Drum Roll, Please...

 

I'm not finished uploading all my products yet, but I'm ready to debut a new online shop through Zazzle. In case you're not familiar with their platform, Zazzle is an order fulfillment company. For my part, I upload my designs, choose which products I'd want to sell and add them to my shop. 

 

The customer finds what they want, places an order, and it's produced and shipped within a few days. This is one of the options decided to try, considering I won't be able to do those two shows this fall. I'll still have my Etsy shop, and I'm considering one other venue I'll explore further once the Zazzle shop is running smoothly.

 

You'll currently find items featuring Tag, Bella and Carly's artwork on them, but soon I'll add Claudette, Crystal, and even a few neighborhood visitors, like Roxanne Raccoon, Otis the Opossum (perhaps you remember how he captured our hearts in early spring of 2022?), and even the so-far unnamed ground hog from this summer. I'll likely add some additional images from the farmhouse kitchen and gardens, other custom art, and some of my needlework images. (I'm still contemplating those things.) I'm opening small and will build as I continue creating more products in the coming days.

 

My shop name is simply Brynwood, and HERE's the link for anyone who might be interested in a little window shopping. Hope you like what you see, and I would love your feedback on items and shop appearance. Let me know, too, if you'd like to see something special that I haven't listed. Thanks for looking!

 

The Winds Of Change...

Web Image

Change is inevitable, and along with it comes excitement and curiosity.

What is around the corner for us?

Handsome and I have decided that we want to plan ahead for those changes that are inevitable. With some of the wonderful changes we've chosen over the past few years - my creative endeavors and his favorite venues for making music - moving makes perfect sense.

His musical endeavors are almost entirely centered in Sarasota now, and in just the past twelve months, he has driven nearly 6,000 miles between there and home. Those miles spent driving are dangerous, tedious and time that could be spent doing something more enjoyable.

We've also discussed options to be closer to our sons and their families. We're factoring in where we might like to be to facilitate that, too.

So, the first phase of our plans involve selling our home here in North Port, along with the three acres on which it sits. 

 

While we're packing, tossing, donating and generally clearing out, we'll be exploring our north/south choices and planning for the next stage of our journey together. Whatever we do and wherever we go, we're happy and exhilarated knowing we have each other to share the trip.

Decisions, Decisions...

Interior of my sewing organizer

I'm still sorting and putting things away, but I came across this project in the mix.

I taught this class a couple of weeks ago and I only have to attach and sew on the

binding and it will be finished. These are all the fabrics I pulled for the organizer.

Organizer exterior

This is the exterior of the organizer, and I really like the fresh colors for the outside.

I only have to decide which fabric to use for the binding. I'm partial to the red. What do you think? If you're interested in the pattern for this organizer, you can find it in my Craftsy  shop (here). Zippers, ties and pockets combine for a great little project. Don't worry about installing a zipper. I've got a really simple solution that makes for an easy install. You can also add ribbons and embroidery to further personalize yours.   Back to work for me. I really want to finish the studio and house "reclamation". I'd love to be able to play over the weekend, so I have to concentrate today. Have a great Friday!

Arbor Day At Brynwood...

Backyard looking in

This is a project I've been wanting to do for quite a while. The first

time our son and daughter-in-law visited, they brought a tiny star jasmine

 bush as a gift for us. (It's the one on the right side.) I immediately got a

second one to place across the walkway from it when our pool was built. 

Since then, they've grown like gangbusters. I've kept them pruned, but I got

this idea to put an arbor between them to create a "secret courtyard" from

the "Holidome" (pool area) into the backyard. After months of growing, the

 bushes were starting to close off the courtyard, so I needed to get this done.

Holidome toward courtyard

 The arch I ordered arrived on Friday, and I was anxious to get it installed.

After last Coffee Club, I hurried home and opened the box. Handsome

helped me get it put together and we carried it around to the courtyard.

It was a bit of a chore lifting up the overgrown section I'd been grooming

to cover the arch once it would be installed, but between the two of us we

managed to place it without damaging either of the bushes. After we got it

 into its proper place, we arranged the stray tendrils, trimmed the overgrown 

branches and stood back to admire the vast improvement we'd wrought.

Courtyard looking toward backyard

 I'm not finished yet either. I have empty pots to fill with flowers, and perhaps 

a new working birdbath. (The raccoons broke the one on the left side of this 

picture, and because it has oak leaves and acorns on it, I just can't bring myself

 to toss it!) I think the next birdbath will sit closer to the ground to protect it. 

Oh! Wouldn't one of those rocks with the cupped-out centers be cool?

I may add a few Adirondack-style chairs or a bench to this area, too. It's a

 nice quiet place to just sit and enjoy the view! We also have a chiminea

in the courtyard, and we could sit out there on cool, Florida-style winter 

evenings and enjoy the fire. I'll have to give that a little more thought. 

There's no rush, after all. I'll take my time so it's "just right".

My little snoopervisor

 Handsome, Tag and I hope you had a great weekend, too.

P.S. My Sewing Organizer pattern is now available!
Just click on the link to my shop in the left sidebar, or go to
"Brynwood Needleworks" shop on Craftsy. Thanks for looking!

Summertime...

 My finger is now protected by only a small Bandaid, and it is healing well.

It doesn't hurt and I should be able to remove the bandage in a day or so.

The best thing about being injured was that I was able to focus on 

finishing the instructions for my Summertime Quilt pattern. It is now 

completed, uploaded into my Craftsy shop and available for purchase.

 You can click here to go to the listing.

Today will be an exciting day at Brynwood, but I can't tell you about it

today. I promised Tag that he could share the whole story on Tuesday. 

We're such teases, aren't we?

We hope you have a wonderful Friday.

Oh, Let The Sun Shine In...

 I love this time of year in south Florida!

The weather is just perfect for my taste.

The temperatures get into the 80s, but there's none of that oppressive

humidity that drenches your clothes whenever you venture outdoors.

I can open our front doors and let the sun shine into our entry and house.

I made a set of wreaths with seashells and hydrangeas to welcome our guests.

 This year, I also decided to put an indoor/outdoor rug, a little side table

and an artificial palm tree in the entryway. You'd be surprised how

that little tree keeps the hot sun from heating up the entry!

After I put the table out there, I added a few little baskets, a bird

house and even a couple of squirrels that Mom Grace gave me to

welcome our visitors. We're really happy with the way it turned out...

 and now that the doors are open full-time, Tag likes to survey the yard

for trespassers. In fact, he got out his BIG dog growl and bark recently.

When we went to see what he was so agitated about, we found a large bobcat, 

frozen in its tracks about 20 yards from the house! Quite soon after, the bobcat

tucked its tail and headed into the underbrush. Tag was pretty proud of himself!

 While Tag patrolled the perimeter from his safe vantage point, I drew

the acorns for the corner applique's to finish my current quilt. I'll form

and attach them in the next day or so and then I'll finish up the project.

This morning I have more appointments in Sarasota, but you know 

where to find me after I get home...doing what I love best.

House cleaning? I think not (not today, anyway).

I'll draw the name of the recipient of my OTR (Over The River) fabric

scraps tomorrow. Don't worry if you don't live in the U.S. If I pick your

name, I'll ship the fabric to wherever you live. Cool, huh?

If you haven't entered the drawing yet, just go back to yesterday's post.

Good luck!

Wouldn't It Be Loverly...

I saw this last year and fell in love with it. 

Hopelessly.

I know right where it will go.

It would fit perfectly behind our home here at Brynwood

 with my gorgeous, fragrant, and lush star jasmine bushes on each side...

which I could then train to go "up and over".

(They're already over six feet tall!)

Can't you just picture it?

 I think I'd better start begging pleading seriously lobbying for this.

It needs to live in our back yard!

Wouldn't it be loverly?

We've Got Company...

I spent yesterday doing the same things all of us do in our homes...laundry, cleaning...you know, the usual stuff. You know what that means, right? I mean, who's going to take blog photos of cleaning and laundry and closets - or me in my "cleaning attire"! Not me. That's for sure.

Instead, I'm going to share a photo of our "company". This critter has moved into our retention pond in the back of our property. Don't worry. Taggart is never allowed back there and he's never out of my sight when he's outside. The gator is about three feet long. Not really very big, but whenever Handsome or I stand near the shoreline, it comes toward us! I mean right up to edge of the water where we stand.

Now, understand, I don't have a problem with the "Live and Let Live" school of thought, but this gator is spending days and nights munching on our fish, scaring off our turtles and just generally scaring off any other animals that I might prefer to have in our yard.

We're hoping that it moves along very soon. It's been about two weeks and if it doesn't mosey off on its own, we'll call someone who can invite it to live somewhere else. The biggest thing I've been concerned with is that it's mama or daddy is in there with it. We haven't seen anyone else so far, and I can't tell you how much I hope it stays that way!

I guess I'm looking forward to this guest leaving soon and moving on to the canal another street over so that it can live it's gator life away from our yard. I sure don't want it inviting its friends over to party at our place!

As I left the house yesterday to go to town, I passed two deer grazing near the side of the road. They looked up when I got close enough and then ran into the woods. If I could choose, I think I'd ask for deer rather than gators to reside on our property. Yes. That's what I'd choose. Please.

I'll spend today in Venice with my friend, Loreen. I'm taking that paper piecing class that I told you about yesterday, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll let you know how all about it tomorrow.

Tuesdays With Tag - It's Official...

 

Yes, my friends. It's official. I own a second, bona fide swimming corgi! In the tradition of Fezzik, Taggart loves playing in the pool, and he's worked out some unique and amusing techniques.

I mean, just look at his entry. Impressive, right? Wearing nothing but a corgi smile, parabolic ears and that cute little nub of a tail! Look at how he's tucked in his front legs! Adorable, I tell ya.

I know it looks like he's a little frazzled, but trust me. The whites of his eyes are only showing because he's looking "downstream" to catch up with Handsome. It's a look of determination.

He now knows to turn around to head back to the swim-out. That's where he can safely climb out of the water to rest a bit. He knows right where he's supposed to go for a teeny rest before jumping right back in.

One of the things that makes us laugh is when he does a tight turn. Where Fezzik used to just stop kicking one leg to make his turns, Taggart prefers a little butt roll. This technique causes his back leg to break the surface just enough to splash some water. It resembles a turtle flipper splashing around, and it's so cute. It only slows him down a bit.

He knows that he can trot along the top step (it's an extension of the swim-out) and jump out from there. This shows the beginning of his exit.

If you click on this picture, you can see just how much water he hauls out with him. He's not too interested in shaking off the water, mainly because he's only going to jump right back in!

If he's out of the water, he'll run to whichever end of the pool Handsome is heading toward. That way he can give a little "Hi, Dad!" when Handsome surfaces.

What I really wanted to show you is my six month old corgi's beautiful topline. If it weren't for his boyish, frowsy coat, he'd win Best In Show, don't you think? No. I'm not going to show him in the ring. He's gonna be a working boy true to his breed. Once we get down the basic commands (which, so far, His Little Boldness obeys when he's in the mood), we'll find some tests and trials for him. (Don't tell me about using treats, because he knows when I have them and at those times he's a perfect gentleman. He also knows when I don't. That's a story for another day.)

After a little towel and blow drying from me, it's off to his kennel with a nice dry towel to dream about his next swimming escapade. Or perhaps his dreams involve herding a few wooly, runaway sheep? I'm so proud of my charming, pool-proof, swimming corgi.

So, 'til next time...More wagging and less barking!

Change Might Be Good...

I've been thinking about changing out some of the colors in our living spaces, starting with the living room/kitchen. I love the Restoration Hardware "atmosphere blue" against Behr's "polar bear white", but am thinking we should change to something a bit warmer - but not yellowish.

I think painting the whole living room in the blue would be too much. Something more subtle would be more to my liking. It might show off the creamy woodwork better, too.

A few months ago, I saw this photograph on another blog (sorry I didn't write down whose). Although we don't have a cottage appearance in our abode, I decided I liked the color of the paint on the wall. It's called "grey owl" from Benjamin Moore paints.

Do you have a favorite paint color? What do you think? Like it the way it is, or should I tone down the white a bit?

Hope it's cooled off in your corner of the world. We could use a little break, don't you think?

Alright, But Only Three...

Hint One:
Pink roses and rosebuds

Hint Two:
Shiny, fabric-y goodness

Hint Three:
My Brynwood acorn

I made something with these elements yesterday.
That's all for today.
If I told you (or showed you) any more,
they wouldn't be hints now, would they?

I'll reveal everything very soon.
Happy Wednesday!

Promises Fulfilled...

Thanks to Kes and her requirement to "visit the outdoors" at
regular intervals throughout the day, I caught the start of a
magnificent, annual flower show here at Brynwood.

We planted a magnolia tree in our front yard about five
years ago, and since it came to live with us, it has thrived.
In a few short years, it has nearly doubled in height,
and the flowers are the size of dinner plates!

Yesterday, I captured the first blossom of the year to share
with you...along with one of the unopened buds.
Our tree is full of these buds, so it will offer
its ongoing gifts over the next few weeks.

Spring is a series of promises fulfilled.
Nature's gifts of new life.
Fragrances that bring to mind years gone by.
Be it blossoms or babies, it's
God's proof that life goes on.

I hope that today, you find your own promise fulfilled.