Ten Days Until Easter....and counting

Well, I'm really proud of myself.  My goal was to make ten Easter bunnies to sell in my Etsy shop. I have now exceeded that goal and have completed 15 (they kept multiplying!) bunny rabbits.  Six of them have found new homes to go to. I have nine remaining, and they are listed for sale in my Etsy store.  I have officially stopped making any more bunnies (for now).  If you read my earlier blogs - and my interview from team Etsy Project Embrace - You would know that I keep my entire shop inventory in a brown leather ottoman in our livingroom -  Well..... the bunnies runneth over - They have taken up temporary residence on our sofa.

One by one, they'll all hop away to new homes

Dorothy has already been adopted, but these two are available

Free shipping (in the U.S.) on all of these bunnies until Easter in my Etsy shop

http://patidecaz.etsy.com/

Hippity...Hoppity....Easter's on its way!

What I've Been Reading Lately....

I love to read! So, I thought I'd share with everyone what I've been reading.

Right now, I'm on page 325 of  (540 pages ) Cutting for Stone. Really enjoying this one.

A sweeping saga which takes place around a small missionary hospital in Ethiopia.  The story begins with the birth of twin boys. Born to an Indian nun and a British surgeon. Quite an unforgettable journey.
It is filled with love, politics, culture, family, tragedy, betrayal and more. The author is Abraham Verghese. Published in 2009.

The book I just finished reading is by Fannie Flagg - I Still Dream About You. Published Nov. 2010

This story will make you laugh!  The main character is Maggie, a former Miss Alabama, who is selling real estate. She's not happy, too young to retire (at 60), too old to start something new, can't sleep at nights. Then, one day she comes up with the perfect plan about what she's going to do. But, her plan doesn't turn out like she wanted it to. Then, she finds herself in the middle of a baffling mystery. It keeps you mesmerized as you turn the pages to find out what happens .....it's a great story!
Before this book, I read The Year of the Hare: A Novel  by Arto Paasilinna

This book was first published in 1975. Was written in Finnish, and has been translated into many languages. As the story begins, a Finnish journalist and a photographer are out on an assignment one June evening, when suddenly with their car they hit a young hare on a country road. The photographer jumps out of the car to go find the wounded hare who has run off into the woods. He tends to the hare's leg. They form a bond and the two (man and hare) spend the year together. Vatanen (the photographer) deserts his friend the journalist, quits his job, leaves his wife, sells all of his possessions and replaces it all with a life of odd jobs and on-the-road experiences. The hare stays with him all along his new found journey.

One of my New year's resolutions this year, was to keep a creativity journal. It seemed a simple enough task. I make something everyday, often several things a day. Each day, I planned to record in a journal what I was working on that day......I think I lasted about a week. Oh well, can't win them all!  I think I'm so busy with whatever I'm working on that I don't want to take the time to write about it. For now, I will continue to make things, and maybe write then down ....sometimes.

It's beginning to look a lot like...Easter!

Still making lots of rabbits. They're coming along quite nicely.  Listed five of them in my Etsy shop, and one has sold already. She's going to live in Nashville, Tennessee now. Here's the others, some complete, and some still in the "works"   These bunnies are waiting for their nose and mouth to be embroidered, and they still need their dresses and pantaloons. They're so sweet!

All together for a group photo! 

This bunny has just been featured in an Etsy Treasury -  Easter Chic - See it in the sidebar of this blog.


To see them all - Be sure and visit my Etsy shop at http://patidecaz.etsy.com/

Up to my Ears in Bunny Rabbits!

This year, Easter is on April 24th. I have been busy everyday sewing Easter bunnies. I cut and sew them in "mass production" working to get them ready to sell in my Etsy shop.

The rabbits are made of cotton muslin fabric.


Most of them have pink eyes, and a few have blue eyes.

Right now, there are 10 rabbits in production.

  

My grandaughter - Krista  at 11 months old





I have made hundreds of these rabbits over the years.

They have big back feet

Embroidered pink noses and mouth

They're wearing cute little springtime dresses and long pantaloons


One day this week, I'm going to scoop them all up, and take them outside on the grass lawn to photograph them.

Very soon, they'll be ready to go to a new home from my Etsy shop.
http://patidecaz.etsy.com/

Spring into March!

March is here already - wow, this year is hopping by quickly. St Patrick's day is this Thursday, on the 17th. The first day of Spring is on Sunday, the 20th of this month. hope you're all adjusting to the time change. In Arizona, we don't change - our time remains the same all year. The weather is warming up beautifully - we're in the 80's now. The orange and other citrus trees are beginning to bloom, and the air is beautifully fragrant from the blossoms.
I just love this time of year.

Don't forget to wear green on Thursday for St Patrick's Day!

If you're looking to save some green, while you're wearin' the green - look on Etsy.com for great gifts, craft supplies, and vintage items - all at wonderful prices. I buy lots of my craft supplies from other sellers on Etsy. I also have craft supplies for sale in my shop. Look under my shop section titled: Rock/Paper/Scissors. You can link to my shop right from this blog. See the box on the right side column: My Etsy Shop.

Honeysuckle is the Color of the Year

I just read an article lately that Pantone has picked Honeysuckle as the 2011 color of the year

 I wonder if they should have called it Honeysuckle Rose? Wasn't that the name of a Willy Nelson song?

 They said," Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become everyday life." I say that's a tall order for just one color! Oh, my!

The article continues to say, "The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer."

 "Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It's a color for everyday - with nothing 'everyday' about it."

 I have quite a selection of Pink "Honeysuckle" Bracelets that I have made and are for sale in my Etsy shop. I am also a member of team Etsy Project Embrace. Proceeds from the sale of these bracelets are donated to the American Cancer Society through Etsy Project Embrace.

 "Honeysuckle exhibits a positive power - you can't wear it without feeling an extra spring in your step."

Whatever the "powers that be" exclaim about this color - I just love it in all it's shades of pink!

To see more Pink Bracelets - Visit my Etsy shop at http://patidecaz.etsy.com/

Happy Valentine's Day

1947 Life magazine "Kiss"

Have you read this?  Great book!

Member Interview

Member Interview   Click here to read.  I was interviewed by team Etsy Project Embrace.

Interview and Photos

This is my grandaughter, Krista

This is my grandaughter, Krista - She's 10 yrs old now
Her photo is the top banner on my Etsy shop

 Patty and Keith - May, 2009 Komen Race for the Cure

 This is where I keep my shop items at home - in our livingroom ottoman! It's pretty full!

Here's some of my things I have for sale in my Etsy shop: pincushions, little girl's dresses,
Small doll quilts, Jewelry that I make, Vintage jewelry, Vintage linens and decor - you name it!

Etsy Project Embrace: Member Interview#comments

Etsy Project Embrace: Member Interview#comments

The Gift of Time

The Gift of Time

Time.....One of the most precious gifts that anyone can share.

Time - A most precious gift.....
                        Each moment is unique because it will never happen again....
              The gift of your time spent with others is the ultimate display of unconditional love.
                                                                                               Robert W. Merriweather

"The time has come" the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes --and ships--and sealing-wax-- Of cabbages -- and kings -- and why the sea is boiling hot -- and whether pigs have wings."
                                                                                          Lewis Carroll    1872

Yesterday is History

Tomorrow is a mystery

Today is a gift

That's why we call it the present

                                                                                Eleanor Roosevelt

Time heals all wounds....

Every year as the clock nears midnight on December 31st, the eyes of the world turn once more to the dazzling lights and bustling energy of Times Square in New York City.
The world holds its breath....and cheers as the clocks strike twelve.

United in bidding a collective farewell to the departing year, and expressing our joy and hope for the new year ahead.
                                            Official Times Square New Years Eve Website

   

Quilted From the Heart

I have several quilts for sale in my Etsy shop.  I think I have been sewing and quilting just about my whole life - and I love it!  There's something serene and wonderful about planning and making a quilt. I think it's a form of meditation in the entire process. Deciding on a pattern, the colors, picking out the fabrics, placing the blocks together, quilting it all together, then binding the edges. Pure heaven.

Take a look at some of the quilts I've made and am selling in my Etsy shop:

Sock Monkey Quilt
        I just LOVE Sock Monkeys!!!!   A few years ago I made a much larger quilt than this one for my grandson. I still had some fabric left over. I made this darling little quilt with an embroidered flower design in the center.

Raggedy Ann Quilt
       This little Raggedy Ann Quilt is made of fabric from Daisy Kingdom in Portland, Oregon. The store closed several years ago, so the fabrics aren't so easy tofind anymore.I also embroidered a flower design in the center of this quilt.

Bow-Tie Quilt in shades of green
        I love traditional quilt patterns. This one is called Bow-Tie.  I made it in a 3-D design where the center of the bow tie is raised, giving it some added dimension.  The bow ties are a spring green with tiny white polka-dots ona white background.  The stripping rows are a green floral batik-like fabric in shades of green and yellow. This same fabric is on the back of the quilt, too.

Monkey Love Quilt

This is another monkey quilt. This one is made of mostly flannel fabrics. The colors are Red, White, and shades of Blue. It would be nice for either a boy or a girl. For all of those little monkeys jumping on the bed!  The back of the quilt is a red cotton fabric with tiny white dots.

Happy Trails Quilted Pad  -  in two different designs

My ode to the American Cowboy.   Each of these is a 14 inch quilted pad, for use on a tabletop, or wherever you'd like.  The pattern is a sawtooth star. The fabrics are cotton from Benartex in a design series called "Happy Trails"   I saw this fabric and a quilt made from them in a quilt fabric store in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It captured my heart, and I knew I had to make this quilt.   That quilt now is on the back of our couch in my home. From the fabrics that I still had, I made these two quilted pads.

SpongeBob Treasure Island -

Let's not forget about SpongeBob, living it up under the sea. This little quilt features SpongeBob all ready for a luau with his friend, Sandy.  The other fabric has skulls, and a treasure map. Aye Matey!


Look for these quilts, and more in my Etsy shop. You can find me at
http://patidecaz.etsy.com/