Special Friends

I received the most lovely little package in the mail from a special fan and friend in Estonia! Can you imagine? Tasha fans in Estonia! We love it!

{This map from Wikipedia shows Estonia in dark green in relation to the rest of Europe}

Epp Maria is an artist and proprietor of a wonderful little cafe/art gallery/cake gallery. She sent me this lovely package:

I'm quite enamored by the stamps.
But it only got lovelier inside!

The card featured her artwork of this regal woman and swans...and she included a datebook featuring her artwork (and three different languages!).

Ooooo...I think I spy a ballerina riding a corgi!

{All artwork copyright Epp Maria}

Thank you so much for such a lovely gift, Epp Maria, and for letting me share it! It makes me feel so grateful to be able to share Tasha's work and inspiration with friends all around the world.

Polka Dot Slush

 

There is always something in nature to surprise us. Imagine my surprise when I looked out the window on a rainy/sleety/slushy/snowy/muddy Wednesday and found this cheerfully polka-dotted slush covering the driveway! I simply had to pull on my wellies (see, we weren't kidding in Mary Jane's Farm when we said our wellies are always at the ready, especially this time of year) and run outside to snap a picture. I'm sure there's a great, meteorological reason for the polka dots, but I'd rather just marvel in the blessing.

It was the perfect day to write a few letters on Tasha Tudor's "Springtime" writing paper. I truly love this paper...it is so charmingly detailed and happy. My pen (this one a previous gift from Jenna, our gardener, who knows I love to write letters) just writes so wonderfully across it's finely textured surface. Opposite my "Writer's Bio" in MaryJane's Farm this month, MaryJane talks about penmanship and the hand-written letter. As many of you know, Tasha enjoyed writing letters and wrote to countless fans and friends over the years. If you have a copy of a letter Tasha has sent you (or many, as the case may be), we'd love to see copies for the Tasha Tudor Museum's burgeoning collection.

And you know me, I couldn't resist baking some gluten-free scones on a rainy/sleety/slushy/snowy/muddy day. A treat is just required, it seems, with extra tea. It's the time of year where it's so back and forth weather-wise, that we need to fortify our spirits a bit. Spring will come, a day at a time...Friday was nearly 60 degrees! Pretty soon we will be marking the first iced tea on the porch, but until then...scones and hot tea to get us through. 

Mary Jane's Farm and Tasha Tudor!

We're very excited that the April/May (brand-new!) issue of Mary Jane's Farm features an article written by me, Natalie, on Tasha and the Tudor Family!

 {L-R: Sophia, Christina's daughter; Natalie; Christina; Amy; Jenna...This photo is included in the article, but it's small! Even so, we've been getting a lot of requests for pinafore patterns, which we do hope to have available in the not-so-distant future)

I think you'll enjoy not only this article, but this magazine if you aren't familiar with it. Based out in Oregon, it's an organic lifestyle/women's farm-style magazine. What a perfect "sister" for Tasha Tudor and Family, Inc.! Since this issue is their "Sister Act" issue, we focused on the sisterhood of "the girls" on the farm...me, Christina, Amy, Jenna and everyone else (including the littlest girls, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Josie!). We have so much fun!

{I don't want to give away the whole 3-page article, so here's a sneak peek of Tasha, "a beloved American icon," on the Contents page}

"On the heels of mud season, we begin to make a garden. We dig shovels into still soggy land. We break ground together. If breaking ground together is nourishing, so then, is breaking ground to plant seeds...." ~get your own copy here to read more

We've heard from many of you (new friends and longtime fans) who saw the article in the magazine, but if you haven't seen it yet, you can order it here for your collection!

New Rare Books on Our Shelves

Every few months, we fill up our Rare Book Shelves with beautiful copies of Tasha's rare and out-of-print books. This is the perfect time to fill in your collection!

Of interest this time around: English Cottage Gardening, a primer on the style, complete with an introduction to Tasha's garden (and did we mention the simple diagram of the layout of Tasha's house?). This book is often overlooked by collectors. Be sure to snap up your copy!

And Springs of Joy, one of my favorite Tasha Tudor books. The illustrations are so delicate and classically Tasha-Tudor...young girls sketching, young boys playing with corgis in the woods...all combined with poetry and quotations selected to bring the Springs of Joy to one's heart. A perfect gift-book for any occasion!

{We keep our dust jacket covers in this antique wrapping paper holder...don't you just love it?}

Getting our rare books ready for their new homes is a labor of love. We carefully select, describe, clean, and cover each book that comes our way. The books come to you straight from us in Vermont, with the new clear dust jacket cover embossed with our special "Tudor Rose." Aren't special touches so nice in this increasingly internet-saturated, special-touch-devoid world?

From a rainy, very gray Vermont,
Natalie

Things We Like: Traditional Medicinals Tea

Introducing a new series for the blog: Things We Like! We're starting off with an appropriate "thing we like" today, as a cold is sweeping it's way through the office...Traditional Medicinals Teas.

 {One of Rosemary's books, which includes the story of how she met Tasha, is available on our website here...hurry, only a few copies left!}

You may not know that Tasha's good friend, herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, was a co-founder of the Traditional Medicinals tea company and did all of the original formulations for the fledgling company. While the company has grown exponentially since then, their products and mission remain the same: pharmacopoeial quality herbs backed by tasty formulations founded on the basis of traditional herbal medicine.

While we certainly don't guarantee any medicinal qualities from the teas, nor do we endorse them or offer this as medical advice, we do love their teas! Across-the-board favorites include Throat Coat teas for sore throats and Gypsy Cold Care for soothing colds.

One of my personal favorites is Chamomile Lavender, which is a traditional combination known to soothe tension, stress, and nervous stomachs. It's a "treat tea" for me; somehow, it seems special to drink lavender in tea. I'm drinking some right now!

Of course, Tasha preferred to use her own herbs for teas. If you'd like to learn how to make your own teas from the herb circle in your garden, check out our booklet, 15 Herbs for Tea, available here on our website. In the meantime, I've got a good stock of Traditional Medicinals to ride out the rest of winter.

A is for Annabelle Fabric

Our new A is for Annabelle fabric has been unveiled on Facebook, and orders have shipped. Oh friends, it is just so beautiful! We've received such a wonderful response to this new endeavor...it seems you agree that is is beautiful! Many of you noted it was, "worth the wait" for the pre-orders, but all fabric is in stock and ready to ship NOW for your spring projects!!! Click here to view the entire line and place your order.

Remember, when you order from us, we give you the special touches you don't get anywhere...generously cut and wrapped in pretty ribbon with our logo/care suggestsions card by Jenna; well-packaged in pretty tissue by Christina, sent out with a handwritten label by me~ it's like opening a present to yourself! And indeed it is...a present of new fabric and quilting inspiration... A present that opens doors for gift-projects and to making your own home more beautiful.

 

{the A-M and N-Z panels}

We've got plenty of ideas, and we're hoping some of them will make it to this blog soon...aprons, tea cozies, pillowcases, carry sacks, snack bags, bonnets, pinafores, children's dresses, doll dresses, curtains (for Ellie's room?), pillows, and of course...quilts! We have a few kits in stock too (though I am afraid we are still waiting on the backordered Tea Topper kits). The A is for Annabelle kit has been very popular... as I'm sure, will this new project below...

 {images from The Quilter Magazine, design by Wendy Sheppard}

And, here's a sneak-peek at the newest Spring issue of The Quilter magazine, which features a Tasha Tudor A is for Annabelle fabric Ring of Roses project! You can order your copy from us by clicking here!