70's patterns!

I did a little thrift last weekend while visiting my parents. And discovered a pattern that just made me smile. 1971 McCall's 3050 Caftan or tunic and pants...

From perusing ebay, it looks like it may have some value, although the pattern is definitely cut. But I want to frame it and put it up on my wall near my sewing machine.

Local Art

I recently got a taste of the local skill here in what I consider nowhere, California... (If you love California, this valley probably doesn't even register, you may have heard of Fresno, or Bakersfield, but neither are one's destination. Unless you're crazy enough to move here. Sigh.) Anyway, eventually you can find the riches in the midst of the ugh.
Two Visalia artisans with serious skills delivered some gems. Below is a portrait of my daughter by Fulgere Photography wearing a gorgeous dragon fly hair clip by Swanky Baby Gear.
Melissa of Swanky Baby Gear made a solar veil ring sling for me back when the munchkin was tiny, so I'd known about her sewing and accessories for awhile. But Arielle of Fulgere Photography just recently started showing off her photography skills and we were lucky to get a photo shoot while she was building her portfolio.

Farmer's Market Finds

What they say about Farmer's Markets is all true. Great fresh options with a good chance of being organic. And more variety than in your average grocery store. I saw at least 4 kinds of cherry tomatos yesterday. And purslane! I haven't found purslane in the yard this year, so I was excited to see a big bunch for a dollar.

The local farmers are bringing a lot of Asian veggies I don't yet know. I love buying something new, and with a few tips from the farmer, experimenting in the kitchen. Last year I discovered rutabaga - love them! And sometimes you get a surprise... The honeydew I bought appears to be an orange fleshed honeydew. I love honeydew, but not a big fan of cantalope, but I think I like this hybrid.

Then there's the olive guy... during part of the year he has olives cured with just salt. Right now his selections have vinegar, but we try not to hold it against him. The little one loves olives, so we buy a lot. The lemon peel stuffed olives were interesting. This time I bought Greek dried Kalamata olives. Very salty, but yum! I'm not too sure what to do with them yet, but they were nice chopped up and steeped in olive oil for an easy salad dressing.

WOW! the talent on Etsy

First I have to confess, I'm not a Grateful Dead fan. Yes, I know, how can I call myself a hippie and not love the dead? Umm, I don't have an excuse. I guess I'm just wierd that way.
Aannyyway. A newsgroup friend decorated these fantastic shoes. And they are too cool...