One of those Weeks Giveaway!

No new things to show, I am working on some patriotic pillows.
I still need to redecorate since easter, so making some little things for my baskets and bowls.

Now I asked, what was wrong with this picture and no one picked up on that cue;)
Dora does not sleep with any kitty, doesn't even sleep with me, she likes her space.
That was two photos, Izzy sleeps on my chaise, so I put them together;)

Here is another of Dora's favorite spots. It has been so hot, even with air, the kitties are too lazy to tear the house apart, so that is one benefit. Tell me what Dora is thinking and I will draw a name from the entries on Monday night. The winner can pick any pattern or booklet from my ecrater site.



We also got some Wicked storms this week. The city area looked like a tornado hit, that was from the down drafts, they pulled up trees and the sidewalks. We got a lot of wind and some rain, but luckily no damage. I am hoping the rain holds off tomorrow, nice cool temps, so maybe I can get a long walk in.

Braided Rug!

I decided to get back to my braided rug. I was going to make stair treads, then decided it was easier to buy them, lol.
So, I just kept braiding and this is what I have so far. I am going to put it in my living room, so I am braiding for now and seeing how it fits the room. If it is too long and not wide enough, I will take the first sections apart and make the middle smaller, so it will braid wider, as I go around. I am using mostly thrifts on this one and trying to keep the darks in there, but I like a bit of a pop, here and there.



I got nothing done today, it is way too hot. So hot that we decided it was time to put the main air conditioner in. So, just as my husband went to slide it in, he hit something and I hear a hissing, so much for that, it is dead. I have a portable one, so I had to put that in the living room and sit all day, with my heart problem, I can't do much without getting dizzy. Tomorrow we will go and get a new one.

The kitties are hot too, they are just lounging around all day. Moki has the sense to go in the basement where it is cool. I would go down there too and sit in my hooking room, but my daughter was over for a few days and it is a disaster. Now, what is wrong with this picture;)

And thank you for the compliments on my latest piece. It does look better in person than in the photo. I was thinking of putting old looking lace around it and making a small pillow. I will get going on my patterns, just trying to get my brain working again, sometimes I need a break and just create for awhile. I already found something new, I just have to make into something;)

A new Stitchery!

I finished my stitchery and not that please with it.
I used thin material with a design to get the look of background wallpaper.
It was a pain to stitch on and then I tried a hoop which was nicer, but as I pulled to tighten it, it ripped the fabric.
Thank goodness it was far enough out, that it didn't matter. I was thinking of making it into a pillow.
Then I got the idea of shading in areas with walnut ink, not sure how I like that, didn't really shade.
So, I stopped to think about it and what to do with it and worked on my braided rug instead;)
Tomorrow I might take a wet rag to it and tone down the walnut ink.



The cardinal finally stayed outside when I was out with my camera.
Hard to take shots with the zoom, think I need a tripod and maybe some camera lens cleaner;)
You can see spots on his body where he got into scraps. I don't know what it is with the birds around here, but they are always fighting and will not share the bird feeders.

Sunday's Stroll!

Today we went back to the same area and were able to hike around the whole pond.
The first path was through a lot of woods, swamps and up and down hills, so I got a great workout.
The path around the pond is an old road, that also went up and down the hills.

It was a perfect day for hiking, the sun was out, but it wasn't too hot.
This is the beach, it has a small sandy spot, not so sure whether I would want to swim in it with the slimy critters;)



We also had unexpected company this morning, so my daughter came along. She is moving into a new place and had to get out of her old one, so she is staying for a few days. Between her and her father, the kept me going at a faster pace then I normally do, I think I shall sleep well tonight.

This is the opposite side of the pond, where we found a nice place to take a rest. Luckily I bought some peaches, good energy food.

Saturday Stroll and Slithering things!

Today we went back to the Big River Management area, it is over 8,000 acres, so lots of places to explore.
The trails are not well marked, just the major ones, so back track on some, when we find the trail is not that great for hiking, a lot of areas are watery mud pits.

This time we found a trail that lead over some small streams and ended at a place they call indian rock.
If I had not glanced over at the right time, on the trail, I would have missed this. It is hard to get a shot through the trees, but in the right position, you can really see the face, very neat.



We took a few different paths and had no idea which was was which. Too many paths in the area, so I decided I would keep going right and I had to end up back where I started and I was right, lol. We did find a an area where an old home must have been and nice rock cliffs. But I wanted to see the other lake, so we went back and found the main trail to the lake.

We found the lake and the path, but the water was so high, it had spilled over into the path.



I had no idea how far the water went down the path, it wasn't that deep, but it was this that made me decide It was time to leave the swampy path. There were quite a few swimming around.



We got a nice view of the end of the pond, but we need to start on the main trail next time, on the opposite side to get to the beach area of the pond. I hope you had a nice day, as well.

Angels and more cleaning!

I finished my angels. I decided to keep it simple and not add more embellishments, but I added quilted swirls to the background and a simple straight stitch on the outer border. I used wash out for the lettering and it was a pain, since i was using light thread, I didn't keep my stitches tight.

For the hair I used a loose weave wool, works great as hair since it frays a bit when you wet and dry it.
This was done using one of my gothic angel patterns.



I did more cleaning, 4 loads of wash. I am also washing old curtains and anything that has been sitting on the shelves like sleeping bags, just to clean up and the clean smells keep the moths away.

This was my first load of wool. Lots of nice tan to over dye and thicker wools for quilting.



Here is the second batch and of course Moki had to check it out, the got distracted by something on the tv. I still have more in the buckets and boxes, so a bit at a time. This pile had 4 uncut jackets, so I finally got those done. I also bought up my antique basket with my braided rug, I had started. Decided it was time to get back to that and use it on the floor.

This and That Thursday!

I spent yesterday afternoon watching the news, just when the tornado hit Springfield.
I feel for the people of Springfield and the neighboring towns that got hit, it is such a beautiful area, rich with history.
I took a shot of the clouds and didn't realize that I had gotten more than clouds in this shot, till I saw it enlarged.
These birds were in a hurry and having a hard time flying in the wind gusts.



I cleaned out my chest and washed all the old scrap fabrics, lots of fabric to play with, great for art quilts too.
I didn't realize I had so much pink shades that matched so nicely, I could make a couple of charity quilts with that.



This is yardage I bought years ago, some heavy, so not sure what I had in mind for it. It was on the dollar table, so I used to buy a few yards, just because it looked like something I could use, lol. I was planning on using the animal print for a table cloth, there is enough to make two.



This is an around the world quilt, I was making about twenty years ago. When we moved, my white kitty christened some boxes and one contained the rest of the quilt pieces. I couldn't get the smell out, so I had to throw them away. Now I have a half a top, so I was thinking, what if I took out some seams and reworked the design into a new design, that might work. Then I can practice my quilting on the solid blocks. Or maybe I could make two smaller ones for charity.



Since I don't have extra money to fix up my yard, I make do. I wanted a bird bath, so I made one with what I had. My kids call it the ghetto bath, but the birds don't care, they love it.



My first attempt was this bucket, but it is too deep. Since I added a few feeders and the bird bath, I am getting a lot of new friends in the yard. The kitties love it, since the can watch out the window.