I have loved beads as long as I can remember. Every year, it seems, I get my beads out, maybe buy a few to add to the stash, and make a bunch of jewelry for myself and others. This time I was all about making stretch bracelets. It was fun to make them with my niece in Iowa and then while traveling they were something easy to transport and carry just enough materials for.
Read moreSmith Rock
Hitting hike 100 the previous day, we celebrated by going on an adventure we had been putting off. Weather in our favor, we went to Smith Rock, on the way to the Painted Hills.
We are already planning our return!
Painted Hills
I have wanted to go to the Painted Hills (a unit of the John Day National Monument) for a LONG time. We finally went! We hit our hike 100 the day before, and so the hikes this day we counted as 101.
It had been so easy to put off-4 hours each way, super hot in summer when the days are long enough to tempt the drive, and over a mountain pass that could be stressful in winter. We have been having a warm winter, and a rather dry week, so it seemed like the perfect time to go for it!
The stripes were as vibrant as the best pictures online! I cannot wait to get painting this place!
Just look at those stripes!! I saw online how sunset was a good time to see it, which worked well with our going to Smith Rock for a little hike around first.
The hill on the left was LAVENDER!!!!!
Us, happily taking a selfie to say we’ve been here and will be back!!
Candycanes
More even than most years- I decided to make our gifts this Christmas. One such gift was to make ornaments for most everyone we have Christmas with. Thinking through what supplies I had on hand, I decided to sew felt candycanes with some beading. I drew out a candycane stencil on newsprint and cut it out to trace onto felt. I already had a surplus of red and white felt, but falling short on poly fil, I opted to use leftover batting scraps and the tiny felt scraps I was making with all these canes to stuff them with.
I used embroidery floss and cotton perle threads, jute rope for their loops, and did a blanket stitch on each to close them up. The stripes I varied and when making them with felt, I would cut out an extra cane to cut into the stripes using straight scissors or pinking shears.
All in all I made two dozen, including a banner of 6 for my house and a banner for my sister. They took so much longer than I had planned- but I think the result is worth the effort.
Metalwork
While I am a painter and my focus has been on drawing and painting all my life, I love playing with different types of media. I enjoy learning how to use different tools, how materials behave and how to manipulate them to achieve my goals. In highschool and again in college I took metalsmithing and really enjoyed seeing my ideas come to life.
My friend’s birthday was coming up, and this friend can get herself anything she wants. What do you get someone who has it all? I usually find that handmade, one of a kind gifts mean more and aren’t going to be a likely duplicate of something someone already has. Knowing she loves unicorns and as I want to encourage whimsy, I decided a unicorn suncatcher was the perfect thing. I asked my friend Emerald to use her studio and have her there if I had questions, and she agreed. I drew up a unicorn based off of some clipart and online photos of horses.
I cut out my drawing, traced it on 18 gauge brass sheet, and hand sawed it out. I filed the edges, stamped designs, sanded it, hammered it flat, drilled out the holes (Emerald did two as I was a bit nervous I was pressing too hard and would break her drill bit), sanded it again, and wired the beads and chain on. It took me about ten hours to make. Handmade is the slow way of doing things- but it is so rewarding!
Floral Mural
I finished the mural! I spent 6 days on it and got it done. It feels good getting big projects done.
I added gold leaf touches at the end.
Teresa loves it and will be paneling in the bottom of this wall in a dark, smoky purple with a medium brown wood moulding separating the paneling from the mural. I cannot wait to see it! (Ok, I might be as excited as Teresa.)
Sidequest
While painting on the Mt Hood painting, my friend was redoing her bedroom and we talked ideas. This led to me doing a mural in her room. I am painting roughly the top two fifths of the wall in a large scale floral (inspired by a wallpaper she liked, but not copied from) and the bottom she will panel in and paint a very dark, smoky purple.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
The 9yr old wanted to paint, so we let her in the dark purple that will cover the whole bottom.
There is more to go, but this is it so far! Another couple days and it will be done, and I will be back to working on Mt Hood.
Wreaths Make Me Happy
Wreaths are fun. They are a way to be as funky or as traditional as you want while making the front of your house a welcoming place. It can be as crafty or artistic as you can make it. For me, it’s a way of putting art outside and making the porch a part of the house.
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So for my current post- I love sunflowers, yellow is my favorite color, and fall is here (right?!). I have been seeing sunflowers all through town and with already having backed a couple quilts in sunflower prints, a pillow and a reversible tablerunner.. I remembered I had a bag of silk flowers from my mother in law on my shelf of holiday stuff and knew what to make. A wreath! So I got busy and cleaned out my stash and now I have something else sunflowery for the house!
On this theme I felt like sharing past wreaths I have made.
Our Mt Hood wreath is our year-round decoration in celebration of hiking. Cory cut Mt Hood and the sign out with his scroll saw.
My cousin liked our Mt Hood wreath, so we made a Mt Rainier for their house. I love getting Cory to use his scroll saw for things like the Rainier silhouette.
This was one of the very first wreaths I made. I was excited as we were getting married and I just had to make something pretty.
My fall wreath is one of my favorites.
Halloween wreath, fixed up so now looks like this:
4th of July wreath
Our Christmas wreath is another collaboration with Cory. I sketched out a nativity scene and he cut it out with his scroll saw. I painted it and assembled the wreath.
One of 2 candy cane wreaths I made.
Our winter wreath- the bear was purchased, not made by either of us.
This wreath was made by my mom when I was so small I don’t remember a time without it. She gave it to me and it was looking a little tired, so I made a new bow and added some red and green bells to it. It seemed to do the trick! Now it is the back door Christmas wreath.
Mountain Cardigan
I finally made my mountain cardigan (Jacket? Cardigan? Cardigan.). My sister and I had plans to make this together in May of 2024.. but we ran out of time. I would look for bias binding on trips to JoAnn and not find a color I liked- and of course they closed this year. So, with a camp trip to Mt Hood planned, I decided this was reason enough to finish it. My sister reassured me I could do it in a few hours and have it in time.
I wish I could tell you the pattern- but it’s been drawn out for over a year now and I do not remember. I do know I made the body longer, and sleeves a little wider and much longer than the pattern called for.
She was right and I did have it done in time, but I learned a few things:
1-Sewing fleece is a different experience and it is best to go slow. It is stretchy and thick so you have to intentionally never pull it, lest you warp it. 2. Premade bias binding is also different-not terrible- but different. The fabric folded inward toward the crease is not folded as far in as when I make it, and the kind I bought was polyester as my jacket and thread were also. It slides differently than cotton.
Anywho. I like wearing my mountains around and feeling like Ms Frizzle.
Skeletons!
After sewing up the cut n sew witches (by Stacey Iest Hsu), I went back for the cut n sew skeleton couple. They were too cute and a fun change from what I normally make.
I added buttons and used a snap instead of the suggested velcrow for his bowtie. The sewing instructions for the pants are incorrect at one point- so make sure you pay more attention to the shape than what it says if you decide to make them.
Skeleton girl has pockets in her skirt for the bat, cat, and pair of ghosts that come with on the panel.
