Postcard from Disneyland

It's about 

Color

Images

Fantasy

Flower patches

Gardens

Baskets of flowers

Happy, yelling children 

Swans

Moments with my daughter

Flying elephants

Elephants bathing in a river

Flying pirate ships

Talking birds

Singing birds

Dancing dolls

 Singing dolls

Mark Twain Steamboat

Well behaved, fun loving pirates

Singing ghosts

Buying souvenir socks with Mickey's face

Aladdin and Jasmine flying overhead in the Hyperion Theatre

Soaring over CA

Swimming in the Candy Cane Inn pool

Checking out the current crop of flower baskets at Candy Cane Inn

Disneyland is my home town.

Ench By Sew-021- CA Summer Skies Sewing Summer Vacation Is a State of Mind

Hey! 

The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

Listening Option I) You can listen to the show right on the web by clicking on this link 

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Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes

Did I miss any links mentioned in the show? If so, please post here and share them with everybody

Email- EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com

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I know your June weather may not be the same as mine. Here in CA it’s time for summer skies, a little more heat, and a vacation feeling whether or not we’re able to leave town. (Hey,  feel free to post about what kind of sewing your climate inspires below!)

Sometimes I’m able to take an actual summer vacation and other years I focus on treating the summer like a vacation, even when I don’t leave the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live. This summer I was able to take a mini vacation weekend trip to Disneyland. As a matter of fact I just got back☺  I went with my beautiful, kind and funny, young adult daughter. Getting to bond with her at this age is really fun!  I took along a newly finished garment from my summer wardrobe on the trip and I’ll talk about sewing that in the show. I’m going to continue to focus on treating the rest of the summer like a vacation, no matter what I get to do. And I’m going to continue to sew for my summer vacation, no matter how far afield of home I manage to go.

Here’s what I’m talking about in this month’s show

* Primero: Planning My Summer Vacation Sewing

I may be a casual dresser, but I'm not into Normcore, anti-fashion. No, I go for an arty-romantic look, creating summer vacation outfits that make me feel special– whether I wear them on a trip across an ocean, a local museum visit, or just special tea with a buddy on my patio, is the kind of thing that keeps me Enchanted by Sewing

I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas for summer sewing, either for a vacation away from home or making a includes patterns for relaxed and beautiful garments that vacation right where I live, from this new-to-me book



* Entonces/Then Key pieces I’ve created so far for my summer vacation sewists wardrobe

Love my new denim skirt - It flatters my figure type!
And how about that CA Summer Skies Shirt?
You bet I'm happy with my latest rendition of B5526
Of course I had to get some new red sandals to enhance my blue and white summer wardrobe theme :-)

a. Straight denim skirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/06/terminado-sewing-simple-denim-skirt-is.html
b. Summer Skies shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/06/terminado-my-ca-summer-skies-seersucker.html

c. I refurbished two pair of shorts and and a pair of pants by adding thread belt loops. Guess who feels like she got three new garments? This posting from my regular blog includes a how-to link for those belt loops http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/06/wardrobe-refurbish-sewist-loves-to.html

d. Closet Shopping turned up a couple of pretty, arty shirts I’ve made in past that work well with my refurbished pants

These garments together give a slightly dressy edge to my summer vacation and make me stand up a little straighter and really feel good about myself. -

* I followup with Technicos: Focusing on seersucker sewing  with my CA Summer skies shirt


 

Postcard from Casa De Fruta (Field Trip San Francisco Bay Area)

The United States Interstate Highway System was the pride of the country in the late 1950's.   The U.S. put a ton of money into paving highways after the war. Kids that remembered the Great Depression came of age during the great international conflict. After folks came back home they began shuttling around the country on the new highway system burning cheap gas, and enjoying modern access to intercontinental travel.

Casa De Fruta evokes a past era of post-WWII agricultural-centered roadside breaks. Most of these low-key recreational stopovers have gone the way of twenty five cent a gallon gas, Burma Shave signs, and the lack of perceived need for seat belts, but Casa de Fruta remains a roadside rest success. It's got lovely spacious grounds, clean bathrooms, plenty of parking, a place to park your trailer, a playground, a lovely pond complete with ducks, a wonderful little puffer billy train and plenty of fruit, wine, sandwiches and souvenirs. We always stop there on the way to and from trips, like Disneyland, on Interstate Highway 5.

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Web Resources

Postcard from Highway 152 - Field Trip San Francisco Bay Area
http://postcardfromcalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/06/postcard-from-hi-152-field-trip-san.html

A Hundred Years of History at Casa de Fruta http://www.casadefruta.com/about-history.php

The U.S. Interstate Highway System
http://www.history.com/topics/interstate-highway-system

CA Highway 152 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_152

Gilroy CA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy,_California

Western Gardens Field Trip: Sunset Open House

In late spring Sunset Magazine opens it's doors for it's open house, or Celebration Weekend. It's in my own neighborhood and I love to go.

This year I biked over and plunked down my twenty bucks first thing on Sunday morning. Good thing I got there early as I found that one of the talks I wanted to hear was already starting. It was about planting meadows (from turf) to replace lawns. I went back later for my very favorite talk by succulent author Debra Lee Baldwin and the owner and creator of Succulent Gardens. I love their succulents. Spent all my cash in their booth (made a trip to the ATM for more!) on more echeveria for my garden. I highly recommend taking a field trip to the Succulent Gardens fall open house. I'll be back there this year for more beauties. The Santa Cruz county area is gorgeous too.

There are always a lot of good talks at the Sunset Open House. I go for the garden talks but the food and wine are extremely popular as well. In between talks I moseyed on over to check out the tiny houses and demo garden. There's always some kind of vacation house or something similar and it's like touring a playhouse. This years tiny houses were really tiny mobile homes that work like a cottage - though I urge caution in assuming that you could really downsize as most building and safety departments won't permit this type of house for temporary or permanent living. Special situations do allow for them though, so check them out. They cost around $60,000.

Because I live in the area I've walked through the Sunset demonstration gardens many times, but for those who don't come often, just walking the beautiful western style grounds is a pleasure. The celebration includes lots of wine (tasting also I think and maybe beer too - you can tell that's not my thing but it's a big part of the do) and delicious artisinal type food, but seating is really limited. You want to eat early if you want a table - or duck out (return later) and walk over to roomy, green Burgess Park about a mile away and picnic there. There are also representatives from many vacation areas, outdoor and garden products with lots of samples. If you're looking for ideas for your home or yard you'll get plenty.

Current Clip from Succulent Gardens re: their open house. They have lots of activities and classes there but this one is a blowout event and really fun.
"September 26-27, 2014
Succulent Extravaganza!!! Our Fourth Annual at our nursery! Check back for line up of speakers and all the details. "

Postcard from HI 152 (Field Trip San Francisco Bay Area)

The natives are friendly on CA HI 152

Highway 152  leads out of Gilroy, self-claimed Garlic Capital of the World, then meanders gently through quintessential CA farm land before rising up Pacheco Pass and out to Interstate Highway 5. HI 5 is a powerhouse interstate, filled with big trucks and small speeding cars. It's famous for talking folks, livestock and products there - in a hurry wherever it is that we need to get to, that's far away. It's the speediest route from the southernmost point of the west coast, up through the low lying, central, predominantly agricultural valleys in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Highway 152 reminds us of our agricultural heritage, 

moving San Francisco Bay Area dwellers on a multitude of western adventures. It's takes us out of Silicon Valley and onto Disneyland, San Diego, or even the Cascades. 

Then it leads us back home again.

HI 152 Farmlands

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Web Resources

CA Highway 152 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_152

Gilroy CA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy,_California