Recent Projects

I've started a family photo album because it's nice to have a hard copy of the pictures to look at in an album vs. on a phone or computer.  The front and back of the album look the same, so I found a wooden letter E which I painted light blue.  Then I added blue glitter ribbon on the edges, rhinestones and our name in glitter letter stickers.

I once had a twig bench that I'd bought in California and had up till I left Washington.  It eventually deteriorated, due in part to the fact that I'd left it outside for years back in CA (but to be fair we never had extreme weather except for rain and hot summers).  It stayed inside once I moved to WA, but by the time I left in 2011, it was falling apart beyond repair so I threw it away.  I was so excited to find one at the flea market in Wareham recently!  

Wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, but a gnome garden came to mind so I got one at Michael's and dug through the rest of my supplies to see what I had.

I built the rock wall.  The whole scene is on a burlap bag, on which I adhered the strip of dark green moss.  The burlap is only tied to the seat of the bench so that it could be removed w/o damaging the bench.  The ivy and flowers are also tucked into the twigs and not glued.  I did glue the house, rocks, light green moss (from my yard), pinecones and mushrooms to the dark green moss.  I got to this point but it needs something.  This one's ended up on the back burner till I figure out what else to use.

Another time consuming project was to make a garden gazing ball out of marbles glued to a bowling ball.  My dear friend Kim had a spare bowling ball and sent it to me all the way from Michigan.  This project would never have been realized if not for her!  I got some silicone glue and went to work.

The silicone glue works really well.  It's dense enough to keep the marbles from moving around too badly and sliding out of place.  But it's slow going with only 5-6 able to be glued at one time before the ball has to be rotated to add the next ones.  They need time to set up, which is about 30-45 minutes.  That works out to be 5-6 marbles per hour which makes for a very long day as the circle grows wider.  

After the nonstop rain showed up, I had to bring the project inside to work on it, which actually worked out better. It was so much easier to do this on the countertop.  Here is the final result.  

I got a stand for it and I made sure that the marbles stopped where the ball would rest on the stand.  I am so happy with how this came out.  I really wanted one of these for so long.  It weighs a ton too.  The bowling ball was heavy enough but all that glass increased the weight.

Tractor Supply sells wagon wheels.  I really wanted one last spring but they sold out quickly. Fortunately I remembered to check and I got the last one they had.  I picked up some silk roses and wired them to the bottom.  I was attempting to replicate a Grateful Dead logo.

This is 'The Wheel' logo.  I didn't want to break the spokes or paint it blue though.  I like the natural wood colour.

I've just started a new paisley needlepoint project that is quite colourful.  I am intimidated by needlepoint to be honest, but I couldn't resist this kit.  I did, however, notice that the design was stamped on the canvas crooked, so I'm going to have to fudge it big time.  I'm sure it will look good when it's done but I'm already a bit nervous having to fix it somehow.

Still chipping away at the Hummel cross stitch for my dear friend Fernanda.

Other than that, not too many new craft projects on the horizon besides my needlework kits.  Pinterest has started to bore me and I am finding no new inspiration on my pinboards.  But I still have enough to keep me busy!

One Done, Three Started

Here is the final Hummel cross stitch project that I was commissioned to do.  I got it done one day before she arrived in Massachusetts for a two week visit and I was so pleased to be able to give it to her in person.  To say she was thrilled is an understatement, and that made me feel so good.  

I immediately jumped into some new cross stitches.  This one is beyond difficult, despite the fact that it's being done solely in black thread.  It's really hard to count the stitches on the pattern and I have to use a white pencil to cross out each row as I go along.  The first row was the worst but I think I can work off of it OK.  

Another sea-themed project by the now defunct Bucilla brand.  I hope I have enough of each colour floss in this kit.  My goal was a shell a day but I think we can all agree that's not gonna happen.  

This project has been moved to the front of the line because it's going to be a housewarming gift for one of my best friends who is moving this week.  She loves her wine. I hope she's too busy packing to check my blog!  

The weather's been too hot and humid to do anything fun.  Nothing has gelled this summer to allow me to go on any day trips.  I was about to leave for Newport, RI a week or so ago, when I discovered I'd forgotten to charge my camera battery.  By the time it was charged, it was too late & too hot.  The days I'm free, it's raining or humid.  The days I'm busy, it's nice.  Summer's nearly over; it went by way too fast.  

Emerging from the Fog

I feel like I've lost about two weeks' worth of time.  I cannot believe it's mid-April already.  I'm finally getting over this damn creepin' crud that has hung on for over a week.  Most of my friends that had it said it lasted almost two weeks.  Unfortunately I could no longer put off a rather expensive and important car repair so I feel better that it's taken care of, even though I had to drag myself to the shop feeling like crap.  We kept smelling antifreeze every time I turned the car off but the temperature was fine.  Took the car in for an oil change and mentioned it to them, and further testing revealed that my radiator was leaking bad.  So one new radiator, oil change, air filter and new wipers later, I have a fixed car that is running way better.  

Then I forced myself to go to urgent care one morning last week because I just couldn't take the coughing anymore and I was desperately hoping for a nebulizer breathing treatment.  Chest xrays revealed no pneumonia or bronchitus and I got the nebulizer, a couple prescriptions and sent on my way.  Then my poor hubs texts me that he was now sick, so I stopped off at the grocery store to pick up chicken soup fixins, and I couldn't resist treating myself to this adorable little owlie, that I named Ookpik.  

I also made him a shepherd's pie which he just loved too.  He seemed a little unsure about my using chili sauce with the meat but he absolutely devoured this.  Hadn't made this since I moved here and I think it'll end up in the regular rotation.  

I totally stalled out on this commissioned cross stitch piece of a Hummel design when I got sick, so I put in a couple of hours on it yesterday.  I would love to have this done by the summer.  

Oh yeah, I shot these a couple of weeks ago on a very frosty morning.  It was our last one.  It's frost on the glass chunks on the deck rail.

Speaking of emerging, here come the flowers and stuff!  Finally!  Very late this year but better late than never.

I absolutely hate yardwork but I had to do something about the area around the metal shed.  I should've taken a 'before' picture but it was so freakin white trash that I couldn't even bear to show anyone what it looked like.  There were tons of vines and stick-like trees and brambles all growing in front of the fence and all over the side of the shed.  This shed is badly damaged from the snow, so I wanted to get it cleaned up around it before we venture inside and see what is going to have to be thrown out.

I got some loppers and went to work and cut down everything in front of the fence and the side of the shed that I could reach.  Then I moved a bunch of stuff up to the really bad wooden shed on the hill, that already had gaping holes in the sides where the windows and door should be, but can still accommodate things like plastic totes, since the roof is not leaky.  We are going to clean off that futon frame and put it on the deck with new outdoor cushions. 

But before I could move the plastic stuff up to the wooden shed, I had to remove all the cardboard boxes that I stored from my move in 2011 and which have been soaked by rain/snow and chewed on by rodents.  I cannot believe how many boxes were up there.  I should've gotten rid of these ages ago but I let it go.  I sure hope the recycling people pick it up today.  There are also 3 large lawn bags full of filthy bubble wrap and styrofoam.  

In other news, we went couch shopping all day on Saturday in Stoughton where all the furniture stores are and it was just absolutely wretched.  Didn't see anything we liked at all.  We are looking for either a sleeper sofa or futon-type one, not necessarily a futon though.  The prices were outrageous and the cost for delivery was even worse, not to mention pushy salespeople.  Pull out beds suck....the mattresses are awful. I had a couch on order from BJ's Wholesale but they screwed me on the two day delivery so I told them to cancel the whole thing and return the couch to sender.  After two days they finally sent me confirmation of shipping, which was not going to be in two days.  I emailed them and they tell me that two day isn't available for large furniture, which is something they kinda need to put on the website.  I went back and forth with them on this screw up for days.  I'd ordered it for delivery when Russell would be home but was told it wouldn't come till Monday.  Therefore, I'd be stuck trying to maneuver a 150 lb couch into the house myself, and trying to get my old couch out the house by myself.  As it turned out, Russell was home till today so after shopping on Saturday to no avail, we decided to go ahead and accept the couch because it was going to be delivered anyway.  I was told that I'd have to tell the driver 'no we won't take it', so I figured fine, let them show up and we'll just accept it.  Time was marching on yesterday so I checked the delivery status and their website said they went ahead and processed the return without coming out to the house!  So back to square one.  I didn't think it'd be this hard to find a couch but apparently it is.  I guess I have no choice but to go to Hyannis.