Mid December, 2013
merry, merry….
Dear Friends,
Happy holidays to one and all.
As if the weather itself is determined to usher in the Christmas spirit, Winter arrived with a vengeance blanketing us here in snowflakes and single digit cold. We drove home from work on Saturday night in a blizzard and had to slip and slide our way backwards down the first hill we came to and continue down our main street calculating each street we passed to determine if we could make it up that one. And all I could think was--Really? Could it possibly have been a whole year since we were last doing this? And of course, December or not, a Christmas snow always catches me scrambling for a coat, digging for mittens, and wondering if boots are really necessary. Definitely no flip-flops. So the whole long and slow drive home with me grousing and grumbling only brings out the most enthusiastic remarks from Teri who comments cheerfully in her most Pollyanna-esque voice: Well at least we aren't riding horses. OK, thanks for that. I know that she secretly hates the cold weather and the snow as well, but she pretends to enjoy it--I think just to bug me. Two nights ago we stopped at the bank drive up after work and while we waited for our turn, we watched a man on the other side of the street trying to get his car out of the gutter where he was stuck on the ice. She kept making suggestions--to me--on what he should be doing to get himself going, and before I knew it she was zooming across 4 lanes of traffic to help him get going again. He was a little surprised I think, but impressed when she got him on his way. Teri thinks that kitty litter is good to have in your car in the winter, but I think that it is really Teri who is good to have in your car.
happy winter…happy snowflakes…happy ice…happy shoveling…happy sliding…happy Teri...
Shepherd's Fold--2014
Well, here we go with a new Shepherd's Fold. It has been a few years since we did this, but Teri and I have been wanting to do it again for a while, so we are ready to embark on the best Fold ever. If you join us you will be promised a year of fun, excitement and wonderful projects plus the joy of a surprise in the mail when you least expect it. Yippee! This Fold is going to be a delightful little sewing box filled with sweet and lovely necessities for the true stitcher. We will begin in late January or early February and send out a new little treasure to stitch about every other month. When you sign up for the Fold, you will automatically receive these kits and be charged for each one as it is ready. We have had Stephanie from Lone Elm Lane make us 8" round, wooden sewing boxes in a fabulous deep Shepherd's Plum color so that we can each keep our finished pieces safely tucked inside to be ready when we need them. The box is actually an optional part of the fold--you could certainly use your own box or little basket. However, if you are in for the full ride, you can order it in the beginning or anytime along the way. We actually have some of the hand-made, hand-stained boxes all ready to go, so it might make the perfect Christmas present just for you.
The first kit that you will receive will be a darling sampler that you will use to cover the top of your box. Of course, Jill will be doing an absolutely sweet mat and frame for it if you choose to frame it instead. (She doesn't know about it yet, but she will by the time it is ready.)
After that each kit will be a new item to stitch and keep in your sewing box. ( Perhaps a pin cushion or a scissor fob…..) All the different pieces will go together and make a fabulous complete set. There may even be special extra items which can be purchased along the way. Hmm…intriguing.
Now for the nitty gritty:
When you register with us, we will keep your information on file so that you will automatically receive each new kit. It is always fun to get a little surprise in the mail.
Prices:
The wooden sewing box: $160.00 (This item is optional)
Your first kit will be larger than all of the rest and will run $50.00 for the complete kit.
After that we anticipate the remaining kits to be between $15.00 and $25.00 each.
One final thing: We love our friends who have retail shops like us, and we really want to include them in on the fun. If you would like to sign up for the fold through your local shop, just give them a call after the first of the year and arrange to pick it up from them.
If you would like to sign up through us, you can call us anytime and we will be happy to get you registered and ready to go.
Merry Eweies
by Homespun Elegance
$9.00
We just received this back from the stitcher. It is so darling. We will be framing it after Christmas...
Ok--as promised-- here we go with some absolutely awesome gifts for your last minute giving and receiving. Remember it only takes about 2-3 days to get from our house to yours, so there is still time to gather in those perfect presents. Just give us a call.
Leather zipper cases by Namaste $8.00
These sweet small bags match the Namaste boxes and are great for a pair of scissors, or even a coin purse. They are small, and would be great tucked in a stocking. Choose from any of these fantastic colors: Lime, Hollywood Pink, Eggplant, Peacock, Pumpkin, Black, Red. They are great.
Zipper bags
Large $29.00, medium $27.00
These bags just arrived, and everyone here loves them. By the end of the day, Nancy had purchased a Santa bag, and 3 new projects to put inside it. She is so darling. I will be posting other styles on the web site: we have Nutcrackers, Gingerbread houses and snowmen just for Christmas, but we do not have very many of any of them so call right away if you are interested.
Nutcrackers
Gingerbread Houses
Winter is in the air/ Snowmen
Scissor Sheaths $5.00
I thought I would faint when I saw these new scissor sheaths, and I actually think that the front girls were keeping them a secret from me. I LOVE polka dots! They only come in red and black so far, but they are just darling on matching scissors. We love the red scissor sheath on green scissors and also on red ones, and the black one is perfect on our orange stripe scissors. It also looks wonderful on black scissors, and the red one looks great on black scissors and the black looks good on gold scissors--you know like bees. Ok, I could go on and on. Sometimes when I am bored, I just go out and try them on all sorts of colors and drive everyone crazy out in front. These are just darling and will make you smile.
Needle threaders $10.00
by JABCO
These are perfect for your Nameste Box, or your stitching essentials. they thread like a dream and are a great help to failing eyes.
Teri's Terrific Custom Gift Wrap and Namaste boxes
Teri loves to wrap- watch out she will wrap up almost anything. This is one of her best: when you buy (or your husband buys for you) a box fully loaded with wonderful things, she will do a "wrapped stack" which will appear under your tree on Christmas morning and you will never want to open it up because it looks so darling. But eventually your curiosity will get the better of you and you will just have to rip it open and spend the rest of the day arranging and rearranging all your little accessaries in your fantastic Namaste box. So if you are ordering or buying a gift--be sure to say "wrap it up please" and she will get to work.
Winter Wienerland $10.00
by Plumstreet Samplers
two brand new designs by Plumstreet- both are so darling. We are just contemplating how we are going to stitch them, so if you are interested, we will help you figure it out.
Wintertide Friends $10.00
by Plumstreet Samplers
We stitched the Thanksgiving stockings and they were stellar! Can't wait to see these, they will be fabulous as well.
Lizzie Kate Hearts and Holly Mystery
When Nancy brought this back, everyone here was thrilled. It is sweet and so Christmassy.
We still have sets available for this beautiful sampler.
Little Sheep Virtues
By Little House
We are almost finished with this amazing piece. It has been such a great year project. You can still order this beautiful sampler and have fun stitching it all next year.
Well, here we go hurtling towards Christmas week. Have fun amidst the hustle and bustle of the season. And I hope that we will all have a chance to find a few stolen moments to sit back and truly enjoy the intended peace and joy of the holidays. For me that is usually while I spend some time with my needle and thread as I quietly relish the lights, the music, and my family. Until next week..be safe and warm. fondly, Tina
ps--I tried a new fudge recipe yesterday and it was yummy and super easy. However, it needs a little tweaking. If we get it perfected this weekend, I will post it on next week's blog. Something to look forward to. T
