July Craft Day...

Another creative Saturday spent in Portage with my crafty friends. This time we had two fun projects. This was Marie's turn. Our first one was a "cut and repurpose cowl from a t-shirt" project.

Cut a 12-15" tube of fabric from the t-shirt by laying the t-shirt flat on a cutting surface. Cut across the shirt below the sleeve opening, through both layers of the shirt. Then cut again across the shirt above the hemline (about 12-15" between the top and bottom of this tube you're creating). From there, you refold the tube, matching the seams from the shirt and cut a series of slits into what will become the front sections, shortening the cuts as you work toward the seam. Instructions said to only cut the slits about half way to the seam so, as you can see in the photographs, the back half, plus part of the front won't have slits cut into them.

Once the cutting is completed, stretch the fringe, add pony beads of your choice and tie a knot in the individual fringe pieces to hold the beads in place. That's it! Pretty simple, right?

The second project was to create a shabby boutonierre from old jewelry, lace and doilies, ribbons and other fabrics. They all had pin backs on them to wear or attach to something else. We had so much fun giggling, telling stories, and generally catching up while we played. Truly food for the soul.

Linda II is new to the group. She's my girlfriend, Linda's sister-in-law. She really got into it and created some beautiful things. Linda will be back again, too. She came along with Linda's niece who was visiting from Georgia. 

The last time I'd seen her, she was a little girl. Now she's all grown up, with four children of her own! I believe she's already headed home, so we won't see her again until she comes back north to visit.

All in all, another great day was had by all. I had an easy drive there and back, stopping at a roadside vegetable stand to pick up some produce on my way home. I bought tomatoes because I realized that we were out of salsa (oh, the horror!), so I'm going to make and can those today while it's a little cooler outside. 

I'm also baking bread for a barter with a neighbor up the highway. She planted waaay too many beets, zucchini, and pickles for her and her partner, so she offered them to me. I suggested bartering homemade bread and she jumped at the deal! Guess how I'll spend the rest of my week? lol

I'd better get started on the bread. I'm going to pick up all the vegetables later today, so I want to take this batch of loaves with me. (I'll offer her another four loaves next week when I bake again.) Tag will be back tomorrow, so I'll see you again on Wednesday!

Tuesdays With Tag - Farmhouse Shenanigans...

Brynwood Needleworks - Those Ears!

 Hi, Everybody!

Yes. Today, all you'll see of my handsome countenance are my ears. That's because we have bigger smaller other fish to fry. Let's get right to it, shall we?

Brynwood Needleworks - What's This?

This is the kind of nonsense that's bein' conducted around here these days. The lawn chair in our livin' room does nothin' for the decor, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in play value. As an aside, I love this chair, 'cuz I can easily jump into and out of it without hurtin' myself.

Bella knows who's under the quilt, so she low crawls to get closer, sticks her head under the quilt, and it's "game on!". This can go on for hours!  Once the fun starts, there's growlin', snortin', and lots of face wrestlin'. You shouldn't be surprised that they also make wookie noises (Star Wars reference). It's actually quite amusin'.

Brynwood Needleworks - Her Comfy Spot

When there's really nothin' excitin' goin' on, Pink (the color of Carly's collar) just moseys under the chaise, plops down and goes to sleep. If it weren't for her nose, most times it would be hard to know she's under there.

Brynwood Needleworks - Shakin' My Head

Other times, you can spot a paw or two, too. Dad thinks its a downright hoot that she goes under there. She can fall asleep in her own little blanket fort, and unless she snores, we forget she's even there. (Works for me!)

Brynwood Needleworks - That Face

Really hard to believe that this is the sweet face of a hardcore instigator! I can barely wait to see what she comes up with next!

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then..."Corgi On, Corgi Strong!"

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So much happened here this past week. Handsome didn't return to Florida before New Years Eve. Instead, he spent nearly a week in the hospital. He's back home now, and on the road to recovery. 

Of course, I've been traveling back and forth all week, and was so happy to be able to bring him back to the farm to recuperate. I tell you this to explain my absence in the studio this past week. I have projects waiting for me, but I know you understand. When your sweetheart isn't well, it's hard to think about playing. He is my total focus. It's how we work. It's what we do.

Now that he's back home and on the mend, I'll turn my thoughts to doing something creative. I promise to share a project in the next few days, but I hope you'll be patient with me until then.

Perhaps It Was The Faerie Dust...

Be sure to click on the pictures to get a closer look!

 If you recognized this as the cabinet that used to be in my studio, congratulations! 

I know I said I wanted to get rid of it, but I just couldn't. I love it too much.

I moved it onto the covered lanai so it would be out of the weather, and then 

I placed my Nantucket baskets and seashells into it. It's been like that for

most of the summer, but we came home from Wisconsin with "company", 

so I decided it was about time I did something to make them feel at home.

 You see, we came home with faeries. They followed Tag back to Florida!

 I had lots of things that were just their size, along with a few other special

touches, and I think they'll be so much more comfortable here now.

 On this end, you'll see that they have sweet, little chairs to settle into,

and I've made sure the faerie bunnies have a little hidden place to play.

My friend, Krisann crocheted a little brown, covered acorn for me, but 

it's just the perfect size for a faerie basket and the acorn top is now a

tiny tray to hold snacks on the chair arms when the sprites get hungry.

 If you peek in the back, you'll see a couple of faerie babies tucked in

and sleeping...and a wee Corgi will watch over them to keep them

safe! He'll bark an alarm if anything dangerous tries to bother them.

 There's a little red-haired faerie hiding behind the morel mushrooms. 

I know one red-haired granddaughter who will love this faerie!

Morels grow in Wisconsin in the woods, so I knew they'd be a nice addition

to help the faeries feel at home. Do you see the heart-shaped stone? It was 

a gift from my friend, Denise, and we want the tiny folk to know they're 

loved. There's another baby sleeping under the oak leaves, too! Good babies.

If you've got the feeling that this is a little faerie "daycare" you're so right!

 If you're wondering, "Why a daycare?", this corner explains everything.

You see, the other faeries aren't just hanging out in the Florida sunshine.

They're gardeners! They've been collecting acorns and air plants, but 

there's also a tray of mini faerie veggies and empty pots waiting for 

them to plant more! If you look around, you'll find other treasures 

they've collected and brought into their yard. 

I even gave them Wellington boots in their size so they don't get 

muddy feet. Of course, they're still sitting next to their tools, so I 

guess they really prefer to be barefoot when they're out exploring.

Even though I have a placed a lovely acorn-adorned birdhouse in

 back for them, it can be a sturdy, little house for the faeries live in, too. 

 I know when our granddaughters come to visit, they'll have fun investigating the faerie garden their Grandma created. Until then, I'll play there from time to time, too. I'll rearrange and add more treasures to it as I find them. It's fun to create something that's different from what I usually do. I found myself setting everything up, moving pieces around, and I was  surprised to see how quickly the time flew. Perhaps it was the faerie dust?