Friday Find and Fotos!

I am still working on my stitcheries, slow going lately, but they will get done;) Getting ready to go camping is taking up my time this week. I am stocking up with light weight items to keep the weight down and paper plates do not have to be washed;)

While we were looking for a rug at the home store, I found a fun item in the sale rack. I loved the painted wood design and the etching, had no idea what it was, but it was happy and only five dollars. Bill thought it was a chalk board sign, but I looked it up and it is a magnetic house sign. I guess it came with magnetic numbers but none with mine, thus the five dollar price tag. But I still love it and I think I will look for some fun magnetic letters to use with it and put it in my new room.

Camping brings back a lot of memories for me, especially at Burlingame, our state park. People come from all over to go there, so it is harder to get in now. It is a nice campground, has a beautiful lake to swim in and close the all the area beaches.

We went there when I was a child, all 8 of us. As you can see, I am wearing a summer outfit, not sure if that was my suit or clothing. My mom would dress me after we went swimming and I would run back into the water to swim with my brothers and sisters, I loved the water.

We took out kids there, they loved camping too. Bill usually does the cooking when we camp.

And as you can see, they loved the water too. We will be going for 4 days on Sunday, so I may be gone till then or back early, not sure if I will like being alone at the camp when Bill goes to work, so we shall see how it goes. No electricity so we will be on battery power for lights and no internet, but I will bring projects to work on and my art supplies so maybe I can relax and do some new designs. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Monday Stitcheries!

Another weekend and no big projects done or exciting outdoor fun. We ended up doing some shopping for trailer supplies and I splurged and got new ceiling fan lights. Our dining one got broken when Bill bashed it with something he was carrying, so that got replaced. Then I got a new one for my sewing room, just simple one with 3 lights, so I can see better. Then I got a nautical style lantern to put in my beach themed room. I tend to neglect upgrades like that and it was about time;)

I did get to finish one of my stitchery blocks, this one was simpler and I am loving how they come out and think it will make a wonderful quilt with floral sashing.

The designs are free and can be found at Theodora Cleave's Blog. She also has some wonderful new designs for stitchery quilts.

Another project I started is a stitchery dish towel with a design by Kathy Schmitz, offered for free in her newsletter. She has free designs on her website, as well.

The bee was colored in with art pens and the photo is blurry. I am still using the mac program and it is limited in adjustments.

Friday This and That!

Another week of plans and good intentions and as usual, I did not get much done, but I did do a little stitching, hopefully I can finish one or two pieces this week. I spent a lot of time this week, saving from my old computer and trying to figure out how to do things on the new one. I don't have my photoshop in, so you will have to bear with me, with as is photos. The mac photos does not do much but it helps with size and basic fixes.

I made the little rug for my niece and they were visiting this week, so I was able to give it to her. She loves her new rug and put it in Barbie's bedroom. She is still at the age where she likes barbie and pink, but someday I am sure she will decorate her dollhouse with nicer furnishings;) Her dad build it and there is a lot of detail and beautiful work in it.

Of course Bean is being Bean, he seems to get more energy as he gets older and wants to do arial acrobats to catch the frisbee, even if it is coming straight to him, he has to jump and flip around, before catching it. His newest thing is walking on the back of the couch and then plopping down, not something I encourage.

Today we got the new brake system put on the car. Next week we get the trailer and I have a campsite  reserved for that Sunday. I also reserved two more weeks, one with a whole weekend and another one on a Sunday for 5 days. It is hard to get decent spots at the state park now that they take reservations, so I wanted to make sure I got the sites I want, even if we can't stay a whole week. The site I got for the next two visits, is the same site we had, years ago with the kids and my parents. It is a large site with views of the water, so we will be starting a new tradition with Nicholas and Dani will be with us, always in spirit. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Weekend Wanderings!

Bill ended up getting the weekend off so we got to get out and do a few things, which was nice. We decided to go back to the trailer place and I wanted to look at all the trailers, even tent campers. Each one has pluses and each had things I didn't like, but since we are limited by weight, we had a choice of a larger tent camper or a trailer and we went with the trailer. No extra room for the kids but the table can be a small bed if we need it and I feel safer in a trailer, especially since we camp locally and Bill works nights. So, in a few weeks, we will have the trailer and I reserved a spot for a few days at our local state park to test it out. This time I won't have to worry about the smell;)

I have also been having problems with my computer, the graphics drive must be going since it keeps crashing when I do photos. I hate getting a new computer, I am used to this one, but I need my graphics for photoshop and patterns, so I broke down and got a new one. Hopefully I have saved everything properly and if anyone contacts me and doesn't hear from me, it might be because I lost the mail. I also tend to forget things, so if you ever do ask me a question, do not be afraid to ask again if I do not respond. I also appreciate the opinions on quilting machines, but for now, I will just get ideas and put the word out at the stores, that I am looking, so maybe I can get a used one or a deal. And thank you for all the comments from "no replys",  I wish I could email and thank you personally.

Sunday my son stopped by so they could go to church with us. He always hides in the kiddy room since Nick is a bit boisterous, as is all two year olds, but I had him sit with us in a side area, where we could make a quick escape if needed;) Nick sat quietly next to me and thumbed through the hymnal and was fine until the sermon, so Grandma whipped out the snacks and let him crunch on those. (Remind me to bring quieter snacks;) Then he slipped and hit his head and the crying started, lol. But, he quieted down when I whipped out the snacks again and we got through the mass without any more mishaps.

After church we went to the Mystic aquarium to see the new exhibits. It is indoors, so perfect for a hot day. They had some fun displays and photo opportunities but not as elaborate as I expected. It was also way too crowded so we didn't stay too long.

I have to do my photos with preview, so I can't edit as well as with photoshop and I cannot straighten the crooked photos, so here are a few for  you to enjoy.

Everything is better when you explore it with a child, Nick makes everything seem fun.

Nick was quite impressed by this big guy.

There are some fun things for kids to do, so it is a great place to take the kids, especially on a rainy day or hot day.

The guys in the shark cage.

Nick driving the safari jeep, he did not want to get out;) I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and hopefully this week, I can get organized and start working on some projects and new ideas.

Friday This and That!

This has been a tough week, but we finally decided on a stone and have it being made. I hate not having a stone with her name and a saying and when it is in, we can put some permanent plants in, maybe some small flowering bushes. We are getting an angel holding a heart, so it takes months to carve and polish, as well as doing the writing on the heart, we are going with chiseled instead of laser cutting.

Bean has been keeping me busy, either playing or eating whatever he can get his mouth on. Today I put a new plastic shower liner on and I guess one of the rings fell on the floor, and half of it is missing, so I hope it comes through ok;) We also go to the doggy beach in the mornings, when we can and it is nice getting out so that he can have fun and I get to walk along the beach and go for a swim in the bay.

My computer is acting up and I had to uninstall photoshop, so using my camera, small camera and iPhoto for now and so far, no problems, so hoping if I reinstall it, it will work ok, I hate to get a new computer right now.

Bean was looking up as I tried to take a photo, just as a seagull flew right over the head, wasn't fast enough to catch it with the phone.

I also got the newest issue of Primitive quilts and projects. I am going to work on the orange peel quilt and use my scraps. The background is black in Nancy's quilt, but I am using my tea stained fabric. The bad thing is, it ravels really easily so I cut it larger and I can cut them down later. What do you think of the lighter fabrics? I want to use scraps and thought the tea stained would be better since I can do any color on that. This photo was done with my waterproof camera and iPhoto.

I was trying some rock art with my rock collection and the hearts, using photoshop. I placed them on a blue sheet so I could change the background without affecting the rocks, but it left a bit of a blue cast behind some of the rocks and that is when I crashed, so I couldn't fix it. I used the online photo program and put them in water, it made a nice effect.

Another thing I have been thinking about is a long arm sewing machine. I hate to spend that kind of money on something I am just using for myself, but I want to be able to quilt the quilts I make and not on my regular machine. I did see that they have a table top pfaff for half the price and that might be a better solution so I have a dedicated quilting machine and with the table, it would be easier to move it around. I would love to hear your opinions on what type you use and what you prefer, as well as, why?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Bill has to work and it is going to be hot as heck, so I will be staying inside most of the time.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had another beautiful weekend, but it was hot. We stayed home most of saturday and waited till the late afternoon, before we hit the Wickford Art Show. It is the oldest running art show in New England. There was a lot of beautiful paintings and unique art, as well as photographers. The artists are lined up on the sidewalks, on both sides of the two main roads, so a lot of walking and art to take in.

One booth that caught my eye and drew me in was a photograph of rocks with a red heart rock in the center. The work was by Patrick Zephyr and he truly captures the essence of the scene and evokes the emotions of his photographs. The heart photo can be seen HERE. I bought a card with the heart photo, that was in my budget;) I am inspired to try some photos with the rocks and beach items, I have collected.

Here is the end portion of Main Street in Wickford. We also stopped in the shops along the way, but most are specialty items and geared for tourists.

Sunday we visited my SIL and enjoyed her beach. I got to try my little sit on kayak, which I realize is only good for playing on, not to do any distance. Of course, Bean had a good time, he was able to go off leash and run along the beach and enjoy some time in the water.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend, as well.

Friday Finishes!

This week I finally got the time to finish one item and make something new. It seems that I spend more time cleaning and taking Bean out, he really is an energetic pup and if i don't wear him out every few hours, he spends his time indoors, annoying me.

My great niece got a giant dollhouse last Christmas and so far she has decorated it with Barbie items, so i wanted to make her a rug for the house. I picked an antique design from Kopp's book and kept the colors in pink and blue, since those are her favorite colors. I wanted to use 3 strands of floss to keep the rug in scale, but it was way too much work and repetition, so I jumped to 6 strands for the background. It gives it a bit of a raised effect and it is not what I envisioned, but I am sure she will love having a real rug for her doll house and maybe someday she will get real furniture for it;)

If it were me, I would spray it with walnut ink, but she is a girlie girl and bright it will be. The rug is 7 1/4" x 6".

Another idea I had, was to make little tea coasters and stuff them with balsam. I thought a small piece like that would fit nicely into a thank you card and I could give them out as little gifts too. I used one of my photos from the trip and printed it on printable fabric, but I misjudged the size and they have become little pillows. I do like how they look and still a nice gift idea. I don't really like the stiffness of the fabric paper and I really do not trust the inks if it gets wet. I did heat set it and then run under cold water but I did notice a bit of red ink. It is a nice idea to use with photos to make pillows or even a mini quilt from your favorite trip.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We have the annual art show in Wickford and the folk art music festival in Newport, so hoping to get to the art show, I haven't been in years.

Holiday Happenings!

First I would like to put out a request to a blog follower who sent me the most beautiful floral arrangement from Sprigs. It really came at a time when I needed something to lift my spirits and get me through that first week. Could you please email me with your address.

I still need to go through the cards and do thank you notes to so many who have been there to support us and send us their love, it means a lot to us. I still have a hard time dealing with things, for now, but I want to thank all of you who have sent me wishes and support on my blog as well.

This holiday my Sister -in -law hosted a party at her house. Of course she had to take photos of us, sitting with her husband.

 It was nice to meet her husband's side of the family and Nicholas loved playing with his cousin, Bella.

Grandpa and Nick, walking the beach front.

Nick and Grandpa watching the action on the water, these photos warm my heart especially seeing Bill smiling and enjoying life again. I hope you had a nice weekend and hopefully I will have some finished projects to show by friday.

Happy Fourth!

I hope everyone has fun plans for the fourth. We are going to go to my sister in laws, time to say yes to invites and we will be seeing her husbands side of the family for the first time and My son and Daughter in law will be meeting all of them for the first time too. If you have ever seen the movie, Moonrise Kingdom, it was filmed in Rhode Island and my sister in law was actually in it, Bruce Willis came to her door when he was looking for the kids that ran away in the movie. It is hard to know it is her, but still neat  that she got to meet him and be in the movie.

Bill and I have been able to get out and enjoy the beauty of our own area this week. Yesterday we visited a dog friendly beach at the old base. It is in between the ferry and a ship builder, but the beach is nice and clean and a perfect place to let Bean have some fun at the beach. He finally realized that water is fun to go in and getting braver so next we will have to try him on a kayak.

Today I wanted to try out my mini sit on kayak to see how she handles on the water. Well Bill, who needs a hearing aid, put my sea kayak on, so I used that instead;) I am out of shape, so it was just a nice easy paddle in the main coves and time on the beach to enjoy the cool breezes.

There are two small islands in the cove, they were home to the indian queen at one time, it was there summer place.

We went out to the breakers, we had to go the long way around since it was low tide and we had to avoid the mud flats.

Coming back we enjoyed another trip around the islands and the beautiful views of the harbor. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.