• Friends,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    Dyeing to Stitch – Part 2!

    December 13, 2017

    Where on earth did I go?

    Why did I never finish this post?

    Goodness, the days just go right on past me without my even realizing it these days. I sure didn't mean to leave you hanging.

    Let me get the rest of these photos uploaded here, so I can at least say I did it! I had such an enjoyable time at the retreat way back in September. (Shame on me! No excuses!)

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    Olga's Autumn Stocking was stitched over one thread by Susan (Iinstagram: susan_414), and it was incredible! All of Susan's work is simply breathtaking.

    By the way, most people are very surprised when they see this stocking stitched over two threads, as the model was done. It is much larger than you'd think! The way the entire stocking fits on the front of the chart makes it appear to be much smaller than what it really is, so I've been told.

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    And lastly, one of my favorite photos: the two Donnas! Such sweet friends…

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    And that's all of them! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long. 🙁

    I'm off to try to get the rest of my day organized.. there is still so much to do, and Christmas is two weeks away! 

     

     

     

     

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  • Friends,  New Designs,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    Dyeing to Stitch! Part 1

    October 4, 2017

    Hello again!

    I'm just sitting here trying to wrap up my second Flosstube video, so I thought I'd pop in here and share a few pictures I took while I was at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat in Virginia Beach last weekend. 

    The last time I visited the shop, there were hundreds of models to look at.. and this time, there were hundreds more! I am shocked and amazed at how many models Ann and Pat and their team manage to fit into the shop – every single square inch of space is inspiring! Some of these you may have seen from the last time I was there, but I loved them enough to re-take their pictures and share them again!

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    Hi Robin!

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    Here's another view of the drum collection…

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    I had such a fun time with Beth.. if you haven't checked out her new The Gobbler pattern, it's adorable!

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    One of my favorite memories was when Beth gave a few of us a "dramatic reading" of the story of The Gobbler on the back of the chart – a story, by the way, that came from her own imagination… It was a lot of fun listening to her read it!

    I think I'll leave off with that for now, and pick up for part 2 soon! 

    Check back on YouTube for my second FlossTube video soon… and please overlook all the errors! 🙂

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  • Family,  Retreats,  Summer,  Travel

    The Merc

    September 19, 2017

    Good morning, and happy Tuesday!

    I've been preparing to head to Virginia Beach this weekend to teach at the Dyeing to Stitch fall retreat, and I am so excited about it! The threads, charts, and models have all been sent and are awaiting the attendees!

    Before I leave, however, I'd like to finally get on here and share those Pioneer Woman pictures I was talking about almost two months ago. 🙁 I apologize for taking so long – the summer has been a very busy one, with lots of house projects and work and more house projects and work. It's been hot and sunny all summer long, and while I do confess to indulging in my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season yesterday, I'm not quite ready to give summer up just yet. (But I suppose that's not up to me, is it?)

    Sabrina drove up to Tulsa from Dallas to meet me for a girls' day, and we had so much fun, I want to go back and do it all over again. (I miss my girl terribly.. she's been in Borneo for the past two weeks, and will finally be back in the States tomorrow!) 

    Pawhuska is just about an hour north of Tulsa, and the drive is an extremely pleasant one, in my opinion. Cows, trees, open fields – it was all there, and while you would think that living in Nebraska would afford me the same views, it does not; I have to drive a ways out for that from where I live. 

    When we were almost there, we drove through a little town that started with a "B," and I rolled the windows down. I'm not sure why I did, but I'm so happy that I did, because I believe it's one of my favorite memories ever… there was not a soul to be found in this town, as it was pre-8:00 am, and everyone was still most likely sleeping or getting ready for the day. The speed limit was only 25 or so, and even with my wheels crunching the gravelly road underneath, I could hear the beautiful sound of quiet. No sirens, no trains, no traffic, no loudly-humming air conditioners… just lovely, never-before-experienced, peace and quiet.

    I was very sad when we were past the town and back onto open road.

    But the open road didn't last long at all, and suddenly we were there: Pawhuska!

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    We got there right at around 8:15 or so, and it's a good thing we did, because the line was already at a 45 minute wait. I was warned to get there early, as the line can lead right out into the street – and it does! By the time Sabrina and I were seated, the line was three rows deep. But the Merc workers do a highly efficient job of getting people in and seated, so at least for us, the wait didn't seem overlong.

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    Once seated, we were overwhelmed with the menu options. But I went straight for the Cowboy Coffee, and holy moley, that was the very best cup of coffee I've ever had in my life, bar none.

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    I snapped a picture of it on my phone and sent it to Mom at home, but the first thing she honed in on was the cup. 

    "I NEED THAT CUP AND SAUCER," she texted.

    "IF YOU LEAVE THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA WITHOUT ONE OF THOSE CUPS AND SAUCERS FOR ME, DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME," she texted. 

    I'm just kidding. But I could tell she probably texted that and then deleted it because she was afraid I'd report her again.

    (I realize I may have some recent readers who don't realize that I do love to tease my mom, so please know I've never actually reported her. I usually just let her slide.)

    Anyway, I did end up getting both my mom and I a pink and blue set of the cups and saucers. They're beautiful in person, and a really great diner weight.

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    I had been just dying to go shopping in the retail part of the Mercantile, which was attached to the restuarant. So when I had to get up from our breakfast to find the restroom, knowing I had to go through the store to get to it, Sabrina said, "Mom, do not look at anything without me! No peeking at all!" 

    I did my best not to look, but oh it was hard. There was stuff everywhere! So I hurried back, we finished our breakfast (I'll post my cell phone photos at the end of the post), and then scurried over to shop!

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    The Coffee Bar was upstairs, so we headed up the grand staircase and stood in line. While we were waiting for our order, I took a few pictures. (And by the way, I ordered the Spicy Cowgirl, which is hands-down the most interesting cold coffee beverage I've ever had! Ree actually has the recipe posted online, so if you like a little fire with your coffee, Google it and make it pronto! I've made at least 147 of them since returning home, which suprises Sophie, because I will scream "SOMEBODY CALL NINE-ONE-ONE"  if I accidentaly ingest a fraction of a jalapeno; so it makes zero sense that I like this beverage.)

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    After we picked up our pastries and beverages, it was time to hit the road: Sabrina back to Dallas, and I back to Omaha. So back down the grand staircase we went, and we discovered that in the short time we were upstairs, the Mercantile had practically filled to capacity!

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    We made our purchases and bustled through the crowds to the exit…

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    And then out into the street to make our way back to our cars. This photo pretty much sums up the entire town of Pawhuska, believe it or not…

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    The Pioneer Woman crew is currently working in the construction area to add something on to the Mercantile, but I've not yet read what it is they're creating. I'm excited to find out! 

    If you are ever in the Tulsa area, do try to make the drive up to Pawhuska! It is such a fun time, and the restaurant food is outstanding.  Sometimes Ree or members of her family will pop in unannounced, which is fun.. some of the ladies at The Silver Needle retreat had told me that Ree had visited while they were there, and told them she's always wanted to try cross stitch.. when Sabrina and I were having our breakfast, Ladd walked in, which was a huge surprise to me! He just casually visited with some of the tables, chatting, which I thought was so nice of him. I was bummed he didn't make his way over to our side of the restaurant, but I snapped a distant photo anyway. 🙂

    As promised, here are the cell phone pics I took…

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    Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope to see some of you this weekend in Virginia Beach! Travel safe! 

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  • Class Pieces,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Summer,  Travel

    The Silver Needle Summer Stitching Event

    August 3, 2017

    Hello again! The calendar says it's August 3, but it feels like I just got back from Tulsa! Linda from Chessie & Me fame and I were invited by Lindy of The Silver Needle to be the teachers at the annual Summer Stitching Event, and it was absolutely fun-filled and energized and fabulous! And spending time with Linda was wonderful; she's a talented, lovely teacher, and I'm privileged to call her my friend. 

    And I didn't get one lousy picture of her project. But don't tell her.

    Some friend I am.

    Actually, I didn't get a picture of mine either, but that's because I knew what it looked like. But I did take a picture of it for the cover of the chart before I left, thank goodness.

    In the last few blog posts, I included a tour of Lindy's shop, and today I'd like to share just a few pictures from the actual class with you. The class was held in an open space in the building around the corner from The Silver Needle shop. The temperature outdoors was at least 426 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was during high noon on Day One that Linda-from-Chessie and I decided to head over to the classroom.

    It took us about a half hour to get there.

    Not because were were enjoying each other's company so much that we had to shoot the breeze (there was no breeze) in the parking lot, but because we went in the opposite direction of where the classroom was, and ended up walking around the entire plaza before we got our bearings. Thankfully we were not eaten by coyotes, but I guess at high noon in an open parking lot in a super bustling part of town, that's not likely to happen. But you never know.

    Anyway, we made it to class and as soon as our pulses returned, the retreat went splendidly.

    If you ever get the chance to attend the retreat in Tulsa, come hungry.

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    The Silver Needle hosted a pincushion exchange to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital, and all of the pincushions were so beautiful…

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    This is stitched over one on 40, y'all…

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    Here are some of the attendees (hey girls!) discussing the finishing of the little acorn project I brought…

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    One of the ladies there was working on this breathtaking Scarlet Letter sampler… I was completely gobsmacked.

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    Here is Shannon, quite a prolific stitcher, working away…

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    The classroom had a mini shop set up with a trunk show of lots of Chessie & Me and Plum Street models…

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    Here is one of the attendees, working away on Linda's project, which was a gorgeous painted patriotic house box with a stitched flag mounted to the roof…

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    On Saturday afternoon, the attendees started packing up and heading back to their homes, and we all said goodbye. Lots of new friendships were formed, and it was so much fun getting to put faces with Instagram names, meeting FlossTubers, and watching Facebook groups reunite. If you ever get the chance to go to the Summer Stitching Event in the future, don't pass it up! I had so much fun, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have met all of you who attended.

    After the classroom was broken down – trash out, tables folded, chairs stowed, charts and models boxed, tablecloths shaken out, and cars loaded, the staff and Linda and I headed to Lindy and Craig's house for a huge barbeque and lots of laughter. I did take one parting shot before I got in the car, of Lindy and Craig's fabulous front door. I begged them to let me take it home with me, but they politely refused me. Isn't it great? They certainly knew how to build houses and doors back in 1928.

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    Thank you for stopping in for the last leg of the tour. Hopefully you'll come back by soon to see the pictures from the Pioneer Woman Mercantile.

    All I can say is swoon!

    Oh, and before I forget, here is the picture of the class piece I did for the retreat:

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    And here is the little acorn project and pincushion for the welcome night… you can hardly see the little acorn, but it's there!

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    See you soon!

     

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  • Needlework Shops,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Summer,  Travel

    The Silver Needle Tour – Part 2

    July 31, 2017

    My goodness, where have I been?? I'm so sorry to leave you hanging like that! If you haven't given up on me just yet, let's continue our tour!

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    If you are ever able to visit The Silver Needle. you'll be greeted by a very sweet staff and hopefully the Head Proprietress Herself, Lindy…

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    The shop is huge! It's full of pretty much anything you'd need to fill your stitching hours with…

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    (In the usual paparazzi fashion, I stalked Linda from Chessie and Me while she shopped for flax outerwear…)

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    (One of my guest rooms – formerly Sabrina's room – has been slowly evolving into a Farm Suite. I'm not sure I meant to do that, but evidence of my love for cows and sheep have made their way into that room, so perhaps I should add a bit of pork to the decor with Stacy Nash's design below…)

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    I hope you enjoyed this brief second half of the Silver Needle Tour! I'll be back soon – I promise this time! – with more photos from my five-day-weekend in Tulsa, which includes a visit to the Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska. 

    Thank you so much for stopping by! 

     

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  • Needlework Shops,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Summer

    The Silver Needle Tour – Part 1

    July 20, 2017

    Last week I was in Tulsa, teaching with my sweet friend Linda from Chessie and Me at the Silver Needle Summer Stitching Event, and what a fabulous time we had! Lindy and her team did a wonderful job, and I was really overwhelmed with how welcoming every single person was. What a huge group of attendees! And we all had fun chatting, stitching, eating, laughing – all the good stuff!

    Just around the corner from where we were gathered was the Silver Needle shop itself, and I thought I'd give you a little look-see, in case you've never been! (And if you're ever passing through the Tulsa area, you have just got to stop in and visit!) I took a lot of photographs last week, so I'll need to break up the blogging into a few different posts. 

    If you see something you like, give Lindy a call, and she'll be happy to help you out!

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    I'll stop here for now, but I hope you enjoyed the first part of your mini tour! I'll try to get back here soon with the rest of the shop pictures and a few from the actual retreat itself. And by the way, Sabrina drove up from Dallas and arrived during the last half hour of the fun – just in time to help tear down and clean up! But afterwards, she and I spent the next couple of days doing a few things around Tulsa, and then driving up to the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile. And let me tell you.. I was in caffeine heaven!

    Until next time!

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  • Autumn,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    The Shepherd’s Bush Boutique – Part 1

    October 20, 2016

    Good morning!

    First of all, for those who check my Plum Street Samplers Facebook page for updates, I am unable to log into the page because it is behaving badly. Therefore, my only updates, until and unless the issue is resolved, will be from here and on Instagram.

    Moving on! Today I'd love to share with you some of the sights from around the Shepherd's Bush retreat last week, starting with the autumn setting in which our hotel was found…

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    I shared a suite with Linda from Chessie and Me, Jeanette Douglas from Jeanette Douglas Designs, and Brenda Gervais from With Thy Needle and Thread. The photos above and below were what we woke up to each morning, and it was so pleasant just chatting in the quiet hours with our coffee, before the bustle of the day began.

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    The sisters of Shepherd's Bush set up a lovely boutique at each retreat, located just a few steps from where the classrooms are. It is absolutely packed with stitching treasures!

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    I'll stop there for today! I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the boutique pictures, as well as a few of the class pieces. I didn't get them all, but I'll be happy to show you what I did get!

    See you soon! And thank you for stopping by!

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  • Autumn,  Friends,  Needlework Shops,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    Shepherd’s Bush! (Part 2)

    October 19, 2016

    ETA: This post was written this morning, as my greeting suggests, but my computer was being ornery with me, so it didn't get uploaded. Sorry about that!

    Good morning!

    Let me go pour another cup of coffee and I'll be right back…

    Okay, I'm back! (I really did go pour another cup of coffee.)

    Yesterday we left off in the middle of the Shepherd's Bush shop in Ogden, Utah, and today we'll finish our brief tour (I say brief, because you have no idea how brimming the shop is until you've been there!). After that, we will step out onto 24th Street and head to Rensel Art Studio, about 5 minutes away!

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    You would not believe all of the stitching embellishments in the shop! This is just one tiny section…

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    When you look up into the rafters, you see lots of beautiful baskets hanging there…

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    And perhaps a pair of ice skates…

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    I actually fell in love with this little Mosey N Me design, and bought it just as Shepherd's Bush had stitched it – which is a bit different from the original.

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    And now we head to Jill's, as it's fondly referred to by shop patrons. If you are not familiar with Jill of Rensel Art Studio fame, she is the one who mats and frames all of the Shepherd's Bush designs, as well as all of the models displayed in their store. Cross stitchers all over the country (the world?) have mailed their pieces to her so that she and her partner-in-art, Amber, can work their magic! I don't have too many photos to share, as I mostly spent time visiting, but here are just a few…

    Brenda and I loved the saying on the wall, which is accented by the enormous gilded frame beneath:

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    These are the little welcome gifts Jill and Amber were passing out.. they went with the Shepherd's Bush retreat theme of Embrace the Journey, as each little capsule also had a travel charm attached to it:

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    And finally, the lovely ladies themselves! (Jill is on the left, and Amber is on the right):

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    Tomorrow, if you come back, we will head up to the mountains of Park City for the retreat itself! What an absolutely perfect time it was. I hope to see you soon!

     

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  • Autumn,  Needlework Shops,  Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    Shepherd’s Bush!

    October 18, 2016

    I'm home from what was the most wonderful time in Ogden and Park City, Utah! As many of you know, the lovely sisters of Shepherd's Bush fame hosted their every-other-year retreat, and it was nothing short of perfect. Everything from the cozy warmth of the blacksmith-turned-cross stitch shop to the breathtaking view of the autumn-covered mountains made this gathering one to be remembered.

    As usual, I took my camera along and clicked a time or two in the hopes of sharing with you just a fraction of what we all got to see and experience. I'll break up the retreat into a few posts, as it would take far too much of your time to post them all in one sitting!

    Here we go!

    This is what greeted the shop visitors as they walked through the doors to the shop…

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    Just past the entryway door, to the left, is the shop counter…

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    Immediately to the right, in front of the shop's expansive windows, is a virtual Christmas shop, brimming with every Christmas model and pillow and ornament and bauble imaginable! (The photo below barely gives one an idea of what yuletide wonders are to be found there.)

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    I fell in love with the newest Prairie Schooler Santa, which the girls at Shepherd's Bush made into a pillow. Of course, I left with one of their kits, as I picture mine finished just as they have it, to be propped up in one of my guest rooms for the holidays. We shall see! 😉

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    Over the shop counter that I mentioned earlier is their collection of pillows from years past..

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    As we move throughout the shop, there are autumn pieces in every place your eyes rest!

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    I think we'll stop here for now. But grab a cup of coffee or tea and let's head back into the shop together soon!

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  • Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel,  Workshops

    You’re Invited!

    March 17, 2015

    I'm honored to have been asked to teach a class at Dyeing to Stitch in Virginia Beach this spring, and I'd love it if you could attend! The weekend will be full of merriment in the form of stitching, shopping, eating, coffee-drinking, and relaxing with old friends and new. If you've never visited Pat and Ann's shop, now would be a great time to do so! I'd love to meet you (and so would they!), and it all starts on Friday afternoon (April 24th) into Saturday evening (April 25th).

    Spring Weekend Blog Announcement

    The event begins with an Open House at the shop from 12-5 on Friday, and there will be a special kit for the attendees. Then on Saturday we'll be at the Greenbrier Country Club where I'll be presenting a new sampler with fourteen colors, a generous stitch count, and a theme that will help to usher in our upcoming season of patriotism. There are two class times to choose from – morning or afternoon, and all the other details can be found here.

    The registration for this Spring Weekend opens today! I hope you'll be there!

     

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