TWO (2) NEW FALL DESIGNS!!!

Just picked up patterns from the printer last evening for 2 "NEW" designs by The Sunflower Seed. The first one is a cute little bat stealing "corn" from your Halloween "goody" bag!!! He's cute, but a little ornery, clutching some candy corn in his creepy little talons!!!

"Gimme Your Corn"

"Acorn Autumn" is an earthy vine filled with lots of acorns! I love Autumn! When my boys were little we used to gather acorns by the bag full!!! They're so cute!

"Acorn Autumn"

Been doing some cleaning around the shop lately and have decided to put ALL our Needlepunch patterns on sale at 50% off. They're already starting to go fast so get in here before they're all gone!!!!!

With your "mad" Christmas stitching ahead, I thought I would mention that we carry "Daylight" and "Craftlite" lamps and magnifying lamps. I have the "Dublin" (floor and/or table model) the "Dorset" (table model) and the "Compact" (table model) in stock at the moment. The Dorset and Compact are both great little lamps to take on stitching retreats or move around the house. The Dublin is light weight enough to do that also. The "clean" light that they put out is amazing to stitch by. Come on in and check them out. You may just need a Christmas gift for yourself!!!

Another great item you may want to get is a "stitching stool". These are great to use when stitching for long periods of time. They elevate your legs just enough to take pressure off your upper legs and back. I use mine for sure at retreats and also at home. We have a few in stock now but can order more anytime.

Market was this past week end and we're getting in lots of new Fall, Halloween and Christmas patterns almost daily. Be sure to drop in often as there's ALWAYS something new on our shelves.

Happy Stitching...........................Anita

"ORNAMENT FINISH CLASS" Plus sneak-peak at the new Christmas Ornament Issue!!!

I just got an e-mail this morning with images of the NEW "2011 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament" Issue!!! If you haven't seen it somewhere else already, here it is! As always we have a sign up sheet in the shop so we'll know just how many we will need to be ordering. Come by, sign up and pre-pay ($7.99) and we'll get one ordered in for you!
Okay, Karen!!!, here it is!!! I will be having an ornament finishing class on 2 dates very soon! Check your calendars for Saturday, August 27~3:00 p.m. to however long it takes and Monday, August 29~7:00 p.m. to, whenever. I can't imagine it will take much more than an hour. Bring paper and pen to take notes. Cost of the class will be $5.00. What a deal!!! I will take you through the steps to create the lovely flat ornaments that you have been seeing popping up on our shop Christmas tree! They really are fun to do and pack away so nicely that they should look the same year after year when you decorate your tree. However, if you attach bows like these 2 being shown, you will have to protect the bows when storing. (or make new ones if they get squashed!)

Example #1 ~ not just a "square" shaped ornament can be made!

Example #2 ~ It's still "good to be square"!!!

Call us @ 785-228-0588 to let us know which day you would like to attend so we have an idea how many to expect. We'll have a good time!

Hope to see you soon!!!..............................Anita

A Quick Post Today!

I just received a notice regarding these two "NEW" soft cover books that will be available soon. If you are interested in either one, please notify us ASAP as the distributor is asking that we get in our "reserve list" so they will have an idea of the quantities they will need to order. We do ask for pre-payment on these so you can come by the shop to pay, or call us with your credit card information.

"A Schoolgirl's Work" from Barb Adams and Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs is 104 pages and suggested retail is $26.95. Looks VERY interesting to us! Can't wait to see it!

Just Cross Stitch "Halloween Collection" is 100 pages with 50-some designs from many of your favorite designers. We're SO excited with OUR favorite designer, "The Sunflower Seed", being featured on the cover of this soft bound book!!! This book will run $16.95. Again, pre-payment is required. Give us a call at 785-228-0588 to reserve either or both copies of these great books.

I know many of you have already signed up for the Halloween book at the shop so just let us know if you would also like "A School Girl's Work".

That's it for right now. Just wanted to get this information out to you as soon as possible.

Happy Stitching...................Anita

IN THE GOOD OLE' SUMMER TIME.....

It's a great time to get out some of those stitched pieces and get them framed up and ready for Christmas gifts! I know you've got a bunch of them in a drawer somewhere, so get em out, bring em in and we'll get you some great frames from East Side Mouldings! You can stretch them youself or we can do it here at the shop. We'll run a little "Christmas in July sale...only in June though!!! The deal is; 15% off your frame purchase through June 30. The stretching fee (which is pretty minor) is extra. Below are a few examples of what I'll be framing this week. As you can see we have quite a few very nice primitive type mouldings available. A large variety of colors, widths and textures.

The "Primitive Pearls" and " Folke Faire" seem to be the most popular right now with many of our customers. The "French Farms" are gaining popularity too with their rosettes in the corners! I'll be using one of these on my NEW design "America" which will be coming out soon.

Below are the narrower mouldings available in many colors and either flat and painted solid, rubbed edges or grooved.

Dig those finished projects out, get em in here and some of your Christmas gift giving will be finished up before you know it and at a great savings!!!

Stay tuned for another post hopefully relatively soon with NEW designs being released and some exciting magazine news!!!

Happy Stitching.........................Anita

"HEARTLAND CROSS STITCH SHOP HOP" ~~ COMING SOON!!!

On Your Mark........... Get Ready............. Get Set.............

GOOOOOOOO!

May 5, 6, 7, 2011

(Thurs. Fri. Sat.)

Thurs. & Fri. ~~~ 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Sat. ~~~ 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

This years theme: "FALL"

"The Heartland Cross Stitch Shop Hop" is celebrating it's 10th year!!! Pick up your passport at your first shop visit and have it stamped at all participating shops. Drop off your passport at your last shop visit and you will then be entered in the drawing. One lucky visitor will win $150. in Gift Certificates for the Grand Prize. In addition to the Grand Prize, there will also be 5 winners of a $25. gift certificate. Each shop will have their own special promotions and/or door prizes. Be sure to pick up your "freebie" chart at each shop. These "freebies" may be stitched up all together to make a very lovely sampler. Stop by our shop as we now have our completed sampler model back from the framer. It's awesome!!!

Pack up your "gal pals" and hit the road!! It's a great time to get together, have some giggles and see what all is new at 5 participating shops. You never know what's in store for you!!!

Participating Shops:
C.C. & Company...1701 SW 40 Hwy. #102...Blue Springs, MO ... 816-229-2950
Old Mill Stitchery...131 S. Water St, Corbin Mill....Liberty, MO ...816-792-3670
Stitch On Needlework...926 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS ...785-842-1101
The Sunflower Seed...4004 SW Huntoon...Topeka, KS ...785-228-0588
Two The Point ... 4663 Indian Creek Pkwy., Overland Park, KS ...913-381-8380

Hope to see you soon!!!

Back From Market ~ Not!

Nashville Market was held this past week end, and this was my first time not attending in 11 years! It was a bittersweet decision to make. Reina and I have such a great time going and we missed seeing everyone and everything. It just felt like I needed to take a "breather" this year, lower my stress levels and just plain "relax"!!!

So, in thinking what I could do for you since I haven't brought home a bunch of "goodies" to "oooh and aweeee" over, would be to offer a 10% discount on pattern orders only through the end of February. Discounts on brand new designs, that's just unheard of!!!

If you would like to go to http://www.hoffmandis.com/ and/or http://www.nordencrafts.com/ and view their Nashville "new" stuff, make your list, call or drop by with your order and we'll get them shipped in just for you!!! We do have LOTS of "NEW" things here in the shop already as some designers like Lizzie Kate ship their new designs to us before they leave for market. As always, our "after market" orders require prepayment so bring your credit card or check book along with you when placing your order in store. If you're ordering via e-mail, you can include your cc#, etc. in the e-mail or phone us with that information. Our e-mail is: mailto:msunflowerseed3@juno.com and phone # is: 785-228-0588.

I have 2 new designs released just in time for Nashville! "My Valentine" has been added to my other 7Ct. holiday designs. We also have St. Patty's, Happy Easter, Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence and Halloween. You can go to http://www.thesunflowerseed.com/ to see all the other holidays!

"My Valentine" by The Sunflower Seed

"Month by Month" (below) is a very fun design as each month is cheery and quick to stitch. Stitch them all together like our model or if you would like, 12 individual pieces would be very sweet too. We used 28 Ct. Natural Linen and DMC thread.

"Month by Month" by The Sunflower Seed

Below are just a few of the "new" designs by other designers that were exhibited at Nashville.

"Gathering Basket" by Blackbird Designs


"Wild Lilies" by Blackbird Designs

"Basket of Memories" by Blackbird Designs

Below are some lovely designs by a new designer; Kathy Schmitz. I wish I could have seen these in person!

"Bird Songs Pillow" by Kathy Schmitz


"Seasons" by Kathy Schmitz



I love these; they're sooooo cute!!!

"Kringle Keepers" by Kathy Schmitz

This design is appealing to me since I have 2 little granddaughters!!!

"Twinkle" by La D Da

Newest installment of Little House 2011 Ornament Series.

"Bringing Home the Tree " by Little House Needleworks

JBW has several new designs. I'll just show 2 of my favorites! "Scottie Dog" will have to be on my "to do" list since we had our beloved Scottie "Watson" for 14 years. He was one stupendous dog!!!

"Scottie Dog" by JBW Designs

"Teddy Bear" by JBW Designs

We're near the end of February! and I promised an "ornament finish" class in February so there's not much time left. Only 2 possibilities will fit into this time frame.

"ORNAMENT FINISH CLASS"

Saturday Feb. 26 ~~ 3:00 - 4:30

or

Sunday Feb. 27 ~~ 2:00 - 3:30

Please call: 785-228-0588

You must call to reserve a spot.

You can't just show up because if I get no calls the class will be cancelled.

You won't want to drive in and find that the shop is closed!

That's it for now! Think Spring and Happy Stitching! .......................Anita

JEEPERS ~~~ WHERE DOES THE TIME GO!!!!

I could have sworn that I did a December blog ~~~guess not!! Lots to show and lots to do so I'll just get on with it!!! Grab a cup of tea, glass of wine or whatever, this is a little on the long side!

First of all, I want to introduce you to the most lovable little 3 year old Beagle you have ever seen!!! Her name is Daisy and I adopted her from my son Harrison and his wife Jamie. With 6 month old Zoe, life at their house was just getting too crazy! I had her at home during my week off to see how we got along and she settled in perfectly. She's doing great at the shop and welcomes all the petting a person can give her!!! She and Betsy nap under my desk together so things are working out well.

Daisy loves basking in the sun at the shop front door!!!

Betsy is 14 years old now and the cold, cold winter we are having just screamed for her to have a new coat. She seems to like it very much so sometimes we just leave it on all day!!!

"Miss Betsy"

January brings on the "cleaning frenzy" as I call it, so, as soon as I got back to work I "dug" in. No more cob webs and lots of new displays. You're greeted at the door with our "January Snowman Display". Lots of fun little guys to stitch away these cold days and nights.

Come on in and pick out a few!!!

Valentines Day will be here before we know it so we better be stitch'in
our Special Valentine a little somethin'!!!

Valentine Display

Oh, I love St. Patty's Day!!! What a fun holiday!!! Got some great little projects to

"Get Your Irish On"!!!

St. Patty's Display

We've done a little re-arranging during the "frenzy"!!! Just needed to give the place a bit of a different look. Getting lots of good comments which are greatly appreciated, makes it worth my "crash and burn" recovery!!!

"The Sunflower Seed Stitching Area"

Now, on with some beautifully stitched models "new at the shop"! We now have 3 of the 4 Stoney Creek "In The Village" series on display. They are absolutely beautiful!!! Nancy VanDruff has stitched all 3 and is presently working on the 4th. I'm sure it'll be done soon, she's a super fast stitcher! Aren't they wonderful?

"Winter in the Village" by Stoney Creek

"Autumn in the Village" by Stoney Creek

"Summer in the Village" by Stoney Creek

Below are ornaments that I stitched and finished for Christmas gifts and for shop models. They were all so fun to stitch, quick, and so, so cute! I have been asked repeatedly to have a "finish class" just for this type of ornament. I will "get it together" hopefully sometime next month and post the date or dates on this blog. SOMEONE, keep reminding me, okay????? I get too busy sometimes, I forget!!!

"Christmas Tree 2010" by Rosewood Manor
from the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Magazine - Pg.19
I changed the colors to burgandy and green.

Granddaughter "Zoe's 1st Christmas Ornament"

Designed especially for my little sweetie!

"Nickademus" by Raise the Roof Designs
Also from 2010 Just Cross Stitch Magazine - Pg.83
Stitched for my nephew's son "Ryan's 1st Christmas"!

Below are several ornaments by Little House Needleworks. I just fell in love with them and what fun they were to stitch. I want to do all 12 but for now these will have to do.

"Peppermint Twist" by Little House Needleworks


"Joy to the World" by Little House Needleworks


"All is Calm" by Little House Needleworks
Stitched by Kathy


"Merry Skater" by Little House Needleworks

"Red House in Winter" by Little House Needleworks
Stitched by Nancy

Below are 2 wonderful pieces that I received as Christmas gifts from 2 of my "bestest" friends!!! They are both sitting on my mantle at home and I admire them every day!!! Thanks so much girls, you really outdid yourselves!!! I LOVE them so!!!

From "K"!

From "R"!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A LITTLE "SHOW AND TELL"

FROM SOME VERY CREATIVE CUSTOMERS!!!

Below is a patchwork piece that incorporated my "Kansas Xmas" designs into one!!! Corina did a great job putting this together and we really wanted to show it off to everyone! She added the year on each piece also which was a great idea!!! AWESOME job Corina!!! Thanks for letting us display it in the shop. Come by and catch a peek!!!

"Kansas Xmas" designs all-in-one!!!

Sue came in the other day with 2 amazing projects that she's been working on!!! OMG - this Prairie Schooler ABC design is SOOOOO AMAZING you just can't imagine how gorgeous it is turning out!!! She is stitching all these charts together on 25 ct. fabric ~ over 1 ~ !!! It is sooooo beautiful!!! I WANT ONE!!! She said she was doing 2 designs each month and so far it was going well and very do-able. Look how proud she is, and very well should be!

Sue with her AMAZING sampler!!!

A little closer look!!!

This is Sue's Prairie Schooler Santa Afghan! Finally finished and what an accomplishment!!! It's a beautiful piece!!! Thanks so much for sharing these amazing projects! You're an inspiration to us all!!!

"Prairie Schooler Afghan"

Well, I know this was a lot to get through but I just had to show off all these fun projects!!! Stitching is truly a passion for so many of us. What would our lives be without it??? We don't even want to go there, do we???!!!

January has been a very good and busy month. We've seen lots of friendly faces come through our door, despite the "frigid" weather!! If you haven't been in for a while, come on by.......

Daisy's wait'in to see ya!!!

Stay Warm and Happy Stitching!!!............Anita