Friday Finishes!

This week I have been enjoying some free time and worked on a few projects. The first is a stocking that I made with Michelle Palmer's free pattern, she offers each year. She has done several and still offers them on her Facebook page with a link to her site.

I didn't add all the stitching that she did and added a few of my own. I wanted to keep it simple but fun, so I added yellow and red glitter threads.

Then I decided I wanted to make something with wool roving, so I made up a little stocking. I will use this to put a gift card in, for the kids. Then they have something to hang on their tree. I added glitter thread to accent the design.

At home I have been enjoying a warm up in the weather. The birds have been visiting more often and I was able to catch the moon as it came up, during the day.

Today I had a me day and Bill took the day off. We went to a town beach in South Kingstown. It is much quieter and has a long stretch of beach. We found a nice spot to park the RV, with views of the ocean. Bean was happy, he got to play at the beach all day and give hugs, to passerbys.

I had wanted to get some bird photos from a beach further down, but by the time I got to the houses, I realized I still had a ways to go and it was getting colder, so no bird photos. But we decided to stay later and watch the sunset. I missed the moon as it rose, but it was still beautiful with the sun setting.

A look down the beach as the sun fell below the ocean. 

The beach doesn't seem to have a lot of glass, but what I find is nice and a few large pieces of pottery. It was nice to get out and enjoy the last slightly warm day. I hope you are all enjoying your week and find time to relax and enjoy the holidays, without the stress.

Friday Finishes!

 

This week I have been busy, being Lazy. I spent more time working on projects for fun and got a few new things made for the boys. The first finish are a pair of pillows with Balsam filling. I love having some for the house and giving them as gifts, nice for those who don't have a real tree.

The design is by Robin of Bird in the Hand Primitives. She offered this as a free design years ago and again on her Facebook page. It is a fun design to do and would be fun in punch needle too.

I also dabbled a bit with needle felting. I bought a pack of cookie cutters and used them to form a base for some little ornaments. I do find it easier to free hand but it is fun to try the cutters to get started.

I saw a cute little reindeer and wanted to try one for the boys. Mine did not come out the same, and this photo does make it look funny, but it is cute in person. I have a variety of wool roving and some is harder to work with. I think it would have been easier if I didn't use a scratchy wool.

And on nice days we spend our time at the beaches. Not as much glass lately, but just walking along the beach is enough.

This area has another beach we visit, beautiful views of the bay and Newport.

And during the week I enjoy sitting on the porch and watching my feathered friends. This is the brother and sister of the adult pair, I guess they decided to stay. The yard photo was enhanced a bit, but it was beautiful with the setting sun, beaming down on the tops of the trees. This week will be busy, cleaning and cooking, for Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a wonderful week and holiday.

Friday Finish!

 

This has been a tough week, a lot can happen in a few days and Bill is back in the hospital. He developed blood clots that went to his lungs and got pneumonia, so he was rushed to the hospital and has been there since. He is doing good but they are keeping him until he levels out and his lungs clear. With his knee surgery, coming home would be hard since he cannot walk well, but also sick and weak. So, I am glad they are keeping him, he is getting good care and it is easier on me. 

I have been keeping busy with the house, catching up on cleaning and getting as much as I can done, so I am hoping I can get out and enjoy a few nice days and have some me time. In the meantime I make time for me by watching tv and working on projects. I was able to finish one this week, a stocking design, by Cheri Saffiote. This was a fun one to do and I think it would make a nice gift idea.

Another thing I do for myself is, sit on the porch and enjoy the birds that come to visit. I also have some unwanted visitors, the local squirrels. I swear they are sitting in their nests, watching for the moment I put food in the feeders. I let them feed at the other feeder, but not at the porch one. For the first time, this little guy showed up. He isn't as brave as the squirrels, and took off, a few seconds after I got a shot.

I also try and walk around the yard and play with Bean each day. I noticed the neighbors had a lot of birds in their backyard, so I snuck through the bush and caught this robin.

And a new regular to the feeders is the Red Bellied Woodpecker. They are twice the size of the Downy. I don't always get a nice sky, so I cheat and use the new sky filter in Photoshop. The deeper blues make a nice background for the lighter birds.

And of course my regular visitor, the juvenile Downy Woodpecker. He was the first to visit and is quite comfortable eating, while I am on the porch.

With warm weather this week, I am hoping to get out for some hikes and maybe catch some of the birds, that are coming back from the south. There has been a lot of sightings of the Blue Herons and Ospreys this week, so they are heading home and nesting. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and experiencing nice weather in your part of the country.

Friday Finish and Freebies!

It seems I have more energy to make things at Christmas, even though it is too late to make gifts, some I can hand out to people and others I can save for next year. I actually have a stitchery and punch needle, waiting to be started, so hopefully I can make at least one for next week.

This week I was in the mood to needle felt. The plan was to make a simple gnome santa, one for each of the boys, but I got carried away. He got bigger and then I went off on my own, as usual, so he is simple but more detail than the original which was just a blog with a beard, lol.

I was trying to make his cuff at the bottom, look like it draped over his boots, but didn't come out the way I planned. Some day I want to make a nicer old world santa.

I also made up some ornaments from a design by, Downeast Thunder Farm. She has a lot of nice felt designs that she offers for free and these were perfect for Christmas giveaways. I didn't have any white felt, so I used wool, which isn't as stiff, so I put a piece of felt for the back.

Another ornie I made was these fun stockings. I saw them on  pinterest and I saw that they are being sold from an import company, so I took the liberty to make my own version. I just traced out some mini stockings and added things by hand cutting, so no pattern. Simple enough to copy to make your own and put your own touches to. Mine are about 3" long. I may try some with carrot buttons, I do have a lot of chenille that was gifted to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I still need to come up with a good idea for the boys. I have bought them some things, but Nick wanted an electric guitar. I don't know if he will take it seriously, so I want to get him something with strings, but also fun buttons and I can get Alex a button one, but so far, they all have bad reviews. Not sure if it is worth it, so will see what the stores have, at least I can take it back if I have to.

It is also a time of remembering, not a day goes by that I don't think of my daughter and Christmas was always her favorite holiday. This guy is a frequent visitor when I sit on the porch.

Friday Finish and Freebie!

This week I made another stocking from the stocking design I found at Cheri's facebook group. I used designs from her old books and added my own touches. Now I have one on each side of the skinny walls, that are on the big, useless opening in our kitchen. The wall will be coming down and we plan on putting in an island.

For now it is a great place to hang things. I hung it on a knob with better lighting, but I can never get a good shot of wool items.

Tuesday was a beautiful day and I wanted to get out. No crowds and Bean got to enjoy getting out too. This is how Bill looks for glass, I was digging too, lots of rocks with glass, hiding underneath.

And we found some nice pieces this time. I really need to organize what I have found lately and start making things. Winter is a great time to create, so hopefully I can get more done this year.

And for this week's freebie, a fun little star that I saw online and no idea who made it, but it did have a pattern. I redid it a bit and made the hat simpler, as well as changing the face. I like things I can make up quickly, since these are things I give away. I think it will definitely bring a smile, to the recipients face. Something fun to make and you can change it to suit your needs and change the expressions. I may do some with button eyes.

And here is the pattern, simple to make with felt or wool. You could even sew some with lighter fabrics. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday finishes and Freebie! - Plus a Holiday recipe!

I have been busy this week, a great way to keep my mind and hands busy while I finish off the last of the flu. My first piece is the second of the set from Blueberry Backroads. I colored this one with pencils, but it didn't pop, so I used my ink markers and love how that looks. I will recolor the first one, as well.

The second piece I finished is a stocking with a design from Cheri's Friendship group on Facebook. The design is free and another member did a design on a stocking and gave us the template to copy. She had machine sewed her stocking and I left the seam allowance on mine, so a little fatter, but it is nice for those wider design elements. The stocking measures 10".

I also tested some recipes, this one is my new favorite. It is Sweet Potato flat bread and so easy to make and only two ingredients. I was doubtful that it would work, but it does and it is delicious. Today I made up some apple - pineapple jam and it went great with them. For Thanksgiving I plan on making small ones and using cranberry and fruits to go with them. It stays moist in a sealed container, so you can make it ahead and just reheat before dinner.

And for Friday's freebie, a cute little reindeer. I found the photo at another foreign site and no pattern, so I did up my own. The wools I used were not as dense as I thought, but they still came out nicely. I will definitely make more of these, great to hand out or add to gifts. These are about 4 1/2 x 3 1/2.

And here is the design that I used. You can add your own buttons, different appliqués and colors. I hope you have fun, making your own. Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

This week I was able to make two items and one is a freebie. The freebie is offered by Michelle Palmer on her facebook page, Michelle Palmer Artist. She offers one each year, and I love this new one. It was fun to do and can be done in primitive wools or bright wools.

The stocking is about 9" tall. I think it makes a nice gift that you can add some candy to, or some lip balm, etc. You can find the pattern at the link above. You can see a little shading on his head and tail, I used walnut ink but it faded as it dried, so I can add a little more.

My next piece is a design by Kathy Schmitz for her One Stitch Club. I decided to do it in Christmas colors,  on a tea towel,  perfect for a gift.

This week I was able to get in a beach day. Bill has his laser surgery and a late appointment the next day, so we got in a  few hours at the beach. I got  quite a few nice treasures, that large chunk is an old green piece and the larger rock would make a nice shape to do a nativity scene.

Do you see that smaller dark piece above the green and yellow one?

Well, I got a nice surprise when I put it to the light and saw that it was a piece of red glass with a gold decoration on it.  I almost threw it away, thinking it was a piece of a new bottle.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and not snow bound. It is colder here, but it will be sunny.

Friday Finishes!

This week I was able to spend more time working on my projects, so I was able to finish one, make a quick one and start a new one. It is nice to relax a bit and just enjoy the season and make a few new things for fun.

I finished the pillows, a pattern from All Through the Night. I love the preprinted fabric, but find it a pain to sew on. But, it is still worth it, love how the prints look, behind the stitchery and wool. I realize that they are not all the same size, guess I should have trimmed by measuring from the cutting line.

The snowman was a free pattern and I changed it a bit. He looks good sitting by the box and just the right height to be seen. The original was actually a floor size, but I like the smaller version. I also found the Christmas box at at the craft store and like how it looks with the pillows. The dividers make it hard to display them nicely, I may take them out for next year.

I also started something new. I still had leftover gift money on etsy and finally used it. I love Michelle Palmer's designs, she is the one who offered the free fox. I fell in love with this design when I saw it and it is so fun to punch. It is large, 11" x 8.5, so I am not sure if I will finish by Christmas, but I am taking my time and enjoying the process and later if things need fixing, I can change them. Not sure on some of the shading and detail on areas that need more definition, but I can wait to see how it looks, all together.

And here is what I have done so far, using what colors I have and added some height to the cuffs and areas around the hat. I am thinking this would be fun to mount on a peg board, that I can use to hang stockings from, for next year.

I finished decorating but seem to see things, I just have to have. Last week it was another church, a prim tree and a snowman piece, I really need to stay out of stores, lol. It is just too fun to decorate for when the boys come over, Alex is at the age where everything is magical.

Here is a little of what I have around the house.

I also like lights and a bit of glitter. The house is on top of the kitchen cabinet and the creches are on my other shelves. Please ignore the beehive cookie cutter, I forgot I put it there, it goes in the craft room. I have an idea for it, with needle felting, another project for next year.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a week filled with joy and peace.

Friday Finishes!

Well, I was able to finish all my pillows today and use up the last of the balsam. A few trips to the post office and a few more next week and I can relax. I do have boxes of cards, think I go carried away, so those will go out too.

I also finished off a stitchery, I had made earlier in the year. The box behind them, I found last week and plan on using it for my newest snowmen pillows.

With the new month, I also got the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz. She also gave away an extra freebie and I had to make that for some quilting friends. I photoshopped the initial out of the heart, so that wouldn't show. They also have lavender in them, so the person can put it with their quilts or fabrics to keep them fresh smelling.

And, I finished the stitchery of the month. I was hoping for something for Christmas, so I went with brighter colors, but that didn't work, so it is more of a fraktur style bird. The fabric is crackle print with and I aged it to look like old parchment. Hard to see in the photo.

And another freebie this month was by Michelle Palmer, for her Artist's Facebook Group. She also has a fun snowman to do, as well. Of course I added a few of my own touches.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays, whether with family or quiet time to create, what brings you peace and joy, is truly what matters. For me it is always bitter sweet, Danielle loved Christmas and I will always miss her, but I still keep her close to my heart. I found a beautiful ornament with a saying, it is at the lower right and the saying is on the photo. The other I found and put in a photo from one of our last hiking trips. My tree is covered in silly cat ornaments, but these two remind me that she is with us in spirit. May you all find peace this holiday season.

New Project!

I wanted to try the stockings in a smaller size and make a quilt for me, with all stocking blocks. I reduced the design to 9" x 7" and modified the stocking slightly to make it simpler and a bit wider. I am using scraps and homespuns from my stash and all black for the block backs, which is also a homespun style, something like linen.

I am thinking of using a red that is in the same line, as sashing for the blocks, I think that will set it off nicely, then I can do a black binding. I just wanted something simple to make for fun that I can use next year and a great way to use up some of my stash.

This weekend wasn't very nice, too cold on Saturday to stay outside for more than a few minutes. On Sunday we had rain in the forecast, but not till later in the day, so we headed to the beach. It was so nice to walk on the beach and no one else around. Then it started to sprinkle, then rain which was more like ice, so we had to give up. I was disappointed since we hit the tide as it was going out, a perfect time to walk up and down the beach, and look for treasures.

We did find some glass and I grabbed lots of small rocks to play with, so hopefully I can make something this week, for my room.

Friday Finish!

I hope everyone faired well during the recent storm. We had a bit of a blizzard and the cold winds are continuing through the weekend. Too cold to enjoy being outside, but perfect for working on projects.

This week I got the newest stitchery from Kathy's One Stitch Club. The design is french inspired and she did hers in light shades with light thread, which I like, but I decided to try it in dark shades. I used coffee stained fabric and on one a yellowed tan and the other a medium tan shade. I used stash thread, so no idea the actual colors.

I like how they came out, they are stuffed with batting and lavender, since I made them to be sachets. The problem is, the blue marker ran into the threads, so I used soap to wash it out and that soaked the pillows. With all that moisture and drying, it changed the coloring on the fabric, I guess it runs and reforms into shapes. It also did something to the lavender and there are stiff spots on the back. I have learned, wash off the marker, before I stuff them;)

I realized I forgot the button at the bottom and I also stamped out the initial at the top, didn't want it showing;) The edges are done with a wool, rug yarn.

I also started one of the stocking blocks. I wanted to try it first, to make sure I wanted to needle turn. Since the stocking is so simple and big, it was a breeze, turning it as I went and sewing it down. I did use a template this time, then traced around the seam allowance with a white pencil. That way I knew to turn it on the line and keep the shape.

I was thinking of adding the fabrics for the heel and toe, but not so sure. This is for the kids, so I want it to be more modern than prim, but I like the idea of making that part more scrappy. Not sure this works with the red snowflake, though. Maybe a white shade? So, perhaps keeping those pieces in solids, since the prints are busier? I may even have some mottled solids that would work nicely, need to go through my stash this weekend.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I need to go back to the store for more black. The one I picked was too thin and the one I am using is a medium weight and not enough for all the blocks. Luckily I got it at Joannes, so I can get more.