Anniversary vacation!

It seems the week flies by and I didn't get to do the things I really wanted to do, but we found ways to get out and have some fun. Most of the ocean beaches are over crowded since they closed the inland lakes and ponds to swimmers, and with the heat, we tried to be on the coast when we could.

We had one day with the boys, taking them to New London Connecticut to visit Fort Trumbull. The fort was closed, but we got to explore around the grounds.

From there, we headed to Harkness park and were pleased to find it was free and we had a spot in a grassy field, facing the bird sanctuary. The boys had fun walking around the grounds and visiting the mansion's gardens.

I took a day off to visit my lyme doctor and to get a refill on my sinus medicine. Well, he said I had a sinus infection, could be why I have been feeling cruddy and put me on antibiotics and other meds I won't take. Then he said, you need a family doctor and it isn't me, so I guess I won't be going back and no idea what to do, just that I am tired of doctors who do not get, I do not like medicines and the one I need the most, they won't give me.

So I am taking the antibiotics and decided to stay away from the boys just in case and went out the next day for some exploring. We visited several parks along the back roads of Connecticut and ended up at Gay City Park.

We hiked around the trails and had some lunch in the picnic area. It is nice to have our food with us and a bathroom. Lots of old ruins from the old homestead along the trails. We will definitely go back for more hiking when it cools down.

And today we went back to Harkness and enjoyed a few walks around the bird sanctuary and sat at our camper, to enjoy the views. The main park was crowded so it was nice to have a more quiet spot to ourselves.

Here are some Ospreys that I got from the bird shelter. The bright sun makes it hard to get good shots, but it was fun to see the new ones testing their wings.

Lots of shore birds in the marshes.

And a variety of birds in the bush, as well.

And to top off our week, we came home to this. It seems Bill didn't notice the amount he paid for a case of flour. He wanted 6 bags and we got 6 cases and it is non returnable. I cannot use that much flour and I cannot afford to spend that much for flour, so I was not happy about that and thinking we will have to donate the rest to the food bank and take the loss.

I hope you all have a nice weekend, we have rain coming in, so we will stay at home and go out for short trips if it stops.

Angel Quilt Finished!

I finally finished my quilt today. I did the rest of the stitching this weekend and the binding today. I made this quilt to hang on my dining window. I have french doors in the back so I don't like using curtains and this is a nice way to decorate the window without throwing off the balance in the room. It is also fun to make them for the different seasons or holidays and change them out.

The pattern is an older design by Pieces From My Heart that a friend gave me. I wanted to get it done and up, but still keep the prim look, so I used raw edge fusible for the appliqués and a simple whipstitch to put them on. The stitching was done with #12 pearl cotton, around the appliques and border edges.

It was fun to make and fits over the window with a little room left for the kitties to sit at the window. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tea stain it, I can always do that later.

Another thing I have been playing around with is Zentangles. Zentangles takes doodling to a whole new level and I find it fun and relaxing to do. I took a design idea from a Charley Harper design and then added some Zentangles to practice the different patterns. As you can see, I messed up on some and  my hand has a mind of it's own so it is nothing spectacular, but fun to practice. You can visit Tangle Patterns to learn more and they also have patterns that you can use for practice and lots of links for inspiration.

Welcome Quilt!

I finished another small piece this week, a welcome quilt from Whimsicals. It can be found in the book, From Mom and Me. I have a few of Terri's older books and love her designs and thought it was time I made this one.

It is a simple pattern and I used wool for the applique, so it was easy to make up. It is the perfect size to hang on my wall rack with the heart piece, for now, then it will be gifted to someone.

I made a simple border instead of the one that went with the pattern, but I like the black fabric around this design and with the antiquing it worked nicely.

Here is the piece on the drying rack, love how the walnut ink stained on this piece.  For small quilts, I water it down and then brush it on with a paint brush, it gives it a more aged and spotted look. I also dry it on a rack in the front loader, so it crinkles it up a bit and it also gives it an uneven look, but I don't like ironing it out to straighten it, since it takes the wrinkles out.

Another trick I like to do is, antique the clothes pins. I soak them in watered down walnut ink and let them dry in the sun. It gives them a nice aged look for hanging quilts.