our new guard...

so after our little mysterious shopper incident last week, a friend suggested we need a little more protection, like in the form of a pet.  i know some shops have guard dogs but we strive to be a bit different. so...

be sure to say hello on your next visit!

my favorite...

...story of the season...

we had a dad come into the store with his young children to buy something for his wife this week. he left his credit card behind. so i put it into a plain white envelope and asked my sixteen year old to deliver it to their house thinking the mom would not recognize him. matt calls me to tell me no one is home but they have a mailbox where the mail falls into the house so he could put it in there and it would be safe. i asked him first if he was absolutely sure that he was at the right house..."yes mom, there is a wreath on the front door in your fabric."

 

...and here he is stopping in again today for snacks (as evidenced by whatever is in his cheek) and money for food...

 

 

 which is how he knows our inventory so well:)  love you matt and thanks for just being you!

iguana who...

there are times i don't even have to think about what to post next...our customers just hand us news...like on a silver platter...
 

knock knock!
who's there?
iguana.
iguana who?
iguana hold your hand:) 

i'm not so sure sarah was as thrilled with the visitor as i thought she would be. maybe it's because he is sitting on her very first quilt and she's a little possessive of it:)

feet in the kitchen sink...

i wash my dirty feet in the kitchen sink...

how about you? 

a rednek woman...

i'd heard so many people talkin' about these new glasses.  for down home feminine drinkin' i reckon...

so i was pretty happy when i found 'em. even happier once they arrived...

can't decide which one i like best...the wine, the margarita or the martini:) btw...new window display in progress...featuring a queen size beauty by our very own katrina. stay tuned...

who's birthday is it...

...why it's mine and yours!!! 

everyday is like a birthday party when the big brown truck arrives.

the tax man cometh...

thought you might like to see the fun i have been having these past two sundays:) ugh...paperwork. this is the behind the scenes footage of the not so exciting side of owning a fabric store.

now it's not like i didn't know it was coming. afterall, i have owned another business for nearly twenty years. back in the mid-90's i even facilitated seminars for the professional needle guild and the ohio arts council cleverly titled...creating synergy between your right and left hemispheres...yes indeed you can train the two sides of your brain to communicate. the sole purpose was helping artist types be more organized with the business side of things. guess i didn't listen too well.

for many of us right brainers, it just takes a few more prompts. some clever separating tools and a little music... btw, great cd. with many of the old favorites...

so classic. not just the songs but a creative type trying to avoid the task at hand. the paperwork. ok. so after making a significant amount of progress, i decided i deserved a break.

love that panera down the street. now i'm ready to tackle the next issue...

this box of register receipts. they go back to august. august 9th to be exact, the very day we opened.

first step is sorting. by month, seems like the right idea. good thing i saved those empty water bottle trays.

done. now i need to just get them entered into the computer. maybe i'll take a little nap first...

spring has sprung...

as in sprung a leak...literally...

inside and out. i think our little furry friends are thinking about going for a swim in that lake forming in our front yard. maybe even jump into the can collecting the drips. inside the window. i guess one should be careful what they wish for. maybe that snow last week wasn't so bad afterall.

on the floor...

at approximately 10:58 this evening, the last bolt from the last box of this pile...

was unloaded and placed on the store floor for your viewing pleasure. and with that, i too was on the floor, in a horizontal position, pretending it was my bed. stay tuned for all that was hidden under those soft brown coverings...

beauty from the inside out...

oh how i love when the snow waits to fall...

until i'm inside the store. it's so pretty looking out. i think the snowflake swirls falling in the front window were a good selection for january. although i must confess that wasn't such a hard decision here in cleveland, ohio. i just heard there was snow in 49 states today. we're thinking of our fellow shop owners out there in warmer climates not used to struggling with the snow. just try to remember, this too shall melt...it's just a matter of time:)

new stockings...

i had visions...of sugarplums...and new grown up stockings this year...

afterall, i am surrounded by fabric. bolts and bolts of perfect holiday collections. i have patterns. i have batting, and thread, even adorable trim. i just have no time. so like the tailors children who had no clothes...we have new...store bought stockings.

i'm thrilled though. i did not hold out much hope for a last minute rush to buy stockings on christmas eve, but what to my startling eyes did appear...why two j's, an s and even one m. wait there's more...four stocking hangers...two girls and two trees. why it's perfect i say...for julie and john, sarah and matt...surely it's meant to be.

wishing you a very merry holiday full of wonderment and joy.

a little sweat equity

my husband and i did one home improvement project together...24 years ago...this month to be exact. our first condo needed a new kitchen floor. laying parquet seemed easy enough. not so, we learned. not such a good way to start a marriage we decided. so our commitment to each other included a clause...no more home improvement projects... until we had money in the bank to hire professionals.

but every now and then, i get a shot of fixer up adrenaline going. how hard can it be to remove nails, and railings and shelves we don't want...i mean really...

...so first john gives it a try...

then i say... let me at it...

so i hammer...then i twist...then i hammer some more...and...

well...i guess it's time to call the professionals in:)