20 Years!

As is my custom the first couple weeks in January, I take inventory and get all my information together for taxes. This year as I was doing my inventory I noticed that I have had some yarns for 20 years! Yikes!!!! As I was thinking about that and remembering what I was originally going to weave with those yarns, I realized that this year, 2010, celebrates 20 years of my business!

I started the business in 1990 when we lived in Rochester, NY and my sons were 10 and 7. I and 2 other friends got together, invited a few other friends, called ourselves Artisans 3+ and had a home show. We were the 3 J's, Jinny, Jeannie, and Judy! Jinny does Quilling and makes wonderful small quilled dolls called "Jinisans". Jeannie is a skilled Counted Cross Thread Embroiderer. She does beautiful reproduction samplers. We had great fun planning the sale and admiring each other's work!

I think that first year I sold around $500 worth of items in our one day sale to friends and family. There are some shows today that I have not sold as much! Today I don't consider that a good show but in 1990 that was great for a beginning one day home show.

Twenty years and 2 moves later, I am still in business. Each move the business took a little set back as I re-established myself. This last move took several years to get back into the business swing but I am looking forward to my 20th year being the best year yet!

I am grateful to all of you who have supported me throughout those 20 years, especially my husband, Jeff. Without your loyalty to what I do, your encouragement, and your advice, I wouldn't still be doing this. I am also grateful for all my loyal buyers who continue to buy from me and tell other people about my work. When I see you wearing one of my scarves or tops or hats, it makes it all worth while. I love hearing from you and love seeing you at shows.

I am still in touch with Jinny and Jeannie even though we live miles apart. They were a significant part of my learning and growing the business. Thank you J & J.

Check out that curly hair! OK, OK, don't laugh too much. It was 20 years ago! My husband says I've improved with age and am better looking today! Bless him! He knows the right thing to say!

Newness

It's a new year and a new decade! I remember how apprehensive we all were when the millennium was new. Something about newness that brings worry along with anticipation. Can they ever be separated? Without the worry, the anticipation would probably not be as exciting.

As this new year begins, I look out my window and see white snow falling. White, pure snow is a sign of newness for me. I remember when we lived in Rochester, NY and it snowed almost every day from November to March. They were long (very long!) winters but the snow was always fresh and made new by the daily snowfall. It brought light to a winter which seemed to go on forever! I sold a lot of white mohair scarves!

We have had a lot of snow this winter so far. There was the blizzard on Dec. 19/20. We had 20 inches of snow, just in time for our family to arrive from Florida! Our new daughter-in-law who has lived in Florida all her life was able to experience a white Christmas for the first time. We manged to have some snow fall while she was here letting her have the full snow experience! We kept the fireplace going so everyone would be "toasty warm". Hot chocolate seemed to be popular too! (A perfect New England Christmas!)

So the snow outside my window is reminding me of warm family get togethers along with new experiences and thoughts of all the new things to happen in 2010.

I wish you new thoughts, new adventures, new friends, new experiences, and a sense of newness in everything you do. Happy New Year! May 2010 be your best year yet!

Here are pictures from the Blizzard! We woke up to snow covered windows. It looked like a scene in Dr. Zhivago!