Primitives by Kathy

Primitives by Kathy began in 1997 with one simple handmade creation. Founder Kathy Phillips designed a primitive wooden candle box, carefully sanding its edges and finishing the wire handles with ribbon by hand. What started as a single piece inspired by the primitive decorating style Kathy loved quickly grew into a much larger collection. Over the years, Primitives by Kathy has expanded far beyond its original wooden boxes while keeping the approachable personality, creativity and slightly imperfect charm that made those early designs so appealing.

Today, the world of Primitives by Kathy is remarkably varied. Wood signs and chunky sitters share space with fabric dolls, felt critters, ornaments, paper decorations, garlands, kitchen textiles, tabletop accessories and seasonal accents. Halloween can be nostalgic, spooky or funny, with ghosts, skeletons, black cats, witches and pumpkin people appearing across everything from vintage-inspired paper decorations to folk art figures. Christmas brings snowmen, Santas, reindeer and cheerful mice, while Easter bunnies, Thanksgiving turkeys, patriotic stars and Valentine's hearts make it easy for collectors to carry the PBK personality through the changing seasons.

Part of that variety comes from the artists whose work appears throughout the Primitives by Kathy collection. Dan DiPaolo brings a wonderfully nostalgic folk art sensibility to wooden characters and seasonal designs, while Michele Kixmiller, Kari Emerson, Phil Chapman, Cathy Heck Studios and other artists contribute their own distinctive voices. This mix allows PBK to move comfortably between primitive country décor, vintage holiday imagery, playful character art and contemporary seasonal decorating without being confined to a single look.

Collectors can have especially good fun mixing these different personalities together. A Halloween shelf might combine wooden pumpkin sitters with felt mice, accordion paper ghosts and vintage-inspired black cat decorations, while Christmas can layer snowmen, ornaments, signs and fabric characters among bottle brush trees and greenery. Because many Primitives by Kathy pieces are smaller tabletop accents, they're also useful for filling those little spaces between larger collectibles and tying a seasonal display together.

Why Buy Primitives by Kathy from Traditions?

Primitives by Kathy is one of those collections we appreciate for its sheer variety. Some pieces are nostalgic, others are humorous, and still others bring the work of individual artists into an affordable seasonal format. That makes PBK especially useful for collectors who enjoy changing their displays throughout the year or adding smaller finishing touches around larger folk art and holiday pieces.

Serving collectors since 1994, Traditions is a family-owned holiday store with a carefully curated selection of Primitives by Kathy décor across Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and patriotic celebrations. Our team personally inspects items as they arrive and photographs our products in-house so you can get a clear look at their colors, finishes and decorative details. With hundreds of PBK designs and numerous contributing artists to explore, our knowledgeable customer service team is always happy to help you find a particular character, theme or coordinating piece.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the artist behind Primitives by Kathy?

Primitives by Kathy was founded by Kathy Phillips, who created the company's first handmade primitive candle box in 1997. Today, PBK has grown into a much broader design company and also collaborates with numerous artists. At Traditions, collectors can find Primitives by Kathy pieces featuring artwork and designs from Dan DiPaolo, Michele Kixmiller, Kari Emerson, Phil Chapman, Cathy Heck Studios and others, giving the overall collection a wide range of artistic styles.

What holidays does Primitives by Kathy make decorations for?

Primitives by Kathy creates décor for celebrations throughout the year. Christmas and Halloween are especially well represented, but collectors can also find Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and patriotic decorations, along with select everyday pieces. This broad seasonal assortment makes PBK particularly appealing to collectors who enjoy changing tabletop, mantel, shelf and kitchen displays throughout the year.

What coordinates well with Primitives by Kathy holiday décor?

Because PBK encompasses several artistic styles, coordinating pieces depends on the look you're creating. Vintage-inspired Halloween signs, paper decorations and pumpkin characters work naturally with folk art Halloween collectibles, bottle brush trees and nostalgic black cat décor. Christmas snowmen and Santas can be mixed with retro Christmas decorations, greenery and ornaments, while primitive wood pieces coordinate beautifully with rustic and country-inspired displays. Repeating a few colors or characters is often enough to connect pieces from different PBK artists into one collected seasonal scene.