Friday Finishes!

This week I have been enjoying some free time and worked on a few projects. The first is a stocking that I made with Michelle Palmer's free pattern, she offers each year. She has done several and still offers them on her Facebook page with a link to her site.

I didn't add all the stitching that she did and added a few of my own. I wanted to keep it simple but fun, so I added yellow and red glitter threads.

Then I decided I wanted to make something with wool roving, so I made up a little stocking. I will use this to put a gift card in, for the kids. Then they have something to hang on their tree. I added glitter thread to accent the design.

At home I have been enjoying a warm up in the weather. The birds have been visiting more often and I was able to catch the moon as it came up, during the day.

Today I had a me day and Bill took the day off. We went to a town beach in South Kingstown. It is much quieter and has a long stretch of beach. We found a nice spot to park the RV, with views of the ocean. Bean was happy, he got to play at the beach all day and give hugs, to passerbys.

I had wanted to get some bird photos from a beach further down, but by the time I got to the houses, I realized I still had a ways to go and it was getting colder, so no bird photos. But we decided to stay later and watch the sunset. I missed the moon as it rose, but it was still beautiful with the sun setting.

A look down the beach as the sun fell below the ocean. 

The beach doesn't seem to have a lot of glass, but what I find is nice and a few large pieces of pottery. It was nice to get out and enjoy the last slightly warm day. I hope you are all enjoying your week and find time to relax and enjoy the holidays, without the stress.

Free Easter Bunny!

This weekend I took a break on Saturday since it was windy and cold. It gave Bill a day to work on the bathroom, though I am not sure how much he really did, lol. On facebook there is a group called Homespun Whimsey - Woolen Friends. She offers free patterns and block of the month. When I saw the bunny, I knew I had to make one.

I used what I had in my stash drawers and did more prim stitching, but I wanted to add a pop of color too. I like having things that the boys enjoy too, so more color in my pieces, lately. It was fun to make and I put it on the wall with rug tape. A great way to hang pieces without wrecking the walls.

On Sunday the boys had plans with mom and dad, so Bill and I went exploring by ourselves. We went to a small wooded park, that has paths and along the way, artwork by local artists.

It was a short walk, but fun to see something different and I left a painted rock along the path, for someone to find.

I was in the mood for a longer hike, so we went to the bird sanctuary at Trustum Pond. It was more crowded than usual, but we could still enjoy some quiet hiking along the paths and the local wildlife along the way. There are fields that are off limits for hikers, but I spied this guy and snuck in a little way to get a shot. A red tailed hawk, perfect spot to watch for mice in the fields.

The turtles are still hibernating, but we spied this beaver in the pond.

At the entrance, there is an area for birds with feeders and water, so a great place to see varieties of birds that are coming and going for the spring migration. This little Tufted Titmouse sat just long enough to get a shot.

The tide was going down and I wanted to check out the beach nearby. It was windy and cold, so I did a quick look in the immediate area and grabbed what I could, but too cold to stay out too long. The beach was covered in rocks, I know there was tons of glass in there, hated to leave, lol. The larger round piece was so clear, I grabbed it, thinking it was probably a rock, but I realized it was glass, so a nice find.

Hopefully I can get in the creative mood this week and start working on some art projects.

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.