I sit here this morning in Boca Grande, Florida winding down our second winter in Florida. Donald is in Baltimore this morning with our two youngest children and my brother and his family. Henry and Gay are babysitting for their two oldest grandchildren (two adorable girls 4 and 1) and a house full of family dogs. Later this morning Donald and Courteney will head to Vermont with a U-haul of college apartment belongings. Donald will open the house and begin planting his garden at Starlight Farm. I don’t garden anymore. I was never very good at it and have passed the torch to our resident expert. My only request was to be in charge of the planters in front of our house.
Life on the island is much quieter than normal. I would imagine this is what Nantucketers feel like mid October. It’s like the morning after a dinner party. You had a great time, you loved seeing everyone….but you take a deep breath and enjoy your quiet house. Quiet island. It’s divine.
I have had this little business for the past year and a half. The dream started a few years ago when Donald was remarking that we needed to have more Michigan needlepoint in our lives. We love to travel, and we tend to spend our time in remote spots, small island, mountains, and next to a big Lake. The idea of kits came quickly, especially with a daughter who was creating a booming design business. Never for a minute did it occur to me that the business would grow so quickly. I’ve taken great pains to grow it at a manageable pace. We have a year and a half under our belts now and we are ready to grow. And grow we will. My aim is to keep the personal touch, keep the relationships with our customers, and provide more product to be shipped out to you, wherever you are.
This summer I will be launching paquets made by four more designers. I will add designs by two current needlepoint designers and one brand new needlepoint designer. We will also be launching our first exclusive line of Paquets de Needlepoint created by an über talented old friend who is both an architect and an interior designer. He has created magic and I can not wait to tell you more and show you what is coming!!
For the next few weeks I will be working behind the scenes preparing for our jump, our leap of faith, and our growth. I am so excited for summer. It’s coming! and I am going to be ready to embrace every single minute of my favorite season!!