Friday finishes and Fun!

 I have been working on a couple of projects that I am still working on, so the only finish I did, was some more masks for the family. I made the glow in the dark ghosts for the boys, something fun they can play in  as well as practical. Then I made matching kitties for me and the boys and they flags for Bill. I like the box style, even though it is tough to do a nice job on the ends, but they fit much better and not only can I breath in them, I can talk in them. That is nice for the boys, as well, since they can talk in the classroom without removing them.

I added a photo, wearing it, to show. you how it stays away from the face. It looks more pronounced from the side, but looks fine from the front.

On Saturday I sent Bill to the store to get me a new camera body. I told him the two choices and a list of questions to ask. Well, the store had no one that knew cameras so he went with the expensive one. I really wish I had more time to think on it, It is a nice camera, but more for a professional than for what I need. I do like how it syncs up with photoshop, so my edits are getting better, but it does seem like the photos run on the darker side. I guess I will just have to learn how to use this one, lol. The good news is, today I was looking at their website before Bill went up to take in the old one and mine was on sale, so Bill was able to get the discount taken off of our price, so I saved money. 

We decided to go to Fort Getty to walk and take some photos. It was dismal out, but with a little editing, I was able to brighten them up.

A picture of the lighthouse on Dutch Island.

A close up of the lighthouse. The photos have a higher resolution, so I am able to crop in closer and still retain most of the details.

And on the beach, I thought this scene was quintessential New England.

The next day we had plans but the boys wanted to play again, so we took them back to the island. They loved playing on the beach and Nick found more treasures than I did.

And all the boys had fun, just being boys. The campground is closed, so we had the place to ourselves, just a few visitors who come to walk around.

It was a wonderful weekend and I always find my greatest joy when we take the boys with us. I had taken a photo of Alex while he was walking further away and cropped his face for a close up. I was not trying for a portrait, but love how it came out, so I will practice more with portraits. I think that is one of the benefits of this camera, it can do nice portraits, so something new to learn.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find time to find your joys and happiness in these trying times.

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.