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.

 I hope everyone had a nice week and enjoying your New Years eve. We don't make a big deal of the day, a nice quiet night at home. We did enjoy some time with the boys. Yesterday was a rainy day so we stayed home and the boys enjoyed swimming in the jacuzzi. Today we got a late start but enjoyed some time at the beach. Rain is coming in, so it was good to get out while we could.

During the week, Bill and I got out to the beach for a few hours. The nice thing about going later in the day is, we got to watch the sunset. A few more blues this time.

Another day we spent at the southern beach. Even on cloudy days, it is nice to be at the beach.

And another day at Fort Getty. I can never get sick of going there and Bean loves being able to go, as well. Now that it is getting colder and rainy, I guess I will be doing more crafts and finding ways to use my glass.

And I lucked out while I was sitting with my camera, on the porch. A female Red Bellied Woodpecker stopped for a moment, before she realized she had company. She and the male are very shy and fly off if I go out.

I have been working on a new project, and it seems a lot of new free BOM's are coming up this year, so I will be staying in more and working on projects. Lots of quilts to finish and maybe a few hooked pieces this year.

May the new year bring you good health and many blessings.

Friday Finish and Merry Christmas!

 First I want to bless all of my followers this Christmas and may you all be healthy and filled with joy this season and in the next year. We spent the evening with the kids, a nice dinner and presents which is always fun with the boys. Bean was just as excited, he has been sniffing around in my sewing room all week, he knows a present when he sees one. Tomorrow we go to their house and I save a few presents for then. Tonight I am all done cleaning up and relaxing, while watching the colorized version of White Christmas.

The family at dinner. As usually I could not get any good photos in the dim light. One thing I plan on doing this year, is to learn how to use my camera settings better.

This week I wanted to make one more thing and took out a pattern I have been sitting on for years. It is a design by Bonnie Sullivan from All Through the Night. I messed up a few things and didn't do a scalloped edge, then I messed up the edge on the bottom. Later I will take that off and recut it to straighten the edge. It was fun to make and a last minute decoration for the wall.

Last weekend we went for a ride to get apples from the orchard store. They keep their apples in a climate controlled building, so always better than the store. After we took a ride to stop at a few places to look for birds. At the inlet to the Thames River, I found a family of swans.

We drove down to a few other places and as usual, Bill took a wrong turn, but I am glad he did. We stumbled onto another hidden area with a waterfall and a few birds. There was a Blue Heron but it took off when it saw me. I will definitely go back when we are in the area. I spotted a Belted Kingfisher, that was my find of the day.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, no matter how we celebrate,  the meaning remains the same, may love and joy come to all of you.

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.