November Woods

"Well its the same damn tune; it's the man in the moon,

Its the way that i feel about you.

And with no place to hide, I looked in your eyes,

and i found myself in you....

Now my hands on the wheel, I've got something that's real

And i feel like i'm going home."

                                                                                            -Willie Nelson

Times like these.....

It's times like these : :

: : I wish time would stop, if just for a moment, to inhale the fresh, crisp air  ~ of all that is autumn. 

: : I feel grateful to have this man in my life ~ This thoughtful husband, who always surprises me with perfect dinner conversation, night after night.  We never miss a beat, him & i.....

: : I sit at my table, thinking, i need to document this....this sense of fullness that i feel.  This love for photography and the present life around me.

: : I set in and begin a winter full of sewing projects....i walk into my studio and see fabric that i have gathered here & there.....i dream of all that is to be made.

: : I see the temperature going down, and more layers going on.  The winter hats come out & log johns are worn.  Winter is upon us.

: : I laugh at the record breaking snow that left a blanket on our land, at just the end of October....

: : I feel grateful to see the wood we harvested off our land, going into our stoves to keep us warm.  Its a wonderful circle, this life......

: : I watch him.  Content.  Happy and at ease, as he drives his tractor.  Simply happy & right where he belongs.

: : I also watch him.  Bouncing through the snow. Full of excitement & wonder. 

: : That sometimes, the right evening consists of english muffin pizzas, popcorn and a camp-out on the living room floor.  Yes, that is just right.

: : Little bits & pieces of our home come together.  Tables are cleared of clutter & pictures go up. 

: : We enjoy the gift of family around our dinner table & the candles that burn bright to light the darkness.

: : I listen as my father reads me a poem of the mountains, over the phone, but when he does, i am right in his lap, rocking.

: : I look forward to Thanksgiving.  Our very first Thanksgiving.  Surrounded with the gift of family & good food.  Yes, this will be one to remember.

: : We look at each other with love & compassion, as we fill our freezer with local meat.  We feel good to be able to do this, very good.

: : We have conversations of piglets.  Perhaps two piglets will join us in the spring.  Oh how fun that would be.  Mine will be Ethel, and his Charlotte (bacon for short).

: : We enjoy babysitting charlie's cousins..... while they run wild around the cabin.  very wild.

Yes, This life, This year, This day ~ I feel grateful. 

It's times like this, i enjoy.

Summer Crafts

Since June 4th, i have felt much more settled in our home.  The wedding planning was over, the house was livable and i felt like we could finally breathe.  A few weeks following our wedding, my new hubby was working nights all week, and i thought, this is my first night / week alone in our home.  I need to make things for it!  I took out my new sewing machine (thanks mom & dad!) and went to work!  And let me tell you, since then, it has been addicting!!!   Here is a brief re-cap of some of my homemade projects for our cabin:

Bed stand tops.....(matching one on the other side of the bed)

Dresser blanket....funny story about this:

My mom almost always had one on her dresser growing up, and i always thought, why the heck does she do that?  Now i know...this not only covers up some imperfections, but also is a nice soft texture against the wood.

Top view

This was a birthday present for my dad.  One of his favorite poems.  I started with embroidery for the title, then hand stamped the whole poem on un-bleached muslin.  I then zig-zag stitched the two pieces onto a warm autumn fabric and secured it in a frame.  It came out beautiful, and he loved it for sure. 

(gift accompanied with some homemade whoopie pies, of course)

a simple basket found at one of my favorite stores (tractor supply).....i took some of this lovely blue fabric and stitched it up, so it was like a ribbon.  Then twisted it around the handle of the basket, and secured each end with hot glue. 

Simple, easy and perfect for our cloth napkins!

My second homemade skirt.  (the first shrunk in the wash, so now it doesn't fit.  I think I'll have to make the first into a shirt now!  On this second one, i used elastic in the waist, and it was much more comfortable than the fitted skirt.  I can't wait to make some more for next summer!

I can't wait to try this in different fabrics, and tweek the pattern a bit!

I put these fabric hoops together one night for our bedroom.  I have seen that quote online in many different places, and i really like it.  I used embroidery floss on natural muslin.

I'm very happy with the outcome, and it fits in perfect in our bedroom.

I saw this on another blog i follow, and thought it was a great idea for our home.   Our fridge does not have any magnetic capabilities, so i wanted a way to display photos, appt cards etc....

This is made by using a large fabric hoop, putting your fabric of choice in it.  Then hot-gluing clothespins around the perimeter, alternating pointing in, and pointing out.  This took no time at all, and i love having a place in our kitchen for candids :)

This was a summer quilt / beach blanket, actually my first real project on my sewing machine.  You can read more about it in one of my july posts...

This is a quilt in the works.....i don't have a particular pattern that i am following, i am just placing pieces together, we'll see how it comes out!  It will be a throw quilt, of sorts, for our living room.

This lovely fabric is for our bedroom quilt.  I have yet to begin this, because i still haven't found the perfect pattern for it....it will happen soon, i know.

Oh and i just love these fabrics, found on a fabric shopping trip with mom to Keepsake Quilts in Center Harbour.

More homemades to come.....

I have found such joy, stillness and feeling of accomplishment in these projects.  I love how much i have expanded my art from architecture to quilts, to knitting to embroidery...oh there is sooo much make & i can't wait for all that is to come!

 This sure is a beautiful life we are living.  Yes indeed.