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!]

In the meantime...

While we are waiting to get some information from our last few vendors to show you what you can expect to see at the convention, I thought I would highlight a blog I have been reading, or rather viewing, called Shorpy.

According to their info - Shorpy.com, History in HD is a vintage photography blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago."

This high school graduation photo is from "Washington, D.C., circa 1910. "Eastern High School." Points of interest in this unusually detailed portrait include caps and insignia of the High School Cadet Corps, Company F, and a cat."

They put up new photos nearly every day and they are all fascinating!

And now for something completely gorgeous!

Melody Murray is a bead artist. These are some of her Betsy Tacy inspired work. The beautiful necklace above is called "Herbarium" and was obviously inspired by her love for Mr. Gaston. The necklace encircling Julia's return is named "Dramatic and Mysterious" which it certainly is. The extraordinary choker at the bottom of the page is called "Murmuring Lake".

You can see more of Melody's work like "Pink Silk Necklace" and my vote for best name - "Miss Fowler's Restrained Rhinestone Necklace and Earrings Set in Brass". Melody has little stories for all her Maud inspired jewelry. She has been published on Bead & Button Website, in Step By Step Beads magazine and in Beading Bead-A-Day Calendars 2009 & 2010 for which she won second prize in 2010. She has also participated in juried exhibitions in Oregon and Washington. And we are going to be able to see all of her beautiful creations at the Convention! If you just can't wait for more feel free to visit her bead blog or her esty shop.

Mirthful in Mankato

In the continuing series of posts about the vendors for the convention - I bring you Mary Huntly. The picture on Tacy's porch is of the Blue Garter Gang. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? I will let you read about it here.

Mary described herself and her books (which she will be selling at the convention) to the DVC like this:

I grew up in Mankato, MN and went to school here from nursery school through college, left for a few years, came back and have lived here full-time since 1970. From the age of 2 years old until 6 years old I lived in Tib's house. Some of us who lived there over the years are gathering May 9 to share stories from Tib's porch.

I retired early (2001) from my faculty position in the School of Nursing at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Since that time I have participated in writing and publishing three books, two of which I would love to be able to have on display and available for purchase during the July Convention.

One book is titled: A Mirthful Spirit: Embracing Laughter for Wellness, published 2007. My co-author, Edna Thayer, and I are both retired nurses and write about the benefits of laughter for healing and wellness. In February Edna Thayer and I did a presentaton at Tacy's House and I told some stories about the Mirthful Spirits of Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. In March I was invited to attend the Young Writer's Conference and assist with a breakout session related to Betsy, Tacy, and Tib books. I shared some of my writing and related it to BTT stories. More info is on our web site, A Mirthful Spirit.

The second book is titled: Amazing Attributes of Aging: Silly & Sacred Stories of Blue Garter Friends. My longtime friend, Judy Strand Appel and I are the lead co-authors of the book. The Blue Garter Friends consist of 36 girls who grew up in Mankato (Deep Valley) and went to elementary, junior and senior high school together. After graduating from high school we all planned to go to college. We wanted to stay connected as our friendships had grown so important to us over the years--just like the Betsy, Tacy, Tib girl friends. We formed the Blue Garter Group and the book tells our story. Now, most of us have retired and we have developed a unique section of the book that relates to aging. We have selected 3 words from each letter of the alphabet that depict aging women. Quotes from well known women enhance this dictionary style section of the book. Our group now consists of 27 women who stay connected. Fifteen of us wrote stories for the book. Recipes from our annual gatherings are included. One of our blue garter friends is a watercolor artist and created the painting of the blue garter used on the cover of the book. More info is on our web site Amazing Aging.

Doesn't she sound great? I personally can't wait to meet her at the convention. She had me at "I lived in Tib's house" - the great attitude on aging is just a bonus!

Next up, Melody Murray - bead artist and voracious reader.