Shorttakes

 

Okay, thanks!  We will!  You know how we love our cupcakes while we're at the Market!  Of course, today we spent a large chunk of time looking for a specific cupcake place....that's in ST LOUIS!!!  Yeah, talk about your mixed markets! 

But now, we're gonna get down to business.

So Friday night is "preview night", aka get a jumpstart on your work night!  We generally try to hit the places that have limited edition items (assuming they're open ~ which several were not this time.....).  But I'll give ya more yip yap about our daily adventures later on.  Right now, we need to move along.

And tonight's feature is....

 

SAMPLERS!

 

I know I've scattered some samplers thru earlier emails, but now I'm gonna focus in on the ones we've seen & the ones we're going to see!

 

So, Lori's booth is always one of the first ones on our list!  Sure, we love her designs & yes, she always has a wonderful collection of new stuff...BUT, she's also from Racine, Wisconsin ~ home of....KRINGLE!!  And she always brings one!  So tonight I was FIRST in line.  This year's offering was Cherry Almond.  Yummo! 

Oh.  And there was some cross stitch stuff too.

 

   

Aunt Amy's House - One of my faves!!  I love this house!  Isn't it awesome the way the ivy is growing up the front of it?

Summertime Roll Up - This is her Limited Edition kit and it is gorgeous!  Love the happy pup up by the house!

 

Cat & Dog - these are darling!  And I have to tell ya, they are MUCH CUTER than they look here!

 

      

Me & You - So, my college roommate would give me hell for this one, "are you mean?". Huh? "Mean you".  Yep, she was a grammar girl (I learned more grammar from her than my English teachers).  HOWEVER, this is a really pretty sampler!

Where My Heart Is - Another pretty little sampler.  Very primitive & delicate.

 

Tonight we got to Gloria's booth, and we're loitering not so patiently, trying to see the new stuff, and then I realize that it's Jeannette Douglas standing in front of it all!!  So I totally gave her grief (especially because she had what appeared to be a WONDERFUL DRINK and she didn't bring any to share!).  But at last, we crowded her out & got to see the new stuff & guess what?  There's a sampler all about me!!

 

Mary Ann Lynn Sampler (aka, Procrastination - a beautiful reproduction sampler with a honeysuckle border (thanks, Molly), & a vers that reads, "Be wise to-day, 'tis madness to deter  Next day the fatal precedent will plead,  Thus on, till wisdome is push'd out of line.  Procrastination is the thief of time"  Yes, a good lesson to learn.  Maybe one day I will!  Nah, I'd rather stitch!

 

   

Two awesome new kits!  They come with the spools, fabric, silk floss & on the left you get the deer scissor fob, on the right you get the pincushion & pins!

Garden Visit - I think it looks like these 2 had a date to meet up under the purple flower tree!

Rabbit Run - This one is ADORABLE! Love this bunny!

 

   

Spring Pyn Pillow - this is just a sweet little pinpillow with really pretty colors!

To Friends Far Away - This lovely little sampler is wonderful to make for friends who live far away....

 

Karen's designs never fail to delight us, and as always, this year is no exception.  However, this year, she has one of my favorites from the whole show (& it's only Friday night!).

 

 

   

Seaside Sampler - Words cannot express how much I love this sampler!! Jewel-tone sea blue colors, ocean theme motifs, I especially LOVE the Mariners Compass/Knot toward the top.  And of course, the anchor!  This is really beautiful!

    

Patriotic Quilt - OKAY, LOVE LOVE LOVE this.  The preamble sits in the center, and all around the outside are panels containing the names of every signer of the Constitution, followed by their state. Hilariously, as I was reading it & figuring out who these names were, my first thought (having gone to high school in Delaware) was, "Huh.  It's a list of high schools in Delaware".  No moron!  The high schools were named after the signers! 

      

Friendship Quilt - Beautiful colors, quilt blocks even Molly could do, & lovely verses on growing a good friend!  So so wonderful!!

 

   

Just Peachy - I love the twist on a tradtional band sampler ~ how fun is it that the bands are vertical instead of horizontal?  And the peachy colors are lovely!

 

 

Samplers Not Forgotten

Can't wait to see our girl Kimberly!  We've missed seeing her at the shop since she moved away, so we've got lots of catching up to do!  Also, gotta get her awesome new designs!!

 

   

Parents Love Sampler - I LOVE this sampler!  There are so many interesting things in it!  I'd have to say my favorite (aside from all th critters in the yard!) ist the brick building/path on the right side.  And the border.

Sarah Podd - This is so eyecatching!  It's certainly a traditional sampler, but with such an abundance of yellow, it is very different!

 

    

Summer Garden Sampler - LOVE this sentiment.  I've never heard it before but it is wonderful!

Joyful Easter - Aaaahhh!!!  So cute!  But still has a bit of a samplery feel!  Love it!

 

You may recognize Janice's company as the creator of the cute waxers with the hilarious names!  But she is also an accomplished designer!

Sarah Chapman Sampler - Janice prefaces this description by saying "Must love Eyelets".  This gorgeous (& huge!) sampler is full of them.  Fortunately, they're easy to do!

 

Once again, we were delighted to meet one of our longtime mailorder customers at Market as a designer!  Tinka has begun reproducing some stunning samplers & we are sure you'll love them as much as we do!

 

   

Leontine De Hert Sampler - I love this sampler done all in red!  Very striking.

Anonymous Sampler or Fleur de Lys Sampler - This one is really pretty!

 

   

Elizabeth Bordman -  Molly loves the big flower in the middle of this one.  I like the border!

Maria Bowen - Another of Molly's faves ~ you can't really see it in this picture, but the house is really textured & the motive above the house (that I thought was like a schoolbell) is actually a really pretty beehive!  Molly, of course, likes the deer at the top & the fact that the house is yellow!  Another pretty honeysuckle border!

 

Can't wait to see Linda tomorrow!  Her designs are always enchanting & this year appears to be no exception.

 

   

Delaware Stitch Book - this darling design was originally created as a teaching piece for the Delaware Sampler Guild (& a bunch of y'all are saying, "yeah, we took the class"!).  Now finally the rest of us get to add it to our stash!

American Stag Pinpillow - this is a kit that comes with the chart, linen & threads.  Finish it as this sweet pinpillow or frame it if you like!  I love the log cabin house & the looooonnngg flag!

 

   

Grant House Sampler - Celebrating General Ulysses S. Grant, the verse could not be more timely.

A Gathering of Sheep - LOVE LOVE LOVE this one!  The little sheep on their hills look darling finished on this caddy from Doodlin' Around, and the little needlebook & scissor fob are just too cute!

 

   

Flag of Glory Needleroll - Look at all the cool stitches she's used in the red & white stripes! 

Friendship Garden - I want my thistles to grow this tall!  But I guess I'll have to settle for stitching this!

 

Always, always love Tanya's designs & I can't wait to see her newest ones "in real life"!

 

     

Sarah Redfearn Sampler - FAVORITE!!  I love everything about this ~ great border, awesome basket, love all the flowers & a beautiful verse.

Mary Linley Sampler - Aaahh, for all you bird sampler folks (Phyllis!), this is gorgeous!  I don't generally love the "dead" verses, but I have to say, this one I like.

 

   

Find Comfort - This is such a pretty little design and a great verse.  Wouldn't it be a nice housewarming gift?

Coverlet Candle Mat - Another beautiful design adapted from an old woven coverlet.  So pretty!

 

 

       Centerpoint - LOVE this!  I love the unique way she's offset the center square against the 4 outer designs. The center square could even be stitched alone as a pinpillow  or (over 1) as a little fob!

Patriotic Scissor Pocket -   Love the stoneware crock on the pocket & the flowers are just bursting out of it!  

 

     

Mary Cook Sampler - A very pretty Adam & Eve sampler to add to your collection.  Check out the huge antlers on the deer.

Scarlett Hornbook - Lots of fun stitches to play with on this sweet little hornbook. A good learning piece.

 

Needlework Press always has gorgeous samplers & other fun things to excite us.  We can't wait to see their models!

 

   

Catharine Isabella Suliss Sampler - This is a really lovely sampler!  Love the colors in it.

1896 Alpha-Block Sampler - This one just speaks "West" to me!  Very different, very cool!

 

   

Dearest Momma - This is the sweetest sentiment & every Momma would love her little one to say this!

Color Outside the Lines - Now you know, with my addiction to coloring books, my heart reached right out to this design.  So fun!

 

Time to Stitch - It's ALWAYS time to stitch somewhere!

 

NEEDLEMADE

Love the fun & lovely new designs headed our way!

   

Jane Attree Sampler - Is this not a fun & different way to finish a little sampler  We love it! The tray comes from Priscilla's Pocket & is stunningly well-made.

Christmas Delivery - A fun, quick to stitch little design.  We like it finished in this box, but it would be a sweet little pillow too!

 

Sarah Sophia Haigh Sampler - Another lovely addition to your Adam & Eve collection.  Great border on this one & I love those big birds & the black & white lamb!

 

So, today Molly & I had a WONDERFUL day poking around in "downtown" Franklin.  Franklin is a a quaint little town with a Main Street filled with fun shops & boutiques.  Naturally, we have our favorite!  It's called Philanthropy & it is absolutely full of fun & interesting clothes, jewelry & inspiring little pieces.  What I happen to like even more is that their store was created to support charities, both at home & far away.  Today I overheard a shopper say to one of the gals working there, "Wow, your stuff is just like Anthropologie, only cheaper".  Um, yeah, that was a really tacky thing to say.  Why is it that when people go on vacation, they leave their filter at home?  Anyway, the gal helping her said, "Yes, but we invite Jesus in.  Wwe sell things we think our customers will like, we keep our profit margin low & a good deal of our profits go to support charity.  We're so happy you found things you like."  100 gold stars to her!  And of course, because their things aren't outrageously expensive, what happened?  Instead of getting 1 expensive thing, we each left with a big bag full & a warm feeling from spending time with some lovely ladies (even though they insisted on calling Molly "Wendy"!).

 

But soon it was time to work & work we did.  It's now 1:30AM Central Time (as you know, just about the right time for me to send a newsletter!), & below is a picture of a tiny portion of our nighttime fuel!!

 

Until tomorrow (or, actually, later today)....

 

Hugs & stitches ~

Beth, Molly & all the achy, breaky bodies at TSS