Hi friends,
It's already Thursday, and I thought I would write a quick note before I head off to Parent/Teacher Conferences. I hope you are all weathering this cold and icy weather. I finally had a night last evening when I could just sit and stitch the whole night long. It was most lovely, and I actually go a lot accomplished. I am hoping for another one tonight. If I do, then Purple Snowman may be finished and on its way to completion. Our Sundance run is finally over and of course I am a little sad and a little happy. We saw 4 movies this year and they were such a mixture of types. We saw and very fun animated--clay--film from Australia--Max and Mary. It was not for children as it dealt with many adult themes--autism for one. We all loved it and the thoughts of making it were somewhat mind boggling. The director and producer were there to answer questions afterwords and that was super interesting. Then we saw a movie--sort of a documentary--called Before Tomorrow. This was about the Inuit people and was in Inuktituk with subtitles in English. I know--I have all the spelling wrong. Anyway it was very fascinating, but grim. Honestly, I didn't warm up for days. Then last Friday after going up to the University in Logan--an hour drive up a mountain in a cloud--for Christian's Region swim meet, we had a double feature at Sundance. An Education--a British film--was my favorite of all. I think it was done by the same person who did another of my favorite movies--About a Boy. The second one was called 500 Days of Summer, and we all loved this one as well. It seemed like a chick flick--but I guess it was sort of an anti chick flick. But lots of fun. Every movie we saw was jammed packed at the theater, and every director who talked said that our venue--the Egyptian Theater in Ogden--was the most beautiful they had been in. Yay!! So there you go--we have one up on Park City. Now I am ready for a while of boredom with lots of time for not-boring stitching.
OK, I just have to say it. Wasn't it fun watching the Inauguration? I was just glued to it and I thought it was so much fun. I thought her dresses were so beautiful and I think it is so much fun to have little kids in the White House again.
Nancy and Sue have been working hard on the Lizzie-Kate Halloween banner and it is very darling. Teri was supposed to take Nancy's picture yesterday, but I think they both forgot. So watch for it on the blog next week. The have been having so much fun, and I can see why. We just got LaDDa's Daisy heart back from Jill and it is so darling. I think we have the picture down below so be sure to take a look. It turned out bigger than I would have guessed which is good for a framed picture. I love it!!!
Teri has been very busy and has 2 new darling patterns ready. I think there are pictures somewhere for each of them. Be My Valentine seems to be part of a series she is doing. It is sweet and perfect for February and features a darling button especially made for us by Cecile at JABCO. The other leaflet is Scatter Snowflakes. It is just right for this time of year when it never seems to stop snowflaking. Don't you think the colours are just fresh and fun? Keep scrolling down to see the pictures of each of them. Both of them are ready now, so don't hesitate to give us a call.
Well, I have to go, so I guess I'll leave you to your stitching and hope you are warm and cozy as you read this.
Until next week--fondly, Tina

Here is our Valentine display.


Live Simply is a great patten by the Primitive Needle. We have stitched it on a brownish pinkish overdyed fabric and it is very fun. Please remember that we are happy to give you our color changes with the purchase of any of the parts of the project... pattern, fabric, thread.


Love Birds is a free pattern with the purchase of any of the parts... fabric, thread, buttons, frame. We also have it available as a complete kit, for those of you who like it all together. This is a great quick valentine project.


I love how this turned out!!!!! It is so darling! Jill did a fabulous job with the framing! This is as La D Dah pattern; doesn't it make you smile!


This is a pearl of a pattern... by SamSarah. I think it is just called Heart. Kari has painted up a few frames so you can stitch it and frame it in the same evening- Great!


This is a tiny heart in hand pattern Mr. Byrd.. Just perfect for a winter evening's stitching.


This is just a little project to make you happy. We have stitched it on 8 count navy fabric with overdyed #3 perl cottons. and we did add buttons. Give it a try.

Another GREAT Recipe!

Chyrl has been on a roll, She has shared some great yummy recipes.   
This one we brought to share with everyone at work on Wednesday.  It  
was super easy and very delicious!!!

Easy Corn Chowder
4 Cups chicken stock
1 package frozen O' Brian Potatoes -shredded or chunk whichever you  
prefer
1 package frozen corn or 1 can corn 15 oz  -drained.
1 jar real bacon pieces
2 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 cup warm water
1 pint fat free half and half
1 tsp rosemary dried or fresh

Bring your chicken stock to a boil.  Add the frozen potatoes and  
simmer 10 minutes.  Add corn, rosemary and bacon pieces.  In a small  
bowl or cup, stir together the cornstarch and the water until  
dissolved.  Add to the soup and bring back to the boil.   Add the half  
and half and heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with  
shredded cheese sprinkled on top.  we used a chedder /colby mix- just  
one of those pre-shredded packages.  Enjoy!!

Thanks Chyrl!

Great New Projects

These are the first 3 Lizzie Kate Halloween Double flips. They are soooo darling. Both Nancy and Sue's daughter Mary are stitching them. As soon as they bring in the stitched pieces I will put that up. We are stitching them on a fabulous hand-dyed 32 count linen, and adding buttons It will be great!!!

Here it is all put together--DARLING!!

Mindi Bruner has kindly let us borrow her "From Sea to
Shining Sea." Isn't it fabulous!!!!!  She has stitched it over
1 thread on 28 ct. The way it works is that each part of the
pattern comes with Crescent colors silk like a little kit.
There are 6 different parts.

Lynnette and I are rearranging the Christmas pictures.  It
is the perfect thing to do on a quiet afternoon.  Lynnette
said she is glad there are not very many of those!  In
order to reach the highest pictures,  I have to stand on
the top of the wall.  That makes everyone
nervous--except me.

Dear Friends--
Happy January! Easy for me to say with much of the country frozen in zero and sub-zero temperatures, while we are having a week of nice weather for a change. Lots of sun and blue skies sparkling off the snow. Can't beat it. It almost seems like spring is right around the corner, but we cannot let ourselves fall for that deception. The Sundance Film Fest is starting this weekend, so that is fun to look forward to. We are seeing 4 films, so I'll let you know what they are like. I'm very excited. January is when I want to stitch, but then I am torn because I usually get books for Christmas and I also want to read. I did get books this year, and I have been horrible. I read a lot during the holidays, and now I take Christian to school in my pajamas at 6:45 and then instead of continuing on my day, I crawl back in bed and read. I have already finished An American Wife--which Bob gave me--and really liked it. It is loosely based on Laura Bush, and I found it very compelling. Now I am on to My Life in France--or something like that--about Julia Child. I have liked her forever--really since I was young--and this little book has been a lot of fun to read. I am almost finished and then I have to stop being so lazy and get something done. I did have to stay home from work one day while we were having a hot water heater replaced, and I wanted to just lie down and watch TV, but I was kind of embarrassed so I did a little cleaning and then I started a journal. Inspired by Barb and Alma, I have wanted to do this for some time, but I can never find the time, or the perfect scrapbook/blank book, or anything to go in it. So...I have been careful to collect silly stuff since the fall and keep it in a little box where it would not go astray. Then I just used a little blank notebook that I love and jumped in. Now that's all I want to do. I have a few photos--many xeroxed--and ticket stubs, scraps of ribbon and paper--whatever I was inclined to save. I have even put in pictures of things I finished stitching. It is crazy and messy and eclectic, but I love it. Now I have to make myself write a few things in it here and there even if it is just movie reviews, etc. Fun for the new year. I'll let you know if I am good about keeping it up. I'm not usually. That made me think of something else--I'll keep track of things I read as well.
We have been slammed at the shop. Once the blizzards stopped, everyone has been coming by for new projects, and the phone has been busy with mail orders. Lots of people are starting stockings for next year, so that has been keeping us hopping. Yay! Now we are in that funny limbo zone between half the shop still sporting Christmas pictures and the other half hearts and Valentines. I am starting my new Snowman tonight. I think I said that last week, but I have been sort of busy with my books and my new journal project. Tonight, for sure.
Two new things that have been very fun in the shop--for those of you ready to move on from Christmas. First is a wonderful little series from Little House called "From Sea to Shining Sea." Each pattern comes separately and includes Belle Soie--lovely silk from Crescent Colours. We are having it stitched, but it hasn't returned to us yet, so we have the piece of a sweet customer--Mindy--who has let us borrow it. It is fabulous. The first picture is West Coast, then Southwest, then mountains, and we have just received the 4th pattern--sort of Midwest. We have lots of people who have signed up for an automatic, so if you are interested, let us know. We will put a picture up right away. The other fun new thing is Lizzie Kate's Halloween sampler. It is done in a long narrow design. Each leaflet includes 2 of the designs and there will be 12 in all. The first six are here, and they are unbelievably fabulous. We are doing it on a wonderful piece of overdyed linen and Nancy is stitching it. We are bugging her to hurry up so we can see it and take a picture of it. You will love it. I know, it is a little weird to be starting on Halloween already, but that's because you haven't seen how darling it is. Watch for the picture---when Nancy stops lazing about. Just kidding.
Next week we will have some Valentine pics for you to see. Until them, stay warm and safe, and share your reading and stitching time.
ever fondly, Tina

Yummy Recipe

Chyrl brought this treat in on Monday. We all gobbled it up and were begging for more. So here is the recipe. Try it. It is easy and yummy.

3 bags of Orville Redenbacher natural salted popcorn- microwave
2 bags of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips melted

Pop the popcorn as directed and while it is popping, melt your chips either on the stove in double boiler, or in the microwave. I sort out the bad corn kernels and throw them away. Then pour the melted chocolate over the good popcorn and mix carefully. Eat or let dry and eat later.

Note: Nancy makes this same recipe only she uses theater butter popcorn (still microwave) It makes it very gooey and buttery. Both are yummy, You might have to try some of both. Then sit down and watch a fun movie. . . Mamma Mia perhaps. . . .

Happy New Year! We were laughing at work last week that it seems like barely a minute ago that we were in a big tizzy about the change of the new millennium, and here we are almost a decade into it already. Really, time goes too fast. Here it is at Midwinter, and I am reminded how much I like the concept of Winter more than winter itself. In Utah, Winter comes sometimes slowly in December, but when it comes there is always something exciting about it. I think most everyone loves those first flurries of snow--especially if it comes on a weekend--and the expectation for a white Christmas fulfilled. A good blizzard can even be fun during the holidays as long as you don't have to travel, but the first week of January hits, and this whole winter thing is just not so much fun any more. Since Bob commutes every day to Salt Lake City, I am grateful for the new train. At least I don't have to worry about his drive on those days. I think that Peter is on foot most all of the time, so I only have to worry about wet feet for him. So that leaves my Christian--15 1/2, learner's permit in hand, and driver's ed finished. I know that this is the perfect time to practice driving in the snow, to get him ready for next winter, but the difference between the two of us is that I have a certain level of fear of snow driving, and he has none. A typical teenager, he has learned all about it from "Coach Price", and he is pretty sure he could teach me a thing or two about spinning out on the ice. "Turn into the skid, Mom,"--I hear that a lot. "I am very careful---this isn't that bad." I just click my seatbelt, repeat my old yoga mantra, and keep my eyes wide open. Thank heavens the actual driver's license won't appear until almost May.

So we all slog through January hefting shovels and slinging snow and knowing that in less than a blink it will be summer and some of us will be whineing about the heat. Not me--of course. The day before yesterday, after 4 times of shoveling the sidewalk in front of the shop, Teri and Nancy took the tallest drift and made a snowman out of it. I think it is at the beginning of the blog. There are happy parts about winter. We have been busy at the shop both during and after the holidays. That is my favorite time. Everyone is still excited about stitching for Christmas next year or ready to pick a new project to fill the long winter nights ahead. Our New Year's sale was fun and frantic, and luckily we had a brief break in the weather--both temperature and precipitation. We had a couple of new kits for the event--both shop exclusives, but each very fun. Teri did a little Snow Alphabet which is darling and includes one of Jill's hand-painted mats. Just the perfect quick project to stitch while the snowflakes fall outside. I got to do one of my favorite things--design a fob to go with the new Gingher scissors for 2009. I love how it turned out! I think the scissors are called Ashley and they are a cheerful green and blue pattern. I love it when they are completely different from the year befor--and these certainly are. I think the fob turned out fine for 2009 and I think it complements the scissors quite well. I hope you do too. It is worked on a perfect overdyed aqua blue linen with threads that I spent a long time matching to the scissors. It worked up quickly and makes me happy when I look at it. I think that the pictures of these projects are just below. An interesting note is that Gingher--for whatever the reason, I am not privy to--has only manufactured a limited number of these scissors. Perhaps a little like the Glory scissors from a year or two ago. So--be sure not to wait too long to get your pair. We have no idea how long they will be available.

Teri is working on a darling new pillow for Valentine's, so I will keep you updated on that progress, and I am actually getting ready to stitch the new snowman for this year. Yippee! We are having new windows installed on our building, and I think I have to move my car. So I guess I have to go. My computer won't do spell check--for some mysterious reason--so sorry about the errors. Until next week--be safe--

fondly, Tina

The new 2009 scissors and fob, are ready and they are great!!! The Fob runs $14.00 and the engraved Gingher scissors run $40.00. They are engraved with 2009 on one side of the blade ( to match the fob) and Shepherd's Bush on the other side.


Winter ABC is a new shop exclusive. Jill our friend and framer has painted the mats for this kit, so the kit comes with 32 count linen, overdyed cotton floss, a button, and the hand painted mat. This kit runs $20.00. Frames are also available for $25.00.

If you are still in the Christmas mood, Here are a couple of pieces that we got back just before the holidays.

"Christmas Cheer" is such a darling sampler. Tina has even pulled all the supplies to stitch it for herself.

"Yule Sampler" is another fabulous piece by the Primitive Needle.



One last thing. The Goodheart Sampler book has arrived from England. It is sooooo fabulous!!!!! Here is the front cover. This book is brimming with the most beautiful samplers, stories, and photographs, there is even a graph of a great sampler inside the cover. If you are a sampler lover, this book needs to be part of your library.