Happy Toes

This is what you get when you're at the pool by yourself and you try and capture the joy of a morning swim on a hot day.

But I really wanted to share my happy toes! Both Paul and I really enjoy our morning swims.....he was on his bike this morning.

Speaking of water....for better or worse....I'm taking another class. It's called Celtic Seascapes by Izzy Moore, the same instructor I took the Swirls of Color class from. Izzy lives in the UK and is a textile and embroidery artist. I've gotten to know her through her class, social media, and now her podcast: Izzy and Gina...In Stitches.

https://www.instagram.com/izzymoore.art/

https://www.isobelmoore.co.uk/

This was my main Swirls class project....and I went on to do several other things using skills I learned. Seascapes will be a similar process....but I enjoy Izzy's teaching style and I know I will learn something new.  And....the structure of a class will get me sewing again.....and what's not to love about the sea.

I'm just getting started.....I'm watching a lot of the videos ahead so I know what's coming. We will work at our own pace so I will spread it out over time and I will be sure to share some of my progress. And...it will certainly involve a lot of these fabulous sea colors. 

This is one of Izzy's Seascapes....I love the rain! 

Color Surprise

Clarke and I are pretty certain the new subscription service from Mailchimp is working. So if you subscribe by email and didn't see the new email post check your other folders...like promotions or spam.  I do know that happened to one person but it can be moved to go to your primary inbox.  You may get two emails again with this post....but hopefully the old service will go away on its own...or we will figure out how to deactivate it.  And when I say "we".....I mean Clarke. I'm just cheering her on!  She's a good sport!

"The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit." 

Fabienne Fredrickson

A few weeks ago I mentioned I planted sunflower seeds in a pot that my sister Nancy gave me.....and today I can safely say they might make it.  It will be awhile before I see the fruit flowers...but it will be fun to watch the progress. 

There may be a few too many in the pot....so I may put a few in the ground.  I don't plant things from seed very often so we'll see how it goes.  I keep moving the pot around my mostly shaded patio to maximize the sun exposure.

I don't know what's cuter....the chalk hearts we saw on our walk....or the arrows from the driveway leading to them.  

And this was a bit of a color surprise on the lawn. It was 90 degrees and very humid today so maybe this was helping me channel fall air.  Not that I'm wishing summer away....I'm just wishing this heat and humidity away.  This little color surprise helped.  

Blooms

Thank goodness for Clarke.....my technology wizard. Clarke is my niece on Paul's side and many of you know she helped me set up this blog way back in January of 2015.  She has been working on my subscribe by email issue...and she's figured it all out with a few days to spare.  I don't know what I would have done without here....she's amazing!  Thanks Clarke!

Those of you who subscribe will get an email from me describing the change and for at least tomorrow two emails with this post....the old service and the new one from Mailchimp. Clarke will delete the old subscription service tomorrow once we are certain it's working.  PHEW!!!

OK....now onto more important things.

I was standing at my kitchen window this morning and noticed that my Stewartia tree is blooming.  

The buds start as round pearls and open into delicate white flowers.  

 

The yellow stamen looks like fireworks coming out the center. It's a lovely tree...with lovely blooms....right outside my kitchen window.

And this hosta bloom is quite grand.  I'm not a huge fan of hosta blooms....but I do this one at this stage.

It belongs to the second hosta in from the front.  I love this lime line up: the lime green grass, the lime hosta with the dark edges (part of the the one I saved from the garage)...and the taller one with the lime green edges and the grand bud.

And how can I not include this mini.  

The bloom is going to be just a regular purple hosta bloom...but the plant is awesome....one of my favorites. The variegated leaves are no bigger than my thumb.  I've divided this one over and over and over....sharing it with anyone who has been interested.  So this plant hasn't filled back in yet...but by this time next year it will be twice as full....unless someone wants a piece of course.  

I have buds on several more plants....so be warned that there will be more posts celebrating blooms!  

Little Landscapes

"Here's to practicing courage out in the open!" Morgan Harper Nichols

I've still been doing some evening painting now and then....but couldn't share them until now because they were for my 4 x 6 cards.  This time I taped off the paper and painted little landscapes. This first one was for Brenda....I kept it very simple just swishing on sky and land colors.

When I mounted it to the card I added some curvy stitching.  My only regret is that I didn't follow the rule of thirds.....the horizon line is too close to the middle...it should have been a little higher or lower.  But mostly I was pleased with this first one.

As an afterthought I added some gold circles....not sure it really work out.

For Becky's I was going for more of a county field kind of thing...giving a nod to both of us growing up on farms. 

I've had this skinny washi tape for a while....and I've found a good use for it.

I think I liked it at the stage the best. 

I wasn't as wild about the next fields....but it's OK. I wished I would have used more variety in the colors or patterns. 

To cover up a little mis-step with a gold pen I added the fiber along the horizon....looks a little better in person I think.  This time I stitched along the tape lines.  As I look at this I wonder how it would have looked with black thread for the stitching....or colors.  Another time.

For my keeper card I used the same field theme....with a little variation adding loose grasses in the fields.

And a little touch of gold paint.  I do love my gold paint pen...maybe a little too much.

I think my little landscapes for round 15 were a reasonable success.

Round 15 ✔

Delightful Start and End

There's a garden I like to follow on one of our walking routes....and Paul and I checked it out this morning.  I've been photographing this garden for years....there are unusual plants that I love to watch through all their stages along with some of my tried and true favorites like zinnias. 

Today we had a special treat because the owner saw me photographing her daisies and came out with a pair of shears to share a small bouquet.  We had a wonderful chat finding all kinds of connections and common ground.  It was a delightful way to start the morning.

I was especially fond of all the stages of the unfurling daisies....and this stage was my favorite.

Then there was this....an afternoon into the evening on Casco Bay with dear friends....Jay, Janice and Brian. 

It was calm to start......

....but once we got out away from land a bit it turned into quite an adventure.  There was no chance of tipping over....but I was hanging on most of the time....so not a lot of photos.  It was kind of exciting...and I knew we were in good hands.

It wasn't all wild....there were some calm seas...enough so that we even had dinner on the boat. A delightful end to the day.  How lucky am I!

Celebrating Monson

Monson is a very small town right in the middle of Maine on the shore of Lake Hebron.  It's the last...or the first town on the Appalachian Trail and the beginning or the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness....depending on which way you're going. My nephew hiked the trail several years ago...and for him it was the last town and the end of the wilderness.

Monson is becoming a bit of an arts community and has been the recipient of grants from the Libra Foundation which looks for "innovative ways to enrich Maine, empower communities, and enhance the quality of life of all Maine citizens." Grant monies are being used to revitalize the town improving homes and businesses.

We were able to walk into Monson while we were at the lake....and this quaint little town with scenic views of the water along the main street was just delightful. 

We wandered into The Lily Cat....a charming antique shop that was beautifully organized....a real treat for this collector.  Because we had walked into town.....none of us had any money and unfortunately this was the only day they were open while we were there.

What struck me the most about the store was how neat and tidy it was despite the fact that is was chocked full of antiques and collections.  Makes me hopeful for my studio.  

I'm always drawn to glassware and bottles displayed in windows....

...or lined up on shelves.

And buttons....oh the buttons. There were buttons in cases...jars...tubs and tins.

As a matter of fact there was a whole wall of buttons. I'm quite fond of buttons so I was like a kid in a candy store....with no money for a treat.

It was a delightful visit to Monson....and I'll look forward to the next time.

Butterfly Weed

Sometime soon I will be tackling my "subscribe by email" issue.  Feedburner, the old tool, is going away at the end of the month and I will be switching over to "Mailchimp."  My niece Clarke is going to try and help me from a distance....so we'll see how it goes.  Those of you who subscribe by email, please be patient with me...this is not my strength. 

I was quite taken with the butterfly weed plant (I had to look it up) I saw on our walk this morning.  I've probably seen it before....but if I have....I was seeing it again for the first time today.

Anything that bursts out of a tiny little bead-like buds captures my heart.

The variation of the colors and markings on the buds are amazing and I'll be watching it over the next few weeks.  It's clear that the buds start a pale yellow and gradually darken changing to orange and finally a blaze orange bloom.

One of the hand projects I took to the lake was my little wool coil project I've posted about a few times.  I hadn't worked in it a long time and was reminded how satisfying it was to roll these little coils of color. The rug hooking wool is from my dear friend Connie....making it extra special.

Pretty scrumptious don't you think!

Transition Activity

It always takes me a day or so to settle back in after a trip.....and there's no better transition activity for me than a puzzle.  It was good to get back to the "Vintage Tins" today....it feels like I'm on the home stretch.  This has been an enjoyable one....with just enough challenge to keep it interesting.

Did you notice the tin in the corner in the first photo?  It's not vintage....but it is from England...just like the puzzle.  I brought back biscuits for Margie from my trip a few years ago....and she saved the tin and recently gave it back to me.  I'll find a good use for it.

 I took a variety of hand projects with me to the lake including Eliza's journal....and one afternoon I colored the cover around her drawings.  There's nothing like a little coloring to tap into your inner child.  I added a little blanket stitching around the edge giving it a nice touch. 

Camp Comfort

"Each year the women gathered to renew their spirits, nourish their souls, and earn their laugh lines." Deborah C Kracht,  Art HeadStudio

How lucky am I to have had this time away with dear friends. The name of the road says it all: Camp Comfort.

This is Patsy's family camp......and she loves to share it with friends. Patsy's parents used to invite us and the boys when they were young and I can still picture them fishing off the dock and swimming in the lake.

It had been a while since I'd been there...but the views were as amazing as I remembered and the peace and quiet and ease of things at "camp" renewed my spirits and nourished my soul. 

The sky was different each night....but because of the clouds that first evening was pretty special.

And it changed by the minute....I couldn't stop looking.

The next night was clear.....and a whole different kind of beautiful. Like I said...how lucky am I!