And the "Winner" is...

Welcome friends and neighbors to a beautiful

September day!

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for leaving such

wonderful comments for the gift giveaway drawing!

It was very touching to read what others are

most thankful for...thank you again for sharing!

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for,

whose name was drawn? 

Congratulations to Julie at My Primitive Heart!

I'm looking forward to sending this little beaded 

pumpkin pinkeep off to you!

I'll be making several other original handwork pinkeeps to  

 give as gift giveaways in the next several months.

♦

The second release for

The Sheepish Needle Samplar Club is coming up

quickly...scheduled ship date is the week of October 20th.

My many thoughts are gathering together on paper,

and I'm even pretty sure what the title is 

going to be and the Civil War fabric!

I'm so excited to get going on the model, 

will keep you posted with updates.

♦

I still have a few "oop" (out of print) patterns available 

 from my days as the shopkeeper of 

Salem Stitchery & Antiques...

The Book of Spells by The Goode Huswife ~ 2009

and

Gone, but never forgotten the wonderful 

designs of the talented late 

Lisa Roswell of The Primitive Needle...

The Olde Settlement ~ 2010

Flatheads Embrace ~ 2010

Mehitable Frisbee ~ 2007

I'll be listing these four patterns as auctions through 

my Ebay Shop on Friday.  

Please see my Ebay link on the right column of my 

blog if you are interested.

♦

I've added a clickable photo to the right column of my blog

making it easy for you to follow me on my Facebook 
page OR you can click onto the photo of sheep below...

 My Facebook page includes different fun photos that 

you won't see here on my blog...please check it out!

♦

~ Weekly Soul Food ~

Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find;

knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Matthew 7:7..KJV

♦

Today's beauty secret ~

Contentment...it's great for the soul's complexion!

Enjoy your week, Kindly Tammy

"Harvest Waiting" Pinkeep ~ Revealed

Welcome all my special friends...I've got lots of

exciting things to share with you today!

I've been keeping crazy hours trying to stay on schedule

with the model in progress for the Little Sparrow Pinkeep Club!

Finally, rising above the thread issue at 2:00 a.m. on 

Monday, I was finally able to make some 

headway on the Oak leaves and the final

finishing, late last night.

Then this morning I decided to create a 

special "Acorn" to add to the finish!

Finally, I'm ready to share my work with you... 

"Harvest Waiting" Pinkeep Pillow & Acorn Fob

©2015 Scattered Seed Samplers

Stitched on 32ct Country French ~ Golden needle.

The model was coffee stained,

and stuffed with carded sheep wool.

The finishing fabric from Andover fabrics by Jo Morton.

Yesterday, while  finishing the pinkeep pillow,

I was also admiring my collection of acorns all at 

the same time...

These antique acorns have taken years to gather...they

are like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

While antiquing this summer I found these very rare

beautiful rings...

I've been wanting to incorporate them into one of my 

club kits...lovely Amber at its best!

They look like Bakelite, but I'm not positive if they are or not?

After gathering some ideas in my head, I decided to 

go "Wool" shopping last night after supper...

I'm very happy with the brown tweed wool I found for the caps

of the acorn, while using Belfast Linen ~ Dark Cobblestone

for the nut, packed with sawdust and rubbed down 

with some antiquing stain.

Here is the finished acorn that I made this morning.

So much fun to make!

My two favorite antique acorns...with my handmade one in 

the middle...what do you think?

♦

100,000 "PAGE VIEW" GIFT GIVEAWAY...

Oh, how I struggled to start this blog on April 22, 2014...you

have no idea!

I was definitely "at war" with my computer, 

but determined to win the battle!

My heart is truly filled with joy to reach this milestone 

number of 100,000 page views...all my thanks goes to YOU

my faithful friends and followers!

Thank YOU ALL from the bottom of my heart for helping 

to make my dream come true!

If you would like to enter your name to win the

 "Pumpkin Fellow" pinkeep ~

Please leave a comment at the end of the post letting me 

know what "you are most thankful for."

OR, leave a comment on my FACEBOOK PAGE ~ 

https://www.facebook.com/tammy.black.9085

The winning name will be announced on Monday's post

If you are the winner, I will need a shipping to address!

I sincerely thank you for your continued 

support of Scattered Seed Samplers!

♦

I love receiving packages in the mail... how about you?

I received a highly anticipated package from the very

talented and "True Folk Artist" ~

David Schump of "The Art Tramp"

Just look at the high quality of craftsmanship in

this beautiful "Heart in Hand" Threadholder & Pinkeep...

I love the phrase... Hands to Work ~ Hearts to God!

When I visited his web site, and saw this incredible

work of art, I knew right away I had to have one!

He offers them in different colors of wood stain, 

and velvet's for the pinkeep.

I love symbolism and chose a black/brown stain

with a red rubbed edge and warm white velvet heart.

Thus, symbolizing "Purity of Heart", the dark wood (sin),

red rubbed edge (cleansing blood of the Lamb), white

heart (forgiveness of sin ~ clean slate).

It sits on a table beside my stitching chair, every time I look

at it I'm just amazed at David's rare incredible talent!

Here is a glimpse of some of David's other offerings...

I thought this quality of workmanship was a thing of the past...until

I found David Schump's work!

 Isn't his work just amazing!

Even David's business card is so cool!

Here David's contact information if you would like to treat

 yourself to something extraordinary!

I had the pleasure of using my special

 helping hand last night ...  

Stitching the seam on "Harvest Waiting" pinkeep.

♦

It's back, it's back...Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte...

I'm planning on treating myself to a cup this weekend!

♦

~ Weekend Soul Food ~

Blessed are the pure in heart:

for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8...KJV

♦

Blessings for a relaxing weekend...see you on Monday!

Don't forget to enter your name for the gift giveaway...just by 

leaving a comment.

Little Sparrow Club...sneak peek

Hello friends, thanks for stopping by on this

Labor Day break!

It is always nice to have a little break, 

but I'm always happy to get back into my 

normal routine!

♦

Today, I'll share a sneak peek of Little Sparrow 

Pinkeep Club's next release...

Untitled so far...will have to choose from my list of 

many possibilities!

The chosen linen is 32ct. Country French ~ Golden Needle.

Also, shown is my little acorn pallet of Autumn threads.

The fabric for the backside of the pinkeep is from 

 Andover Fabrics by Jo Morton.

I had several setbacks in choosing the right

threads for a tree and leaves that are also in this design!

Hope to reveal on Friday's post...hopefully no more 

setbacks!

♦

October's Early American Life magazine

is now available at the newstands.

This is my all time favorite magazine!

In 1999, I was a chosen artist selected by a 

jury for Early American Life's ~

Directory of Traditional Craftsmen.

Also, in 1999, one of my chalkware sheep graced the 

Blue Room Christmas tree at the White House,

during the Clinton administration.

♦

Warm and cozy days are coming soon!

♦

Check out these unusual cows...

Sorry for the bad lighting...anybody know what these 

cows are named?

Update...

This cattle is called Belted Galloways (Freisians).  
Affectionately know as "Oreo~cookie Cows".
They are Scottish cattle.

Thank you for providing this info...Lynne!

♦

FREE BUGS:  Word must be spreading down by our pond...

More and more toads are gathering around my Studio lights at 

night...waiting for free bugs!

♦

~ Weekly Soul Food ~

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,

do it with thy might; for there is

no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,

in the grave, whither thou goest.

Ecclesiastes 9:10...KJV

♦

Well, I'm off to work on stitching Oak leaves!

Many blessing for a great week!

Take care and see you back on Friday.

Studio Stash Jars ~

Labor Day truly opens the door to the  

beginning of Autumn!

The joy of harvesting pumpkin, squash and gourds!

Mine is more like 12~work, 8~rest and  4~leisure

Is your schedule balanced?

On this Labor Day, please remember our ancestors who

labored hard at establishing America...the land of the free! 

♦

Studio Stash Jars...

Today, I'll share my favorite bulk pinkeep fillers.

Lavender...

Fresh Lavender buds from France!

Can be used alone or added to other fillers, 

such as sawdust to give a soft aromatic scent to your finish.

Cherry Tobacco...

Fresh 100% Cherry Tobacco

This is a sentimental favorite of mine...my long passed 

Grandfather smoked this tobacco in his pipe!

A very fond memory of my childhood!

I add approximately 1~2 Tablespoons to my traditional

filler such as sawdust or ground English walnut shell to add

a lovely aromatic touch to pinkeeps and pinpillows.

Ground English Walnut Shell...

Using ground English walnut shell will give nice added

weight to a project.

I especially like using this in the lower part of a pinkeep

drum for stability...while using sawdust in the 

upper portion.

It also works well by itself, giving a nice medium feel.

Whole Flaxseed...

This is a non~traditional filler that I love to use if I want

more of a loose...beanbag feel!

White Rice...

Rice is another great filler if you're looking for a 

beanbag feel!

I love this old jar...it was my Grandmothers!

Farm Fresh Sawdust...

Saved my all time favorite for last!

Packed firmly this is a TRUE traditional filler!

Most antique pinkeeps were firmly packed using

 sawdust...it was inexpensive and very available!

   

My original secret which I shared on Facebook's 

Primitive Stitchers Society over a year ago...I'm happy to

see members are on the hunt for these 

antique oil jars!

These were my two candy jars that I used in

my retail shop Salem Stitchery & Antiques from

2007~2014

after transitioning my retail shop into

my design Studio Scattered Seed Samplers

2014~present, I pondered for many

days what I could now use my candy jars for?
(Worked great for dispensing M&M's, Jellybeans, etc.)

 Their new life as filler jars was an amazing discovery!

They work perfect for filling projects;

~ quart size jar for storage

~ built in funnel (fits into hole of project being filled) 

~ keeps work area neat & tidy!

Absolutely priceless!!

I offer many of these fillers in my Etsy shop, 

here is the direct link...

www.etsy.com/shop/scatteredseedsampler

♦

I've been watching this "No Parking" sign every

 day while on my way to the post office...

Thought I'd better get a picture of it while I had the chance,

last year I had been watching it, and the day

I was going to take a picture sadly discovered someone

had removed the climbing vine!

♦

~ Weekend Soul Food ~

Come unto me,

all ye that labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28...KJV

♦

Take care my friends,

 and enjoy a 

safe, fun and relaxing

Labor Day Weekend!