Saturday, April 30, 2011

~*Sneak Peek for EWM Update*~

Hello Dear Friends! Late tonight or early tomorrow morning... my Early Work Mercantile page
will be updated. Here is what will be offered...


Today, my loving husband is taking me out for a day of antiquing. What will I find? I'll share with you after we return.

Wishing you warm smiles and a beautiful Saturday...

Betty

Friday, April 29, 2011

~*Friday unFinishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Sadly, I do not have any ~*Friday Finishes*~ to share with you today... none of others and none of mine. However, I can share some ~*unFinishes*~ with you...

I've been toting my stitching around all week... catching a few stitches here and there. I'm working on Prairie Cloth. I do just love this fabric. It is a larger weaver which makes focusing much easier. I'm not working from patterns... just doing my blind stitching. My hope is that these pieces will be finished into something before tomorrow evening's Early Work Mercantile update.

I've been doing some baking this week too. Last night, I noticed the bananas were getting rather ripe... so I baked a batch of Banana Nut Muffins. And this morning, since my step-dad is so excited about today's Royal Wedding... I baked him a batch of Blueberry Pecan Scones. The house is smelling Heavenly... and I have been trying very hard to stick to my diet... and it is getting tougher and tougher!

Wishing you all warm smiles...
Betty

Thursday, April 28, 2011

~*Have You Entered This Prim Giveaway?*~

Well, if not, you NEED to! Look what Jen has made for the giveaway offered by A Primitive Place Magazine...



There is still time to drop your name in the hat for a chance to own this wonderful, prim piece! The sign up ends at 10:00 PM E.S.T. on Friday April 29, 2011. The winner’s name will be drawn and posted on Saturday, April 30th. So... get over there & enter!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

~*Woolly Results*~

Here they are... after mowing the dandelions and between house chores... this is what I have...

They didn't turn out exactly as I had planned... yet again... but I still like them & will use them for something. I do plan to share some of these wools with my AAPG swap partner... and am pretty sure I know which ones she will especially like. <*wink*>

The wools are in the same order as the before picture. I used ProChem dyes today... that is what I have mostly on hand. Three of the recipes are from Beautiful Wool by Laurice Heath. I didn't stir the wool when it was in the pot, so there is some good mottling going on.

These next shots were taken in the house so you could see closer~up. They are in the same order as the before photo... from left to right...

Oregano...

Salt Box Red...

Soldier Blue...

Antique Black?... I used 1/2 tsp Brown and 1/8 tsp black (ProChem Dye) for 1/2 yard wool. To me it looks more Evergreen. Oh well... I'll still use it.

Next on my agenda today... fix supper, wash dishes, finish the laundry, stitch and watch American Idol.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*After I Mow the Yard*~


This wool will make a change...

It is soaking now. Wool dyeing is still something of a challenge for me. I can't ever seem to end with the color I hope to...but it will be fun. I'm sure of that. What color would you over~dye these?

They are four of the six... yummy wools I recently purchased from Heavens To Betsy. Betsy has awesome wools!!

Well... time to start the mower so I can get the work done & the play can begin!

Wishing you warm smiles...
Betty

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

~*Remember the PIF?*~

Hello Dear Friends! Do you remember the PIF fun? My gift arrived in the mail late last week... and I just have to share it with you! This was stitched and sent to me by my buddy, Lori...




Isn't this lil' dolly & pocket just the sweetest? I am very lucky to have some other pieces from Lori's hands...and each is so wonderfully crafted! I'm honored to have yet another goodie to add to my collection of handmades... and will treasure it always.

Thank you Lori!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Sunday, April 24, 2011

~*He Is Risen*~


May all of you have a Blessed Easter!

Wish warm smiles...
Betty

Friday, April 22, 2011

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! I didn't forget about ~*Friday Finishes*~ earlier... there just weren't any to share at the time. So I put up my Easter wishes for you instead. However, I've just received a couple fine finishes to share. Lookie...




These are both from my ~*Valentine*~ freebies. Both were stitched by Marty (no blog)... using GA Rose Garden and Kohl on Lakeside linen. She dyed some rick rack for the finishing too. Instead of the birds from the ~*Love Me*~ finish, she added some mini dachshunds in honor of her 18 year old Beezer. Adorable! Thank you, Marty, for stitching and sharing!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Easter Wishes*~


Wonderful, warm and sunny, too, Hope your Easter is a lot like you!

This is an Easter card I received from my friend Doris this week... and I want to share the sentiment with all of you.

May you have a joyous and heartfelt Easter!

Warm smiles,

Betty

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

~*Sweet Swap Gifts from a Dear Friend*~

Hello Dear Friends! I just have to share these darling swap gifts from my dear friend, Doris. She had my name for the ~*Spring Swap*~ we are doing in our Ebay group An American Primitive Gathering... and I am so tickled~pink that she did!

Lookie at all these goodies!


Doris went above and beyond with all these treats! She stitched up the cutest lil' sheep pillow and a beautiful woolly bird pinkeep. Plus, she made some of her sweet tags for me. (I'm still working on my swap gift... but am sure one of these tags will go along to my receiver.) Then... she sent even more! A couple of awesome wools were in my package, and the most darling Apple Pie tea towel, and a vintage card set of needles... love the space ship!! WOW, huh? That is a bunch of GREAT goodies!!

Here are some photos closer~up of the stitched treats...

You can't see too well... but there are 3 red-headed pins in the bird tail. This, I thought, was a great added detail!


Doris, thank you so very much! I will treasure my gifts forever & always! You are a true GEM!

My swap package is still being put together, but I will share what I send soon.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Monday, April 18, 2011

~*Spring Time Goodies*~

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Spring! I thought I would share some of our surroundings with you...

Tommy sitting in the poppies... just enjoying the sunny day...
Brownie resting after chasing the rabbits most of the morning...
When Tommy isn't just relaxing... he is picking on OC... poor OC... he is scared he is going to be clobbered any second. He is timidly walking away from Tommy...
Tony was working on greenhouse repairs over the weekend. The Kansas winds have really done a number on it. Tony is putting up a new door on it and has plans to replace many of the panels with wood. I'm thinking it is going to be more of a 'potting shed-greenhouse' when it is complete... and I am happy as pie about that!
We have bees again this year! This time they aren't in our barn walls though... they are in a hollow trunk in our woods...
I've spotted many beautiful butterflies the last few days. This afternoon I was lucky and was able to snap a picture of one.
The lilacs are blooming beautifully...


Hosta are opening their big leaves...

The phlox are lookin' pretty too...
I can't remember what these blue blooms are called... but I'm still likin' how they are lookin...

And all our Redbud trees are just magnificent right now...

Wishing you all warm smiles...
Betty

Friday, April 15, 2011

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends~ Well, you would think waking up at 4:30am that I would have posted this already... but not so. Breakfast, errands, and other things have been occupying my time.

Without further delay... here are the *~*WONDERFUL*~* ~*Friday Finishes*~! I know you will find them delightfully awesome!

This Easter ditty is from Kerri... she used the ~*Symple Scissor FOB X Stitch Freebie*~ pattern and constructed this darling egg...


My dear friend, Kathy, stitched up the latest ~*Easter*~ freebie... and it is truly precious...


Dora has stitched up the ~*Easter*~ Freebie too... and it is just as lovely!

Here is what she told me about her fibers, "It is stitched on 28 Lt. Mocha linen and it was coffee dyed after stitching. I used your thread suggestions (thank you!~love the colors). I used a blanket stitch around the edges, using one strand of the blue thread. The buttons are from an antique store (when I go to antique stores, I always ask if they have a collection of antique buttons :) )
Hope you like it!"

Dora, YES I like it! In fact, I LOVE it!


This finish gave me a bit of a chuckle. The email subject read "Friday Finish?" When I opened the email, I was looking forward to seeing another stitched beauty. Then I saw Myra had made this...

Too funny! Honestly though... this lotion is MARVELOUS! If you haven't made some, you should. The recipe for it is HERE. Also, Myra shared where she found the label. You can get it on The Graphics Fairy blog. (There are some pretty cool images there!)

And from Joy... beautifully stitched, ~*1836 Spring Tyme Sampler*~ (this is a pattern for purchase from me or your local needle work shop). It is so vibrant! Joy found the frame for only $2 too!


Thank you to all of you for stitching and sharing! Or lotion making and sharing! :) All the finishes are beautiful!

I would like to thank you all for your help yesterday too. The suggestions for color were really helpful. Here is what the letters look like now... of course the rug still needs to be bound... but one step at a time, right?

I found a wool in my stash that was similar to the gold/tan used for the skep that had brownish sort of plaid lines in it. What do you think?

Now... I want to share one final thing with you before I sign off...

Tony told me they are having a party at work tonight to wish one of his fellow workers a 'good farewell' since he is switching shifts. He told me he was going to swing by the grocery store to buy some cupcakes as he was chosen to bring the dessert for the party. Well, I just didn't think that was good enough. So... part of what has kept me busy this morning was shopping for ingredients and baking cupcakes...


You can get the recipe HERE. :)

Time to go frost cupcakes!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Thursday, April 14, 2011

~*Color Picks*~

Hello Dear Friends! I shared this rug with you the other day. It was started at the hook~in on Monday. Last night I made the time to hook more on it and actually at it all hooked. However, the word 'bees' at the top didn't look good to me. It was hooked with the same blacks used around the border and for the hole in the beeskeep. So I pulled it out. These are the wools gathered to hook on the rug. I'm still not sure which one to use for the lettering. Maybe I should look for another? What are your thoughts?

I just didn't' think there was enough contrast with the black against the blue. The textured blueish wools just didn't 'look right' to me. Then with the straw color, I was worried there was just too much of that wool already in the rug. If I should look for another wool... what color would you suggest? Maybe a deep red? A darker gold?

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll keep you posted with what happens later today. Once I get the right wool, the letters should hook up quickly. Of course, the steaming and binding will take a little bit and may not be done for several more days... but I'll share the hooking.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

~*I am DOOMED!*~



Yup, I surely am! The plans of cleaning the vehicles inside & out, sweeping the floors, sorting & washing the laundry, listing those left over goodies in my Etsy shoppe, finishing my hooked rug, and stitching on my sampler... well, in that way I am DOOMED for sure! My copy of Primitive Quilts and Projects arrived in today's mail! It is even better than I had hoped it would be! I have already flipped through it page by page to see the pictures... now I need to hide out to read it page by page! It is A*W*E*S*O*M*E! If you haven't checked it out yet... you will want to! I am not a quilter, but I truly cannot say enough good about this magazine. I am seeing a LONG subscription to this magazine in my future! :)

Ok... maybe tomorrow I can get the work done that is building on my list.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

Monday, April 11, 2011

~*New Monthly Hooking Group*~

Hello Dear Friends! Today was our 3rd gathering... and I just cannot be more thrilled! A few month ago, I was asked to teach a small group Beginning Rug Hooking... at our local quilt shoppe. At that class, we discussed meeting on a regular basis. Linda, sister of the quilt shoppe owner & organizer of the class, has made it possible. The quilt shoppe is closed on Monday & it has worked out that we can all meet once a month. We have also discussed meeting here at my studio, but there is much more room in the classroom at the quilt shop.

The girls are really getting 'HOOKED' on hooking too!

Linda has a new primitive hook from Aults and has also acquired a new frame. She says she really enjoys working on her hooking while watching (or listening to) the TV at night. She is on her second piece. She didn't bring the first one to the group today... but here is her current project. It will be a footstool cover when completed. She just started hooking on this one during class...She kept calling it her "flying bunny"...


Debbie is almost finished with the hooking on her class project. She had originally planned on making it larger with various colors of blocks around the heart, but was having trouble working in the hoop to do this. She has decided to make it smaller now. Today she was working on making it more straight to even it out. She does already have plans for her next project, but doesn't want to start until she has this one finished...


Trish is moving right along with her class project too... but she doesn't find much time to work on it outside of our get~togethers... she is an avid quilter & quilts keep her rather busy...


Jerilynn is almost finished with her first project too... her ear of corn. She too has plans for her next piece... a cool crow that she plans to hook in black & purple...


It is really cool to see the projects progress. Each has a great sense of color and design.

I drew up this rug last night & very quickly color planned it so I would have something new to work on during our get~together. We only met from 8:30~11:30 and I did talk while we worked... but even I was amazed with how much I was able to get done on it during our time together. I pulled my first loop in the rug there & did all this during our three hours...I'm pleased with how it is coming along...
I'm hooking this one with some FAT 8.5 cut worms.

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty