Celebrating Spring!

Are you ready? Spring will arrive at exactly 4:21pm on Sunday, and we winter-weary New Englanders are definitely ready! We're seeing more and more of the yard every day with the rising temperatures and melting snow. It won't be long before we can start getting out and assessing the spring clean-up in the yard, spreading spring lawn fertilizer and planning what to plant in the gardening beds this year. Oh, and getting the rocking chairs back out on the porch. Weekend morning coffee is generally taken out there.

Anyway - to celebrate spring's arrival on March 20th, I'm offering 20% off on new orders from now through next Saturday the 26th. Some exclusions apply - see info on my What's New page. Just enter coupon code "spring" in the Discount Coupon block when you check out.

This is Peppermint Tulips, a new punchneedle design from Notforgotten Farm, one of several new things just added to my web site. The new April Wool Street Journal is here too, and I uncovered a few January issues that were packed away and forgotten about after a recent vending engagement.

Don't forget to check out the "Supermoon" tonight! We'll have clear skies here in Maine so I'm definitely going to be doing some moon gazing. Full moons are incredibly bright where we live anyway, the whole backyard will be lit up. I can't wait to see what a "Supermoon" will be like.

Happy Spring everyone!

Dreaming of the Garden?

Garden Club is the newest book from Blackbird Designs and will have you dreaming of flowers and warm, sunny days. Always a charming collection of floral, feminine projects, you're bound to find something to put thoughts of the garden in your head.

Spring is just a day over two weeks away! I think I'll start a countdown!

Spring Fever!

When the designers start sending me bunnies and chicks, that's a surer sign than crocuses that spring can't be too far behind! It's actually only a little over 2 weeks away, although we'll have snow in our yard for much longer. Shown below is Country Stitches/With Thy Needle & Thread's Peter & Peep, an Easter "ditty" pocket with your favorite hare and friend. The pocket is embellished with wool penny tongues and ivory buttons. I'd wear it to an Easter parade!



There are five new needlepunch and two new cross-stitch patterns with fresh, spring designs. I'll have floss kits coming soon for selected patterns so keep an eye out for that. I know you like to get just that look in the pieces that you take such care to create. Check out my What's New page for everything that's new.

Think Spring!

Wish I Were There!

This is my friend Phyllis and husband Peter's sailboat, the "Aquilegia". They are retired and have spent the last several months sailing down in the Bahamas. The beautiful picture they sent me was taken on a recent sail to Long Island, one of the out islands that make up a group called "the Exumas". A Bahamian tourism web site calls the Exumas "an archipelago of 365 cays and islands, beginning just 35 miles southeast of Nassau, an exotic collection of tiny jewels set in the most beautiful aquamarine and sapphire water you’ve ever imagined." True that! I don't think I've ever seen such a gorgeous shade of turquoise water. I looked up the word "cay" because I wasn't quite sure of it's meaning, although I thought it might mean a small island, and I was correct. Phyllis' husband Peter took this shot because of the way the light was refracted by a gentle wave as they sailed through the water. They were both on the bow of the boat which was on auto-pilot. That's a hazy Long Island off in the distance, if you can take your eyes off that beautiful water long enough to look at other things in the picture.

People on the news refer to New Englanders as "winter weary" right about now, after our latest snowstorm dumped yet another foot of snow on us last Friday. I don't think I've ever seen this much snow on the ground, ever! So, my retired friend's wonderful sailing pictures were just what this winter weary New Englander needed! It gives me hope that somewhere in the not-so-distant future, we too will have sunny skies, warm breezes and smooth sailing!

If you're as winter weary as I am, wishing you some summer feelings to brighten your day!