*NEW* My Funny Valentine

To create this design, I studied pictures of antique samplers in my digital collection, looking for borders and bands that would suit. I also copied or adapted some bands from my blackwork band sampler “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”, so that the pair could be displayed as a set or alternately fill the same spot in your house. I then added some key phrases from a favorite Valentine song, written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1937 for the musical Babes in Arms…

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favourite work of art

Is your figure less than greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine stay
Each day is valentines day

Stitch Count: 125 x 233

Model stitched on Picture This Plus 36ct. Sand

The Gentle Art floss: 0511 Country Redwood

(3 five yard skeins needed when stitched with one thread over two)

The lovely frame is an antique.

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will be going out to my distributors and the shops on my automatic shipments list soon. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com

Merry Christmas!

And behold, on that morning so long ago,
came the Child that changed everything.

 From my family to yours... 

when life is hard and your stability is threatened,

when it seems the storms will knock you right off of your feet,

when the festivity-filled days of Christmas are long gone
and held only in memory,

our prayer is that you will know true Love, Joy, Peace;

that lasting Comfort will fill your hearts today and every day.

Lately

A little Mexican Nativity- Souvenir of my Youth, Tarnish and Twinkle Lights, Knit Stockings, Christmas Songbooks, Fun Times with my Band, Low-lit Barn, Forestry People from across the State (award not given for tall-ness), Bitter Cold, Future Holiday Trees lit in the Night, Glowing House and Stars, Crabapples Hanging on despite Winter, Festive Shadows on the Ceiling, and the Girl and I out for a Frosty Walk ("Wook, Mama! My Shadow is almost as big as yours!").

Oh... and you're going to love it... this stitcher, having removed lamp from beside the stitching chair to make room for the Christmas tree, can now be found most evenings, working her fingers by headlamp light... gotta keep those priorities in perspective, eh?

 You can thank the Farmboy and his fancy phone for this picture.

Coming Soon...

My Funny Valentine (a redwork band sampler) is nearly completed, with (fingers crossed) a release date of December 26th. Something to look forward to filling in your post-Christmas slump.

Eight

I don't know how it happens, this swift passing of time.

One day he's small and snuggled in my arms, and the next, he's grown so big he can knock me down with his exuberant hugging if I don't brace my feet in a hurry. Still sweet as honey and growing more clever by the second, my baby boy, the one that scared us with his early, so-tiny entrance into the world, is officially eight years old today.

My sweet Boy, I love you to all the Super Mario Galaxies and back.
Happy You Day!

Traditions

I started a new tradition last year, one that the kids and I are enjoying immensely.

Instead of using the classic Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas, we have a stack of holiday and Winter-themed books all wrapped up, waiting to be opened and read, one per day.

After they've been opened and read, they go into an old crock, where they are easy to grab and read again, as many times as desired.

I eliminated a few of the books from last year, for various reasons, and therefore got to add a few new titles. Based on some of your recommendations and my own searching, we added A Wish for Wings that Work by Berkely Breathed, Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray, Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black, and Owl Moon by Jane Yolen.

If you're interested, you can check out my Advent Bookshelf over at Goodreads to see the complete list.

Here we'll be, every evening around 7:30 Pacific Time, cozied up with our backs to the fire, embarking on another winter-y adventure.

Adventures

If you like a good show, complete with lasers, dry ice, strobe lights, pyrotechnics, and fireworks... If you're a fan of electric guitars, crazy-talented piano players, and amazing rock vocals... If you're a sucker for all things Christmas... Then get you to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show stat!

The Farmboy and I used to go every other year or so, just the two of us, and have been waiting somewhat impatiently until we thought both kids were old enough to enjoy the show. This year was finally the year, and not a single one of us was disappointed.

Lately

Early sunsets far to the Southern horizon, those two sweetest faces, the return of Winter's birds and frost, a Thankfulness Tree, piano ivories waiting to be tickled, artwork and chores, the Farmboy's abandoned coffee mug, frozen birdbath, steaming pasta pot, fifteen years' wear on the handrail, a warm fire, my instrument of choice, and a little something wintery for your desktop background.