Friday Finish!

 

This week I was busy getting the trailer ready. It seems I take all week with packing and planning and cooking, on top of taking care of the house but I was able to get it all done and not forget anything. During the week I got a chance to finish a small pillow. Another stitchery I never finished off, so bit by bit, I am whittling down items in my box.

Last week we went to the island for some beach combing. I noticed a goose, close to shore and was able to get close enough to see it was in distress. He has wry neck and that can be a sign of Avian flu. It cannot raise its head, so it is unable to fly. I also saw two dead birds on the shore, so it is possible with the large flocks of geese and gulls in the area. I contacted a few organizations in the area, so hopefully they could help it.

Lots of Ospreys have come back and new ones are nesting so not sure if this is a regular or a new one who may be thinking of nesting in the tree.

Today we got to camp. We got a nice spot on the cove, so it's a great place to relax.

After we set up, we went to the beach and enjoyed some time beach combing and the cooler air. A storm was coming in, so we couldn't stay out long.

Back at camp, I enjoyed relaxing and watching the storm as it rolled in. With the tide being so low, I was able to walk out further in the marsh with my boots. Tomorrow is cloudy and cooler, perfect for bike riding. Sunday will be rain, and I paid for the night so we could stay all day, so it will depend on the rain.

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy some nice weather, though I saw there are some bad storms in some areas. 

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on finishing the new stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. This one was fun to do and I did more fancy stitches, as well as add a border to mine. It is fun having something new and quick to do, each month. I am seriously thing about doing sales again, I have way too many finished pieces, starting to pile up.

For fun, I decided to try some new rocks to hide. With the nicer weather, it is fun to place a few, at a time, in places we visit. With everything that is going on, I felt like sunflower pieces were nice to show our support. With my bad arm, it is harder to do a lot of detail, so I kept them simple.

Our weather is up and down lately, rain, warm and then cold again, so one day we went to the kids and spent some time with the boys and a little party for my son's 40'th birthday. Afterwards we drove around their area to look for an eagle they spotted. No eagle but we found an old mill site.

Remnants from the old mill.

The next day we spent some time at the beach. It was a bit cool but I finally got a pair of Bogs, so I was able to walk along the water without having to worry about getting my feet wet or cold. Bean was happy to go along, and the low tide meant, he had more places to explore.

I found some nice treasures and thrilled to find another marble and a large piece of lavender.

On the way out of the beach, I noticed a bird sitting at the Osprey nest and stopped to take a photo. It seems a Red Tailed Hawk and his mate have made a home in the nest. I am sure the Osprey is not going to be happy when it returns and sadly, it will kick them out, so I hope they havn't laid eggs yet.

I also got a surprise in the mail, a gift from Kathy Schmitz. She has a contest each year and this year was to make 6 of the same items and post a photo. I posted a photo of my pillows and instead of picking a winner, she sent all of the girls who posted, a gift package.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying time creating and time exploring your area. Warm weather is heading our way, so Bill has two days to take off so we are planning some day trips this coming week.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week has come and gone and I was able to finish my stitchery just in time, for the new one that came out today. I love this one since it was fun to do and will make a nice gift. I do enjoy coloring them, but I think I need to get more pencils to widen my color palette. It is fun to do brighter colors though, it makes me happy when I work on them.

We got to spend an afternoon with the boys. They love our beach, fun to treasure hunt and play at the beach. We bought the trailer so they were able to have lunch and then go back to the beach.

Unfortunately we got rain, so we waited it out and took a walk around the park, before we left.

The next day, Bill and I went for a bike ride on a rail trail in Connecticut. It goes through the woods, and past several ponds. It was a wonderful place to ride but I realized my seat was a bit too hard for my bony butt, lol. I was able to order a seat cover with cushion, so that should do the trick.

And of course, we spent a few afternoons at the beach. This was a beautiful day and there were a lot of wind surfers on the bay.

The last day we spent there was Wednesday. I had to wear a sweatshirt with the cooler weather and of course, now that I can't swim, the water was nice and calm. I wasn't feeling great and of course got worse for the rest of this week. Lots of meds and vitamins and so far I am fighting off, whatever I have. I am hoping I am up to getting out this weekend, the weather is cooler and it is so nice to get out for walks and maybe get some photos.

We didn't stay as long but I found some nice large treasures that were washing up on the beach. I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay safe and healthy.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on my painting and got more done, but I also drop my brush so much that I make a mess and have to fix the blobs of paint that I drop, lol. I decided to take a break and give my arm a rest, so I worked on a new stitchery. Yes, I agree, I do not know how to rest, but a brain break to think about my next steps on the painting.

The new stitchery is done with a design by Kathy Schmitz for the One Stitch Club. I do love pieces with inspirational words and this was a fun one to make. I colored the bee but the new colored pens seem to bleed more than the ones I get in the craft store, I don't think they are the same quality. So, a bit of black went into the yellow but I can live with that.

I like making pillows, something I can sell or gift and most people have room for a little pillow, more than a wall hanging.

I also got to spend last Saturday with the boys. The kids dropped them off so we took them to the island. We started with the diving beach, since most people are boating or diving from that spot, so there were only a couple of people on the beach. The boys loved playing in the water, even though it was cold.

After the beach, we drove over to the picnic area and found a nice big spot to park the rig. The boys loved having all that space to run around in and a picnic lunch in the trailer.

After lunch we went for a walk to the old forts. The boys loved exploring the forts and seeing all the graffiti, luckily Nick noticed the drawings more than what some said, lol. It was nice to spend the day with them and Nick told me he had a good day, which makes my day. I hope everyone is doing well and save from the fires, illness and able to spend time with your families.

Friday Finish and Fun!

This week I finally got time to finish my stitchery that I had been working on. It is one of the designs offered for Free from the Facebook group, Australian Stitch Along. I love the saying on this one, and more fun colors for my art space in the guest room.

I also made some more masks. My sister is going to her granddaughter's wedding, and she doesn't have a decent mask, so I made her two to match her Navy blue dress and some Native American prints. I had one piece of ribbon left, so I put that in one mask, to fancy it up.

And the boys got their first ride in the trailer, they loved it. We sat them at the table, but tomorrow I will put down the table and put in some pillows and a blanket so they can stretch out and be more comfy for longer rides.

And we ended up back at our house but that was fine with them. It was hot and a few squirt guns and they were happy. I am not sure who had more fun, them or Bean, he loves playing with the boys.

Their birthday was this week so we are planning on a day out. Nick said he wanted to have a picnic at the waterfall with hiking trails. I am assuming he means the one in Connecticut, which is good since they have large parking areas and picnic areas along the river. We got them cameras, so they can use them to take their own photos.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are in phase 2, but I plan on avoiding the beaches and areas that just opened, I know they will be mobbed.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on Three pieces, two I finished. I made another snowman pillow, but I will add the borders and finish them, and show them next week. Today I was too lazy to sit at the machine or think too much.

On the Facebook group, Quilts by Cheri, they are having a challenge contest with two designs, that we could do. I decided to go with the bee piece, I like the look and I was able to reduce it, to make a little lavender, sachet pillow.

I added some touches of color, but I got impatient and added the black marker before the yellow dried, so it ran a bit on the bee.

Another design is by Kathy Schmitz for her One Stitch Club. I enjoy getting one each month, something to look forward to. This one was reduced, as well and I colored this one with colored pencil. It is not as permanent as the markers, but I don't plan on washing it.

Tomorrow we have a warm weekend, so I plan on getting out and trying some new places in the hunt for eagles. Someday I will find them, lol. The fun is in exploring and trying new places. This area  is at a fish hatchery with walks along the river. I was hoping to take the boys, but they are still fighting off the flu. For me, getting out and getting fresh air is the best medicine.

Last weekend we never found any eagles, but enjoyed exploring and I finally stopped at a cemetery, that we pass all the time. From the road I didn't see much, but so glad I went in and found some wonderful old stones. Most of the stones were worn and broken, which is a shame, they did have some nice angel carvings, so I was able to find a few new ideas for future designs.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finishes!

This week I experimented with colored pencils and tools for blending. I had an extra design drawn up, for the bee skep by Kathy Schmitz. I thought it would be good to use on the crackle fabric, as my first try. The fabric says, 100% cotton, but it has a silky, stretchy feel to it.

I use freezer paper to trace the design and a blue washable marker. The paper keeps the fabric from stretching as I draw on the design. I also keep it on, while I color it in with the pencils. I use Faber Castell Gold Faber pencils. They come in a variety of colors and you can buy them individually at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. The best time to buy is when you have a 20% coupon, then you get that off, of each one.

I usually dull the pencil a bit, by rubbing it on paper, it leaves less marks if it is dull. You also want to color with a light hand, in circles, or you will see streaks, which I do have on some of my pieces. On this piece, I used a blending stump to blend the colors into the fabric and I do like how it works. It is made of compressed paper, so it is hard enough to rub the color and blend if you want some shading. The other benefits are, you can clean it with an emory board, and they are cheaper.

I do like how this one came out, the colors blended into the fabric nicely, though I may have used a bit of solvent at the end. The downside of this fabric is, I had a hard time getting the blue marker off, I had to rewet it quite a few times, to get it to disappear, which faded some color, so I had to recolor some areas.

On the second test, I made some little bunnies for the boys. I modified the bunny pattern from Kathy Schmitz to make it work for a boy and added a little pail with their initials on it.

I did get lazy and colored in lines, in some areas, which you can see on the pants. The bunny on the left was done with a solvent blender. It is double sided with a brush and a hard point. I used the brush, which releases a solvent as you go over the colors. It breaks down the pigments in the color and makes it more like water color. The downside is, it can bleed if you use too much, but it is not hard to control, once  you get used to it. It is also harder to add more color, once you use it.

The bunny on the right was done with the stump blender. I think I had more control shading, with the stump. As you can see, I was more concerned with making them, than the quality of my work.

I decided the bunnies were too light, so darkened them up and added things I forgot, then brushed fabric medium, over the colors. I wanted to make sure they could be cleaned. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I had brushed my hand onto the bottle of black stain and it go on the pants.

I really don't like the fabric medium, it gives it a stiffer appearance. The other test, the blue marker came off with a dab from a wet rag, so working on muslin, is better with markers, than on other fabrics. But, the crackle has a nicer look with the pencils, not sure if it is because I did a nicer job on coloring or because of the fabric differences, so I will have to try some more on the muslin and take my time.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finish and Finds!

This week seems to have gone by too quick. I had lots of things I wanted to do, while Bill had the week off, but most of the week, I was happy to have a few hours out and rest at home. I really wish we could have gone to New Hampshire to see the foliage, but we were able to enjoy some nice days at the beach and our foliage is still coming, so a few more weekends to enjoy the colors.

I was able to do another stitchery. My niece loved the bee pillow, but I know she is not into prim, so I made one with more color and crackle fabric. The design and crackle fabric is from Kathy Schmitz. I prefer to stitch without something in the way, and I think my stitches look better on this one.

And of course we got lots of beach time in and lots of hunting for sea treasures. On Saturday we found some nice pieces at the ocean.

On Monday we hit my favorite beach without the crowds and found some nice pieces, along with some pottery pieces.

Tuesday was an unusually warm day, so back to the ocean. We got lots of smalls, which will be fun to use in Christmas ornaments, that I have some ideas for.

Wednesday it was back to my favorite beach and we hit it, at the right time. We found a lot of nice pieces and even with a few people on the beach, I found ones they missed. I think I have enough to do a few projects.

We also went shopping and I got some new glass paints and sprays to try. I did a few and some didn't work right and some I like, so I will do a post with a review on the different mediums I have used and what works best, with some how to's.

Here is a photo of my first tries. The light green was a mess, so I washed that off and did a nicer job on the second try. The others are spray on sea glass paint. Never spray on a windy day, it came out too thick, so I will retry on a nicer day.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday finishes!

It has been a long few weeks, but my sister left this week and I can finally relax and hopefully get better. My visit to the doctor revealed congestion that is causing me to feel wheezy and out of breath, so he has me back on medicine. I have been resting and getting a few things done, but just having time to myself, has helped and time to create again. I think as artists, we need to create, it is what keeps us happy and healthy.

Bill has the week off and I am still undecided on what to do. Go to NH and hope the foliage blooms this week, or stay home and enjoy our area while the weather is good. I know we will have a pretty good week, not so sure what the weather will be in NH. I guess I better make up my mind tomorrow if I want to make reservations.

One thing I got to do this week, was make a new stitchery. The design is by Kathy Schmitz for her one stitch club. I admit, I was hoping for a halloween piece, but this was a fun one to do. It seems to be popular, since my nieces love it, and I am making them one with a lighter background and more color.

This piece I made using my coffee stained muslin. I love the dark color, but you cannot trace on it, with the light pad. So, I got a piece of my Sulky Solvy and traced it on that. It is easy to trace on and you can use it in a printer if you want. It sticks well, and be repositioned if it is not centered. It does stay on while you are stitching, which is another plus.

Here is how it looked after I stitched it. The bad thing is, it is harder to stitch through. The gummy back also gets on your needle, so harder on your hands and joints, to push the needle through.

And here it is, after I washed it off and made it into a pillow. I was not happy with the results, I see quite a few gaps. Not That I don't have some when I stitch, but areas that looked stitched on the paper, were actually empty.

It washes off easily, but it did leave some residue, so I had to rinse it longer than they said and more than once. I can still see a bit, that didn't come off. Someone did mention that washing the fabric first, makes it wash off easier, so I guess I will have to try that.

Another project I worked on was, painting glass jars. Bill has been getting yogurt in jars and they look just like candle holders. I didn't have time to shop for sea glass paints, so I tried my own. I mixed sea foam green with antique decoupage. Painting it on, left streaks, with brush and a sponge brush, wasn't happy with the results. Then I remembered I had a small sponge and tried that. I like the look of sponging and it has more of a beach look. After the paint dried, I added a light coat of gloss to seal it. I was thinking I could do little sailboats with glass or I may try painting a design on this set.

And if they have a candle in them, the design or glass would light up. This is with a tea candle, but I did not paint the insides, so you can burn a candle in them. Hopefully this weekend, I can find some frost paint and I also read that enamel is good, as well. It is a great way to reuse the jars and something anyone can do. You could also decoupage paper designs from your computer or ones that are found at the craft store.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Friday Finishes!

This week was a slow one, been fighting off the flu and it finally got me, so I have been taking it easy and today was a couch day, hopefully that means it is on it's way out.

I was able to finish my blocks from Cheri's Facebook Group. These are fun to do and work up quickly and she still has all the blocks and instructions in the files, so  you can still get in on the fun.

I oversized mine since the cloth is thin, next I will cut them down to size and add the sashing and work on the log cabins to go with them, a great way to use up scraps.

Since I had extra time and I wanted to take a day to just make something, I tried one of my cats as a halloween kitty with a moon and stars. I was trying to make it scrappy by changing the heights, and more loosely, a no thinking day of punching;)

We went to pick out our prize and there were no baskets left, was hoping to get a nice gift basket, but there were other prizes available. Some were just not my style and then she looked up and said, oh and this beach window. Well, that was fate, the perfect piece to put in the beach room. A bit shabby chic, and thinking I may put an ocean print behind it, or I can just paint a simple ocean and sky? It is on the wall shelve for now, not sure if i want to hang it, it does have a heavy chain on it, but I like that space and I can decorate around it. I also have a double oar to hang on the wall above it. I like how my starfish lights look, around it.

The saying is perfect for my room. I hope everyone has a nice weekend, we have rain, so maybe another rest day and hopefully some sun and a walk on Sunday.

Happy Present!

Sometimes when we feel down or sick, we need something to cheer us up. When I was little my mom would get us a happy present when we were sick and stuck on the couch all week.

Last month I won a giveaway hosted by Brenda of The Rusty Thimble. Brenda makes the most wonderful prim items, from pillows and ornies, to dolls and holiday items. This month she is giving away a wonderful americana piece. If you love prim items but don't have the time to make your own, visit Brenda's Etsy Store, she has a lot of wonderful items for sale and she changes her stock regularly and seasonally.

Brenda waited to send my gift and I am glad she did, I was not ready to get a gift but today it arrived and it was perfect timing. I needed a happy present to lift my spirits, it has been a long day and lots of laundry and organizing clothes.

My bunny is so wonderful, I love her looks and clothes and she is a lot bigger than I realized, so she sits beautifully on the shelf with the antique crazy piece. I think she will stay up for the rest of the season and maybe she can be my garden bunny for the summer.

I have also been stitching this week, slowly but I am in no hurry, it keeps my hand and mind busy and it is nice to do something normal when I can. We also went to church with our son and my sweet grand baby, having happy moments with him helps me to get through the tough moments. I appreciate all of your comments and support and I do have future plans that I will work on when I can catch up on sleep and my mind is not so jumbled. I cannot dwell on the pain and the senselessness of it all. I will be starting a new blog in memory of my daughter to help others and for future charity events.

I hope you enjoy my little stitchery, it is a block by Theodore Cleaves and she has graciously offered the whole set for free. I love the designs and they make me happy as I work on them. I may make smaller quilts or a larger one, but for now I just stitch and enjoy the process.

Blessings to you all!