Friday finish!

 

This week I was in the mood to paint some rocks. With camping trips, I like to hide them in areas we visit, so I want to make as many as I can for the summer. I find ideas on the internet and there is also a Facebook site, where she gives step by step instructions. Of course I just take the finished one and free hand it myself, so not always the best, but fun enough. The problem was, I realized all my old varnishes are thick and no good, so I have to wait to finish them.

Last week we took a walk on the beach. The tide was low so I was able to find some treasures and then we walked to the other end.

 Along the way we ran into this crab, who didn't want to be seen, so he ran to the surf and buried himself in the sand.

Today we took a walk at the bird sanctuary. It is a never ending joy since each time I see new birds that are coming in and we get a good 3 miles in. The weird thing I spotted today was a large dead bird in the osprey nest. Her mate was in a nearby tree, pruning himself. When a pair of geese tried to come onto the island, he chased them off, he is not one to mess with.

I also saw that the long term couple, finally made a new nest on a lower branch. 

Another nice surprise was, catching a Palm Warbler, who sat still for a second. 

We went by the marsh and I caught a group that were foraging. This one got itself a crab.

So far the weekend looks good, so hopefully we can get out for some more walks or maybe a bike ride. I am bummed about next weekend. The weatherman said rain, now he is saying warm and sunny. I had to make. decision yesterday when I thought it was going to rain or I lose all the money for camp, so I cancelled. It used to be that I could cancel up to 2 days before, so it makes it harder. 

I hope everyone is doing well, I heard the news about the tornadoes and bad weather and hope that no one was affected. 

Monday Finish and Finds!

This weekend I was able to get more work done on my new rock, we had rain on Sunday and today I finished the last of it. It is a bit shiny since the spray finish was still setting. But I need the higher shine since it will be sitting outside.

The design came from a rock painting book by Lin Welford. She has several books for animals and painting on rocks, that have easy to follow patterns and diagrams for each step. Of course I never follow directions and added a few of my own touches. I really do think I do better when I go from a photo, when I try something simple, I make more of a mess, lol. I like the idea of doing churches that I have taken photos of, I just need to find the right shapes.

We were able to enjoy a day at the beach, even though it sprinkled on us, a few times. The good thing was, no people and Bean got to play off leash. I found a few nice pieces, but with a dreary day, it is harder to see glass with all the wet rocks on the beach.

Since we had more time, and the tide was at it's lowest, we were able to walk along the entire beach. It is good to get some walking in and I did find a nice piece of driftwood. The photo is deceiving, I am at the farthest end that you can walk, before you hit cliffs and looking back, there are rock areas and small beaches in between each one, until you get back to the sandier end.

The Rocks in this area are carved out by the strong waves, they remind me of a landscape in the mid-west. It was nice to get out, before the rainy Sunday.

Friday Finish!

I hope everyone is safe and warm at home, with the weather that is hitting the east coast. We have horrible winds, my grill went flying across the porch and later I saw our wheelbarrow go up and over, so a good day to stay in. I decided to post early, just in case the power goes out, so far, so good.

With the nicer weather, I decided it was time to start painting rocks. I love leaving a few when we go out for walks. This time I made some simple bunnies. I like doing designs that make people smile and I am hoping, these will do the trick. I don't have as much control with my arm, but I didn't do too bad with that and my blurry vision, lol. If you would like to join in on leaving rocks or art items for others to find and spread the smiles, you can visit my group on Facebook, DSmiles4miles.

It doesn't have to be items that you leave anonymously, you can also bring smiles to those in nursing homes or hospitals with a gift of time.

We did have some wonderful weather this week, perfect for getting out to the local beaches and beach combing. The first day I found the most, I guess no one has been on the dog beach all winter.The large green piece on the bottom is the bottom part of a bottle bottom, our biggest find yet.

Of course Bean loved getting out and he even found a new friend. Someone as hyper as he is.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

This week I did some rocks and a stitchery and actually cleaned up my sewing room, so I can get to all of those projects I have been wanting to do.

I had four rocks that I base coated, so it was worth finishing them, for now this will be the last batch. I am having a hard time keeping my hand steady for small areas and with the rough surfaces, it just take me too long to do a decent job. I have been wanting to make heart pillows for breast cancer and I have a few finished mini stitcheries that I can gift with, so between that and Christmas quilting, I think I will be busy enough.

These were done with some free clip art images, that I found. I like to make items that make people smile and hopefully these will. If you are interested in joining my group on Facebook, it is called DSmiles4miles, no pressure, just a group for those who want to make things for others and spread happiness to others.

Another item I finished was a little pillow for cat lovers. It is a free design from Quilts by Cheri, a Facebook group. I think it is a great gift idea for a cat loving friend.

And a reminder to find joy in your life, even in the simple things.

We are getting into the colder temperatures now, but we still plan on exploring, just less time outside. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Weekend Wanderings!

I hope everyone had a good weekend, though it was over shadowed by the sad news on Sunday. My heart breaks for the families in Texas.

With so much sadness in the world lately, I do enjoy hiding my rocks and hoping it will bring a smile to the people who find them and a little happiness in other's lives. One thing that really made me feel good is that not only do we help others who find them, but also those who hide them.

Usually we take Nick on one day and he loves finding rocks and I have to tell him that he can only keep one and rehide the rest, which is hard for a four year old. This weekend we found a rock and he checked it out and then put it back in another place on the bridge. Then when we came home, I remembered I had found a heart shaped rock that had gold in it, and he loved it. Then he came over to me and said, I want you to have it, he is finding joy in giving to others now and that warms my heart.

Another story with rocks is that a neighbor loves to find rocks when she goes out and last week, she found one with an angel. She really didn't want the rock, but something made her take it and then she remembered me and bought it over. This rock is perfect for my room and she will sit there for awhile and someday, I plan on giving it to someone who needs it more than I. It says, "Your wings were ready, but my heart was not". Something simple as leaving painted rocks can touch so many others. If you are interested in joining in, you can go to my Facebook group, DSmiles4Miles. It is not just for rocks, but any type of gifts that you can leave in areas you visit, or gifts that you can give to others, to bring a smile to their day.

This is the rock she found, and this is my memorial table for my daughter. The angel is the one we had at her grave, until the stone came and the rocks are hearts and special items I find on the beach.

We took Nick out Saturday and I really wanted to go further up north but I needed to keep it to a few places with Nick along. We drove straight to the falls, no sight seeing or stops, so we could have more time enjoying the area. The falls were running full force, I tell Nick to smile and I get the grimace, that and I think he was a bit nervous being so close to the falls, lol.

From there we walked along the path and through the covered bridge.

Then along the river path and through the woods, a great place for a little boy to play and explore.

From there we went across to East Haddam, I wanted to see the oldest Bell and the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. The school house was placed on the hill, over looking the Connecticut river, so it is more of a park like setting and another place, Nick could run around.

He went and set in the car with Bill while I took photos of the church and graveyard. It was hard to get a clear shot of the bell, but it was originally made for a Spanish Monestary in 815AD. A sea captain found the bell and used it as ballast for his ship and eventually it made it's way to East Haddam.

Then it was off to the castle. At this point, Nick was getting tired, so we took a quick tour around the castle and then a short hike into the woods. I really wanted him to go in the tunnel, which is part of the old mini railroad trail. The original owner of the castle, built a track around his property and had a small engine and cars to take his guests for rides.

Nick was nervous and couldn't wait to get out, then he said, lets go again.

We had a nice walk around the path, back to the car and by the time we got back, his energy dwindled. I decided he needed something to eat and we got him a meal in the next town, but by the time the food came out, he was fast asleep. So he got a good nap on the way home and was full of energy again when his parents came over and we had dinner together.

Sunday was another cloudy day but the rain held off and we were able to take a drive to the ocean. I was dragging, so a relaxing few hours on the beach was just what I needed. I found a few heart rocks and sea glass to add to my collection. Today I crashed, mostly resting and hoping I get my energy back tomorrow for all the ideas that are running through my head;)

Stitcheries and Stones!

We have another nice weekend coming up, maybe some rain on Sunday but I know we will be exploring on Saturday. So.. I had to make some more rocks. I was only able to get six done, it does take me time with my bad arm and messed up brain, but I think that they should bring some smiles to the people who find them.

One of the things that takes me the longest is putting on the base coats, I like to add at least three so they don't wear down and I also put three coats of finish to seal them. Then I make lots of mistakes so I try and fix those before I seal them, but even if I am not the best artist, and get lazy, they are fun to do and fun to hide, at the different places we go.

The angels are a free pattern from Artist's Club. They offer some nice designs for free and I think I may do some on wood so I can do a better job on the designs. The rocks were chunky so I had to free hand it, on wood I can trace it on.

I also made a new stitchery from Kathy's One Stitch Club. I made this one as a gift, it will be a little pillow and I will put some lavender in it. My DIL has a friend who lost her husband this year and she and the kids will be spending the holidays with all of us, so I thought it would be nice to make a little something for her. I will finish later, since I need to get a nice cording to finish the edge and I don't want to add the lavender too early, so it smells fresh when I give it to her. I think adding her initials would be a nice touch, too.

Friday Finishes!

I actually got quite a few things done this week, some finished, some still in the works. One thing I did finish was a new batch of rocks. This will be the last for now, I really need to get back to my sewing and Christmas will be here before I know it.

I made these fun, I just love how goofy they are and I hope they put a smiles on the people who find them. On the rocks that I have enough room, I add, Smile at the next person you see. I also add the Facebook name, if they want to find out more about the group and if you are interested, you can find us at; DSmiles4miles.

I also made a few pillows to try them out. I used an old piece of quilt, that a friend gave me, so this was just for practice since the material is special to me. I think I will do some fun fall pillows, so I need to see what I have in my stash. These are easier and quicker for me to make and can be left inside, which is nice since the weather is getting cooler.

I aged these with walnut spray, I like the idea of doing hearts, but maybe I can do some pumpkin ones or candy corn, like the rocks but in fabric.

I also finished the stitching on my fall, wall hanging. The design is by Kathy Schmitz. I still have to make the quilt, hanging on the line and a border, but I may add my own touch, we shall see;)

Another thing I tried was some paint products. I thought they might make it easier for me to do small lines and spaces, but I was wrong. The pen comes out thicker than it shows on the package and the plastic liner, fits on the top of the paint, but comes out fast and wide. They may be nice for kids as an alternative to using a brush, but I think I will stick to my black artist pen.

And to show you how my day went..... This is what happened when I went to make a batch of cookies. I put them in and went downstairs to do something quick, then I noticed the stairs needed cleaning and did them and then I heard a loud beeping. I came up to see what it was and the cookie pan was on fire. I am not sure if I was gone longer than I thought or the pan caught on fire, it looked like the flames were coming from the pan only, which of course burnt the cookies to a crisp. So, I spent the day with fans on and it still smells like toxic plastic. I was able to make another batch tonight and no problems, so maybe it was the copper pans? They came from a discount store, so not really sure, but they went in the garbage.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We have rain tomorrow and I have an order of weathered white wood coming, so we can put that up in the beach room. Then I can finally finish decorating and  using the room.

Friday Finishes, Yes, I actually finished two things!

I finished the piece I was working on and the piece I finished earlier. The old houses is a design by Primitive Spirits, gifted to me by a friend. I loved the design and had thought I would mount it on wood and add nail hooks for a key holder, but I changed my mind.

I remembered I had a square box and it was the perfect size for this piece. The box was gray, but I painted it white, then sage green and sanded it down. I was hoping for more white to show, but my hand is still messed up, so not strong enough for heavy sanding. I ended up antiquing it to match the piece. The punch looks lighter than it is, it is more stained than shows, so it goes perfectly with the box. I think it would make a nice gift and something they can use to put items in.

The second piece was a free design by Julie of The Old Tattered Flag. Another design I loved when I saw it and the perfect gift for a friend who has a birthday coming up. I like making pillows, they are small enough to fit anywhere and go nice in settings. I also remembered why I don't use java stain on punched pieces, it leaked out and the hidden colors like green, came out. I had to rinse it a few times to get it out, but it left some darker staining.

Today was one of those days when I felt overwhelmed with all I had to do. We are heading to camp tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. I had to cook food, clean up all the messes, pack clothing, laundry, clean house and finish some rocks to take with me, but I got most of it done. Just a few more dishes and I will vacuum and tomorrow I can get last minute things done. The nice thing about camping nearby is we can leave later and only a half hour away. We are camping at the state park on the lake with a spot next to the boat launch, so I plan on relaxing and paddling and getting some bike riding in, this time.

I wasn't doing very well with my painting last week, so I took a few that weren't too bad and finished them up quickly. Not the best, but I am sure, whoever finds them will have fun and that is what counts. I can do the rest, next week, to take on our next trip. Then that will be it, I have lots of quilting and things to make and the holidays will be here before I know it.

I hope  you all have a nice weekend, and prayers for those in the hurricane's path.

Friday this and that!

Another week of projects that haven't gotten finished, but no hurry, and some weeks I just can't push like I usually do.

One thing I did was start painting the rocks I found, a few finished and more than a few, not finished. The lyme is affecting my eyes this week and my arm is still messed up, so it is slow going and I end  up making more messes, and having to fix them, so I do what I can and take a break.

These I did freehand, two are Laurel Burch designs, I have a couple of her quilting books. The other I just drew up, using my quilting chalk pencil. That is nice since I can draw on the design to see how it looks and not worry about following lines since the chalk disappears.

Then I started with one batch and decided to do them all. At this point, I just want to get them done and put the supplies back into my beach room. I have a million things to finish and projects I want to do, so time to get working on my quilting and I need that table back. Painting rocks is fun, but time consuming when you are slow, so later I can do more and maybe do some folk art designs that are simpler. I think doing pumpkins for halloween would be fun and easy to do.

You can see I have some odd shapes, and my brain wasn't working, so I have to remember to relax and just enjoy it and not try so hard, kids will love them.

I also started a punch needle. A free design by, The Old Tattered Flag. Here is the back, not very pretty, but much better on the front;) I wanted it to look like brick on the house, but brighter than I wanted, good thing for walnut stain, that will go on to dull them down and blend them into the house.

And the animals keep me busy, Bean always wants to play and the kitties leave tons of hair and dirty litter boxes for me to clean. But, moments like this, sharing dinner with Bean. Moki is like Bean, he thinks everyone should love him and he loves to say hi to company.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am hoping to get out more this weekend, great weather for the beach.

Friday Finishes!

Finishes or should I call them  foibles? This has not been my week, on meds so my brain is scattered and my arm is no cooperating so I do not have a steady hand, but even so, I love to create, even if I mess it up.

This month's stitchery from Kathy Schmitz was a bird bath and I thought it would make a nice pillow to go with my bird house. I guess I made it a bit large, it is larger than the birdhouse, so it will go in another space.

I used fabric from her line, which goes beautifully with her designs. I did not have much left, so I had to sew some pieces together and it is a bit crooked. The stuffing is way too puffy, I got it by mistake and using it, but I think I will have to get more of the softer kind.

The finished piece is 7" x 11".

Another thing I want to try was rock painting. Our area has been painting rocks and leaving them hidden around the towns, for others to find. I thought it would be fun to try some and hide some myself. I used designs I found online, nothing fancy, wanted them to be fun for kids, who seem to be the ones finding them. With my arm and fuzzy eyes, my painting is horrid and I think I tried to make too much design in a small space. But, it was fun anyways and hopefully the people who find them, will like them. I guess I need to get more paint colors, I tend to have a more prim palette.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Maybe you can find some rocks and paint some yourself.