Flint Hills Rail Trail

I am lucky to live along a rail trail where we ride our bikes every morning.

 

 

This rail trail runs along the Marais des Cygnes River.

 

So far this season I have picked wild hops, sand plums and persimmons along our trail; and witnessed so much wild life.

Last week I discovered that on the seven mile section I ride every morning there is a hidden treasure box......Geocaching!

 

 

It made a gorgeous fall morning ride even more fun!

 

 

 

I had already planned to gather some foliage for a special pumpkin I wanted to carve for our granddaughters.

 

 

A fall fairy house!



Shower Gifts

Our youngest is getting married Thanksgiving weekend!  Needless to say, I've been stitching up a storm.  I wanted to share the shower gifts I made for them.....

 

They are having a book theme at their wedding.  The quilt has fabric strips stacked to look like books.  This is my third quilt that I've embroidered an Emily Dickinson poem on.

 

 

I've made many embroidered portraits.  This is the first I have made into a pillow.  I used the photo below.....

 

 

Recent Projects

Recently finished......

embroidered portrait:

and a self portrait:

 

 

 



   

 

 

 

Back To School Sewing

Our oldest grandchild started first grade this week.  I can't even begin to fathom how we got here so fast.  So to mark this special event I wanted to sew her a little something to start off her school year.

The fabric is Sara Jane's "Wee Wander" Summer Ride and Out to Sea Sailor's ABC purchased from aspenfabrics on Etsy.  I love the whole collection and have made other outfits with this designer fabric from this shop.  I used "Wee Wander" Tree Lights for her birthday dress, (pictured right) a few months ago. 






I live in a rural area, 25 minutes from a fabric store unless you consider Walmart, so I love on-line tutorials and pdf patterns.  For the skirt I used Melly Sews free drawstring skirt tutorial found here.  Very straight forward and easy to follow.

But the dress I had some difficulties with.  The above photo is actually the second dress I made using the Poppy Dress Pattern found on Etsy.  After reading the finished measurements the pattern gave I decided to make a size 6. 

I've been sewing for 32 years, and as I was making it I knew something had to be off with the pattern. Well, it's a good thing Olivia has a little sister, because it ended up being a very cute, tea length dress for Lily, age 3. 







But luckily I had more than enough fabric to sew it up again, this time making it in a size 8.

And as you can see, it fits perfectly....... 

Comfortable enough for soccer and bug hunting.
 

Ryane's Home

 

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at our daughter Ryane's home.  She asked her dad to help her install a chandelier she designed herself in her dining room.

 

 

She and her husband bought their first home in March.  Then they had their first child in May. 

 

Now just this morning I heard on the Today show that today's home buyers are the millennial generation and they want to move into their new home and start living.  The last thing they want to buy is a "project" home.

 

Well, in no way did our kids buy a "project" home.  But our daughter cannot live in a home without turning it into her own piece of art.  

 

As I sat there watching them work I started looking around at all the changes they've made to their new home.  I asked her if I could take some photos and asked if I could share some of the creative changes she has made, with the help of her trusting husband and handyman father.

 

Keep in mind, nothing is staged in these photos and they are completely spur of the moment.

 

At six months pregnant and teaching full time high school art, the first week they moved in they painted all the rooms, and then remodeled the kitchen.....

 

 

They replaced the cupboards on one wall with open shelving, bulldozed the old tile and replaced it with marble subway tile, and her dad cut her a butcher block counter top to replace the old counter.

 


Next was the stairway up to the attic master bedroom......
 
 

She stripped and varnished the steps, added mirror tiles, and stenciled the wall. 

Here is some of her art she found time to make and add to her home......

some porcelain ceramic pieces she made.....

and a baby gym for the coming baby boy......

 

 

 

The master closet was turned into a nursery....

 

side note, I made the crib quilt and knitted the man in the moon in the window.

 

 

Her most recent project; these awesome shelves.....

 

 

she completed with a lot of help from her dad, the awesome handyman and spectacular grandpa,

my husband Paul.

 

So now, you might be asking how that chandelier turned out.  Well......

 

gorgeous of course!

Fredericksburg Texas

Whenever I visit my mom in San Antonio, Fredericksburg Texas has always been one of my favorite places to go. Sure, this little town is packed with amazing shops up and down Main Street, with everything you could possibly want to decorate your home, yourself, and your dinner table in that unique Texas style.  Not to mention all the peach orchards surrounding this cute Texas town where you can buy or pick them yourself.   

But for me, the number one reason for visiting Fredericksburg is to see what interior designer, Carol Hicks Bolton has been up to.  I’ve followed her from her former Homestead shops on Main, to now her new warehouse a few blocks off Main on Lincoln Street.  What a treat!  She travels the world to find the most awesome antiques and ships them to tiny Fredericksburg!  And they are so friendly, asking where you're from and allowing all the photos you want to take.  So……

You can read more about Carol Hicks Bolton and see more of her work on the blog Fiona and Twig and get ready to be inspired!

Spare time projects

 

Thought I would share some recent projects.....

I finished my first pair of socks, learning to turn a heel....

 

 

Just finished cherry season.  Picked 4 buckets, dried 2 buckets, made 14 jars of jam with the rest.

 

 

And finally, a sneak peak of the sweater I started.  Working on the back......

 

 

Not by my choice, my free time became full time last Thursday.  At least I have things I love to do. :)

 

 





Birthday Book for Braxton!

Many exciting things happening around here!  Our fifth grandchild, Quinn was born on Monday, which just happened to be our 35th wedding anniversary.  What a way to celebrate!  And, she was born just 3 days after big brother's second birthday.  

Some of you know all the grandchildren get a book for their 1st and 2nd birthdays.  I wanted to share Braxton's book.

Four of the pages I owe design credits to and I've linked those photos to the wonderfully talented people I found through Pinterest!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100551151/comic-book-characters-felt-finger?ref=sr_gallery_43&ga_search_query=felt+finger+puppet&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZA&ga_explicit_scope=1&ga_page=4&ga_search_type=handmade

http://www.imagineourlife.com/2011/09/05/astronaut-quiet-book-page/

http://www.imagineourlife.com/2012/01/09/treasure-quiet-book-page/

http://craitlyn.blogspot.com/2010/08/charlies-felt-name-book.html