Still thinking about travel - Thrift Share Monday

Yesterday, I posted about  my Etsy Treasury "Travel Fantasy"

I still have travel on the mind.

Vintage Niagara Falls souvenir...

...and a world globe savings bank....

...travel back in time to the ??? 60's, 70's with this flowered Tricolette carafe...

Spending time today with friends and barbecues and pools...

Chiming in with Selena's Thrift Share Monday posts.

Etsy Treasury Dabbling

Memorial Weekend -- the Red White and Blue evident in shops and ads.

Thinking ahead to summer and wishful dreams of summers that could be...

And playing with Etsy Treasuries....Shared on the blog with a Tool found here

'Travel fantasy' by VintageBitsToo

Airstream Blank Card -- Blue... OrangeTwist $3.95	Vintage Samsonite Serene Red... LovelyVintageE... $35.00	Steampunk Ring - Sparkling S... earthfirestudi... $38.00
Vintage Flower Child Embroid... janet5643 $59.00	Vintage Original Painting Nu... VintageWallArt $120.00	vintage military PIN... to u... CoolVintage $
Vintage indigo linen shirt s... NightAfterNigh... $20.00	DENIM LOVE nautical drawstri... erstwhilevinta... $30.00	As the Crow Flies Top Hat belladluna $175.00
1980s Vintage Red Suede Slou... starletvintage $42.00	Antique Red Cross Marker Fla... midmoderngoods $	Vintage Airplane Print TwoPackRats $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

fragmented days

Daughter's off to school, basic house duties done, now for the favorite part...

Painting on fabric (gutta' resist on white done the day before)

Yep, love watching the Dynaflow paints merge together, and pick up textures of things below.

I'm listening to Rice's podcasts, and having a chuckle. 

Ahhh - the best brushes - and I clean them on fabric - which I use in projects, too.

Now things need to dry - so off to photograph for eBay.

30 photographs later, school pickup is done, post office run done, I'm thinking ahead to dinner.

WHAT THE?? Strange corn is revealed - HAVE to photograph them!!

The next day, same routine, now I've washed out the panels, dried and ironed them

Mulling ideas for placement...

I'm underwhelmed by the first effort.

The theme? Barrels, burners and targets.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/jckirner/5762211492/



The black strips are helping, but I'm still bored by this.

Perhaps another approach will occur to me.

(Click the link to go through to the flickr posting and numerous notes!)

And I wander off, I need lunch and to walk the dog - yet I'm balking coz it's hot. (Maybe I'll sneak off to Panera's and walk the dog this evening!!)

Christmas in May? - Thrift Share Monday

It must have something to do with spring cleaning, because I've found numerous Christmas items at thrift lately. From a Christopher Radko Shiny Brite tree pin to a Lefton dinner bell and sundry printed hankies/napkins. (I may want to keep the Santa mug!)

Then there were these Cross-stitched set of placemats with cardinals and wintery scenes. Couldn't leave them behind because I KNOW how much work it is to complete this type of stitching. (Takes an hour per square inch, at least!!) But likely headed for repurposing due to some staining in the plain sections of the placemats. I'm glad to know they were USED and not kept as too precious for wear.

These tiny beaded baby moccasins brought back memories of camping in the '70's.

 There was an area we used to camp in Ontario, Canada (Sauble Beach? Silver Lake? something like that) , where my family setup camp on the lake front. Trail hiking, swimming, cooking over the campfire, water-skiing were our activities. No tourist strip malls nearby, but there was a small gift stall at the check-in office filled with handmade items: Beaded chokers, dream catchers, a lot of things made from birch bark. I could imagine these little moccasins on that stall!

Linking in today with Selena's Thrift Share Monday

Family Veg Off

I'm just in from a sweaty and envigorating muck about in the yard. Tree trimming today, what with yard debris pickup slated for tomorrow in our neighborhood.

I've been enjoying garden posts from Lana of Life at Wildberry Cottage and Ann of  Wild Somerset Child.

(They kindly allowed me to post their photos here)




Lana's Strawberries
(Planted in her front yard - I think this is brilliant. She says we should be more adventurous with our fruit and veg placement! Now I'm waiting to see how her other planting beds come along.)

 

One of Ann's Malvern show photos.
It's the Hannah Gender's  Gold and People's Choice award winning entry. Hannah writes that she "sourced the entire garden on my bike"
(Ann showcased lots of interesting displays in her blogathon from the show, I love the container gardens and raised beds. Isn't that hazel framed compost bed great?)


And have you ever seen the suburban sustainable home at Little Homestead in the City?? Small suburban home lot in downtown Pasadena that produces their food organically, plus more to sell. Impressive. Motivating.

Then Lo and Behold I find I'm part of an impromptu family Virtual Veg Off!

One of the traditions we missed growing up away from the UK was the suburban neighborhood Veg Off. It was styled as a challenge to grow the most pounds (lbs) of potatoes from an eye from the same "starter spud". Seasons end came with the great dig up and weigh-in, a celebratory drink (or two), and bestowing of the coveted gilded wheelbarrow trophy. (Don't I wish I had a picture of that!) We always liked hearing the tales of sneeking supermarket potatoes into the earth before the dig to boost the weight and mused about one crafty fellow whose astounding yield one year came with a warning Not To Eat Them. Who knows what experimental fertilizer he'd got hold of!  (The next year came a new rule - all yields must be edible)

So we have my sister (in California) with patio plants

Then my Dad's Maryland garden

And my overcrowded patio boxes here in South Florida

Mum hasn't chimed in with a photo yet - just a cryptic "I'm having a problem with my tomatoes".

I'm not sure what our goal is yet. Or maybe there isn't a goal! Just pure enjoyment in growing and sharing little views from our scattered lives.

Bent and broke

A bit of stitching today, by hand on some painted tyvek.

Tough stuff!! Bent one needle drastically and broke another through the eye.

A large 3D object in process!!

The Zynga Diet

I'm working my way back to fitness for the 1/2 marathon early next year at DisneyWorld.

My focused running training won't start until the end of August - I stick to the beginner's plan offered by Jeff Galloway on his running site. Just 3 days a week of effort, with the long run on the weekends. Very doable.

So I'll be spending the next few months dropping some pounds (hello - weightwatchers online!).

And battling some snack habits in the evenings that are KILLING me!!
Hence the Zynga Diet I've invented.

Those on Facebook are familiar with Zynga's games (Frontierville, Cafe World, Cityville, etc) and I find them amusing.
So, I'm filling my time when I'm battling the urge to snack with mindless, yet fun online games from the laptop or netbook while watching my TV viewing.

Come be my neighbor!!

Childhood Buyback - Thrift Share Monday

(Holly Hobbie and friends Amy, Heather)

Long before I became an eBay seller/reseller, I was a buyer. (Doesn't everyone start out that way?)

(Wil E. Coyote and Road Runner)

Back in the days of working full time, before I was home with my daughter, in the slow dial-up internet world I launched my search to buy back my childhood.

Having moved numerous times as a kid, and big moves - across countries and continents, I had longings for some prematurely discarded items.

By far my favorite re-find was the DisneyWorld box game. Complete with all the monorail, rides, ride tickets and character pieces.

I'm still searching for the "Which Witch?" game at a price I can afford. Sure, eBay has 'em, but scary prices!!

Minor thrifting efforts this week:

My favorite is the Pyrex dish!

Joining in with Selena's Thrift Share Monday

In the end

In the end, originally uploaded by jckirner.

I went with the Big Xstitch over the binding to bring the blue up to the orange and skipped the handles.

I fussed away with the binding on the inside and will work out a more elegant ending for that on my next go! (pic insert later)

Tempted to add a bit of orange to the batik turnback at the bottom....Must....Let....IT...GO!!!

Micro-fussing!

When is a bag not a bag....?

Mother's Day this weekend...

Getting started with fabrics

Testing the layout

Bit o' quilting

Touch of whimsy

Batik lovely on the inside

When is a bag not a bag?

When it's a tea cosy!

Finishing off the handwork this evening. Then it's on its way as a gift tomorrow....