My new blog friend Smiling Sally hosts a Blue Monday in which we can post about anything blue.
Long-time readers will have seen this before, but this is a sampler I made several years ago. When we were first married I was more into Early American style decorating, and somewhere around that time I had read the Little House on the Prairie books, where Mary and Laura learned to make samplers in their first forays into needlework, so I really wanted to make a sampler for our home. Patterns for them were very popular at the time.
I have it hanging beside what is supposed to be an antique raisin rack (used to dry grapes til they became raisins) decoupaged with a Burpee seed label (I didn’t decoupage it — I bought it that way).
This has more of a faded blue in it, but I like it, and it seemed in keeping with the old-fashionenedness of the sampler.
These both hang in our family room
Stray Thoughts 
I think they go great together, and I’ve never heard of a raisin rack, but I do remember when Mary & Laura dried plums in the sun On the Banks of Plum Creek! I also love that your sampler is all in blues, I never would have thought of doing it that way!
Happy Blue Monday!
You have two wonderful vintage items there, and they go so well together. Happy Blue Monday. Take care.
I like the pairing of the two. That sampler takes sooo much patience and hours of work. Happy Blue Monday!
Your sampler is lovely as well as the raisin rack. I am a big fan of the Little House books also. If you have an opportunity come by my blog-I am announcing a giveaway today. Happy Blue Monday!
oH, I have always just loved samplers…and your’s is one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Thanks so much for sharing.
A BEAUTIFUL BLUE MONDAY posting…
love,bj
Hi Barbara!
Your sampler is very pretty. I love the blues and I love how you had it framed. Have a wonderful Monday and Happy Fall to you…
Hello Barbara, what a great sampler. I have never learned how to do that. I think both pictures look great together!
Happy Blue Monday
Love, Ann
Your sampler shows a lot of talent. It reminds me of the samplers that little girls used to do years ago. I love the decoupage also.
Sweetie
Your cross stitch is fabulous! You did a great job on that! I’ve never heard of a raisin rack. That’s what I love about blogging. You learn something new every day!!
What a nice pairing you shared.
Happy Blue Monday.
Take care,
Dawn
Lovely cross stitch! I hope to get back into doing this some time soon.
Your sampler is beautiful and I love the raisin rack…mainly because of the seed packet. I’m starting to be drawn back to country decor for my own home.