Shorttakes
Preach, Yoda!!
This is just a quick note to update all the different directions my head is spinning ~ and don't panic! They're not all bad, just all at once!
First of all, thanks to Lila Umstead of Lila's Studio for joining us in the shop on Friday for a casual meet & greet! And to everyone who came by ~ some with stitched pieces to show us, some with charts to have signed & all of us who have been so inspired to start a bunch of her new projects, thanks to having a Trunk Show of her goodies here. If you couldn't make it in on Friday, don't worry! We will have her Trunk Show here in the shop for a couple more weeks, so make plans to stop by & see these gorgeous models in person ~ what a difference it makes! While photos are good & the internet has made it easier to see things & get inspired, there is NOTHING like seeing something stitched.
In addition to goodies from Lila, we also have an amazing Trunk Show from Kathy Barrick! And as usual, things I originally liked (but managed to resist) are now currently in my MUST STITCH stash. Yep, just like any other stitcher, when I see it stitched, all the sudden I things just pop! And that isn't just new things either. We have Kathy's "Ocean Blue" stocking (which I've had in my stash forever!) & now having seen it again, I'm itching to dive right in to that one!
And on top of those 2 bundles of awesomeness, we also got fabrics in from Grace Notes! We are so grateful to Corrin for squeezing us in! She went to a retreat a few weeks before our big weekend & then SHE has a retreat this weekend, so we are amazed that she had enough goodies to spare some for us! I will also post pictures of what is left (!), so if you're in dire need of pretty fabrics (& really, who among us isn't?) keep an eye out for that as well!!
I will be posting individual pictures of all the Trunk Show goodies later this week, so that those of y'all who can't make it in to the shop can still see what's here. And while that is of course contradictory to what i've just said about pictures & internet vs seeing them "in real life", I still want to share them with you. One of the things I will point out, is how things look different depending on what size fabric you use ~ we have a few models in the shop that Lila brought us her version as well & it is so fun to see the differences! So stay tuned for that!
And holy smokes, last Saturday's Sidewalk Sale was such fun! It was also hotter than hot, but I'm grateful that it didn't rain! A big sweaty thank you to Sue who helped me schlep tables & boxes out, Bonnie who handled the shopping bags (& came prepared ~ chair, umbrella, sunscreen, cooler...), Cindy & Tracy who did all the shop stuff they always do for all of y'all, Sherri, Tracy & Therese for sorting thru ALL the amazing things we received, and most of all ~ all of y'all who brought us things to "rehome" & who came on Saturday to our Cross Stitch "Adoption Event"!
Much like a good garage sale or yard sale, some of y'all were here & ready to shop at 9:30! YIKES! It was a fantastic sale & we went from about 15 boxes & bins of designs, kits (LOTS of kits this time), fabrics, magazines & hardback books to 1 box of charts, 1 small box of kits & 1 small box of hardback books! I know y'all found good stuff (as I had already snooped thru the bins beforehand). We are always happy to see great designs ~ old & new ~ go to new homes! Rest assured, we will do more Sidewalk Sales in the future (but not in the winter ~ no one should have to be outside when it gets below 70 degrees!!!!).
In the midst of all this fun, while also trying to ride herd on framing & mail order, my mom Ruth Ellen fell again on Thursday evening & hurt her hip. Off to the ER we went! X-rays & CAT scan indicated a small fracture above her hip, no surgery needed (YAY!), but they admitted her anyway to ONCE AGAIN try to get this blood pressure fluctuation stabilized! And once again, I'd like to shout out everyone who works at Paoli Hospital. They are phenomenal. I went by this morning & mom was telling me about one of the gals who comes in to help her freshen up each day ~ she was supposed to be leaving for vacation but her flight got cancelled & mom was so bummed for her. Well, good news, they rescheduled her for a flight today! Don't know where she's going but I hope she has fun because she's a super kind person!
Needless to say, driving back & forth from home to the hospital to work to the hospital to home, and talking with doctors & social workers (looking for the best/closest rehab facility for when she's released so she can get back on her feet!), is unraveling me. Fortunately the Phillies are playing on the West Coast right now, so there is zero chance of me staying up to watch games! I am however watching the end of the Cape Cod Baseball League season (which starts around 4pm ~ no lights at some of the fields!), so still getting my baseball fix. Also, for those of you interested, the regional tournaments for the Little League World Series have begun! You're welcome!
So if you're in the shop & I seem a little distracted (or half asleep....I'll try not to snore!), at least I kinda have an excuse right now! Just talk slowly if I look like I'm not paying attention!
Now, lest you think all the excitement is behind us (!), THERE'S MORE coming!
First of all, NO MORE FINISHING thru the end of the year. Therese is full to overflowing! And just so you know, after Christmas, she won't be getting back to her sewing until February. So hold on to your upcoming finishing until February & then she'll be back!
Along those same lines, the cutoff for framing is
AUGUST 31ST!! That's right, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, so if you're planning to head down the shore, get your framing in ahead of time! There will be no wiggle room. I had hoped to extend that deadline, but I'm not going to as I don't know what will be going on with my mom & I don't want to fall behind & disappoint anyone for Christmas. Also, as with last year, we won't be taking in any framing after Labor Day. Even if you don't need it for Christmas. This worked well last year & I'm sticking with it. In addition, we are planning to have our usual January Framing Sale, so that will be something to anticipate (hopefully without the snow this time!).
Okay, that's all the yipyap updates for the moment ~ I'm gonna wrap this up & send it out & then I get to go back to the hospital to move mom from there to rehab! Much closer to home this time ~ yay!
Again, thanks for everyone's patience with me ~ we really thought we were on the "moving forward, done with hospitals" track. But we're taking this as just a little stumble in our progess.
Don't forget to stop by the shop during August to oooooohh & aaaaaaaahh & get inspired by these fantastic Trunk Shows!
Hugs & stitches ~
Beth & all the stumblers at TSS
