Forget-Me-Not Designs

Forget-Me-Not Designs of Amboy, Minnesota welcomes you to Betsy-Tacy country! When you arrive in Deep Valley, please stop by our booth (by the Piano Box) and see our Betsy-Tacy jewelry collection, their colors mingling in bewildering iridescence…What sweet delight to choose…each bauble more enchanting than the last!

But you don’t have to just choose, you can buy, and take it home, and wear it year after year. Shopping at Forget-Me-Nots is almost as fun as Christmas Shopping, right here in Deep Valley!

Our Betsy-Tacy Collection features hand crafted collage-style pendants and brooches. Each one has a Betsy illustration, book cover, or actual photo in a metal bezel, along with sparkly collage elements, encased in crystal clear resin. Our Victorian Brooches feature a pendant amid a cluster of hand-crocheted and felted forget-me-nots, blue and reassuring, Betsy would have loved them!

A portion of all sales of Betsy-Tacy Collection jewelry will be donated to the Betsy-Tacy Society.

Are you ready to go out into the Great World, or to attend Betsy’s Wedding, but don’t have a thing to wear? Then Forget-Me-Not Designs is the place to go. Our own “Great World Collection” of dresses, in the 19teens style, is the perfect edition to your weekend wardrobe. Our comfortable designs are light and flowing, and our fabrics are luscious pastels and Big Hill florals. Turkey Trotting at the “Muster Your Wits and Your Feet” dance lessons will be ever so stylish in a dress from the Great World Collection at Forget-Me-Not Designs.

Our 4 generation booth will also have Allie Cat Creations earring designs by Allie, and one-of-a-kind vintage items from “Villager Antiques” in Amboy. Stop by our booth, and the Piano Box, for unforgettable treasures. And don’t forget that no one should go on a trip without bringing presents home to the family!

Happiest Wishes for meeting you in Deep Valley!

Lois Dethloff, Kelly Reuter, Shelby Kirchner, Allie Reuter, & Brennan Kirchner (Piano Box proprietor)

I'd Rather Be Reading Betsy-Tacy!

Krista Barrett saw this licence plate on Arline Mues car and envied it for the ten years they have been friends. Arline has had one for so long that she can't remember where she got it, but it has been transferred to all her new cars. The Southern California Betsy Tacy group talked about the idea of making these for a couple of years at our chapter gatherings, and this year Krista just happened to find somebody in Duarte who made them up for them! The So Cal chapter has underwritten the purchase of these plate holders for the convention, and they are really hoping that there will be a profit to donate to the houses. The holders will be for sale at the convention. You can even have them shipped home for you!

Betsy and Tacy Run Over the Big Hill 5K Run!

Runner and all around nice girl Susan Albrecht has set up a fun run for conventioneers! Here is the info.

Sunday, July 19, 7:30 am

We will gather & start from the corner of Main St. & Broad St., which is about two blocks E of the Holiday Inn and 4 blocks NE of the Hilton Gardens. This is where Betsy’s beloved Carnegie Public Library is located, although it’s now an Art Center. Plan to arrive between 7:15 and 7:20, with the event beginning at 7:30. We will proceed SW along Broad St., passing St. John’s Episcopal Church and Carney’s house, and coming to Lincoln Park, that pie-shaped piece of lawn that marks the entrance to Betsy’s neighborhood. Up Center St.(“Hill St.”) we will go until we reach Betsy’s & Tacy’s houses. Turn left up the Big Hill for the steepest challenge of the course and then head back down, where there will be a water stop set up on The Bench. From there, we’ll wind our way past Tib’s house and along Pleasant, Willard and State Streets, down onto Front St., where Mr. Ray’s shoe store once stood. As we find our way along Liberty St. and along 4^th St., we’ll pass the homes of silent Dave Hunt and those cute Hutchinson brothers. We will end where we began, which makes the course 5K or 3.1 miles.

If you typically run an 8:00 pace, you should be able to complete the course in approximately 25:00; if a 10:00 pace, in approximately 31:00; if a 12:00 pace, 37:00. If your plan is to walk briskly, plan on 45:00, and if you like to stroll, closer to an hour.

You can see the course at Runner's World Training Log.

See you there!

Velvet Truffles - I Personally Can't Wait!

What if at some point, Betsy and Tacy had moved their families back to Deep Valley and bought the candy store from Mrs. Chubbock? They clear out the last lonely chocolate men and jawbreakers, and instead stock handcrafted truffles and sweets? Betsy still writes, and Tacy is still busy with the babies, but they set aside some time each day to indulge in a little "Everything Pudding" experimentation with fine chocolate, fresh cream and butter and delicious flavorings. (I guess we should also assume Tib is in charge of the test kitchen!)

Maybe they'd call their company Velvet Truffles, after the luxurious mouthfeel of the fresh chocolates?

Velvet Truffles is the sweet concoction of Jennifer Emery and Kelly Burgess Mayer. It is indeed hard for them to remember a time when they were not friends, and their chocolate business gives them the opportunity to exercise their creativity and indulge in valuable girl time together. They handcraft every truffle from Belgian chocolate and fresh cream, then pack them in beautiful beribboned boxes.

Jennifer and Kelly started Velvet Truffles three years ago, offering boxed truffle collections and bagged sweets at Chicago-area holiday fairs. Since that time, they have expanded to offer custom party favors, and in June achieved their own personal "essay contest" win when they were hired to provide four hundred custom boxes of truffles for the Morton Arboretum's Summer Gala.

Kelly is a lifelong Betsy-Tacy fan, and is pleased to be bringing Velvet Truffles to the convention. They will be offering Betsy-Tacy themed truffles and sweets. Save room after Sunday Night Lunch for a "Backyard Maple" truffle, or perhaps a "Mrs. Ray's Violet" truffle. Nosh on some Everything Chocolate Bark or Dark Chocolate dipped Tart Cherries.

Visit their website at www.velvettruffles.com, and their blog at www.velvettruffles.blogspot.com

[Thanks to Kelly and Jennifer for this post!]