~*Early Work Mercantile Update*~

Hello Dear Friends!  Tomorrow is May 1st... and I want to wish you all a very Happy May Day!  I wish I could share baskets of blooms with all of you!  May your day be filled with lots of joy and flowers!

Because tomorrow is the first of the month, that means Early Work Mercantile updates.  My page is ready now if you would like to visit... and please do visit the other artists while you are there.  You are sure to be delighted by each and every work!

My offering for this month is...

~*Old Cat*~

I am so happy with the way this one turned out.  It truly does resemble an antique hooked rug.  I used so many shades of similar floss and the design is simply~prim too.  It looks very scrappy!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~* Our Booth *~

Hello Dear Friends!  Happy Friday to y'all!

There aren't any ~*Friday Finishes*~ to share with you today... but, as promised, I can share our new booth with you.  We worked hard to move it to the shop and set it up this morning.  I am so happy with it... and so excited!  It isn't 'my' store, but I feel like this small space kind of is.

Our booth is at Ellie Lou's Thrift Emporium in Emporia, Kansas.

What do you think?

 I found out after we were there (after Tony built the wood surround for us) that the space is actually 5 by 8 feet. Oh gosh... I felt bad, but Ellie Lou was a great help and we made it work.  Thank goodness!

 We filled our space with handmade, vintage, antique, and all sorts of fun things.

 'We' means... my husband (the boat motor is his), my Mother~In~Law, Father~In~Law, Sister~In~Law, myself... and even my Son put something in it for sale (a vintage cap gun he had us buy at a recent auction).

 My Father~In~Law is our birdhouse builder.  He does a great job & really enjoys making them.

 A little of this and a little of that!

 Remember my dishcloth mania a few weeks ago?  Would you believe I made over 30 of them?!?

 I don't know if you can see it very clear, but this is the barn cabinet I shared in an earlier post.  The fabric on the shelves was put on with liquid starch.  I just LOVE how it turned out.  Unfortunately, I can't offer the cabinets for sale yet...  if they were to sell, all our other things would be sitting on the floor.  So, we are headed to another auction this weekend... maybe I can find more treasures!

I wish I could be a fly on the wall... I'm just so excited!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Six by Eight Feet*~

Hello Dear Friends!  Six by Eight Feet... that is what we have to work with!

This is one of my new adventures.  I, along with my SIL Robin, MIL Mary, and FIL Richard are going to fill up six by eight feet of space at a local shop.  The store is called Ellie Lou's Thrift Emporium.  It is a sweet little shop on the main street here in Emporia.  The shop is filled with thrift, vintage, antique, and handmade items.  The owners are sweethearts... and I look forward to working with them. 

I have rented us a space that is six by eight feet... and my darling husband constructed our 'booth' this weekend.  He built it from some fence panels we were saving to use in our yard.  (I guess three panels won't be needed here on the property any longer.)Here it is set up in our garage... until we dismantle it and move it downtown on Friday morning.

 

This smaller cabinet was saved from our barn.  It was one Tony was going to through out... until he heard and listened to my screams... NOOOOO!!!  I revamped it this past weekend... scrapping it with a wire brush to removed the loose paint, washed it, and then gave it a quick coat of Polyurethane to hold the remainder of the paint in place.  I plan to add some fabric to the shelves using liquid starch... to add a little 'punch' of prim pizzazz to it.

 

This other cabinet was one purchased at a local auction for a mere $5.  Tony replaced the back with a scrap piece of plywood he had.  I then washed it and added a slash of white house paint we had to the inside to freshen it up.  (I let the red on the shelf edge stay red... it is my favorite color ya know!)

The cupboards will be filled with our wares... vintage, antique, and handmade... and hopefully will be over~flowing giving our buyers~to~be lots to choose from.

I'll share more pictures after it is all set up in the shop.

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*Primitive Handmades Mercantile Update... AND*~

Hello Dear Friends!

Just a quick note to tell you... ~*Primitive Handmades Mercantile*~ has been updated. My handmades are finished and my offering page is set. Please visit when you get a chance. Please visit all the artists offerings... you are sure to fall in LOVE with bunches!

Here is one of my offerings...
~*Strawberry Sampler*~

I'm offering the pillow tuck... OR THE PATTERN! YES! This is my newest pattern release... hot off the presses!

The pattern is available now... either from me via email, my Etsy Shoppe, or at your local needlwork shop. The pattern is $10.00... and, as always, when purchased from me... free shipping.

I would like to share this with you too...
~*Blue House*~ Primitive Antique Reproduction Needlepunch Pillow Tuck

This finish is also an offering this month. It is a finish inspired by the antique rug pattern shared by my dear friend, Kelley of With Hook and Needle. She shared the pattern to spark a challenge. I'm thrilled with the outcome... and that I was able to complete it so quickly!

Thank you, Kelley! I love the pattern.

Thank you all for letting me share.... wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*Wondrous Wednesday*~

Hello Dear Friends! Wondrous Wednesday to y'all! Well... I've been working in the yard this morning & grabbed the camera to share some blooms. All these blooms makes it feel WONDROUS to me!

I just LOVE my poppies! They grow more~or~less wild around our yard... and I do threaten anyone that dare stomp threw them (cats and dog included!) or who dare try to mow them down!

They are so pretty blowing in the wind!

These old fashioned Iris are my favorite Iris of all... they smell so yummy!

We have so many blooms... and so many blooming earlier this year than normal. The Lily of the Valley and the Peonies are not suppose to be blooming until May... but they are bright & lovely already.

A friendly visitor... and a few stray Buttercups...

These old fashioned roses smell very fragrant too. Tony likes to enjoy the scent when he mows around them. He says they remind him of his Grandma.

The Knock~Out Roses that my Mom gave me a few years ago are blooming beautifully in the front of the house. They give the drivers by something to see!

Behind the green house is the ever~growing patch of Sweet Annie. Just walking in the yard around it is Heavenly... you can smell it as you crunch the stray growth under your feet.

The horse troughs were here when we moved in and I haven't had the energy to move them out. They are not especially 'pretty'... but they are useable. So each year I plant in them and let them be. The flowers in them now are ones I started in the green house a few weeks ago... Morning Glory, Nasturtiums, Zinnia, Cosmos, and Larkspur. Hopefully they keep growing. I did notice that one of our outdoor cats was enjoying lounging in them. Maybe he will be kind and not trample them.

This bench looks long~neglected, but actually I allow the Peonies to pop through the slats... just 'cause I think it looks neat!

These are not wanted, of course, but they do add some brightness to our yard! ALL OVER IT!

I decided I needed more blooms too... so I purchased a few more packets of seed at the store yesterday. They are now planted in some potting soil and in the greenhouse. Now hopefully I can find a spot in the yard to put them!

I've also been busy punching and stitching. The update for Primitives Handmades Mercantile is scheduled for tomorrow night (late) or Friday morning (early). The stitching will also be a pattern release... stay tuned for more info!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Where does the time go? It just seems that the days fly by too fast anymore. I honestly don't feel I am 'too busy'... but then I honestly don't get as much done as I would like to either! Well anyway... Happy Friday! Happy Friday the 13th! YIKES!!! How did that happen? Well, it is just another day, right? Nothing bad is going to happen, right?

There are some awesome ~*Friday Finishes*~ to share today! Enjoy!

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From Nicole... a beautiful stitch of my freebie design ~*Friend*~...

Nicole used 32 ct. Lt. Taupe Lugana linen. Her threads were from her scrap basket... Crescent Colours "Wild Berries", Weeks Dye Works "Madison Rose" and a Limited Edition sage green color by The Gentle Art that was given to her by a friend. She had some troubles with her reds bleeding when she did her finishing... sadly. BUT... her finish is still beautiful to me!

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Another ~*Friend*~ finish... this one by Susan...

Susan stitched this lovely and mounted it to a box for a darling finish and gift to a friend... who is also a stitcher. I just love the attention to detail... don't you? So very charming!

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One more finish for today... and this one took my breath away... from Isobel-Argante... her amazing finish of my pattern ~*Wicked Notions*~...

This pattern is available from my Etsy Shoppe or at your local needlework shop... or you can contact me via email to purchase through the mail if you wish. I made the pattern into a needlebook of sorts... but Isobel's finish into a pillow tuck is wickedly charming indeed!

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That's all the finishes for today. I do wish you all a fabulous weekend ahead with many warm smiles...

Betty

~*Easter Blessings*~

Hello Dear Friends... and Happy Easter to you and your family. I do hope your holiday weekend was filled with love & joy... and many warm smiles.

Here is a freebie pattern to share...

© Bird In The Hand Primitives Robin Leuschen 2012

This is a sweetly, prim design from my friend Robin of Bird In The Hand Primitives. She stitched up the piece (and has the finish displayed on your blog banner)... and then received a request from a dear lady asking if the chart was available. Robin didn't have it charted up and didn't have the computer program to do it... so she asked me to help her. Gladly! Robin has it shared on her blog as a freebie... and I knew you too would love to see it & stitch it. I'm sure Robin would love to see & share your finishes as well. Stop by her blog and give her a great big THANK YOU! Oh... and be sure to browse her other freebies too! You will be glad you did!

Wishing you all warm smiles... and a beautiful Monday!

Betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Happy Friday Dear Friends! Okay... this post is going to expose my mixed mind~set... my trouble with staying 'on task'... my trouble with getting things done that need to get done! I have trouble keeping my mind FOCUSED on the moment! I have too many interests!

Have you heard of Pinterest? Well... it has been the source of my recent woes. I've heard friends joke about Pinterest Addiction... and I may be suffering from it! I try not to visit the site every day... because when I do, I'm stuck there for TOO LONG & get TOO MUCH INSPIRATION... and want to do/make TOO MUCH!!!

I'm joking... but the site is really COOL! You should visit & request an invite if you haven't done it already.

Before I go on too much further... there aren't any ~*Friday Finishes*~ to share from others. However, I do have an 'odd' finish of my own. You see, I was snooping around Pinterest the other night and came across this photo/link to make your own dishcloths. Crochet? Me? Yes, I use to do crochet several years ago... but it isn't something that I do often. It made me think... I do really need some dishcloths and I adore the handmade ones that I have from my friends' hands. So... why not? I have my old needles... and I have several balls of cotton yarn that didn't get used for the projects they were purchased for... so long ago. So... yesterday, I made these...

Five of them!

Once I got started... I just couldn't stop! I used up 3 skeins of cotton yarn... and now have 5 sweet dishcloths for our newly decorated kitchen! They were fun & simple to make... and it wouldn't be any trouble to make a few more to give as gifts!

I learned something along the way too. Like with my other crafts, I am self~taught with crochet. Apparently, I am a slow learner too! It wasn't until after dishcloth #4 that I realized I was doing a slip stitch when I should have been doing a single crochet... I wasn't doing a single crochet correctly. I didn't realize a single crochet had a 'yarn over'. Oops! Oh well... they still look great to me!

Here is the site that shared the pattern... The Craft Project.

So... instead of working on my next cross stitch pattern, punching goodies for the next Primitives Handmades Mercantile Update (that falls on April 20th), or hooking on that rug that I started months ago... I spent the day crocheting. I really didn't spend the day doing what I NEEDED to do... but I still had a few sweet finishes produced!

Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Prim Sisters*~

Hello Dear Friends! I'm pleased to tell you... my model has been finished and the patterns have been printed, sorted, packed and shipped to Country Sampler! Have you signed up for the ~*Prim Sisters*~ Club? Jeanne and the girls at Country Sampler really do an excellent job at promoting and kitting the patterns. Jeanne has been a great source of inspiration for me... especially when I was working up this pattern. Thank you Jeanne!

I do feel so honored to be a part of this great group... along with Wendy of Pineberry Lane and Lori of Notforgotten Farm. I have looked up to both of these girls as designers and awesome chicks... for so long! I can hardly believe I'm a part of this group side by side with them!

Here is my finish...

~*Prim Sisters Needlebook*~

A simple, prim, and sweet needlebook... gardeny (is that a word?) and Springy! Don't you just love the dancing rabbits with their ribbons floating along behind them? I was inspired by Wendy's first finish... ~*Prim Sisters School of Needlework*~... and used the alphabet around the border to keep in the same 'school' theme.

The center has a batch of batting for holding pins & needles.

And the back is embellished with a beautiful heart... and another happy rabbit with ribbons trailing behind him.

If you haven't already signed up... there may still be time. Check with the girls at Country Sampler to find out.

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty

~*Spring Has Sprung!*~

Hello Dear Friends! Spring has Sprung! We have flowers blooming all over the yard... and more getting ready to pop! It is exciting and beautiful... so good for the soul!

One of our many Redbud trees... and lilac bushes... these are in our front yard blooming to greet those passing by.

The flower bed in the front of our home is full of blooming phlox.

More lilacs... oh it just smells Heavenly!

The daffodils are done blooming... but the birds are back visiting the birdbath for a splash.

I just LOVE my poppies... and they are getting close to opening up!

We have two apricot trees... and they are both full of baby apricots! We should have a great year for fruit this year. In our yard we have apricots, pears, apples, and grapes. There may be some jam making later this summer!

The lilacs are starting to drop their blooms... but we have visitors on them too. Right before I snapped this picture, there were two beautiful butterflies.

This was another full weekend past. The kitchen is getting close to completion. It will be awhile before we have a counter-top... but everything else is looking great. The hardware is all installed... new pulls and knobs. I ordered a new exhaust hood yesterday. It will arrive from UPS soon. And a few other small touches will be completed here and there. We spent a lot of time over the weekend on the yard... mowing and cleaning flower beds. I planted some annuals in my flower pots... and have been tending more in the greenhouse.

Today though... it is back to work! I have stitches that need stitched!!! Plus... right now (as I type) there are patterns being printed that will soon be off to Country Sampler for the "Prim Sisters" girls club!!! Yes, my model is stitched, my chart is charted, and instructions have been written. It will soon arrive for Jeane and the girls at the shop for kitting... and before too much longer... will be in the mail for the girls that have signed up. Have you signed up? There may still be openings if you haven't. Have you seen Wendy's of Pineberry Lane first model? It is beautiful!

"Prim Sisters School of Needlework"

WOW! Just so brilliant! Don't wait to sign up... spots are filling fast!

Wishing you all warm smiles....

Betty