Friday Finish and Fun with the Boys!

 

This week I have been working on finishing a couple of projects. One is still in the works, but I was able to do the binding and add the quilting to that. This is a panel I bought years ago and decided to hand quilt the design. Originally I was thinking a long pillow but it is too big for that. 

I just finished the last stitching tonight, so I need to clean it up, chalk marks and pet hair. I have a plan for hanging it over my desk, so when Bill makes me a hanger, I will show you what I came up with. It is hard to see the stitching on the piece, the outlines are gold and I did a black stitch around all of the designs. Someday I might make a straight quilt, but so far, that isn't happening.

Last weekend we got to spend some time with the boys at the beach. The weather was nice, but it got cold after we got there, but they still had fun exploring and playing.

Nick was a bit disappointed that he couldn't find any treasures. The tide was just going out, so not much on the beach. He was happy that there was a playground, he loves playgrounds.

Alex is at a fun age, and he loves to have his picture taken. He is happy just being a boy.

I also have been enjoying my backyard birding. This weekend is the great bird count. Anyone can join in,  you just sign in and they have a bird ID program if you are not sure what you have seen. It helps them with statistics around the states. Check out, The Great Bird Count.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and maybe enjoy birds in your area. There are lots of different feeders, and that is the best way to attract them. 

May The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished two more hot pads with a design by Kathy Schmitz. This was a fun one, with hearts and bunnies, I can use them for both holidays. I decided to color it in for fun and since these are for me, if they fade, I can always recolor them. They are also nice since I can hang them and enjoy them as decorations, as well.

We were able to get out last weekend, even though it as cold. This time I bundled up and we were able to get a couple of miles in, at the beach. I spent some time watching the Snow Buntings, which were too far away to get close ups, so I caught them as they took flight.

They were constantly on the move, all taking off at once and landing together.

I also enjoy watching the birds from my porch. The other day I heard a lot of calling from the hawk and finally spotted him, a Red Shouldered Hawk. Of course he took off and flew up into the sky, as soon as I got my camera out. I watched him as he circled higher, then was joined by another. I am assuming he is mating, since he did a little dance and was very vocal.

On a sad not, Bill lost his older brother this week. He has been in long term care since he was injured when he was in the Air Force. He had been kicked in the head by a mean sergeant and wasn't right after that. We havn't seen him since he moved out of state but talked to him on the phone. He died peacefully this week, so it is sad that he is gone but a blessing that he is no longer suffering.

I made this photo with an old photo, of him and superimposed him into one of my photos. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some time out this weekend. We will be having a nice day tomorrow, so time for another adventure to see what I can find.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I started one project, then another and then I got the new stitchery of the month. The second project I made and finished before the others since it is for the boys. It was a design in a Whimsicals book and I did a few in fun colors as bookmarks for the boys. 

I started the new stitchery next, but still working on that, they will be hot pads for me, and perfect for Valentines and Easter, so I will get those done next, then the project I was working on, will get done. With the cold and now an ice storm, I will have a lot more time indoors.

I used some glitter threads and ribbon with glitter on the tags.

I hope everyone faired well in the last storm and the ones coming through this weekend. We had a lot of rain and now it is icing, so the roads will be a mess.

Last weekend we got a few feet of snow, now it has all melted and made ponds in my yard. I have gotten quite a few visitors with the snow and cold, they need more energy to keep them warm. The wind was so bad, I had to put a heavy bowl on the porch, so the wind wouldn't blow it away.

The birds seem to be more active when it is cold or raining. A few more from last Saturday.

Since we have been stuck in the house so much, Bill took a day off, when the weather was a bit better. We took a drive to the beach at the southern coast and enjoyed walking in the fresh air, until the fog rolled in, then it was more like rain.

Before it got wet, I was able to catch a few shots of the Sanderlings. They are busy little birds, so hard to get a shot, it took me 70 shots to catch a few good ones.

Eating and cleaning.

And we found a few treasures. The beach was full low tide and no people, but so much beach and rocks, along with no sun, so harder to find pieces. I did luck out and found a marble and a few old pieces. 

Time to set up a little table so I can play with my pieces and start making some art items. So many ideas and projects, I need more time in the day. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some crafting time this winter.

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 Finish!

 

This week I decided to make something new for Valentines. I used an idea from an old Cheri Saffiote pattern with hearts and the hand appliqué. Her's had pieced hearts and I decided to just make up my own for appliqué. I also wanted something longer to fit on my hanging rack.

I added the words and the X's and O's for fun. I also used three old blocks that my friend Kelley, sent me. Using what I had and some fabrics from my scrap box.

We were able to enjoy some time on the beach, even though it was cold. I spotted a seal on the other end of the beach and was trying to move to the side and closer to get a good shot, but just as I got to a good spot, it dove into the water. I was able to get a few decent shots though.

I also spotted a Blizzard of Brants, which are in the geese family.

I took a few photos of the areas around the island. I never get bored of going there or enjoying the views. We also got some nice pieces of glass. The tide was at its lowest, but with the cold, it makes it hard to hunt too long.

I hope this finds you and your families well. The kids are doing fine now, so hopefully this new variant will die down soon. 

Friday Finish and Freezing Weather!

I hope everyone is staying warm with this chilly weather. We have high winds and freezing temperatures tonight and it won't be getting much warmer this week, winter is definitely here. The good thing is I spend more time inside and get more done. This week it was cleaning and working on a new project.

The new design this month was a set of tea cups, I was only able to finish one, a cup with snowflakes. The second has greenery inside. I kept it simple since it is a Hot Pad for hot dishes, a nice piece to decorate the table with and have a use. I use Insulbrite batting for the inside.  The piece is about 12", a bit uneven so I need to watch how I cut to get better squares.

Going for rides on cold days is nice, just to get out and have a change of scenery.  We had a nice snowfall so I enjoyed taking photos around Galilee and at the lighthouse.

On the way home, we stopped at the local dock to see if there were any birds in the harbor. No birds but I always love seeing the fishing boats.

When I enlarged the photo, I noticed something strange in the bucket, on the boat. I am still debating on what it was, I thought a stuffed toy, others have said an old towel. 

 On Sunday we tried a new place, a farm area with a bird sanctuary next door. Most of the birds were hiding and it was so windy and cold, we did a quick walk and got back in the car. This pony was so cute, a good place to take the boys when it warms up.

 We decided to take a ride along the ocean roads and stopped at a nearby beach. It was too cold to walk the beach but I got a few shots of the beach and the lighthouse across the way.

There were a few birds, running around the parking lot, so I got a few shots of them and the one I was able to get a shot of a Chipping Sparrow at the sanctuary.

The next stop was Fishermens Memorial. The waves were rough and the air was cold. I can only imagine what it was like on the ferry.

I decided to go to the top of the hill even though it was windy. I wanted to take a photo of something I had seen on a photo site, our states motto done in rocks. I have to admit, I almost fell over the cliff trying to get a decent shot, the wind was that strong. 

We had one nice day, so I enjoyed time on the porch with my feathered friends. The Cardinal has been getting more used to me and I caught him in the tree and then when I sat down, he came to the feeder.

This is a White Throated Sparrow. I was practicing my other camera and I think it got better shots than I usually can, it has more focus points. 

I hope this finds everyone well. Sadly the kids are still sick so I am staying away from them and today Ivy got her test back and it was positive. t now contact until I am sure they are safe to be around, but it is hard not to see the boys. I am using the time to get more done around the house and working on my projects. We are also getting ready to paint the main rooms, I am looking for a light grey with a hint of blue, but havn't seen anything that fits what I have in mind. I am thinking of using my paints to come up with a color they can match. Sending blessings to all of my readers.

Friday Finish!

 

I hope everyone is enjoying some crafting time, now that the holidays have wound down. I have been reorganizing a bit and working on some new projects and getting some old ones together, to finish. I am going to try to do something new, along with something that needs finishing.

This piece spoke to me, It is from the book, Folk Art Favorites and I loved the saying, perfect for the times and valentines. The background fabric is a linen.

For an old project, I took the binding off my Noah's ark quilt. My husband decided to do wall work and got the plaster on the bottom edge. Luckily I had some of the fabric left, so I was able to piece it together for a new binding.

I think I will wait to redo the wall, before I put it up again. Once I get the Christmas things down, we can repaint the walls.

Here are some close up photos, to show some of the details.

We also had a chance to do some beach combing.  We were lucky enough to get to the beach at low tide before anyone else, so I found a few nice treasures.

I hope this post finds everyone well, it seems the new variants are spreading in every state. My son made the mistake of going out with a friend and he got sick and gave it to his wife. I have been sick myself this week, but fighting it off with meds. Today was a snow day and I enjoyed watching all of the birds coming to the feeders. Tomorrow I am hoping to get out for a bit and enjoy some snow scenes around our area.