Dogs on vacation

There is a Dog Beach  in Venice where dogs are allowed off leash to swim and chase stitcks. Our  girls like the Gulf but not if it is rough or wavy. This day was very calm and they had a fine time swimming and chasing sticks.

The top picture is of Mollie. Here are both Mollie and Paddy in hot pursuit of a floating stick. Paddy always gets to it first.

When the dogs got tired of the game Dan retrieved the stick.

This is a perfect shot of the girls on holiday...not a lot different from when they are not on holiday.

I have been stitching and knitting. One green sock was done before we got here. I finished the mate to it and today I just finished the one blue one. It's mate will be forthcoming one of these days.

My White Lilies on Red from Mystic stitch is calling me right now. I am on page 10 and will post a photo as soon as I finish this page as it will mean I am halfway there!

9 pages down, 11 to go

These pages are not going quite as fast as the beer bottles did! But ohh it is looking good!
I do love sitting outside in the lanai stitching...at home I rarely if ever stitch outside. That is because I am always having to watch the dogs as they sneak off into the woods if they think I'm not looking and also there are always bugs!
Here ...no bugs in  a screened in area...no sneaking off  by the girls.
We are seeing lots of birds ...real red headed woodpeckers, both blue jays and scrub jays, mockingbirds and cardinals! And a few huge turtles! It is really sweet to see the birds splashing and shaking in the bird bath...maybe we should get one at home.

White lilies

Here is my progress on White Lilies on Red as of last week. I have done more but am still on the same page (9) so I will wait till I finish the page  to post again. It is wonderful to be sitting outside to do this stiching. I am in the shade in the lanai so there are no bugs. It is quite relaxing and heavenly.



Last night we picked up Bruce and Luci at the airport. They are here to soak up some Florida sunshine for a while as well.  Just in case they did not recognize us we brought along a sign and Dan and I also wore matching shirts  (I can't believe I did that...but I don't know anyone here)

We did get quite a few chuckles out of the other airport travellers. The lady who took this  picture  admitted to spilling a bottle of water on her cell phone that day so we made her an honourary butthead!

Florida

Well I don't have any photos yet but I did take one of my "White Lilies on Red" progress. It may make it into the computer today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile the March Retret was another stitching and eating and almost rolling on the floor laughing success. 18 of us had a great time stitching our little fingers to the bone and generally having a really good time., Dan made us a terrific lunch and along with the abundance of potluck dishes that everyone brought we were extremely well fed.
A highlight for me was seeing 5  (!)  Jardin Prive peices finished. Needless to say mine was not among them.

We had an excellent drive to Florida  arriving here around 5 :15 on Tuesday and the weather has been fabulous ever since. A few thunderstorms at night but no rain during the day. Mollie doesn't like thunder in Florida any more than she likes it in Ontario but we have  all survived.

Some news for those of you in Eastern Ontario...the Cataraqui  Guild Needle Arts Fair for 2012 will be on October 13 at the Salvation Army Citadel in Kingston.  If you have not been to this fair in the past I have to tell you it is probably my favourite  stitching event of the year. Everyone who comes is a needle artist of some description.  The Guild ladies display their fabulous work from the previous year and  lunch is included...can't beat that!

Open House

Last weekend Knowledge and Needles hosted its annual Nashville Market Open House. Alas I did not take photos when the event was in full swing   but here is a sample of the wonderful new charts and patterns I had on display.
In spite of gale force winds Saturday  was well  attended, some of the ladies brought along their stitching and made a day of it. We had a good time catching up and visiting.
We set up the racks in the garage as there is no room in the tiny shop. They are still there until next weekend. Thank goodness the weather is good since Dan's truck is staying outside for the duration!
Next weekend is the March retreat then we are off to sunny, hot Florida for a vacation.

Nashville

Oh My  how I love to come to this trade show.  As you can see the hotel is arranged around an atrium. The designers set up shop in the front room of their suite and the retailers go from suite to suite, floor to floor to purchase products.

 And here are the products I bought. I did get a little carried away and I sure hope all my customers  like my choices. There are three brand new,  never before seen Ink Circles designs.

I realize the pictures are small but I don't want to show too much. After all I hope you all come to the Open house next weekend ...March 3 and 4 from 10 AM till 6 PM

 I found a few new designers who I had not met before and some whimsical new designs from designers with whose work I am familiar.

Judy from JBW has quite a few new charts our and  so does Lizzie-Kate.

Workbasket, Elizabeth Designs and a few new people are on this table.

Handblessings had a couple of interesting new series and I got more Rainbow Gallery thread!

Rosewood Manor always has a great selection .

 In this shot are some fabulous beaded  needle cases and a fantastic chart that would suit so many of us...The message? Well I can't remember it exactly at the moment  and I have no idea in which bag it is stashed but I will feature it next week when I get home and you will all agree  the sentiment expressed  is suitable for any one of us!  Have I piqued your interest?
See you on the weekend!

More Flatfolds

These two flatfolds are Kathy's. It is too bad you cannot see the back of them as well as the front. The cat one is backed with a wild leopard print and looks great.

I am off to Nashville on Thursday for the annual Needlework Market and I am really looking forward to it as usual. When I get back I should have pictures of the market, and of course pics of many of the great new items I buy will be posted on my website.
On March 3 and 4, there will be an Open House here at the shop to display, and I hope sell, all the great new  charts and patterns.
I am hoping there will be some fabric on sale as well but so far I haven't seen any ads for great fabric buys. I'll certainly be looking for them though!