Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to work on a new project. This is a design by Cheri Saffiote and perfect to add to my Summer decor. The original design is four blocks with the same design, so I made mine into a smaller wall hanging and added the saying. I realized after I took the photo, I forgot to add the stars. I have mini star buttons that I will add on.

Last weekend was Alex's first communion. He looked so cute, all dressed up.

And a family photo at the altar.

One afternoon we walked at the local preserve. It is a nice walk through the woods and down to the bay.

On Sunday we went to a local park that had a grand opening with giant trolls, made from found materials. 

And a second one, hidden in the wooded area.

Today Bill came home early, so we headed to the bird sanctuary. It is nice to walk along the paths without the weekend crowds. We got to see the Ospreys, hidden in the back area.

A first sighting for me, a Common Yellowthroat.

Lots of Catbirds in all of the areas, so there are always a few who will come out and pose for me.

A few more of the birds and critters that I could get a shot of. Most were busy flying back and forth and always in tree areas, so I couldn't focus in on them. I hope you have a good weekend and can get out and enjoy nature in your area. With the warmer weather, a lot of birds are coming in and you never know what you will find, if you look up.

Friday Finish!

 

I finally finished my Santa hanging. It is a design by Cheri Saffiote. The fabric I used is very dark, so I used lighter floss so it would stand out. I decided to add a few touches of color with the pencils to make those areas show up better. Then I used glitter floss for the x's, to give it a vintage pop.

Last weekend we went to the Seaport with the kids. They had a folk art music festival going on, so as we walked around, we got to listen to various types, at the different stages. They also had ethnic food booths, so the older kids enjoyed that, the boys had their usual chicken fingers. 

Of course Alex had to pose on all the anchors.

The next day we went back to Mystic with Nick. Poor Alex was worn out from all the walking, the previous day. It was nice to have Nick by himself so he could have more attention. We took him to the village to enjoy the displays and let him pick out some fun candy and T'shirts for him and Alex.

This was one of the strange ones.

The reason for the return was to go back to the seaport, for Indigenous people's day. They had the Eastern Medicine Singers do traditional songs and drumming. It was really wonderful music and a nice way to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

We also spent some time at the beach, which is always Bean's favorite. Even Bean found something on the beach, he loves that ball and had to bring it home.

Today we went to the local orchard and got a bag of apples. There trees are smaller, but full of apples and I think they are much better tasting then the other orchard. After we went to the beach and found a few fun items I can use in doing art pieces and always nice to get a good walk in, in the fresh air.

Tomorrow we are planning on going hiking with the kids, to the waterfall, so hopefully all goes well. It is cooler, so there shouldn't be any bugs out. Then rain again, so hopefully not a wash out on Sunday. I hope every is doing well and enjoys the coming week.

Working on Friday!

 

This week was spent at camp, so I didn't get anything done, that I wanted. As usual, I spent the time walking and at the beach when we could. Once I got home and got things unpacked and done, I crashed. Perfect time to relax and start on my quilt, so that is what I was working on, until the new stitchery came out. I started that yesterday, since it is the perfect design for a gift box going out this month.

This is what I have been doing on the wheelchair quilt. I am hand stitching with pearl cotton the design stands out. I am doing stars on some blocks and a basic X and triangles in the star blocks. I find it works up fast and relaxing while I watch tv.

At camp we spent time walking at the lighthouse area. Views of the ocean from all sides and we got to watch a few surfers from the beach.

On the weekend, the kids came down for dinner and time at the beach. The boys had fun playing, while mom and dad went treasure hunting. It is always nice to go to the beach after dinner when the crowds are gone and we can watch the sunset.

Going to the beach after hours is also a good time to find goodies on the beach. Some things were dropped and forgotten and others were just left from vacationers who don't want to take things home.

Lots of beach toys for the boys to play with and so many extras, that I will give away a pile to our local buy nothing group.

And I was quite surprised that people left boards behind. These are for skimming at the ocean's edge, the boys will love playing on these.

And sadly the summer days are gone and school has started, but we still have nice weather, so lots of fun adventures with the boys on the weekends. I can't believe that Nick is in fourth and Alex is starting first grade, they grow up so fast.

I hope everyone had a good week and enjoy their holiday weekend. We might have rain coming in but I still need rest time, I always overdo it and need time to recover, which means more time to work on my stitching.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

Another week has gone by and I feel like I just started. I was able to get a few things done this week, one was the stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. She offered it along with the design for the monthly club and I thought it was perfect for the sewing room.

I also made some more masks. Some extra for Bill since he is working and does the shopping, he can use at least two a day. The others are for my son, he is using Gaters and they do not really offer protection. He has a larger round face so the mens didn't fit him. I went up a size and used blue jean fabric on two and black broad cloth on the others, so we will see if they are big and stiff enough for him.

Last weekend we took all the boys out, my son wanted to go for a walk and we ended up tiring them all out with a hike at Barn Island, for 4 miles. 

On Sunday, Bill and I went to the Patchaug forest in Connecticut. We took a new trail that took us down some old fire roads, then a path through the woods to the overlook. The cabin is a shelter for hikers, nothing fancy but nice when you want to get off the ground.

We also took some short walks up paths on the other side, to see what they were like. I will definitely want to come back to the boardwalk when the flowers are in bloom. The long trail with the pines goes for miles, so we may try more of that path, the next time.

At home I have been enjoying the birds. I got a new feeder for them, so hopefully I can get clearer photos of them. It is one of the joys I can enjoy at home. A Tufted Titmouse, a red Breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Woodpecker.

And the leaves have fallen, which is Bean's favorite time. It is useless to rake with Bean around. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay safe and enjoy some adventures of your own.

Friday Finish!

A new month and new stitcheries from the One Stitch Club by Kathy Schmitz. This month we got an extra free one, so I decided to make that first, just in time for the holiday. I almost had it done in time, but yesterday was spent with the kids, so cooking and a party at their house, put me behind.

Today I finished it. I didn't have much time to work on things this week, so I rushed it a bit, but it was fun to do and I used up fabrics in my scrap box. It measures 9" x 7 1/2", great for a small area on the wall.

And of course I enjoyed a day with the kids, even the big kids had fun;) Bill has to stay out of water for another week, but he had fun squirting the kids with the hose. Alex is afraid of the big pool, so he has his own to play in. Hopefully I can get him to the pond without his mom and get him used to the water. She is petrified of drowning, so I think it is best if I teach them myself. Maybe someday I can help her overcome her fear.

Bill has this week off, still not sure what we will do, but the weather will be nice without the humidity. We will be looking at trailers again, I think I make our dealer crazy, I can't make up my mind, large and comfy or smaller to fit in more campsites, plus I want space for the kids so we can all go together. I love the comfort of a trailer, but I like to camp, and I don't need fancy or a bunch of Tv's.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

I hope everyone had a good week, mine was up and down. The up was time with my grandsons, the down was Bill's surgery was messed up, so his eyesight is worse. Now he has to wait for that to heal up before they do another one.

Another good thing is my ability to make things, that keeps me sane and even if they are small items, it was nice to have some new things to enjoy. The first thing I finished was a small braided mat for Moki's bowl. It is the perfect size to sit in front of the corner cabinet and more homey looking than the junk rug I had.

This is a great way to use up old wool that is not great for hooking or applique. The green was given to me and the moths got to it, but it still works in braids. It measures 22' x 16" and I realize, it kills my bad arm, so if I make big ones, I will have to work on them a bit at a time. I messed up on the end, but I just wanted to finish it and it is good enough.

I also made up a stitchery, a lavender pillow which went into the box of wool strips, that I rolled up. The lavender keeps the wool, fresh smelling and moths do not like it. The design is by Diane Knott for Lori's facebook group, Humble Work Hand Embroidery. There was more to the design, but I wanted to keep it simple. I used colored pencils before I stitched and a twisted yarn around the edge. It measures 5 1/2" x 3 1/2".

Today I got all my paint supplies out of my sewing room and set my machine back on the desk. Next I will clean up and organize and start practicing on my quilter and prepping some new pieces, time to quilt.

Saturday we went to the boy's birthday. I got Nick a  Vtech smart watch and Alex got a fun kid's watch. Nick's can take photos and video, so he can use it when we go to the beach or on hikes. Their party was at a science center, so they did experiments and got to make slime, to take home. Alex was more interested in getting a cupcake.

It is always good to see the boys having fun.

On Sunday we took the boys out and got a slip and slide and other fun things to have a fun day in the yard. Then their dad said he wanted us to come back for an early dinner, so we ended up at their house for a Birthday dinner for Bill. We gave Ivy a gift certificate for her Birthday and she got a new fire pit. This time my son made a dinner I could eat, so it was nice to relax and let them do all the work and spend time together.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Easter!

This week seemed to go by in a flash and I made a stitchery but it still needs to be finished. I did spend time finishing my new garden, and planting some seeds, so more time spent outside. Easter is another bittersweet holiday,  remembering the moments with my kids, but making new memories with the boys.

I tended to spoil the kids on the holidays, but the joy on their faces when they came downstairs, was worth it.

And speaking of the boys. Today mom and dad needed to get out for Easter shopping and dropped the boys out. I really wanted to go to the beach before the rains came, so we took the boys. The problem was, the temperatures dropped when we hit the beach and it was windy. Alex kept saying cold and wanted to snuggle in Grandpa's arms, so he went back in the car while Nick and I hunted for awhile. It was the perfect time with the tide going out and lots of rock piles from the storm, but we took what we could find, quickly and headed back to the car.

After a rest and nap for Alex, we headed up to their house and made a stop at a playground on the way. It wasn't crowed and just the right size for the boys. Nick always has to try out everything and he loves to climb.

Alex was content to swing in the big swing and on the regular seat swing, he loved going up high, he seems fearless and it is wonderful to see him smiling and having fun.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Easter.

Friday Finishes!

It is nice to have a week where I can get more projects done and still keep up at home. I have been dosing for all the colds and it is helping with my lyme, as well. So, I still have my moments, but I have more energy this week and hopefully it will keep up.

The first thing I made was a pillow. I do enjoy doing stitchery while I rest and watch tv. Lori Brechlin offered a new pattern on the various Facebook groups. She also offered it on her blog, Notforgotten Farm, if you would like to make one of your own. I did half of the design, there is also a basket with strawberries, but I wanted to keep mine smaller.

I also finished painting a box for my new punch needle piece. I glued the piece to the box, which I sanded and antiqued, after I painted it. I like how it looks and might just keep this one. I put it on a table with my painting and now I need to make a topper for the table, to match.

Here is a close up of the box, I use folk art antique medium, mixed with water, to age wood.

And I had time to make the newest stitchery from Kathy Schmitz's, One Stitch Club. It is fun to get something new each month and only two dollars. I liked how the colors pop on this one. I used colored pencils but no fabric medium, so the colors stayed more intense. I had to rinse it off, quite a few times to get the blue out and it held the color.

And yesterday was my son's birthday. I find joy in the memories of him when he was younger and the joys since he has become a father and made me a grandmother. Tomorrow we will have them over for a little dinner party. With the weather and the flu's, I haven't been able to see much of them this winter, so hopefully we will all stay healthy and spring will be here soon.

May you all find your own joys in life and be blessed with good health.

Friday Finishes!

I decided to get last year's issues of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitches to get a pattern that I liked. The nice thing is, you can order back issues at a reduced rate if you get the EMagazine, which is nice, since you can just print out the patterns, that you want. I wish I did more cross stitch, they do have some wonderful stitcheries, as well.

This pattern was in the summer issue, it is perfect for summer. I made mine with a round border, instead of stopping at the rope, which is uneven. I plan on mounting it onto a round wood box, so I will paint and prep the box next.

The design is about 8" round, but worked up quickly.

Another fun thing I did this week was to make a card. The design was a free painting pattern, from the Artist's Club, by Christy Hartman. I did it on watercolor card stock and used my water color pencils.

And I also did another image transfer. This is a photo of my son and husband, when we went for a hike one day. I wanted to make him something for his Birthday, since we always give him a gift certificate. I like to give him something to hide the card in, so I will tape it to the back.

Well, as you can see, it didn't work. I really don't like working on mounted canvas, not enough stiffness to press down the photo. I will have to try wood, next time. And maybe it is time to try some photo transfer medium, to see if it works better.

So, I fixed it. I had another copy, that I forgot to reverse. The photo was redone in a  watercolor filter, so I trimmed off the excess white and decoupaged it over the first photo. I had extra edge showing, that didn't look right, so I sanded and antiqued the edges. Not perfect, but something fun to hide his card in.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are expecting snow to come in tonight, so tomorrow will be a stay home day, perfect day to work on more projects.