~*Mark Your Calendars!*~

Hi Dear friends! There is something really FUN coming up!!!

1st Annual Fabulous Finds On 99!!!  
September 21 & 22!

This is going to be an exciting event... to say the least!  Highway 99 cuts through the center (well, right of center in the eastern part, technically) of Kansas... north to south.  This event will stretch the whole path!  There will be fabulous, fun sales the whole way!  Antique Sales ~ Flea Markets ~ Garage Sales ~ Craft Sales... and other great goodies!  You won't want to miss it!

CLICK HERE to see  the Google Map!   Folks are still adding their sales to the map... and it just keeps growing and growing!

I plan to go do some shopping on Friday during the event... but on Saturday, I (along with my SIL and MIL) will be set up north of Emporia at The Orchard.  We will have our cool junk, antiques, collectibles, and handmades wares!  It would be great to see you!

Of course, our booth will be stocked at Ellie Lou's too... and she is right on 99!  Oh what great fun it is going to be!!!

Wishing you warm smiles,

Betty

~*Halloween Freebie!*~

Hello Dear Friends!  It seemed about time for me to put up another freebie... don't ya think?  So... here it is...

 ~*Halloween Freebie*~

© primitivebettys 2012

61 by 72 stitches... threads of your choice

Please be kind... and give credit for the design to me ~ Betty Dekat primitivebettys.  You are free to use the chart to make items for yourself, gifts, or small craft shows (including selling finished wares online)... but no mass production.  And PLEASE do not sell the pattern!

What will you be making from it?  You know I would LOVE to see it... and LOVE to share those finishes!  So send them to me via jpg~file & I will! 

Wishing you warm spooky smiles...

Betty

~*What a FUN time!*~

Hello Dear Friends!  Oh goodness... it has been such a fun few days!  Where do I even begin to start... to tell you all about it?

Well... at the beginning, I guess!

On Friday, it was such a SUPER treat to see my sweet, Oklahoma buddies Ginger and PatiJane!  They were on the way to a hook~in in Warsaw, MO... and drove the long way from home through Kansas to get there.  They stopped by here to visit, see our booth, and have a bite for lunch.  I just LOVE these ladies!  They have hearts of gold and are the most amazing gals!  I feel especially blessed to know them and call them friends!  If I could wish for anything in life... it would be that I could be more like them.  Their character and personality is honestly like that of angels!

My SIL, Robin, and I had met at our booth Friday morning to re~arrange and add a shelf that Robin's husband made... that we desperately needed.  (Thank you Jimmy!)  Then, the two of us browsed the shops on Commercial Street in downtown Emporia.  We were anxiously waiting for the girls to show up.  They were suppose to text me when close.  When I couldn't wait anymore, I texted them... and found they were already at the booth looking & shopping!  Robin & I rushed back... and the smiles & laughter began!  

The girls didn't have to... but they gave gifts!

PatiJane made this for Trinity...

 This is so amazing!  Trinity thinks to too!  He named him "Bill Bones"... and I hung him on the front porch of the studio, because he would show up great against the red walls.

 I don't know how she did it... but he is made out of several milk/ice tea jugs & zip ties.  So much detail & neatness!!!!  Thank you PatiJane!  <3 br="br">

 Ginger painted this sweet snowman picture.  It has a ribbon hanger on on the back.  She is such an amazing artist!  She also gave me these two balls of dyed yarn.  I'm excited to punch something with it!  Thank you Ginger!   <3 font="font">

Our visit together was only a few hours, but we do hope to drive down to Oklahoma soon to visit more!

Saturday was the Great American Market in downtown Emporia.  I was up out of bed by 3:30am... and on the street by 4:45 to set up in the dark.  My family was there early to help too... (sweet MIL, Mary working at pricing things in the dark)

 The sun came up... and the friendly folks started walking up & down the street...

It was a great day!  I met up with friends... old & new.  I worked on needlepunch during the day to keep my fingers busy.  I love to share the art!  

We had a fun, busy day downtown.  I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.

We do have another market coming up before then though.  It will be on September 21st & 22nd... Fabulous Finds on 99!  This is going to be a spectacular event!  Mark your calendars... and don't miss it!

On Saturday during the market... we will be set up in front of The Orchard with a booth... offering our fun junk & handmade wares.  I'll keep you posted during the next couple of weeks with updates.

For now... I need to get busy catching up around home... it seems some laundry has piled up!  Some stitching needs to be done too!

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

 

~*Calmness...*~

Hello Dear Friends!  

I've been busy preparing (stressing!) for the Great American Market... happening Saturday!  The day should be filled with so much excitement!  I'm looking forward to meeting friends... new and old!  And the weather forecast is superb!  It is going to be sunny and in the low 70s!  Awesome!  Come out this way if you can!

*** I will be set up on the "Lost" block... the 300 block of Commercial just south of the Car Show. ***

I have things gathered and most of it is ready to be boxed for the trip to town... some is still needing to be finished and some still needs price tags... but it is all coming together.

However, I am feeling like my hair is more frazzled than normal... and I'm catching myself doing one then and skipping without rhyme or reason to something else... stress does that to me.  So... I took a few minutes this morning to enjoy some calmness.  These are some things in the studio that I enjoy... simple little bits of things that bring me such sweet joy...


 Tomato pincushions... some vintage, some not...

 Lots of old canning jars filled with buttons, rusty jingle bells, and other odd trinkets...

 Rulers and more rulers.  When I find them in my auction boxes... I just put them the bucket.  Maybe someday I'll make something with them?

 These are canister jars that are missing their lids.  We have new neighbors re~doing the old, beaten down farmhouse next to us.  They have two delightful boys that are becoming best friends with Trinity.  The three boys were looking around in the cellar of the house & found these jars.  They all agreed to give them to me.  How sweet!  I washed them up... and put my wooden spools in them.  Perfect... and heart felt...

 These two pieces of White Ironstone are my very favorite.  I've tucked spools of ecru crochet threads in the pitcher... and sunflowers in the bowl.  The flat, hooked sunflowers are ones I made... but the other is one given to me by my dear friend Ginger...

 I'm not sure how this collection began... but I do own several hog scrapers... saved and ready to be made into make~dos...

 This old scale was a gift to me from my Mom.  In the red, wood bowl on top... several silver thimbles...

That is all the pictures I took... but I have more little collections of things that I think are sweet.  I'll share them another time.  Right now... time for me to get back at it!

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*A Quiet Holiday Afternoon*~

Hello Friends and Happy Labor Day!  We have enjoyed our holiday weekend... and my wishes are that all of you have as well.

Today has been a quiet day... and I've been working on quickies for the flea market.  I'll only have a couple of tables... and they should be full... with lots of things spread out on the sidewalk under them.  I've only shopped at this flea market in the past... so this is going to be an all~new~venture for me.  Hopefully it goes well... and I enjoy friends old and new during the day.

I'll be offering my vintage junk and antiques... and many of my handmades.

Here are a few things I've made this afternoon from my 'junk stash'...

Yup...more PINKEEPS!

 I've used a vintage quilt... that would be considered serious CUTTER~QUILT~QUALITY on some and vintage feed sack cloth on others.  They are filled them with woolly snippets.  I seem to find tiny dishes and fillable things in my sleep!  My favorite in the bunch?  Well, it would be the old, leather baby shoe!  *SMILE*

Then, while I was making them all... I remembered I had this old grater.  It was one I picked up long ago with the intentions of making myself a pinkeep... and today I did it!  Since taking the picture, it has been placed on my sewing table/desk... and filled with my pins & needles...

 You may remember me posting about making some of these before.  VISIT THIS POST to read about the materials & my how~to.  

Wishing you all warm smiles... and a wonderful holiday...

Betty

~*What I Did Get Done*~

Hello Fine Friends!  Well sadly, I did not get my wares finished for the update last night on Early Work Mercantile... and that I truly find a bummer.  However, I did finish my challenge piece for Lori's (Notforgotten Farm)... ~*Top Hat Jack*~ challenge!

Wanna see?

 Lori provided the awesomely, handsome ~*Top Hat Jack*~ stitch pattern for free on her blog.  The challenge was for the finish.  She didn't want to see anything same~o same~o... her words "no pinkeeps, pillows or frames allowed!!!"

 

 I got to work stitching with the idea of making a sewing box similar to what Patti made in my earlier post.  But... if you know me... you know my mind often times wanders and what I start with isn't always what I finish with.  This is one example.  Honestly though... it was more of a time crunch.  I put the final stitch in the piece last night at about 7pm.  The deadline for the challenge was today.  I wanted Lori to have my finish no later than this morning.  So... I went digging through my 'junk' stuff and found this great old metal, first aid kit box.  It was the right size!  But... it was white... a little black spray paint could fix that.  I sprayed it very haphazardly... leaving a great 'smokey' finish... then glued the stitch to the front... and filled the inside with GOODIES!  And for some extra prim ZING, I dusted the stitch with ground cinnamon... oh~la~la...

 Lori will be posting all the challenge pieces she received today on her blog.  She is also going to post a poll... so folks can vote on the finishes.  Then one of us will win a great Autumn/Hallowe'en  goodie basket from NotForgottenFarm.  Cool!

I'm excited to see all the other finishes... I know they are going to be ~knock~your~socks~off COOL!

Please visit to see 'em and vote for the one you like best!  (and I'm not saying that has to be mine... because I know there are going to be some really GREAT ones!) Vote for your favorite!

Before I end this post... let me tell you about the goodies in my box.  

The darling orange pumpkin was made by my dear friend Lori of HomeSpunPrims.  I have tried to make some myself too, but hers are amazing!  She uses Styrofoam balls and drywall compound.  So cool!  

The wax wares were made by Kim of CabinCreekFarm... and even though I have had them for many years now... still smell AMAZING!

The pinkeep is one of mine... ~*Hallows Eve*~  ... :-)... the needlepunch pumpkins are some I made a few years back.  They are filled with whole cloves & smell yummy too!

Thanks for letting me share!  And... I'm on a stitchy roll... with my next Prim Sisters pattern ready to stitch... and the next shoolhouse sampler still in the works.

Wishing you all a great Saturday... filled with lots of warm smiles...

Betty

***** Editing to update you that Lori has the post up with the other entries... and the talent is amazing!  Please swing over to see 'em and cast your vote for your favorite!  CLICK HERE  *****