Friday Finishes!

I actually got quite a few things done this week, some finished, some still in the works. One thing I did finish was a new batch of rocks. This will be the last for now, I really need to get back to my sewing and Christmas will be here before I know it.

I made these fun, I just love how goofy they are and I hope they put a smiles on the people who find them. On the rocks that I have enough room, I add, Smile at the next person you see. I also add the Facebook name, if they want to find out more about the group and if you are interested, you can find us at; DSmiles4miles.

I also made a few pillows to try them out. I used an old piece of quilt, that a friend gave me, so this was just for practice since the material is special to me. I think I will do some fun fall pillows, so I need to see what I have in my stash. These are easier and quicker for me to make and can be left inside, which is nice since the weather is getting cooler.

I aged these with walnut spray, I like the idea of doing hearts, but maybe I can do some pumpkin ones or candy corn, like the rocks but in fabric.

I also finished the stitching on my fall, wall hanging. The design is by Kathy Schmitz. I still have to make the quilt, hanging on the line and a border, but I may add my own touch, we shall see;)

Another thing I tried was some paint products. I thought they might make it easier for me to do small lines and spaces, but I was wrong. The pen comes out thicker than it shows on the package and the plastic liner, fits on the top of the paint, but comes out fast and wide. They may be nice for kids as an alternative to using a brush, but I think I will stick to my black artist pen.

And to show you how my day went..... This is what happened when I went to make a batch of cookies. I put them in and went downstairs to do something quick, then I noticed the stairs needed cleaning and did them and then I heard a loud beeping. I came up to see what it was and the cookie pan was on fire. I am not sure if I was gone longer than I thought or the pan caught on fire, it looked like the flames were coming from the pan only, which of course burnt the cookies to a crisp. So, I spent the day with fans on and it still smells like toxic plastic. I was able to make another batch tonight and no problems, so maybe it was the copper pans? They came from a discount store, so not really sure, but they went in the garbage.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We have rain tomorrow and I have an order of weathered white wood coming, so we can put that up in the beach room. Then I can finally finish decorating and  using the room.

Weekend wanderings!

We had another beautiful weekend, but Bill had to work on Saturday. Sunday was our day out and we made the most of being out, by going to Fort Getty where we just sat on the beach and enjoyed the views and Bean got to run and play, all he wanted.

I thought the bay would be rough, but the waters were pretty calm and lots of kayakers were out. I wish we had bought ours, someday I want to paddle over to Dutch Island, where you can see this lighthouse.

We had the beach to ourselves, but of course, people started coming in, so we went to the divers beach. Lots of people with dogs go there and I can usually let Bean play off leash, even with people. I was also getting hot, so I slipped my suit on in the car and was able to play in the water with Bean. The water was cool but full of chopped of seaweed and icky stuff, so I didn't go for a swim.

On the way back we saw a big ship, so I stopped to get a photo, this is the Regal Princess, I never realized how big the cruise ship was, till I saw it with all the other boats.

When we went to pull over, something big flew up past our car, so I had to go see what it was.

A turkey vulture, and while I was taking photos, I finally realized why there were there, when the smell hit me, a dead raccoon. 

Today Bill went to work and things were slow, so he decided to come home early so we could go to the beach and watch the sunset. Well, we left the house and headed for the bridge and a huge fog bank came rolling in and covering everything so that you couldn't even see the island. But, we just wanted to get out so we went to the lighthouse first and a good time to hide a few rocks. There were a few kids coming and going, so hopefully they found the fun rocks. As you can see, no sunset tonight, at least on the ocean.

Afterwards we went back to the beach at the forts and enjoyed a walk down the beach, and of course, adding a few more rocks to my collection. I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Halloween Fun!

This week I worked on finishing my candy corn rocks. I love the simple rocks with fun faces and this is a fun way to make something that fits with the season. I have decided on a group name so I could add it to the rocks. It will be called Smiles4miles! This way, anyone can join in, and no limitations on where you live.

I still have to work on the Facebook pages and I plan on doing up some tags that you can print out. They will have the group name and a saying, so all you have to do is print them and add them to your pieces. This is for any crafter or artist and you can also join in to learn and explore new ways to help others.

On the back of these rocks I put smiles4miles and since some were larger, I added, smile at the next person you see. I thought that would be fun and on the tags I usually add a similar saying for those who find the items, so they can pass along an act of kindness.

I still have to put on a few coats of finish, but I had to get the name and writing on tonight, then I let it dry a day, to be safe. It is windy and rainy today, so I will have to wait for better weather, to spray outside. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon, then I can drop a few on Sunday.

I will also be doing heart pillows, another way to join in, sewing offers lots of possibilities, especially with the holidays. If you want to join early, you can go to Smiles4miles on Facebook. I would also like to hear your thoughts and ideas. I want to keep it simple, fun and a compassionate group of artists and crafters. Hopefully I can get all the information and files done this weekend.

I also needed to make something new, every so often I like to try something that I can do in a day or two. I actually made this in an afternoon, and it does look it, lol. I was trying to follow directions on YouTube and they tend to talk a lot and I get impatient and start scrolling through fast and working on mine and the next thing I knew, I was off on my own in the wrong direction.

I wanted to do sculpting, but with their method of using yarn for the sections, my area was too small, so I just did a bit and made it goofy. I had fun making it and it does look better in person, I couldn't get an outdoor photo and flash really brings out the fuzziness, that isn't there. I learned what I did and didn't like, while making it, so I may just try another, or maybe a pumpkin head doll, we shall see where my mood takes me.

I definitely went whacky on the top, reminds me of Miss Piggy, lol.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Of course I will be outside as much as possible, some nice warm fall days and the antique barn is having their annual sale and raffle. We won last year, so maybe we will get lucky again.

Weekend Wierdness!

This weekend was another beautiful weekend, sunny skies, at least until we hit the ocean, and the views went as far as the shore, the ocean was blanketed in fog.

We decided to go to Fishermen's memorial and the lighthouse, since we enjoyed it so much when we were camping. The breakers were busy, everyone was out enjoying the waves and fishing, so we didn't stay long. We headed to the lighthouse beaches and enjoyed one beach by ourselves and collecting rocks. I wanted to take photos of the surfers, but I couldn't see them, lol.

Then we headed to the other side, it was even more fogged in, but still a beautiful place to sit and just enjoy the waves and fresh breezes. A few kayakers were going in and we did spy a group, further out when the fog lifted a bit.

What is this? Bill carrying a surfboard, maybe he is going to give it a try?

But no, I spied a board coming towards us and I said, where is the surfer, then his head popped up. The currents and waves were so strong, the board was flying by sideways and so was the surfer. Bill was trying to get the board, but the waves were crashing on the rocks and pulling the board down the shore and the surfer was trying to follow it, but he couldn't see it or where he was going. Bill finally got a chance to grab the board and yell to the surfer so he knew he had it and help him back to shore, just in time to avoid the rocky outcropping he was headed for.

Surfer and board, reunited. The bad thing was, it hit the shore a few times before Bill got it and it did get cracked, so he had to give up surfing for the day, I think that was a good idea. The next day we heard that five people got swept off the breakers at Fishermen's, and the storm isn't even close yet. It will be hitting us tomorrow, high winds and rain.

I was taking photos for fun and saw some ducks sitting on a bank, on the little pond. When I got home I noticed an object in the photo, so I blew it up and this is what I found. Real gun, toy gun, maybe a flare gun? I did send a photo to the local police, but no word, so maybe they don't care? Strange things wash up on the shores, especially during a storm surge, wonder what will be littering the beaches next weekend.

Sunday was another nice day and more fog, but it did lift on occasion. We went to Jamestown and had a nice spot at the divers beach. Most people were going out in boats and diving, so the end of the beach was the perfect place to relax and let Bean play.

A team from the Boston Museum was reeling in nets for the day, they were trying to catch fish to take back, but no luck. As you can see, the sun was out on the shore and the fog further out, in the next photo.

There was also a group of kids, who were on the cliff, with a Bungy cord and this is what they do for fun.

The kids wanted to get some pumpkins, so I told them to go to Holmsberg orchards. I guess they are glad they went, looks like they all had fun.

And Nick got to sit on a tractor, it may not move, but he sure had fun pretending he was driving.

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I am still working on a name for the Facebook group, I do like the idea of using a universal name, so anyone, anywhere can join in. I had SmileRI, but that is too local. I  Was also thinking of using the initials DS then mile after the end, in honor of my daughter and in her memory since she always hated seeing people sad and wanted everyone to be happy. So, if you can think of better names or ideas, I would love to hear them, so I can get that set and open up the group. I am going to keep it simple, rocks are one thing, but also small pillows and I have even found some simple ideas that anyone can do, so I will set up folders with ideas too.

Halloween pieces!

This week I finally found my pattern that I won from one of Stacy's, Buttermilk Basin, promotions. It is from the series Wool Crazy for October. I wanted to make it easier, my favorite way to say I am lazy;)

I had a large piece of stiff Eco felt in black and I thought it would make the perfect background for the cat. I wanted to hang it on the wall, so the stiff felt was a good base and I found it easy to sew though.

Instead of making the whole kitty in patchwork, I just added a few pieces for fun, and kept it close to the original.

Here is my version of the kitty. Yes, it is a bit crooked;) I had to use the phone, need to charge my camera batteries.

And here is the original pattern.

Another thing I did, was paint more rocks. I know, I said I wasn't going to do anymore, but when you spend a week at the beach, it is hard not to collect rocks.

The problem is, the group I belonged to is not what I thought it was. I am seeing more people making rocks for themselves, wanting the attention for what they paint and a lot, I feel is inappropriate. The group is about making rocks and leaving them, to brighten someones day. I do not see how making rocks with advertising, especially one that had the back end of a man's butt crack for plumbing is something you would put out for kids to find, as well as creepy designs, that does not say happy or smile to me. The thing that got me riled was when someone posted a photo of rock art they made, not to give, but to keep and it was done by copying a design on the internet.

So, I left a nice post about copyrights and that Pinterest is a place for inspiration, not a repository for free designs. I was being nice, not mentioning designs being used and said that people should be careful and check the source of the designs to make sure they are not from artists who are trying to make a living with their designs.

Well, not the reaction I expected. The remarks were nasty and I was basically called a bi.... and Pinterest is for people to find designs and I could see I was not getting through to them and going nowhere, so I deleted the posting. I didn't need to hear that kind of negativity or meanness from a group who states they are there to make people happy. Then I quit the group.

Now here is where you come in, I am wondering if I should start a new group. I have been wanting to do something like this, I love the idea of leaving gifts for people to find, like when I did pillows for Christmas. If I do a group and use RI in the name, it is just for my state, so maybe a name that anyone can use and add their state abbreviation, or country to that. My original idea was SmileRI, and using a heart instead of a dot above the i. Then when you make something, you can put the name on the back or on a tag for sewn or handmade items. It will be for the joy of giving and  the fun of seeing the person who finds it.

For now it is an idea, and I would like to know what others think, if there is enough interest and I can work out the details and set up the site on Facebook. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas that you would like to see, in a group like that.

For now, here is what I am working on. I thought it would be a quick project but the orange did not want to go on nicely, so I have been putting on coat, after coat. I will be putting silly faces on them, so that will have to be done and then the finish, so they will have to wait till next weekend to get hidden.

They are not perfect in the color bands, but I think they will look fun with the faces. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

My Week in Review!

( I had my store closed, while we were away, so for those who wanted to order and couldn't, it is open again)

We had quite the week, not much down time but time on the beach, relaxing and enjoying the views. We had lots of action with high surf and nights watching sunsets and the moonrise. Bean of course, loved it all, he made lots of friends and for the first time, jumped in and swam to retrieve a ball. Of course he would not do that for me, but for his new friend and mom who threw the ball for him. Bean is just a show off.

Bill kept Bean occupied so I could get photos. Low tides are the best time when the shorebirds come to eat on the pickings that are left on the shore.

We spent our days at the beach, Bean played and Bill played chicken with the incoming waves that came flying over the breakers.

We also roamed the rocky beaches by the lighthouse. A great place to collect new rocks to paint and a place to enjoy other's rock art. The rock protruding from the water, reminds me of King Kong climbing up to shore, lol.

The surfers were out in force, on both sides of the point.

We watched boats go by, this guy was getting quite the ride with the waves and wind.

And of course, we saw beautiful sunsets each night.

I love the solitude of these shots, with the birds in one and the man in this one.

And my first ever moon shot, where you can see the craters. Not bad for hand held, with winds and sea spray. The bad thing......I had to get up on a rock ledge to get shots and I asked Bill to keep me from falling, but.... he pushed me and I went flying into the rock and bashed my head, with my sunglasses so they jammed into my head and I banged my knee. But, I can still walk and I am hard headed, lol, and I got a great shot that night.

We decided not to leave in the morning so left, late that afternoon, so we could get home and eat and get some things done. Then Sunday we took a ride to Connecticut to go apple picking. Not only did we get apples, but they had pears and nectarines. The farm fields are so big that they give you tractor rides to the orchards that are open for picking.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and for those in the path of the storm, that you made it through, safe and sound.

A Vacation Break!

We have had pretty good weather, a bit cooler but nice. Too cool to swim, but perfect to spend time on the beach and enjoy the area.

We have a nice campsite, plenty of room to relax and for Bean, all our neighbors are quiet. The pull throughs are large.

The area in front of the camp is home to a lot of different shore birds. I really wanted to get a shot of them, at closer range. That wasn't a good idea, I found out just how muddy it was, when my feet sunk into it, so much for my new boots, ugh. 

Of course Bean loves the beach and he made new friends to play with. He will not go in the water to swim, just walking around. But, when other dogs jump in and go after balls, he goes into crazy mode and jumps in after them and would probably keep swimming if I didn't pull him back in, lol.

He found one friend who was as crazy as he was and an older guy who tolerated him. In one photo he is running away with the the black dog's ball, but the black dog kept stealing the labs ball. The poor lab didn't know what to make of the two crazy dogs.

That night we spent at the lighthouse beach area, the sun was setting on one side and the moon was coming up on the other. The fog delayed the moon rise, so we didn't get to see it come up over the ocean, maybe next time.

A beautiful sunset, the first time I have seen bands on the sun.

The moon rising over the lighthouse on the first night.

The moon on the second night.

Today it was raining on and off, so we watched the storm from the beach area. When it lifted, we got to enjoy some time on the beach. I walked all the way down to a beautiful rocky area to see if I could find some nice rocks. Of course, that is when another storm came in, so no rock collecting.

Tonight we stayed home and will go back tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a nice week and hopefully I can catch up with all the blogs when I get back.

Rocking and Stitching!

I had more rocks to paint, so I decided to get them done and ready for our trip next week. We will be camping near several ocean beaches and areas that people visit, so I can leave some in each place.

I rushed as usual, my arm still hurts and I don't have good control, so did the best I could and got them done. I think if i do more later, I will think them out better and I do think it would be fun to find different shapes to make pumpkins for the fall.

Some of the designs I get from ideas on the internet and some I just freehand. I also have a limited color palette so I use what I have. Luckily I know how to mix colors, so I just made my own shades when needed. The moons I did because it will be a full moon next week, so I am hoping I can watch it rise over the ocean.

Today I was going to clean the house, but I had a couple of rocks and I thought, why not just do them and then I can clean up the mess on my table. The two whales were done, but I didn't like how they looked, but I couldn't figure out what to do to them, so I just added a little color to make them fun. I also did a sunset, I think the ocean ones will be nice to leave at camp or areas that I consider safe to leave them. I always worry they will get lost or fall over, so I am careful about where to place them. One area has a seamen's memorial, for those lost at sea, another good spot to leave one. The fun kid ones, will go near beaches.

I have also been working on my stitchery, it is taking longer than I thought and it seems I have less time at night, so I need to make more me time, for crafting. I think I will stop painting rocks and work on christmas pillows that I can hide, much easier and I can do those faster, so I can make more if i do a few at a time.

I am a bit off with my brain and switched colors without realizing it, I had a brown/gold on the moon area, then went to a dark gold, not sure if i should fix it or leave as is and do the rest in dark gold. I am thinking the darker gold on the moon area, gives it a naive look? Or should I fix it, and if so, what color looks best. I like to add a bit of color without over doing it. Later I will change the initials, but wondering, as a gift, should I use the person's initials or mine as the maker?

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. We have one nice day, then rain and two hot days for our vacation, so definitely spending time at the beach. I may post Monday before we leave, if i do anything exciting this weekend, otherwise I will post later in the week.