Friday Finish!

 I hope everyone had a nice holiday. As usual, ours was a bit hectic, but I was able to get everything done and enjoy time with the family. I have been working on hand quilting and a puzzle that I got for Christmas, nice ways to relax. I also need more sachets to replace my old ones that I use to keep my items fresh smelling. I made up this little pillow and stuff with lavender. The pattern was free and you can get this one, along with many others at Pinker and Punkin blog.

We got out for some rides and bird watching, but this week we had more rain, so we were stuck home more. I was able to catch this gull, enjoying a snack on the cliffs. 

I took a few photos of the family at Christmas but the quality is bad in low light. Alex wanted me to take a photo of him with his new gun, so I took the photo and had some fun with editing.

And this one, was edited with the new AI in photoshop too. I love how I can tell it to make backgrounds to have fun with family photos. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend and hopefully the rains will stop and we can get out before it gets too cold.

Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished my quilted wall hanging. I added a few snowflakes and thinking about adding a few more on the empty black border. It is another wonderful design by Cheri Saffiote. Just in time to hang on my window rod, for Christmas. I do wish I could get a better photo of my quilts, more prim in person.

Last weekend we went to the seaport to see the events. It seems whoever put the event on Facebook, put the wrong place. It was actually at the village so we missed that. But, we got to see the Mystic firemen in action. One of the buildings caught on fire, but they were able to get it under control without too much damage. They think an ember from the nearby fireplace, might have gotten on the roof.

It was a nice day and only a few people were around, so it was nice to walk around. We even found another building that was open with more displays. I also had fun taking photos of Bill.

We had a lot of flooding after the rains. The beaches and ocean areas had the ocean running across the roads, but most of the mess has been cleared, so we were able to spend some time at the beaches. A bit cold but nice for a quick walk.

It is a bit too cold for glass hunting, but we did get some time in this week. I got a few pieces but higher tides, when we went. We did spot this odd scene along the cove, not sure what they were thinking with this guy.

I was also able to do some birding and get a few good shots. I decided to make a card with one of them. I wish all of you, a very Blessed Christmas.

Working on Friday!

 

I am still working on my Christmas quilt. I am quilting it now and almost done, so I will definitely be finished by next week. I think for next year, I need to work all year to get all the other projects done. The colors are a bit off in this photo, so hopefully I can get a better one, when finished. I had to hand write the saying, and I think I made mine a bit larger than the original, but I like how well it stands out. 

We got out last weekend and spent some time at the ocean. It was warm enough to walk along the beach and enjoy watching the Sanderlings, running along the beach.

Today it warmed up a bit, so we got to spend some time at the beach. The marina has their own Christmas decoration. I bet it looks beautiful when lit up at night, the lights run down, along the crane.

And I found another odd object that got washed up with the tide.

And I found a bit of glass and some pottery. It was nice to be out again and tomorrow will be nice, as well, so some time at the seaport for some Christmas activity and maybe a hike on Sunday. I hope. you all have a nice weekend and able to get out and enjoy some of the holiday festivities.

Friday Finishes!

 I finally finished my pillow. It was a large design, so lots of stitching. It is 36" long and I love being able to have it done and displayed on the back of the couch. The design is by Bird Brain Designs.

I also finished a piece that has been sitting in a box, way too long. It is a gift I made for a friend and this is the year, she will finally get it. This is a design by Kathy Schmitz.

Last weekend we went to the seaport to see the Mayflower. It came from Massachusetts to have some repairs done at the seaport. She is docked for now, but they have a large dry dock to put her on.

We walked around the village and saw the decorations on the buildings.

And the old Mercantile.

We also got to see the Garda. Last time it was in a spot, we couldn't see it.

And the fascinating story behind her.

Another building we were able to access was the museum. This is one of the examples of the glass models. Some are so realistic, you cannot tell the difference. These were done in the 1800's.

I hope you all had a nice week and are enjoying the holiday season. We have gotten most things done, so I can enjoy it more without the stress. I still have to do up cards and a few gifts that are going out.

Friday Finish!

 I am finally at the point of finishing my long pillow, but I still have the details with glitter threads, to do. I like putting a pop of glitter on some pieces, especially for Christmas pieces. I wanted to try a few ornaments, so I made up a couple this week.

For the snowman head, I used a foam ball to start and wrapped it with roving and felted it in. I placed it in some greens for the photo, but I will add a topper so I can hang it on the tree. The star started out with one idea, but I couldn't get it the way, it was in the photo, so I just made a simple hate on mine.

I am still trying to get good shots with my camera, not sure why I cannot get one, but most were at a distance on cloudy days, so that is one reason. I know I tend to move when I press the shutter, so I need to be more still, it's a shame since I had lots of great bird shots but they were too dark and blurry.

I decided to try some in my back yard, that way I had a sunny day and I could brace myself better. I have a lot of winter visitors and a group of doves who like to hang out in a tree by the feeder.

I also have way too many sparrows, they keep multiplying, every year. This one was in the back and nice enough to sit still for a photo. These came out a lot better, so I know I need light with this camera, to get sharper photos. 

I hope you all had a good week and enjoying the holiday month. I got a lot done early, so I can enjoy working on a few projects for fun and most of my shopping is done, so I can relax and enjoy it more. 

Friday Working on!

 I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a nice meal with the kids and for my birthday, they got me a new, larger bird feeder, just what I had been looking for. I didn't get as much work done on my projects, too much cleaning and cooking this week, to catch up, after being so sick.

I have been working on my large piece, a lot more work than I realized, but I will get it done this week, I hope. I am doing the main design and the details will be some glitter threads along with buttons.

Last weekend we got out for some short walks and bird watching. At one beach, I was able to spot a flock of Snow Buntings and a Cormorant sitting on a piling in a marina.

At our next stop, at the breakaway, I spotted a few seagulls on the roof of a restaurant. They know where the food is.

Then we went to the breakers and climbed the hill to check out the views. The lighthouse at Point Judith.

On the way home we went down a side road and noticed something large in a tree, in the woods. A Great horned owl, a first for me.

Today we got out for a ride, a short walk at the bird sanctuary and then a walk at the beach. The beach was

actually warmer with a cool breeze, which was a nice change. It seems most of the birds have left the areas and only a few remain. I actually spotted the hawk down the road from our house. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and can enjoy the upcoming holidays.

Friday Finish!

This week I have been working on my stitchery, and made some progress, so hopefully I can finish it this week, so I can have it ready to use when I do Christmas after the holiday. I always like to do small projects for fun and try some new things for the holiday.

This is a needle felted project that I did, from an idea I saw on the internet. I used a cookie cutter to make the original shape, then added the features for the Santa. It was fun to make and I have a few other ideas I can use for more star shapes.

 

Last weekend we got out for a ride and stopped at a few places. One place was the Umbrella factory, I wanted to take a photo of the Emu. For some reason, there was only one now and it was enamored with Bill.

We also stopped at the Breakaway. In season it is also a camping area, but now you can camp for free, so maybe if we get a nice weekend, we will try an overnight. The beach is nice and as long as it isn't cold or windy, a great place to be.

And we drove to the next beach and I caught a few birds in the inlets. I still haven't gotten good shots and realized one setting might have caused the problem. I have a touch screen and it was on, so every time I put my face against it to shoot, it messes with the focus, so hopefully I can get some good shots this weekend.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am doing better, mostly tired out from coughing so much, but today I was able to do a little yard work, so hopefully I can get moving and clean, plan a menu and cook by Thursday. Bill does a lot of the main meal and I do the side dishes, so that helps. 

Working on Friday!

 

This has not been a good week for me. I was all ready to have a fun weekend and woke up Saturday, sick with bronchitis. I spent this week coughing my lungs out and today was the first day I could breathe without coughing. So, not much got done, I had no energy and spent more time doing nothing but coughing.

I was able to put together the next pieces for my Christmas hanging. I did some stitching on my other piece, but not as much as I would have liked. 

Today I felt good enough to get out for a bit and I really wanted to get some fresh ocean air. My house has been filling with my neighbor's fireplace smoke, so that hasn't helped with my coughing. It was nice getting out and the island was popping with color.

On the way home, I spotted this Red-tailed hawk, hanging out in the shipyard. My camera wasn't working right and they couldn't fix it, so I got a new replacement. I still need to redo the settings for focus and other things I use to get better shots. I used photoshop to improve the quality.

I am hoping I keep improving and will get out as much as I can this weekend. I feel better when I am out, even if I get tired after. I hope everyone is doing well and avoiding this flu that is going around, not a fun one.

Friday Finish!

 

I was able to finish my new piece, just in time for Halloween. This is a design by Bird Brain Designs. It was fun to do and fun to do in color. I am also working on a larger piece with snowmen, and another, so hopefully I can get those done, along with a few quilts in time for Christmas. 

We were able to get out for a ride, last weekend, to enjoy some foliage and some short walks. I didn't have a lot of energy and I guess I was coming down with a flu or the new version of covid, so have been fighting that off, this week. Hopefully the meds I got will knock it out so we can get out this weekend.

This is one place we stopped, a river in Connecticut. Not as much foliage as we had hoped.

The next place we stopped, had more color. A view up river from the boat launch.

The falls were not running as full, as they usually are.

And a view, down river. It is a nice area with a drive along the river, in different towns. I am not sure how much or where the foliage is now, but it is always nice to go for the ride and hopefully some hikes. I hope you all have a nice weekend.

Working on Friday!

 

This week I am working on three projects. I am working on a wool project but wanted to start my new stitchery, so I can work on that too. Then I had another that I realized is on a disk. It was actually a machine stitchery, but nothing on the package said that. So, I got my son's player and was able to print it out. Since it is a halloween piece, I am working as fast as I can, to get it done by halloween.

This is the new Christmas stitchery that I am working on. It is by Bird Brain Designs. It is a long one, so it will take me awhile.

We were able to get out and enjoy some foliage last week. We took a ride to the quilt shop, where I got some new Christmas fat quarters to go with other fabric I have and some bargain patterns. Then we made a few stops to enjoy the foliage, and a stop to pick a big bag of apples.

Today we got to enjoy some time at the beach. We are having some warm weather but the clouds were taking over at the island. A view of the lighthouse with some foliage along the back shoreline.

A view of the inner cove. The tide was really low today. Lots of foliage in our area, and hopefully we can get out and enjoy a ride tomorrow to see more, before it is gone. I hope you all have a nice weekend and can enjoy getting out.

Friday Finish!

 

It's been a busy week with projects and running around, exploring areas with foliage. This week I saw something I had to try, a ghost quilt. It is based on a book for kids and I saw the idea in a quilt group. I cut up 5 1/2" squares and did 8 rows. The one I saw had 10 blocks and a 4" border in hers. I just sat the eyes on, I still need to sew them on and reshape them. I don't have a good base to set it on, so I will go out tomorrow to see if I can find something. 

I also saw something in a store we went to and I tried my own version. It didn't quite work out the way I wanted, mine is just a wrapped mini cat I had. I used cheesecloth on mine.

Last weekend we went to Woodstock Connecticut. We enjoyed the ride and stopped at some of our favorite shops. We even stumbled onto a craft and art fair, but I didn't see anything that interested me.

On Sunday we picked up the kids and took them to Stepping stone falls, my favorite place. The boys had fun on the hike and exploring the falls.

Bill took a few days off, but with impending rain, we decided not to go traveling. We went to the north end of the state and stopped at a reservoir to check out the views. The colors are still coming in. The church was in the town, we stopped in.

Next we stopped in a town called Chepatchet. It is a wonderful old town with lots of shops, prims and antiques. They had a scarecrow contest so we had fun walking down the sidewalks to see them.

Really creative ones and lots of creepy ones.

The upper middle photo was called, death by chocolate, it won first place.

Today we had impending rain, so we stayed close to home and visited a park in the next town. It it is a large park with grassy areas, and shaded picnic areas.

They also have a nice beach and lots of trails to walk on. 

I had to take my new camera in for repair, so I grabbed my other zoom to use. But, after seeing how bad the pictures were, I realized I took the wrong one, it was the old one that I had dropped, so the shots were not as good as I would have liked, so no good zooms. I was able to catch these ducks, hiding under the trees in the pond with my regular lens. 

Tomorrow more rain, so a good day to get things done. We have the church bazaar next week, so a good time to clean out a few things. I hope everyone had a good week and enjoyed following along with me.