Which Witch? (Ft. Stevens State Park, OR)

We move to Newhalem Bay State Park on Saturday just south of Seaside, OR.  I'm not sure how strong our WiFi signal will be, but if you don't see a post - that will be the reason why.

I haven't been taking pictures.  When it is not raining, Dan and I are taking fast-paced walks around the park on their lovely paved paths.  We got caught in one rain storm.  We were soaked by the time we got back to the motorhome and that was with our raincoats on!  I'm so glad I decided not to take my camera.

So, I'll share some more photos that I did not post in my last blog of flowers from Seaside.  

I love this nasturtium.  It looks like it has teeth.

The leaves under this one is pretty cool. It looks sort of like a Rudbeckia.

I have always loved the color of the Bachelor Buttons.  Gorgeous!

We did manage to get our cats out a couple of times.  They all did a lot of exploring.  I lost count of the trees Hitch has climbed since we got here.  We talked to another cat owner walking her cat by our site yesterday.  Dusty decided he did not want to be friends, but he did mind his manners and only growled at her cat a couple of times.  Hopefully, our cats will like the next state park as much as they liked this one.  

On The Cutting Board

I haven't been keeping my nose to the cutting board this week.  I'm not sure what my problem is considering that I have lots to do.  I want to make my own Halloween wall hanging so I started by looking through a long list of sayings.  This one caught my attention.  I thought about adding just a witch's hat hanging from the bottom of the 't' with a broom leaning on the 'n'...

 Then I thought the hat would be cuter with feet.  I looked online for pictures of witch's shoes.  With a combination of photos and clipart, I came up with this pair.  Well, if the hat has feet/shoes, she should have hands....

Then I thought that maybe the hat should have legs with knobby knees.  This is all free hand work.  No clipart this time.  I actually found some sites online that show you how to draw hands, feet, faces, etc.

Okay...Now, I have two designs and I'm not sure which Witch I want to use for the wall hanging.  Which one do you like?  Well, I need to give it some more thought...

I finished the pink trailer.  I might add a Welcome sign on the left side of the door with another big flower since there is so much empty space.  I need to wait to iron on the sign until we are back to having full electrical power.  We are limited in the state parks.  Right now, I prefer using our power for warmth and hot tea.  I can iron later.

In the meantime, I am working on the second trailer.  This cream color top will be added to a deep pink with teal polka dots trailer.

Reading back through this blog, I do believe I have found some motiviation to get back to the cutting board and get some sewing done!

Happy Quilting!

Happy Campers Once Again (Seaside, OR)

Travel day!  Not a very long one, though.  We are moving just north of here...about 30 minutes from Seaside to Ft Stevens State Park.  Of course, now we have our new shower door and no longer need to go there.  Oh well, five more days in a state park will be extra nice with all the pathways to walk and beaches to see.

The shower door looks great, doesn't it?  Dan did a good job installing it despite the cryptic instructions.

I got out on a sunny day during the week and took some photos of the Dahlias around the campground.

 We walk by these almost every day.  I had to have these for my albums.

  I just loved the colors in them.  So deep and vibrant.

I love the folding petals in this bud.  They look like folded prairie points made by a quilter from the backside.  I did those once......

 On The Cutting Board
I have been working on some UFOs for donating.  No photos just yet.

I have also started on the new set of Happy Camper Mug Rugs.  I'm trying some different stitches and embellishments.

This is just a peek of what I have done so far.

Well, I need to get packing.  I have a lot of stuff spread out every where.  Amazing the messes I can make in such a short time....

Happy Quilting!

Down the Rabbit Hole (Seaside, OR)

The weather can't make up its mind - to rain or not to rain, to be hot and muggy or to be downright chilly, not to mention, very dark.  

I'm taking every opportunity to enjoy the sunshine while it is out.  I finished up my mug rugs and got outside for photos in natural light.  All nine are listed now in my shop.

"Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice

I was going to show you our new shower door, but we are still waiting for our special ordered door to come in.  Dan had ordered the shower door the last time we were here in Seaside from Home Depot, so our door was waiting for us when we came back.  The bad thing is that we are suppose to leave next Monday and start our trek south along the coast.  

It's a good thing we are not on a schedule.  We now have reservations at Ft. Stevens State Park for an additional five days.  Our fingers are crossed that the door in the correct size will come in during that time or we need some of Alice's potion to make the door smaller....or cake to make the shower bigger.

Before making the reservation, we drove up to the state park to pick out our site.  Afterwards, we drove around to see some of the sights.  It is a big park with lots of paths to walk, beaches as well as lakes to see, and of course, plenty of squirrels.

Twiddle Dee

These squirrels look a little chubby.  They barely moved when I approached them to get their photos.  I think they were hoping for more food instead they got Paparazzi taking their pictures.  Maybe, they are fattening up for winter and as chunky as these two look, I have to wonder if Oregon is in for a very cold winter.

Twiddle Dum

On The Cutting Board

I love Alice in Wonderland.  

I especially love the movie with Johnny Depp in it.  Quirky as usual when Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are involved.  Both queens were a little odd, but the overall movie was very imaginative and different from all the other movies.

I finished the Alice in Wonderland Teacups wall hanging yesterday.  The Dormouse and teacup design is by Urban Threads.  If you are looking for some unusual designs for machine/hand embroidery or applique, try Urban Threads.  I have a large list of cute designs from their website in my favorites folder.  

Okay, back to my wall hanging.....I quilted flowers with center swirls just like the letter 'o', so they would match.

I only quilted every other square in the wonky blocks and lines in the two side borders.  It was a lot of fun to work with cotton batting instead of the Insul-Brite that I use in the mug rugs.  It was like sewing through butter...I did not want to stop.  You know what that means...I need to finish some more wall hangings.

 I added feathers to the Dormouse's hat.  Doesn't he look dandy?

I did something a little different with the hanger.  I wrapped fabric around a 'D' ring and attached loosely braided leftover fabric strips.

I embellished the braid with a ribbon and thread bow.  I added beads and glass flowers to the ends of the thread. It looks better hanging up.  What do you think of the hanger?  Now, I'm waiting for some sunshine so I can take photos and get it listed.

Happy Quilting!

About Me (Seaside, OR)

Orders have slowed down a bit, so I'm taking this opportunity to revise my 'About' page on Etsy.  Almost a year ago, Etsy changed our 'About' page to include photos and a better layout so our sellers can get to know the buyers better.  I thought it was great, but finding the time to rewrite and to look for photos went to the bottom of the list of things to do.

Recently, I decided I should get this done.  I read one seller's comment that she liked to know who the buyer was and where they lived.  If there was no 'About' page, she did not buy from them.  I rarely know my sellers because I tend to be more interested in the product.  Then again, she has a point.  She makes a connection with the seller.

I am allowed five photos that cycle through for the viewer.  I had a hard time deciding what FIVE photos would I use.  I put together a folder and started saving photos into it.  Before I knew it, I had over a hundred photos!  Oh no, now I had to decide which ones show the best of me.  With over 25 years of hand-quilting, more years in traveling and experiences, I was having a hard time.

Looking through other Etsian's 'About' pages, I started to see quite a few were using collages.  Perfect!  Back to my fat folder of photos.  I did two travel collages (above).

I wanted to show my tools and materials.  I think this one came out quite colorful.  I especially love the fabric one with the thread in front.  I could not have asked for a more sunnier day to take this recent photo.

I had to show off some of my recent work.  Does it look eye-catching to you?

I could not leave out my supervisors.  They are, after all, an important part of the process.  I gave each one a work title:  Squirrel - quilt inspector, Max - hugs adviser, Hitch - exercise guru, and last, but not least, my QuiltinCats' Avatar Dusty - fabric tester.

The photos were the easy part.  Writing about myself was even harder.  I spent a long time writing and re-writing my Bio.  Ugh!  I think I managed to make it sound interesting without going overboard.  I wanted to keep it short and sweet.  I think I managed to do that.  I might revise it again later, but for now, this will work.  Speaking of work, I need to get back to my projects....

Happy Quilting!

Signs of The End of Summer (Seaside, OR)

In Just One Day

I finally understand how my parents felt about December 7, 1941.  40 years later, they often talked about how they felt, the uncertainty of what would become of America, and for the first time, someone dared to attack us on our own homeland.  They never forgot that feeling of vulnerability with a strength of every US citizen putting aside their differences and coming together to keep our country safe.

Pinterest

I can tell you exactly what I was doing and thinking the moment of impact of the second plane.  Never forget?  It feels like it happened yesterday.  I don't think the day will ever come that I will forget the loss, the heroes, the devastation, and not get emotional.  9/11 changed our lives forever.  Remember?  I am reminded everyday that tomorrow can never be taken for granted.

Taking a Walk

Here's what I was trying to post the last two times.  Just some photos from our walks at the campground in Pacific City.  We finally got out of the "no signal black-hole" on Monday.  We are back in Seaside for the next two weeks.  So nice to be connected once again to the world.

When we saw this sign, we thought it was the end of summer.  For most of the week, the campground was quiet....then Friday came with all the people.  They were back.  Why waste a perfectly good weekend sitting at home when they can be camping near the beach?

The rabbits and the cats were enjoying the peace and quiet during the week.  The rabbits came out to greet us during our walks.  Of course, having some carrots didn't hurt.

We see food dishes set out by the workers and some of the regular campers.  Plus, the campground store sells rabbit feed, so they are very use to being hand fed.  Not spoiled at all.

You would think the rabbits would have a weight problem with all the food we see, but they always seem delighted to have another carrot.

During the quiet time, we started to see and hear more birds.  I should start carrying my big lens to get some photos, but I have been lazy.  We watched eight robins take a bath in a mud puddle.  

We have heard from other campers that the black bears have been busy at night as well.  Even with the abundance of berries to eat, they still find the garbage interesting.

This is the only wooded path inside the campground.  We walk it everyday for the steps and for the wood's view with a stream.

On The Cutting Board

With no internet connection, I had plenty of time to get some sewing done.

I finished five UFO mug rugs so far.  The pigs were designed by Fayette Terlouw and I made them into mug rugs with 'Hogs and Kisses' on the back.

I finished the four below during last weekend.  The witches and cat are designed by Nancy Halvorsen.  I wanted to make the pumpkin black cat more interesting by adding a spider web.  The Mummy mug rugs are my design using ripped up natural muslin for the bandages.  What do you think of my Mummy mug rugs?

I can't believe I finished nine mug rugs within two weeks.  They were already fused together so that saved some time.

Time to take some photos for my Etsy shop so I can get them posted.

Happy Quilting!

Taking a Blogging Break (Pacific City, OR)

The WiFi is very slow here, so I am going to take a break from blogging and spend more time sewing.

I'll be Back!!