Friday Finishes!

 I finally finished my pillow. It was a large design, so lots of stitching. It is 36" long and I love being able to have it done and displayed on the back of the couch. The design is by Bird Brain Designs.

I also finished a piece that has been sitting in a box, way too long. It is a gift I made for a friend and this is the year, she will finally get it. This is a design by Kathy Schmitz.

Last weekend we went to the seaport to see the Mayflower. It came from Massachusetts to have some repairs done at the seaport. She is docked for now, but they have a large dry dock to put her on.

We walked around the village and saw the decorations on the buildings.

And the old Mercantile.

We also got to see the Garda. Last time it was in a spot, we couldn't see it.

And the fascinating story behind her.

Another building we were able to access was the museum. This is one of the examples of the glass models. Some are so realistic, you cannot tell the difference. These were done in the 1800's.

I hope you all had a nice week and are enjoying the holiday season. We have gotten most things done, so I can enjoy it more without the stress. I still have to do up cards and a few gifts that are going out.

Weekly Ramblings!

 

Nothing to show this week, I think I might have had one hour to work on a stitchery. I have a few things I am working on, but with Bills appointments and doing double the work at home, not much time or energy for myself. But I have been getting out, which I do need, good for my health and good for the spirit.

One thing I did this week was, buy Nick a used bike. It is a nice bike and I got it for a good price, but it was bigger and heavier than I realized. He loved it and rode it, but was really nervous about falling. I told him, if you are falling, jump off and let the bike fall, a few dents won't hurt it and he is more important.

I did get a new one for his birthday this month, similar type but less heavy, so hopefully it will be just right. 

One good thing with Bill's appointments is, they are in nice areas. After his first doctor appointment, we went to Watch Hill in Westerly. Bill enjoyed sitting at the wharf while I walked up and down the beach.

The tide was going out, but not a lot of glass on this beach. The point is the site of an old fort.

I walked on one side of the beach, but the paths across the dunes were closed off, so when I got to the end, I had to backtrack until I found a path I could cross. 

His physical therapy was in a town with old mills and a river walk, so I enjoyed walking around the river. Much better than sitting in the waiting room.

And another day we spent a few hours at my favorite glass beach. Not as much as I usually find, but still nice to walk and find some treasures along the way. 

And today we set up our trailer on my favorite site. We had a yard sale and made enough to pay for a month at the campground in Connecticut. Our site is on the river, so I can paddle and ride my bike in the surrounding, state forest. I have a quilt that I can hand quilt and my art bag, so hopefully I can find time to get back in shape and time to be creative. It will be easier than finding places that Bill can enjoy, since he can relax at our site while I am out and now that he is more mobile,  he can take short walks around the campground.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We will be staying overnight on some nights, but mostly day tripping to camp. We have to hire a pet sitter for Moki's shots, so that adds up if we are gone a lot. 

This is our site, tomorrow we will put up a screen tent and rugs. The bush hasn't come in yet, so not as lush yet. But, it will be great for bird photography.

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.

Vacation is Over!

It makes me laugh when I use the word vacation, not sure if I would call it that, more of a get away, lol. I get less sleep, I go all day, run back and forth to take care of kitties and basically the same things I do at home, but in a trailer. I think this week is more of a vacation, at least when I recover.

Today was catching up and lots of resting, my body finally gave out. But, it was good to do something different in a different place, it makes you appreciate home more. For me, I remember the moments, and we had some nice ones.

The area has a lot of estuaries and lots of birds, frequent the area. We were treated to a couple of egrets who foraged and danced.

A juvenile Cormorant made me smile, he would submerge most of his body in the water to look for fish and then make the funniest movements, trying to keep it in his bill. The adults all stay on the rocks, but the young ones are not afraid of people.

And the starlings are migrating and there were thousands at the beach. We would walk in and they would be all over the beach, then take off and fly all around us, what a magical thing to experience. From the beach we could see the formations they made, as they flew around the area.

Bill snuck a photo of me, searching for glass, even Bean found a few for me, by digging up the area. A lot of seaweed comes in, which covers the pebble beds, so harder to find glass. We also had to search more in the twilight, so it was harder to see, but we got some daytime searching at the end of the week.

We met a couple who were waiting for the sunset. It reminds me, that no matter how bad things seem, at times, there are others who are going through, much more.

The clouds came in that night, but I was awed by the rays beaming through the clouds, onto the ocean.

And on the weekend, there was a charity swim.  It as just ending as we got there.

And after the sunsets, we walked along the beach for a bit. We found lots of beach toys and even found a nice chair, I guess people don't want to take them home after vacation. And of course, before the last light, we admired the castles along the shoreline, before the last of the tide, swept them out to sea.

And of course, my favorite activity is glass hunting. We found a bit of glass, pottery bits, brick pieces that will be used for roofs and houses and I got a couple of large shells, to try some paintings on. I have been finding ideas to use with the glass, so will be trying those soon and I think it is time for a giveaway, so look forward to that, maybe a beach glass ornament.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and prayers for those in the hurricane's path.

New Project!

I wanted to try the stockings in a smaller size and make a quilt for me, with all stocking blocks. I reduced the design to 9" x 7" and modified the stocking slightly to make it simpler and a bit wider. I am using scraps and homespuns from my stash and all black for the block backs, which is also a homespun style, something like linen.

I am thinking of using a red that is in the same line, as sashing for the blocks, I think that will set it off nicely, then I can do a black binding. I just wanted something simple to make for fun that I can use next year and a great way to use up some of my stash.

This weekend wasn't very nice, too cold on Saturday to stay outside for more than a few minutes. On Sunday we had rain in the forecast, but not till later in the day, so we headed to the beach. It was so nice to walk on the beach and no one else around. Then it started to sprinkle, then rain which was more like ice, so we had to give up. I was disappointed since we hit the tide as it was going out, a perfect time to walk up and down the beach, and look for treasures.

We did find some glass and I grabbed lots of small rocks to play with, so hopefully I can make something this week, for my room.