Thursday, October 7, 2010

I'm back...........................

Important!!!!! For those joining us at Jamboree this weekend we are having the gentlemen who sharpens the scissors at Perfect face come to the hotel on Saturday to sharpen scissors...so bring anything you need sharpened, let me rephrase, bring any scissors you need sharpened with you for the weekend. It's been so long since I last blogged I hardly know where to begin. We're exhausted from the summer, are at the end for the hotel so rest is coming....we've already started welcoming our first retreat attendees, as Debbie, Phyllis, Stasi, Nelsa, and Becky arrived yesterday with more stitchers coming today to get an early start. While the weather has taken a turn for the cold, which we all know I enjoy, the days are warm and in the 70's and it's forecasted to be in the 70's all weekend...whoppee!!!! Last weekend we hosted the Delaware Valley Sampler Guild and as usual had a great time hanging out with the stitchers. So let me first say to them, thank you for letting us be your hotel and thanks for letting Sara and I hang out with you. Theresa Baird kept us fully entertained at night and it was a treat to be with you. Theresa designs the most amazing designs...only she does it for herself and the guild. I'm trying to get her to publish them but it's an uphill battle. She's be a great addition to the design community. They checked out on Sunday and Monday we began getting ready for the Jamboree stitchers. I thought I had ordered quite a bit prior to Monday, but there I sat all day Monday and Tuesday placing 3 day shipment orders to get stuff here by Friday....why can't I seem to get everything together earlier. Mary and Brian even got the Lasagna's done ahead for me and in the freezer...Sara and Michael did the cookies...which means I'm not up at the crack of dawn doing those jobs on Thursday. I even had my ornament exchange all stitched....of course I didn't have it put together, but Debbie and Phyllis shamed me into getting that done last night so I'll actually have it ready to give on Friday....oh, yea, baby I'm getting things done. Sara's been bugging me to get the 2011 Lauren Sauer piece on the internet so that's why I'm sitting here at 4:30 a.m. getting things done, but I wanted to show you what we're doing...I just love this portfolio piece, done in beautiful shades of green and pinks and oh, my it's just beautiful, and so many places to put your stitching treasures in...Love it!!! If you love it as much as I do you are welcome to join the class. There is pre-stitching involved so the sooner you let us know the better. We are also excited about the upcoming Betsy Morgan "Toy Chest" class (last picture shown) which we have taking place in April...April 15-17, 2011. Pictures of this piece follow. Plus she's added a couple more pieces you can purchase separately..so this piece just keeps growing. Stasi Buhrman brought her finished Toy Chest to Jamboree so attendees can see it...amazing piece. I'll have it up on the internet today on our web site under events along with the pertinent information. Check it out and try to join us for a fun weekend and beautiful stitching. I love these pieces so much I'm actually taking the classes and I can't wait. Usually I work the shop and let others take the classes, but I just couldn't pass these two pieces up, plus I had so much fun in Jane Timmers class last year, I've decided to start sitting in on the classes myself. I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't finished too much over the course of the summer, but I'm working like a mad woman now getting Christmas stitching done. My list seems to grow every year and I'm determined to get all the stitching done. Of course that means I actually have to stay awake long enough to get the stitching done. I'm telling you I'm getting slower and slower......I'm slowly crawling to my death I think and at the rate I'm going it's going to take forever...wow that and the rule that you can't die until you get all your stash stitched, good God, I'm going to live to be a 1000...oh, my that won't be pretty! I did finally finish the Libertyville piece which should have taken a week at most, but I managed to drag it out all summer. I really didn't work on it that much to while that explains it somewhat...really I should have finished it long ago. I also managed to screw up my Quaker Christmas which was all finished before the summer waiting for me to take it to the framer. I needed to go to Salisbury a couple of weeks ago so I thought I'd get the piece ironed and ready to roll. Well, I admit that while I tell customers not to steam or wet their overdyed pieces, I ignore those instructions when it comes to my own pieces and to be honest it usually doesn't matter. But this time...well... I stitched this piece with Gloriana's Elizabethan Green which I love and which bled out brown around some of the motifs. Yes, it bled....certainly not Gloriana's problem since I should have never used water, but I could kick my own ass around the block. I'm still trying to make a decision, but I think I'm going to antique the piece to made it useable. Damn!!! Did I learn anything? No, I'll still press with a damp cloth...perhaps antiquing will be my new craze. Family news....Sara and Vernon joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of the summer and both have lost over 30 pounds (needless to say I felt hiking the 5 blocks to the meeting might be too much of an effort for me so I didn't join them...as a matter of fact just knowing they were going made me reach for the danish). But I'm extremely proud of both of them. Sara has reached her goal weight...kudos to her...and she did it all without giving up her wine and booze. I think that's my problem, I no longer drink....perhaps I should start that first and then I'd be more willing to join in the weight loss regime. Well I'm going to end here since it's 6:24 a.m. and I believe I hear my refrigerator calling me to breakfast. Have a great day!