Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe, but it's Christmas Eve already! Hopefully, you are finished with your Christmas shopping, baked your last batch of cookies, and picked up Aunt Edna from the airport. Now is the time to soak up the ambiance that is Christmas, sit down with a warm cup of tea (or cappuccino if you're at my house) and watch the twinkling lights on the tree as Christmas music plays in the backgound. And, let's please remember what Christmas is really all about, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ who came into this world to save us all from our sins.

It is with a heart of gratitude that I would like to thank all of you for your support while I was getting Pink Florida Threads up and running. These last 3 months have been exciting, humbling, tiring, and packed full of the most incredible moments and people.......you! Thank you for sharing it all with me. I can hardly wait to see what 2009 will bring!

I have been so blessed this year, and one of those many blessings is a recent article written about P.F.T. in the St. Pete Times. For those of you from out of town, or if you just missed it, here's the link so you can read the original article:
www.tampabay.com/news/business/article936142.ece

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year in 2009. Here's clinking my cappuccino cup to yours and drinking to your health and happiness.

Watch for our first ever class schedule coming in January,
Debbie

Art and about

Several days ago, I stopped in at The Coffee Mill to do a little last minute Christmas shopping. It's a wonderful store on Indian Rocks Road that has been an icon in our area for years, and I always find the nicest items for my friends there. Not to mention they have the yummiest coffee and tea assortment. And, we all know how I feel about my caffeine! As I was about to pay for my purchases, I spotted a calendar and asked the clerk about it. What a find!

The calendar has 12 gorgeous plein aire paintings of the quaint cottages on Indian Rocks Beach in the most beautiful, vibrant colors. (Plein aire painting simply means work done by the artist, on site, with an easel and their paints just like Monet used to do in Giverny, France.) I snapped one up especially after learning that the $20 price tag goes directly to benefit the Indian Rocks Library and Historical Museum. It turns out that these paintings were created by 3 local women who have been painting small homes on the beach for 6 years in an effort to capture them on canvas before they are all torn down to build McMansions.

If you love the beach, the arts, quaint cottages, or beachy scenes, you will go crazy for this calendar. I called the artists, left them a message telling them I'd love to have their calendars at P.F.T., and 2 days later they showed up at the shop with an armful of calendars! Yippee! So, come in and check out this wonderful calendar. Also, the artists will be at Guppy's restaurant on the beach January 9th with 60 of their oil paintings for sale. You'll be able to see the actual works in person. The show starts at 6PM and you'll get to meet these interesting ladies. I, myself, can't wait to go. Hope to see you there.
Here's the link to the artists and their work: http://www.pleinaircottageartists.com/


Feeling Artsy today,
Debbie

It's almost Christmas

Can you believe it? Christmas is only 11 days away and my husband and I just started our shopping last night. Opening a new business has most definitely altered my "free" time, so, I'm running a bit late this year.

Even though I'm crazy busy, I still love preparing for the holidays.....starting in late fall leading into Thanksgiving and then celebrating Christmas. One of the things I enjoy the most is staging our home with little touches that make me smile when I see them, and that show my family they are special to me.

In the shop is a wall where you'll see some of those seasonal changes displayed. I don't know why, but over the years I've developed my own vocabulary(didn't you notice all the bra purses have names?). When I was arranging the pillowcases and kitchen towels for the display, the name "Changies" came to me. Ok, not exactly a brilliant name, but it's descriptive, isn't it? So, come back each month to view the Changies for that month accompanied by some of my photography taken while traveling. Today I've included pics of the November and December Changies for you.

I pray you are just as excited as I am to celebrate this season of hope, joy, and love with those in your life. And, speaking of being excited, click on the link below to read the article written about P.F.T. in today's St. Pete Times. We are just so blessed!

'Tis the Season,
Debbie

www.tampabay.com/news/business/article936142.ece

How about an update?

Lots of you have been asking me for updates on baby Nathan, our water leak from earlier this week, and the upcoming St. Pete Times article, so I'll try to fill you in. Most importantly, Nathan has gained back the 10 oz. he lost and weighs in at 8 lbs now. He's been struggling with formula issues, allergies and gas tummyaches since coming home from the hospital, so, finding the right formula has been a little difficult. The pediatrician determined that he has an allergy to milk protein and that caused some blood in his stool. We believe the new formula has cleared up that problem, so, now we just need him to get interested in the taste of this formula and start packing on the weight.


As for our water leak, I'll NEVER store my hurricane water supply inside the house again! Joel is having trouble with his wrist, so, I made an emergency call to my mover who graciously drove over and hefted our huge china cupboard up onto blocks and we have had a fan blowing on the floor ever since Monday to dry out the hardwood flooring. Thankfully, I think everything will be alright. That same night, our son, Jarrad, called us when he left our house to say that he also came home to a leak.....he heard water running and the floor was warm in his son's room and hot water was running under the foundation. Holy cow! So, they've had to shut off their hot water heater and are waiting for Jarrad's dad, who happens to be a plumber, to fly in from Penna. and do the repairs. Thank goodness for handy family members. How much fun is that to deal with 2 weeks after having a baby?

And, now on to things here at P.F.T. A lovely woman, Chris Cosdan, called me Tuesday and came from the St. Petersburg Times to interview me for this Sunday's paper, Dec. 14th. If you're looking for it, the article will appear in the Largo Works section and rerun next Friday in the Clearwater and North Pinellas issue. How fun is that? I'm just knocked out by how blessed I've been in this whole new adventure of starting my very own shop. God has just been so good to me. So, keep coming back and see what happens next!

Back to sewing now,
Debbie

Oh, what a night...

Yup! Last night was the Belleair Stroll and it was a fun couple of hours. I'd like to say a huge thank you to my friends that came to help serve punch and put out the homemade goodies, and brag on me to all the customers old and new. Teresa was a great help writing up sales and telling people what we are all about at P.F.T. Then, my sweet friends Carolyn and Melissa came and Melissa surprised me with our Treasure Island friend, Margie. It was more like a party than work! Carolyn brought her punch bowl for us to use, and Melissa provided the tablecloths....remember, all my stuff is still hidden deep inside the storage unit from our move out of the big house.

And,to put the icing on the cake, a lovely woman named Chris from the St. Pete Times came to interview me at 4PM just before the evening got started. I'll let you know when the article is due to appear in the Times. God just keeps blessing me in ways I never dreamed of to promote this little adventure of mine. Come on back and stay tuned for the next installment of Pink Florida Threads.

Deb

"Houston, we have a problem."

Oh, man....have you ever had things just kinda go wrong at the most inopportune moments? Well, I was all set to tell everyone about the Stroll in the Alley tomorrow, Tuesday Dec. 9th from 6-8PM. Today, I've been attending to last minute details for the refreshments we'll be serving, and buying a few more Christmas lights to hang up when it gets dark tonight.

Then, while I was on the phone with my daughter-in-law asking how baby Nate was doing, I spotted it. The fly in the ointment, the last minute problem, the "man, how am I going to fix that?" moment that life sometimes drops in our laps when we have way too much on our plates. Yup! That extra 2 gallon container of Zephyrhills water I kept in case of a hurricane....just sitting there next to my antique 7 foot china cabinet......had leaked. Not just a wee little bit, but almost all 2 gallons had slipped quietly, slowly out of it's plastic container and slid between the very heavy, flat bottomed cabinet and the hardwood floor of our rental dining room.

Hmmm.....mild panic was almost setting in as my mind raced about how I was going to take care of this one. Well, I have just finished emptying the cabinet, my husband and youngest son should be home soon, and when the oldest son gets here from work, we'll have to lift it up, set it on blocks to dry the underside, and survey the damage to the hardwood flooring. Yeah, and I'm expecting close to 1,000 folks tomorrow evening at the shop. This is EXACTLY what I wanted to do tonight.

No time to cook, so, I guess we'll be having hot dogs for dinner tonight....how about you?

A computer tech, I'm not

Oh, man, have I ever learned my lesson. Eight years ago when I was afraid to even turn a computer on, my husband used to say, "Just try, experiment, nothing bad will happen." So, I eventually sat down and let him teach me the basics. I even started to like doing things on the computer. Now, I'm on the third computer of my very own, with each one getting faster and smarter than the one before it. (Ok, maybe the computers aren't getting any smarter, I am just learning how to use them better.)

Then, I decided to try my hand at a blog. Hmmm, it wasn't so bad to set up, and I felt my confidence growing with each little triumph. So, when I read that I could link my website, http://www.pinkfloridathreads.com/ to the blog, I was ready to plunge in with both feet. After all, "nothing bad will happen." Ha!

I clicked that button that was supposed to do something magical to my 2 internet accomplishments, and then.......horrors! No more blog! Yikes! I could feel the panic rising up inside of me, but I forced myself to remain calm. The information I got from researching the blog's site said it could take up to 48 hours for the "connection" to go through. So, I waited for 2 days with an ever growing knot in my stomach.

Then, tonight, I could take it no longer. I swallowed my pride as I tried to walk nonchalantly into my 19 year old son's bedroom to seek his help. Is there anything more pathetic than a teenager's groans about how inept we adults are at something that comes so naturally to them? He ranted and moaned as he sat down at my beautiful computer and ran his hands over his face as I showed him exactly what I had done and how I had done it. After a few more minutes of his grilling me, he masterfully typed in a few things, and voila, my blog was back. I could hardly believe it.

He made me promise to never, ever, ever do that again. I promise....

Whew, it's great to be back,
Eating humble pie,
Debbie

Ta-ta totes

Alrighty now....for those of you who are uninitiated, here comes a little tutorial on bra purses. Most of the purses I make are constructed with 34C or 36C bras that have substantial padding in the cups. The padding prevents the cups from collapsing and looking, well, tacky.

But, the padding also makes the two cups sewn together take on the shape of a small basketball. Hmmmmmm.....that can be a problem when trying to use the basketball, oops, the purse because the contents fall out when the purse rolls on it's side. So, after struggling with a prototype for 2 months, I developed a technique to insert a base on the bottom of the cups that enables the purse to stand up and not roll over when placed on the countertop.

Well, I got bored(who me? never!) making the purses with the base, so, one day I choose an A-cup bra from my enormous tub-o-bras and sewed the two cups together. Ha! Cute as all getout! And, the Ta-ta tote was born. Of course an A-cup purse is much smaller than the regular bra purses, but they are just the right size to hold a lipstick, credit card and your keys. Perfect for a night out on the town. And, you can have one in every color to match every outfit. These two Ta-ta totes are the latest ones hot off the sewing machine. Hope you like 'em as much as I do.

Hot sewin' Mama,

Debbie

Aren't these cute?

There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to sew and produce an overflow of goodies to stock the shop, so, I called on some of my very talented friends to help me. These adorable little containers are made by my friend, Teresa, who not only sews like a whiz, but creates the prettiest things in paper.

We're calling these little gems gift card holders, and they have a bit of velcro which holds the flap in place after inserting the gift card inside. It's almost like a little purse....and you know how much I love purses! They've become so popular that Teresa has to keep resupplying the tree.

Thanks,Teresa. I believe you're a hit! Now, aren't they a lot cuter than using a plain old envelope for your gift card?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Doesn't everyone have a feather tree? Well, Pink Florida Threads does, and it has pink feather lights on it. How fun is that? And, of course, I had to make a P.F.T. style tree skirt for the tree. Batik hibiscus flowers on a background of rick-rack tropical colored fabric sounds just right to me. Tomorrow, we'll put a few more lights around the outside of the door and window. Come in and see the whimsy.

Signing off,

Santa's Florida elf

It's in the genes

I don't know about you, but for me, having my kids and grandkids over for the holidays is what makes the day. Don't get me wrong, I loooove planning the menu, cooking up new and exciting foods, and decorating the house and table "just so". But, living in our rental this year with 75% of our things in storage has cramped my style a bit. So, I scaled everything down and we still had a wonderful day. And, once again, I was reminded that life is all about our loved ones, not the "things" we possess.

This year, Jarrad and Dawn spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. Since the hospital is only 5 minutes from us, Jarrad was able to come to our house just long enough to eat with us but then he was anxious to get back to Dawn and baby Nate. Julie, Cameron and the "kiddles" came over late in the day and hung out and we ate all over again. Jeremy's girlfriend even came over and met our boisterous clan for the first time.(Hope we didn't scare her off!) I love all the chatter and giggling as we each try to get in as much sharing time as possible before everyone has to go back home.

While Julie and her family were here from Sanford this week, she and Sydney, our 7 yr. old granddaughter, came to visit me at the shop on Tuesday. As crazy as I am about sewing and anything fiber related, my daughter Julie never seemed to catch that fever, at least not to the degree that I caught it. Well, I guess it skipped a generation because little Miss Sydney is even more entranced than I was at her age by fabrics, their textures, and all the dazzling colors God has blessed us with in our world. Julie knew it was just too much for her to fondle all the materials in my "stash" and not have something to claim for herself.

So, I opened the cabinet doors and we started designing a bag for Sydney to use to carry her American Girl doll. Well, it was hilarious to watch her try and narrow down all the possibilites. She just wanted it all! Hmmmm, wonder where she gets that from?!? Ok, Ok, I'm not going there. Pretty soon, not only did she place an order for a tote for the doll, but, an adorable little purse would be nice, too, wouldn't it? By now, I believe Julie thought the child would like to sleep in the shop that night, but she managed to get her in the car and drive back to their campsite at Ft. De Soto.

Fast forward 48 hours to turkey day afternoon, and Sydney says something to the effect, "Grammy, I thought you would have my purse done." Ha! We've been busy having a baby, cooking a small feast, cleaning out the dust bunnies, and collapsing in a tired happy heap on the couch. Julie and I just giggled.....guess what I'll be sewing today? I can't stand to disappoint Sydney. Hope you enjoy the picture of Sydney oogling all the fabrics. I think the picture says it all.

Have a great weekend,
Debbie

Sweet baby Nathan

What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Yesterday, our daughter-in-law, Dawn and our son, Jarrad, gave birth to our fourth grandchild, Nathan . He's adorable, sweet, soft, snuggly....I could go on and on. Today, we're grateful for a safe delivery and a happy, healthy baby boy. He weighed in at 7lbs. 15 oz. and is 20 inches long and has light brown hair, long fingers and rosy pink skin.

Thanks to all of my friends and family for covering Dawn and the baby in prayer. God is so good! And now, our family is one precious child richer. Happy Thanksgiving to you. May you have warm conversations, loving hugs, and lots of home cooking with your loved ones today.

A Very Grateful Mom,

Debbie

Confetti

How about we shake things up a bit? It's time to start posting pictures of a few of the items I've been sewing since most of the construction/decorating/rearranging phase is behind me now. After all, isn't that why I opened PFT in the first place?

Every couple of days I'll highlight something new, so even if you live far away and can't come to the shop personally, you'll still be able to see some of the fun and funky "stuff" hot off the sewing machine. Speaking of funky, how do you like this pillow? I wish I could say I came up with this idea, but ......... sigh, alas, I just mimicked one I saw. The fabrics are batik, bright, and kinda curly thanks to a tumble in the washer and dryer after being stitched down and cut in 1/2" widths. Inside is a down pillow insert, so, it's reeeeeally soft and gooooshie.

Well, after the pillow was completed, I started thinking of all kinds of things I could do with this technique. How about the top of a hot pink Christmas stocking? Wouldn't that be fun? Might just have to do that this weekend! Or, how about an entire floor cloth so it looked like an area rug? Or, the front side of a wild purse with a shoulder strap?

See what happens? One idea just leads to another. Oh, well, back to the pillow. It looks like such a riot of colors thrown together that I call this one "Confetti". Works for me!

Havin' too much fun,
Debbie

Cousins and other friends

It's a brisk, 43 degrees here in sunny Florida this morning and I'm lovin' it! As a matter of fact, it reminds me of one late afternoon last January. The kind of day where the sky is that perfect shade of cornflower blue and there are no clouds in sight. And, the air smells clean, crisp and fresh.

Late last January, my husband, Joel and I took the RV up to Astor on the St. John's River for a few days of relaxation. Astor is a little fishing village that nestles on the outer edge of the Ocala National Forest. We love going up there because it's like living in another era, a time where life passes just a little slower and sweeter.

Joel's cousin, Steve, and his wife Linda, have been our camping buddies for years now, and they have a fifth wheel camper permanently parked at Parramore's, a wonderful RV park right on the St. John's River. The folks who are "full-timers" at the RV park are the friendliest people we've met in a long time. Steve and Linda have made sure to introduce us to all these lovely people and now it's like seeing long lost friends whenever we arrive at Parramore's. So, Astor holds warm memories for us.

Well, last Christmas, Joel bought me a Nikon D80 camera and I was dying to try it out on the river. After doing some reading about the best time of day to shoot landscapes, I explained to Steve that I would need to go out on the river just before sunset. (Like I even knew what I was doing! Ha!) Good buddy, Stevie......he graciously said he'd just looooove to take me out on the river to use my camera. Linda said, "Forget it, it's too cold." Joel said, "I'm taking a nap. You guys go."

Off we went, and good grief, was it ever getting nippy out on the water. Well, Steve showed me how absolutely spectacular the St. John's is as we wound our way through little tributaries, and snaked our way past shores that looked prehistoric. I believe I shot around 350 pictures late that afternoon as Steve patiently put-putted the boat past leaning palm trees. We even rounded a corner to see wild turkeys strutting around a giant oak tree! Oh, how I love being in the middle of nature. By now, Steve and I barely had any feeling in our hands from the cold. So, we headed back in as the last bit of sun cast shadows on the water.

Now, how does that apply to Pink Florida Threads, you ask? Well, Stevie, the pics of the run down shacks falling into the water are now proudly featured on the wall of my shop and they are all thanks to you. Thanks for your patient maneuvering of the boat that day, and thanks for bearing the cold temps just so I could satisfy a long standing need to capture some of old Florida in my lens. Many people have asked about those pics since the shop has opened, and I just smile and tell them that my cousin, Stevie, my buddy and my friend, is responsible for me being able to get those shots that day. Aren't friends just the best?

Have a blessed day,
Debbie

It's Official, P.F.T. is open

Wow! What an amazing 5 week transformation, both at the shop and in my life. Opening day was Tuesday, November 4th, election day. See, now I'll never forget the date because it was a national event.....ummmm, the election, that is. In 5 short weeks, the shop has gone from a sad, dark, hot clump of rooms, to a light and bright, air conditioned open space that is very conducive to creating fun fiber art.

And, my life has changed from being a full time mom and housewife to sole proprietor of my own dream. How amazing is that? Today is the first day in over 5 weeks that I've taken a morning off, stayed in my jammies sipping my cappuccino, doing some laundry and catching my breath. Hey, everyone needs time to regroup, and I needed a morning to refocus on "what's next" at the shop now that the opening and the annual show is behind me.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the big annual show in Antique Alley with an additional 45 vendors set up all along the Alley. Thank goodness my two friends, Teresa and Susan Marie were kind enough to hang out with me all day long to lend me a hand. They were super at talking to everyone who entered the shop, showed them all around, explained the quilts, pillows, and bra purses to potential customers, and made everyone feel welcome. Thanks, girls, for an awesome job done! I could have never done it without your hard work and enthusiasm.

It's hard to know how many people attended the show, but, we had customers and well wishers in the shop all day long, and I had to finally lock the door at 4:20 to close up(the show ended at 4). My persistent sore throat had finally done me in, and I was more than ready to head home to rest up.

Now, my job is to sew for the ladies who have placed orders, and make as much new product as possible. You see, The Alley has another event coming up on December 9th called The Stroll. As explained to me, we are going to line the Alley with candle luminarias, have Christmas music playing, and hopefully have carolers, too. Each shop is decorated for Christmas and serves refreshments as folks wander from shop to shop taking in the festivities. I just looooove Christmas and can't wait for the Stroll. It also includes shops along Indian Rocks Road, too, for a few blocks in both directions. So, if you want to take in the festivities and get some shopping done, come and join us on December 9th from 6-8PM.

Well, now I must get back to work......only it doesn't feel like work, it's actually fun! There are tie pillows to make, and fabrics to be found for a client, so, I'm off to the shop. Come and see me sometime....as several customers remarked yesterday, "It's such a happy place!" How's that for a compliment?

Guess it would help if you knew the hours I'm open, wouldn't it? Mondays I expect to be there, but not truly open as that's a day for me to sew like crazy to get caught up. Tuesday, 10-5, Wednesday, 1-6(I've got Bible study in the morning), Thursday & Friday, 10-5, and Saturday 10-4.

Creating more and more,
Debbie

Had to show you...

Here's what we did today. Gina came over to the shop and painted until she had to go home due to darkness setting in. She'll finish doing the shop hours by next weekend. Don't you love what she painted? I especially like the OPEN sign, don't you?

2 days and counting....hmmm, just like McCain

I

think this one picture says it all, don't you? I spent another 13 hours at the shop yesterday, and honestly, I don't know where the time goes. It seemed like I had just gotten there and it was dinner time already. I reheated some Greek food from the refrigerator, and kept sewing. Before I knew it, it was 10 o'clock!

Now, in all honesty, this pic is from last weekend. The studio portion you are looking at doesn't look like this anymore. I just wanted you to get the flavor of the fun I've/we've been having. The desk still has to be painted today(if Joel would please finish putting on the corbels). He is just about "over" helping me with all these honey-do's. And Gina is on her way to paint the signage. I'm going to finish painting some pieces, and hang the last of the various stuff that has to be hung. Tomorrow, I'm locking the doors, scrubbing the floor, and pricing everything I currently have in stock.

THEN, Tuesday is my first official day open! There will be lots of kinks to work out, but, there just isn't any more prepping to be done, I simply need to jump right in and open. Oh, man, pray for me, please. And, next Sunday, the 9th, is the big show in Antique Alley. Should be interesting, don't you think? By the way, the phone number for the shop is going to be in the next phone directory and the yellow pages. The number is 474-3893, and the address is 596 Indian Rocks Road N., Suite A-1, Belleair Bluffs, Florida, 33770. My corrected business cards came Friday, so, now at least when I hand them out they have the right info on them.

Well, I'm off to meet Gina and have some more fun. Hope to see you all soon at the shop.

One very happy girl,

Debbie

Almost There

How could it possibly be November already? The last 4 weeks have just flown by as all the painting, decision making, lugging stuff into the shop, cleaning, arranging and rearranging of product has occured. As things stand now, I intend to open the shop Tuesday, November 4th. Yup! Election Day.

The last time I worked this hard was 25 years ago when I was working full time and in nursing school full time. This is definitely more fun....tee-hee. This weekend I plan to finish painting the desk Joel built for me last Sunday, hang the last few items on the walls, paint a table where I can eat my lunch, finish touching up the baseboard around the entire shop, and scrub the last of the grout film off of the tile floor.

I planted pots in front of the shop late last Monday, and then an unusually early cold front blew very cold air on them (we had temps in the 40's, then add wind chill) and damaged them, so, I may be replanting them tomorrow. Today and tomorrow, Gina should be at the shop painting my name outside on two walls. She has already finished my "OPEN" sign for inside the front window, and I can hardly wait to see it. Gina is my ex-husband's (transplanted from Penna.) grown daughter and is an art teacher at an elementary school near Joel's office. She's very talented and I was lucky she was available on such short notice to do my artwork. God just keeps producing solutions daily to the long list of "to-do's", so work is rolling along smoothly.

Now, if I could just get some sewing done................

By the way, this past Tuesday our local Channel 10 News came by and interviewed me for the bra purses since it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Kathryn Bursch, the reporter, was so easy going and the interview was over before I knew it. When she was finished, I showed her the other items I sew and she said she'd like to interview me again for the tie pillows.

The pillows are a great way to use Dad's/husband's ties as a memory of them after they've gone to heaven. Well, she said if someone was willing to be interviewed about their loss, and what it meant to them to have a way of seeing their ties in a pillow, a tangible way they could connect with their loved one that I should call her. Wouldn't you know it, two days ago, a friend introduced me to someone who was very excited to do just that. She lost her father a few months ago, and told me what a dapper dresser he was, and how many ties he had. I'll keep you posted on how this all turns out. Meanwhile, if you'd like to view Tuesday's interview, click on the link below.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=93056&catid=58

Well, it's time to get back to work. I'll be sure to post more pics over the next couple of days so you can view the finished product.

Paintin', cleanin', luggin', scrubbin' Debbie signing off.

I'm in....sorta

Don't think I've forgotten about you. It's just that I've been really busy working with Joel each night grouting the floor, and scurrying around every day completing the details for the shop. Yesterday, Friday, October 17 was move in day. Yippee! I took a couple of quick pics during the hustle to share with you.

Now, I plan on taking the next 2 weeks to do all the detail work, like....hmmmmm, signage, hanging things on the walls, getting a phone, unpacking bins, bins, and more bins. Oh, yeah, and sewing as much product as possible before I open. I've set a tentative opening date of Tuesday, November 4, which gives me just one short week of working the kinks out before the big Antique Alley sale on Sunday, November 9! Crazy, isn't it? But, I'm having so much fun. I can't remember when I've been so dog-tired, and yet so happy! Hope you come to see me when I am finally up on my feet and have everything in place. I'll keep the cappuccino machine ready for your arrival.

Creatively yours,

Debbie/Mom

A hint of things to come

It just occured to me to let you see a glimpse of some items I've been sewing for the shop. I've had a ball coming up with fun, quirky chef's aprons, pillows, pillowcases and purses. Hopefully, when I'm settled in the new space, a lot more will come rolling out of the sewing machine.

more pics

I think these pics say it all. Joel and Jarrad were pretty beat by quitting time Saturday night. Aw, man, I just remembered we still have to grout all those lines! Wanna help?

Oh, my aching......

Well, it's Monday morning, and I can't wait to share the weekend's progress with you. Joel and I started laying tile at the shop Saturday morning after laying out our lines to keep us on the straight and narrow. Man, 20 X 20" tiles are heavy! And, carrying a 5 gallon pail of thinset is pretty weighty, too. We definitely used muscles over the last 2 days that haven't been used in quite a while. And now, we are moving a little bit slower this morning.

Jarrad came over after work Saturday night and gave us some much needed new energy, young muscle strength, and encouragement. We cranked! The nice local policeman even stopped by on his rounds to see how we were doing....alright, that's not entirely true. It seems the people living behind the shop took some offense to a tile saw buzzing at 9:45PM, hmmmmmm.....imagine that? So, no problem, we moved it inside the shop instead and kept on going till 11:30.

Joel and I were back at it Sunday morning and didn't leave until we finished the entire store, all 4000 lbs of tile, at 6:30PM. All I wanted to do was paint the floor, but Joel really thought it should be tiled. Well, it's tiled now; we may never walk again, but it's tiled! Ha!

Think I'll go soak my entire body till I'm a prune,

Deb

Tons 'O Tile

What a day Thursday was! The plumber came to the shop and hooked up the water supply to both sinks and installed the toilet. When he first arrived, I talked to him about one of those mini instant-hot hot water heaters since there is no hot water anywhere in the building. He said that it would require electricity down inside the cabinet but, yes, he could hook one up for me.

Well, I went to work at the old shop, and thought about it, but decided it would get done later, much later. At lunch when I went to see how he was doing, the plumber told me the electrician just left for a moment and would be back. They had discussed the hot water heater, and the electrician was willing to do the work involved today! I quickly called Joel, my CFO, who ok'd the purchase and I was off to Home Depot....pronto.

At the end of the day, I had hot water, a flushing toilet, and a new electical receptical outside above the front window of the shop for Christmas lights. God is so good. All of this has been part of the buildout paid for by the owners, and we just had to supply some of the components, but they supplied the pros to install them. Woo-hoo!

Well, the rest is up to us, so, since Thursday is Joel's early day, we went to the paint store together. I was just going to paint the floor and do a faux finish on it and be done. After talking to the experts, we weren't satisfied with the information we got, so we left without buying any paint at all. On our way home, Joel suggested we swing by Ton's of Tile on 66th Street. He has been telling me he wants to tile the whole store, and I keep thinking it's going to be back breaking work.

Of course, we found tile in stock, on sale, in my colors, in 20X20" sized tiles, and bought it. Now, we had to get it home, hmmmmmmm, don't think it'll fit in the trunk of the Audi. We zip off to the house, hook the trailer up to the Jeep, and blaze back to 66th Street....at 5PM....in Pinellas traffic. Ok, so, blaze is not a completely accurate term, we crawled. And, just made it back there 10 minutes before closing time. Twenty minutes later, they had given up trying to get the fork lift to load the pallet of tile onto the trailer and they were manually loading the boxes, one by one.

We carted 2000 lbs of tile to the shop and Jeremy met us there and unloaded it all, and tonight, we go back for the other 2000 lbs. Like I said, this is going to be back breaking work. Anyone wanna have a tile laying party this weekend?!? Oh, and the poor little trailer's tires looked like they were going to pop. Pray it makes it tonight. Joel says that if the trailer makes it through this weekend, it has officially paid for itself. Ha!

Enjoy the pics,

Debbie

We're getting closer

Oh, my goodness. I can hardly stand it. The work crew is making such great progress on the buildout for P.F.T. Last night the crew boss told me that he expects they will be done Wednesday night with their end of the work, then I've got to get started on my list of improvements. The ceiling/trusses were all painted white yesterday and look so much better than the jumbled mess it was just 10 short days ago. I'm trying to keep the atmosphere casual, Florida Keys style, and a little funky. You know I have to be a little rebellious! Or, is that just sassy? Hmmmmm.....

The address for the shop is going to be 596 Indian Rocks Road N., Unit A-1,
Belleair Bluffs, Florida 33770. Currently, I'm using my cell phone
@727-348-4013, if you need to reach me. Hope you enjoy the new pics.

Pink Florida Threads hits the big time

Well, the buildout on the new shop for PFT started last Monday. In just one short week the construction crew cleaned out the debris, took up the existing nasty floor, constructed new walls around the bathroom, hooked up plumbing, drywalled the entire room, put in electrical outlets, put in a brand new air conditioning system, tiled the bathroom floor, installed 2 new doors and 2 new windows and many other little details too numerous to mention.

I signed the lease last Wednesday night, and hired the carpenter to work Saturday and he installed crown molding around the perimeter of the room. The electricians put in electrical boxes above the crown molding so that I can hook up rope lights for gentle up-lighting. Tomorrow, Monday, the rafters and walls will be painted. I should be able to start painting the floor by the end of the week and move in after the paint has cured!

The pics hardly begin to show how much work the space really needed, but, at least you get the idea. Can't wait to show you the finished space.

Love,

Debbie

"It was a struggle."

Well, Joel has provided us with some more entertainment thanks to a recent nursing home patient. It appears that the sweet little old lady in her eighties was annoyed with her broken right ankle and broken right wrist having to remain in a cast for 6 weeks. So, imagine Joel's surprise when he went to the nursing home and the nurse handed him a note from the sweet little old lady's chart which read:

Patient came up to the nurses station desk, laid her right arm on the top of the counter, and held up her cast......without her wrist inside of it. When patient was asked how she removed it from her wrist, patient states, "It was a struggle."

Whatta ya gonna do?