PLUM STREET SAMPLERS

Usurped

There's only one thing worse than having one's identity stolen...

 

...and that's having one's stitching spot stolen. The would-be princess has even pulled down an extra pillow to lay on.

 

I now have a twitch that won't go away.

And equally to my horror, it has come to my attention that I've made a mistake in the "bok bok" freebie I posted yesterday. There is a symbol mix-up and a color is missing (you'll also need DMC 712, which is cream). I've uploaded the correct file to yesterday's post, so if you already printed it out, you have my apologies! Thank you, Bonnie, for letting me know. :)

I am now off to search for the Royal Squirt Bottle. I've got a title to reclaim. 

I'm Thankful...

...for friends like you! I hope you enjoy this free pattern - and don't go into shock that I've actually got something ready to go before the holiday arrives!

(Be sure to click on the link and not the actual image or your pattern won't download properly!)

Download Bok bok complimentary chart (corrected on Nov. 8)

An Apple a Day

I've spent quite a bit of time at the doctor with my husband lately, who is undergoing some tests, and now we've joined the ranks of those waiting for results. Mike has been under an enormous amount of stress with his mother, and now himself, but we're praying and very happy that the Lord already knows what the outcome will be, so we can take comfort in that.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for another blog post! I'm sure those turkey turnovers I posted last have grown mold!  Here's a freebie to say thank you for checking back. :)

Please don't click on the image itself, bc it won't print properly. Click here instead: Download Hares' Visit

I'll be back when I can! :)

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MelodyHeck: Thank you! I love my chairs... they're by Broyhill, which is my very favorite brand of furniture. I love everything they make!!

Breanna: Because we went to Texas Roadhouse instead, duhh!!!! Now what's better... hot rolls with cinnamon butter and steak and loaded sweet potatoes, or turkey cheese turnovers?

Constantina H: Sophie will be THRILLED to hear that, as her goal in life is to be famous. Nevermind that she refuses to perform or speak in front of anyone. She'll figure out a way to become famous without that. Here's a picture of her with her new haircut! :)

Bea's Bunny

Thank you, Bea, for sending me a picture of your lovely finish! She did a beautiful job on the Hare's Mothers Day freebie, choosing to leave the words off. I love it!

And speaking of stitching, I haven't been able to keep up with a regular one-hour-per-day schedule for working on Dutch Beauty like I had been doing (it's "crunch time" right now, with market looming), but I've still made some progress. I finished the page with the stag on it, and have moved on to the next section! I'm thrilled to death, and have continued to enjoy this project since starting this "new pace," suggested by my mother.  I found that by limiting (or allowing!) myself an hour per day, this project ceased to be a chore for me. Who needs another chore in her life?

Pictures soon! In the meantime, I've got legions of charts to print and bag. Wanna come over and help? I'll put on the coffee! 

Thank You

Today marks the first anniversary of my blog here at Typepad, and I want to let each of you know how much fun I've had getting to know you, and how I've enjoyed every one of your comments. It's so nice to know I'm not talking to myself (for a change), and I want you to know how much I appreciate each of you. I also thank those of you who simply read my ramblings and choose not to comment - I'm so happy you take the time to visit me, and I hope you continue to do so.

To celebrate my blogiversary, I'm inviting you all to leave a comment for me (or email me if you can't leave a comment) under this post, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win 5 Plum Street Samplers charts of your choosing. I'll randomly select one winner tomorrow (Monday), and will announce it then. If no one comments, I'll just pay my kids to tell me that they read my blog faithfully, and they can rummage through the Plum Street charts to their hearts' content. 

If you'd like your name entered twice, simply post about this drawing on your blog, and email me with your blog's url. The only rules are that they have to be charts that have already been released, and you must be at least 1 year old to win. :)

Thank you again, and enjoy this freebie:

Download A Trifle from a Friend complimentary chart

Shared Finishes

Thank you to Cecile from Belgium for sending me a photo of her finished project! I love the way she pulled a portion of the Hares' Easter freebie and turned it into a thread ring and scissors keep!

And I'd also like to thank Denise from France for sending me her Twilight pincushion photos... ahhhh, another Twilighter! Denise, you're making me impatient for New Moon to be released!

Lovely finishes! Thank you both so much!

Guess what... I actually FINISHED the Adam and Eve model today!!! This morning at 8:54, to be exact. I'm thinking of calling it Paradise Lost, since several of you suggested I use the word "Paradise" in the title somewhere. I suppose it beats just calling it A&E, although that is most likely what I'll always refer to it as. :) I'll be ironing it up and shipping it out to Valley House Primitives for the frame either today or Monday, but before that I'll be sure to post some more sneaky-peekies (as Margaret would say).

I hope you all have a fantastic Independence Day weekend! Stop back by tomorrow for a new patriotic freebie! It's an unusual one. ;)

Shared Finishes

I love it when you all share your finishes with me! 

This was finished by Conny for her daughter's birthday... gorgeous finish!

This Quaker Third Month was sent in by Dora... I love her March display!

And here is In God We Trust, sent in by Julie of Reflections Gallery, right here in Nebraska!

I also have this lovely finish to share with you, but for the life of me, I can't find the email that was sent in with the photos. I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies to whoever sent these to me, bc I certainly never intended to not give credit where it's due! 

At first, I thought I had already posted them, but looking back through my archives, I don't think that I did. But I thank you so much for sharing your lovely finish with me. :)

*Edited to add: Cari emailed me to let me know that the above photos were post by none other than stitcher-finisher-extraordinaire YUKO! I did indeed recognize that the finishing looked exactly like something Yuko would do, but I didn't want to chance it. (Now where on earth did that email go??? My apologies, Yuko!)  Thank you, Cari, for letting me know, and thank you to Yuko for such beautiful work. :)

I'm back at work on my A&E model, and I see the light at the end of the tunnel! The chart is 10 pages long, and I'm down to the last 3. Woohooooo!!!! I also have another design waiting to be stitched, and 2 more on the drawing board. For those of you who have been asking about the yet-to-be-designed Hares' Autumn and Hares' Winter, I hope to have them finished and ready to go by September. I'm so happy you like the little Hare Family. I feel so very blessed that I've gotten such a warm response to them!

Happy Stitching - and Finishing!

My Daddy

I loved it when the kids were little and they'd wrap their tiny arms around Mike and say, "My daddy!" And then I'd tease them and say, "No, he's my daddy!" It would turn into a giggling tug-of-war, and eventually the girls would win.

Here's one of my very favorite "dad" pictures, taken a little over a year ago... Sophie wasn't having a very good day, and her daddy just let her rest quietly against him. I didn't want to interrupt them, but I just couldn't resist capturing the moment.

If only every little girl could have a daddy like this. I know I do.

To celebrate Father's Day, here's a free chart for you.

May you all have a lovely day!

Download Hare's Fathers Day

Second Wind

Things are finally winding down around here, and I feel like I just may have a bit more time on my hands these days. I feel my energy slowly returning, and for that I am sooo glad! I'm sure that when the sun decides to finally come back to Nebraska, I'll feel even better.. so to get ready for those hot, sunny summer days, here's a little free chart for you. While this is not normally my "style," I guess it's what came to be for the moment. Just in time for the 4th! Maybe a little pincushion, or doorknob ornament? 

I'll be back soon with a sneak peek at my latest design... which is about half finished. Ugh!

Download In God We Trust freebie

Crazy Rabbits

I've been receiving some photos of some beautiful finishes lately by a few different readers, and I'd love to share them with you! I love it when people show me their finished pieces, and it's especially fun when color changes are made - each one is a new surprise.

First, we have a couple of finishes from Heike. She's from Germany, and is the sweetest person!

 

And here is Heike, with her mother - followed by the Hare's Mothers Day freebie she stitched for her as well!

 

 

The next photo was sent in by Anna, from Poland! She has a wonderful blog, here: Anna's This and That.  She did a beautiful job on Hares' Easter:

 

I love the brighter colors she used!

And finally, we have Jolene, from the US of A. :) She stitched Hare's Mothers Day for a friend's mother, which I think was so kindhearted of her to do. Jolene lost her own mom 4 years ago, which is something I can't even begin to imagine. Thank you so much for sharing your finish with me, Jolene!

 

Thank you all for sending in your photos! I love seeing them, and each one is beautifully done!