Friday Finishes!

 

The bad thing about being sick is, you can't get out to shop or the beach, so I am stuck at home. The good thing is, I have plenty of time to work on projects. It seems I have a good day and then downhill again, but at least my body is fighting. Having injuries adding to the mix,  doesn't help and hopefully I can get well enough to get checked out and fix my problems this winter, so I can get out and have fun when the weather gets nice again.

This week I started by finishing a needle felted piece. I saw a design on the web and wanted to try it. I didn't get the exact effect I wanted, but it came out pretty nice. I need to make a wooden board to mount it on or maybe find an old piece I can mount it on. The star came out too thick, wanted it thinner and less bold.

Then I made up some mini pillows to use up the balsam I bought. I gave some as gifts and Nick took a couple home, so the rest will go to neighbors and the milkman. 

The last piece is from The Stitch of the Month Club. I always need hot pads to put dishes on and this will be fun to use at Christmas. I seem to have gone a little wonky on one edge.

I hope everyone had a good week and not getting covered in too much snow. I am hoping to get out tomorrow to do a little stocking stuffer shopping for the boys. I have been shopping online but I want to get a little candy and small items to fill a stocking. I have one more quilt to finish, hopefully by Christmas and will have to put the printed nativity aside and finish that next year. It will be easier to put away without stuffing it, and I need to get ready for Christmas Eve dinner.

Friday Finish!

This has been one of those weeks. Having the kids over, wasn't a good idea, we got sicker. Bill tested positive for Covid, so I know I have it too. On top of that, I have been taking my Lyme meds to fight it off and I had a spell and found myself waking up on the floor, with lots of bumps and bruises. So, the bad thing is, I haven't been able to do much for Christmas packages or cards, but hoping to start those this weekend and get it all done. I was able to do some shopping and got most of the boys presents, so that will be something I won't have to worry about.

Another good thing is, I have more time to make things for me. I made up a pillow with another design in the book, Snow Happy. I used a dark tea stained fabric and off white floss, for something different. I have two prim pillows that needed something in between and this was perfect.

I also made a balsam pillow with a design by Robin, from Bird in the Hand Primitives. She offered the free design on her Facebook page.

Before we got too sick, we spent a few hours at the beach on Saturday. I was able to get some photos of the Great Blue Herons, 3 different groups have stopped on their way south, and haven't left yet.

And since I wasn't feeling great, I walked more and picked up less, but I was lucky enough to find a blue ball and a nice piece of pottery.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying time during the holiday season.

Friday Finishes!

 I definitely need more time in a day or better organized time. So much to do in a week and I never get half of the things done, that I wanted to. I have several projects going on right now and more things to get ready for the holidays. 

I like having easy, smaller projects to do in-between other projects, so I made up a couple of pillows, stuffed with balsam. I have made balsam pillows, but most of mine are older and I need new ones. I also like to gift a few.

I also tested some new acrylic paint markers. I actually like them, but wish they had more prim colors. I did these up quick and it was a lot faster than painting and I only needed one coat, so a great way to do rocks without spend days, making them. They also work on fabric, so I may try them on a little pillow. These are the ones I used, Paint Markers.

Last weekend, we went for a walk at the bird sanctuary. Always a nice walk and lots of wildlife in the area. I was able to catch two new birds this time, an Eastern Bluebird and a Blue-headed Vireo. We also went to a few beaches, the wind was up and so were the waves.

And at home, a visitor who is watching and waiting for lunch. They do not like being watched when hunting, so he took off, which is good for the birds at my feeder. Cooper's hawks will go after birds when rodents aren't around.

I hope everyone had a good week. My day was spent, over cooking my cookies and then after spend the afternoon making homemade soup, a dish I took out of the oven, exploded. There was glass everywhere and the soup lid was off, so that killed all the work I did for dinner. Luckily the extra chicken was not in the area, so I can make weekend dishes with the rest. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

 

Tonight I shut down and it hit me, I forgot to post my blog, lol. The holidays have been hectic but worth it and today I spent all day taking down fall and putting up my Christmas decorations and I am still not done. I think I have too much, so just using my favorite things. 

I wanted to make some balsam pillows for the kids and Ivy likes gnomes, so I found some clipart to copy and made up some stitched pillows for them. They were fun to do and I added glitter thread for the inner stitching, details.

On Saturday we went for a ride and unfortunately, the new park we went to was impassable. The only way to the trails was across a stone slab bridge and the waters have been so hard and high, the river pushed them over sideways. No way was I going to try to walk on that. So, we ended up at another park and enjoyed a nice walk there.

I have also been seeing more hawk activity. This time it was a pair of Red Tailed hawks, flying over my house. Of course they got higher as I came out with the camera, but beautiful to watch them.

And Sunday was another birthday. I really don't like celebrating, so we spent some time at the beach and then the kids came over for a bit. The boys made cards and gifts for me. I found a few treasures at the beach, but it is getting colder and harder to stay out long. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a wonderful week ahead.

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.

Friday Finishes!

I was actually able to get a few things done this week and even decorate the house for Christmas. It is a hard time of year, but I keep busy and enjoy making presents for others and decorating for the boys. I even put up my pencil tree and my unbreakable kitty ornaments, I know Alex will love that. He goes around my house and says kitty kitty, meow meow. Maybe grandma has way too many cat collectibles, lol.

I finished and hung my snowman piece, a free design by Buttermilk Basin. I really loved doing this one and love looking at it. It hangs from my front windows. I did the back with a premade quilted backing in black, that way it blocks out the sun and it doesn't shine through.

I also made up 14 balsam pillows. I still have a balsam, so I guess I need to make more, the next will be with the snowflakes. I cheated and bought a runner for my table. I plan on making runners for each season to fit the new table, fun projects for next year.

I also made two of the pre-printed pillows by All Through the Night. I have mixed feelings about these. I love the designs and they seem simple, but it took me awhile to stitch them, you have to be exact since the designs are printed on. The material is also a bit stiff and thin for my tastes. But, I still love them and love how they look, so I would do more of her pre-printed designs.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Always make sure you take the time to enjoy the holidays and creating for them, sometimes we try to do it all and put too much pressure on ourselves.

Friday finish and holiday fun!

I didn't get a lot finished this week, I did get my Christmas hanging quilted, so now I just have to finish it off. I also made some pillows and realize I need to make a lot more since I have two more bags of balsam, so I need to get busy on that.

I have a few relatives that love snowmen, so I made up some with a fun print and some simple ones. I do have a lot of the snowmen left, so I think I should use more of that, it makes it fun and most people seem to like bright and happy.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I started cooking and at first I thought I had used bad cornmeal, it was old, so I threw it out. The next day I had more pancakes with my blueberry sauce that I made from frozen berries. And, it happened again, but worse, sneezing non stop, coughing and blowing my nose and then nausea. So, I am assuming it was the blueberries, I know the pancakes were fine, all from scratch with fresh ingredients. I am still coughing and notice when I eat, I get worse, so I know it triggered off my mold allergies.

But, I was still able to get the rest of the food cooked and the house cleaned and enjoy the day with the kids and Ivy's friend. It is nice to have the extra company and we all fit around the table nicely. Which by the way, is new. We went out last weekend and found  larger table with an extension and comfy chairs. It is designed to look like reclaimed wood and the chair seats are padded.

Alex is growing fast and such a joy, he loves my home made popsicles and the card Bill got me, it has a kitty in a basket and when you pull it out, it meows Happy Birthday. Annoying to me, but watching Alex laugh every time he pulled it out, was the best present ever.

And we attempted to get family photos and ones with Santa, that didn't work out too well with the bad lighting, but we had fun trying. Santa was being more of a problem than the kids, lol.

Today I got all the decorations down and started with Christmas. It was cold but I really wanted to get out and hit the beach. We got to enjoy a few hours before the winds got too cold. Of course I came home tired so I didn't get much else done. 

We found some nice pieces of glass and nice to breath in some cool fresh air. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am hoping I can get things done and get all my projects done in time.

This and That Friday!

This week has been busy with getting the last of the cards and packages done, last minute shopping for the kids and lots of cleaning. Even though we are eating at the kids this year, I always clean the house before A holiday, no spring cleaning for me. I find it is best to clean when I am redoing the decorations for the season since I have to take things done anyways;)

I got a surprise package from my friend Karen. She made me a little angel quilt, love minis and fun to hang around the house.

And she sent me a few patterns and some material. One is the exact weight I need to make pillows for the beach room, so another project I can start after the holidays. For now I am still in the Christmas mood and I just love the snowman door stop by Bird Brain Designs, so I am working on it now. No rush but bad weather this weekend, so maybe I can get him done.

The original is done in blue thread, but I thought I would go with colors.

I also made up more pillows, two dozen in fact. Bill took some to work to hand out, this time I am just handing them out, a great way to put a smile on someones face and share the holiday spirit. I also made up some little cards to go with them. I didn't attach them since I have a batch of mini bags that I got last year, it fits the pillow and card perfectly.

I hope you all have finished your shopping and have time to relax and enjoy the holidays. You are welcome to use the card saying, I found them online and put them together, I think it is a nice way to present a gift too.

I also found a fun project to make for Christmas or any time of the year. A sock owl and they show a no sew method, so fun project for the kids too. I might just try some myself. You can find the pattern at Crafts n' Coffee.

Christmas Rush Time!

Well, last week I said I had planned on getting everything done this week, and that is what I get for Jinxing myself, lol. That night I slipped on the icy porch and I didn't fall but all the twisting to keep from falling, threw my back and ribs out. So, I have been resting mostly and getting what I can done and I am almost there so I will be able to get my cards and packages out by next week.

I am finishing some projects, just a few touches to go and I did finish the first lighthouse pillow, I had made. I realized it was too loose and filled in the spaces and then finished it off. I also found some pretty snowflake material and made up a batch of balsam filled pillows. I added different sized snowflake buttons to the middle.

I hope you have all been able to finish up your projects and spend some time just enjoying the holiday and family. Have a wonderful weekend and for those in the snowy areas, stay safe.

New Hampshire Beauty and Fun!

We packed a lot in a week and I took lots of photos, but I will show you some of the highlights. At one place a woman asked to take a photo of us and she must have hit the wrong buttons and I took a few photos before I realized they were messed up. Of course the photo she took was chopped off and looked horrible, so I won't show that one, lol.

One of the things I wanted to do was to drive along route 302 and see the tall waterfall that cascades down the mountain. Maybe my memory was bad, but it wasn't even worth a photo, just a small stream coming down but we enjoyed the ride and saw some other nice places along the way.

We found this roadside park and stopped to enjoy the views and a walk with Bean. It is a small pond and only kids are allowed to fish in it, a nice place to go with small children.

They also have a bridge and waterfall that goes to a nice picnic area and hiking trails.

We came around to route 3, where you can see the basin which is free and the flume which has a fee, but well worth it, if you have never been. We went to the basin for a walk around the main path, which follows the falls and river to the basin.

The next day we went for a paddle on Lake Chocorua. It is just right for an easy paddle, with wonderful views of the mountains.

Bean is loving going paddling. He realizes it means he can also play in the water when we find a quiet little island at the end.

We did a morning paddle and had all afternoon, so it was the perfect day to go to Diana's Baths. We just hiked along the trail along the falls and I did dip my feet in, but too cold for me to swim in. Lots of people were swimming, so not too many private spots, that day.

The next day we had a storm coming in, so we relaxed a little at the camp and then headed towards Center Harbor for some shopping and the sun was coming out by the time we got there. I planned it so we went through the storm and came out on the sunny side;)

We came back on the Kancamagus and had time to stop at Sabbaday falls. It is a short walk to the falls and a little climb up the stairways, but a magnificent view of the falls as you head up and at the top.

The last thing on my to do list, was to hike the Lincoln Trail to Franconia Falls. This is the path we took the kids on when they were little but we just walked a bit along the river and I wanted to make it to the falls this time.

The  hike goes along the river, love hearing the sound of the river as we walked along. The bad thing is, Bean hears water and he is constantly pulling me towards it.

The path is an old railroad, logging road and the woods are filled with beautiful white birch.

We got to the top of the falls and not only were the falls a wonderful series of cascades, there is a giant pool at the end where you can swim and beautiful views of the mountains.

We didn't do too much shopping, I wanted to enjoy being outside, but I did get a few things. At Center Harbor I stopped in Keepsake Quilting, they have a large sale room in the back so I treated myself to a few yards of shirting. Next door is a yarn shop that carries roving, so I got some blue and green shades to use in 2D pictures. On the way home we stopped at Elf Made, it is a wonderful prim shop that also carries local souvenirs and I love their scents. I got some of my favorites and some candles, as well as a few bags of balsam for my Christmas pillows. All of the stores pack your purchases in fun bags and fabric ribbons, a little something I can use in a special project.

I hope you enjoyed my visit to NH, I know I could spend the whole summer there, if I could.

Monday Finishes and Weekend Fun!

I wanted to make more pillows and something a bit quicker, so I made printable fabric pillows. I found some free graphics on the internet and printed them out with the printer fabric. I use the June Tailor, washable and colorfast. I heat set them, then rinse in cool water and heat set them again. Not really sure if they are waterproof or washable and I do notice they tend to run with the red ink. After I rinse them, I blot them with a paper towel and that keeps the reds from running too much.

I made the mistake of using a higher resolution on the small pillows, that is why they are smaller. I forgot to change the size to compensate for the resolution. The wagon pillows are done at the lower resolution so they came out the right size. I like the smaller pillows too, they could also work as tree ornaments and if you don't have a real tree, the scent of pine would be nice on the tree.

The thing I don't like is, the fabric is stiff so I had to cut an opening in the back to fill them, that is a pain in the neck. With balsam, it is easier to pour it into the bottom, then sew them closed. I also have to stitch them up and cover the ugly opening I made, so an extra step. It is a nice way to make fun pillows though, and there are lots of free graphics on the internet.

I had Nicholas this weekend so I gave him his new creche to play with. He loves to play with the figures and the start lights and plays Away in a manger, so we heard that a lot, throughout the day.

Sunday he decide he did not want Mommy to leave, so it took me awhile to calm him down, but once he did, he was fine. I decided he needed a table so he had a place to play and a place to eat. He loved the table and played on it all day and loved eating like a big boy.

I guess I will not be online till after Thanksgiving. The kids are coming to our house, after all, so I will be busy cleaning and planning the meal, I have two more days, ugh. I always work better under pressure;) I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family and good food.

This is an old photo from a Thanksgiving at Waterville Valley in NH. They had santa come in on a dog sled and fireworks at night. The holidays will be hard, but I will treasure the memories.

Must be Monday!

It seems I do so much to get ready for a vacation that it takes all week to relax and then it is time to come home and clean up after the vacation, now I need another one;)

One thing that is fun on a vacation is shopping and buying some goodies to bring home. I spent more time outside and enjoying nature but we did hit a few stores along the way.

In Jackson, we found Flossie's General Store. They had a lot of different gifts and local items. I got some Christmas items, a miniature handmade creche and angel chimes that move with a candle flame. I also found more balsam, so I will be making lots of pillows this year. In Center Harbor I stopped at Keepsake Quilting and bought a little wool pillow kit and next door they had yarn and roving, white to dye myself and the beautiful dyed roving will go into some art projects.

On the way home we stopped at Calefs in Barrington NH, which has food related items and Bill got a sandwich and some goodies for my son. Next door is Elfmade and Company, primitive heaven, candles and scents and I was in heaven. I had to smell all the different scents, they have them in bowl fillers and the matching sprays are available so you can use that when the scent dissipates. I got lemon merringue and it smells so good, as well as coconut crunch, I love candy smells. A few small items for gifts and some scented items for my son, he loves their candles. I also got a large primitive pump bottle for the kitchen, now I have something nice to keep my dish soap in.

Across the street was a store that was like an over stock store. Lots of Carhartt clothing and miscellaneous items. I found primitive picks at a fraction of the cost and some fun potholders, great place to find some bargains. This is a great place to stop if you are in the area, a lot of fun gifts in one place.

I will use the blue picks in the basket, in the beach room.

I decided I wanted to put some of the scented filler in the beach room, but I didn't have something to hold it in. After church we went down to a gift store that sells a lot of beach items and I almost gave up, when I spotted this shell shaped pottery dish, hidden behind some other items. It is the perfect blue green shade for the room.

And a few more photos from our trip. This was a stop along the Kancamagus, a historical homestead with a walk through the woods to a pond and you can visit the home and grounds, as well. This was such a peaceful place, I would love to live here.

And for those of you who have never gone over a covered bridge, this is what they look like in the inside. If  you ever travel along the Kancamagus, you must stop at the ranger station and pick up a map. It is only two dollars and it shows all of the scenic points and trails along the way.