November Craft Day...

November Craft Day - L-R: Donna, George, Adrienne, Linda K, and Marie

Our November group was small, but all the participants are held closely in my heart. Linda is one of my dearest friends, and I've known her since I first moved to Portage in 1976. I lived there until 1981, when I came back to Fond du Lac and met my now husband. 

Linda and I have stayed close ever since, and as I've shared previously, her daughter Marie, granddaughter Adrienne, and now Adrienne's children, Belle, Bowen and George are also dear to me. Being able to see them so frequently is just like a mini family reunion, and getting together to craft is just a welcome excuse.

This month, Marie rounded up her paper and paint assortments, wooden tree forms from Hobby Lobby, and plastic peel and stick tiles from Dollar General. From there, we painted, cut, and glued our projects together to see what is photographed above. Aren't they fun?

I especially loved Marie's color theme, but every single one of theirs is unique and wonderful. Of course, I immediately focused on the music-themed papers and settled on one that had a cardinal in the corner. Once I fussy cut the design to fit my tree, the rest came right along. I may still add a star to the top of my tree, but I haven't decided what it will be yet.

George came up with the idea to cut a tree topper out of the tile, and then his mom followed suit. He was pretty darn proud of his once he finished it, and of course, we all told him how talented he was (is).

Having my tree photographed

Marie always shares our monthly projects with a craft group she belongs to on Facebook, so we always take photographs of each participant with their piece. Mine made it onto my camera this month, so here I am with my musical tree. Hmmm. Perhaps my tree topper should be a bell or a drum? I'm going to see what I have in my embellishment boxes that might be appropriate. (I know I have some grand piano buttons and a pin.) 

Linda's Owl Shawl

A few months ago, I saw this wonderful owl shawl crochet pattern and had to share it with Linda. She loves to crochet and is very good at it. She told me she bought the pattern and was working on it.

Well, after fifty or sixty hours' worth of work, she finished it and wore it Saturday. It is really magnificent! I had to share it with you. The pattern didn't call for the trim on each feather, but she used a sparkling brown yarn, and it was just the perfect finishing touch.

She told me she purchased a dragon shawl pattern at the same time, and Belle said if her great-grandma made it, she'd absolutely wear it. I told Linda Belle could wear the goldwork dragon brooch I made for her on it, too!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what we did for our monthly play date. I was on my way home by noon, so I spent the rest of the weekend with Handsome. We put up our porch lights yesterday, because the weather is forecast to get ugly later this week, and I really don't want to be doing that in frigid temps or biting winds. 

We turned the lights on last night just so we could see how they looked, so I guess I'm guilty of "decorating before Thanksgiving" now. I have a different idea for a tree this year, so I'll share that once it's accomplished. There are other things to write about first though. You'll have to come back tomorrow for that. 

Give Thanks - Web Image

Next Up...

Black cork and Tim Holz fabric will be the main fabrics for my next project...a recently commissioned Bella tote. My plan is to make this on Monday after I get home from taking Handsome to the airport.

This morning I'm driving to Portage for our monthly Craft Day, and I'm taking along a wool needle felting kit to work on. We were all asked to bring a project for needle felting, so mine is a small red fox. I'm not sure how far we'll get with it, but I can always finish it once I get home.

After our morning of crafting, we'll be celebrating Annabelle's Birthday with a tea party. Belle is Adrienne's daughter (generation four of my friendship with Linda's family). I'm not sure whether or not I should bring a tea party hat, so I'm going to take one along, just in case. I'm planning to wear a dress, too, which (in light of the current weather) I may come to regret. Fingers crossed that's not the case.

I'd love to stay longer and chat, but I don't want to be late. I hope you have a lovely Saturday and Sunday, and I'll be back on Monday with all sorts of news to share.

November Craft Day...

This month's projects were a little outside the sorts of things I usually create or display. Even so, it was another great day with friends.

The first project was to take a decorative bottle and turn it into a lighted angel. While many of the ladies colored and glued embellishments and wings to their bottles, completing them by placing battery-operated fairy lights inside, I chose a different route.

I chose a lavender bottle and ribbon, specifically because I know they're my sister, Di's favorite color. I wired the ribbon to the neck of the bottle as a decoration and placed my lights inside. I'll gift it as a nightlight to her next time we're together. 

This was a quick project, and even the kiddos made one along with us. They were quite proud of their creations, too.

The second project reallllly wasn't my cuppa tea. This entailed floating different colors of nail polish on top of water (seen in the back of this photo) in aluminum pans. (First of all, we had to open a lot of windows because of the fumes.) Once the polish was on the water in a number of different patterns, each of us chose glassware (or cereal dishes, or mugs) and rolled them in the polish to pick up the colors. It was messy and wasn't drying well without using a blow dryer.

My mug is in the back right of this picture (open end up). There was no way I could bring it home with me because it was still fully wet - even after taking a blow dryer to it. The last step is to apply a dishwasher-safe ModPodge™ to the exterior so it can be used and washed.

Adrienne said she'd coat all of the pieces over the course of the next month and they'll be ready for us at our next gathering on December 7th. I'll likely let someone else have mine (so they have a set). 

Well, as I said, it's always worth the drive to me to spend time with dear friends. My girlfriend, Linda K. wasn't there because she's been having problems with her back. If she's not at the next one, I'll be planning to make a side trip to her home to visit with her before leaving town again. 

So, there you have it. Our November projects. I'm baking bread today, and apologize that this post is going up late. Handsome and I were glued to our television until nearly 3 am and understandably slothed in bed later than usual this morning. Time to get productive again. Bread, a little laundry, and perhaps a bit of needle dancing for the rest of today. See you tomorrow!

Runaround Sue...

I spent nearly all day running errands yesterday. It began with a trip to the resale shops in search of supplies for the class I'm leading tomorrow. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? ugh (I did manage to find everything I needed in one stop, so that's good!)

After I completed my supplies search, I made a stop to purchase a few plants to start our vegetable garden for this year. The main crops will be tomatoes, squash, beans, onions, and herbs. I'll plant what I purchased on Saturday when I get back home from Portage.

Finally, a stop at the grocery store, and I came home with everything I went out for, and a feeling of accomplishment. 

Today, I'm doing a little prep work ahead of our crafting tomorrow, and then I'm going to help Handsome by mowing the yard before I have to go to work. He's been feeling like he's "out of gas", so I'm giving him extra pampering these days. We always pick up when the other needs the lift. As we both say, "It's what we do.". Because of that, my post is a little late today.

I head to work at 4 for a few hours, so I'd better get out the mower so I can finish with enough time to hop in the shower and head to the station. I'll see you again tomorrow. Happy Friday!

Finality and Time For Something Fun...

 

Tag's remains came home late yesterday. The clinic and crematorium sent along wonderful memories for us, too. In addition to the beautiful box containing his ashes, we received a certificate, his paw print in ink and in plaster, a lock of his fur, and a bone of handmade paper embedded with wildflower seeds to plant in the spring. I was sad for a minute when I first saw everything, but these are the building blocks of the memorial to my beautiful boy and all our great memories of him. 

I'll start concentrating on all the fun things we did, the times he made us laugh, the times he scared the pants off me when he ran off, watching him swim or retrieve, and all the times he just sat and looked in my eyes as I spoke to him. There's too much good to sit around crying for what was. Instead I'll celebrate my boy and try to be happy. I'm sharing this with you so you can see how much care our vet clinic and the crematorium took with him - and with us.

I'm leaving first thing this morning for Portage for this month's craft day at Adrienne's. It's earlier than usual this month, because our friend who is teaching this time couldn't make it later in the month. My understanding is that we're doing something Easter-themed. You just know I'll have photos for your on Monday!

I'm going to run. It's an hour and fifteen minutes to Adrienne's from here and I don't want to be late. We had rain all evening yesterday, which has turned into winds for the rest of the weekend. I don't want to feel rushed in traffic, so I'm taking extra time for the drive. I'll see you with more after the weekend.

Felted Snowmen (and Ladies)...

Now that I have photographs of all the completed snowmen (or ladies), I can share them with you.  These were the samples Linda P. created and used as inspiration for our own projects. She was the leader for this month's craft - Needle Felting. Aren't they adorable? She was a great teacher, by the way!

Kim was the first one to complete her snowman. We all loved the face she created, and her braided scarf inspired more than one of us! Aqua is her favorite color. Can you tell?

 

Adrienne's snowman was so cute. We all loved the stocking hat she made, and here's another happy snowman. We all loved looking at the various face treatments. We all really ran with this project!

 

Like her daughter, Adrienne, Marie chose to make a stocking cap for hers. You can't see it in this picture, but the cap was as long as her snowman is tall. I love that she added a "charcoal" mouth to hers.

Linda K decided to finish dressing her snow lady at home. She was the first to leave on Saturday, so she could get back home to her sweet, old dog, Meg, who's been having a rough time. Sadly, Meg passed away peacefully yesterday, so Linda decided to name her snow lady after her much-loved pet. 

Rather than felt the hat and accessories, Linda chose to crochet the hat, scarf and bag (which holds a star). Perfect to remember her girl, don't you think?

I know you've already seen mine, but I've added my photo again so that I have all our projects from this month on the same blog post. 

I can safely speak for all of us to say that this really was an awesome group project. It was a new technique for everyone except our leader, Linda P. I can also say that every single snowman has a bit of our own DNA in them, as we learned the techniques and hazards of using felting needles. (They can be brutal if you lose your concentration!)

I worked on my "Something Blue" Heart Brooch today. I'll be sharing a completed prototype after Bella's Birthday post, so you'll see the brooch on Friday. Happy Hump Day!

A Weekend of Finishes...

Let's begin with three completed goldwork Heart Brooches that I'll be preparing to mail tomorrow. (President's Day today. No mail service.) I backed them with the same cork fabric they're perched on for this photograph. Each one is signed and dated with my wee signature acorn. Which one is your favorite?

Saturday's Craft Day in Portage was so much fun. I got to try something I hadn't done before and I really enjoyed it. We needle felted snowmen. I don't have all the photos to share today, but will share all of them on Wednesday so you can see everyone else's sweet result.

This is my completed guy. I was watching (actually, listening so I didn't poke my fingers with the felting needle) Harry Potter while I was finishing him yesterday so I named him "Erroll". I added a wee cardinal that landed on his hand. For those in my age range, I named his little red friend "Flynn". I know you'll get the reference.

Handsome wanted to take a photograph with me in it, so you get an idea of Erroll's size. I didn't even stop to straighten my collar, and I'm au naturel (sigh), but you get a reference for how big my snowman turned out.

Linda P. was our leader this session, as she'd already made 6 snowmen of her own. Each one different from the rest. She provided kits, and we provided felting needles, scissors, felting mats and enthusiasm. There's enough wool roving in my kit to make a second snowman, so perhaps Erroll needs a companion?  Not right away, as I have frogs and hearts to stitch first, but I'm definitely going to make another one of these cute projects.

All in all, it was a perfect weekend for crafting, and I'm excited to have completed all my projects before it was all over. Fun. Fun. Fun.

 

October Craft Day...

 

Saturday we gathered for another craft day with girlfriends, old and new (this time). My girlfriend, Linda couldn't attend due to a back issue, and her sister-in-law Linda P. had another commitment for the same date. Kim was also absent, attending a child's soccer game. So this time, it was a group of five. L-r: Sarah (one of Marie's friends from church), me, Nancy (Adrienne's mother-in-law), Marie and Adrienne (our hostess). The theme for this month was to create a one-of-a-kind piece using a wooden turkey base purchased from Dollar Tree.

 

Marie was ahead of the game as she decorates and sells these at craft fairs in their area. She had a couple others that were already finished - all different, but really cute. This was one she finished ahead of time. She was still working on hers from the get-together, but it wasn't complete enough to share.

Adrienne chose embellishments that coordinated with the colors in her recent wedding. The "B" initial embroidery I just completed was their wedding gift. They opened it together, and Adrienne said it needed to hang in their family room, as that's where they spend the most time. Her turkey had actual fluffy, maroon feathers on it!

 

Nancy and I used the same napkin as the center of our design. I love her green painted turkey body, and all the colors went together so well. I love it!

I'm sharing a photo of my turkey, too. I decided to add flowers on the head of mine, rather than an eye like some of the others. I loved the shades of tan and gold in the leaves I used for the tail, and placed berries from the leaf picks to embellish the edges of my decoupaged napkin. The only thing I haven't added yet is an acorn to hang from the cord around its neck.

It really was a fun day, and I called Linda on my way home to make sure she was okay. She'll be seeing her doctor today to figure out exactly what's going on with her back. I could tell by her voice that she was hurting, so I really promoted the idea of her making an appointment first thing today. I'll catch up with her in the next day or so to check on her. 

I stopped at the local farm stand close to Adrienne's before coming home. The nice gentleman loaded fifty pounds of potatoes (only $16 for the whole bag!!!) into the back of my Explorer, and my youngest sister, Jan is going to come down during the week to help me can most of them. More food for the pantry shelves!

We got the girls moved into the barn yesterday, so they've got even more posh accommodations this year than last. I fed them there last night, so now they know meals won't be on the porch for a while. They had fun checking out all their sleeping spots, and checked the place for mice. Thankfully for the mice, they were unsuccessful in their hunt. Tag told me he'd like to share photos tomorrow of this year's setup, so I promised to help him pull that off. If you come back tomorrow, I'm sure Mr. Smarty Pants will fill you in as only he can. For now, I'm going to join Handsome for our morning coffee. 

Don't forget to keep entering the Gratitude Giveaway each day. It ends on October 31st, leaving you lots of time between now and then to get multiple entries in!

Tuesdays With Tag - I Was There, Too...

 

 

Hi, Everybody!

 

Another week has flown by, and I'm back to share this week's highlight(s). First of all, I was almost wettin' my fur when Mom told me I could ride shotgun last Saturday. I love ridin' along with Mom. You never know when she'll pull into a drive-in and grab a cone or somethin' equally tantalizin' to share with me. The chance of that alone is enough to make me wanna go.

 

I got to go with her to Craft Day. When we got there, she parked in the shade and opened windows for my benefit. It wasn't that hot, but a guy likes the cool breeze rustlin' through his fur, you know.

 

Once Mom's friend, Miss Linda heard I was in the car, she had to come out and smooch on me. Mom lifted me out of the Explorer and I got to say "hi" to everyone there. But Miss Linda's special. She's a really good friend of Mom's, plus she adores me. sigh

 

Once Linda was finished huggin' me, I turned my attention to the photo shoot in another part of the yard. These girls memorialize everythin' in pictures. I don't get it, but I don't get to craft either. The no thumbs thing strikes again.

 

When it was time for Mom to leave, she snapped the lead back on me, and lifted me into her vehicle. She buckled me into the passenger seat and we waved (*or wagged) "bye" to everyone. In no time at all, we were back on the road and drivin' for the barn. I dreamed of pretty girls the entire trip. Have you seen pictures of these ladies? They're all beautiful - inside and out.

I'm lookin' forward to seein' more of them this fall. Miss Linda wants me around, so I just can't be expected to turn my back on her kind of attention. I'll get back there in no time.

 

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then... 

"Be A Good Dog."

August Craft Day...

 

 

Saturday was our August Craft Day, so I ran over to Portage to play with my girlfriends. This month was led by Marie (in the striped top) and Kim (on the right end of this lineup). We started with 8" tall wooden letters that we then embellished.

 

Some of the ladies used flowers, some used paint or decoupaged fancy papers to the front, some used vintage jewelry pieces to add a little bling. I think they all turned out great!

 

It was nice to take our photographs outdoors for a change. The ladies just laid these all out on the grass for a nice arrangement. They're all so different, reflecting the personalities of their creators.

 

This was mine...music paper background which I then embellished with pretty flowers. This was a simple, easy project that I completed in less than an hour (thanks to a blow dryer to hurry the ModPodge™ drying time).

 

I presented Miss Belle with her dragon brooch, too. She's a low key kinda gal, but she tell me how much she loved it, and I even got a hug! It was really fun to present it to her. I may make another someday just for fun.

Sunday was a busy day, but I'll save that for a post later this week. Tomorrow is Tag's turn. He can't wait to see you.

June Craft Day...

l-r: Donna, Linda K. Adrienne, Kim's Daughter, Kim, Nancy and Marie

 

We had fun (as usual) on Saturday. I was the project leader this time, and wanted something simple - but new to the group - as I needed to be back home by 1 pm for my final goldwork class with Clara. I chose an old standby project that I've made before, and the ladies really leaned into it.

 

I shared how to "meld" a photocopy image (or in Linda's case, a small American flag - stick removed) to a candle, using glue stick and a heat gun. After the images were melted into the wax, we added trims and embellishments to finish our projects. 

 

Our candles only took about a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to complete - even with sharing the heat guns - and the ladies will likely make more of them as gifts in the future. We had time to spare, so we visited for a while, and after hugs and goodbyes, I drove home.

 

These are the two I made - one as the teaching piece, and the other to go with it - as Birthday gifts for a family member. Simple embellishments, but I know they'll be appreciated. 

I completed my Blue Tit Goldwork Bird project yesterday, too. I'll share that with you on Wednesday, and Tag will see you tomorrow. Here's to another productive week!

 

May Craft Day...

Saturday Crafters  l-r: Adrienne, me, Linda K, Nancy (Adrienne's future mother-in-law), and Marie.

I really enjoyed our project last Saturday in Portage. These gorgeous "baskets" began life as cereal boxes! First, we cut away one long side, and then sealed up the open top. Once that was done, it was time to brave the hot glue guns and start attaching the jute cord.

 

I placed my Corgi hot pad in the basket to give you an idea of size. He's so cute! The jute was then embellished. Marie was our project leader, and hers had sparkling buttons/pins in the center of her doilies. I decided to wait to embellish mine until I got back home.

 

Once I was back home, I went through my embellishments and chose these three buttons for mine. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. The jute actually weighted the boxes and they were quite stable when finished.

 

 

Marie actually made a second one, and I love it so much, I'm going to do another for Independence Day. She left the back unpainted, but I may paint all the way around with a flag on each side. What do you think? I'm the leader for the June get together. Now to decide what to make!