Weekend Wanderings!

Since Bill has the week off, we have been getting out and doing some shopping and exploring new areas. We went to the antique consignment first, hoping for some after Christmas sales but the things I had my eyes on, were gone and the rest was over priced, so no buys there.

Then I wanted to try a back road and go around the area in a circle to see what was there. It was a long back road that came out to some beautiful lakes, great places to revisit in the kayaks this summer. I didn't realize the circle came back to another town, called Chepatchet. Chepatchet is home to several antique stores and a primitive country store, so of course we stopped in town and walked around.

Love the old buildings and the colors on the different shops. These two shops are well worth a visit.
The gold building is home to The Town Trader. It is a huge antique store, filled from top to bottom with antiques and newer items mixed in. There were a lot of things I loved, especially a huge trencher, but I refrained from buying anything, trying to be more practical this year.

The second building is Brown and Hopkins Country Store. It is a two story building filled with country and primitive wares, as well as an old fashioned candy counter. They still had all of their Christmas items on display and everything was half off, I know I will regret not buying some things;)

The bridge out of town was a nice place to walk and give Bean some time out. Old mills and homes line the streets going out of town, as well.

And, I am working on a project, though a bit slowly. This design is a free design from Broderie D'Antan. They have a lot of different types of designs that you can use and always adding new ones, each week.

The floss that I used is Finca, I like how it looks in the piece, though it doesn't show as well in a photo. This has more to come and will be a candle mat.

The Day After!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your Christmas wishes and support with my family situation. It really means a lot to me to know that I have so many people around the world, that I can call my friends and the support and love to get me through the tough days.

The good news was my son sent me a message and said we were welcome to stop by for a visit. So, I was torn about going but knew I would regret it, if I didn't, so we went. I enjoyed seeing the baby and we played and took a walk outside with Bean, but they were getting ready for dinner and we were not invited, so I left.

Nicholas is quite the talker, even though most of it sounds like a foreign language, lol.

This was Bean's first Christmas and he was 6 months old on the 24th. I put his first present on the floor and he kept circling it and touching it, and when it moved he jumped back. It really didn't move, it rolled and once he got to see what in inside he was thrilled with his new ball.

Once he got the hang of what was in a package, he opened up his next one. But, he did it very, very slowly, ripping off a piece at a time, lol. Another one of his favorite presents, something to shake to death.

Today was a "Me" day. We went for a ride and I bought myself a new pair of boots so I had something  more practical and comfy for the winter and a large vintage style jar for Bean's treats. After shopping we went to Black Rock and walked along the path and rocks.

Bean loved running along the rocks, he has a natural ability for maneuvering around them.

It was so beautiful today that we kept going and walked along the beach, as well. Bean loved greeting all the people and running in the sand. It is the first time I have been out since I have been sick and the fresh air and exercise put some color back into my face.

Taking a break with Bean for some hugs. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all my friends, old and new, blessings for the holiday season and may your festivities include, family, friends and loving memories.

I snagged this photo of my grandson before I was unfriended, so Christmas this year will be bittersweet for me, since my  DIL persists in being mad at me and will not come for Christmas. But, I have joy in the fact that my family is healthy and I am surrounded by friends from all over the world.

I also found an old photo when we took the kids to Edaville Railroad in Massachusetts. The boy with the glasses is my nephew, Phillip. He is now a grown man who has served our country been a reporter on the war front.  May your holidays be filled with happy memories with your family.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on some more punch needle stockings so I would have six, in total. I did two in crazy quilt pattern, which look more like stained glass. Two were, hit and miss stripes and the last two I did in the traditional red and white stripe, ticking pattern.

I took a piece of jute and wound a piece of red  homespun around that and tied it to my curtain rod. I used mini wooden clothes pins that I stained with walnut. They seem a bit bare all by themselves so I added a piece of homespun in between them. I think I like the idea of making the ropes with homespun ties and some with bells and other items, then I can hang stockings or mittens from them. Lots of possibilities and it will be fun experimenting.

This is a closer look at the new ones, that I made this week. I aged them all with walnut ink, so they have a nice grungy look. I think the hit and miss stripes is my favorite. This is a great way to use up those scraps. The stockings are about 6 1/2" long and 1 1/2" wide.

I was going through old photos, trying to find some Christmas photos, when the kids were young and found this photo. I had forgotten all about these. I made them in the 80's and sold them to my friends. We lived in a townhouse complex, so I had lots of customers for my hand made items. I just wish I knew where I got the pattern from, I think a box of old magazines got thrown out by accident since i cannot find the ones with my wood nativities in them. Would love to make these again, so if you happen to stumble onto it, in one of your old magazines, would love to have the pattern again.

Not the best photo, I should have scanned it in at a higher resolution and maybe clean my scanner glass;)

Scrap Stockings!

I decided to try something I had been thinking about, punch needle stockings, using scraps from my leftover box. I started late yesterday and finished them this afternoon, so they do work up quickly. I plan on making more and hanging them from a jute line, with mini clothes pins and using it as a garland.

This is a fun project to do if you have a lot of leftover floss pieces and a great way to use them up. I drew the stockings onto the backing, in reverse of the direction I want them to hang. It doesn't matter what size they are, I made mine long and skinny so I could fit two on the backing that I use on a mini rug frame. These I did with a crazy quilt pattern, using black for dividing lines. The next ones will be strips of colors. I will be antiquing them, so it doesn't matter if the colors are a bit bright.

Here is what I did so far. I will make the rest and hopefully by friday I will have a finished garland to show you. You are welcome to use the idea for yourself, use a hit and miss scrap look or add designs or letters to spell out words, have fun.

Today we had two hawks sitting in the nearby trees. We threw some pumpkins out in the back garden and I think they were waiting for some mice to come by for the pumpkins and a treat for the hawks;) I wish I could get a good shot, but when I get too close they fly away and it is hard to keep a zoom steady, when you are moving in the yard.

Friday Finish and Friends!

I finally finished my sheep punch needle. I had ideas but they wouldn't work the way I wanted, so I made it into a pillow. I sewed the punched piece onto a wool backing, then added a twisted cord around that and sewed that down, next to the punched edge. After I made the pillow, I whip stitched a thick yard on the outside and gathered it, as I went. After it was finished, I didn't like how it looked, too boring of a pillow, so I played around and came up with the penny stars with a button.

The design was a freebie by The Old Tattered Flag. The finished pillow measures 8" x 7". It has been antiqued, but looks lighter in the photo.

Today I received two surprises from my friends. It has been hard to be sick and not being able to shop or do the things I want for the holidays, so getting something special from my friends was a great way to perk up my spirits today.

Anna of Woolie Mammoth sent me the most fun package. A cute dog mug and a mat to sit it on, and she even put a surprise for Bean in it. He loves biscuits so he was quite happy too. Anna is also having giveaways this month, so be sure and visit her blog.

Karen of Log Cabin Quilter also sent me a wonderful gift and it was the perfect size and shape for an area that I had nothing to hang. I love the quilt, love the fabrics she used and it looks so much nicer and prim in person. My shaky hands don't help with photos lately.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and blessed with friendships as I have been over the years.

Monday This and That!

I had a slow weekend, no shopping since I was too miserable to go out and I don't like making others sick with what I have. The good thing is, better to get it now, then at Christmas;)

I decided to make a rag wreath and used material that I didn't mine ripping up. I put my two wool cardinals and a twig of berries, onto it and instant prim wreath. They are fun to make and a nice thing to do while resting and watching tv.

The cardinals were made with a pattern by Apine Industriose with a few changes by me.

I also wanted to try some paper snowflakes. I do make paper cuttings and intricate snowflakes and cuttings, but I wanted a simple way with just cutting and having fun. I found a nice tutorial  from First Palette on how to fold the paper for cutting and they also have a section with templates that you can use. The sad thing is, I am no good at cutting this way, my brain takes a turn and I end up cutting the wrong way and messing up, but fun to try. The one on the upper right is supposed to be christmas trees and angels. A good rule to remember is, if you are cutting shapes, cut or draw only half the shape on your paper, then it will come out like a round head, instead of a double bird head. The smaller star is one I bought, it has crystals so the sun hits them and throws rainbows around the room.

Bean still keeps me busy, I have come to realize that I just have to put him in the cage when I need a real rest break so I don't have to worry about what he is doing. Today he was good and took naps while I rested, tonight he was back in high gear. I tend to eat a lot of snacks and Bean loves anything I eat, so far. Tonight we had yogurt and he got a frozen chicken piece as a treat. Nice snack for him to much on and gives him something to teeth on.

As you can see by his face, he ate his yogurt out of the container, good to the last lick.

Nativity Punch Needle!

I decided it was time I made something with my nativity design and I wanted to try something a little different. I enlarged the design and made it in the shape of a stable. I punched the main designs in a #3 height and the background in a #1 height. I also did Joseph's beard in a #4 height to make it more scrappy.

I really didn't get the 3D look that I was going for, but it is raised. I also did a horrible job on the punching, way too big so it took me all week and my hand is tired and numb, lol. I really like the idea though, so I think I will work on another and maybe make it more detailed, will have to think on it. The other problem is when I stuffed it, it puffed out, so that killed the background being in the background. I think another idea would be to make a wool stable shaped frame and put the piece behind that.

You can get my free designs from the previous post and make your own nativity. It works in all mediums and I did do a cross stitch, as well.

I would also use better colors, but I was digging out of my scrap box, really need to use those up.

The finished piece is about 8" high by 6 1/2" wide. I used a dark and lighter wool yarn for the roof and sides, by bunching it up as I sewed and laid it flat on the bottom.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I am down with the flu, so hoping I feel good enough to go shopping this weekend or no one is getting any presents, lol.

I did antique this piece, but it came out lighter and too bold, compared to the actual piece. Also this week, I have taking off the word verification and hopefully the junk mail won't return.

Must be Monday!

It seems I got nothing accomplished this weekend, having my family home is too distracting;) I had plans to go shopping at my favorite primitive store and there was a for sale sign on the door, very disappointing. The good thing was, I did a search for stores in the area and found out that another store that had closed was under new ownership. We went yesterday and I spent hours going up and down the aisles and revisiting booths. It is a mix of new and antiques so lots of eye candy. No photos allowed but if you are ever in the Rhode Island area, it is worth a visit. It is a large 2 story building filled with booths from vendors that sell antiques and craft items. It is called A Bee's Buzz and I am definitely going back since they have an ever changing stock.

I love going down back roads when we go places,  you never know what you will find. In Stonington Connecticut we passed by a park and enjoyed a short walk along the path. Bean loves walks and was happy to get out of the car for a bit.

The path goes around a marsh and pond, but it was way too cold to do the entire walk and I think all the critters went underground.

I got back to working on my punch needle today. It looks like a mess from the back;) I am usually too tight and close so I am working on spacing better. When I am finished, I look at the piece from the front  with and see if there are any gaps and fill them up, if needed. This is a large piece, I had to put it on my rug hooking frame, luckily it turns so that makes it easier as I work. It is over 7" tall.

Tonight I was trying to get things done and Bean was trying to annoy me. He has calmed down a lot but tonight he was in high gear and running around the house. I gave him a biscuit and I think that is what made him hyper, so no more of those.

Looking for a fun, quilted project to do? Check out The Patchsmith's blog for a quilted Christmas tree tutorial.

Friday Finishes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner and a quiet day, just what I needed. I finished one punch needle piece and started another one, so I am enjoying working on that. It is a piece done with the nativity scene, so hopefully I can finish it this weekend.

This piece is a free pattern from The Old Tattered Flag, for use on the Facebook group, The Out of Hand Rughookers Group. She said we could use it for punch, as well as hooking, so I made a punch with mine. I want to take it further, so I have something else I will be doing with it and I have to go in and fill those little gaps that I missed when I was punching. That is what  happens when you are tired and finishing the last rows;)

I was being lazy and used my little camera, so not the best quality compared to how it looks in person. I used scraps from my floss box on this piece.

Another piece I started was the spencerian birds, and decided it would make a nice pillow. I added a border that will work for Christmas but also prim enough to use all year. This and the sheep will be aged when they are finished. I am just wondering about adding an edging and what type. I had some old cream cotton lace and it didn't look right, so thinking on it, but needs to get done by next week.

My fur babies enjoyed the holidays too. Moki and Bean, in the spirit of the holiday, shared a meal together:) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Nativity Cross Stitch Freebie!

I took one of the designs that I made, and converted it into a cross stitch. I changed a few things and added a bird to this one. It actually took me awhile since Bean has a tendency to want to get in my lap when I am on the computer and then he hits the keys and messes up the design, so I have to redo things.

I hope you like it and I enjoy working with my cross stitch program so I can get better at designing things for the cross stitch lovers. If you make a piece, from any of my designs, I would love to see it. I used colors so you could see the design better, so no set colors, just ones I grabbed from the color picker.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we went for a walk at a local trail that leads to the bay. I left my good camera at home since the seals are too far away to get nice shots. What I didn't know was that I would find seals basking on a rock, close to the shoreline. I will not leave my camera at home, in the future. I had to use my pocket camera on zoom so not the best shot.

Bean Loved the walk, he met lots of people and dogs and jumped on lots of people and dogs, lol. He gets so excited on walks, and he loved running on the beach and digging holes in the sand.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and are blessed with friends and family at your tables. We will have our daughter but my DIL is still mad at me, so they are not coming. I want to thank everyone again for the well wishes and blessings, it warms my heart to know I have so many friends around the world.

Friday Freebies!

I usually have a giveaway for my birthday, but this year the time got away from me. I also like to give everyone a gift, so I worked on a design this week.  These are for you, to use anyway that you would like, as gifts or for sale and you can change things if  you like.

I made up three different designs, the first can be done as a punch needle or stitchery.

This one is a star. I was thinking it might be fun to appliqué it with wool, onto a large stuffed star and sit it on a shelf. Or you could do it in punch, appliqué or stitchery and attach that to a large stuffed star.

And the last one is in the shape of a tree. Another piece that can be done in appliqué, stitchery or punched, either on a stuffed tree shape or onto a tree shape if you are punching it. I left the star on top as an idea, for me, I would add a rusty star to the top of the tree. You can use a star button or make a star with wool.

These designs were just done up, so I haven't had time to try some myself, so hopefully I can make some this week. There is no set size, I made them so they fill the paper, when printed out.

Today I had a nice day, relaxing and some fun shopping. One of the things I found today was an old washboard. I loved that it said Yankee on it, and on the other side, it has clearer writing for the company name. The only bad thing is I notice how musty it is. Would love ideas on how to get rid of the musty smell so I can hang it in the house. I know a lot of you buy antique pieces and would love to be able to enjoy them without the mustiness making me sick.

The board is a lot darker in person, the flash lightened it up.

This and That Monday!

This weekend was cold, way too cold for long walks. It was good weather to get out for some fresh air and play with Bean. I never have to ask twice, if he wants to go out, that is a given, lol. Our young trees finally turned and the winds blew a lot of the leaves on the ground, and Bean loves playing in the leaves.

He seems to lose weight, right before a growth spurt and today he seems a bit taller and  huskier. I use my waterproof camera for photos since it is easier to carry while we play, so not the best quality photos.

It could be all the exercise he gets, he really gets into play and has strong muscles for a pup. I have to be careful that he doesn't hurt himself, since he loves to do high jumps.

I was also able to get some sewing done. I started this quilt, last year and finally put the pieces together. I still need to do some stitchery and add another border so it is lap size. I used a free design and precut blocks that a friend sent me. Now it is a quilt for another friend of ours.

I sewed my punch needle pieces with backings and got them all stuffed. Now I am doing the finishing work with borders and staining on some. The chicken was a bit bright, so I added a touch of stain to tone it down. Unfortunately the flash lightened them back up. I just may finish in time, after all;)

Friday Freebies!

This week I got several free patterns and made them into punch needle pieces. I was hoping to finish these but as usual, time slipped by and they will have to wait for the weekend. I think a good goal for me this weekend, is to finish all of the pieces I have made this month.

The first is a free design by Kelley of With Hook & Needle. If you haven't checked out the new groups on Facebook lately, there are several groups for all types of textiles arts. This freebie was offered on the group, The Out of Hand Rug Hooker's Group.

I kept my simple and will make it into a hanging pillow. I will also antique it a bit and add yarn cording.
It is a bit bright since I used flash, but I like using brighter colors when I know I am going to age it. Then again, I may keep him as is, it all depends on who I give him to and if they like prim or fun colors.

The next pieces are designs by Ginger of Primitives By The Light Of The Moon. She offered 4 free snowman designs that you can use for the holidays and I did two of them. My plan is to stuff them lightly and make hangers so they can be used as ornaments or hung on pegs, if the recipient wants.

If you would like more fun things to make, visit Michelle from The Raspberry Rabbits. She is offering a free ornament tag each week, so be sure and sign up for her blog. My sister likes rabbits, so these will be fun to do and put in her Christmas card.

Another great gift idea or maybe for yourselves is a bowl holder. I love making soup and I do reheat it in the microwave, so the bowl gets hot. I like to eat while I watch tv, so this will be a nice way to hold the bowl without burning my hands and a great gift idea. You can find the tutorial at 2 Little Hooligans. We can thank Allie - Oops Sweet Happy Life for finding this wonderful tutorial.

Weekend Wanderings with Bean!

This weekend was nice, but it seems as soon as the day warms up, it gets cold just as fast. We got out for a bit and introduced Bean to the world of Dog Parks. We went to one that is at the park where we hike and kayak, so it was a nice park and a good size for running and playing.

The bad thing is, there are never any dogs in the small dog area so we let Bean play in the big boy side. He was so excited to be with other dogs and loved running around with them. He seems to know how to be social, all on his own. He went up to the dogs and then lay down while they checked him out, then he got up and started playing.

This pup was really sweet and well behaved, Bean loved running with him.

It seemed there were a lot of male dogs and Bean knew better than to push his luck with these guys, but they were really good with him. The bad thing was, Bean got so excited that he was doing his speed runs in the field and the big guys ran over him. After that he decided to play to the side, by himself and watch the big guys. I think we need to wait for Bean to put on some more weight before we take him to the parks.

Bean is naturally social and all of the guys loved Bean and gave him lots of hugs and pats. Overall he had a good experience and we tried again the next day, but the two dogs yesterday were really obnoxious and their owners weren't much better, so we left.

We decided to make a stop at a fort that is on a hill, overlooking a cove that we paddle in. It was an area where the native american's lived and later become a fort. The original fort is gone and the old iron fence was erected on the exact space and shape of the original fort. It was a nice place to walk around and enjoy the views.

Bean is calming down at night and either playing quietly or sleeping on the couch, so I am able to get more done on my projects. Tonight I started a new piece and hopefully I will have a few new things done with freebies,  by friday.

Snowman Candle Mat Free Pattern!

Today Jenny of Jenny of Elefantz found the pattern for the snowman mat, that I stitched. She was wonderful enough to do a search and now everyone can use it to make their own mat. Be sure to visit Jenny and thank her for taking the time to help out and she also has a lot of wonderful patterns of her own and freebies that she shares with her visitors so be sure to sign up for her newsletter.

You can find the design for the mat, among others at: Daily Coloring Pages.

Friday Finish and Life with Bean!

It seems it takes longer and longer to finish things, these days. With only a month to go for gifts that get mailed, I cannot make one thing a week and get things done, ugh. The good thing is, Bean is having more calmer moments or moments that he plays by himself, that I will get more time to work on my projects as he gets older.

I found this design online, no idea where I got it. I printed it out and threw away the file without thinking and I cannot find it again, so if I do or if someone knows where it might be, I will share the website with you.

It was a fun design, but a lot of stitching. I used dmc floss on tea stained fabric, though it doesn't show well with the photo. Since this is more of a fun piece, I didn't add extra stain and will leave it, as is.

This week we have had some nice days, and the cooler weather makes for nice walks at the pond. Bean loved this walk. Wooded paths and no noises to scare him. He met a few people and dogs and as usual, he wanted to follow them. It is hard to get a nice photo of Bean, I get him in one spot, go to take the shot and he wants to jump up at me and the camera.

He seems to have a thing for the dishwasher, at least the dishes are already dirty;) He also likes to jump up to see what I am cooking and he really loves to share what I am eating. One of his favorite treats is apple slices. Today he watched me vacuum, he had no fear of the noise or the rug cleaner, but when I turned on the blender to make bread crumbs, he ran into the other room. He is also afraid of train whistles, he runs away from the sound. He also gets upset when we get near cars in the parking lot, but I have a suspicion that it might be because, he knows it is time to end our walks;) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.