PDF update~not good!

Well, I am still having extreme trouble getting my pdf files to work! I'm SO bummed out! Now May is over, and May Baskets is still unavailable! I have tried very hard, spent hours, and it still isn't working to my satisfaction. And on top of that, my regular life has just taken over. My kids have finals, a graduation, dance recital, field trips, well, you know the score. On top of that, I am leaving for vacation with my family on the 3rd. So no pdf will be available for some time. If you would like a free copy of my pattern send a self addressed stamped envelope to:

Annie Beez Folk Art
151 S. Channing St.
Elgin,IL 60120

Here is the link!

Here is the link for the pdf. file for May Baskets Enjoy!

Surprises in store!!

All week I have been learning how to convert files into pdf. format, so I will be able to share some of my designs with you! I'm so excited about this! I have 2 new freebie patterns to share. The first one is called "May Baskets". It is a little spring design in beautiful cottage-y colors.
Here is a preview, though I won't have the file ready to download until sometime tomorrow.
The second one is a patriotic design called "Uncle Sam rides a Crow." I don't have a preview yet, but stay tuned!!!

maybasketfreebie.pdf

I'm so disappointed!

This is my newest design called May Baskets, which I have designed in beautiful cottagey colors. I have tried for a week to get it up on my blog as a PDF file, but to no avail. Finally after hours of frustration, I have finally figured out the problem. My charting software will not export the chart properly unless I upgrade itto professional. I have already planned to do that, but with graduations, recitals, school plays, class trips, and the usual amount of sports fees etc. along with a dismal spring for my doll pattern business, I cannot afford the upgrade right now.
I have stitched the major motifs, in order to be sure they were charted correctly. I am using 2 strands of DMC on 32 count antique white linen from Zweigart. I will add a WIP as soon as I can, but I wanted to get the chart on here for you before May was over! LOL!

Spring Sampler WIP

I'm still plugging away, hope to have this one finished this week.

Trip to my LNS

Boy did I have fun buying Little House and Country Cottage charts!These two are my favorites these days, but I am especially partial to CC. I just love that cottage look!
Here's my list from above, starting at the top left:
Flowershop~CC
Ladybugs and Bumblebees~CC
Fruit Thread pack~Watermelon~ LHN
A Rose in Morning~LHN
Blossoms and Blackbirds~LHN
I also bought the rest of what I neede to get "A Place We Call Home" kitted up. I am almost done with Spring Sampler, so I think I will do this one next. I LOVE the colors!

A finish and a WIP!

Here is LHN berries design finished into a needlbook!
And here is my start on the LHN/ crescent colors belle soie chartpack. I am loving these silks they are wonderful! So soft and pretty!

O.K. so this is supposed to be a stitching blog!

Here is a pic of the exchange I received from Jenny in the Legacy Quaker Quarterly Exchange. Isn't it cool! Thanks Jenny!

Great Weekend!

I had such a great weekend, though I didn't get much stitching done. My 8th grade son had the lead in the school play. It was called Groovy, and was kind of a musical about the 60's. It was really cute and he was so hysterical in it! He sang and acted his heart out and it was so funny!

He is 6'1, so he just towers over the rest of the kids in the play. Thats him in the middle with the goofy afro! The kids in the play were from 5th through 8th grade. This is a small school and a close knit community, so it was great fun to see kids you know who are shy or quiet come out and do such a great job. What a blast!

Then for Mother's Day I got the sweetest little notecard set made by Isabel, my 2nd grader. You know how endearing those sweet little handmade gifts are-I cherish them! My dh bought me a pink razor phone(A huge surprize to me!) and 2 of my kids got together and bought me the angel viser clip( behind my back when we were in the Catholic shop while I was shopping for a gift for my mother.) Sneaky! But SO sweet!! It was such a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all the mothers out there who happen to see this blog have a truly wonderful Mother's Day!! May all of your kids be a blessing to you, I KNOW you love them as much as I do mine!

What's in a name?

I have really been pondering what to call my new business venture. I am terrible at making up names, which is how I got stuck with Annie Beez Folk Art for my doll business. My husband suggested it when we first got email, and I couldn't think of anything better for my business. Isn't that pathetic? It's not a horrible name by any means, and has a cetain catchiness which is good, but I have always thought it a little too cutesy and unimaginative.
So here are some thing I have come up with so far:

Anne Elizabeth Samplings- this is another play off of my name, and I thought I could shorten it to AnneE for emails and such. Also Anne is my patron saint and Elizabeth is my confirmation name. (my middle name is Marie, so with 3 famous bible mothers as my namesake is it any wonder I have so many children? LOL!)

Stolen Moments Needleart-this is just a sentiment of how I feel whenever I am stitching. I always feel like I should be doing something else. In a household this size there is an endless stream of things to be done-I'm sure you can all relate!

Mustard House - this is a nod to my primitive style, and my house is an old farmhouse painted mustard. Also the first sampler I ever designed myself was called Mustard house.

This is all I have so far, please ANY suggestions, comments, etc. are MOST welcome. I told you I'm not good at making up names!!!LOL!

Secret revealed!!

In a much earlier post I alluded to a secret that I was stitching on. Well, as so often in the world of needlework, the final "reveal" can take FOREVER!! I am ready to tell you! I have been a publisher of doll and craft patterns for nearly 8 years now, a business that has been both fun and a lot of hard work. I have decided to turn my designing to needlework, as it has always been my first love, and something I always come back to, no matter where else I seem to go creatively.
I have finished up the stitching on my first model, and I am about 1/2 way through my second. My first piece is a brides box with a colonial theme. I am finishing up the charting now. I cannot say when it will be ready for release, as I still have to send it to the photographer, and finalize the business paperwork. I am so excited, and I hope you are excited too! I have so many ideas and designs floating around in my head, I can't help but feel really envigorated by this new venture! Here is a small sampling of my bride box, just a small teaser to give you an idea!!

Dorothy is released and ready to ship!

This pattern includes a color photo on the cover and an extra bonus photo close-up of her face! Enjoy!

My focus piece

I've decided to work up some kind of rotation to deal with all of my wips!! :) I have decided to take one of my BAP's and make it my focus piece, and then rotate some of the smaller projects in between. So far I have decided on my focus piece, but I still have to decide on which of the smaller pieces I want to work on. So here is a pic of Days of Advent. I have been working on block 2. After I finished block 1, I was considering restitching the whole thing on a different fabric, something softer, like a Lakeside linen. But I decided I will just continue on, mainly because I don't want to restitch block 1! LOL!

A finish!