Sunday, April 24, 2011

Jolly Good Royal Wedding Fun

The final countdown has begun....



If you need to know what all the hullabaloo is about, you can get caught up on the latest at The BBC News's Royal Wedding Site:



We've enjoyed all the response we receive about our Royal Wedding Table Setting. In researching ideas for the table setting, we came across so much "Royal Wedding Fun" to share with you.... something to help pass the time this week as we all join in on the countdown. Here are some of our favorites - a little something for everyone!


For the coffee or tea lover:



For the collector:



For the picnic lover:



For the DIY'er:



For the family:





For the hostess with the mostest:



For the knitter:




For the decorator:




For the fashionista:




For the well-dressed gentleman:




For the dog-lover:





For the cat-lover:



For the gadget geek:




And yes, even something for the cartophile:

Processional Map by Etsy seller: HouseThatLarsBuilt



Enjoy watching the festivities on your telly Friday. Unless, of course, you made the guest list!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Web Store Error Message

Shopping at Picking Daisies Online?

If you are shopping for our products online, you may experience an error message indicating that our website is not secure.

This error message seems to be specific to customers using Internet Explorer, and apparently has to do with the redirect to our new website. (ahhh the joys and pains of a new website!)

We'd like to assure you that our website is secure and all transactions are safely encrypted. However, if you'd prefer to wait until we've resolved this error message, please feel free to email us your order.

Just send us an email specifying the napkins you want so that we can set them aside for you. And please include a phone number where we can reach in the next few days to discuss payment options for your order.

Thank you for your patience - Picking Daisies customers are the best!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Easter Bunny Alert!

Easter Bunny Basket Bags

We are just a hop away from the Easter Bunny's deliveries on Sunday, and our Small Reversible Cloth Bags make the most delightful Easter Baskets!


They are reversible, with one pocket inside and another outside.... or is that also inside?

With a button closure at the top, they will be useful long after Easter as a small tote or lunch bag.


We've sewn up an assortment of these using our cheery spring fabrics. Stop by the store and have a look, or feel free to email us and we will let you know in what fabrics they are available.

Earth Day Napkin Sale

Love the Earth - Use Cloth Napkins!

We are giving you the perfect excuse to replenish your stash of cloth napkins.

ALL of our available dinner napkins are on sale for 25% off!

If you live locally and can't make it in to the store, just shop online and choose "Store Pick Up" as your shipping option. That way you won't be charged for shipping and can pick up your napkins at your convenience.



Shop this Friday and Saturday .... online or at our store.


The boring, though necessary, fine print.....
-sale discount is on dinner napkins only
-sale is limited to stock on hand
-sale does not apply to special orders

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Table Setting for a Royal Wedding Celebration

Our Tip of the Hat to the upcoming marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton


What a wonderfully regal event to celebrate using our "Crowns" dinner napkins draped off the table like royal banners, and vintage gold trimmed china - a setting fit for a prince and princess!



Include some strictly British, yet lighthearted details....


Don't forget the tea .... Earl Grey or English Breakfast! And for such a special occasion, pour champagne as well, much like the Champagne Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason's St. James Restaurant.



Include some beautiful blue hydrangeas (thank you Sprigs!) in tribute to Kate's, formerly Princess Diana's, engagement ring.



And top it off with some festive bunting in the red, white and blue colors of England. We made ours quite simply using our fabric scraps.



Serve elegant desserts fit for a king and queen by topping them with royal banners you can download and print yourself.



Next stop - Westminster Abbey please!




Inspiration: The Royal Wedding, Crowns Napkins in Black, Linen/Rayon Place mats in Marine Blue, flowers from Sprigs, free Royal Wedding Party printables, bunting made from fabric scraps.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Quilter Karen at Picking Daisies

Meet Karen Petersen, our Official Picking Daisies Quilter

Using Picking Daisies' selection of cotton fabrics, Karen has made some wonderful quilts not only for our store, but as donations to local auctions (as this one is), and has even worked with customers to put together custom quilts using our fabrics.

Here is the lovely Karen showing off her latest creation:


We think that Karen has such a great talent for mixing colors and prints. Though this quilt is predominantly brown and orange, she adds such flourish with occasional splashes of teal blues and aquas. Pictures never do justice .... stop by Picking Daisies before mid-May to see it for yourself!


If this quilt is for you, then be sure to attend Cal Poly's Mustang Madness on Saturday, May 21st at the Alex Madonna Expo in San Luis Obispo so that you can bid on it.


Or, contact Picking Daisies and arrange for Karen to make you your very own custom quilt from our wonderful fabrics.


At our request, here is more about Karen in her own words:

"My love for quilts began early as my grandmother would make quilts for the grandkids out of scraps of fabric that my mom had sewn for me and my two sisters. We all learned to sew our own clothes, especially with the encouragement from my dad. He would pay for as much fabric as we wanted as long as we finished the project. (he was not so generous with store bought clothes) We made a lot of halter tops and summer shifts back then.

The first baby quilt I made was in a high school Home Ec class for my favorite English teacher. (it was yellow gingham and eyelet-ugh) After a few changes on my college path, I graduated with a degree in Home Ec from Cal Poly. I have continued making baby quilts for friends and family, and larger ones for those that were 'worthy' of this labor of love. Difficult to put a price on the time involved but I have always believed that there is good karma that goes into something that I spend so much time measuring, cutting, sewing, and just the feeling a good quality cotton.


My sewing projects have been diverse over the years. I rarely sew clothes for myself anymore, but I have made numerous dresses, shirts, Halloween costumes, and doll clothes for my kids. I have made home furnishings too, but still get the most satisfaction from making quilts. (My friend's seven year old still sleeps with the baby quilt I made for him)


I have entered several of my quilts in various shows. The most impressive is the 1999 Orange County Fair, where I won "Best in Show". I was awarded 'Best Use of Color' at the 2008 Mid-State Fair, along with two firsts and a third place ribbon that year.


I have been making quilts for my niece's and nephew's high school graduation. I am almost finished with Allison's which is turning out incredibly beautiful. She is a swimmer/water polo player, so this quilt is all blues, purples, green batiks. So pretty! And most of it was with fabric I already had in my stash! A quilters dream come true.


Fun quilts I have made include my son's 'boxer' quilt. Bryan unceremoniously brought all his boxers down from his room one day and said he wasn't 'doing' boxers anymore. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he was doing, all I could see was a pile of fun, super soft, cotton fabrics that would make a great quilt. (who wants his old boxers?) I cut them all up into five inch squares, including the seams and fly when possible and put together a great 6x6 foot quilt. Very cool. Boy was he surprised! For my daughter, I have been saving five inch squares from the scraps of all the dresses I had made her. She has it in her dorm room. I also machine stitched words of wisdom around the border like, "get lots of sleep" "make good choices" and "call your mom". That one is pretty cool too.


I go in spurts when I get in the quilting mood. Rainy weather is great for sewing. I often get so wrapped up that nothing else gets done until I am finished. It has been a good way to fill my time. I have also watched a ridiculous amount of HGTV and Oprah while sewing. But at the end of the finished project I know that I have created something special; a lasting memory that will comfort and warm someone that is special to me."

-Karen Petersen

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Zinnia Path in Summer

Our Napkin of the Month for April has been a big hit with our customers.... and it's only $3.95!

The fabric we chose for April's Napkin is "Zinnia Path" in the color Summer.


And if you need a suggestion for a napkin to pair it with, we absolutely love it with this:


Starling in Natural


Flowers and Birds - it doesn't get more April-y than that!