Friday finishes!

 This week I actually got more done, the good thing about being laid up a bit. I still have a black and blue foot, but the swelling is down and I can walk on it, as long as I don't push off on my toe area. But the good thing is, I was able to make up some projects to keep my hands busy.

I tried another Easter egg. I saw the floral design on Pinterest and figured it was ok to copy it, though mine didn't come out as nice. I added a blue butterfly for an added touch. I can never get decent shots of my felted pieces, they look all fuzzy, but not in person. I started with a foam egg and wrapped the white roving around that, then felted it in, so it did warp it a bit. 

I also had one more stitchery to finish. Since I was sewing that and making lavender sachets, I decided to pull some scraps with fun designs, to make more.

I also spent a few days to finish my puzzle. It was not the easiest one to do, lots of details.

Last week we had a nice ride around the beach areas, always nice when I can't walk and it was still cold, but I could get out enough to get some shots. Lots of the ocean areas were fogged over.

At one beach we spotted the Horned Larks and another, I just caught the Kingfisher as he flew away.

We parked by a breachway and ended up sitting in the truck as a flock of gulls kept flying over us. It looked like a few had missing legs, and one with a broken one. They are constantly fighting over food, so they do get hurt.

And at another breachway we watched the Mergansers, fishing. In a pond I was shooting at the ducks and noticed a lone Merganser following the pair. I think it got separated from its flock and being younger, decided the ducks were his parents.

We stopped at another beach since I could get out and stand on the boardwalk, while Bill took Bean for a play on the beach. 

The last stop was at the wall to watch the surfers. It was really windy, the surf was rough and the surfers were not doing too well. I got a lot of shots of surfers in the surf instead of on it and a few legs sticking up in the surf.

This weekend will be windy and nice, so hoping we can get out a bit when it calms down. It is also my son's birthday, so we will have them over for dinner on Sunday. Next week we have nice weather coming in, so I am hoping I can get out and see if I can do a little biking on the paved bike path. I am really getting out of shape with all the injuries I keep having, so that might be a good way to get out until my foot heals.

I hope you all enjoy the coming week and enjoyed following along with me.

Friday finish!

 

While I am working on my hand quilting, I like to have a small project to finish. I also like to make something new for the holidays, just for fun. This week I wanted to make a needle felted egg and I found a design from an online coloring book page. It is a bit wonky, but it was fun to make and something different.

Last week we did a ride around the beach areas and got in some walks. One of the places we went to, is a bird sanctuary that goes to a cove, but no birds. When we went to get back in the car, a hawk flew past me and landed across the street. Once I got back in the car, he came back and went back to the hunt. Unfortunately, as you can see in the last photo, he was unsuccessful.

At another cove, I caught a Blue Heron on the hunt. They are fun to watch and this guy was successful in catching a few fish.

We had Bean on one day, he loves going out with us and playing at the dog beach.

It is a nice beach to walk along and enjoy the views across the channel, lots of fishing boats.

On one of the docks, I was trying to get some photos of birds in the channel, when these two flew over to me. They were quite friendly and even more so, with each other.

 

And had no shame in getting together in front of me.

Today we took a hike in a new area. It is called the Great Swamp and there are trails all through it and surrounded by a lot of swamp area. When we came out of the woods, we ended up at a beautiful pond and spotted a few Ring-necked ducks.

And the reason we went there was because I saw that there are a lot of nests in the area. We spotted two Osprey nesting on the telephone poles. There are other nests, but these were the only two that had come in. It is an area we will definitely go back to, I am sure it will be teaming with birds by next month.

I hope you all had a nice week and can enjoy the weekend. We have rain tomorrow, but will be going to Nick's school concert. He is playing the Glockenspiel this year. He also plays the piano, so he is definitely musically inclined. 

The Osprey are out of range, so I couldn't get close ups. We have a lot of nesting areas, so we are watching for more to come in this month.

Friday Finish!

 I want to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers. Bill finally came home and he didn't even last a day, he was back in the hospital. In the short time he was gone, they were out of beds, so he was put in the basement, which didn't make me happy. The good news is he is back and doing well so far. He is on lots of meds for now and next week we will start the office visit for his knee and then back to his regular heart doctor for some new problems that need to be addressed. 

It seems this year has not been good for most of us with Covid, missing family and health issues, so we can only take one day at a time and enjoy each moment we have. Yesterday my body finally gave out, my arm is messed up and that threw my back off more, so the added work load is a bit too much. But, I am good enough today to do a few things and hopefully I can get out for a bit tomorrow,  I do need my outdoor time.

Since I was stuck on the bed most of the day, I decided to finish my needle felting project. I decided to make an egg and decorate it with a little scene. Of course what I had in my mind, is not what came about, but it was still fun to do and I learn, what not to do, next time. 

The photo isn't great, it always makes the wool look grainy, but is is much softer looking in person. I didn't want to waste roving, so I made an egg shape form with wool batting and stuffed it with some stuffing, so not a perfect egg shape.

I try to spend my quiet time on the porch, a few minutes of fresh air and a few visitors, always lift my spirits. One day a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk was soaring above the field, behind us, and I caught him just as he dove down, into the field.

I was also able to get out for a little shopping therapy. I found a rustic bird house for my yard.

And a sparrow has taken over the tin house, so hoping the others will be occupied soon. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and may health and joy, be with you and your family.

Friday Finishes!

It seems like I have less time to do some things but more time to relax at night and work on projects. This week was a new stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. I got an idea to try something different and made an egg shape to put it on.

It was fun to make and I love how it came out. The egg is 9" tall so a nice size to display with my other Easter items. I used Gold Faber colored pencils to color it and thicker rug yarn for the edge.

I also had time to make up some Easter masks for the boys. I was hoping to find something more for boys, but Nick loves pretty colors and Alex doesn't care, so they will be fun to wear for the season.

Most of our time is spent at home for the doctors. Bill has surgery next week, so I am trying to organize my time so I have time for me and hopefully I will be able to get out by myself when the weather warms up. I do need my outdoor time and it won't be long before the birds come home from the south, so I can't wait to go back to areas where they nest.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and is doing well.

Friday Finishes!

This has been a slow week but I picked up speed at the end and have several new projects in the works. I finally made it to another Doctor and explained to him that I am not sick with a cold, but my allergies were so bad, I could hardly breath and I was always coughing.

So, he gave me a liquid med and I put it in my mouth before I realized it was cherry flavored and sweetened, so it worked but then it triggered off my other allergy symptoms. So, he gave me my regular medicine and I am finally balancing out, so hopefully I can get back my energy and not get sick again.

I did make up some more lavender sachets, I am making them for drawers and cupboards that store items. It keeps the musty smells away and so far, the bugs. The designs are from different sources, from patterns I had in my stash. The middle house design is a freebie from Lori Brechlin.

I also used a free pattern from Rebekah Smith. She has several on her website and is offering a small each month, at a lower cost. This one was made into a jar lid, but I decided to do the basket on it's own. Perfect to hang on my seasonal tree. The stitching is more tan, but the camera made it pop.

Last weekend we went out for our usual ride and I did see the eagle, as he flew by, high in the sky, so no photos. We did try a few bike path areas, to see what they were like. They run along the river and some ponds. I am hoping I can get out on my bike this year and try all the paths we have found.

On Monday I went to the doc and Bill took the day off, so we were able to get to the beach. We missed the full low tide, but I was able to find some treasures before it came in.

And with good weather, we are able to get out more, which makes Bean very happy, since he gets to come along. He loves the beach and there was so much seaweed on the beach that he was getting buried in it.

I hope everyone is doing well and being safe. I avoid stores for now and haven't been able to see the boys. Last weekend was my son's birthday but they were sick again, so we got to video chat and he sent me a video of the boys singing Happy Birthday.

Free Easter Bunny!

This weekend I took a break on Saturday since it was windy and cold. It gave Bill a day to work on the bathroom, though I am not sure how much he really did, lol. On facebook there is a group called Homespun Whimsey - Woolen Friends. She offers free patterns and block of the month. When I saw the bunny, I knew I had to make one.

I used what I had in my stash drawers and did more prim stitching, but I wanted to add a pop of color too. I like having things that the boys enjoy too, so more color in my pieces, lately. It was fun to make and I put it on the wall with rug tape. A great way to hang pieces without wrecking the walls.

On Sunday the boys had plans with mom and dad, so Bill and I went exploring by ourselves. We went to a small wooded park, that has paths and along the way, artwork by local artists.

It was a short walk, but fun to see something different and I left a painted rock along the path, for someone to find.

I was in the mood for a longer hike, so we went to the bird sanctuary at Trustum Pond. It was more crowded than usual, but we could still enjoy some quiet hiking along the paths and the local wildlife along the way. There are fields that are off limits for hikers, but I spied this guy and snuck in a little way to get a shot. A red tailed hawk, perfect spot to watch for mice in the fields.

The turtles are still hibernating, but we spied this beaver in the pond.

At the entrance, there is an area for birds with feeders and water, so a great place to see varieties of birds that are coming and going for the spring migration. This little Tufted Titmouse sat just long enough to get a shot.

The tide was going down and I wanted to check out the beach nearby. It was windy and cold, so I did a quick look in the immediate area and grabbed what I could, but too cold to stay out too long. The beach was covered in rocks, I know there was tons of glass in there, hated to leave, lol. The larger round piece was so clear, I grabbed it, thinking it was probably a rock, but I realized it was glass, so a nice find.

Hopefully I can get in the creative mood this week and start working on some art projects.

Friday Finishes!

This week I made a new piece and made another bunny. The new one is an idea I got from an old postcard. I wanted to try something more 3D, so I used varying heights to have the bunny coming out of the egg.

It is hard to see in a photo, but you can get an idea that there is depth and in person, the bunny is hooked much higher so he sticks out of the egg. I made a few mistakes, and things I would do differently. Right now my arm is killing me and to add to that, I slipped on the snow when I was kicking Bean's ball and slipped, resulting in a slam to the back. So, I am resting for tonight and will see how I feel tomorrow, I don't think I can take one more injury, I am sore enough, lol.

If I feel better, I may do another bunny egg. Not sure if people would be interested in a pattern for this one, but I thought it was a good way to learn about doing depth in a piece.

I also made a larger bunny, they are so fun to make, wish I could make a lot more. I realized I need to rest my arm more or it will never heal, but it is so hard to just sit still;) This one is my favorite, I will keep him for me. I added a bow tie and wood buttons from an old jacket. Flower button are also a fun way to embellish him.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Looks like more snow coming our way, so no long outings this weekend.

Friday Finishes and Fotos!

This week was a slow one for me, I think the holidays wore me out and I just need some rest time. I love to do simple projects while I watch tv when I am resting, so I worked up a few stitcheries this week.

The first is from Kathy Schmitz's One stitch at a time club. The sample was done as a pin cushion, but as usual I changed it and added some words for fun. They will be fun to use as bowl fillers for Easter.

The second was a freebie from Kathy, Strawberry pincushions. The only thing I did different was to change the topper, keeping mine simple and more prim. The colors are off, it is darker and done on tea stained muslin, but I had to use my zoom to get photos tonight.

Another thing I did this week was take back my wide angle lens. I decided I would be better off with a zoom, so Bill took it back and ordered the zoom and I got that, this week. The problem is, I went to take photos tonight and realized the wide angle was on the camera, ughs, I took back the wrong lens. I cannot believe they didn't check the box, I could have put junk in there, for all they knew. So now I have to get up there and give them the right lens and hope mine is still there. 

I took a few photos to try it. For some reason, no birds were around when I wanted them to be, lol. But, a woodpecker was busy in my neighbor's tree so I took a few shots. He was a good distance up and the limbs made it hard to focus well, but I think it came out nicely, considering.

I also tried taking photos of Bean, but he does not stay still. I got one as he was coming back with a stick. I cropped it to close up and I think I got nice definition for a crop of a zoom. Usually if i do this, all I get is a blurry object and Bean was in motion. Hopefully we can get out on Sunday, seems we have a storm coming in tomorrow. We will need to get out and get supplies and things before it hits. I hope you all stay safe from the storms and enjoy your weekend.

Monday This and That!

This weekend was a blur, I think the time change has messed me up again. Just when I get used to the fall back, it is time to go forward. I do enjoy the longer days though, and once the snow melts, I can get out for walks with Bean.

I really liked the bunny design and wanted to try it in a different medium, so I went with needle felting. I received some supplies from a friend and have been collecting roving and it is time to start using them. I made an egg shape and used wool felt to felt on. It was fun to do and I learned some things along the way to get better results in my next piece. I may try a felted eyeglass case next, I like the idea of making them for gifts and want to try something artistic with wet felting.

I used a light yellow felt for the backing, and it was nice since I could trace the design onto the felt, to have a guide for felting.

I also made a piece from the Buttermilk Basin hop and another design by Renee Plains, I just need to finish them. I got the idea of cutting around the heart and placing it on a wooden heart, then I found out it doesn't fit, so have to rethink that one. The bird stitchery will go in this frame, I need to do some trimming and get something for the back, then I can frame it.

And guess what I made today? Cookies! I really need my cookies, they are made with oatmeal, brown flour and grated apple. I add a stick of butter, but I figure the good ingredients out weigh the butter, lol. I found a counter top oven this weekend and I had a 30% coupon, so it was a good deal and I can use it now and save it for camping if we get a trailer without an oven.

The bad thing is, I only had the one small pan that it came with, so I could only cook 6 at a time, so it took a few hours to make them, lol.

Friday Finish!

I have been having fun following the spring blog hop, hosted by Buttermilk Basin. This week I finished  a cute bunny mat, designed by Jeni from the Willows. It was an easy project and I love how it came out. The only problem is, I used a soft, thin wool for the border and that was a mistake. The cuts are made to emulate grass and as I ruffled it up, some of the pieces pulled off. So, I put the egg on that section and it is ok for now, next year I can take it apart and put a thicker backing on.

It is a bit white washed from the flash. But I wanted the colors of the other wools to show so the white is glaring and the floss is brighter, than it actually is.

If you haven't seen the Spring Hop, the patterns for each day are still available and well worth a look.

This week I noticed my oven was not working right and I would smell gas, then it took a few minutes for it to start. Then I told Bill to check it and it wasn't working at all, so, no oven this week. We went to the store and picked one out, it would take a month to get so I said no. Then I saw another that was the same except for the looks, but it did the same things and had the fifth burner, so that is coming next week. The bad thing is, I make cookies as a snack food. They are healthy since I don't use sugar but I cannot make them and I need to snack, lol. Today I tried some fried chips. I mixed white and brown flour, along with cornmeal and fried them. They taste really good but a bit greasy, so I need to modify the recipe to make it healthier, but a nice idea for summer snacks too.

Monday Freebie: Easter Bunny Punchneedle Egg

I was going through my old files and found a bunny that I had made for a group booklet, that we did years ago. We each did a pattern and everyone that made a pattern, got a booklet with all of the patterns in it.

The bunny has two flowers in the original and I wanted it to fit an egg shape, so I redesigned it a bit to fit. I started it yesterday and finished it today, and I used what i had in my scrap box. I finished it off with a twisted cord of green and yellow.

The background was done is varying shades of pale yellows, then I stained it with walnut, and the flash lightened it back up. The finished egg is about 6" x 4 1/2".

You are welcome to use the design for your own use or sell the finished product. Please do not share or pass around in groups or make multiple items for sale at shows. I would love to see your finished pieces, mine is a bit of a mess since I rushed it and didn't think it out;) You can use it for appliqué or hooking, as well as stitchery.

I redrew the design and my hand was not connecting with my brain, so it is a bit off in shape.