Friday Finish and Finds!

This week seems to have gone by too quick. I had lots of things I wanted to do, while Bill had the week off, but most of the week, I was happy to have a few hours out and rest at home. I really wish we could have gone to New Hampshire to see the foliage, but we were able to enjoy some nice days at the beach and our foliage is still coming, so a few more weekends to enjoy the colors.

I was able to do another stitchery. My niece loved the bee pillow, but I know she is not into prim, so I made one with more color and crackle fabric. The design and crackle fabric is from Kathy Schmitz. I prefer to stitch without something in the way, and I think my stitches look better on this one.

And of course we got lots of beach time in and lots of hunting for sea treasures. On Saturday we found some nice pieces at the ocean.

On Monday we hit my favorite beach without the crowds and found some nice pieces, along with some pottery pieces.

Tuesday was an unusually warm day, so back to the ocean. We got lots of smalls, which will be fun to use in Christmas ornaments, that I have some ideas for.

Wednesday it was back to my favorite beach and we hit it, at the right time. We found a lot of nice pieces and even with a few people on the beach, I found ones they missed. I think I have enough to do a few projects.

We also went shopping and I got some new glass paints and sprays to try. I did a few and some didn't work right and some I like, so I will do a post with a review on the different mediums I have used and what works best, with some how to's.

Here is a photo of my first tries. The light green was a mess, so I washed that off and did a nicer job on the second try. The others are spray on sea glass paint. Never spray on a windy day, it came out too thick, so I will retry on a nicer day.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

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.

Weekend Wanderings and new Stitchery Club!

I wanted to share a new stitchery club being offered by Kathy Schmitz, called One Stitch at a Time. I received her email and you can read about it on her blog. For only 2.00 a month, you will receive a new monthly stitchery, in epattern form. They are smaller ones,  which makes them quick and fun and a great way to get started on your gift box. I think this is well worth the money and something fun to look forward to every month.

Here is the first one she is offering, starting in June. I can't wait to get mine, it will be the perfect project to make a few of, for gifts, when we go camping.

Saturday we were lucky enough to have perfect weather for hiking. Warm sun with a light breeze, so we headed to Stepping Stone Falls. This was a place that I went when I was young and we had picnics in the spring and fall, so it is one of those places that just lifts my spirit when we go there.

How can you not relax and just enjoy the moment, with a front row seat to the falls. Of course Bean was more interested in the people walking by.

There were a lot of trees down from the wind storms over the winter. Bill wanted me to get a picture of him under the tree, Bean wanted to go so he could meet more people.

On the way back we came up to where the old picnic area was. It used to be all cleared out and picnic tables and there is a path through the stone wall that took us to the falls. I don't know why they closed it, but they are cleaning it up now.

We stumbled on an old pump house, the sign said that the AMC is restoring it and fixing the old shelters, so that will be nice. It was nice to get out before the rains came.

Spring Stitchery from a Freebie!

I was thinking about painting and decided to look at free patterns and tutorials on the web, to see if anything sparked my interest. I found this fun design and realized it would make a great stitchery. I found the pattern at Artist's Club under free patterns. They have everything from simple to more advanced painting as well as books and supplies if you are looking to add to your collection.

I had some empty space, so I added a few little quilted areas and a vine at the top. I wanted to fill in the boot holes with antique medium to darken them, but it spread out too much. I was also thinking of adding some little embroidered flowers to the branch?