Friday Finishes!

 

This week I was able to finish a little quilt I was working on. I had the striped fabric and some star fabric, so it made the perfect flag to hang on the wall. I added a few patriotic sayings that I like and a couple of wool stars. The little stars are rustic metal and gave it a nice touch.

I wanted to have something to do on my down day, so I made a little felted raccoon. It was a from a kit, so I didn't follow the directions exactly and I messed up with my perspective, but it was fun to do.

Last weekend we took a few short walks. The heat keeps us from doing long hikes, so we went to the park near the ocean. It was cooler in some areas but hot in others. Lots of birds but they always fly away when I spot them. I was able to catch an Eastern Towhee in the bush.

We went down the road to another area that has a path, that leads to a little tower. The views of the beach and ocean from the tower. 

After we went to the pond, but both areas were crowded so it wasn't worth going for a swim. Tomorrow we head to Maine. Unfortunately I got another tick on me, while gardening and this one seems to have affected me. I am back on meds and going through ups and downs, so hopefully I can beat this one too. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I may do an extra blog this week, since I will be taking lots of photos. 

Friday Finish!

It was a slow week with the flu, mostly watching tv, resting, cleaning and working on my projects. I had to redo the background for my snowmen, better than before but not what I wanted. At this point, I am not redoing it again, so I will fix a few things on the main design and leave it as is.

I do enjoy stitching when I am sick, easy to do and few supplies to gather. I made up some more lavender sachets with a design by Theodore Cleave. She used to offer a lot of nice free designs, but she still sells some nice ones. They are great as gifts and I still have a batch of finished stitcheries, for a quilt or I may make pillows as gifts, since the saying are so nice.

I loved making this one, and fun to color in. I tried some buttons on one and glitter floss in the middle of the other flowers. I also used glitter thread for their wings. I usually get lavender from a local shop, but since I am stuck at home, I decided to order some online. I was surprised at how fragrant it was, much better than what I have gotten. I think 2 pounds will make plenty of sachets to place around the house and some in the new trailer.

Last weekend we were able to see eagles at both ponds. The problem was, my camera was acting up and wouldn't focus, so I think I am pressing the button on the side by accident, so I have to watch my settings when I shoot. Most of the photos came out blurry from the first spot, so hopefully I can get better ones, the next time. He flew close a few times and then he flew off with a hawk, following behind.

I also enjoy watching the birds in my backyard. It is the time of year when large flocks gather in the area. There is a flock of robins and a lot of different blackbirds, they fill the trees around me.

And one day I noticed that one of the squirrel's nests had gotten twice the size. I looked with my binoculars to see what it looked like and this is what I saw. A squatter took it for a safe place to sleep, but he did leave the next day. I rarely see raccoons, but I think he was startled by something or at night and wanted somewhere safe, to catch up on some sleep.

We haven't been glass hunting lately, it is way to cold and breezy at the beach. We decided to go for a quick look and grabbed what we saw as we walked down the beach and this is what I found.

And I decided that I needed to make early reservations if I wanted to get a spot at Wolfe's Neck in Maine. It is a working farm on the ocean, so we can relax, bike ride and paddle, and lots of places to visit in the area. We stayed there fifteen years ago and even though I can't paddle the long distances, it will be fun to paddle in the coves.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Easter and Free Stitcheries!

I can't believe how close Easter is, it sure came fast this year. I have been having fun making Easter items but I also need to get onto some quilts and summer items for me.

I made a couple of chicks and had no where to put them, so today I made them a nest. I had some old straw hats from my doll making days and thought it would make the perfect nest. I took a pair of scissors to them, cutting some chunks off and around the brim, then I cut off half of the top. I brushed antique medium onto the hat to age it a bit and let it dry. Then I added some spanish moss for the nest and some store bought eggs and you have a quick and easy display for your chicks.

This weekend I wanted to keep my hands busy but not think too much. A friend sent me a link to free patterns from Theodora Cleave and I thought it would be fun to make one. She is giving away the whole set so you can make mini quilts with some or use them all and make a full sized quilt. I am not sure yet, what I will do. Minis are nice to give as multiple gifts and a regular quilt would make a nice quilt too, so I will decide later.

This is what i have so far, I have worked on it more today. I will be adding some color, green and red with a bit of yellow and brown. I am using tea stained muslim for the background.

Today it was nicer out, so I was able to get outside to play with Bean. When I opened the door I saw a critter just coming out of the pathway and when he saw us, he ran up the tree. The poor thing was not expecting people, or a dog, so he climbed to the top and played dead, lol. Then my neighbor took his pup for a walk down the path and the poor guy just sat there, it took him 20 minutes before he realized no one else was going to come out.

I am seeing more and more critters lately, so I guess that is a sign that Spring is actually coming, albeit a bit slowly.