Busy week!

 

With the holidays, I have less time for working on my projects. Hopefully I can get to a few last minute things and spend some time relaxing and finishing my projects. I have the house decorated, the cards and packages mailed out and presents for the kids. 

My husband got a new vanity for the basement, but then found mold from using the wrong flooring. So that got redone and everything in, then he got stuck with the plumbing. It needs to be refitted for the new vanity, so plumbers are going to finish the jobs. 

The bad thing this week was, I cannot find my lighted trees and angels. I am afraid someone grabbed that box along with the ones for the church bazaar, so that has me upset, since I have no idea what else was in the box. 

One way I like to relax is to do puzzles. My son got me one last year, so I am working on that. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend, but the solid colors are going to be a pain to fill in.

With the cold weather, we haven't been able to get out as much. We like to take rides around the ocean drives and get out for brief moments and to enjoy the views. The breakaway campground is closed so it's a nice place to park and enjoy the views. They are still working on bracing up the breakaway with more stones. 

The island is another place we can ride around and enjoy the views. We took a walk around the lighthouse and the back paths, which help to keep the wind down. In that area are other beach heads and places to stop to enjoy the views. The winds were picking up when we got to the divers beach. 

                                        

We have a skinny tree, so I only put some many ornaments on it. The kids love checking out the kitty collection. I have been collecting for years, so I have a lot more than I can fit on the tree. Some are too big and breakable, so they stay in the boxes.

Every year I would get a new one from Hallmark, but they stopped making good ones and I have more than I need. I hope you all can finish up your holiday preparations and enjoy time for yourselves and creating.

Friday Finish!

 Another week zipped by too fast. I spent most of it, decorating the house. I have a mix of prim and fun around the house. One thing I wanted to try was a rag garland. I looked up ideas and found one that I could base mine on. You can find it at Ikorn crafts.

I used up the scraps and smaller pieces to make it, and used a red twine to tie them onto. I was going to put it on the banister, but it was too thin, so I used it on top of my curtain rod.

And I decorated with what I had in the basement, and there is more that I had no room for. 

I found a new place for my Grandmother's quilt.

And some of my nativity collection with a bit of cats mixed in.

And a few trees. This year I decided to put up my cat collection. I could only do so many and I have a lot of larger ones, that don't fit on the skinny tree. I have quilts hanging on the banister and decorations in the kitchen, so it is fun for the boys when they visit.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday. I am finishing up my cheater quilt and next is getting my cards done. After that I will work on my other quilt, even if I can't finish it in time. 

Friday Finishes!

Well, I was able to finish all my pillows today and use up the last of the balsam. A few trips to the post office and a few more next week and I can relax. I do have boxes of cards, think I go carried away, so those will go out too.

I also finished off a stitchery, I had made earlier in the year. The box behind them, I found last week and plan on using it for my newest snowmen pillows.

With the new month, I also got the new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz. She also gave away an extra freebie and I had to make that for some quilting friends. I photoshopped the initial out of the heart, so that wouldn't show. They also have lavender in them, so the person can put it with their quilts or fabrics to keep them fresh smelling.

And, I finished the stitchery of the month. I was hoping for something for Christmas, so I went with brighter colors, but that didn't work, so it is more of a fraktur style bird. The fabric is crackle print with and I aged it to look like old parchment. Hard to see in the photo.

And another freebie this month was by Michelle Palmer, for her Artist's Facebook Group. She also has a fun snowman to do, as well. Of course I added a few of my own touches.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays, whether with family or quiet time to create, what brings you peace and joy, is truly what matters. For me it is always bitter sweet, Danielle loved Christmas and I will always miss her, but I still keep her close to my heart. I found a beautiful ornament with a saying, it is at the lower right and the saying is on the photo. The other I found and put in a photo from one of our last hiking trips. My tree is covered in silly cat ornaments, but these two remind me that she is with us in spirit. May you all find peace this holiday season.

Testing and Finishes!

This week I practiced on some glass jars and tried some new mediums. I previously used spray on, sea glass paint, but that only works if it is nice out and no wind. So, I tried another product by Ceramcoat, frosted glass paint.

I was able to get some at our local Michaels, but it is hard to find different colors in the store, so I ordered more this week from Create for Less. I had a green, called sea grass and was able to find Jade, which is more like a blue.

In the photo, the ones on the left and right were done with the glass paint, mixed with antique decoupage. The ones in the middle are done with just the glass paint. It is hard to see in the photo, but I found that the straight paint works best, with decoupage, the glass chipped off when I was working on it. You can also bake them, after you let the paint set and that makes them washable, so I will have to try that next.

Here are the results of the paint and the colors.

I also tried another product from Golden, called glass gel bead. It makes a nice sparkle on the glass, which looks pretty with a candle or lights in the room. I have been using flicker lights for now, later I will try a candle, outside, to make sure it doesn't cause fumes or explode, lol.

I loved the thicker blue shade and thought it was the perfect background for painting on. I used a design from one of my books for the ship and the lighthouse came from a free pattern at Artist's Club.  My sister is already trying to buy them from me, but she also is having a light weight flute made by a tribe member in her area, so I will make her a box of goodies in exchange.

I also wanted to try some simple ornaments. I was able to find the wood pieces at Michaels, I like the white tag the best, it is a nice size to work with and already painted. The angel on blue was another experiment with the glass bead gel. It shines when you move it around, so I think that will be nice to add to ornaments with the tree lights, shining on them.

I used a new glue too, tacky clear gel. It is not as thick as the regular tacky, so it took some patience to place things and keep them from moving, and on the brick, it does show where I moved the arm. I am also wondering how the glass gel will look on items like the white pottery dress, another thing to try.

We went out for some rides this weekend, but the foliage was being elusive. It seemed some areas had nice spots of color, while others were still green. Tomorrow is going to be stormy, so hopefully their will still be some foliage left on Sunday.

This is in Rhode Island, outside the village of Westerly.

In Connecticut, we saw some foliage at Goodwin Forest.

And we ended the day with a visit to Mansfield Hollow, with a view from the top of the dam.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, filled with your own adventures and experiments.

Beach finish and finds!

I wanted to try some starfish in punch needle, so I looked online and found some pretty colored starfish that were not too detailed, perfect for punching. The yellow and gold one needs a better eye, maybe I will just do a large french knot. The blue one has main dots and lots of little white dots, but I just did a simple punch going up, so it is not exact, but close enough. There are lots of fun starfish and beautiful colors, I may try some larger ones and try more detail.

And we went to the dog beach, and found some nice glass. The glass on the right side is from the dog beach. Then we got out early and hit the island and I found more glass, a lot more glass. All the glass on the left is from that beach.

Today I just wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather. One more day, then more cold coming in. So, we went back to the dog beach, I figured we could just relax and walk and if I found anything, that was a bonus. Well, we hit the beach at the right time, it was all over the place, I found big chunks just laying on the beach. So, I have a lot more glass, lol. I guess it is time to start making things with them. I do keep the best, older glass in a heart shaped bowl, those I keep to look at. I like the ones that are a bit clearer and flat, they will work nicely in art pieces.

It is hard to see, but that blue piece is in the shape of a fish, even the markings on the bottle, made an eye and fin, definitely making something with that piece.

And, I finally put up the lights on my netting. I got fake sea glass and bottle lights. They are heavy, so I put up some cast iron holders for the netting, and that holds the weight of the bottles. Now I need to get started on some pillows and a quilt, as well as, art work for the walls.

Weekend this and that!

can't believe Christmas crept up on me again. This year is the first year I felt like decorating more and I love having the house lit up, especially when the kids come over and see it. I got a pencil tree this year, since a large one would get in the way of the tv, lol. I also have smaller trees around the house, as well as garland and string lights.

I found a new thing this year, string lights with remote control, I love it. I can use one remote and turn them all on at once. No more walking around and flipping switches.

Here is my tree, I put ornaments that are more prim and given to me, by friends, over the years.

And since I do not have a tree topper yet, I decided my kitty was prim enough. When we redo the basement into a family room, I can put up a bigger tree and do a tree with all my kitty ornaments and topper.

Another thing I needed was something to put on the sled, under the buffet table. I had this puppy I got for Nick a few years ago and he loves it, so it was perfect to put there and he and Alex can play with it, when they come over. The problem is, Bean is scared to death of it, so he will not go in that area and hides by my feet. Tonight I decided to put it under the tree, he is still afraid of it, but it won't keep him from sleeping on the couch, but it does keep him away from the tree and bothering me to play ball while I am trying to relax, so a good solution, at least for Christmas.

This weekend we picked up our DVD tapes. I was surprised that we had good video still, but it does not do well on large screen televisions. Bill and I watched them when we got home and it was fun to see the kids when they were little, one had our first halloween and Christmas at our new home.

This clip is Danielle and Billy at our Neighbors, she was like a grandmother to them, but passed away a few years back. Danielle had a witch mask, but she was getting hot wearing it.

We also did a little shopping, a few outfits for the boys and a few toys, we are keeping it simple this year. One fun thing we found was indoor snowballs, so we got a small box for Nick and a large pack to give the kids who spent Thanksgiving with us. They will be spending Christmas with all of us, so I got some stockings at the dollar store and I can put snowballs and some candy in each one, a little gift for them too.

The nice thing about shopping is getting down to the beach. We were able to get a nice day for walking and enjoying the views.

We saw this boat go by and at the same time, hundreds of cormorants came flying by. I guess they were chasing a school of fish.

We watched as it went by the sun, love the effect on the boat and the colors when I shot into the sun.

This guy was by himself, the tide was out and just starting to come back in, so I caught the waves coming up on him. We walked along the rocky beach and I found a few pieces of glass, it was nice to get out in the fresh air and get a little exercise. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Time for me to get busy with cards and presents, so I can get them out this week. I have a few projects to finish, so those will be done by friday, then that will be it for gifts. I will be making things for fun and maybe a few gifts and items that I can hide as surprise gifts for those that find them.

Friday Finishes!

This week I finished two ornaments that are being offered as a BOM from the Wool Applique Group on Facebook, by Attic Heirlooms. It is a free pattern each month, for just that month and for personal use, so no sharing. You can also download this months ornament which is the mitten, by visiting her website and clicking on BOM. Once the month is over, you cannot get it anymore.

I decided to make mine larger, it is a 5" circle. I wanted it larger to make it easier to sew and I will be having them from the homespun line for next Christmas. This way they will be the perfect size to hang in front of the window and be seen from a distance.

I also received a photo from Merrie of her hooked rug, that she made from my Spring Chicks pattern. I love seeing your finished pieces and Merrie did a beautiful job on her rug, that would be a fun one for the kitchen.

We are expecting a storm, again. I decided it was a good day to make chowder and clambakes, so we got the ingredients today so we wouldn't have to fight the crowds tomorrow. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines day, whether sharing it with a loved one, a friend or yourself, we all deserve a little love and it is ok to treat yourself to something special tomorrow, because you are loved:)

Friday Freebies!

This week I got several free patterns and made them into punch needle pieces. I was hoping to finish these but as usual, time slipped by and they will have to wait for the weekend. I think a good goal for me this weekend, is to finish all of the pieces I have made this month.

The first is a free design by Kelley of With Hook & Needle. If you haven't checked out the new groups on Facebook lately, there are several groups for all types of textiles arts. This freebie was offered on the group, The Out of Hand Rug Hooker's Group.

I kept my simple and will make it into a hanging pillow. I will also antique it a bit and add yarn cording.
It is a bit bright since I used flash, but I like using brighter colors when I know I am going to age it. Then again, I may keep him as is, it all depends on who I give him to and if they like prim or fun colors.

The next pieces are designs by Ginger of Primitives By The Light Of The Moon. She offered 4 free snowman designs that you can use for the holidays and I did two of them. My plan is to stuff them lightly and make hangers so they can be used as ornaments or hung on pegs, if the recipient wants.

If you would like more fun things to make, visit Michelle from The Raspberry Rabbits. She is offering a free ornament tag each week, so be sure and sign up for her blog. My sister likes rabbits, so these will be fun to do and put in her Christmas card.

Another great gift idea or maybe for yourselves is a bowl holder. I love making soup and I do reheat it in the microwave, so the bowl gets hot. I like to eat while I watch tv, so this will be a nice way to hold the bowl without burning my hands and a great gift idea. You can find the tutorial at 2 Little Hooligans. We can thank Allie - Oops Sweet Happy Life for finding this wonderful tutorial.

Friday Finish!

Today I finished two punch needle pieces. I had made one and this week, made another. A friend sent me the pattern, but my dull brain can't remember who;)

These will be Christmas gifts, so I finished them off, but left the opening so I can add balsam to them before I close them. I think it will be nice to hang on an artificial tree to bring in the pine smell or on a door or peg rack to fill the house with balsam.

I did one in similar colors to the pattern and three strand and one I did with 6 strand and a different color scheme. I do use three strands for the lettering. I decided they needed antiquing so I added walnut spray to them.

The pattern is called Joy, by Prairie Grove Peddler. I think the second one looks more like a top, lol. But, I do like the brighter color and the retro look it has.

JOY!

With the recent tragedy is seems odd to title a posting with joy, but I feel that we all need to feel joy and bring joy to others. Joy is what fills our hearts with peace in a cruel world. One way to bring joy is to share it with others. I have been making small ornaments from a free pattern by Gail Pan. The original design has stars, but I decided to add the word Joy, to mine. I love how they came out and it is something I can hand out to patients in the nursing home who have no decorations or family to visit. A little something to hang on their door or bed, to remind them that someone does care. Another way to bring joy would be to donate to a giving tree or toys for tots.

Another way to bring joy is to send a friend an unexpected gift, like a sweet little snow bird. Paulette of Sweet P Quilting and Creations sent me this snowbird, I just love it and it brings a smile to my face. I think I want a whole flock of them.

And another friend, Carole of Quilting Adventures sent me this beautiful quilt. I was totally surprised by this gift, one that is beautifully made and that she spent so much time making something so special for me. It brings joy to be able to have something on my wall to remind me of such a wonderful friendship. I just hope that my small gifts to others can bring them as much joy as they have given me with their friendships even if we have never met.

I wish I had thought to get a better photo outside, before I hung it up, it is so beautiful and beautifully made with homespuns and printed fabrics. I had to crawl up a ladder since it is hanging above my entry door. I found these clip on rings at home depot, perfect for hanging a quilt on a rod.

Finished Snowman pouch and ornies!

I finished my pieces today. I needed to find a cord that I liked, so I got that today and then antiqued the pieces. I hand sewed the cord on and then added some bells to the side. The design for the pouch is from the design, Seven Snowmen by All Through the Night and the snow ornies, I drew up a pattern to  
match the pouch.

I love this design and the runner with all the snow people, so that is something I will be making too.

I had to use my pocket camera, so it really killed the look of the pieces and the colors. It is hard to hold a flat camera steady. The cord I used is yellowed, but appears white. Hopefully I can figure out why my new flash is not working and get a better shot.

Presents and Freebies!

The other day I received a wonderful gift in the mail from Mary of Quilt Hollow. She made me a mini quilted piece with an opening at the bottom, so I could make it into something I want. I am going to fill it with pine balsam and place it on a shelf, so I can enjoy looking at it and a fresh pine scent in the house for christmas.

And I am working on gifts for others. I made up a couple of snowman ornies. I will add bells to the front and on the top of the hats.

I also found some new freebies on the web that I thought you might enjoy. It is fun to have things to make for the holidays especially if they are free!

Marjory of Pecks Pieces has a wonderful wall quilt with appliqué santas. She has the quilt and the first santa up, for you to download.

Check out Lyn Brown's mini quilt pattern pak. There are appliques for the different seasons, I love the pear block, it is an extra in the booklet.