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 Finish!

 

Since I am working on several large projects, I like to have something that I can make up quickly. This Christmas mat is a pattern from BareRoots. I have been gifted a lot of items on top of things I have bought over the years, so trying to finish them, a bit at a time.

Last week we went to the pond, to see if we could find the eagles. None in sight this time, but I did catch a Killdeer at the water's edge.

After we went for a walk at the bike path. Would love to try my new bike there, but it is either too cold or too windy lately. Lots of Chickadees at the park.

Today we went to the lighthouse. It was windy but warmer. Lots of seagulls were enjoying, floating in the winds.

We ended up taking the back paths and found out they go a lot further in the opposite direction, so we got a nice long walk, along with views of the bay. 

Most of the foliage is gone now, but we still see pops of color, here and there. My backyard came in late, so this was last week and now they are bright yellows and falling with the wind. I hope you are all safe from the horrible storms, crossing the middle states. We have good weather this weekend, so hoping to get out for long walks and maybe a bike ride.

Working on Friday!

 

I am still working on my Christmas quilt. I am quilting it now and almost done, so I will definitely be finished by next week. I think for next year, I need to work all year to get all the other projects done. The colors are a bit off in this photo, so hopefully I can get a better one, when finished. I had to hand write the saying, and I think I made mine a bit larger than the original, but I like how well it stands out. 

We got out last weekend and spent some time at the ocean. It was warm enough to walk along the beach and enjoy watching the Sanderlings, running along the beach.

Today it warmed up a bit, so we got to spend some time at the beach. The marina has their own Christmas decoration. I bet it looks beautiful when lit up at night, the lights run down, along the crane.

And I found another odd object that got washed up with the tide.

And I found a bit of glass and some pottery. It was nice to be out again and tomorrow will be nice, as well, so some time at the seaport for some Christmas activity and maybe a hike on Sunday. I hope. you all have a nice weekend and able to get out and enjoy some of the holiday festivities.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week has come and gone and I was able to finish my stitchery just in time, for the new one that came out today. I love this one since it was fun to do and will make a nice gift. I do enjoy coloring them, but I think I need to get more pencils to widen my color palette. It is fun to do brighter colors though, it makes me happy when I work on them.

We got to spend an afternoon with the boys. They love our beach, fun to treasure hunt and play at the beach. We bought the trailer so they were able to have lunch and then go back to the beach.

Unfortunately we got rain, so we waited it out and took a walk around the park, before we left.

The next day, Bill and I went for a bike ride on a rail trail in Connecticut. It goes through the woods, and past several ponds. It was a wonderful place to ride but I realized my seat was a bit too hard for my bony butt, lol. I was able to order a seat cover with cushion, so that should do the trick.

And of course, we spent a few afternoons at the beach. This was a beautiful day and there were a lot of wind surfers on the bay.

The last day we spent there was Wednesday. I had to wear a sweatshirt with the cooler weather and of course, now that I can't swim, the water was nice and calm. I wasn't feeling great and of course got worse for the rest of this week. Lots of meds and vitamins and so far I am fighting off, whatever I have. I am hoping I am up to getting out this weekend, the weather is cooler and it is so nice to get out for walks and maybe get some photos.

We didn't stay as long but I found some nice large treasures that were washing up on the beach. I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay safe and healthy.

Weekend Fun!

 

I thought I would do extra posts since we are home and exploring new places. The weather has been nice but today we got rain, so we stayed home to get things done and I cooked up foods for the week. 

On Saturday we took the boys to a new park,  It is a large park in Connecticut called Masamoquet Brook State Park. I was happy to see that they had several parking areas and we found a nice big spot, facing. the river. The waters are still down, but there was enough flow to hear as it tumbled along the rocks.

There were several hiking trails but the one to the Wolf's Den was up a hill, so I was afraid the boys couldn't handle it. We walked around the lower trails and they had fun jumping on the bridge to hear the drumming sound.

Then we decided to take a side trail that went along the river. It was a nice trail, and a lot of beautiful old trees, with unique features. There are signs everywhere that Woodpeckers are around.

Alex was tired so Nick and I went for a hike up the hill to see how bad it was. It was steep but once we got to the top, it leveled out and was easier walking. I didn't want to go too far, but then Bill and Alex showed up so we hiked along a trail for awhile. We will go back and hike the main trails and points of interest by ourselves, next time. After our walk, the boys enjoyed ice cream and some play time before we went home.

Sunday was a day with Bean, he hates when we leave without him, but it is too much with the boys and him. We went back to the park we took the boys to, last week. This time we hiked the trails and got to enjoy the ponds and woodlands.

Our destination was the covered bridge. A nice trail and except for the main trails, no one was on the back trails, so we had the woods to ourselves.

 Lots of small streams, mostly dried out. We had a nice day, got a good 5 mile hike in and no stress. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and remember to step away from life's stressors and enjoy a moment of peace for yourself.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on Three pieces, two I finished. I made another snowman pillow, but I will add the borders and finish them, and show them next week. Today I was too lazy to sit at the machine or think too much.

On the Facebook group, Quilts by Cheri, they are having a challenge contest with two designs, that we could do. I decided to go with the bee piece, I like the look and I was able to reduce it, to make a little lavender, sachet pillow.

I added some touches of color, but I got impatient and added the black marker before the yellow dried, so it ran a bit on the bee.

Another design is by Kathy Schmitz for her One Stitch Club. I enjoy getting one each month, something to look forward to. This one was reduced, as well and I colored this one with colored pencil. It is not as permanent as the markers, but I don't plan on washing it.

Tomorrow we have a warm weekend, so I plan on getting out and trying some new places in the hunt for eagles. Someday I will find them, lol. The fun is in exploring and trying new places. This area  is at a fish hatchery with walks along the river. I was hoping to take the boys, but they are still fighting off the flu. For me, getting out and getting fresh air is the best medicine.

Last weekend we never found any eagles, but enjoyed exploring and I finally stopped at a cemetery, that we pass all the time. From the road I didn't see much, but so glad I went in and found some wonderful old stones. Most of the stones were worn and broken, which is a shame, they did have some nice angel carvings, so I was able to find a few new ideas for future designs.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Monday Finish and Fun!

I finished a piece on Friday night, so today I can show it to you. I made this months ago, but never finished it, so I decided to leave it as is, and make a pillow. I meant to tone down the snow, but forgot, but I am still happy with it, it was a big piece to work on.

The design is by Michelle Palmer and is 10" x 8".

This weekend was cold, so we went for a ride to Connecticut to do a little shopping and watch the ferrys at the point.

On the way to the point, I spotted this guy in a nearby pond. It is times like this, that I wish I had a larger zoom.

One place I love is the thrift shop, I found some fun goodies. I like buying little things that they boys can play with and not worry about breaking, the total cost was four dollars, can't beat that deal. The house is a music box and the santa flies around it, Alex loves watching it.

And to end my weekend, the boys stopped by for a late Birthday dinner. The boys gave me the best present ever, hand made cards and a mug that brings a smile, every time I use it. And that is about how I look and feel in the morning, haha. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday week.

Friday Finishes!

This weekend we went for a few drives and found out, one store was closed on Monday, but the good thing was, Colchester Mills was open and I was able to get some nice muslin and a new pattern, as a treat.

This design is by Blueberry Backroads, called Just for You! I love the fact that it is small and has the perfect saying for gift giving. I made the first one into a pillow, but they also have a flat version. I think the flat one would be fun to fill with balsam but I didn't get any this year. It is also nice since the flat version can fit in a small yellow envelope, along with a card.

I gave it a little color and some bells.

My freebie for the week was a design I found online, a simple tree with cut out hearts, but I decided to try some of my buttons. It was simple and quick to make up, so a great giveaway item, and something simple enough for kids to do. I think I like the smile face trees, better.

I saved the site these came from, but it seems to be an iffy site, isn't taking me to the same post, so I am including the pattern I downloaded and it does have the name of the site it came from. I wouldn't bother though, I already cleaned out my cache to be safe.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It is going to be cold again, so we won't be hitting the beach, anytime soon.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on a stitchery from Kathy Schmitz's, One Stitch Club. This one was a fun one to do and I added some color for fun. I am leaving it for now, since I may add a wedding date and name. One of my nieces is getting married and I thought it might make a nice little gift. I will probably add a border and make it into a pillow.

Not the best photo, took with my phone, but it looks much nicer in person.

A short one tonight, my heart is heavy. I found out today that one of my daughter's best friends died. They found her unresponsive, so I am assuming it was a drug overdose. She had called me this week, out of the blue and now I wish I had the time to invite her over. I know the pain her family is going through and a loss for us as well, she spent a lot of time at our house too, when the girls were younger.

This is a photo of them together, now they are together in heaven.

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.