UPDATES: NEWSLETTER and CLASSES PAGES 1-7-2012 COUNTRY KEEPERS PUNCH NEEDLE AND FOLK ART DESIGNS
A BRAND NEW YEAR FOR NEW FOLK ART DESIGNS AND PUNCH NEEDLE PATTERNS!
My goodness, a whole new week in January 2012 is just about completed and I've just barely gotten back on my feet after Christmas! And that is literally the truth...somehow I managed to break my left big toe the week before Christmas.
So that really explains the small weight gain , not that I ate too much! Right? Well, I am recovering and I hope you have as well. I am full of hope for great things this year. There are shows, events, classes, and new designs, all in the works for 2012. I sure hope you will check back for info, but specifically, check my picturetrail site often, for updates. I hope to be cancelling the old store website in the future and use my newer picture trail site to be the main vehicle to communicate with my friends and customers. It is way less expensive and for me, a lot more user friendly than this website. I had also prepared most of an email to you, but ran out of time and never finished it to send to you. I wanted to tell you that I have updated some albums on the site, www.picturetrail/com/thetinrabbit , and I wanted to let you visit me, virtually, for Christmas. I will leave the photos up for a while to let you take a peek. I will redecorate and then post new images for the Spring album.
I am so excited about the projects that I have planned for 2012 and want to spend some time here to get you up to date on all my show-dates/classes.
SPRING SHOWS:
HODGES FARM ANTIQUE AND COUNTRY SALE IN THE 1880s FREITAG GENERAL STORE IN KENNEY, TX
This wonderful sale is in its 15th or 16th year...I can't remember exactly which year we are celebrating. Kenny is halfway between Brenham and Bellville, just off Hwy. 36 on loop 497. Show dates are Tuesday, April 3-Friday, April 6, 8am-6pm and Saturday, April 7...8am-3pm. We will have antiques, primitives, farmhouse treasures, beautiful plants and yard art, gourds, handmade soap, fall drieds and Spring/Easter seasonal decor section. I will be there on TUESDAY ONLY (I will be at the Round Top Folk Art Center the rest of the week selling things at that show, as well), demonstrating my punch needle technique and talking about my paper mache items. IF I can practice up enough to a performance level I am comfortable with and still be able to create items for sale, I MAY bring my hammered dulcimer to play at the show...but no promises yet! This is just a wonderful location to hold our show and we are so priviledged to have the use of this great space. The one dollar entrance fee goes to help the Kenney fire department.
ROUND TOP FOLK ART FAIR
Running concurrently is the Round Top Folk Art Fair. It begins on Wednesday, April 4-Friday, April 6...9am-5pm and ends Sat., April 7......9am-4pm. Hosted by the famous Emma Lee Turney, known all over the United States for her role in developing the Round Top Antiques Fair, this event will be located in the Folk Art Center, just down the road from the Big Red Barn. People from all over the country attend these events. I will be sharing a booth with my dear friend, Barbara Irwin, in the Folk Art Center. I believe we will be set up in the same spot as before....just inside the front door, to the left. I will be attending the booth there the week of the show while Barbara attends her other booth (of antiques) in the Big Red Barn.
Round Top is affectionately called "Brimfield of the South" and you can see the largest Texas gathering of first class New England antiques in the Big Red Barn. If you also visit the Big Red Barn, stop by Barbara Irwin's antiques booth there and say hello.
NEW PUNCH NEEDLE PATTERN INFORMATION Last month, my punch needle patterns were picked up by another online store, called Hannah's PinKeep. Her website is www.hannahspinkeep.com. She has begun to post the patterns and she sells supplies and everything you might need to complete punch needle, cross-stitch, penny rugs and other wool projects, quilts, and decorative dolls. Go by her site and check it out...you may find something for which you've been searching. So, I now have FOUR companies carrying my punch needle patterns. Also remember, Colonial Crafts (in MA.) carries my patterns and Valdani threads. If you go to www.colonialcrafts.com and look under Punch Needle/The Country Keepers, you will see many of my designs. Additionally, a new-ish company, called The Pattern Cupboard, is carrying any/all of the patterns I submit and you can instantly download the pattern and instructions directly to your home computer!! You can go to www.thepatterncupboard.com , and again, look under Punch Needle/The Country Keepers, to find my downloadable designs. Both of these sites offer a wonderful selection of all kinds of patterns at affordable prices. Check them out to see if you find something that is interesting to work on during the hot summer months. There is more info about this on my Classes page. Lastly, many of you may be familiar withPattern Mart. Many of my designs are available on this site, both instant downloadable, as well as, the paper pattern version. This site may be visited at www.patternmart.com . Click on the designers column to find my name, Donna Munson. All my patterns may be seen on one page. There should be 26, so far, with many more in the works!
CLASSES AT THE HONEY BEE QUILT STORE
Closer to home, The Honey Bee Quilt Store, in Austin, on Anderson Mill Rd. (512-257-1269...www.honeybeequiltstore.com) has a few patterns in stock and The Cotton Cupboard, in Lakeway, also carries some of my patterns and uses them for some of their punch needle classes.
I have planned to teach a few Spring Punch Needle classes at Honey Bee. I will also add a Needle Felting class in February, to the mix! I have purposefully scheduled only a few classes to teach this Spring, so that my schedule will be open to visit my daughter in GA. I will also need time to get items made for my shows. These classes are small and intimate (class size only 1-5 people) so that I can give you alot of focused attention. We have alot of fun and by the end of the class you are nearly a pro needle puncher/needle felter! Call the store for more info or go online to their site and click on the calendar to see if there is space left in the class. I hope to see you there!
CLASS SCHEDULE
Sunday, January 22.....1:30pm-4:30pm......Beginning Punch Needle
Tuesday, February 7.....9:30 am-noon and 1:30 pm-4:30pm.....Beginning Needle Felting
Tuesday, May 1.....9:30am-noon and 1:30-4:30pm.....Beginning Punch Needle
Well, those are the updates for now. I so appreciate your business. Have a terrific rest of the Winter season and upcoming Spring. Blessings to you all, Donna