Happy Valentin'e Day…from Market

Happy Market Day

Here we are in Nashville on Valentine's Day.  Yay!  Teri has our Valentines ready to deliver after a first evening of very fun shopping.  You're going to love it all.  Our Market afternoon at the shop will be next Wednesday and we will have lots of great treasures to tempt you.  I got a little preview of what Teri had found tonight when she returned to our room.  It made me want to grab a needle and just get started.  Maybe tomorrow night…Hopefully we will post some fun things on Saturday.  

Keep watching….

In the meantime, here are our newest offerings for the Market.  Don't forget to give us a call if we can save or send anything to you.  Of course it will come in our cool market wrap which you will love.  

Tisket Tasket 

Kit:   $36.00

 Stitched on 32 count hand-tinted linen with silk threads and darling buttons.

Wisteria Snowman

Kit $30.00

Stitched on 30 count hand-dyed linen with silk threads and over dyed cottons.  

Spring Box

Kit:  $12.00

Stitched on 32 count Water Lily linen with over dyed cotton threads.

 Winter Box

Kit:  $12.00

Stitched on 32 count Smoky Pearl linen with cotton over dyed threads.

Garden Sheep

Kit:  $20.00

Stitched on 32 count linen with over dyed silk and cotton threads.

Count Your Blessings

Kit:  $16.00

Stitched on 10 count fabric with over dyed cotton threads. 

Home Sweet Home

Leaflet:  $8.00

Handmade button:  $8.00

Complete kit available

Friendsheep

Free pattern with purchase of button:  $8.00

Complete kit available

Friendsheep Handmade Button

$8.00

Sorry, I am going to bed now.  We will post more later tonight of tomorrow morning.  Sleep tight--I know that I will--and tune in tomorrow.  hugs, Tina

February 2014

Early February--2014

Dear Friends,

What a Winter!!!!  I went to the grocery store last week in the middle of a rare sunny afternoon.  I noticed that my car registered 17 degrees and had to laugh to see teenagers in shorts and 3 convertibles--with their tops down--in the parking lot.  What an illusion the January sun makes on our psyches.  The wild preserve is back in our neck of the woods--quite literally--along with our family of deer.  Teri took this picture just outside the back door.  I am not sure what they are finding to eat, but they certainly seem to have taken up residency.  I wonder if they get along with raccoons.  This past week was the Sundance Film Festival which is always the highlight of a long and bleak January.  The only bad thing about it is that it takes its toll on my stitching which can be trouble when you are getting ready for the market.  This year we saw a few rather interesting movies as well as a few strange movies.  But no matter what, it always gives me something to ponder.  Christian  loves to come up to some of them on the weekend and I have found that he has very definite opinions about many things in this world.  When did he grow up?  I sort of miss our days of Thomas the Tank Engine and There Goes a Plane. 

Then there is the subject of the Nashville Market which is looming in my quite near future.  I love it so much, but it is the getting ready that I don't enjoy so much.  Teri has been drawing and stitching like a maniac and I think we are making headway.  Anyway, we have lots of very fun things planned to take with us.  If we get our skates on that is.  Just check out our blog near the middle of February and we will post our new things as well as fun things that we are seeing while we are there.  It is actually on Valentine's Day--oh yay!--I haven't exactly mentioned that to Bob.  Oh well, how romantic for Teri and me.

Before we go on, I want to give you a couple of updates on the upcoming Fold and the Retreat. 

Shepherd's Fold:  Thanks to all of you who have joined up for this fun, new adventure--whether with us or with your shop.  Teri and I are very excited and busy with our plans.  I know that I said it would be the 1st to Mid February, but I had not really taken into account the Market which falls in a week and a half.  So…..we are planning to send out the first part of it more at the end of February.  But don't despair, it will be to you before you know it.  And we are going to have a blast.  Get your stitching fingers ready. 

2014 Shepherd's Retreat: Plans are coming right along for our great retreat in October.  If you have taken a look at the Retreat link on the home page of our website you will see that the dates will be October 15-18.  For now you should just be planning to come and join us.  Tell your work and your family that need these days off and then come to Utah for a fabulous weekend.  We will start updating the link now and then as we get closer.  We are planning to post the brochure and registration form in early April and we will let you know the day and the time.  I am very excited.  

We have so many fun things in the shop right now that we really want to show you before we have all the new things from market.  So just spend some time with me and I will give you a little tour of little joyful things.  Remember that any of them would make great little valentines for you or your friends.   

Valentine Trifles 

by Shepherd's Bush

Leaflet $ 8.00

Complete kit $53.45

We have been having such a great time with Teri's new book that I wanted to share it with you.  There are 3 darling little stitched valentines that work up quickly and would be perfect to either give or keep.  Sue  and I have been making many, many kits and they are so much fun to put together.  Each one has the three different colors of 32 count linen as well as the backing fabric, buttons, beads, and 3 lengths of Teri's beautiful hand-dyed ribbon.  Such fun.

Mary Valentine's Handwork

by With Thy Needle

Pattern $ 15.00

We just received this new leaflet and I think it is just sweet.  The projects are very old fashioned and would be a true joy to stitch.  Let us know if you would like a beautiful piece of hand-dyed linen to go with it and we will be happy to choose just the right piece.  I really want to stitch the heart piece with the tulips and cherubs.  Maybe after Market.

Hold On 

by SamSarah

card $5.80 ( with buttons)

Teri likes to have darling, odd hearts stitched for the Valentine's display, and this year Nancy stitched this one.  It is worked on a soft pink linen with gentle hues of pinks, lavenders, and greens.  Seriously, don't you just love, love, love hearts?  

Promise Me 

by Lizzie Kate

Pattern $9.00

This fabulous saying of Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh just makes me smile.    We have stitched it on lambswool linen and added a wonderful set of buttons. I can't wait to see how Jill will frame it, but Teri can't bear to send it off.  I think this is one of those things that would be so lovely in a kitchen or a family room or even in a child's bedroom.  (I texted it to Christian last summer as he was leaving to go to school in France.  He probably just stared at it…but you never know.  I felt better, anyway.)

Needle Keeps 

$17.00

Aren't these new, hand made needle keeps just scrumptious?  They are very clever and darling and Teri and the front girls spend a lot of time outfitting the various ones.  They make me laugh.  Teri chose the fabrics specially and each one has a coordinating front and back.  They fold right up and close or they unfold to provide you plenty of space for all your different needles and threaders.  

Bearded Heart Scissor Fobs from Guatemala

$12.00

As some of you may know, we have a brother who was killed 10 years ago in Guatemala.  Last summer while we were at a little art festival in Park City, we met a woman who was selling these very unusual and quirky fobs.  Teri fell in love with them and asked the woman about them.  She says that she goes to Guatemala and has established an artisan program for women where she buys these little gems and brings them back to sell for them.  This gives them a safe spot for their craft and an outlet for them to earn much needed money.  We were completely enchanted with them and both of us felt that this would give us a chance to help improve the lives of at least a few women which might make a difference for them and their families living in a difficult time and place.  We definitely wanted the hearts because they are so darling and will make you smile, and then Teri asked if she could ask them to also make sheep for us.  Well, here is our first shipment that she has sent us and I hope that we will be able to commission many more. Scroll down and you will see how fantastic the sheep are.  The perfect keeper for you favorite scissors and making a difference in the life of another woman.  What could be better than that?   (Secretly I am planning to put a heart on a chain and wear it as a necklace.)  

Beaded Sheep Scissor Fobs from Guatemala

$12.00

Teri and Reeta have been having fun putting the sheep our to graze.  They are silly…

Sheep come in white, gray, or black

Scissor Sheaths 

$5.00

OK don't you think our new sheaths are spectacular?  We have loved the red and black polka dot ones so much that we have been wishing for new colors for spring.  Then we happened on the name of the people who make them--in Japan--and Teri emailed them to see if they would consider other colors.  I think he was a little surprised, but said he would try. Well here we are with a beautiful pink polka dot and a green one as well.  How fun!  So just match them up with your best scissors and you will love them.  Now we are thinking of new colors.  Yay!!!

Leather Scissor fobs 

$8.00

These little leather fobs are simple adorable.  We have had them on our front counter for just a day or two and everyone loves them.  I have a bird on my scissors, but I am considering the flower for another pair.  Sue has one on her purse and we sold a bunch yesterday for key fobs.  How fun they are.  

Fun New Bags

$6.00

This is a sweet find,  These bags come folded up very small as shown below, but they unwrap into a perfect sized bag.  The fabric is a bit heavier than most recycle bags which is very nice, and they have a top zipper and an inside pocket for scissors and small things.  Just the right size for a project on the go.  Teri took it all week to Sundance with a project as well as secret surprise treats They come in darling colors.  On the photo above- top left:  Owls, center top:  Birds, Top Right:  Trees and Plants, Bottom left:  Hearts and Flowers, and bottom right:  Chocolate with Flowers. 

Hearts and Flowers bag

Chocolate and Daisies

 (The background is a chocolate color and the flowers are bright and cheery and darling.)

Trees and Flowers Bag

And for those of you that stitch Halloween all year round, we just received a fabulous shipment from the Primitive Hare.  Here are just a few to tempt you- 

Spooky Countdown

by Primitive Hare

Pattern: $17.50

Christmas Atmospheres

By the Primitive Hare

Booklet: 19.00

Prim Atmospheres

by the Primitive Hare

booklet: $19.00

"Shoo"

by Pineberry Lane

pattern: $11.00

Little Sheep Virtues

by Little House Needleworks

12 patterns $6.00 each

complete kit $165.40

This has become such a favorite piece in the shop.  Nancy has it finished and hanging up by the front counter, but Teri can't bear to take it over to Jill for even a few days.  It really is so very sweet.  We have all the patterns for sale as well as a darling button pack.  If you love our color changes, we even have a set of the beautiful over dyed threads ready to go.  She dyes all of the linens to just the right color and you could get started any time.  The cool part about stitching it this year is that you won't have to wait for each new installment of patterns.  You can just sail right along and enjoy every part of the journey.  

Well, it is time to go and watch an ad on the Super Bowl and endure until Downton Abbey and Sherlock.  But don't worry--I shall certainly be stitching through it all.  Have a safe and lovely week and watch for more info on the upcoming market.  We will have some fun new things and we will be bringing back the limited edition kits by Blackbird and Plum Street.  We will post pics as soon as possible.  Until then, fondly, Tina

New Year's Day

New Year's Day

2014

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!  Believe it or not, it is here again.  I am one of those few people out there who hates to see New Year's eve roll around because it sort of marks the end of the holidays.  I have always hated taking the decorations down, putting the gifts away and sending my boys back to school.  (Only now school isn't just around the corner.)   Ugh!  

But of course, here it is with or without my permission, so I just have to buck up and step into 2014.  Sorry, this is going to be a short letter this time, but it does have some fun new things Teri and I want to show you.  But before we move on to these, I want to take a moment and tell each of you THANK YOU!!!!!  Thanks for much for this past year.  Thanks for stitching our designs.  Thanks for indulging me and reading my letters that come to you not so much regularly as sporadically.  Thanks for loving Teri's new web site and returning to it often to see what we have going on.  And most of all, thank you for your friendships--some of you in person, some on the telephone and some of you whom I don't even know.  Thanks for just being out there for us and making it possible for us to head to work each day and do what we so, so love.  You are the best!

So on that note, Teri and I  would like to give you a little New Year's treat.  We are posting the graph for this Happy Snowman on our web site, so that you can print it off and start off the new year with a fun little project.  Just go on to our website and and look for this picture on our home page.  To find the pdf,  go to celebrations on our side bar, and you will click on the link for the pdf, and it will bring up the pattern for you to copy off.  Good luck Teri is still figuring out all the features of our web site… 

Happy New Year!  Happy Snowman!  Happy stitching! 

(We have a little kit made up for this snowman for $12.00 if you want it already gathered together for you.  Otherwise I know that you will have what you need just waiting in your supplies at home.  Either way, have fun with it.)

2014 Engraved Julia Gingher Scissors and Fob.

Scissors:  $45.00 - Retail only

Fob: $14.00 - Retail only

I love this year's designer scissors!  I think they have sort of a Bloomsbury look so I have created a scissor fob to go with it.  As always, this is a limited kit which is available only for 2014.  The scissors are also available only for a very limited time, so if you are a collector, don't wait to snatch up your pair.  I hope you love this little set as much as I do.  

Valentine Trifles

New book--by Shepherd's Bush

$8.00

Teri's new Valentine book is just darling.  3 lovely projects to usher in the Valentine's season will make you embrace this new year.  All are finished as little pin cushions with sweet fabrics and hand-dyed ribbon trims.  I promise you will love each one of these little cushions. As always, if we can help you with any or all of the supplies for these projects, just give us a call.

Well, I am going to go sit by my tree for just a few minutes before I go to bed.  (I know I have to take it down imminently.)  Have a wonderful last few days of your holidays and be safe out there in the ice world.  I'll write again next week and show you some very darling new little treasures that we have just received for you to enjoy.  Have a wonderful 2014.  I know that this will be the best one ever.  

Hugs, Tina

Mid December

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