Treasure finds

It has been so Spring like of late and I'm getting spoiled and hope a cold snap doesn't ruin it.   I caught this beautiful sunset two days ago.

Yesterday my husband, daughter and I enjoyed the afternoon flea marketing.

I found this planter and after getting it home and cleaned up I saw that it is a Anchor Hocking Fire King piece from the 1940-1960's.

$4.00

It has been repurposed and is no longer a planter but a napkin holder.

This little planter caught my eye too.  I like the floral print on it.  It is a FTDA ceramic planter from 1986.

$1.00

After taking the handles off of the planter, I added ribbon to cover the holes.  Then I planted a philodendron cutting from last autumn.

The plant will need a stake for support, so to begin with I used a large plastic knitting needle that I had and don't use.  I added a few marbles on top of the soil too.

I like to find broaches to use on tote bags and hand bags.  This little beauty caught my eye yesterday.  It is MFA yellow/green enamel, gold plated daffodil pin.  I searched online for a date but could only find it as "rare" and have seen dollar signs from $25 - $70 on pins just like it with the same marking.

$1.00

 

Those are my treasure finds this week from a beautiful sunset to a beautiful pin.

Hugs,
Sonia

Been Awhile...

Hi, it's been awhile since I last wrote.   It's been awhile since I was in my sewing room too.  Earlier in the week, I made a commitment to myself to get back in my creative space and dedicate at least an hour of my time each day.

So I bought a tool to help me stay on track.  I set it for an hour and when the alarm goes off, if I decide to continue that's fine, if I'm ready to stop that's fine too but at least I get an hour of creative time.

Today, I made long sleeves to wear when I crochet for long periods of time.  I made them out of an old t-shirt I no longer wear.  The reason I did this is because a rash develops on top of my arms when I crochet for longer periods of time.  Its not on my hands or forearms.  So I was thinking maybe it is from lint or fuss that might come from the yarn.  So I'm going to try this and see if it helps.  If it doesn't then I will try switching to a crochet needle made of a different material than the ones I use now.

I've entered a Fat Quarter Swap! 

 Interested?  

Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://koolbeenz-blog.blogspot.com/2015/07/82-days-left-to-sign-up-for-august-fat.html

So what else have I been up to?  I found this cute little guy and cross stitched (or made an attempt at it) the bib he is wearing.  This was part of a baby gift.

You know I like to go to flea markets and such and last weekend I found this little treasure.  It's an instruction book from 1941.

Yesterday I cut some roses from my ground cover rose and took cuttings from one of my philodendron plants and made a small arrangement.

I think the major change from bringing them in from outside was to hard on the roses though because they were very wilted this morning.  So I took the roses out but left the philodendron cuttings as they will root.

 It's been very hot and humid here in Arkansas.  When I went outside somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. it was 95°F, this after it had started cooling down.

Yesterday was the first day, my dad sounded like himself in some time.  He has been in the hospital since June 4th, trying to recover from Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  He has been moved around so much, from facility to facility, that it has affect his dementia. He's tired of being in the hospital; he's tired of the time it is taking for him to recover and regain strength and mobility, but he is determined.

Okay... well I guess that catches me up with you all.   I hope all is going well for you and yours.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Sonia

Treasures

Hi, thought I would share with you my treasures for this week.  I will signify them with a <> shape.

My work week was busy but it went fast, so I won't complain. :) <>

 Early in the week, I noticed the Asiatic Lilies were blooming. <>

I think they are pretty.




Then on Tuesday, the newsman said we had a full strawberry moon. <>  I of course had to take a picture and look that up.

It turns out, and you may already know this, but it turns out it got its name from the Algonquin tribe who used it to know when to gather ripening fruit.  I learned this little tidbit from  www.almanac.com  check it out for more information.

On Wednesday I caught this beautiful sunset on camera. <>

I can say this week has been blessed with beauty.

Thursday, I had an eye opening bible study at lunch.  Read more about it on the tab titled "My Walk". <>

I also received a call that my dad was taken to the hospital with a possible stroke.  He is still in the hospital having tests run.  He is clear minded and talking clearly but has lost all strength in his hands and legs. He is very positive mentally and spiritually.  Please lift him up in your prayers.  My husband also started running fever around midnight and is not feeling ill.  Please also pray for him.

Today, we had a potluck at work, due to one of our team members leaving for a better work opportunity.

So, since I munched off and on throughout the morning, I wasn't hungry at lunch.  I spent my lunch break wandering through a flea market in town.

I found this little treasure. <> A Weave-It in its original box, with the original pamphlet and instructions sheet.  The frame is made of wood with a series of triple prong sets placed all around the frame.

I did some research to find out the age of it.  I entered the patent number and the manufacturer.  I found it was patented in 1935, and this type frame was sold from the late 30's through early 50's.  I call it a treasure because I only paid $1.75 for it.  It's in great shape and I'm going to try using it and see what I come up with.

Well, that's my week in a nutshell.  :)  Don't forget to check "My Walk".

Have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Sonia

A little old, a little new

As of 4:00 p.m. on May 15, I've been on vacation.  Some of you know how much that means to me, but for those who don't... it means, no stress, no tension, no dread, just relaxation, contentment, spending time with my husband and daughter, quilting, crafting, reading, napping, flea marketing, etc.

So, as of 4:00 p.m. Friday it began.  I stopped by a little antique shop in the town I work in.  It had a realtor's sale sign on the property.   It is for sale and they were having a sale and will continue to until all the items are gone.  From what I gather it is something like "the owner bit off more than they can chew" kind of thing.  I found a couple of things to bring home.  Then on Saturday, we went flea marketing as a family.  Where I also found more things to bring home.  :)

Here are some of the treasures I found.

A vintage pie cutter/crimper.  I will use it as decoration in my kitchen.

A cute little flower basket pin.  I will use it on a handbag or tote bag.

I also found a set of crochet pattern books and a book of inspiration.

There were  a couple of things I thought were cool, but did not bring them home with me.



The first thing is a vintage garlic/fruit press. then there was this cool iron, from when they started adding steam capability.


Some of the things I've been wanting to do got done. There were some items of mine that I wanted to re-purpose.

The first thing is the pretty bottle I have had or some time.   It had some flowers in it that my children have made over the years.  I moved to flowers to a vase with dried flowers, cleaned the bottle, bought some cork stoppers, then filled the bottle with oil.  So now it is still beautiful but also useful.

Then, I had a vase, full of glass stones and lights.  It's an idea I had a few months ago, but after using it a time or two for a light. I decided I needed to change it.  It got too hot when lit.  I finally came up with this arrangement.  I'm very happy with it.

I also re-purposed this big canning jar.  It is a 2 quart jar.  It was a decorative item with pickled veggies.  It was old and time to redo.  So all the contents were emptied out, the jar cleaned, the lid covered with decorative duck tape and then it was fill with ribbon.

This morning I was looking out my front window and saw this little beauty on the street and snuck out and took this pic.



Then I had a surprise.  A package arrived.



 I won a drawing I had entered a few weeks ago with Paper Pumpkin.  There were ink pads, stamps and all the paper goods to make envelopes, cards, tags, and bows.  I'm sure it will be put to good use soon.  :)

We'll be making a road trip tomorrow and I plan to do a little crocheting on the way, so hopefully I will have something to show when we get back.

Hugs,
Sonia

Tar trails and dandelions

I woke up hungry.  So after my morning time in the Bible, I decided to make pancakes. I had bananas, raisins, and pecans... so I came up with a recipe for banana pancakes.

These are hearty pancakes and I made them big, using 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake.  Two pancakes will fill you up.

Hearty Banana Pancakes
by Sonia Parham

• 3 bananas mashed, they should be ripe but not over ripe
  
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose white flour
• 2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk, or the amount needed for the batter consistency you like.

In a bowl combine mashed bananas, egg and brown sugar.  In another bowl combine flours, baking powder and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture, add the milk and blend well. Stir in the pecans and the raisins.  Cook the pancakes on medium heat until done.

Try out different toppings to use.  My daughter ate hers with nothing on them, my husband tried a little strawberry jam on the bottom pancake and a little syrup on the top one.  I ate my pancakes with a little peanut butter and strawberry jam.  They are yummy.  :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got a few pics this week that I thought were good.  You never know what I might take a picture of,  new blooms, what most people call weeds, tar trails in the road...

First Iris bloom

dandelions

tar trails

Went to a flea market today and had a good find.  A pattern book for quilting with the folded star, for $0.50 and a book on gifts from a jar.  It is like new, with the raffia, fabric and all the printed recipe cards. I got it for $3.50.

Hugs,

Sonia

PS, I updated the Quilts tab.  

Looking out over the valley

Thought I'd start out with a smile.   If this picture doesn't make you smile I don't know what will.

Audre and her best feline buddy (Elvis)

I have to share a bargain I found on my lunch break Friday.   I spent my time at lunch going to two flea market/antique shops, to unwind and try to de-stress...  little did I know I would find the bargain that I did.

I walked into a booth and saw this box set.  It had a price on it... I looked at the books inside the box, they looked liked they have never been used, and then looked at the price again thinking I misread it.

Box set of Scrap Booking books - $3.00

It was only $3.00.   Needless to say I snatched it up.   I think it's a pretty good find.

I also saw this oil lamp that I thought was pretty.  It had a good price on it too, but I left it on the shelf.

As promised I have some pics of the color change.  I have to say, I'm a little disappointed.  I guess, by seeing the maples changing in town I thought there might be more reds and bright oranges... but it is   mostly yellows this year.   Here are some of the pictures I took yesterday.

Audre looking out over the valley 

at Cameron Bluff

It was windy and chilly on the mountain, but otherwise a beautiful day.

I have finally finished the Christmas stocking, I have been working on.  I am going to make a dust cover for it to be stored in, as felt tends to collect what ever is in the air over time.

I've updated the CROCHET tab with the pattern to this snowflake.  Check it out.  :)

The WHAT IS IT? tab is updated too.

I guess that's all I have for now.  Here's wishing you a beautiful week ahead!

Hugs,
Sonia

In Progress...

Over this past weekend, I found 6 quilt blocks, 16" square, and rescued them for $5.

At first I thought a blue fabric would be what I would add, but after I got the blocks home and auditioned a few fabrics I decided to use white instead. 

I have updated the Quilts, Etc. page with more on this quilt in progress.  It is going to be a small quilt and I will tie it.

I've also updated the What Is It? page.  Check it out.  You will see what last week's pic was and there is a new one to try to figure out.

I hope to have the My Walk page updated by next week.

That's it for now.

Until next time, 

Hugs,

Sonia

Quilted Coat

Have you ever had something like spring fever in autumn?

I feel like a squirrel that's as cracked as the nut it is trying to get into.

High energy within is held at bay from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.  By the time I can spend the energy, after 5 p.m, I am so beat down from the hours before I don't have the pep in my step to do it.  It's not a physical beat down but a mental one.

It was very warm outside today, so I sat at my desk and ate lunch.  While I was eating I thought to myself "I should have brought some small hand work like crocheting or a small hand quilted project like ornaments or a Christmas stocking  This is a way I could use up some of this creative energy brewing inside".

I had a book to read, it's a good story, but when I"m in this frame of mind it is hard for me to stay focused on the story.  I tried reading after I ate, but after a few paragraphs my mind began wondering.  So I began to type.

You've guessed it, I started on this during my lunch break.

Yesterday David met me in Ozark and we spent my lunch hour together.  We went to a flea market that Audre and I discovered last week when she and I spent lunch together.

$1.00

I found a cute little Santa Clause with a quilted coat.  I think he is adorable.

I also found an angel by Jim Shore.  She is from his 2002 collection.  I've always like Jim Shore's creations and was tickled when I found this one.

$4.98

Needless to say I enjoyed my lunch break.  I use to get to spend lunch with David everyday, but with my current job it doesn't happen very often.

Thank goodness the weekend is near.  I'm so ready for it.

Hugs,

Sonia

Remember these?

I saw these throw backs at a flea market on my lunch break today.  :)

Assurance...

Yesterday, I spent my lunch outside.  The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing and a local church was playing "Blessed Assurance" on the bells.  The song rang out over the town filling the air with it's melody.

I found a video with the song, if you have not heard it before.

After experiencing the muscles in my back tensing up to the point of cramps, earlier in the week, this song was a melodic reminder that no matter what I go through I have blessed assurance in Jesus Christ.

At times the enemy will use every day things, like my job to get to me, especially when I am striving to grow in my relationship with God.

It was through the power of prayer that I was able to relax and get through the back pain.  As the week got closer to this weekend, the back pain eased up and today I woke up with some back pain but it left me during the day.

Here's a little quilt I made.  It's a "back seat" quilt to keep in the car/truck for your little one.  It will be there for them to cuddle up in or to take with them and have where ever they are.  

This quilt was made from one of the "UFOs" I had on my list to get done this year.  It was made of nine patch blocks that were given to me at some point in time.  I don't remember where they came from but they were hand stitched.  So I sewed them together then layered the top with a low loft batting and backing and tied it, so that it is a light weight quilt and can be used year around.   

You may be wondering why I'm working on another quilt, when I am still not done with the log cabin quilt I've been working on.  We are doing a fund raiser at work and this little quilt went into a gift basket that will be raffled off.  I'm still working on the log cabin quilt and will get it finished soon.  

Earlier today my husband, daughter and I went flea marketing.  We haven't done that together in some time. I came across this old gas stove.  It was smaller than a lot I have seen and I wondered if it could have been made for an apartment space.  If it still worked and the parts were in good shape, I thought if it were cleaned up and refinished it would be a cute addition for a small kitchen.   Needless to say, I didn't bring it home.

Then my husband pointed out this sign.  I liked it and thought it was blog worthy.

I did find some goodies that I brought home and I didn't have to spend a lot of money.  I bought a crystal ring keeper and a book that is an inspirational book tying together quilts and life.

I hope your weekend is going good and that you are relaxed and stress free.  I hope you have blessed assurance.

Until next time, 

Hugs, 

Sonia