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first quarter of 2009 march 25, 2009 and so...and so...and so... i'm learning a new website program - that should be quite interesting...and i'm up to my behind in this backroom...and it's going to get uglier before it gets any better...but that's all okay. we almost have our list filled up for the liberty hill boxes (see march 13 update) and we are really looking forward to receiving those and shipping them out - they are just very, very cute. the doggers go in on monday for a beauty appointment...that will be a picture opportunity (30 seconds worth before they have a drink of water and run around the backyard)...the wisteria is about 1 good warm day from blooming (i so look forward to that) and there are buds on the rose bushes...spring has come to the valley...even though they got 2 feet of snow in the sierras this last weekend. because this is my "not here" day but i am anyway...and because i have chairs to recover...and because i have an electric staple gun that is calling my name...and a few other things to do...i am off and running. annie beez folk art - this is a new designer for us - we are
putting in more things this week - but you can find her at www.hoffmandis.com
- pretty sweet primrose needleworks erica michaels - the rest of our market order came in - we
are so excited...these are just so very dear and tiny on 40 count gauze... the sampler girl...this was just very cute with the cat and
mittens... little house needleworks plum pudding needleart primitive things - the picture is tough - but the sampler is
just beautiful. olde colonial designs and so...and so...that is the end for right now. we are working on a few surprises...and we're almost ready with them...so hang with me...beady things, tote baggy things, boxy things, pincushiony things and we are very excited...the boxes are endless coming in here and it's always fun to unpack and see what has been sent. of course none of these things fit on the scanner bed so it will involve some camera work...and now that the winter seems to be over...the skylights are proving to be quite helpful in that regard. it's been a year this month that we moved into our new location. doesn't seem possible that a year has gone by already...but it has...it doesn't seem possible that the baby dogger is now almost 8 months old and i got her at 8 weeks. it doesn't seem possible that it's spring already and that we have a whole retreat's worth of guests coming in about 25 days...it just doesn't seem possible. how quickly the world and our lives move...whether we are hanging on tight or not. i'm off - the electric staple gun is yelling at me from the packing table...and i've discovered "glitter glue" - what fun stuff... march 13, 2009 we just got the information...we immediately placed our order and these will be coming about the last week in march or the beginning of april. we are limited this time around to our opening order and once we go thru this batch...the next batch will not be available until mid-may sometime. liberty hill - a stitchers companion $48.00 it was a good thing to do an addendum :) march 12, 2009 well, so much for good intentions and pictures of the almond and peach orchards...so much for such good intentions. i have to say that not everything worked according to "plan" and we had more than a week over overcast and rain with absolutely no sun - then we had last week - more on that later - and by the time i got home from chicago - the blossoms were almost done and the almond trees had started to leaf...but, i did have some extra daylight...just no blossoms...and so the world just keeps on keeping on. the weather is changing to warmer...the puppalas are getting some mats as are the kitty meows as they desperately try and shed out some of the winter coats. bruce and i are going to have to stay vigilant over the next couple of weeks - once it starts to mat up...oh heavens...the only solution is a shave job at the spa...and they don't want that and neither do their parents. and so...because i'm behind (and so what's new) and because i have a ton of stuff to get done...here we go in no particular order... la d da - for those who missed
the kit...lori has put out the chart - it's way cool - takes 2 colors of npi
silk and a little bit of weeks hand-dyed and we just love ours and the finishing
instructions are in it...easy finish...can't beat it. shepherd's bush - love this
purple guy - very handsome on beautiful weeks overdyed fabric with silks cat's whiskers - new chart with
a silk pack if you need it - very beautiful notforgotten farm little house needleworks rosewood manor praiseworthy stitches plum street samplers and that is the end of today's update but... a week ago today, everybody in this industry lost a driving force. kris stott of norden crafts suffered a brain aneurysm monday evening, march 2nd and we lost her on thursday the 5th. not only was this a huge loss in our industry but a huge personal loss and thus the trip to chicago over the weekend. if nothing else this should remind every single one of us how fragile life is and how our worlds can and do change in the blink of an eye. my personal and business world is smaller now and not for the better. she was loved and will be remembered well by all who had the privilege of having kris in their lives. we miss her every day and keep the stott family in our hearts as we try to move forward as she would have wanted and expected us to do. the needlework industry's circle is truly much smaller than it was a week ago. enjoy the week - and don't ever forget to tell the ones you
care about how much they mean to you. life is fleeting at best. february 24, 2009 and so...the almond trees are in blossom, annie and i are sneezing and the peach trees are ready to burst any minute. i'm hoping to get some pictures on the way in tomorrow morning - but it's soooooooooo cloudy that it really doesn't do the blossoms justice under the gray skies. we've had so much rain in the last week - it's been wonderful...and the snow pack in the sierras is good and thick now too with more on the way. hopefully it will fill up the lakes - and california has a budget now too...so we really have accomplished something in the last couple of weeks. of course the puppies have had a wonderful time in the mud puddles and the rain puddles...and at 8.2 pounds the little princess is still not too high off the ground - clearance is non-existent so we have quite the muddy little belly...but after her tummy tuck surgery, she has a spa appointment with her favorite ms. sharon on monday so she will be beautiful again. we are busy as beavers around here...working on things for the shop and for our retreats this year...and even some things for next april's retreat where we are doing very spooky halloween things...very spooky...so the shop is in a constant state of turmoil as things come and go right back out again and i do a lot of carting home to work on things over the weekend...my poor car - and it needs a bath so badly...but i hate doing it if it's going to continue raining... so...because i've got the little girl with me down here and because i have to get home at a reasonable time tonight because i am a single parent this week...and because it's 3:45 and i've been here since 6:30 this morning and because i've got a ton of shoveling before i can leave for the day...here we go...hang on... indigo rose: milady's needle: little house needleworks: primitivebettys: plum street samplers: praiseworthy stitches: prairie schooler: dames of the needle midsummer night designs needlemania by marc and, last but not least... and so...we have blackbirded ourselves right out of the world...what a great time we are having with those little socks. (see the market report) i have decided that i'm doing all of mine on the same color fabric...little and tiny and will probably back them with all the same fabric but i also might back them with wool felt - haven't gotten that far yet...but oh my - they are just the cutest things. loose feathers 2009/2010 is going to be accessories...of every different type and size...and we are SO excited about those too - our list is getting very long for our blackbird loose feathers so if you are interested - please don't wait - i have a strong feeling that these are going to fly out the door and remember - once the printing is gone - they go out of print - imagine an entire year of accessories...how sweet is that! okay - folder of pictures is empty - i've moved everything from one side of the desk to the other side - which means when both of those things happen - the job is done. annie's little grandbaby angelina was christened on saturday, it's hard to believe that she's already 4.5 months old... and so...february is almost over...is that possible? and i will get some blossom pictures sometime this week...pretty soon the entire valley will be awash in creams, whites and all different shades of pinks and peaches... it's too beautiful...but it does cause some itchy eyes and sneezy noses :) have a great week - we're heading into ours with a bang...and i will get those primitive needles scanned and up by friday...i promise. take good care and thanks for visiting... okay - flash here... it's fineally finished with my needle loose feathers - last one in
this series - last mystery part before we start with the new loose feathers club
in march. we're doing tiny pincushions over 2 on 40 count...just the
little hand...the colors are glorious... GPA and so...we have 4 days of rain predicted...i am so happy - i love slopping around like a duck...and california needs rain so much - it seems to be going every place else BUT california this season...so we are very grateful for what we are getting although i fear it won't be enough. the doggalas are not quite certain about going out in it...and the little one has a rubber ducky raincoat that i have to find...she's such a "low rider" that i need to figure out a way to put it on her upside down - it's the belly that gets so wet. off we go...i think i have cut more fabric in the last 3 days than i have in the last 3 months...and we are awaiting more blackbird "sock" books and then we can set up our auto for those... have a great weekend - if you are lucky enough to have a 3-dayer - enjoy that extra day. the moon is beautiful this week...and we will be having blossoms on the trees by the end of the month i'm thinking and it is truly a beautiful thing - will take some pictures so you can all see what spring looks like in the valley - what the orchards look like when your eyes are watering from the allergies :) safe and good weekend to everybody and thanks for visiting. february 4, 2009 so our bags are packed and we're ready to go - all of our snackies put in the proper places because we really hate the lunches at market - ewwwwwwwwww!!! and everything else is packed too - and two of the cats at home have been playing the game of "who can get to mama's suitcase first and sleep on the closed lid" since saturday - it will be absolutely no fun anymore when the suitcase gets wheeled out the door early tomorrow morning...game over! daisy buchanan had her "tummy tuck" surgery on monday - she did wonderfully well and is on the mend - she is coming in to work with me these two days so she doesn't roughhouse too much with her brothers...and so we can keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't start licking her boo boo - then her father can take over tomorrow and threaten her with the e-collar if she isn't a good girl. it's hard being a puppala around our house :) and so...off we go tomorrow morning early - wheels down in nashville about 7:30 tomorrow night - long travel day but we will get it done. we will be back with an update sometime on monday - most probably in the early evening... lots of sorting and unpacking and i'm trying to get the backroom tables cleared away for the onslaught. while we are waiting...here we go with what has come in. blue ribbon designs - we just love these - cute as a button
and as soon as i get caught up with the lizzie kate halloween thing - i'm
starting one of these... these are all shown stitched on 40 count
lakeside. remember, if you want to go a little bit bigger - you need to
tell us if you are ordering fabric. little house needlework country cottage needlework drawn thread either of the two drawn thread thread packs are available for 15% off if you purchase your charts from us. we are messing around with some other ideas as far as the new things from market are concerned...and we'll be back on monday evening with the market report. we are hoping for a wonderful market...and we are going to make it a wonderful market...there will be much to do and much to see and many people to talk with and it's market time and nashville here we come. please remember also that i will not be able to answer e-mails until monday morning so if you do send us one - we will answer them all as soon as we get back into the shop. until later - be safe, enjoy your weekend - spring is coming to the valley - you can feel it and away we go...and back we shall come :) january 20, 2009 okay - now this is really scaring me...here i am - four days later - with another update...but this is really because the littlest puppala had her first haircut yesterday and it was either get the pictures taken yesterday within 5 seconds of them being home or they would be in the same grubby mess as they were when i dropped them off. and then - just to make it fun - there were some beautiful things from kelmscott designs that make news today...so i'm taking the opportunity...and here we go. kelmscott and then the puppala/doggalas... kelmscott will be released at market and we will have all of it...and of course we are taking preorders - the world wouldn't be the same without preorders would it :) i'm really proud of my participation in this one - kelmscott
and elegant stitch, inc. have had some great fun with this - lots of planning
and hair ripping and testing and trying...and i think between the two of us and
a lot of grayer hair...we have found a beauty.
NEW SCISSORS and they are little and cute and tiny and so
many terrific colors... called little gems - they are $9.00 per pair, just
under 2" long and yes, i can get my fingers in them easily and yes, they
cut threads brilliantly and just think - now we can put scissors on all our
fobs...they are reasonably priced and come is just great colors... now, for the doggalas/puppala... and so...i'm out of here - i have a ton of stuff to do at home - piles and piles and piles and more piles...and i want to see a bit of the goings on in washington...and hear the speech so i'm going to close it down and come back again tomorrow and see what wednesday has in store for us at elegant stitch. friday night the 16th got a little hairy about 5:00 p.m. annie's youngest tad managed to break his arm skateboarding - green break one bone in the right forearm and badly bent the other bone in the arm. needless to say - it has been quite a weekend for them...and i think the worst is over now...but, she looked a little tired and frazzled today and she left early to take the dog in to have his stitches removed....yet another story in the life and times in modesto :) sleep tight everybody. january 16, 2009 thinking out loud...not sure about the blog...haven't i been doing that for about 11 years already? so...maybe will go back to my old habits and put it all here...have some new ideas...and some ideas for some pictures... it's been a whirlwind around here - getting ready for market - we'll be there 3 weeks from right now - scampering around helping friends get booths together...it's our friday helpers day...before the meet and greet on friday evening. as always - i can't shop and price and pack and leave on sunday afternoon to get home late sunday night to come in and put things up and do an "on-site" market report - so it will be as normal - and i'll do it under the what's new because that is what it will be...and i'll do my best to get something up by monday afternoon, 02/09/09. i can't do the market and update too - just not that talented i suppose - and my main and only concern is doing what i need to do at market and then get it all home. in the meantime - miss daisy buchanan at 21 weeks of age will have her first beauty appointment with her brothers on monday - first haircut - will definitely have pictures - not even a question - the trick will be can i get them before they head out into the backyard to roll in the grass and get rid of all the "smelly" stuff and go back to being just doggers...only time will tell!! we are updating the entire website over the next few months - probably new software and i'm going back to my roots and what and why i started this business...because i love it and i love what i do and i love working with people and because it's an incredible industry with incredibly talented people...and i just needed to learn to side-step the puddles - and since i got new rainboots...that is an easy job :) lots of metaphors in this one...but i'm grateful for my friends and the support they have given and now it's time to strap on the boots and grab the umbrella and head out!!! so - back to my roots i'm going. the lizzie kates came in this week - and they are pretty darn
cute and now we can start stitching our very spooky banner...
the just nan tin/package combinations are arriving today
too... petite sampler etui silk dupioni - required lining cut $6.50 and so - i'm heading out - got a ton to do in the next three weeks and i do mean a ton. have figured out the new breast cancer piece that will release the first part of september - it's pretty cute if i do say so myself - and just to entice you a bit - there won't be any stitching per se...but there will be a bunch of new techniques and tips and pointers and at the end - you will have the most fun little thing to put in your stitching bag to take with - "a little of this and that". kind of puts it all in to perspective...tomorrow is the 12th anniversary of my diagnosis of breast cancer - i'm going to spend it in a place i love - my shop - working on things that make my heart sing...who could ask for anything more? enjoy your weekend...and next week and i'll update as soon as something else comes in...and that is another of my resolutions - and so far - i'm doing okay - back to staining my boxes and cutting, kitting and scampering...enjoy!! january 9, 2009 lots coming in - lots going out - lots of lists being made - lots and lots and lots of lots and i'll do some blog work when i finish this. goodhart sampler book from ackworth/needleprint $85.00. we have three left in the shop so if you are interested - we will not be reordering these again. please let us know. www.needleprint.com/books.html new sampler from needleprint has arrived... it has the
sampler on the front cover and then there are 5 text projects (some samplers and
some square which can be used for a pincushion or needlecase cover...it's a
great chart and i'm glad we have them. we have two new colors of 30 count legacy linen - london mist - a beautiful soft gray and porcelain pink - and that is self descriptive. i love this linen - it has a beautiful hand to it and always looks so lovely when the project is finished. i got a little behind on a few seasonal things and i'll get those caught up now. notforgotten farm GPA from r&r reproductions country cottage needleworks la-d-da
nashville market starts exactly 4 weeks from today. we are making lists, ordering, making more lists, ordering more...and trying to get all our ducks in a row before we jet off to the east on thursday, february 5th. off to do some blog stuff, order from the post office, clear off the backroom table(s) and see if i can find where it is that i left my brains over the holidays...they are missing (my brains) and i am desperately looking for them. january 2, 2009 we will update again this weekend. thank you for your patience and great orders. we did our best.
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