HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BFF MARGRET!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGRET!!!!

I'm A New Grandma

Alexis finally came on November 15th at 11:17pm. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and 20 inches long and is healthy. She has black hair and deep blue eyes. She looks like her mom! She was born a day after our 21st wedding anniversary. We are so excited and proud to be grandparents, this is our 1st grandchild!

MY HAND-DYED MUSLIN FOR DOLLIES & SUCH

Hi Everyone! I love making my hand-dyed muslin! It makes my house smell yummy! I make a couple of batches every other week! I usually dye between 12 -24 yards in that time and I sells just as fast as I make it on eBay, PatternMart or my website, I take pride in every sell of my muslin fabric. I press every 3 yard bundle I sell fold it nicely and tie a large homespun bow to the bundle. I wrap the fabric in tissue and place in a gallon zip-loc bag and seal the product. People ask me how long does the scent last, I have had some in a zip-loc bag for over a year in tissue and it still smells as fresh as the day I put it in there, as long as it sealed it should stay fresh). I take great pride in my work! Whether I dye Calicos to Battings the trick is if you want the freshness and cinnamon smell to stay I find zip-loc and tissue combo to work for me.

I dye my Muslin or Warm n Natural Batting in a 5 gallon Bucket with instant coffee (very strong), Cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and nutmeg and I let it set for 36 hours or so then I hang it up on my clothes line outside to dry for a 3 hours in the sun. Sometimes I like to add a few little more splotches to it to make it super grungy, that makes a cloth doll really unique, especially those little prairie or extreme dolls! Stitcheries too need some extra grungy spots on them to make them look old and antique too, so that is what I provide on my muslin, I like to make fabrics look and appear very old and vintage.

I also dye other fabrics, Cotton Calicos, laces and doilies too, whatever will go in a dye bath I will dye!

Hilsborro Arts and Crafts Fair, Kansas

I love going to this festival every year. There is so much to see and do. Here is a caption that is said over and over every year about this festival on many websites, newspapers, and local news channels (- THIRD SATURDAY - This one-day smorgasbord of arts and crafts booths attracts more than 400 artists from 15 states and more than 40,000 shoppers to Hillsborro. This event has been rated among the top 100 arts and crafts shows in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine.) I go to this show every year with the women in my family; my Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Sister, Nieces and Cousins. We make a day of it. There is so much to see and do. You have to go to every tent, and wait to go in to see what each vendor has to offer and believe me it is well worth the wait! Every year the same vendors come back but offer new products, and sometimes there is new vendors. Most vendors are from out of state that is how good the show is for Kansas! People from all of the Tri-state area come to this show. There is so many food choices too from Funnel Cakes, Cotton Candy, Polled Pork Sandwiches, Corn dogs, Stuffed Peppers, German Dishes, Mexican Dishes, Hand Squeezed Lemon Aide and Lime Aide, Lots of Soda Pop Choices and Variations and much much more! After you are done with this festival you just go a few miles east to Marion Kansas and they have what is called Art in the Park and there is a lot of Vendors down in a beautiful old park in the trees. Lots of food and wares down there too. There is always lots to see and do here in the state of Kansas.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN!!!!

I met Ann 3 years ago when I was working for my local newspaper. I was learning the ropes on ebay for my boss, to sell his antiques and I was looking to buy some wool doll hair for my dolls and I ran across Ann of Crowing About Primitives. She has the most awesome wool for doll hair and her dolls are awesome too.

I love chatting with Ann and going to her website http://www.crowingaboutprimitives.com/. Ann puts lots of time and detail in each product (doll) she produces. Her doll faces come to life right in front of your eyes and the fabric she uses for the clothing is just awesome!

Ann is a very sweet and kind person and I enjoy visiting with her via the web, she is another friend I have never met, because we live so far apart. I live in the States and she lives in Canada.

I want to wish you a Happy Wonderful Birthday and Many More with Lots of Blessings my Friend!!!!!

Bunches of Hugs!!! Kim

Kansas State Fair

Wow! I live in a very small town in Kansas right off of K-96 HWY. Kansas State Fair HWY. and it is super busy with traffic for our state fair right now. I have felt sorry for fair goers this year so far, it has been cold and rainy the last 3 days of the fair. The fair started on Friday, September 5th, 2008 and will run for until I believe for until Sunday, September 14th, 2008 and the weatherman is predicting more rain for this week. I have already seen plenty of farm animals coming and going down the hwy., going for judging and what not for 4H projects I assume. I love the country, but I am a city slicker! LOL

I love the Kansas State Fair but it has been probably almost 20 years since I have been there, and it is only 16 miles from my home. I here it has grown so much. I looked at getting a craft booth out there about 3 years ago, but I did not want to be out there from sun up to midnight every night forever and it was pretty expensive to boot, but it would have been an experience of a lifetime I bet!

I remember as a child seeing all those rides and the booths of amazement and wonder! My favorite thing to enter and walk through was the fun house! The whacky mirrors and the slanted floors ohhhh what fun. I love the food too, the cotton candy and the hot dogs they were to die for! I remember when I was older the tunnel of love was more fun then anything to do, get into the swan with your boyfriend if you had one, or with your friends and make fun of other young lovers that was fun too!

Fair time in Kansas is a special time!

YODER DAYS

Hi Folks! Yoder Days which is the last Saturday in August (August 23rd), the Amish has a gathering to celebrate the end of summer. They have a festival that includes a Arts & Craft Show, Parade, Tractor Pull, Mutton Busting and the best food you have ever tasted! People come from miles around to this festival. I talked to a lady that had come from Kentucky last year and loved it so much that she came back this year, and I new of another couple that come down every year from Arizona that enjoy the festival too, and they have family also in the area, but some people who come to the festival from other states do not have any family that live here they just enjoy the festival. All the shops in Yoder stay open real late and have specials that day and also have sidewalk sales in front of their stores. It is just a very unique experience. The craft show went from 8am-4pm on Saturday, some of us had tents and some of us like me didn't. I took a picture a straight shot down the middle of the street of the tents and the old fashioned hardware store. This is truly a wonderful event and my mother-n-law and I are definitely are going to do the show again next year!

Welcome To Ravin' About Primitives

Hi Everyone! I am new to the blogging world! I am a primitive girl from Kansas and I have a website http://www.ravinaboutprimitives.com/ and I am on several other sites too including Folk Art Square, Pattern Mart, Pattern-Central and Ebay. I will also be trying someting new with Folk Art Square this month, I am doing a Co-op Ad and that will be coming out in my favorite magazine the Mercantile Gatherings Magazine Fall issue. Please keep checking back I will have more pictures and more articles to my blog. Hugs and Blessings! Kim

MY NEW FAV SHOP - DEMELIA'S QUILT CO.

Demila's has awesome fabrics, fabrics I have never seen before! Believe me I do lots of fabric shopping, I am addicted to nice fabric and textiles. Look in my favorite links to see her shop and fabrics. She offers more then fabrics too! Believe me you will enjoy looking at her website. If you are ever in Kansas, stop by Yoder that is where the shop is at! Yoder is a fantastic Rural Amish Town very Historic!

MY BFF From Germany

I met a wonderul person a year ago, in fact how we met she bought one of my first pattern designs and we have been BFF ever since! It is amazing how two people who grew up in different worlds at different times are so much alike. We love the same things including same TV shows, music, life in general. We both absolutely love sewing a making dolls! We talk about making dolls, selling them, we share ideas, fabric, laces and trims. We have so much fun emailing eachother. I give her tons of encouragement! I am wanting her to sell her dolls so bad, but she will know when it is the right time, but I will keep encouraging her no matter what! I can not tell my BFF how much she means to me, there is not enough words in the world to express how much she means to me. See we have never met in person or talked on the phone, but we email eachother alot. We even get this, our Birthdays are one day a part. So my friend I am glad to have you in my life. I am putting a picture of your new creation up for the world to see, and to show you how much I think of our friendship and how much I honor you and I thank the Lord for you every day! BFF Hugs! Kim