Friday Finishes!

This week I got a couple of projects done, one was my noodle board, I finally finished it.
Bill made the board for me and I painted it black. I was going to do mustard over black, but decided that would be too busy in the kitchen and left it black.

The problem was, the board had been sitting for months and the paint was really set into the wood and I do not have a lot of strength, so I didn't sand it very well.  My stain was old and I had to water it down, so that didn't help and my spray varnish was way too old, it wasn't going on right and left a messy finish, but it will do.

This is how it looks on the stove. We made it to cover up the old stove, it was a mess and this would have looked nice on it, but I think it is too much for my new stove and I love my new grates and don't like covering them up.

Then I used the broiler without taking the board off, not a good idea. The varnish started melting, so never use the oven with a board on top;) I decided it would be better to use it elsewhere and now it is sitting on top of my chest. The chest is another future project, I think it needs to be painted and antiqued. I like how it looks on the chest and keeps things from being knocked over by the kitties.

The hooked rug and cat pieces were gifts from my friend Kelley, With Hook & Needle.

I also decided to try another needle felted project and I needed an eyeglass case. I used designs from online coloring book pages. If you use white wool for the backing, you can trace designs onto it with a light box. I like to have the outlines to follow, even though my version is definitely not as detailed as the original. I made the case in one piece, doing a design on each side. It has a fabric liner inside, then I added a twisted cord for the edging.

This is what I did as the front side. My seagulls are sad looking, I think I should have gone with simple black outline gulls;)

And this is the backside, I kept it simple and had fun with the fibers for a sunset look. I think it is time I dye some roving so I can do more shading and details in my pieces. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

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.

Indigo Blue Table Mat!

I finished my table mat this weekend and love how it looks on the table. We got a slate blue couch and just having something that matches, really warms the area up. The table is really an old cupboard top that had a stained glass front, but that got broken and now it is used as a table top with shelves to put my things.

This is the top, as is. I had to wash it to get rid of the chalk marks, yellow is not easy to get out. It shrank up and warped a bit, but fits the spot perfectly. The mat measures 23 1/2" x 13".  I stuck the candle on top so you could see the colors. I have a reproduction pencil box that sits there and holds my scissors and other items.

I decided it was too white and bright, so it got a walnut ink wash. I dried it in the sun and it got spotty, so I rinsed it down a bit and resprayed, then dried it in the dryer and now it has just the right aged look. The extra washing and drying, warped it more, but is is laying flat now, on the table.

Here is a close up of the staining and my stitching. I used DMC floss, 2 strands of #612. A great color for when you want a lighter, primitive shade.

I also decided my rooster was too light, I do like my darker prim look. I used walnut on the main colors and then tried java ink on the orange, but it muddied it on the outer edges of the tail, but it does look old now. Now I have to decide how I want to finish it. Today the summer UFO's went in a box, they will have to wait till late winter. Now it is time to get going on Christmas, I am hoping to have projects finished in time, this year;)

Primitive Table Bench!

I finally finished the table bench I was making for my friend's birthday. It is a bit late, but done.
I had finished it and grabbed a can of spray for the finish, except I had grabbed a can of red paint, ugh.

With the storms and cold, I didn't want to work in the basement, but I finally got down there and sanded off the red paint and repainted it black, then stained and put a real finish on it this time.

The pattern was from Mercantile Gatherings, 2010 Holiday Issue. The pattern itself is from the Wooden  
Nail. They sell patterns for different types of primitive wood items, so a good place to find patterns if you would like to make things for yourself. My husband made the bench and I do the finishing.

Repurposed Table Mat!

My friend Kelley sends me boxes with scraps and stash and I decided to make a table topper with one of the scrap pieces she has used on another project. The nice thing was, the blocks were already put together, I just added a border. Then I hand stitched the squares with a simple outline stitch in the blocks, then went across with an X in each one. for the outer edge, I used a reverse blanket stitch to edge the line and give it a little added touch. I had some old material that was given to me, that had apple prints, in a large and small version and thought that would make a nice theme for an appliqué. I used some scrap wool I have in a drawer and added the apples in each corner.

For the border, I always make it a big larger so I can fold that to the back instead of using binding. This time I used a mahogany stain, gives it a slight reddish brown tint, so an aged look without being too dark. Now I think I need to make one with Easter colors and a matching appliqué. It is fun to make small mats with your scraps and something you can use on a side table to change with the seasons.

I just added a few things for display, but this will go into the fall box once I make a new one for spring. I was thinking it would be cute to add an A+ in each apple and use as a teachers gift, you are welcome to use the idea.

Table Top Mail Desk!

This week I got a wonderful surprise from Carol and her husband, of Firecracker Kid Primitives. I have been looking for a piece to put mail in, that is also a piece that I can decorate on and big enough that the cats won't knock it off of the bureau. Carol's husband filled my wish list and then some.

I have a place to put mail, and plenty of space to decorate with and I can say, the kitties are not too happy that I took their window spot, lol. They left it  unfinished for me, so I can do my own painting and antiquing. It is 25" long and I can't wait to finish it and decorate around it. I am thinking of going with a black and mustard layered paint and will be sure to show you a photo when I finish it.

Another thing I noticed how well their packaging is, lots of bubble wrap to protect the piece and padding in the cubbies for added protection. If you have ever wanted quality wooden pieces for your home, be sure to visit their etsy store, Firecracker Kid Primitives. They will also take custom orders, as well.

At the moment, I am working on some projects that I cannot share just yet, but I will be sure to post when the recipient gets her gifts. I am fighting off another flu, so working a bit slow these days.

Weekend Wanderings!

Yesterday was a cold day and we got snow and rain, so it was a good day to go shopping. I found a new store that I wanted to check out and had fun walking around the rooms, at least three times. The store is called Carol's Country Corner and she carries primitive and country goods. You could walk around a second time and see things you missed the first time, so a fun activity for a rainy day. There were a lot of wonderful prims and some antiques and I took some photos, but most came out bad or blurry. This was one of my favorite displays, wouldn't this set up, be fun in a corner of the house.

Here are some of the goodies I got, the sheep and the spool candle will go with a sewing display, that I will be doing in my sewing room. Bill bought the tin candle and striped candle, he had to have it, lol. He is worse than I am, he went so far as to pull that garland off a tree, since it was the last one. He said he liked it, think I should leave him in the car, next time;)

Today was beautiful, a bit cloudy at times and a bit of drizzle, but the rain stayed away and it was a lot warmer. We wanted to check out the area at Point Judith, where there is the lighthouse and fishing area with the breakers. This is what we found at the fishing area. The area was deteriorating from some recent storms and hurricane Sandy did a lot more damage. This is the parking lot now, before it went to the sign, way in the back of the photo. Half of the old parking area, is gone.

We also went to Black Rock. The high cliffs were fine, but as we walked, we realized all the bush was gone. Then we went onto the beach and saw why, the storm came up and ripped away at the land and took half of it, back into the sea and left more piles of rocks on the beach and the pathways.

There was a lot of damage further up and areas where the path got taken down, but it is still a beautiful place to walk and enjoy the views. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

A Repurposed Quilt and Giveaway!

Last week, My friend Kelley, sent me a goody box and one of the items was an unfinished mini quilt. She had sewn the squares together and decided she didn't want it, so it came to my house. I decided it was the perfect size for a table mat, so I added a border and hand stitched the squares and added some stitchery on the borders.

It was something fun to do while I rested my hip, which decided to act up after our last paddle trip.
I used black pearl cotton to do the hand quilting and floss for the outer stitchery. I also antiqued it, I like how some places got darker, like an old stained piece. The appliqué came from a Whimsicals book, I modified it to fit the corner of this piece.

I was hoping to finish it earlier so I could get a photo, outside, but it got dark before it was dry, so the flash messed it up a bit. No idea how the edge got so crooked, I could say, I did that on purpose, lol.

And for those of you who would like to win some fun patterns, check out Cleo and Me. They have two contests going, so look at both posts. And there are no entries, not even me, lol. I have enough cute ones, so here is your chance to get in on a wonderful giveaway with a  great chance of winning.

And here is how it looks as a mat. Goes nicely on this bureau, might just leave it there. The mat is 21" x 15".