Weekend

Well, this was supposed to be another post announcing new additions to my etsy shop, including this tablecloth, but the tablecloth has already sold. I guess I can't complain about that, can I? I meant to have a lot more in there by now, but my plans went a bit awry yesterday because of my little fur person.

Let me say up front that Isabella is fine now, but she had a probable blood clot yesterday which left her temporarily paralzyed in her rear end. It was terrible and scary, and I'm crying again just remembering it. I took this picture before we went to the vet, because I was scared she wasn't going to be coming home.

I'm happy to say her condition had already improved by the time we saw the vet, and she is doing very well today, almost completely back to her usual self. She will be seeing a cardiologist later this month to determine what else we need to do to keep her healthy.

In other news, out kitchen makeover is moving along steadily. I will have some progress pictures to show tomorrow, provided the sun is out and I can get some good shots!

Etsy Etsy Etsy

The Darling Petunia shop is open on etsy once again!

I'm listing things slowly but surely, trying to clear out what I can before they come to work on the floors. Things are priced to sell, because the sooner they are out of here, the better!

I have fabrics and yarn, books, some vintage stuff. You'll just have to look!

Wouldn't this dress be adorable for Easter?

Psst! Half Price

I have some etsy listings set to expire in the next couple of weeks, so the prices have been cut. Look for HALF PRICE SALE in the listing titles.

My shop.

GOAL! And a Giveaway!

I made my goal of listing ten things on etsy!

See if there's anything in my shop that catches your eye.
I still have lots to list!

Leave a comment about your favorite item in my shop and you could win this cute child's hankie.

It isn't vintage, but it's still as sweet as can be!

I'll choose a winner from the comments when I wake up on Friday, the tenth.

Keep Checking!

I'm etsying! I hope to put up about ten more lots between today and tomorrow.
A lot more of the things I culled doing the fifty things project are going to appear!
Now, to stay motivated...

Don't You Think Daisies are the Friendliest Flower?

PayPal is kind of a weird thing. I have some money in there from my etsy sales, but for some reason it doesn't seem real. So in a moment of self-indulgence, I decided to take $10, look around on etsy, and just blow it on something frivolous. Well, if you've ever tried to just browse on etsy, you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed. Should I get a piece of jewelry? Some lovely soap? Or a funky stuffed ornament? How about a radish doll necklace? Okay okay, see what I mean about getting out of hand?

Then I landed on a listing for yarn daisies. Something about that pink and red daisy just reeled me in. And only thirty five cents? I had to have some of these daisies. For ten bucks I could get a whole pile and PLAY with them! Now we're talking!

I ordered these before we left for vacation, so I've had LOTS of time to think about what to make with them. Some of the ideas are Christmasy, but Christmas is still ages away (please let me believe that), so here are some everyday ideas to start with.


Sewing one on a hat couldn't be any easier. Heck, a safety pin would do the trick.


Or dress up a scarf with a cluster of flowers at one end. I thought that had kind of an Anthropologie vibe. Checking their website, I found two scarves with applied flowers, albeit in more muted tones, but I'm working with what I have, and I asked for BRIGHT daisies!



How about lining them up on a velvet pillow?


Or along the top of a curtain?


One idea suggested by Eileen's parents is to use them to mark your luggage. Sure beats a piece of red ribbon!


Of course you could always make an updated version of your childhood bicycle basket!

For Christmas...well, you'll just have to wait and see what else I've thought of! But how about you? Any ideas I've missed? If you'd like to play with your own pile of daisies, you can order them from rsiefker's shop. Here's a little more info about the daisy maker:

Hi! I am Eileen Siefker and am 35 years old. I have been developmentally disabled since birth. I work at our local Goodwill store but in my spare time, I enjoy making daisies from yarn. I have been doing this for several years and my Dad says I have to do something with the hundreds of daisies I have made! I enjoy country music and bowling when I am not making daisies.

Special Order

Someone contacted me about special ordering an apron. She wanted lemon yellow, blue, and white stripes, a flat front, and no pockets. After I made the basic apron, I asked if maybe I could do a little embroidery.


So what do you think? How did I do?

Grand Opening Contest

Okay, opening an etsy shop isn't as easy as it looks. The Darling Petunia shop is open, but right now, it's kind of the equivalent of a bare room with a folding table and a shoebox for the money. An avatar? A banner? Shipping to Sweden? Policies? I'm on overload.

I needed pictures for this new venture, but every time I planned on having Gerry take pictures of the aprons, it would either be too dark, too rainy, too late, or too cold. We finally got a few taken inside, but they weren't that good. I also felt like a complete dingbat "modeling" the aprons and a complete tyrant telling Gerry, "Get more of the skirt in the picture. No no no! Not just a picture of the bow! Why did you let me stand there that way? Why didn't you tell me I looked like a house?" (I'm sorry, Gerry.)

So we're at the gym yesterday and I'm struck by this thunderbolt of inspiration: There's a dressform at my mom's house! Sort of. There's a dressform all right, but it's ancient. Check this out:

The tee shirt was a must, to cover Mrs. X's bosoms which are, to put it mildly, well worn. Now, I don't know how old this thing is, but when I first laid eyes on it, it looked like it was wearing a bustle. Seriously. A wasp-waist and a well-padded rear. I managed to make some adjustments, so it more closely approxiamates a modern-day body, but the bosom is still a little wonky, and it looks like it has a mild case of scoliosis.

However, I think it will be just fine for aprons. (Especially if all my customers have curved spines and wonky boobs.) Only I think it needs a name. So let's have a contest, shall we? Submit your idea for a name, and if I pick your name, you will win this apron!

Now I have to confess, this is an apron I rejected for my shop. As it turned out, the black fabric is kind of flimsy, so I refuse to sell it. For a freebie, it's okay, but don't think this is typical of the quality of my work!