Play Day

When I went to Michael's to pick up some etching creme yesterday

I decided to check out their Halloween beads.

I could not find a single one!

I did however spot these blue teardrop ones

and the lovely tan ones and bronze smaller ones.

So today I got out my supplies and made bracelets and earrings.

The color here is not true on the browns 

but they look amazing with a couple of outfits in my closet.

YAY!

I guess next year if I want Halloween jewelry

I will either shop earlier 

or make my own beads!

Fun for Halloween

I took a class last weekend

to learn how to use my new toy.

The pumpkin face on the glass block

was one of the projects.

Very easy and fun to scan in what you want

then have the machine cut it out for you.

I see many applications for this and have already used it

to scan and cut out some quilting patterns 

which I then ran through the sticker machine.

It will also cut out actual templates

so I see lots of uses for this tool!

Watch the M O N K E Y....

This silly little monkey with the wiggle eyes,

is for my daughter.

The 'body' is crocheted around a hair elastic

that fits over a camera lens.

Next month she is to take photos that include children

and I thought this might help keep their attention on the camera.

If it works at all I may have to adapt the pattern

with some brighter colors etc.

Chickens and the Walker

A friend shared this fun chicken pattern so...

a-roosting we will go.

An Unexpected Gift

I have a number of 'critters'

who I share my back yard with.

Many of them eat mosquitoes.

Gotta love those critters!

Some of them I feed.

And they share with the others.

The other day I discovered two empty sea shells setting on the fence rail,

exactly where I set special treats (nuts)!

So I cleaned them and made them into earrings.

Aren't these just a special gift?

And they only cost me nuts!

I do love the critters in my yard.

Light Show

Lots and lots of lightening in the sky this evening.

So very cool to watch (from a distance).

Wish I had a great camera and was a great photographer

because this was the only one that came out

and does not do it justice at all.

But maybe you can get the idea that it was very black in the sky

except when nature lit 'er up!

And yes, that is my 'window' to the universe

framed by a rooftop and trees.

July Walker Decoration

I just had to make red white and blue stars

for mom's walker this month.   

Not too fancy or creative

but I think she will like them.

She no longer remembers that she crocheted.

Squirrels

I enjoy watching the antics of the squirrels in my backyard.

And my dog gets his exercise chasing after them.

But this little fellow said it was just too hot to move!

June walker decor is butterflies

This month for decoration on mom's walker

I decided to crochet butterflies.

Last month's corsage disappeared

rather quickly.

I guess someone must have really admired it.

With dementia residents that is quite common

so I take it as a compliment.

I do hope she gets to enjoy these

a bit longer than the last

as she keeps misplacing her walker

and this makes it easy to spot.

The Magic of Grandma's

I was making memories with one of my granddaughters last night.  She was awestruck by the solar powered dragonfly lights in my back yard and had to show her daddy when he came to pick her up.  She had forgotten all about being afraid of the sound of crickets she heard earlier.

And then there was dessert...

Conversation between grandma and 2 year old granddaughter:

Grandma: Do you like pizza?

Granddaughter: No.

Grandma: I think you'll like mine.  It has fruit.

Granddaughter: (silence)

Grandma:  Here try a bite...

Granddaughter: (picking off all the fruit and eating it) 

Grandma:  Did you know the crust is a cookie?

Granddaughter: !!!

Grandma:  Here try another piece.

Granddaughter:  Grandma Boats, you make the best pizza in the world!  And the (y)ummiest kool-aid!

I remember 'making memories' with my grandmother, but had no idea she was loving it as much if not more than I was!

Walker Corsage

Mother's Day

It is that one day out of the year when daughters and sons

make sure to let their mother's know

just how important and special they are,

and how very much they mean to us.

Another Bunny

I just had to make another one of these balloon bunnies.

I like pink better with the little white tail that you can almost see.

The blue bead eye helps too.  

Great fun but now it is time to move on to something else.

Bunnies and Chicks

I tried out a new bunny pattern thanks to JJ's conversion from knitting.

Isn't he cute?  In spite of the kind of hunch back neck from my error.

I foresee more of these fellows.

Since you can see the bottom corner of my quilt in the above photos,

I thought I would share that as well.

LOL  This is my flock of chickens.

Too bad the newer TV sets higher and blocks half of it.

The pattern showed hand done eyes but I used the plastic wiggle eyes.

They may not be archival but they are fun for now.

April Walker Decor

Easter is quite late this year.

So the April decor is of course

a bunny and carrot.

For a Red Hat Friend

A long time friend of mine

belongs to the Red Hat Society.

So when I saw this pattern I could not resist

making one for her.

I am not too good at felting

But I think she will enjoy it.

Birthday!

I am blessed to own a few old sewing machines.

So my family always keeps an eye out for 'notions'.

And for my birthday this year my son surprised me with this lovely tool kit.

Absolutely complete,

and such detailed craftsmanship.

What a marvelous find.

Including the book!!!

What a wonderful gift.

And then they took me out to dinner.

I am truly blessed!

Repairs

I finally began the foundation repairs.

This required lots of holes.

Lots of landscaping was moved.

Pilings were installed.

A very nerve-wracking, process that meant any dishes, books etc.

that were not moved soon fell.

Then an impressive display of coordinated jacking

as the house was basically lifted and leveled.

A process that magically caused most of the cracks

inside to vanish!

I guess this crew came prepared.

I have never seen one bring their own microwave!

It sure reminded me of the movie Money Pit,

and made me wonder how long they expected to stay!

I sure hope they finish this afternoon as promised

since I have a plumber scheduled for tomorrow!