Just for Fun Sewing

Sometimes a girl's just got to get out and play.  So, on a whim, I signed up for a one-evening class, taught by my favorite local quilt teacher, Roxann O'Hare of The Cosmic Cow quilt shop.

A week ago Monday I raced across town (as fast as one can go in rush hour traffic) from a late afternoon meeting.  Loaded down with sewing machine, cutting mat, and sewing supplies, I frumped across the parking lot, used the Handicap Accessible door opener, and caught the elevator to the 4th Floor of the Southeast Community College Continuing Education building, and set up my sewing area.

It was a small class, so each of us could spread out and cut and sew to our heart's content in our own little escapist bubbles.  

The project was just a little 12.5" x 12.5" quilted wall hanging.  The pattern was designed by Roxann.  The June Bug sign was stamped .  The bugs bodies were hand sewn with a blanket stitch. The polka dot wings are two-sided--front and back dots fused to double-sided fusible web.

I'm edging out of my comfort zone and a little closer to mixed media (there are dyed semi-transparent underwings).  And there was some hand stitching and embroidery.  My half-square triangle points aren't all perfect, and my machine quilting was minimalist.

But this little project was not for competition, not for sale, not intended to be an heirloom by any stretch of the imagination, and there were no quilt police in the classroom.

It was just a chance to play with fabric.  Just for fun.

LeAnn
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasqueflower
http://pasqueflowerponderings.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pasqueflower
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AuntPhebasVintage

Wordless Wednesday - Peony

Guy Friendly Gifts

Father's Day is only a few days away, but there's still time-- thanks to Priority Mail!

Today is Shameless Commerce Tuesday, so I'm featuring guy friendly gifts for grads and dads.

This vintage book, Ben Hogan's Power Golf would be a great gift for a golf enthusiast, especially if he happens to be an old duffer a grandpa.  It's one of the new listings in my vintage shop, Aunt Pheba's Vintage.
The most amazing thing about this book IMHO is the 120 line drawn illustrations by illustrator Tony Sheehan.  I love how each drawing has a shadow.

Does your guy fancy himself King of the Grill?   This BBQ oven mitt would be a useful gift:

Or how about this industrial gray pillow cover - perfect for a dad or grad.

Happy Tuesday!
TTFN
LeAnn
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasqueflower
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AuntPhebasVintage
http://www.facebook.com/pasqueflower
http://pasqueflowerponderings.blogspot.com

Treasury Thanks

I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to the Etsy curators who featured items from  my Etsy shop, Pasque Flower Creations, in treasuries over the past week.  So, without further ado, here they are!

Duni of PeriDotDesigns featured my nature-inspired pillow cover in her treasury, Neon Meets Pastel.  Duni is a Blogging Business Artisans (BBA) teammate, and I just love her sense of style and color -- so soft and feminine!

These pretty summer shorts would be cool, comfortable and oh so cute!

Aysegul  Erfidan of fancywomen (Turkey) featured my green chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Green Garden.  This beautiful Swarovski crystal wrist bracelet is just one of the stunning jewelry items you will find in Aysegul's shop:

The Fourth of July (Independence Day in the USA) will be here before we know it.  And some of this week's treasuries are already showing their patriotic colors.  Kristen of thesassylasso featured my patriotic baby bib in her treasury, America the Beautiful.  These unique patriotic ear buds from Kristen's shop would feel right at home in her treasury:

MK from wearemk (Greece) featured my green chevron oven mitts in her treasury, Green Spirit.    I love these handmade earrings made of small black stones:

I could see my daughter sporting these with a little black dress when she trips the lights fantastic on the sidewalks (and in the nightclubs) of New York.

Bonnie and Abby  from AidforAbby also featured my green chevron oven mitt in their chevron-themed treasury, When You Zig, I Zag.   This wonderful abstract watercolor was created by a child with autism, language disorder, and OCD.  Proceeds from the sale of her artwork help to defray medical and therapy expenses:

Mary Gress from LucyGooseyBeads also featured my green chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Chevron Happy.  Many of you know that I just love purple, and these gorgeous agate beads were just too pretty not to share.  I know my beading blogging pals would have lots of fun with these.

Natashalh of StalkingTheWildSnark, another BBA teammate, featured my patriotic bunting in her treasury, Flag Day.  Flag Day is June 14 in the USA.  Hooray for the red, white and blue.  I love Natasha's celtic knot jewelry, like this pretty necklace -- perfect for casual summer wear:

Mustafa Munduz from MADAMELA also featured my green chevron oven mitt (that mitt got a lot of love this week) in the treasury, Gorgeous Treasury Items.   This fused glass plate with a fish design is one of the many unique gift items at MADAMELA:  

Linda B of  lindab142 featured my rainbow chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Blue and Green.  This gorgeous white and gray onyx bracelet set is one of my favorite items from Linda's shop:

Meral donmez of MUNIVERSE featured my green chevron oven mitt in the treasury, June 44 You Can Go. This beautiful crochet top is perfect for a day at the beach, or a casual outing on a HOT summer day:

Kelly of Whimsical Wool featured my blue man dorm decor pillow cover in her treasury, Light Blue.  This beautiful hand felted flower in ocean colors is one of the wonderful wool creations in Kelly's shop:

Sheryll Raz Gold of BLUSHFASHION featured my yellow retro-inspired linen clutch in her Sun Fresh.  This treasury's so bright, you'll need to wear shades!  Sheryll has an amazing online clothing boutique.  I love her sense of style.  This beautiful soft knit pink shirt is pretty, feminine, and fashion forward.

And that's a wrap!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend.

TTFN

LeAnn aka pasqueflower

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasqueflower

http://www.facebook.com/pasqueflower

http://pasqueflowerponderings.blogspot.com

Wordless Wednesday - Take Time to Smell the Roses

Dew on the Roses - June 2013

You Can't Take It With You

It's Shameless Commerce Tuesday, and today, instead of featuring an item from my primary Etsy shop, Pasque Flower Creations, I've decided to promote my newly-opened (but far from fully-stocked) vintage Etsy shop, Aunt Pheba's Vintage.

Turning 60 has made me come to grips with my own mortality --- but in a good way.

Over the past year, I've watched my brother and sister-in-law struggle under the weighty responsibility of being executors of estates which included eight decades of accumulated STUFF.  While my uncle and my brother's father-in-law might not have been candidates for the TV show, Hoarders, they had (like so many of that generation who grew up during the Great Depression) found it difficult to throw anything away -- or give it away for that matter!  With all of my kids in different time zones now, I do not want any of them to have to use their entire accumulated vacation leave to clean out a house full of STUFF when I'm gone.

So, I've resolved that during the decade of my 60s, I'm going to DOWNSIZE and SIMPLIFY. (Except for my fabric stash.  I'm not ready to part with that yet -- except for my scraps.   I can sew in assisted living or a nursing home when I'm WAY old.  Although goodness knows I have amassed a FABLE: Fabric Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy.)

My youngest kids are apartment dwellers, and the older ones are small house dwellers with modern, not vintage, tastes.  The sad fact is, none of them really wants my grandma's china, or my crystal, or my mother's linens. So these things need to find new homes.

With that in mind, I opened my second Etsy shop on June 1, 2013.  Although I call it Aunt Pheba's Vintage, it is actually named after my paternal grandmother, Pheba Lois (Canfield) Larson, pictured in the photo above on the far, far right.  Her husband, my Grandpa Larson, is holding their son Llewellyn, in the center of the photo. Llewellyn died of heart disease the summer after he finished third grade.  This photo was taken in 1921.  My dad was born in 1924.

Although Pheba (pronounced FEE-bee, just like Phoebe) was known to me as Grandma Larson, she was known to most of the rest of the family as Aunt Pheba. She loved pretty things, and, as the only granddaughter, I have had many of her things stored in boxes for too many years.  We've also accumulated some rather kitschy interesting vintage items along the way that need to find new homes.  So, over the next few weeks, I hope to fill the virtual shelves of my new shop with some of those buried treasures -- with a little kitsch thrown in.

TTFN
LeAnn

Treasury Thanks - June Is Busting Out All Over!

It was an eventful week!

We survived several severe weather watches and warnings, a flash flood, and a wet basement.  I began setting up a second Etsy shop, Aunt Pheba's Vintage (more on that in a future post). And I turned 60!(Yikes!  How can I possibly be that old?!)

And it was a fantastic week for treasuries!  New treasuries were busting out all over as we flipped the calendar from May to June.  So I want to take this opportunity to extend a huge THANK YOU to the 19 talented curators who featured items from my Etsy shop, Pasque Flower Creations, in treasuries during the past week.   Grab a cup of tea or coffee, and sit back and enjoy some great Etsy finds.

Suefern643 of  HookUUpCustomCrafts featured my navy chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Red White Blue.   I just love this baseball switchplate from Sue's shop!  (I'm a big baseball and softball fan.  I just saw the Husker women's softball team get eliminated in the College World Series after a hard-fought game that lasted 15 innings!)  

Meital Levi of toolisjewelry  from Tel Aviv, Israel, featured my green chevron oven mitt in a front page worthy treasury in vibrant yellows and greens, Rise and Shine.   This exquisite sterling silver lace necklace would be a lovely gift.

Natashalh of StalkingTheWildSnark, a BBA teammate, featured my aqua chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Turquoise.  These beautiful summer beach earrings would be right at home in her pretty treasury.

Vicki from Slatternhouse5 featured my yellow chevron oven mitts in her treasury, A Day @ The County Fair.  (Now is the time for all good 4-Hers to start preparing for late summer county fairs!)   I love these unique Currier & Ives mugs from Vicki's shop.  When I visit my son in NH, we sometimes visit the Currier Museum in Manchester, NH.  I wonder if there is a connection?

Patti Manley of WhiskerWorksTrinkets featured my purple ombre woven napkins in her treasury, Pleasing Purple Ombre.  As many of you know, purple is my favorite color, so I just couldn't resist this gorgeous amethyst and agate bracelet from Patti's shop:

Kiymet Bisgen of Themagicofcolors  of Istanbul, Turkey, featured my navy chevron oven mitt in the treasury, Sailor Season.   The treasury is a beautiful showcase of trendy nautical finds.   This antique navy blue necklace is just one of the stunning pieces you will find in Kiymet's shop:

Olga from OrangeCloverShop featured my green chevron oven mitt in her treasury, For All Green People II :).  Olga is an Etsy newbie.  I just love this solar eclipse photo from her new shop:

Linda Pruitt of PruittCreations featured my patriotic bunting in her treasury, Summer Dreamin'.  These wonderful Americana collage gift cards fit the 4th of July theme.

Lora Florens, an Etsy Buyer, featured my baby boy bib in aqua and yellow in her treasury, Summer is coming soon!  (Some of us in the Midwest can only hope she's right.)  Thank you, Lora, for featuring my item in your beautiful treasury!

Jo from foundforyousupplies featured my aqua chevron oven mitt in her pretty treasury, Aqua Hues.  I can think of all sorts of fun things one might make with this lace and ribbon bundle.  

Kathy from Tapestry316 featured my green chevron oven mitt in her treasury, All the fun of summer!  For granddaughter Madeline, summer fun will include 4-H horse shows and riding her pony Lucy.  Kathy has the ability to capture the personality of horses in her wonderful artwork, like this piece entitled Horse with Attitude - Talk to the Tail.

Judy Nolan of JNOriginals featured my man-sized oven mitts in her treasury, I'm Dreaming of a Turquoise Summer.  I love the new crochet flower brooches in Judy's shop, like this one with a hint of turquoise!

Sara of StudioTAC featured my green chevron oven mitt in her beautiful treasury, Pink & Pistachio OH! That's So Sweet!   I hate to play favorites, but this linen pastel tote is one of my all-time favorite Etsy finds.
Simply stunning!

Olena of Sunshine Felt featured my baby girl mod floral bib in her budget-conscious treasury, Under 10.  This adorable green felted acorn necklace from Sunshine Felt is also under $10!

And I need to say THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! to Gia of OnePerfectDay, who featured items from my shop in three separate treasuries!!   Gia featured my poppies on teal oven mitts in her Pastel BBA treasury.   This blue cuff accessory is SO pretty!

Gia also featured my navy chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Marine Blue.   This sea ruffle cuff fits the nautical theme.

And Gia also featured my newly-listed yellow linen clutch in her beautiful treasury, Summer Watercolour.  If my daughter ever decides to get married, I will be sure to have her check out this exquisite tulle and vintage lace bridal cuff.  

Natasha of JoyForToes from the Ukraine featured my red linen bow clutch in her treasury, Ledy in Red.  Natasha crochets truly unique footwear, like these wonderful red and white (Husker colors)  crochet boots for the street.

Julie Nelson JBDJulesByDesign featured my BBQ oven mitts in her Father's Day-themed treasury, Dad's Day.  These lovely green and gold earrings are just a sample of the wonderful jewelry items in Julie's shop.

 As always, I am amazed by all the talented people from all over the world that we have an opportunity to "meet" on Etsy.  Thanks, again!  

TTFN

LeAnn aka pasqueflower

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasqueflower

http://www.facebook.com/pasqueflower

http://pasqueflowerponderings.blogspot.com