spice mix. I take great care with the finishing of my dolls. I use a machine to stitch the bodies, but always go back over the seams on the body with a hand stitch. I think this makes them more special. Adding decorative trims such as rusty pins, bells, old buttons, and a little bit of cross stitch are other things I do to make them even more sweet.

Most of these dollies are being delivered to friends, but a couple will be offered on Ebay soon, and one will be a giveaway as I said in a previous post. I'll let you know more about that this coming Friday.

Thanks for letting me share with you!

Many warm smiles,
Betty

~*It Is In the Air!*~

Hello Dear Friends! It is in the air.... Fall that is! I've been reading it on posts in the many online groups that I belong to, and chatted about it with friends... and am feeling it myself too. Maybe it is because the weather this summer has been so mild. Whatever it is, I know I am in the mood for Fall, Autumn, Harvest creating & have been crafting for the season.

Today, I received a delightful email from Michelle sharing a few of her freebie finishes. She stitched up both ~*Time*~ and ~*Wicked*~ and assembled them into, what she calls, "pillow cushions". I LOVE to hear the different names for these tiny pincushions ~ there are so many sweet names. Anyway, I don't know the fibers Michelle used... but they are just DARLING! A GREAT way to get into the Halloween decorating mood!

Thank you, Michelle, for stitching and sharing your spooky~great works!

The dollies from the previous post have gotten dressed. :) I'll be sharing their finishes shortly. I've also decided two of them will be lil' witches!

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Get Dressed!*~

Hello Dear Friends! So, I've been trying to tell 'em... but the dollies are taking their own, sweet time getting dressed! LOL I've got 11 stump dolls made & have their aprons stitched, but they still need dresses so they can finally get dressed. Just so ya know, one of these will be a GIVEAWAY. Not on my blog here... but on the Country & Primitive Ladies (CPLG for short) blog in August. I'll let you know more information when it is available... but keep watchin'!

Oh, something else I'd like to tell ya about... in October, I'm doing a Trunk Show at the AWESOME shop, Heart's Desire, in Wichita, Kansas. I'm really looking forward to this & so excited!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Another Week of JUST KEEPING UP*~

With a 6yr old that is!

Hello Dear Friends! This is only part of our week ~ I didn't have the camera with me everyday.

This past Tuesday evening was the finale for our library's summer reading program. They provided the kids with a really fun concert ~ Monty Harper. It was held at our historic, Granada Theatre. We started by sitting in the balcony... what we thought would be the BEST seats in the house ~


We quickly had to move to the main floor though ~ Trinity had to DANCE!


He was tickled to have a chance to thank Mr. Harper for the fun & to pose for a picture with him ~


Trinity's preferred lunch meal (daily by his choice!)... PB&J!


It warmed up enough for a little swimming ~


Uncle Jimmy gave him a ride on the tractor. Life just doesn't get any better than this!


Of course, watching Uncle Jimmy is fun too!


...What is Jimmy doing with the tractor you might be thinking? Well, with the busy summer we have all had, there just hasn't been time for any go kart racing or track keep-up. So Jimmy is prepping the track. The first 'race' is scheduled for mid August... with our August Birthday party...

Yesterday, Trinity and I were in Topeka. I had promised him a reward of Chuck E. Cheese if he worked really hard on his reading practice all summer. I really think he has made an improvement and gained confidence with his ability. Hopefully his teachers will see that too. School starts in just a few short weeks!

He takes his video games seriously!


And proved that it is possible to ride a jet ski inside!


I've been very tired by the end of each day ~ understandable huh? BUT, have managed to stitch almost every night for a couple of hours. I've actually been stitching so much that I have (what I call) 'Stitcher's Finger'. OUCH! The middle finger on my right hand has a small slit on the tip of it... from turning my needle. I really should train myself to wear a thimble huh?

Wishing you all warm smiles...
Betty

~*Finishes to Share*~

Hello Dear Friends! The weather has continued to be AWESOME here this week & I've continued to work on my cross stitch models outside in the shade of the trees while Trinity and Brownie romp and play. I do have 3 models finished ~ as far as the stitching goes anyway. One is completely finished, one needs framed, and one needs some construction finishing... but I am getting closer!

I've received a few emails of finishes to share ~

It looks like Naomi is in the mood for Fall! She made her rendition of the ~*Black Cat & Jack*~ freebie... changing the key to a star. Although it hasn't been whipped, it is still super sweet! Don't you just love the look on Jack's face? I love it, Naomi! Thank you for hooking & sharing!


This isn't a freebie finish. It is Connie's adaptation of ~*1836 Spring Tyme Sampler*~. (Available in my Etsy Shoppe.) Connie has dedicated this to three women that mean a lot to her and share the same birthday of May 29. (Not of the same year though she said.) The year has been changed to 1885 because that was the year her Grandmother Kate was born. I do just love to see so many personal touches & influence put into stitches. Lovely, Connie! Thank you for stitching and sharing!


I'm headed back out to my shady spot!

Many warm smiles to you...
Betty

~*Entertainment While Crafting*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've heard from many a crafter about what they do while they are crafting ~ watch TV or a movie or two, listen to music, listen to a book on tape, or just enjoy some silence (whatever that is!). Well, here is what I enjoy while crafting.

Today has been an absolutely beautiful day! The temperature was around 80 degrees, sunny, with no humidity... and just a gently, cool breeze. I sat under one of the large oak tress in the backyard working on some cross stitch.

Looking up from my comfy spot ~


My entertainment...

Trinity and Brownie love to play with each other.




This was very entertaining!
(Note the change of clothes, Trinity took a dip in the pool today too.)

Shortly after the sword fight ~


Tony had to take a few spins on the kart too!


Trinity is Dad's shadow 100%!


I caught up with them for a stroll around the yard. Here is what I found ~

Lots of walnuts...


and grapes...


Trinity and I are always interested by the crawdad homes that pop up around the yard ~ weird, huh?


And more entertainment ~


We spent most of the day outside. I stitched for several hours and have gotten about half of this one finished. Although, I took this picture early in the day ~


OH... don't be mad at me! I can't show it until it is ready for release.

I hope you too had a beautiful day!

Many warm smiles...
Betty

~*I'm Still Here*~

Hello Dear Friends! I'm so sorry for not posting as regularly as I should. I'm sure you all know how it is keeping up with everything ~ especially when you have a kiddo (many of you more than one, I know!) out of school for Summer Break. Goodness! Some days I just don't know which direction I'm going and then it seems I'm running non-stop from sun up to sun down. Right now, I have a few 'free' minutes to post... Trinity is playing video games on the other computer for a bit before it is time to get him ready to be tucked in for the night.

I did make it to our local thrift shop this week. That is where the sign came from. It was $2.99... and I didn't have to do a thing to it ~ other than hang it above the door. Seems the shop was 'slim pickins' this week. Oh well... I'm busy enough huh? I picked the sign up because of the Fraktur image. Warm and inviting.

Despite being so busy, I have been getting a lot of stitches in. I now have 2 finished models for patterns that will release very soon. My frame for the latest finish was just ordered this morning and should be here by the end of next week. So, I do promise... releases are on the way.

Some news I need to share with you... and I hope you all understand... I have decided to let go of my memberships to The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds. With the hectic schedule I've been keeping and the needs & desires of what I really want... I felt it was best. It has been increasingly more difficult to keep up with deadlines. Letting go of the websites will allow me more time with family, friends, and my hopes/dreams of building my pattern line. I do hope to still be able to offer some finished ditties for sale from time to time ~ here on my blog, Ebay, or Etsy. You know me... I gotta be crafting on something and can never seem to keep it in one medium. So, I will still be doing all that I do... just without the monthly deadlines.

Happy stitching, hooking, punching, and crafting!

Warm smiles to you,
Betty

~*Catching Up*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've got some catching up to do and I'm so sorry to have not posted for a few days... it has been a fun, busy few days!


What a cheery smile Marianne has!

This past Thursday I finally had a chance to meet up with my dear friend, Marianne ~ in person. We have been friends via email for over a year now & only live an hour apart. It was about time we met face to face, huh? She is truly the sweetest! Her family, home, and critter babies are super sweet too! She introduced me to a marvelous cross stitch shop in Wichita called Hearts Desire. I was able to meet the owner & drool over the fibers and charts (ok, I didn't really drool, but you know what I mean!). There isn't a cross stitch shop near my home, so it was a big treat to visit this awesome store. I plan to revisit it, and Marianne, much~much more now too! After shopping, we spent the afternoon stitching & I also showed Marianne how to needle punch. She took to it like a natural! Oh, and I can't forget to tell you... Marianne is an amazing cook! She treated me to supper of homemade sauce, meatballs, and bread! This time... I really did drool! LOL

Yesterday was the monthly hook-in with Judy and Rustic Rug hookers. It was a smaller crowd than normal, but still great to get together for a day of hooking, wool shopping, and eating. I was disappointed my SIL, Robin, and good friend, Sher couldn't make it... but hopefully next month they will. Here is a photo of the wool I purchased ~ love the new over-dyes Judy had! ~ and an update on the rug I've been trying to finish for over a year now. I don't know why this one is so slow going! At least it is closer to being finished.



With the busy last few days, I've been behind on emails. While catching up, I was delighted to find this fabulous finish from France! The email was in French & I found myself disappointed that I could not remember much from 2 years of high school french class... but thanks to an online translator, I could read what Isa (no blog given) had said. She combined 2 freebie charts, ~*Beholden*~ and ~*Spring Freebie*~, to stitch up the most darling, pinkeep. The fibers & finish are so sweet and special! Isa, merci beaucoup!



Amidst all the busy days... I have been cross stitching on MODELS. I'm working frantically to get the finished & put the polishing touches on them. It won't be long.

Wishing you all warm smiles...
Betty

~*Wet Paint Wednesday*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today I enjoyed the day in the shade catching up on all my 'trash-to-treasure' goodies. It was warm today, but well worth the effort to get my stash of cheap finds refurbished.

This rocker was purchased at an auction last summer for only a few dollars. It was sitting on the front porch of our lil' house (hopefully my future studio), but after painting it today... it is now sitting on the front porch of our home... opposite the freebie park bench I painted a few weeks back.


I picked up a can of Heirloom White paint at the hardware store and literally SLAPPED on a few coats & viola'... it has new life! When I say SLAPPED ~ that is just my way of saying I'm a rather sloppy painter. More paint gets on me than where it is suppose to go. LOL

Here is how it looked before ~


These shelves were painted the same Heirloom White, but were distressed with the palm sander & 'dingied' with shoe polish. They look like they have olde, peeling paint now. Don't they?




Yes! I did say shoe polish! Really! The brown polish replaces the need to use walnut, wood stain & a sealer. Try it sometime ~ you will really like it. It says right on the can that it can be used for furniture too. Just rub it on with an old rag & buff like you would for shoes. ***Be sure to rub all the excess off your linen bars carefully.***


I still have some 'tweaking' to do on the displays... but here are the goodies in our home now ~


My dear Aunt Lavon gave me this sweet, quilt rack. It really was needed... to display the beautiful topper my dear friend, Ginger made & gifted to me. The bird's nest was found under a tree in our yard a few months ago. I just couldn't bare to throw it away.

This towel shelf came from the local thrift store. It was only $2.50!


The dowel across the front of the shelf was broken...


I simply pulled it out & replaced it with an old, rusty wire. I didn't throw the dowel away though... it was needed to fix the bar on the quilt rack. Thrifty of me, huh?

This was at the same thrift store for only 99 cents. I didn't know what I would do with it when I bought it... but knew something could be done.


Then I saw this great tutorial on Char's blog, The Pickled Pepper Patch. She made this ~


So I made this ~


I used red for the under coat and black for the top coat. Then distressed it & added my trusty shoe polish. When it isn't filled with goodies, I can hang it with the underside out 'cause it looks nice too. Oh... and I gotta tell ya about the beautiful, sampler in the back too. That was made for me by my dear friend Sher. Isn't it sweet?

Here is a close up of the paint on the scoop ~


It was a very productive day today & isn't over yet! I've got 'ideas' in my head for new cross stitch patterns. Ya... I know I've said it before... BUT... tomorrow I'm spending the day with one of my dear, stitching, friends ~ Marianne. She is taking me to cross stitch shop in Wichita called Heart's Desire. I KNOW this will be the PUSH I need to get these patterns out of my head & onto fabric... and ready for the offering! I'll keep ya posted!!! Promise!

Wishing you all warm smiles...
Betty

~*More Sharing*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've received more freebie finishes ~ fabulous ones ~ to share! I do so enjoy getting emails of your works... so please keep 'em coming!

Christie is the first to stitch & share ~*Wicked*~. Quick huh? Christie used 32ct Raw Belfast linen with Weeks Dye Works Threads in shades of Mascara and Amber. Wonderful fiber choices, don't ya think? She said she is going to stitch another for her Mom too. Lovely stitches!


I'm also delighted to share another super, needlepunch by Charlene. Her works always brighten my day! Charlene chooses colors that are just 'cheery' & bring JOY! Her finish of ~*Halloween Cat*~ is no exception. Lookie!

Charlene offers many of her delightful, works on Ebay ~ this one too. Her Ebay id is redlockscreations

I've shared this one before, but wanted to share again since she too has it listed on Ebay right now. My dear friend, Debbie has listed her happy finish of ~*Snowy Tony*~. What a great way to cool off a hot July day! Debbie is an awesome crafter with any medium & this one is proof! Wonderful! He just makes me SMILE wide! Doesn't he do that to you too?

You can see Debbie's offerings on Ebay with the seller id kitane.

Thank you all for working with my charts & doodles... and sharing. It just makes me so happy!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty

~*Monday Make~Overs*~

Hello Dear Friends! I've been crafting! I've actually been able to sneak a few minutes in here and there & do some hooking! It feels GREAT! I'm one of those that, if I don't get to craft, I get a bit ~ just a tad ~ GRUMPY! Well, I'm not grumpy anymore. LOL

I just finished the make~over... trash~to~treasure... last night.


When we were on the way back from Eureka Springs a few weeks ago, we stopped at a few antique stores in Fort Scott, Kansas... and some others along the way. I wasn't even in the door to one shop 5 steps before I clutched this wooden bucket (an old sewing basket) in my arms. I KNEW it had a new life!

Here is a before picture of it & some of the other treasures I found.


The bucket was only about $6.00. I began by painting the entire bucket ~ metal ring and all ~ black. The next coat of paint was light blue. Next was sanding & scuffing... then some warm, walnut stain & a coat of clear to protect it. For the metal ring, I added some 'cinnamon rust'. Yes, I will admit, I found out the hard way that this ring cannot be removed. YIKES! The whole bucket will fall apart! Silly me... huh? For the 'cinnamon rust', I painted the ring with a coat of craft glue. Then sprinkled cinnamon spice to cover. Let dry. Then give it another coat of clear to seal it.

The bucket didn't have a lid, but I thought it needed one. My wonderful Tony helped me out there! I found a plastic lid in the kitchen that fit the opening ~ for him to use as a template. He cut a circle from a scrap piece of thin, wood we had laying around. I used the same plastic lid to mark some linen & hooked up the rug to top it off. I wanted it to look olde & scrappy... so I hooked it entirely of left over woolly worms & hooked it hickety~pickety... with the loops all different lengths & a lil' WONKY.

Close up of the 'cinnamon rust'...


Some closer views of the rug on top...




Another thing that makes me feel better... having my corner in the basement ORGANIZED! I stayed up late ~ super late ~ a few nights ago working on finding some order here. This area wouldn't make it in a magazine & isn't beautiful by any way, shape, or measure... but at least I know where things are and can move & work comfortably now. Well... at least for awhile... it doesn't stay this way long ya know.


Okay... I'm off to find the next project(s)!

Warm smiles to you all...
Betty