Playing In The Studio Again...

It rained on and off all day. Perfect for watering in the newly laid sod now replacing the mess caused by the hog. Equally perfect for spending a day playing...I mean, working...no, I was right the first time...playing in the studio!

There is a reason why the first three letters in "fabric" are f-a-b. I got to play around with my fabulous fabrics. Eye candy to a seamstress. Just like Scrooge McDuck in his counting room. Second only to playing in my copious button collection, but that's a subject for another post.

Of course I had two reasons for sorting through fabrics. One was that I've been designing, creating and photographing new pincushion patterns for my Brynwood Needleworks shop on Etsy . The other was that I'm a "swap angel".

What's a "swap angel", you ask? Well, someone who participated in the last swap in which I was involved didn't receive her reciprocal swap package. (In her partner's defense, the package was coming from overseas. Need I say more?) At any rate, I am a volunteer angel when such things happen, so I was asked to be her angel this time and put a package of goodies together. As this was for a pincushion swap (woo hoo!), I decided to do something of my own design and then it would appear again in my Etsy shop! Clever, right?

When I was finished, I had created the pincushion, added some goodies and assembled her angel swap package! I put the postage on the box and it will go out in the morning mail. The bonus was that I ended my day with all the photographs I need to put the pattern together for the kit I'll be selling online!

You can check my Etsy shop by clicking on the hyperlink on Brynwood Needleworks above, or just scroll down the left sidebar until you see, "Shop With Me Online - Visit my Etsy Store". Oh, yes - and I managed to finished all the laundry, too. (Cue the iPod to "I am Woman".)

Reminder: There is still time to sign up for the ATC swap. I'm still working on cards and would love to make a special one just for you! Just join my list of blog Followers, and then click on the "click here to email me" postcard on the left sidebar to let me know you'd like to participate!

Na Na Na Na, Hey, Hey, Goodbye...

At 4:04 this morning, I was awakened by the sound of the trap door dropping closed, followed by loud thrashing. As there was none of the squealing I expected, I figured we had caught anything but the Lone Ranger. I was wrong.

Handsome and I grabbed our flashlights, went out the front door, and immediately knew that we finally had the beast that ruined our front yard.

We had to wait until 6:00 to contact Jason, but made the call as soon as we could. His cell phone was (as expected) turned off, but we received a call back around 6:30 to let us know that they were on their way. As fate would have it, just as they drove in the yard it started to pour down rain, so it got to be a mucky, muddy process.

By the time they got here, hog had already pushed the top loose from the rest of the trap, but thankfully hogs are not big jumpers so he was waiting for them when they arrived. From there, he was snared, hog tied, muzzled and dragged to the truck. It all seemed so unceremonious, but after all...what did he expect? He was mean-tempered, and as Jason told us from a message left by a previous trapper - a notched ear - this hog was not unfamiliar with a trap. That explains why it took a whole week to lure him into this one. We were lucky that he was duly tempted by the fermented corn and watermelon to take the bait.

After about 25 minutes, Jason was able to safely remove him from the trap. And to add insult to injury, the Lone Ranger was dragged through the mess he'd made in our yard...all 200 pounds or so of him. Jason was exhausted by the time he finally lifted the hog up into his truck for transport, but he didn't stop until he had used our hose to cool the hog down with water. He knew that the hog was hot and tired, too.

The hog left our property to live on a farm about 45 minutes north of us. He won't be back again, but the trap will stay here for another couple of weeks to make sure there isn't a Tonto waiting in the woods.

I never dreamt that this would be a major topic when I started my blog, but now you have a real peek into my life. It's not all girly lacy, frilly, yarny and crafty. Sometimes, it's just down and dirty. But, I'll tell you, my friends, this is also what makes my life with Handsome so joyful. The unexpected events we share and how we deal with them.

These words are a link to the last of the hog saga photos. I also have a link for you to a video of the hog capture. You can click on the title of this post to get to the video. Welcome to my world!

Day Two - The Paint Goes On...

More paint, another color, another day spent applying it to the walls. My knees hurt, my arms are sore and I love this new look!

Today I tackled the master bathroom. No more blah, beige-y flat paint. Welcome new soft green in an eggshell finish. I love eggshell finishes. Easier to clean than flat paint, a hint of sheen to bounce the light around a little...the perfect finish.

Handsome came home when I was about half-way through the job and offered his help. Of course, I wouldn't dream of turning down help! Together we finished the job, cleaned up our tools and then headed to the pool to cool off after our hard work.

Now, our bath looks like a cool, relaxing spa. I love our home. I just thought you might like to see.

On the Hog Front: Two days of trap in the yard. Two nights of no hog in the trap. Perhaps tonight. I'll be sure to let you know if - I mean, when - we finally catch the beast.

Til then, I may just move my easy chair into the bath and admire our handy work.

Let The Painting Begin...

Today is the day. I decided to get started on that redecorating project for our master bedroom. After a mere seven years, I've grown soooo tired of the paint on the walls that came with the house. I've always called it a boring, mauve/blush color, but until I put the new color over it, I never realized that it's actually a very light lavender gray. (Yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel, which made the old shade really obvious.) Did I tell you the purple colorways are my least favorite? Well, now you know!

I decided I would start painting the hallway from our bedroom to our closets and master bath area. I didn't have to move any furniture, and it only required removing one framed piece from the wall. Seemed a logical place to begin don't you agree?

I only spent half the day painting, but what I accomplished has given me a sense of what the new color is going to do to the whole feel of our room. I have to tell you, I really love it! It's going to be great to wake up in our bedroom with the sunrise coming in through our east-facing windows. The light will bounce around these walls for a cheery start to every day - including even the gloomy, rainy days! I don't think we could have settled on a better color for our Florida bedroom (not that we have a bedroom anywhere but here in Florida).

Don't worry...I'll post little, vignette photo updates to this project as we progress, but I'm saving The Big Picture for when we're completely finished. (I've also started a new Flickr album for all the redec photos.) Be sure to let me know what you think of the new color. I hope you love it as much as we do!



PS. I'm hoping to be able to give you an update on the Hog "situation" tomorrow. I have added new photos to the Flickr album I dedicated to The Lone Ranger (our soon-to-be-transplanted hog). You can check there to see the hog trap installation. It really adds a lot to the ambiance of our front yard. (deep sigh)

A New Member Of My Collection...

You already know that I love pincushions and collect them. Well, so do most of my friends. Last Tuesday night my friend, Tammy, surprised me with a new one for my collection.

In all my years of collecting pincushions, I've always admired the colorful silk cushion held by a circle of little men with pigtails. I've seen many, but I've never purchased one. I'm not sure why not...I just haven't.

You can then imagine just how tickled I was when Tammy told me the story of an older lady who was being moved out of her family home and "downsizing" her possessions. All the family members had gone through the items that would not be moving with this woman, and then told Tammy that she could choose anything she'd like. She said that she didn't really want anything, but knew someone who would love this pincushion. My friend was thinking of me!

We met with other knitting friends at Books a Million for our usual Tuesday night knitting group. I had just settled into my chair and was taking out my current project (more tea towels!), when Tammy placed this beauty on the table in front of me. I picked it up and told her it was beautiful. It was at that moment that she announced that it was mine. I hugged and thanked her, and then safely tucked it into my knitting bag for the rest of the evening and our trip home.

My new cushion will have an honored spot in my studio. I'm so grateful to Tammy for thinking of me and gifting me with a piece of sewing history This little pincushion was obviously used for its intended purpose, which makes it even more special to me. I now have a connection to the woman who just moved into a nursing home. A shared bond - connected by pins, needles and thread.

To see my pincushion collection (not just the ones I've made)...I have started a new album which you can find with the other albums in my sidebar. As I take photos of the rest of my collection, I'll update my album.

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Hog Update: I've been adding photos to The Great Hog Invasion of 2009 album in the sidebar - and including captions for dates and activity. We finally had a trapper here last night. He was shocked by the close proximity of the damage to our home. He said, "Looks like this guy is practically living with you." (No kidding!)

Well, the hog wasn't captured last night. He wasn't even in the next door wood lot when they went through to track him. Apparently, he was having dinner at a friend's house instead. He waiting until the trappers and dog had left and returned here at about 2:30 this morning. I've posted photos from last night and this morning to tell the story.

Jason (the trapper) will be back this evening with a trap. We're going to try a new approach to move the Lone Ranger out of our yard. Once that's accomplished, we'll be looking into hiring a crew to come in to re-grade and repair our lawn. (Thanks, Pig!)