Thanksgiving and on to December- 2018

Thanksgiving Weekend, 2018

Hi Friends,

We spent Thanksgiving with the boys in D.C. and had a great time.  I hate not having them close by, so it was fun spending time with them, seeing where they are living this year, walking their neighborhoods, eating at their favorite places, and just being together for a few short days.  My joy and my sadness were mingled in seeing them happy and settled in their lives--so far away from me.  

In a few short days, we had every kind of weather--flip-flop balmy, freezing cold, and this day of biblical rain.  

And now with a beautiful Thanksgiving weekend behind us, I guess we are spinning heading into the crazy, Christmas rush.

There is so much going on at the shop right now that is hard for me to keep up.  The new Stocking arrives tomorrow, and we will have some very fun new holiday designs and kits ready shortly, so come back to this blog by the weekend and we will show all of our new Christmas things. We have been busy trying to get ready for the Christmas season and hopefully we will be ready by Saturday for our Christmas Holiday Open House.  

Saturday, December 1st

11:00-4:00

We will have such a fun day filled with new things by Shepherd's Bush, lots of fun new projects, and darling shoppers.  We will be doing a little project in the back--if I can manage to clean off the table.  So please drop by and share some Holiday Cheer as well as Martha's Extravagant Egg Nog, and many other delicious sweet treats.  

Lois' Stocking

Leaflet:  $10.00

Complete kit:  

Believe it or not--it is finally ready!!!    You know how some babies tend come in their own sweet time...This has just been one of those Falls--super fun and super busy.  Oh well, I think you will just love this new little stocking.  I think she is a bit like a Christmas elf.  We have the leaflet ready to go and all of the supplies as well--linen, charm pack, threads.  December is the perfect time to work on a stocking--for next year. 

The shop is  ready for December festivities

New Offerings for Christmas

Teri and I have had such a great time getting these new designs stitched and ready, but as always the days of December approach so much more quickly than any other days of the year. Some of them are ready now and all of them will be ready later next week-  We hope you have a fun and happy December stitching our new Holiday designs.  I will update the photos as they are finished...  

Have you Any Wool  

Button and free chart $8.00

Complete kit with darling finishing supplies $30.00

Rejoice Pincushion kit:   $30.00

Just Another Button Co. mini Pin set:   $12.00

                         Jolly Santa Tag kit:  $8.00                           Joy to You Tag kit:  $8.00

Merry Notes Chart: $8.00

Kits will be available

Oh Tannenbaum Ornament chart:  $6.00

Kits will be available.

Main display dressed for Christmas 

Teri has been working on getting her very fun Christmas displays out and they look darling.  Sometimes it seems like Halloween sort of oozes onto every surface of the shop by October, so even  though we all love that time of year, it is also soothing to see our Christmas pieces come out for December.  I hope you will enjoy looking at them as well. 

Here are some of our other Christmas displays

 

On the left is the center display, filled with great projects

Right is the side display with Nativity projects.  

Barb and Alma brought these amazing samplers to our Retreat, and we just loved the soft colors.  We have both of these charts back in stock, so give us a call if you would like them.  

Our Lasting Friendship:

 by Blackbird Designs

Chart $12.00

Merrily, Merrily,  We Welcome Spring

by Blackbird Designs

Chart $12.00

These are some of the new things from Brenda- She also brought these to the Retreat and we all loved them very much.  Perfect winter stitching.

With Thy Needle and Thread

     
                   All Bundled Up:  chart $12.00                         Peppermint Wishes:  chart $12.00
                                                                                            This fabric is coming in to us on Thursday!!

Plum Pudding - chart $12.00

Little House Farmhouse series

It's finished and it is soon fun! We added buttons and notice the great Zappy dot that matches - near the center.  Nancy always stitches with a Zappy Dot magnet

Ann's Arugula Salad

Christian's Anne made a yummy appetizer for our Thanksgiving 

Dinner and we loved it.  We had a hard time finding a store that carried endive, so she kept telling me that it would be delicious for an arugula salad.  So...I made it for dinner tonight, and she was exactly right.  It was fantastic! And the arugula was perfect with its bitter notes and a great sub for Romaine. 

So, if you want something light and lovely in this pre-holiday time, just give this a try. 

Take a box of Arugula and place in a bowl.  Use the whole box because you will want all of it in the end.  Sprinkle on a brunch of sweetened, dried cranberries--Craisins--and some Gorgonzola crumbles.  We like a lot of them.  Any chopped, candied nut will do--choose your favorite.  I used cashews.  They wouldn't even have to be candied.  Whatever you use, it will be scrumptious.  I kept them on the side so they wouldn't get soggy.  I made a dressing with 1/3 cup Olive Oil, a generous spoonful of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lemon. Whisk to emulsify, and dress the salad just before serving.  Enjoy!  (I Panko-breaded and pan fried chicken cutlets to go with.)

Have a fun December!

fondly, Tina

Merry Christmas

August

Late Summer, 2018

               Have the Zinnias ever been more lovely than during this incredibly hot, dry summer?  Teri found these this morning at the Farmer's Market, and they are glorious.  But our neighborhood is also bursting in pots of unbelievable Zinnia explosions. Earth gifts like these make the relentless sun and heat almost bearable. In spite of the warmth, these long summer days seem to have just sped by too quickly.  It hasn't really cooled off much--even at night--but the crickets outside my bedroom window are almost deafening in their symphonic chirping--reminding us that summer is waning.

For me, this has been a season for trying new things.  I am not a soul who enjoys venturing out of her cozy comfort zone, yet that has been my adventure this Summer.  Sadly, I seem to be a constant sufferer of empty nest blues.  Christian graduated from his Master's program in late May and now both the boys are working in D.C.  As much fun as we have going back to visit them, eating at all of their favorite haunts, and wandering the streets of that amazing city, I miss the everyday joys of having my little chicks clutched close to me.  So this seemed to be the summer for pushing myself out of my safe and familiar little world--just a little.  

               First, I joined the choir at my church.  I'm not really the most musical person, but I play the piano and have nurtured my boys through piano, violin, clarinet, saxophone, and guitar--ok, they nurtured themselves through that one.  Choir is a different kettle of fish altogether. Yikes!!  Everyone is wonderful and that makes it all worth it, but for me it is an alternate discipline completely.  It has required many focused hours on my own in front of my seldom used (by me) piano, and has demanded an untapped fearlessness to sing in front of a congregation.  

               Then, Teri and I have been working with a program which helps feed and house homeless families.  We have spent time in the evenings with them, helped a bit with dinners and tried to make a few of their nights a little less scary.  Teri is my inspiration there as she can organize a family board game, coax a two-year old to eat his dinner, or hold a long conversation with a hearing/speech impaired mom with that love and enthusiasm that she brings to all. For me, it has truly been a lesson in grace and compassion.  Joys come in all kinds of packages.  

                And finally, there is our Tai Chi class.  I have wanted to try this for a long time, and this was the summer.  Master Lu teaches his classes in the evening up in the park behind our house--at the base of the mountain foothills, and we walk up and have an hour of Tai Chi.  It is odd and interesting and very hot, and although it is hard, it has given me a time to focus on movement, the world around me, and life in that specific moment.  There are usually about 15 of us--including Bob and Teri--and we have become odd friends doing something in perfect silence in a beautiful setting accompanied by squirrels, and birdsong, and blessed shade.  Sometimes we have been serenaded by birthday parties, cheerleading practices and playground noises which is always a test of concentration.  My favorite evening, however, was spent moving through our endless, ancient Chinese motions to the sound of a lone bag piper who practiced nearby.  Isn't Life amazing?

However, in spite of my summer of dis-comfort...I have made plenty of time to spend in my beloved cocoon of stitching.  Here's what is going on at Shepherd's Bush...

New Stocking 

coming soon....ish

This has been my project the last 2 months.  It is one of my favorite things that I do each year, but it never becomes any easier.  Lots of imagining, drawing, erasing, stitching and un-stitching.  Adding colors, taking colors away, setting it aside and staring at it for long periods.  But I actually think I am making progress, and I am grateful for that.  Now for a name....

Sheep Scissors

$11.50

silver or black 

We have finally received our sheep scissors that we have been patiently waiting for.  They are just darling and actually cut quite nicely.  I have no idea if we will get more, but for now we are really enjoying our little flock.

The start of our Halloween displays.  

It's that time of the year when the shop is transformed into Halloween and Fall.  Pumpkins and spooky things hang from the ceiling, and Halloween ornaments festoon our fabulous tree.  Look for all sorts of projects, both large and small.  

Here are a couple of new Halloween pieces that are new at the shop

Hocus Pocus by Blackberry Lane

Cat chart:  $13.00

Pumpkin Chart:  $13.00

Frog Chart:  $13.00

Teri saw these at market, and she has been so excited to get them stitched by our wonderful stitchers.   They are worked on 3 gorgeous Halloween colors of Picture this Plus Linen.   We have small fabric pieces cut and ready for each face. The patterns include a design to stitch the back of each one, so you could have a stitched front and a back.  Ours are finished with a fun black Halloween fabric on the back and black chenille trim.  

Happy Halloween Night by Jardin Prive'

Chart:  $10.00

Halloween Mouses  by Madame Chantilly

chart:  $12.00

ABC Halloween by Jardin Prive'

Chart:  $9.00

New Charts from Brenda Gervais

We are so excited to get these darling new charts.  They came in yesterday's mail, so Teri and Reeta are busy finding linens and threads to get them going.  Such fun for the perfect fall stitching.

Autumn In Baltimore

$12.00

Bittersweet and Broomsticks

 $12.00

A Basket of Autumn Time

$12.00

The Cat and The Moon

$12.00

Here are a few photos of the fun pieces we have had stitched recently... 

Woolemina by Plum Street Samplers

Chart:  $10.00

We LOVE this sweet sheep.  We stitched it in gorgeous shades of purple, and Jill framed it in this amazing frame.  

Blessed Bee by With Thy Needle and Thread

Chart: $12.00

Little House Farmyard Christmas

Each pattern: $6.00

Nancy has been moving right along on this darling series.  Only 2 left to go.  It is turning out so sweet and she has had a great time working on it.  She was triumphant on Wednesday because the had finished the border...and it worked out.  Always a relief.

 If you would like to join into this project, we have all the charts and the buttons.  You can choose between 36 count (our piece), 32 count or 28 count.  There is still plenty of time before Christmas.  

Plum Street Samplings Noah's Christmas

This is turning out so fabulously, we are anxiously awaiting the next part....  what will they be???

New scissors $5.00 

Epilogue:

Our city Garden

We planted earlier this year, so we have been feasting on tomatoes and cucumbers for a month.  The grapes are finally ripe and Teri is hankering to make grape juice.   They are tiny and super sweet and plentiful, but I can only think of helping our mom make hundreds of bottles of delicious grape juice.  It was messy and sooooo much work, and picking through the grapes to remove stems, always made my hands itch.  Teri says she has a easy recipe..... we'll just see who gets them first--Teri or the birds.

                            

Wherever you may be, I hope that you cherish these last warm weeks of summer.  I hope you can taste a warm, freshly picked tomato, share a peach with a friend, take a walk in the early evening cool, and stitch until bedtime.  

ever, fondly Tina and Teri

Happy Summer

Summer, 2018

Happy Summer!  My boys would happily point out that this season is technically 3 weeks away, but for me it's Summer.  Our back yard city garden is going crazy--due to Teri's tender ministrations.  We have harvested tons of sweet radishes already, and the peas are just coming on.  The tomatoes are growing like weeds, and we are willing the cucumbers to take off.  Last year we tried making Not-so-sweet Bread and Butter pickles, and they were amazing!  I can't wait to make more this year. And--as you can see above--the Clematis is breath catching.  Ahhh...Summer.

We, the Pizza

Washington DC

To start out this wonderful, lazy, beautiful season, Shepherd's Bush has a few new little kits to show you.  They all come complete and will work up in a flash, so you will be well on your way to a very patriotic July. 

From Sea to Sea

kit:  $30.00

This new kit is part of our larger pincushion series.  It is stitched on 32 count Flax linen, with Overdyed silks and cotton threads.  It includes little buttons, a darling red polka dot backing fabric, and Lady Dot chenille trim.

There is also a mini pin pack from Just Another Button Company to go perfectly along with it.

Mini Pin Set:  

$12.00

Home Of The Brave

kit: $16.00

White box: $22.00  (sold separately) 

We just love these new little boxes.  Our Patriotic kit is very fun to stitch, and fits perfectly into this small box.  Fill it with red, white and blue buttons or a treasure of your own. I am going to put in a few tiny stitching necessaries--hopefully in patriotic colors.

This piece is stitched on 32 count linen and comes with the linen and threads complete. 

Flag Tag

kit: $8.00

Teri loves to do these tags.  She filled a bag with patriotic M & Ms, and it will be a great gift for a friend--or a sister.  The kit comes with everything you need to make 1 tag--swirly paper, thread, a star button, polkadot ribbon, and a 2 sided paper tag.  This is a quick, sweet stitch. If you have a patriotic tree, like we do, it would be darling hanging from one of the branches.

Summer Reads and Treats  

 This is going to be my thing to share for the next few months. 

If you love a good read and love to read historical fiction, this series of books is one of Teri and my favorites.  Charland sent the first one--The 

Circle of Ceridwen--to us last year and I read it almost obsessively and continued to read the next 5 in the series.  I just finished reading her newest one earlier this month and loved it.  

It is very well researched and detailed about a woman's life in the 9th century and I just found it fascinating and exciting and sweet. If you like that kind of thing, you will love this one.  

Unfortunately there are a few pros and cons to this book:

Pro:  you will fall in love with her world.

Con:  It does cut into your stitching time.  

So perhaps buy it on Audible and listen while you stitch.

And now for the treat:

Rice Crispy S'mores

Teri made these a few weeks ago, and they were addictively delicious.  Make a batch of your favorite Rice Crispy treats--however you like to make them is fine.  Before you add the marshmallow/butter mixture, smash up a half of a sleeve of graham crackers quite small and add to the crispies.  Once you have added the marshmallow mixture and stirred it up, wait a minute or two until the mixture is no longer warm. Add a couple of handfuls of mini marshmallows and as many broken up pieces of hershey bars as you like.  Stir together and put into your pan to set up.  Yummy!!

Have a great, safe June, and I will write again in a few...

fondly, Tina

Spring, finally 2018

Spring, finally...2018

Dear Friends,

It's May--just--and here in Utah, Spring has finally come.  The weather seems to be warm one day and cold the next.  Everything is coming into bloom, and hay fever is raging--certainly at my house.  Teri has been busy getting the box gardens ready to go and has already planted peas, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes.  It's going to be a delicious summer.  As you can see, she has had a lovely crop of lilacs and loves to cut them and put them in a vase bringing their sweet, old fashioned scent into the shop.  It's odd, but those flowers can take my breath away with the unexpected memory of my mom.  She loved lilacs and had huge bushes at home which she grew from starts gathered at our grandparents' house.  When we opened our shop, she brought starts down and planted them in the backyard in the middle of the city, where they have grown into beautiful mini trees.  It is funny how random things can trigger a memory in our souls, and sometimes it is spring flowers that can do that for me.  When the roses bloom in my mom's garden, it takes me back to my childhood and walking home from school to see her working in the roses and waving to me as I approached.  Or she and Teri gathering the lilacs and wrapping them in newspapers to take to our grandparents' graves.  Or the first appearance of grape hyacinths which grow in abundance in our front yard.  Christian loved them so much when he was a toddler and would lie on his stomach watching them and pretending they were soldiers in a great army--each color a different regiment.  He never picked them, but would concoct elaborate countries, wage battles and crown kings and queens.  I thought it was odd and endearing when he was small, and now my heart catches with the first appearance of those lovely little plants. It is those unexpected colors and smells that emerge after a long winter that remind me how much I miss my mom and my grandparents, and those sturdy little boys who have grown up and no longer play in my garden.

Ahh....Spring

New things coming from Shepherd's Bush

This little sneak peak is to let you know that we have been working on fun new summer designs.  Watch in the next couple of weeks for our new designs to be ready.  Yay.

New Market Bags 

by Shepherd's Bush

$35.00

Here are some great new bags a friend is making for us.  When we were in Florence a number of years ago, I bought a sling bag at the outdoor market there and carried it everywhere for many years.  It was the perfect size to fill with almost anything, sling over my shoulder, and get on my way. These sweet new bags are inspired by that well loved treasure. The market bag runs $35.00, the small pouch bag is 12.00 and there is a long zipper bag that matches each set.  (We were out of them when Teri took the photo, but we will add a photo when Merri brings us more.)  Fabrics vary, so please give us a call for what is available now.  

Joy Kid's Kit 

by Shepherd's Bush

$15.00

Summer is the perfect time to start your little ones stitching. We had the most darling girl in this week who had finished one of our kits- Shine.  Alice is 6 and has stitched it for her kindergarten teacher.   You can see Alice and her stitching on our Instagram).   We have just added a few new kids kits, and as always they come with the pre-marked fabric, #3 perl cotton, and each kit is already started.  Joy comes with the dancing lamb button.  

Winter, Spring Summer, Autumn, Kids Kits 

$7.00 each season

These kits come with the pre-marked fabric, threads, needle and frame.  Please check out our website to see more of our Kid's Kits.  

Christmas Noah's Ark 

by Plum Street Samplers

$10.00 each pattern -set of 2 squares

Teri went nuts over this piece, when she saw our friend Pat Ryan stitching it at market.  She called right home and told the girls to get it all pulled together to be stitched.  Each square makes me chuckle.  The next two are just coming out,soon (see below) and we can't wait to add them in.  Give us a call if you want to join our auto program.  Choose your fabric, and we can send you whatever parts you want... patterns, threads, fabric.  

Christmas Farmhouse Series 

by Little House Needleworks

$6.00 each pattern

This is a great new series.  Nancy is stitching it and can't wait for the each new installment.  She is stitching it on 36 count, and will add a button on each square.  (Nancy is waiting to the end to add the buttons)  I love the border on this project, it is just so sweet.  

Deck the Halls

by Blackbird Designs

$20.00

Teri and Reeta have had so much fun cutting up all the colors of fabrics for the strawberries.  They are fantastic all together, and the one that Teri finished, is absolutely adorable. 

Darling Buds of May (Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day)

by Blackbird Designs

$18.00

I finished it!!!!  It is a miracle.  I have always loved this little piece, and started it as soon as we got home from Nashville.  It was such fun to stitch and turned out just lovely.  I tweaked the colors a bit, and I love how it looks.  I want to make it into a large pin cushion and back it with one of Lady Dot's gorgeous overdyed velvets, but for now it is on the front counter in a little stitching frame.  One of these days...

And Blossom as the Rose

by Blackbird Designs

$20.00

Ok, this is my next one.  Not that I have a large amount of free stitching time, but I just love it.  I was helping a customer find the threads and the perfect piece of linen for it, and by the time she bought it, I had also fallen in love.  I admit, I just love Quaker samplers, and I am also taken with the addition of adding family names to this one.  The colors are odd and lovely, and I can't wait to get started.  I will let you know how I am coming along with it.  But don't hold your breath.  

New displays 

Our center display is spring-ish, family,                One of our fabulous sheep displays
               and Mother's Day.

       Our new Americana display                                       Heritage Sampler 
                                                                                           by Plum Street Samplers

Our good friend Leslie brought in her Heritage Sampler to show it to us, she had just picked up from Jill, the framer.    Teri was rearranging the Americana display and somehow it found it's way into the center of the display.  I think she was hoping Leslie wouldn't notice.  After a while Leslie looked a little confused, "I didn't know you had this stitched?"   Teri just smiled and said  " Isn't it gorgeous".

She did take it home with her.  Thanks, Leslie, for letting us take these photos.  

Turn and Grab- Pincushion turning tool

$12.00

This is a surprisingly cool little tool, you can stick it into your pincushion and grab the corner and pull it inside out.  Then use the blunt ends to push out the corners.  It is perfect when I have not left enough room in the side to turn the pincushion- which is always.  I love it!

Scissor case

$6.00

This little case holds 3 small pairs of scissors and has a clear top, so you can see what is inside.   It's quite genius for those times when you just can't decide which pair you want to use.  Most clever. 

Word Plays 

by Brenda Gervais

$9.00- each month

Lynnette brought in her Word Plays, and we were blown away how amazing they all look.  What a great series.  We have all the patterns and a wonderful set of linens to go with, so give us a call if you need to fill in your collection, or you want the whole set of 12.  

Here are a few brand new patterns just in:

New from Plum Street Samplers

Noah's Ark III: $10.00                                     Snort Stack: $10.00

Sheep Heap: $10.00                        Goat Load: $10.00 

  Very darling pin cushions!

Sampler Lesson 3

$10.00

Yippee we have this stitched and are so happy it is finally coming out.

To Thee From Me   By Brenda Gervais

Chart $12.00

A very sweet little basket for summer. I think it would make a delightful little pin cushion as well.

New Patterns from Heartstrings Samplery

We love all things bee related... 

Bee Skep Gaden by From The Heart

Chart $8.00

Sweet bee sampler, I think Teri wants to stitch the pincushion for our bee display.

Garden update

Our garden is just getting going for the year, Peas are up and going strong.  Teri is trying radishes and she ordered multicolored beans, carrots and radishes...  sounds like colorful salads this summer...

And I can't wait.  Happy Spring.