My Home is Built in Glory... BRAND NEW Sampler Pattern Release

Remember the tease from several weeks ago? Many of you have asked when I will release that pattern, and finally, here it is!

This sampler was inspired by a girl I know who is learning to stitch samplers. The vining flower border is similar to one that I saw once on an antique... I just love how fresh and Spring-y it looks.

The quote was also taken from an old sampler. It reads:

"Lord let the Son-shine of Thy face
So clear my Eyes and Clense my heart
That being seasoned with thy grace
My soul may tast how sweet Thou art"

I stitched the model on 28 count even-weave linen; finished size is approximately 15 by 13 inches, and the stitch count is 220 by 200.

Isn't the frame gorgeous? It was made by the talented people at Valley House Primitives, and I just love how it enhances the sampler.

The pattern comes with a fully detailed & professional thread chart, a color photograph, and instructions on how to stain the finished sampler. It will come enclosed in a plastic zip-close envelope for safe keeping.

I have a handful of them listed in my etsy shop, but you can also contact me directly to buy if you don't have an account there... beth@heartstringsamplery.com

Life

Life is so very precious.

Savor it.

Soak in the sweet, dear, presence of your loved ones.

Do not take one single day with them for granted.

Today, I am...

Overheard from the Bathtub

"Fly away, Stanley! Be Free!" (said to a lego, which apparently resembles Stanley?)

"And the rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down, in rushing rising Piglets" (sung exactly in tune, perfect pitch and rythm, just not *quite* the right ending word!)


Overheard during Sesame Street:

"K (Katie), I can't see froo your head!"

When your Farm Fresh Eggs Smile Back at You

you know its going to be a great day!


And it was... even though we started out once again, with snow.

We set out after breakfast for the drive to meet my Sister's baby girl, and our little guy couldn't stop talking about his new cousin. By the time we arrived in the city (Portland is not too far above sea level, whereas we are near 2000 ft. elevation), there were signs of spring EVERYWHERE... Flowering Plum trees! Forsythia! Daffodils! Magnolia/Tulip trees! and the Willows were turning a gorgeous chartreuse green.

The sweet baby is SO VERY tiny... just like a little doll. We made a stop on the way to the hospital at a Wal-Mart, because I remembered that they were about the only place when our early boy was born where I could find a selection of preemie clothes. Hopeful that the tiny new girl would have some pretty things that would fit her, we arrived bearing gifts. I got to hold her for a few minutes before my own baby girl decided she couldn't share my arms any longer:

She just wasn't sure what to think of the baby:

But my boy couldn't stop looking at her, and patting her, and saying, "awwwwwwwww". He was so proud to get to "hold" her (notice all the supporting hands!), and when she cried out then settled again, he said, "Mama! I calmed her!"

It truly is a blessing and an honor to be able to welcome a new little PERSON into the world, isn't it? And I know that my little Miss will be very glad in a few years that she isn't so outnumbered by the boys anymore.

There's Always a Silver Lining

Okay, so we woke up to snow yesterday, and I thought surely it would be all downhill from there, but just after lunchtime I got the call...
my sister Kim had her baby, and its a Girl cousin for Katie!
Here she is in all her newborn sweetness:

Everlyn Holly Rose meets her big brother Donny (supervised by Daddy!):

She's a teensy thing, just 5 pounds 9 ounces, a few ounces bigger than Jack was when we brought him home. I am going to have to dig through Katie's baby clothes to see if she has any preemie sized frocks to loan her cousin!

We'll be making the 1 hour drive up to Vancouver on Friday so that the cousins can get acquainted, and so Auntie Beth can hold a newborn baby that she doesn't have to wake up in the night to feed. :)

From Godey's Ladys Book, circa 1860's, here's a little something in celebration of little girls:

In Like a Lion..... Out Like a Lion

I know its April Fools Day, so surely the joke is on me, right?

We woke to a dusting of snow this morning.

Ha, Ha... joke's over... you can stop giving me winter weather now.

Hello? Anyone?

Welcome Spring! Free Chart

Okay, so I just had to take a break from chart printing, and what better way to clear my mind than to make a little freebie "Welcome Spring" chart for you? Its not in my usual sampler-ish style, but it would make a great pincushion or fob or whatever... you are all so creative... surprise me with your finishes!

You should be able to click on the chart and on the legend and save them both as images. Feel free to stitch away and share this chart, but please remember to give credit to me as the designer.

Just Because...

I'm too busy assembling patterns and shopping for a new diaper pail to post anything coherent. So, without further ado, I give you... my babies:


How can anyone resist at least a little smile?

My Big News

I can now let you in on my most recent exciting news...

Hoffman Distributing Company will now be carrying my designs! They placed their first order just this morning, and I can tell you that I have some serious pattern printing to take care of.

So the next time you are in your local needlework shop, ask them to order Heartstring Primitives cross stitch patterns. I will continue to sell direct, and will keep them in my etsy shop too, but I'm excited to be able to get into those little corners of the world that previously were unreacheable for me.

My next big project will be to create my own web site, but all in due time...