Friday Finish!

This week I wanted something new to do but something that didn't take too much work. I decided to remake a bunny from my Bunny Buddies pattern. This time I went with bright and fun, using old scraps and floss from the ones I got for the kids to make bracelets. It is also a bit larger than the others, so a fun piece to decorate with. I actually made it for my sister, who is going through medical problems and I wanted to make her something happy to cheer her up. She had asked for some when I first made them, so I hope she likes this new version.

I added the background and the pink bow with photoshop AI. I still have to get out to the craft store to get some pink ribbon before I send it. I have a link to my patterns on the left side column.

Last week I wanted to go back to find the elusive rare bird. We didn't see it, but on the way back out, we saw a bunch of cars and cameras pointing toward the field. It took me awhile to find it, but finally with the help of others, I was able to catch it in the back field. This is a Northern Lapwing, usually found in Europe and Asia. 

We also spent time at the beach, where Bean can enjoy some play time and I can enjoy the views and birding.

Lots of Common Eiders this year.

At home, more birds are leaving and our regulars will be returning. I seem to have a new visitor, a Red Squirrel. This one is a new one, it is living in the neighbors yard and I usually spot two of them, running around the wood piles.

I am still unable to walk much. Today it was shopping in my light hikers but it killed my foot, so no walking on the beach. We have beautiful weather this weekend, so I hate that we can't get out for hikes. With the cooler temps it is perfect to be in the woods and bug free. I hope everyone is doing well with the bad weather conditions that come through. 

This and That Tuesday!

It has been another one of those weeks, hopefully things will settle down now and I can try and relax again. It was also stressful for Bean, he hates loud noises and having an air show with jets, did not help. He kept trying to run to the car and get in, I guess he thought we would drive him to the beach and the noise would go away, lol.

Another thing that happened was with Alex. Last night he got into his brothers hot sauce and had a reaction. I am not sure of the details, but his dad had his surgery this morning, so I haven't been able to talk to them yet. I am glad it was not a bad reaction and this way they can figure out what he is allergic to, so it won't happen again. I am almost suspect that he rubbed it into his eyes, it seems the rest of him is ok.

Today I decided I needed a fun day, so we went to the beach. This is my favorite spot for now, but I know more people will find it as the summer goes along. It is mostly rocks, so not a great beach site, it is just one section in a row of sections that go for miles, so lots of room for the regular beach goers. We enjoy swimming there as well, the other sections are sandy and start out shallow, so you can play in the waves without going too deep. It is a bit warped looking, not the actual layout.

And of course my favorite pastime, beach combing. We found a lot of nice larger pieces and old pottery. Some is just laying on the beach, some we dig for and some washes up with the waves. Tomorrow looks like rain, so a good day to find some more glass jars, I am almost out of room, for all the new pieces.

Halloween Fun!

This week I worked on finishing my candy corn rocks. I love the simple rocks with fun faces and this is a fun way to make something that fits with the season. I have decided on a group name so I could add it to the rocks. It will be called Smiles4miles! This way, anyone can join in, and no limitations on where you live.

I still have to work on the Facebook pages and I plan on doing up some tags that you can print out. They will have the group name and a saying, so all you have to do is print them and add them to your pieces. This is for any crafter or artist and you can also join in to learn and explore new ways to help others.

On the back of these rocks I put smiles4miles and since some were larger, I added, smile at the next person you see. I thought that would be fun and on the tags I usually add a similar saying for those who find the items, so they can pass along an act of kindness.

I still have to put on a few coats of finish, but I had to get the name and writing on tonight, then I let it dry a day, to be safe. It is windy and rainy today, so I will have to wait for better weather, to spray outside. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon, then I can drop a few on Sunday.

I will also be doing heart pillows, another way to join in, sewing offers lots of possibilities, especially with the holidays. If you want to join early, you can go to Smiles4miles on Facebook. I would also like to hear your thoughts and ideas. I want to keep it simple, fun and a compassionate group of artists and crafters. Hopefully I can get all the information and files done this weekend.

I also needed to make something new, every so often I like to try something that I can do in a day or two. I actually made this in an afternoon, and it does look it, lol. I was trying to follow directions on YouTube and they tend to talk a lot and I get impatient and start scrolling through fast and working on mine and the next thing I knew, I was off on my own in the wrong direction.

I wanted to do sculpting, but with their method of using yarn for the sections, my area was too small, so I just did a bit and made it goofy. I had fun making it and it does look better in person, I couldn't get an outdoor photo and flash really brings out the fuzziness, that isn't there. I learned what I did and didn't like, while making it, so I may just try another, or maybe a pumpkin head doll, we shall see where my mood takes me.

I definitely went whacky on the top, reminds me of Miss Piggy, lol.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Of course I will be outside as much as possible, some nice warm fall days and the antique barn is having their annual sale and raffle. We won last year, so maybe we will get lucky again.

The Good and the Bad!

As many of you must know, vacations do not always go as planned. I cannot complain, no major disasters this time.

The bad; thousands of Gyspy moths. It made it hard to relax since I constantly had to check my chair to make sure, none were crawling towards me. They also dropped from the trees, so I had to look up when I walked. For two days our trailer was leaning forward, not fun walking in a crooked trailer. Then we noticed a leak coming from the bathroom, but the good was that it was the water hose, nothing disgusting;) And I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was using a sit on kayak, no kayak skirt to cover my legs, so I got burnt pretty bad, so no jacuzzi soaks for me.

The good thing was, being slanted caused the leak to come onto the floor, before it was leaking below where we didn't see it, so now it can be fixed. Seems someone nailed into the hose and opened a leak. The bad thing is, I wanted to take off for a few days next week and it won't be fixed until monday so any trips will have to be local. We had lots of good moments and beautiful sunsets, so I will leave you to enjoy a few moments during our week.

Of course the highlight was when the wind died down and we got Bean out in the kayak. I took him out first in my smaller one, he sat on my lap and then we tested him on the larger one, he fits quite well. He still prefers to sit in our laps though, he is so spoiled.

If you would like to see a couple of videos of Bean paddling, you can go to my U-Tube channel and watch them. Another good thing, the old camera works nicely with the new card and on U Tube the videos are larger and much more clearer.

And he has learned that kayaking also means water fun. He loves the water and has gotten braver and going further out to actually swimming. I want him to feel safe in the water, then he will feel safer on the boat in deeper water.

He goes all out and the water is low enough to run and jump in. He also needs a new life jacket, his chest has expanded so we will take him to the store to make sure we get the right fit.

One day we went to Watch Hill lighthouse. It is a nice place to park and enjoy the views and Taylor Swift's home on the hill. We also drove to a boat launch nearby, since that means dogs are allowed. There were a few people enjoying it as a beach with their dogs. Bean wanted to play with everyone as  usual.

And another beautiful sunset on the lake. Love how it formed a shape in the clouds. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. It is going to be hot, so I may be staying in more, especially with the weekend crowds.

Monday Musings!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had beautiful weather but Bill is away, which means no one to carry the kayaks;) I was sick most of the week, so I couldn't do much anyways, but finally starting to get back to "my" normal again.

I forgot to show you a photo of the penny back so you could see how I attached them. I did the pennies first, then I lay them on a piece of ticking in a triangle pattern. Once I had them in the layout, I used a washable marker and made dots in the middle of the areas where the pennies lay, on the outside. Then I took my ruler and connected the dots. You can also make it larger by making it more on the outside of the pennies or a complete triangle back that you can lay your pennies on, it is up to you.

You can see the staining better, in this photo. I wanted the backing to be dark enough so that it blended with the pennies.

I also volunteered to babysit, not like my son had to twist my arm;) We had lots of fun together and he was being quite the ham, but it wore me out.

He seems to know what a camera is and loves to pose and be cute.

We spent some time outside. I found a great way to keep him still so I could rest, put him on the grass. He seems to have an aversion to grass, he just sits and plays in one spot, and of course, more silliness.

Then he started making this strange face and scrunching up his eyes, no idea what he is thinking when he does that, but our laughing seemed to be good reason, to do it over and over. Today I started two new projects, so I can work on the punch during the day and stitching at night, so I will be able to finish both by friday.

Name that picture GIveaway!

I have been doing some small items and working on things, so no new finishes.
I did start a new punch today, so that should be done by the end of the week, of course it contains a kitty and speaking of kitties, here is what my gang was up to today.

This is not the first photo, but this is the photo for the giveaway. Give me a funny caption for the photo and I will draw a name on friday night, July 15th. The winner gets their choice, of any one, of my epatterns.



And with that I will leave you with photos of the gang and why I limit their catnip;)







What really happened was that I got the catnip out and Dora came running. I threw some on the rug since I had to clean anyways. Dora loves catnip way too much.



And heaven forbid anyone who gets in her way;) It looks worse than it is, Izzy has no sense and tried to get some catnip before Dora was done and I don't even go near Dora till she tires out;) Once she left, then Moki got his turn.

Thursday Thillies!

It is still hot and I slow down in the heat. I have to wait till the afternoon to swim in the pool so I can exercise and still breath.
Tomorrow we will get a reprieve so that will be nice and the rain it should bring will be great for the garden.

Moki as usual, likes to pose for me and be his usual goofy self. Izzy has even gotten more silly lately, think the heat is getting to all of us, lol.

Moki is a big kitty, has really big whiskers and a really big mouth. Did I mention he has really bad breath too.
He is a meat eater, so he eats about a can a day along with dry. Talk about fish breath.



He really knows how to rest, he is so content and takes up half the table.

One of those Days!

Giveaway Here!

Moki Mischief!

Nothing finished today. I had a new stitchery and made the border too far out, so empty space.
I have this thing about empty space, I have to fill it, lol. I decided to crop two sides down to make it smaller, but it still had empty space. So, I said heck with it and added some more stitchery in the edges and I really like how it looks. Hopefully it will be all done by tomorrow.

In the meantime it is moki time. Moki is just goofy, with his long skinny legs, his movements are comical.
Another of his favorite things is an open window. I really don't think he gets it or maybe because he spent a lot of time staring in our basement windows before he moved in. Here is is, Hi Mom, look at me, look.



Not sure what he thought he was going to do in this one, maybe close the window so Dora couldn't get him. She has been in her mood today, moki can't blink without her attacking him. And as I sit here I can hear the familiar sounds of doors being opened.

Kitty Kapers

Today I got my machine back. It will be so nice to sew with a nice smooth machine again, and I can get back to my art pieces.
A good thing was, I mentioned that I rug hook, to the owner of the store. She just got a kit and has no idea what to do, so I am going to teach her how to hook and she is going to give me free lessons on my machine, so that will be nice.

I finished my new piece, but this time I antiqued it first to see how it looked before I stitch it up. Just in case I want to make any changes, I still can tomorrow.

As usual the cats keep me amused or annoyed, depending on how you look at it;)

Dora does things to annoy me, I can tell by the look on her face and that big smirk, lol.
Today it was opening drawers and making a ladder, then opening the cupboard to get in.
I usually spend the night closing doors and cupboards, no idea why she does it, other then to annoy me and her way of saying, that is what you get for letting Moki live here.



I got rid of the fountain since they weren't that interested in it, so I am back to using the faucets again. Not only does moki like to drink from it, but he takes a bath too. He sticks his head into the water and lets it run all over him, then he cleans himself. I feel like the mother of triplets, if one isn't wanting my attention, another is;)

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway below!

Primitive Easter Eggs and More Moki!

Yesterday I needed a sewing break, so I made a new type of egg.
I had the plastic eggs that I got and wanted to do something with them, so I thought, why not try decoupage with them.

So, I took both the large and small plastic eggs and sanded them a bit to roughen the surface.
Then I Took out my scrap box and cut up pieces of fabric in varying shapes. I used a paint brush and brushed on some decoupage, then placed a piece of fabric on the egg, then brushed over the fabric with the decoupage again. You want the decoupage to soak into the fabric. I kept doing that, until the egg was covered.

Once they are done, I set them on wax paper to dry. When they were dry, I coated them with a mix of decoupage and walnut ink to antique them. Then dry again. Then I lightly sanded them to give them a worn look and reapplied walnut ink. I wet the brush with a dab of water, just enough to make the walnut coat lightly over the egg. So, if you would like to try your own, it is not hard and can be done with dollar bags of eggs. A great way to use up those small scraps. Or you can use fun prints and let the kids have some fun too.

My eggs were the type you open, so you can use those. I also had tabs on mine, so you do need to sand that piece down so it doesn't stick out in the cloth. Also, if you can get plain ones, that is best. Mine had painted designs which uses up sandpaper faster, since the paint goes onto the sandpaper.

The photos isn't great, flash always makes things look shiny. I need to make some prim chicks or something to add to the bowl.



Moki was in his cute mood today and has been running around with his toys and trying to get Casey to play with him.



Even Casey can't resist Moki's charms and in rare form, gave him a big kiss;)

Giveaway Winner!

Well, as you can see, Moki wanted to help with the drawing, so he got the paper ready to write the numbers down.
I didn't have the heart to tell him, that I use the number generator;)



All that paper unrolling sure makes Moki thirsty, so he had to take a drink before we picked a number.



And now for the winner, I know I am being mean, making you read and look at photos, lol.
The lucky winner of the CNS, wall art and decor giveaway is.......... Lucky Number 2...Amy of Cottageprims. Congratulations to Amy and look for a freebie later this week. Please email me and I will send you, your gift code. Have fun shopping!

And now that it is over, Moki has gone back to do another of his favorite things, water polo!

Double Double Giveaway!

I have enjoyed the comments and new visitors and noticed quite a few who live outside the states.
One thing I love about epatterns is no matter where you live, shipping is free.
So, I decided that I will draw two names, one in the US and one outside the states.
I will close the drawing on friday night and announce the winner on saturday, Jan 1.
Make sure you leave your message in the original contest post.

Also, this contest is for any of my patterns, it does not have to be the sheep, you get to choose.
You do not need to be a follower, but it is a great way to keep up with my newest patterns and freebies.
I will be doing my Go review after the contest, so watch for that, coming soon.

Moki has decided to help me clean the house. He loves to beat out the dirt in the rugs;)



He also likes to redecorate and rearrange the trees. Have you ever see a the new bent trees? Well Moki decided to make me one.

Wool and Whimsey

I cleaned off the second shelf and was able to save more than half the wool. Most of the wool I chuck is not that good, too thin or bad for projects, so not worth saving. The rest is in boxes, so that is next. Some is cut jackets, needing dying and some is from projects I have done and thrown into the boxes.

There are some nice shades in this batch, I think it would be nice for some folk art wool applique mats and quilts.



My daughter is staying with me, while she looks for a new apartment. She likes to harass poor Dora, but Dora seems to put up with it, like a trooper. I never knew Dora would let me dress her up in silly things, hmmmm;)

Kitty Kapers

Today I got a scratching pad for the kitties. Basically cardboard and catnip, but worth a try.
It seems all the kitties cared about, was the catnip. Rolling in catnip is what my kitties love.
Izzy is the calm one, she rolls and makes happy faces.



Dora is another story, she is way to smart for her own good. I was doing something and when I came back, I found her and the bag of catnip on the bottom shelf.



Dora really gets into catnip, rolling is the first step, she has to rub it all in her fur.



Then some more frenzied rolling and contortions.



To falling in love with the object holding the catnip. At this point, I had to get my penny rug, before she went into her claw mode. I think l need child prove locks on the cabinets, but I can guarantee, Dora would figure that out too;)