Weekend Wanderings!

I love a long weekend, Bill is home and we get out and go for walks. Saturday we needed to look at counters and we hit a sale on cabinet microwaves and got a simple but nice one to put up. Now I will have a new counter space to work on, I really need it. We also stopped at Savers and I found some fabrics. One is Maywood flannel, plenty to use on the back of a few baby quilts. The other is a batik cat fabric, it looks hand dyed and the print is all the way through, so a fun fabric to design around.

We decided to go for a walk close to home and it was a cool cloudy day, perfect for a longer quick walk. My daughter had the day off so she came along and got to enjoy the cool breezes off the bay.

Saturday was a little warmer and I wanted to go for a hike in the woods near the boy scout camp. Our first hike was around the smaller pond, since I had never done that path. The trees are still turning here, and the mix of colors with the greens is stunning in person.

The paths were narrower and steeper than I realized, but fun to explore and bridges that spanned the wetlands. I should have thought of that when we hiked the next part. I hit a patch of wet moss and did a belly flop into the mud, lol. All I noticed was my cheekbone since that slapped into the dirt first, but last night my back, rib, and my hand let me know what else I hurt;)

See the orange shirt? I sent Bill to the store to get us some hunting vests, since it is hunting season. This is what he comes back with, lol.

We got around the pond and I decided to keep hiking. The stiffness hadn't set in yet, so we went along the pond till we came out to the rocky overlook. Nice place to stop and relax before we headed back.

Today was another beautiful day. We wanted to go to the bird sanctuary since it is an easier walk. It was closed, I never knew it was a national park. The state park was open, but the walks are national property, so they are closed, unbelievable.

So, we went to the ocean and walked along the rocks and paths. It was a perfect day and the waves were crashing over the rocks, great place to relax and get my center back.

On the way home, we stopped at the bike shop. We needed oil for my chain but we got more than oil, I got an early birthday present. I want to ride again and my old bike is a guy bike and tall, so I cannot put my feet down and with my bad balance it makes me nervous. Now I have a bike that fits my leg size and I can ride around easily and turn better too, lol. And if we all go for a ride, I can use my old one and Dani can use my new one since she is shorter than I am.

Friday Finish!

Today I finished two punch needle pieces. I had made one and this week, made another. A friend sent me the pattern, but my dull brain can't remember who;)

These will be Christmas gifts, so I finished them off, but left the opening so I can add balsam to them before I close them. I think it will be nice to hang on an artificial tree to bring in the pine smell or on a door or peg rack to fill the house with balsam.

I did one in similar colors to the pattern and three strand and one I did with 6 strand and a different color scheme. I do use three strands for the lettering. I decided they needed antiquing so I added walnut spray to them.

The pattern is called Joy, by Prairie Grove Peddler. I think the second one looks more like a top, lol. But, I do like the brighter color and the retro look it has.

Soho Bandana Fabrics!

Yesterday I received a most welcome package from Indygo Junction. A one yard collection of Soho Bandana Fabrics, designed by Amy Barickman. The Contest was hosted by Sherri of A Quilting Life and I was so excited to win this one. 

I have been talking with my daughter on ways to decorate her room and when I saw Amy's new line, I knew this would be perfect for a fun quilt and matching pillows. I am thinking of getting some quilting denim and using that with the fabrics and making her a fun quilt, then pillows to go around her bed. So far I am thinking of blocks with the bandana fabric surrounded by denim or maybe bandana circles. If you have any ideas or a link to quilts that would work well with denim and bandanas, I would love to hear about it.

Not only did they send the fabrics, but I also got patterns to use it with. These will be fun as gifts and I know my daughter would love a messenger bag for school. I have been wanting to practice my sewing skills, so these will be perfect to get me started.

This week I am working on some Christmas presents and a quilt, so hopefully I will have some finishes for you, by Friday.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had on and off rain this weekend, but a few breaks which meant a good day to go for a ride and stop by at our favorite spots.

I always enjoy going to the port of Gallilee where the ferry and fishing boats come and go, throughout the day. The parking lot faces the breach way so we can sit in the car and watch or go on the platform when the rain stops.

There were a few seagulls and this one came out pretty nice, except the gray day made it dull. So, I a little photo shop magic and I got a beautiful blue sky with a slight texture for fun. You are welcome to use the photo for your own personal use.

We caught the high speed ferry coming in.

The next stop was the lighthouse at Point Judith, on the other end of the coast line. It was a bit windy and this boat was trying to get back to port. The boat was going up with the waves.

 And back down again....

Since I was playing with photoshop, I decided to make a banner. You are welcome to use it, you can add your own words or use it as a header for your blog, just add your name. You can also use it for labels if you have a label maker. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish: Snow Angel

I got my first Christmas piece down, a million more to go, lol. This piece is called Snow Angel by All Through the Night. I love her designs and this one was no exception, it was fun to do and pick out wools to use in it. One thing I got when I hit the wool store this year, was a few yards or white shades, love the textured whites and they are fun to use in winter projects.

The wools are are a mix of new and thrift wools. I think this will be a happy piece to hang for the holidays. I decided to use snowflake buttons on mine, I think they are fun on this piece.

Whacky Wednesday!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather we are getting on the east coast. We got out for a walk today and the seals were back. They were all huddled on two rocks that were quickly being covered with the rising tide, so we watched as one by one, they pushed each other off and then a line of seals swam and played as they headed down the bay. Of course all my shots were on high zoom so they came out blurry.

I did get some fun shots from our walk this weekend. I am working on some christmas pieces and the gifts for the giveaway I had.

I think this is a literal version of being, " Flipped the bird".

Seagulls can be fun to watch, and they seemed to be putting on a show for me.

Antique Mail Desk!

I have always wanted a wooden desk with drawer to keep mail in and also to decorate with. Every time I decorate the bureau, the kitties knock it all over, so I wanted something large and heavy. It is decorative and practical and exactly what I wanted and my wonderful friend Carol and her husband, made me one.

I started painting it and then things got hectic and when my nerves go hay wire, it makes it hard to sand and do wood work, but i finally got the last coat of paint on, then sanding and antiquing. I finished it off with a matte spray and I think it came out nicely, considering I got sloppy and rushed it;)

The first coat was a light gold, then black over that, then I sanded it down in areas to show the lighter paint. I used a brown antique stain which gives it a nice aged look. I still have to decorate this area.

Another thing I did was to clean my shoe rack, it does get dusty and half the shoes were on the floor. I have had these slippers since the 80's and I thought it was time to let them go, lol. I have no idea if they are collectible and one came apart at the feet which I could fix. The bear is Captain Joshua Bear, and Bill got me them, one Christmas. They are cute, but totally impractical, not something you can walk in too well.