Friday Finish!

 

This week seems to have gone by too fast, but I have been busy putting away the Christmas decorations and cleaning as I go. I also had to get the basement cleaned up quickly since we discovered our heater is too old to replace parts. With no idea how long the fan would hold, it was time for a new one. Today they were here all day and got it all done, along with a new air conditioning system. I have wanted one and this way it was included with price and labor, so made it more feasible. Our house has windows in the wrong places for air to circulate properly, so now I can stay cool, no matter what room I am in. 

One thing I needed was another sunglass case. I throw them in my purse and they tend to get scratched and ruined. I found a cute design on the internet and made it up on a wool backing to felt. Nothing fancy, but fun and kept my hands busy. The photo makes it look messy and fluffy, but it is flatter and nicer in person. After felting, I did a simple wet felt to smooth the fibers.

Another thing I did was, prep a couple of projects. One is a long pillow with appliqué that I am working on now, so hoping to have that done by next week. Another is two more panel for the Christmas quilt. The appliqué is on black background, so I tried a little trick. After cutting out the appliqués, I laid the freezer cut out on the background and traced around it with white chalk pencil. This way, when I go to needle turn, I know how much to pull under by keeping under the line. Not the perfect method, but it works for me.

And this is how it looks when done. The pencil stays on long enough for me to work the appliqué. 

I hope everyone is not affected too much by the storms coming through. We will not get much, maybe a dusting when it reaches here. My prayers go out to all those who are devastated by the fires in California.

Friday Finish!

 It looks like we are in for a big storm, which has started tonight. The snow is falling and the wind is picking up. We are all ready, plenty of food and gas for the generator. Good day to enjoy more sewing time.

I finished my second stitchery from Kathy Schmitz. This one I did with multiple colors and it is also a hot pad. I like the snowflake border, but realized after I looked at the photo, I should have used one of the Christmas florals to match the greenery. Kathy mentioned doing more cup stitcheries, which would be fun for more hot pads, as gifts.

Another piece I made was, a needle felted penguin. I saw a few online and then watched a video. I ended up making it more my own.  I was thinking of making some for the boys so I may do an owl next. Good practice to get more used to felting, before I tackle the harder projects.

On Saturday we took a ride down the back roads, towards the ocean. We made a stop at the old mill, which seems to be falling apart, even more. The area is beautiful though and the fishing spot had lots of birds in the bushes, but none that would sit still or come out for a photo.

We ended up following the coastal road and stopping at the beach. We didn't last long, it was windy and cold, so no beach walks. We spotted these Snow Buntings, hanging out on the roof, a first for me.

On Sunday we took a drive around a loop, where I usually spot hawks.  I saw four but they were too far and when I finally spot one close by, he took off and landed in a tree further away. To make it worse, he turned his back on me. Then we stopped to see the eagles. They were sitting in their nest area, so I couldn't get a good shot. It was nice to get out though and see them. When I got home, my resident Cardinal was waiting for me to fill the feeder.

I hope everyone is in good health and stays safe during the storm. 

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.

Friday Finish and Finds!

 It seems each week goes by faster than the last, but I also seem to be busier than usual. I was able to finish my. newest creation, even if it wasn't exactly how it started out. When I work with roving, it is like reverse carving, I start with an idea and change things as I go.

This gnome is made with wool roving that a friend gave me,  a large hank with mixed colors and some glitter. I ended up going with a wizard for a halloween theme and I made him a little broom with craft twine.

We were able to get out for a hike last weekend. The trail starts a few feet away from where I grew up. When I was younger, we walked along the old stage coach road that went all the way past a farm and back onto the new route for cars. Now most of that is overgrown and they have made new trails in the area, that go to the old Girl Scout camp on the river. It was nice walk, but a bit wet and buggy.

One day took us to the Ocean beach, not a lot of treasures, but it was nice and cool and I enjoyed watching the Sandpipers,  running back and forth, in the waves.

Of course we spent more time at our favorite beach, a late afternoon stroll along the beach and a few treasures.

Another day I spotted the Egrets in the cove, but of course they flew off before I could get a close up.

And our best day this week, Bill had an appointment, so we got there at low tide. We got to spend more time as the tide was coming in and she was generous in what she threw up for us. You can see how high the tide was, as we left. That area is where the boys usually sit and hunt through the stone piles.

You can see that we got quite a bit of glass, especially some large pieces. Those came up with the higher tide. The large yellow-green piece is almost 3" long.

I hope you all had a good week and enjoy the upcoming weekend. We are taking next week off, it looks like a nice week and hopefully we will be doing some trips into Connecticut this time.

Friday Finish and finds!

 

Well, I finally finished my angel. I wanted to add arms and I like how they came out, then I decided to add a heart, since it is a gift for a friend. The hair came out a bit wild and she looks mean in the photo, it is too harsh, she has a lighter, more whimsical expression, so she is goofy enough to make the recipient smile.

I started out with a cookie cutter shape and then added to make it into a figure. I think I would prefer to use a wire form to start and be more creative, but she isn't too bad.

We spent a lot of time at the beach this week. We go when Bill gets home so the beach is less crowded and we can spend a few hours, combing the beach and taking a swim. I got quite a few nice finds this week.

Most of the week was overcast but it is still a beautiful place to be.

And I love watching the fog roll in. This day it got so thick,  you could not see too far, but we made it over the bridge before it rolled over.

And I am still enjoying the visitors at my feeder. This young Chipping Sparrow is a new visitor and happy to sit for a photo. Hopefully I can catch some of the other youngsters when they get used to me. I hope you all had a nice week and have a wonderful weekend.

Easter Blessings!

This week has been a slow week for crafting, and more of a whirlwind of caretaking, along with my regular routine and of course caring for the fur babies. Bill had to go back in and have his medicines adjusted at the beginning of the week, but he is doing well now and hopefully things will only improve.

As for me, I am doing way too much in a day and wearing myself out. To top it off, a package was delivered and left in the driveway and it was a 40 pound box of printer paper. I had no choice but to bring it in, so paying for that now and fighting off a bug. 

I have been working on some new projects, so I make sure I have some time for myself and creating. I did get to enjoy an hour this week, walking along the river and taking photos. Bill's therapy will be here, so when he goes for visits, I can go for walks in the area. The bike path is close by and a couple of old cemeteries, so something fun for me to do, instead of sitting in the waiting room.

Across the street is an art gallery and someone decided that the tree needed to keep warm this winter.

On the other side is the river, with a waterfall. The area was once home to mills. 

Looking up river you can see the bridge to cross the river and a covered dock to sit and relax at.

It is a great place to enjoy watching the wildlife.

And when I got home, I got a nice surprise. I had made a friend some masks and she sent me a big box of roving. I love the colors and the glitter in the multi-colors in the back, there area some gorgeous maroons and purple in that, and I might even try a little dragon with it.

I hope you are all blessed with good health this Easter.

Friday this and that!

No finishes this week, mostly things I am working on. One is the fall table topper, I am hand quilting it, so that might take a few weeks. I also seem to have gotten something, a flu, covid who one of my many weird problems, but I have meds and they are taking care of, whatever it is. Of course this is the week that Bill took off and now we can't go on any trips, just in case. But we can do day trips and with the trailer, I am self contained.

One item I am working on is, a needle felted angel. I wanted to try making one by using a cookie cutter to start, for the shape, but I think I prefer making them on my own. I would have rather made a more artistic angel and had better wings, but it is not too bad and I will add arms and change it up more as I go.

And this is where I stopped with my angel. Having a photo helps me to see what I need to fix and what I want to do. I think I made her look a bit pouty, doesn't match love too well, lol.

 I also enjoy watching the birds that come to my yard, I have three Downy Woodpeckers that visit and they like to chatter at me, they keep me amused.

And a new Cardinal today, have never seen this one. I have a pair that stays here and the male will not let any others in the yard, so was surprised to see it, so it may be one of their young.

And I was able to find some new fabrics, some I found at Joannes along with heavier white for the lining. This batch I found at a local quilt store, she had a lot of nice girl fabrics but not as much for boys. I wanted to get some fun ones for the boys and I can donate the extras.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have rain tomorrow so I will stay home and rest and then I am hoping we can get over to Newport for some walks at the sanctuaries and picnics at the parks.

Friday finish and Freebie!

I hope everyone is done with their holiday shopping and can enjoy some time to relax and enjoy the holidays. We will have the kids over on Christmas Eve, so dinner and gift giving, then on Christmas Day we go to their house. I always save a present for the boys and I will have a little something for guests. 

This week I wanted to try something new, a cookie cutter gingerbread boy. The first one I kept simple and the second one, I added a fun outfit and bells. I love doing these and I think it would be fun to make more as gifts for next year and make them in different styles to fit the person, who gets them.

Another item I made was a gift card holder. I needed something to put the kid's card in and made up a mitten with a nativity scene. The nativity is a design I found on the web and then fit it to the mitten. The mitten is a pale green and the cuff is a green roving that I needle felted, into the felt. The appliqué is all wool, and a few touches that I add as I go. My shapes were different than the original so I just added some facial features to fit. 

The  mitten is a little over 6" long. The stitches are done with a khaki wool thread, but it stands out more in the photo. It's a great, last minute gift idea, that can be done in a day. 

May you all have a wonderful holiday week, no matter how you celebrate, may peace and love fill your lives and homes this year.

Friday Finish and Freebies!

It seems I have more energy to make things at Christmas, even though it is too late to make gifts, some I can hand out to people and others I can save for next year. I actually have a stitchery and punch needle, waiting to be started, so hopefully I can make at least one for next week.

This week I was in the mood to needle felt. The plan was to make a simple gnome santa, one for each of the boys, but I got carried away. He got bigger and then I went off on my own, as usual, so he is simple but more detail than the original which was just a blog with a beard, lol.

I was trying to make his cuff at the bottom, look like it draped over his boots, but didn't come out the way I planned. Some day I want to make a nicer old world santa.

I also made up some ornaments from a design by, Downeast Thunder Farm. She has a lot of nice felt designs that she offers for free and these were perfect for Christmas giveaways. I didn't have any white felt, so I used wool, which isn't as stiff, so I put a piece of felt for the back.

Another ornie I made was these fun stockings. I saw them on  pinterest and I saw that they are being sold from an import company, so I took the liberty to make my own version. I just traced out some mini stockings and added things by hand cutting, so no pattern. Simple enough to copy to make your own and put your own touches to. Mine are about 3" long. I may try some with carrot buttons, I do have a lot of chenille that was gifted to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I still need to come up with a good idea for the boys. I have bought them some things, but Nick wanted an electric guitar. I don't know if he will take it seriously, so I want to get him something with strings, but also fun buttons and I can get Alex a button one, but so far, they all have bad reviews. Not sure if it is worth it, so will see what the stores have, at least I can take it back if I have to.

It is also a time of remembering, not a day goes by that I don't think of my daughter and Christmas was always her favorite holiday. This guy is a frequent visitor when I sit on the porch.

Weekend shopping!

This weekend was cold and windy, so no walking on the beach or hiking on hills, and we need to get ready for Thanksgiving, so we went shopping.

The problem is, I never found anything that I was looking for but I did find a few new things for Christmas, lol. On Saturday we went to the shop to drop off our tapes, which was housed in an old mill. If you are ever in the Mystic, Stonington area, it is worth a visit.

It is called the Velvet Mill and hours various businesses, including crafts and antiques, as well as, a brewery that has kegs for tables. On Saturdays in the winter, they have an indoor flea market with various food vendors and crafts. A great place to spend a few hours on those cold days.

I didn't find anything interesting, but I knew there was a thrift store in the area, so of course we stopped there and I found a few things to decorate with. The nice thing about thrifts is I can buy things for a couple of dollars and not feel bad when I get sick of looking at them.

Here are the items I found, 2.00 dollars for each item. The ornament has a little girl in a bed with a kitty, I couldn't resist that. The small creche is perfect to add to my collection and I can add some items to it. The tree is a two piece wooden tree, not sure if I should leave as is or prim it up. I do like the fun look and maybe decorate around it, to have something the kids would like.

On the way home we stopped at the antique store, I needed some more lavender. They have a section with new items and lots of booths, so of course we had to walk around to see what was new. I didn't see anything else that I wanted or needed, but I thought these mini cast iron stoves were nice, I know someone who collects them, but too pricey for me.

On Sunday we went to the Bees Buzz, another antique barn with booths that has new and old items. I was thrilled to see a new vendor who had roving, and wonderful curly locks that I can use for sheep or beards. They look yellowed in the photo.

Another vendor sells handmade pottery and I love the coloring, but there is never anything I can use. This time I spotted a toothbrush holder and it is something I need and beautiful blue/brown hues to match my bathroom colors.

Next weekend is a large craft fair at Sturbridge Village and I thinking about going, but they charge to get in. I do not understand that, I am going to buy things, so why do I have to pay to shop? I can go to a prim store or the vendors and buy from them without an extra fee, money I would use to buy something, so I am not sure if it is worth it? One of the vendors will be Sassafras Hill Primitives, her booth looks wonderful.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are hosting the family and friends and I am sitting here wondering how I am going to get this house clean and cook food in three days, ugh. I work well under pressure and good at hiding dirt if I have to, lol. May you all be blessed with friends and family or a nice quiet day enjoying some stitching.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on two pieces. I am trying to take it easy, but I cannot just sit and do nothing, so I made a few small projects, one still needs finishing and one is part of a BOM.

I love to do needle felting, though I am still making mistakes and it is not something that you can just take apart so I leave the mistakes and learn from them. I wanted to do a scenery, so I drew up a doodle to work from.

I use a wool felt for the back and then I felt onto that. I was planning on making an eyeglass case but it came out larger, so now I need to decide what to make with it. It is 7" x 5", but I will lose a half inch on the sides when I sew a backing to it. I usually put a lining in it, so that makes it stronger for holding things and with the wool back, it makes a nice cushion for phones and glasses.

Not the best photo, the details are raised and I added some stitching for fun. I do wish I could have made the seagulls smaller, they are a bit over powering. I also need to do the backgrounds first, then add the design so I can have more control over the movement of the fibers and not have to fit them around the items.

The stitchery is part of a BOM by Suzy's Sitcom, this is the third block, so I am all caught up and ready for next month's BOM. Next I need to decide on how I want to sash them or maybe make then with a double border to make it larger, not really sure how big it will be, but I would like to make it lap size.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have rain tomorrow but a nice day on Sunday, so I am trying to decide where to go for a fun adventure.