The Same But Different

Another project I worked on while I was in Maine was the corner behind the couch. The blue cupboard was banished to the garage for the listing to make the room look bigger....but now it's back. It's mostly the same...but also different.  I'll keep tweaking it for a while....that's just what I do.  I "audition" things until I'm satisfied.

Remember that the shelves are oak drawers I found on the side of the road.

I am quite fond of this little print called "Lobster Shack." We used to take the boys to a restaurant called the Lobster Shack....they loved climbing on the rocks after we ate. It's still one of our favorite spots to sit and watch the ocean.                                                                                                        

The cupboard features some of my boys' grade school pottery projects, including a working whistle (the round blob), and some of my beach treasures. I have a collection of tiny little heart rocks and the green ring in the middle is a perfectly tumbled rim from a green bottle that Paul found on the beach. It's a perfect little ring.

The purple bottle part is from the Underwood Spring in Falmouth Foreside from the early 1900's that we found. Paul's first church was in Falmouth Foreside. The piece was intact when we found it...and rolled around in the ocean all those years. Then...somehow....in the hands of the Shupes...it broke. You can see where I have glued it back together...and it's still a real treasure.

It's a Shelf...

...for $1.50.

I'm quite fond of shelves. The windows in the guest room are low and there was a nice wide space above for some sort of a focal point. I thought a shelf was a good option....and staging shelves is one of my favorite puttering activities.


I placed a few things up there to take the picture...but the paint needs to cure for a while so down it all came. I also traded tables.  This nice little writing desk is better suited for this space...and the bigger trestle table is now back home in Lexington for my sewing table there.  Paul was a good sport helping make the switch.

I also brought up a rug I had at home in my craft room. I'm changing things around in Lexington too and didn't need the rug and thought it went nicely with my inspiration piece.  So much for mostly blues and aquas....but when your inspiration is many colors...you just go with it.  And look at it with the vintage 50's quilt on the chair...a match made in heaven.

Morning Light

I was up early this morning and the light coming in the stairway window was lovely.

A Buck Fifty

I'm up in Maine for a few days and today I worked on a simple, inexpensive project for the guest room. I spent $1.50 on a 60 inch piece of scrap wood and used a few other things I had around the house. If you're curious you will have to check back tomorrow on my progress.

It was a busy, productive day.

I'm also putting a few more things back together in the house...like the little window at the bottom of the stairs. My sister Nancy gave me this sweet little glass on glass mosaic.  I took it down when the house was listed...but now it's back up.

 

The green vase is made from recycled glass...and the blue bottle is quite old...I think...or at least that's what I'm choosing to believe.

A Splash of Sun...

.....sun flowers that is.

I wrote about my sister and brother- in-law's sunflower field a while ago....well it's back! LaVonn just posted a few pictures of the new crop on Facebook and I couldn't help but share them here.  I am traveling to Wisconsin for a sister reunion next week and I hope they're still in bloom so I can see them in person!

Garland Update

I put spots on the white felt balls during the drive to Maine...and I made smaller colored balls on the way home. I think I need a few softer colors.

Tonight I cut out some flat felt squares....

...and started playing around with what I might do for the first garland. I'm still mulling it over...but once I decide it will be quick to string up.   

Rainbow Glass

Here's a little rainbow stained glass piece I made for my sister Angie a while back. I embedded a blown glass nugget and left some negative space for some dangly rainbow beads.  The border is clear textured iridescent glass so has a rainbow effect.

It hangs along with this little square in her dining room window. This piece has a marble embedded in the middle of one piece of glass.  I drilled a hole right in the middle of a piece of textured glass and soldered the marble in. The corner pieces are prisms...so it also is kind of "rainbow" glass piece.

Sometime soon it's time to get back to the window project for my friend Jane!  I had kind of forgotten about it...because it's sitting in the basement...and that's not where I choose to be in the summer.  I have a couple of trips coming up so it may have to wait until later in the summer.  Sorry Jane!  The next step is to wrap all the glass edges in copper foil.

A Walk at Willard Beach

While I was in Maine I rode my bike to Willard Beach which is not far from our house.

It's a sweet little beach with a busy harbor...a little sand...and lots of rocks and driftwood.  It's a fun place to walk, sit, and collect.  It's one of the reasons we are wanting to stay in South Portland.

At one end around the point in the photo above is  a view of Portland Head Light at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. 

Photo taken another day.

And at the other end is a view of Spring Point Lighthouse...you can sort of see it in the photo above.  This little lighthouse is at the end of an awesome rock causeway.

The photo below was take a while ago....but shows the sandy end of the beach and a better angle for Spring Point Lighthouse.  The beach turns around a corner down a ways to the rocky end...and that's usually where I spend my time.  There are more interesting things to pick up and hardly any people.

This little guy hoped I had a snack for him...no such luck.

Southern Maine Community College is all along the beach...what a great place to go to school!

Spots of Color

For most of our drive up to Maine today I needle felted spots on some of the white wool balls from the garland...all while visiting with Paul.

A few of them could use another tiny spot or two...but it's a good start.

I start with a little tuft of wool roving...

...that I wad up between my fingers a bit. Then using a felting needle poke the wool fibers into the ball using the needle to guide it into a nice shape. It's like teasing the fibers together.  I work on a little foam block to keep from poking my lap because the needle is very sharp. 

A spot is born!

Christmas in July

Every other year my side of the family gathers for Christmas in July.  We exchange presents (usually white elephant) and sometimes sing carols. So the fact that I'm thinking about Christmas makes perfect sense.

I made
this one.

I have been making and collecting felt garlands for my
Christmas tree for several years.

I bought this one at a craft show in Maine.

I enjoy making felt balls like these....but I'm always looking for a bargain and anything that inspires or helps the process.

I found this felted wool garland on sale at a very reasonable cost. I am going to take it apart and use bits of felt, roving, buttons and beads to make several strings of garland for the next tree.

I may embellish the white balls 

with polka dots like this one:

It's going to be a good "take along" 

project for the car. We're driving up
to Maine tomorrow so maybe
I'll get started.

Merry Christmas in July!

Beautiful Sky!

As I was coming out of the grocery store this evening I was quite taken with the beautiful sky! There was a lot going on up there all at the very same time!  

Comments...

...about comments.

   A splash of color from downtown Lexington.

Let me start by saying that I love comments...but don't expect them. I get a lot of joy from blogging and I love that others are enjoying it too....but I am not fishing for comments.  Really!

I have had several people tell me they have left comments that I have not gotten.  I will admit that I don't fully understand it...but here is what I know.

While you are on the actual blog you can send a private comment directly to me using the contact form on the side menu.  This goes directly to my e-mail and I can respond to you directly and privately.

This feature DOES NOT WORK when you are viewing my blog from your e-mail.  The reply at the bottom of the e-mail is actually a "no reply" reply...and is misleading. If you reply there...it ends up in cyberspace somewhere never to be seen again.

You can also comment right on the blog at the bottom of the page... but keep in mind those comments will be published....but you can choose to comment as anonymous. I get an e-mail notification that you have commented so I can check it out and reply. Until recently I didn't realize I had this set that only registered users could comment....but have changed it to anyone. So if you commented here in the past...this might explain why it did not go through.

There you have it...that's what I know about comments.  Any comments?  ha ha

A Splash of Color

Yellow Baptisia in my garden in Maine...it has such a sweet flower. It should be in full bloom when we go back next week.