Friday Finish!

 Lately it seems I never have time to go online and when I do, it is to quickly scan and hopefully not miss anything. I usually try to catch up on blogs on the weekend so hopefully I can catch up on everyones news.

I decided to start an Americana piece this week, a design by Bird in the Hand Primitives. It was fun to do and small pieces are nice since I can add more to my walls. I traced it in reverse, I guess I placed the design backwards on the light pad, but it looks like either way.

And of course we spent afternoons at the beach when we could. Glass collecting, walks on the beach and nature.

One day I got more distracted by the antics of a pair of Great Egrets, so not as much glass that day. 

The gulls like to hang with them, always a chance of stealing food if they can get it.

And at one point they were doing their dance, but it was hard to catch them in the act.

In the distance on a large rock island, I spotted a lot of Cormorants. This is just a portion of the rock and you can see how many nests are there. 

And we finally got a chance to get to the Veterans Cemetery. My parents are there, Bills dad and second wife, as well as his brother Tom. It is a beautiful place to just walk around.

His brother is in the memorial wall, but it is a new section and they still haven't engraved names on any. The old graveyard is in the back and this sad section is the graves that died at Ladd School, formally called The School for the Feeble Minded. They finally closed it down, a time of horrors to the poor and mentally disabled.

Today we stopped at the main state beach to get passes for our cars. While we were down there, we stopped at another beach for a nice walk, perfect day but the tide was up, so not a good time for glass collecting.

And on a sad note, we said our goodbyes to Moki. He as a stray that wondered into my yard one day. Scared and hungry, and scarred up from battles. It took a few weeks before he fully trusted me and then he came in and stayed. We were not sure how old he was, but the vet said around 3 years. He was silly and loving and will be missed, but I know he is better off from his suffering. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I got a dragon kite for the boys, so hoping we can get out to try it.

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.

Weekend Wanderings!

This weekend was cool so we didn't get to spend a lot of time outside and when we did, we basically froze. One of the things I wanted to do was, check out the state park at the south end. I camped there when I was younger, but now it is so popular it is hard to get in.

The campground is on a salt water inlet, with views and close to the beaches and ferry, so it would be a fun place to stay. I did check online and can get in, in early spring, but once the weather warms, it is full up, so maybe i will try for the fall.

The nice thing is, you can still park outside the gates and walk around before they open. It would have been nicer if it wasn't so cold and there was still snow on the pathways, so we couldn't explore the old fort.

It is a really nice park, the sites are spaced nicely and on some you can see views of the ocean. Another nice thing is, they have a hill with a lookout so you can go up there and enjoy the views and I know it would be a great place to watch the sunset. They also allow dogs, which is a big plus.

I am standing on the platform which sits on an old bunker. The bad thing is, you are on the water, but I didn't see any place to put a boat in, but there is a launch across the inlet.

The hill where I was standing, this area was an old fort, so there are still a few underground forts but they have them closed off now.

We took a ride down to the docks and enjoy the views and as always, plenty of seagulls waiting for scraps.

The coast guard boat, heading out.

We drove around the loop to enjoy views from different areas and headed home. Since it was sunny out, I wanted to catch a sunset, so we headed to the lighthouse in Jamestown. We stopped in a different area and I caught some shots from the cliffs, sadly it was muddy and freezing, so I think I will sit in the car next time and get out to take shots;)

Then we got home and Bill had the chills, and he was sick and soon after it hit me, so Sunday was definitely a day of rest, at least for Bill, lol. I made tacos since it is loaded with antioxidants, nothing like hot peppers to kill a flu. I also loaded us down with vitamins and herbs so Bill was ready to go back to work today. I am fighting it, so hopefully it won't get the best of me.

Bean and Moki love the couch and usually sleep at each end, but sometimes Bean just wants to get closer and cuddle. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

A Day in the Life!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. My husband needed help getting the new tub/shower for the basement, so he had my son help him and that meant time with Nicholas for me. Of course Bean was excited to have company and spent the day, trying to herd him.

We ended the day with lunch, homemade rice and chicken that his mom makes up for him. We used the day to eat and be silly.

After we drove them home, we stopped at a local park for a short walk. This is a pond that used to be a public beach and picnic area, but now there is no swimming and they closed the campground down, years ago. Such a shame, it was a nice place to take the kids and we need another state park for camping.

There was still snow in some areas and ice on the pond.

The trail goes around the pond, so we started into the woods.

Lots of nice places to stop and enjoy the views and of course Bean had to explore every nook and cranny.

It was cold and windy, but the path narrowed and it was nice walking in the woods. The problem was, the paths got muddy, so we decided we would come back when we had more time and it was dry, then we can go around the whole pond, something I have never done.

On the home front, I have been working on the rag quilt and hopefully I can get more done in the next few days. The kitties are always finding new places to sleep and Izzy thought my easter hat and chicks made a nice pillow.

And then there is Moki and Bean. Bean has been chewing holes underneath my new couches when I wasn't looking. And Moki has decided it is the perfect kitty hideaway to sleep in.  While I was on the floor trying to get a photo of Moki, Bean decided to get in the act.

Friday Finishes!

This week I got the idea to make a needle felted sheep. I had a pattern that I found online but I got lost when I went to put on the outer fibers for the sheep fleece. I thought the roving I had would work nicely since it was sheep wool, but I ran out and the only other dark color I had, made him look like a bear. And, by mixing the colors, he looks like a bear with mange, lol.

I got him as finished as I could and added a face and of course, he looks a bit comical now, but I am learning and it is fun to experiment. The photo is horrid, I tried all types of light and I could not get a good photo with definition, he really looks better in person and he is so bad that he makes me smile.

And here is a side view outside. Maybe I will try something smaller and simpler, next time and get better at my felting techniques.

Another piece was a design by Debbie of Wooden Spool Designs. I thought it would be a fun little piece for spring. I didn't realize it had a front and a back, so mine is just the backing, but I still like how it came out. I enlarged my backings by 10% to give me a little more room for the design.

And of course today was cleaning day. I like to have everything done so Bill and I can enjoy the weekend, and relax. I was doing laundry and went into the bedroom, turned around and this is what I saw. I am in trouble now, this is the first time he has gotten on the bed and my bed is 36" high, so he is a jumper.

He really hates that the kitties can get up on high places, now he can too. He loves to play and snuggle with Moki and Moki is sweet enough to put up with him. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Working on Giveaway!

This week I started a new punch needle design, adapted from an antique rug. I am keeping it simple and somewhat true to the original for basic colors.

Since I will have a new pattern, hopefully by Friday, I will have a giveaway of one of my epatterns. It can be the new one or any of the epatterns on my ecrater site. I will pick a name on Friday and announce the winner on that posting.

Can you guess what might be in the design?

Today was cleaning day and my bed. The kitties like to sleep on my bed and after a week, I get tired of inhaling cat hairs. I shut the door so they can't get it dirty before i got to sleep and Moki found another favorite place to sleep. My kitty dolls make great pillows.

Then he decided to sleep on the dog's blanket. Bean let him enjoy it for awhile but it didn't take long for him to get up and give Moki, the please play with me look. Bean still doesn't understand that kitties do not throw balls. Though mine do steal his and roll them down to the cellar.

Friday Finishes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner and a quiet day, just what I needed. I finished one punch needle piece and started another one, so I am enjoying working on that. It is a piece done with the nativity scene, so hopefully I can finish it this weekend.

This piece is a free pattern from The Old Tattered Flag, for use on the Facebook group, The Out of Hand Rughookers Group. She said we could use it for punch, as well as hooking, so I made a punch with mine. I want to take it further, so I have something else I will be doing with it and I have to go in and fill those little gaps that I missed when I was punching. That is what  happens when you are tired and finishing the last rows;)

I was being lazy and used my little camera, so not the best quality compared to how it looks in person. I used scraps from my floss box on this piece.

Another piece I started was the spencerian birds, and decided it would make a nice pillow. I added a border that will work for Christmas but also prim enough to use all year. This and the sheep will be aged when they are finished. I am just wondering about adding an edging and what type. I had some old cream cotton lace and it didn't look right, so thinking on it, but needs to get done by next week.

My fur babies enjoyed the holidays too. Moki and Bean, in the spirit of the holiday, shared a meal together:) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Friday Works in Progress

I started two new projects this week. One is a table runner for fall. I won a charm pack of Posh Pumpkins from This n That fabrics, which is now, Sauder's Fabrics. They are also doing another contest and giveaways this month to celebrate their anniversary, so be sure and visit.

It has a lot of fun prints with fall colors so I went with half Square triangles and then played with them to get a layout that I liked. It is funny how one design can look different ways when it all goes together. I used a fall leaf fabric for the border, than black for the binding, I think it gives it a nice touch and contrast to the oranges. Of course, the minute I laid it on the couch to take a break, Moki jumped on it. He never sleeps on the couch, but if i have a quilt or rug item on it, he is there.

I am hand quilting with black pearl cotton, so hopefully I can get that done this weekend. I will also add a little applique to each corner, I am thinking a simple wool sunflower.

Another project is a fall wall hanging. The original pattern is Sunflowers and Scarecrows by Jan Patek. It is in the Fall 2011 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects and she also has the pattern on her website. I decided to change the middle section and put my scarecrow in the middle. He is found in my Ebooklet, Fall is in the air. I will add details after I add all the appliqués.

I also wanted to share a prize that I won from Whimsical Workshop. I love Heidi's designs and when I saw Under the Sea, I loved it. Of course I will make my sweet grandson a quilt with it, but there is enough to make more, so I think a few charity quilts would be fun too. I was amazed at how much fabric I got and how beautiful it looks in person.

The Good and the Bad!

The good news is, the team came today and repaired the line and our water is back. The bad is, it was the whole water line so they had to dig all the way out and the town had requirements for new things that we add to put in, as well, so the cost tripled.

 The bad news, Moki escaped a few times today, but all the noise scared him back in. In other news, Moki is in water heaven, how he missed his running water.

We also had a good day for hiking and I picked a spot that I had been wanting to visit. It is in the same area as our previous walk, but another path and pond, also the site where they filmed the kids on a rock, camping out.

The bad news, the hike was constant, up and down hills and rocks.

The good news, I made it to the rock and couldn't wait to get on top and get some shots of the lake below us. The bad news, I found out, there are no paths around it and I couldn't get past one ledge before I froze, so I had to concede to defeat.

Even with the harder hike, it was well worth a visit. It was such a beautiful area and a nice challenge for me. Hopefully by the end of the week, I will be able to move again, lol. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and prayers for all of you who are being effected by the tornados

Heartfelt Thanks!

I am touched by all of the wonderful comments and outpouring of your loving thoughts. I truly appreciate each and every one and it warms my heart to know that I have the support and understanding of so many friends.

Today I worked on my wool quilt. I have sewed most of the blocks, just an edge left to do on one piece and one block of pennies. I plan on doing a little extra embellishing and stitchery on some of the pieces, then I will sew on the back and maybe a black binding.

Moki never sits with me or on the couch, but today, he tried getting onto my chair or actually the quilt. He did not care if it still had pins in it, it is wool and kitties love wool. When I laid it on the couch to take a break, he was there within seconds. Now he is on it again, sleeping soundly and comfy without the pins.

Prizes and Surprises!

This week I was the lucky winner of Cheryl Lynch's giveaway. I won a package of goodies that she got from market and it was filled to the brim. I got three bags, beautiful rick rack and ribbon, a pattern to make a bike bag, a ruler and as you can see, so many things that I will have a fun time using them and making some fun pieces with them. I can't wait to try the Trans web fusible for my art pieces. Be sure to visit Cheryl's blog, she has wonderful inspiration and a wonderful new book for embellishing your quilts.

This weekend my husband got me a screen house for the porch, but I think it is a giant bug catcher. I saw this guy flying around, he was interesting and weird with the long tail in back, have seen anything like it. I have never seen a bug this big.

Then I saw this one, later one. I think I found it's mama, lol. It is a Giant wasp, something I have never seen before.

And Moki is being Moki, it was humid again, today.