Market Week, 2013
Dear Friends,
Here it is--the week after market--and I can hardly believe that we are home again. We left Ogden at 2:30 in the morning since we had had the brilliant idea to take a 6 am flight--ugh!!!! We left in the midst of Winter, and returned to the beginnings of Spring. Everyone at the shop had been working like crazy to get things finished up, and we thought we were ready in spite of 80 yards of fabric which arrived 1 minute before we had to leave. We had shipped 15 boxes on to Nashville and carried 4 packed, duct-taped suitcases with us. We had worn clothing with no metal, no pockets, and easy to remove for the inevitable strip searches, and had even taken a few minutes to write up a stellar song in case we were asked to perform at the Grand Ole...So--you would think that we were prepared for the weekend ahead. Well, not so much. We entered out hotel room and quickly counted up the boxes waiting for us. 11 of the 15. Not to panic....I quickly tracked the 4 missing ones and found that they were due to arrive on Friday. Plenty of time for the opening of the market on Saturday. Friday came and 3 more boxes arrived in our room, which left only 1. The one still not there was filled with the most darling shopping bags that we had had printed just for this market. (You know the thing--lovely dark creme colored bags with little string handles and our logo printed in the perfect dusty purple to be finished with adorable paper flowers and sheep in matching colors.) Teri then spent most of the day trying to find out where the errant box was and by 4:00 realized that it was caught in a mysterious snowstorm nowhere near Nashville. We had an opening event that we were participating in at 5:00, so I took off for any store I could find to rustle up some kind of bags to put our merchandise (treasures) in. In desperation we had found 2 plastic Shepherd's Bush bags and 3 string handled carrier bags in Teri's suitcase, and our friend, Jeannette, had brought us a few bags from her recent trip to Joannes. By my calculations that made 10 down and 90 to go. I drove through a minor snowstorm to Lowes and asked the kind man to HELP!!!! I had suggested garbage bags to Teri and she looked like she might cry, so then I wondered about glad wrap, but they didn't have any. Lindy had suggested brown wrapping paper, so I asked for that. My Lowes man happily escorted me to the painting section where we gathered up a large roll of heavy brown paper and several rolls of masking tape. While deliberating about the width of the tape, he asked me what I was painting. "Nothing," I said. So then he sympathetically asked what I was actually doing with my purchases, and I said: "making paper bags." I know he thought I was insane-- and perhaps I was. Back at the hotel, Teri just stared at my paper and tape in relative dismay, but I assured her that I had it under control. Much later--actually closer to midnight--she was amazed to find out that we were shortly setting out to make 85 large--very large--paper pouches, and at 2 in the morning when I emailed Charland to tell her my woes, she could only answer me by saying: STOP--RETHINK THIS MADNESS. But I am quite happy to report that the envelopes worked very well, and when they were filled and tied up with pink striped baker's twine and finished with darling paper flowers that Teri and the girls at work had spent the past 2 weeks making, they looked quite respectable. In the end, we decided that we would endeavor to ship just a tad earlier next year. Oh well, all's well that ends well. Right?
We have a few pictures from the market below which you might enjoy. Otherwise scroll on down to see some of the fabulous finds that Teri made at market. She and the girls at the shop have busily been putting everything out for our Market Open House, and I have had a great time shopping through their displays-- since I really didn't see any of it in Nashville. (She did let me out once to go down to a room on Sunday to deliver books, but they were closed so I had to shove them under the door.) So take a little market tour with Teri, and she will show you all her wonderful finds.
The window to our hotel room/booth with Teri's hanging paper ornaments.
One of the tables in our room with some of our new designs.
A disaster in progress.
Orders ready and waiting to picked up by Shop owners.
The famous/frightening paper bags.
We were so crazy busy I did not get out to shop at all on Saturday- Friends- other shop owners took pity on me and had different companies hold some of their favorites- thank you! But on Sunday morning I was out the door and flying from room to room, I could not even wait for the elevator, and ran up and down the stairs. I found so many great things, and did a bit of visiting along the way ( don't tell Tina) Tina says she hates to shop, but I really think she just likes to sit in the room stitching and visiting with everyone who drops by, On Sunday night, we pack everything up, all our purchases and carry them home...those duct taped boxes get a second trip to the airport.
Home again Home again Jiggety Jig...
We have had so much fun laying out our market finds--tables brimming with new books, kits, scissors and fabulous gadgets.
Scissor fobs -$10.00 that are very fun, new wooden thread holders, and in the back a gorgeous scrimshaw thread winder from Guilia painted with a house
Kelmscott had many new things, 3 different scissors, and a mermaid needle minder, and scissor fob (see the blue nameste box at the bottom), and DARLING sheep thread winders (photo of those next week.)
The Purple Thread had such fun kits for small bags, and projects.
Lizzie Kate also had fun new things, We have already stitched her Spring String on a super purple linen (below) it is a small card, we have added buttons and tweeked the colors- darling!!
At our House is a new pattern with the thread, so perfect for the busy family
$32.00 Partial kit- (pattern and threads)
Are you My Mother by Bent Creek
Pattern $
We stitched this sweet piece on a great blue linen and added the perfect buttons.
Needleworker by Little House
$26.00 partial kit- (pattern and threads)
Four Seasons by Jeannette Douglas
Pattern and threads, or just pattern
A new wonderful sampler from Jeannette- You can get the pattern and the threads or you can get just the pattern. Her detail is so amazing.
Spring Quaker Pincushions-
$ 13.50- kit (limited)
I love stitching these. We have a very limited supply, they come in pink, gray, and yellow- So clever to finish.
Another table filled with new treasures from the Nashville market
New notebooks from Needlework press, we also picked up new microfiber cloths, a cheerful sampler in bright colors. Sorry I will do a photo next week- they are so cheery and fun.
Barb and Alma from Blackbird Designs room was darling as always, they had so many new designs- We will be stitching them for the shop-
Maria Selby Humphrey book
I just love the way they can take parts and pieces from old samplers and rework them into new wonderful projects- the tall tube pincushion is speculator! Maybe Nancy could stitch that up this week..
Dear Daughter- Leaflet
by Blackbird Designs
Darling!
May Basket Reward of Merit
by Blackbird Designs
A sweet pincushion.
Honeybee Hill- leaflet
by Blackbird Designs
OK this is defiantly one for us- thanks Barb and Alma! Bees, beehives, and a an amazing white shaker box. I am already pulling the threads for this one- The box is available for special order- It comes in a weathered white, and we have one in the shop to look at. It runs $160.00 and the Blackbirds said they are going to be doing other patterns for it.
Liberty Eagle
by Blackbird Designs
Get a jump on the 4th of July with these two neat Americana leaflets
Long May She Wave
by Blackbird Designs
I think I am missing one Blackbird pattern- I will post it next week-
New Nameste zipper Pouches $7.00
New zippers pouches match the Nameste boxes, they come in lemon, orange, expresso, and Caribbean blue
New Easter embroidery ornaments
By Chickadee Hollow
Do you remember the Christmas ornaments? Well here are spring and Easter ones to delight. As always they are preprinted with the design and all you have to do is stitch.
Little Sheep Virtues
12 month series
Nancy stitched part 2 so fast. It is turning out totally darling- can't wait for #3. If you would like to be a part, just give us a call- there is always room for one more.
Market Party
We served Ruth's Yummy punch- a favorite because it is sooooooo easy ( 1 can of limeade, 1-2 big bottles of Sprite Zero, tons of ice and cut up lemons and limes- stir and drink- YUM. We also served mini cupcakes from Villa Bella- the best cupcake spot around. Wish you could have been there- just stir up some punch and pretend...
Here are Lynn and Anne, who drove down from WY for the party- just look at the cute bags- the same ones that did not make it to market- I have forgotten to photograph so many more fun things- Chessie had great patterns, Stacy Nash, Brenda Gervais and JBW and so many more- oh well next time. see you soon. Teri and Tina
