Almost the Needlework Show!

I'm so awful about keeping things under wraps, so I figure I can update things here and not update the website, and then I'm not really releasing anything early. Or I'm just too overwrought with technology at the moment (my color printer died...again!) and am afraid that I'll break the website. I'm not going to share everything coming up, but here are a few teasers...

Fall is a time for lots of trunk shows and gift items, and I was picking through merchandise to see what was going out to shops. I got to my pins and thought they had become a little bit bland. Soooo many new beads have  been added to my stash  been released by my wholesalers since I started designing the pins years ago. I decided to redo every. single. marking pin. set. Every single one. It has been a lot of fun to see the colors come to life and the new combinations now available.

I'm also adding new specialty needle minders to my line! There will be more than these available, but here are a couple of them... you'll have to wait a whole week until I showcase the other new sets.

Persian Tapestry

Mod Floral

There are a couple other sets that will be official in a week, as well as a new scissor hugger, and a new perfectly pretty pin set, AND a new funky chunky mini fob set with a pet theme!

We are still settling in with the house, but I am making progress in the barn. Two whole more boxes came in the house for me to put away! My plan was to do a box a day. I should have been more realistic and set my sights on a box a week. Maybe a box a month. 

The new biggest hurdle, for being settled, has been the mice. Oh, the joys of an old farm house! About six weeks ago we had a mouse in the house. The cat found it to be the greatest new toy, killed it, and left it for me in her food bowl. Not a big deal. She puts everything she steals into her food bowl; my needle threaders, fob wire, thread pickers, pipe cleaners, hair ties. My cat is a thief. I did my best CSI impression, found where she had 'played' with it in my office, and cleaned everything up. Then a few weeks ago I start towards the office at 5:30 am. It's dark, lights are off, again not a big deal. See the shadow of the cat, avoid tripping over her. Head down the stairs, hear squeaking. Now it is a big deal. I turn on the lights to find the cat being backed around the coffee table by a mouse! You read that right - my CAT was being chased by a MOUSE! And here I thought the chickens were all out in the dog kennel (another story for another day). She is the biggest chicken! I grab a towel, catch the mouse, return it to its field outside, and the cat spends thirty minutes pouting and howling that I took away her friend. Dear hubby has plenty of time to ruminate over the cat drama, so he comes home with this line... "While the mouse was chasing the cat, was it saying 'Halo, my name is Inigo Mousetoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!'" One of the absolute delights of our marriage is the humor in these walls. Fast forward a week and I wake up to find the cat has redeemed herself and left a dead mouse on the coffee table. I found where they are coming in and fixed it. I hope I fixed it.

I did find a few boxes of stitchy goodies and am more excited than ever to have the craft group back at my house next month. A few of the girls have chatted about new projects, some have picked them up, and then I had to order a few new stitchable items (the wooden die cuts are cute!). One of their projects was entered in the county fair and won a ribbon!

The design is a modified version of MBT-188 Alphablooms. 

September New Releases

September?!?!? I think every year I get to this time and wonder where the months have gone. This year I'm wondering where my stitching time has gone. Oh, yeah, it went into the yard and house ;-) I did manage to prepare three beautiful new releases for you!

MBT-201 To Everything There is a Season

I've been promising this design for months, but then the house happened. This is a companion design to my other large pieces, with scripture selections from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. I used a Needlepoint Inc. silk thread that is the most beautiful, deep shade of gray blue. My NPI has been in storage for years and I forgot how amazing it is to stitch with silk.

MBT-202 I Will Not Forget Thy Word

When I designed this I had a very specific reason in mind... and then I forgot! Seriously. I forgot what event had spurred this to mind and brought about this creation. But I still love the design! My initial stitching had it laced to be an ornament, but then I couldn't find trim that I liked. I restitched it and framed it in a similar frame to Grateful Every Day and Seek the Lost. The frame used to be turquoise, but there is something to be said for a good can of camo green spray paint. The stitch count is 71x71, so it is a companion design to the above mentioned designs but I stitched in on a higher count fabric than the other two pieces.

MBT-203 Let Us Be Thankful

This is my theme for this year. In all of the struggle of our new home, the challenges that have come up, I am thankful. I'm thankful for every ache and pain, as it reminds me of the beautiful eternity to come when this body is gone. I'm thankful for the dishes and laundry, as it means food to eat and clothes to wear. I am thankful for the family that loves us, the friends who have made us their family, and a God who loves me. This design has fall colors, so could be Thanksgiving themed, but it is neutral enough to hang year round.

I'm busily working on accessories for (another!) custom event order and have new beads on their way (they are in my post office box now and awaiting my trip to town!) to start working on new pretties for the October 1 Needlework Show. I'll have new *everything* to showcase at the next show - needleminders, pins, fobs, oh, my! So many sparkly things to make people smile.

Yesterday I had the joy of hosting our first home school craft group, at my home. It was so much fun. I had the adventure of teaching six young ladies how to cross stitch (the seventh, doodlebug, already knows how to stitch). Each one took on a project, chose their fabric color and threads, got a pair of their own pretty scissors and a hoop, and learned the basics. My plan was that each month we would learn a different craft. Their vote was to continue with cross stitch next month! The two hours went by way to fast and I think I'm more excited about next month not getting here soon enough. Just think of the stash they will have by the time they are our age!