Picture Perfect!

A picture perfect day on the coast of Maine! We packed a lot in: The Junk Beach, Kettle Cove, The Lobster Shack, Portland Headlight and the rock beach at Fort Williams Park.

We're all going to bed early tonight!

 

Sight Seeing

Enjoying my time with my sisters and brother-in-law.....beautiful afternoon for a little sight seeing and checking out the cruise ships. 

Delightful Day

Angie and I had a delightful day...we packed a lot in including a little sight-seeing and lots of catching up. 

While Angie checked out my blog this evening....I covered a few match boxes for Folly 101.  Everyone else arrives tomorrow....let the games begin!  Literally!  We love playing games!

My Sisters Are Coming!

Over the last several days I've put the art projects aside and have been fluffing and buffing getting ready for special guests.  My sisters are coming!....and one brother-in-law.

2013 sister gathering
Angie, Marilyn, Becky Nancy, LaVonn, MaryAnn

I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin with 8 siblings....5 were sisters.  In February of 2013 we had our first official sister gathering where we rallied around Becky, the oldest sister who had been ill.  A month later Becky died of breast cancer and she is dearly missed. Becky pushed us to gather...one of her last requests.....and it was awesome!

Of course we had seen each other at family reunions and once in a while we found ourselves all sitting at the same table....but we had never had done anything all together...just the sisters. So we're trying to keep it going.

Sister gathering....2015
MaryAnn, Marilyn, Angie, LaVonn, Nancy

The five of us gathered again in 2015 just before my sister Marilyn sold her house in the country in Central Wisconsin.

This week we're gathering at the condo in Maine. Angie flies into Boston from Missouri late tonight and Marilyn, LaVonn, Nancy and Tim get in on Thursday from Wisconsin and Minnesota....then we'll head to Maine.  Needless to say I'm more than excited. In order to be fully present...I may be in and out here on the blog. I'm certain there will be an abundance of joy...and maybe some of it will make it here.

My sisters are coming...yay!

Country roads of Wisconsin

Old Idea...New Twist

Paul had a pretty arrangement waiting for me when I got home today. I love the colors of fall!  Thanks Paul!

For my first art show a few years ago I paired a few of my horizon photos with little fabric quilts....an idea I had at the very last minute.

I'm going to reinvent the idea...this time with my stripe stacks.  It will be nice to have some pieces in frames along with the canvas pieces. 

I'm just at the auditioning point....trying to figure out which fabrics go with which photos but this could be fun! I think this one needs a little more blue but I do like the rich fall feel of these darker stripes.  

Joy?

When your son texts you a comic from The New Yorker that he knows will make me smile. Yep...that's joy!

When your friend texts you a picture of mushrooms from Norway where she's visiting family. Yep...that's joy too! 

Abundance...Part Two

At the end of our morning walk yesterday I was drawn into the woods by an unusual splash of color...and I was absolutely blown away by what I found. 

Hundreds of tiny golden mushrooms were bursting from a stump.  It's was like a whole little village gathered for party....and I was invited.

As I explored further I found a teeny tiny bunch popping up by another stump.  These were about the size of my pinkie nail...I'm going to keep an eye on them.



I ended up spending quite a bit of time in the woods exploring parts I hadn't been before....it did not disappoint.

I'm not sure I would have believed that mushrooms could be this shade of purple had I not seen them with my own eyes.

 

And right there in the middle of the woods was an old tennis ball worn to a point that it looked like it belonged.  I love our little woods in the city! Abundance...indeed!

Abundance

It was one of those days fill to the brim with wonderful things....good friends, walking, crafting, exploring, and even a few chores.  It was a day of abundance. 

I haven't used some of these darker stripes yet but I think they really feel like fall. These aren't fused together....they're just a new stash to shop from and I'm loving the intense rich colors. I have a new twist on an old idea I'm going to play with. 

I gathered an abundance of fall finds on our walk this morning and took a few minutes to play with them. And now I've got them on a platter on the dining room table  to watch them shrivel up.

I'll share one of my favorite discoveries from this day of abundance in tomorrow's post.

Fall Chill

"Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul." Peggy Toney Horton

There's a wonderful fall chill in the air and Paul and I have had a delightful couple evenings on the patio in Maine.

I was quite content under my scrumptious woven throw I bought from Barbara Willis.

 

And once again....the evening sky did not disappoint either night. 

Finished 12 x 12

I'm not sure I could have let the day go by without finishing this 12 x 12.  It's simple and happy...and maybe my favorite so far.

12 x 12

"I rarely end up where I was intending to go, but I often end up somewhere I needed to be."  Douglas Adams.

I thought this stripe stack would end up on a long narrow multi-layered piece....like the first one I did.  But in the end I was inspired by a deep 12 x 12 canvas I found at a Goodwill store so decided to keep it simple and square it up. I think the variety of sizes is a good idea for the show.

This lovely hand dyed fabric was the perfect compliment and actually all one piece....I just sliced it apart. There are hints of the purple on the teal...and hints of the teal on the purple.

I'm quite fond of a deep canvas but they're  pretty expensive to buy new. This is one of a set of two for just a few dollars second hand so another 12 x 12 is in my future. 

I finished the top stitching today....which included a little ripping out and redoing. But....I'm ending up where I need to be on this one and I hope to get it fused to the canvas in the next couple of days.

Dogwood

"You'll miss the best stuff if you keep your eyes shut."  

Dr. Seuss

The dogwood tree fruit is starting to turn....another sign of fall.  This particular tree down the street is just loaded so will be fun to watch.

I think the fruit looks like it belongs in a Dr. Seuss book.