Thanksgiving Week

First of December, 2013

Hi friends.  

Well, our Christmas Open House is over and we had a wonderful time.  Lots of delicious treats, creamy eggnog and darling, happy visitors.  We had a great time.  Thanks to everyone who made the effort to get out (or call in) and support Small Business Saturday.  Thank you.  It really does make a difference!  After we left work, we joined the fun, battling the Santa Parade, and continuing on our own small business celebration by going to our favorite little Japanese restaurant and then on to a little shopping spree.  

Don't you just love Thanksgiving weekend?  I really do.  This year, we stayed home and cooked and had a wonderful time.  For the first time both of my boys were too far away to come home for Thanksgiving, so I had to be very, very busy in order to not think about it.  I guess it sort of worked.  Luckily Teri and Bob were both in a mood of constant projects for me--Bob in cleaning (yay) and Teri in cooking and making things like these turkeys (super yay.)  Well anyway, it did keep me busy, and I ended up with a clean, semi-decluttered house, and new kits for work, and homemade treats for the open house, and a pretty yummy Thanksgiving dinner and…a flock of these turkeys…(I did the yellow feet and Teri did the rest.)

   

So here is the front door of the shop all ready for the holidays.  Teri loves the holidays and as always she has been going full tilt getting the shop all dressed up.  She even made her traditional day-after-Thanksgiving trip to get the 14 foot tree for work and we all pitched in to get it decorated.  It truly is lovely.  So come on in and enjoy a part of the day's festivities with me.  It will be almost like being here.  

 Here is our table of treats.  Are you impressed?  The eggnog was delicious--creamy and sweet--and surrounded by Nancy's fantastic shortbread (the best part of the holidays), mint brownies, date balls, thumbprint cookies, date bars (actually jawbreakers), fudge, and peppermint balls.  Nothing like starting out December on a sugar high!  

Come on into the shop and I will show you some of our great new things.  

Three Ships
  kit $70.00

I just love this song:  I Saw Three Ships.  I guess I just like old Christmas carols that have odd verses that really make you wonder.  This lovely sampler is stitched on a 32 count beautiful hand-dyed linen with gentle hues of silk threads.  A sweet border of holly frames the verse of this old carol.

'Tis the Season 
kit:  $20.00

‘Tis the Season is our newest little pin cushion which is stitched on 32 count lambswool linen with sweet, overdyed threads in soft Christmas colors.  You will love the ribbon which Teri hand dyed especially for this piece and best of all--you can finish it before the big day arrives.       

Naughty or Nice 
kit: $16.00

A sweet Christmas sampler to stitch during the holidays.  It is worked on 32 count Willow linen with over-dyed and regular cottons.  I think it is just adorable.  

                                                              Merry & and Bright 

Leaflet:   $6.00

Complete kit also available

This is a quick fun project to stitch.  Worked on 12 count jute fabric with Weeks over-dyed and DMC #3 Perl.   It is finished with a darling set of buttons

Merry Yuletide

 by With Thy Needle

leaflet:  $

complete kit also available

We just picked this piece up from Jill and it is gorgeous.  The santa and snowman are darling and I am sorry you can't see how fabulous the mat is.  Jill has written the words in a sparkling white glitter.  Really great.

Santa Biscornu

By Barbara Anna Designs

Leaflet $ 

This fun pillow is stitched on 7 count Klostern.  Teri was intending to make a biscornu (stuffed pincushion) but  couldn't ever figure out how to do it,  so Lonii just finished it as a darling pillow.  It is cheery and darling

2013 Kissing Ball kit

By Just Another Button Company

Kit $

Teri just loves stitching these kits.  They are easy and so darling when they are done.  This one is an ornament or a scissor fob.  The round 2013 is a button on one end, and a wool ball of mistletoe on the other.  Super fun. 

Well it is time to get this letter posted and off to you. This is going to be the best December ever, so be sure to check back each week and see what is going on in the world of Shepherd's Bush.  So far I have kept to my schedule--2 posts in 2 weeks.  But then remember I am keeping busy.  Have a great first week of December.  Be safe, and I will see you next week.  fondly, Tina  

Thanksgiving week

Join us for a 

Christmas Celebration

November 30th

11:00- 4:00

New Shepherd’s Bush Designs 

Yummy Treats  • Holiday Cheer 

• Find your perfect gifts •

(Do come by...it will be such fun)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear friends,

This is definitely that time of the year.  I know--a bit early--but it will be here before we blink.  I think it is everyone's favorite time, and yet it slips by us so quickly that we never seem to have enough time to truly savor it.  Our lovely, long Indian summer has brought us many gifts including our cherry tomato tree in the back yard of the shop which is still giving us sweet little ruby gems for our lunch salads.  Oh woe to us when it finally figures out that it is too cold and turns up its toes.  Teri transformed our summer pots by the front door into darling harvest bouquets, and they are still looking quite perfect--and not one of the little gourds has been mislaid (knock on wood.)  

But soon they will be gone to make way for festive pine boughs and holly.  Here it comes.......Please do join us for our holiday Open House on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  It will be such a lot of fun and we would love to see you here.  We will hopefully have our new Christmas designs ready for you to peruse and get a jump on December stitching.  The shop will be decorated, and hopefully our tree will be up and smelling exquisite.  Besides I am trying to make some silly garlands for it and you have to come take a look.  We have yummy treats planned and lots of darling ideas for Christmas stitching and giving.  Remember--as the month progresses--we have fabulous gift ideas and our wrapping is the very best.  I always long for a gift wrap from Shepherd's Bush under my tree--and sometimes I even get one.    And if you are too far away to make it in to our open house, here is something for you to look forward to:  

A Little Blog Advent Calendar 

Thanksgiving Week:  New and finally ready Shepherd's Bush Holiday Designs--with luck 

First Week of December: An amazing announcement about the upcoming Shepherd's Fold--might be good for Santa

Second Week of December:  Super fun Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers

Third Week of December: Extra exciting new Christmas/Winter Projects--'tis the season you know  

Something to remember is that also on November 30th is the American Express Shop Small Day.  I love this day myself  You have to register your card online between Nov. 24th and 30th (but I would suggest that you do it earlier than later) and then you can come to our open house, spend at least $10.00 and Am Ex will credit your card with $10.00  That is pretty cool.  It only happens on November 30th and you can only get this deal by shopping at designated Shop Small Merchants.  That's us!  This will also work on mail orders--but you need to let us know so that we can run your card on that day.  Fun!!!!

 I haven't written for so long that I have a lot to tell you, so come on inside and see what we have got going for these late autumn glory days. 

Our Awesome Autumn Display 

Don't you just love this darling group of Fall designs?  Some of them are new, and some of them are just our great old favorites.  From Blackbird Designs to Plum Street's little hare harvest to Not Forgotten Farm's Thomas there are so many to choose from and certainly the perfect one to curl up with after the Thanksgiving Day dishes are done and the boring football has begun.

Feast of Friendship 

by Blackbird Designs

leaflet:  $9.00

complete lovely kit:  

I just adore this piece.  You know how much I love baskets--or even fruit bowls--and this is a sampler that I have wanted to stitch for a while.  Perhaps this will be my piece to cuddle up with on Thursday evening.  

If, however, you are ready to move along to Christmas stitching, just keep on reading and I will share some of this season's best with each of you.  

The Center Santa Cupboard

This is our center display for Christmas.  It is brimming with holiday pillows, pictures, and lots of season cheer.  Click on this photo and enlarge so that you can see the pieces up closer, and let us know if there is one which you would just love to get started on.

The Religious Display

 This is our religious Christmas table.  Filled with nativity scenes, angels, shepherds and other gentle sentiments.   

Holiday Favorites

This little wall is showing some of our newest favorite pieces.  In the center is Christmas at Hollyberry Farm by Stacy Nash.  Right top:  Shining Star by SamSarah.  Underneath:  Holly House by Chessie.  Center:  Joy to the World by Lizzie Kate and Top left:  Christmas Rules by Lizzie Kate.  

The Garland

Teri has been busy all month long getting the shop totally decorated for Christmas.  It seems like every day when I wander out from the back she has something else all set up.  One of my favorite things is the pine garland which is twined with darling stitched ornaments which we have collected over the years.  It is a little nostalgic and a lot inspirational, and every day I find myself spying a new one and thinking that I would like to stitch that one.   

Lizzie Kate Santa 2013

leaflet:  $4.00

leaflet with LK embellishments: $7.50

complete kit:

Here is this year's new Santa from Lizzie Kate and he is quite a charmer.  We love to stitch them on 10-count Tula with fabulous overdyed cottons and the fun set of buttons which we have chosen for it.  Don't you just love him?   

 Shepherd's Retreat 2014--Save the Date

I know that this is much earlier than we usually start talking about our upcoming retreat, but it is never too early to let you know the dates so that you can also begin to plan.  Teri and I have already started making our plans, writing our lists, and thinking of a million wonderful ideas.  We will be going back to the Canyons because it is just the greatest place to cozy in for our weekend of bliss.  The dates, however, have changed due to cosmic forces beyond our control.  So...the dates for next year will be

 October 16-18 with our shop open house on October 15th.  I am not going to tell you anything else just yet, except that we are planning the very best Retreat ever and you just have to come!

Well it is time to post this letter and get back to working on getting our new kits ready to go.  I will write again next week when I can show you photos of our newest offerings for the Christmas season.  I wish for each of you a calm and wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, warmth, and love..and perhaps a little stitching.  hugs, Tina