SHARK ATTACK

It was time to finish the shark plaque!  I covered my work space, gatheredd all my supplies and began to pour resin!

Most of the pieces went down well--I did get a bit sticky but a package of wipes sure helps keep that from getting out of hand!  I then finished adding the resin around the design and let it self-level and flow down the sides, too.

You can't tell, but the wood is sitting up on spacers so that the resin won't harden onto the work surface. 

You can see the depth the resin gives to the paint and the riser underneath the wood in this photo. 

 I set a large plastic bin over the top and let it dry for 24 hours.

After drying I added a picture hanger on the back and will let it dry  for another 5 days before I ship it out to my oldest grandson! Some crafts that I try I think, "There, I've done that!" but this one is not the last of the shark teeth art work!

WRAP IT UP!

I love to clear my slate in January-you know, get a project you started weeks ago off of your sewing table so you can do some sewing!  I had hit the creative block of how to get the shark's teeth to stay put on the mandala design and make the painted wooden background look 'finished'!  It finally came to me to use resin to take care of both of these criteria.  Unfortunately, I ran out of a good chunk of time in December but I got to it finally!

I ended up mixing up 3-4 oz of resin working in just a small area at a time.  This resin gave me plenty of time to work each area, one right next to other to build it seamlessly.  This resin is self-leveling so I did have to work to keep the board level.  I tried to use a pair of tweezers since my pointer/thumb combo on each hand is impaired  but it was impossible since the tooth shot right out of its grip over and over again!  I became resigned that I was going to drop them, that I was going to get sticky and that if I kept my hand over the board, there was no harm done!

I tried to get the sheen in the photo for you to see how the resin brings depth to this piece!  I am so happy with the results!   

What will I find to work on next....? 

 

ECCLECTIC SOUNDS BETTER THAN FLITTING!

Yay for December first!

I have so many Christmas Cacti in bloom or just about in bloom!

  I love the shades of fuschia/pink/red against the green. 

 This plant lives in a big pot with a spider plant 

and they get along very well together!

It looks like a stage full of ballerinas!

I loaded the star quilt on the frame and should be able to get that quilted today and off the frame so I can load the completed QOV.

I did a lot of 'finishing' little projects like putting these resin/shark's teeth on clips so they can decorate some student bookbags!

And I used most of a skein of the coral yarn in gradations by Red Heart. (their newer yarns are so much softer than the old ones!) The blue hat is just some leftover yarn from the stash. 

 I have used up more than 2 dozen skeins of yarn!  

And then I visited HobbyLobby and bought 6 new skeins of yarn which will become more hats in very short order! lol

 I am in that place of using up the last of the acrylic yarn and what I have is a lot of (boring) solids which I will just have to put into my favorite formula for brimmed hats 

which is 40 rows hat side 1... 45 rows brim... 40 rows hat side 2! 

 Skein to hat in 35 minutes including tags ,

pom buttoms and poms!  

 

BUSY IN A HURRICANE (NICOLE)

We woke up to wild and crazy weather--winds 30-40mph but only 3" of rain.  It sounded like more rain but it was blowing horizontally so it didn't measure! lol  We had no major damage and having Bill here made the stress level near zero!  I played in the morning machine knitting some hats and even some Pokemon Pokes.

How's this for a good idea for the furry pom-poms which have elastic to attach them--add a button for it to hang onto and this way you can still  take it off for washing!  They sell fancy buttons, too, and I am thinking it would be a good idea because they have instructions to detach the pom for laundering.

A bit later in the day, I played with some resin jewelry.  A real shark's tooth is now encased in resin and a watch face that belonged to my Mom ages ago-

and even the back with all of the gears is visible! 

 The SteamPunk in me loves it!!!!

This is a new shark's tooth in the mold.  It has to sit for 12 hours before I can remove it and trim the edge so it isn't sharp;  I use my dremel with a sanding wheel on it.  This is a high quality resin that stays clear--I was so disappointed with the resin I used years ago--it turned dull and opaque instead of staying clear.

Brilliant Windows has great tutorials and products!

I even finished the conversion of these real stamps into pendants!  A nice day to celebrate some wild weather!

 

RESIN ART!

So this project began with a  video on an email from  LittleWindows Brilliant Resin about turning stamps into a pendant.  I asked my Mom for a stamp from a letter Dad had written her when he was in the service. 

 She found one and I couldn't wait to begin!

I built up the resin on the front of the stamps (the others are stamps from Poland-my husband's family) and then after curing, did the backs with the findings.  The top two pieces were made by pouring the leftover resin in little molds with curious items placed inside!  More on them on another day.

I was able to cut the postmark out and adhere that to the back of the stamp for Mom--I used a different way to hang it from a chain because I didn't want the bail to cover the words or dates!  

The one on the left is of a horseback rider and the one on the right of irises!  I need to buy the necklace chains when I head out to run some errands today.  

I'm also stopping to buy some fabric to turn this into a quilt with a layout like the recent dolphin one! Her brother is going to love it!

 

Oh, Boy....

Last week, it seemed like a great idea to change my medicine.

The actuality is a bit different.

I am walking around like a zombie.  I have to wean from the old medicine (which feels like having my security blanket torn out of my hands) and slowly introduce the new meds which is too little for a lot of benefit right now!  

I can do this, right?!

I did a little puttering but my mind can't bear concentrating for too long. 

I added a bit of background to the watercolor, 

and I sanded the new resin sea animals, then drilled holes so they can be worn.

I am trying to make up my mind to put them all on one necklace or to have five individual ones.  

Today is not the best day for decisions. 

And I did a bit of this because I can do it with my eyes closed!  

Yes, this fiber is easy to spin;  even if it is Masham top. 

It is a new to me fiber and I am liking it just fine.

I didn't knit again today.......this is not a good pattern.

Tomorrow has to be a better day.

Saturday's Discovery

Quite a while ago, another blog friend suggested a good quilting project would be 'An Orphan block' idea.   I didn't find any for me but did find the pile of blocks from my grandmother.   I am still waiting for a trip to the fabric store so I can work out a background strategy for that one but looking for something else today, I found this orphaned quilt!  I believe it was started while I still lived in NY so at least 8 years ago!

 I re-familiarized myself with the fabrics, and the blocks left to do and the layout!   I soon got into the swing of things and enjoyed the 'Quilt in a Day' series by Eleanor Burns once again.  

 I have these blocks arranged just so but I have one problem.   I rarely like a square quilt;  I have one block left over and that would mean another two blocks would need completing.   I have enough fabric... As I write this, I think I have my decision made to work another row.

In between piecing, I ground the edges smooth and drilled the jewelry fitting hole and made the wire bail for completing the resin jewelry I made in Georgia!   I might just tackle this resin thing one more time........!

Grand Finales!

The hat turns out beautifully and I have another skein that I will use to knit this again!

 We finished piecing the fairy tale quilt top!

It takes a bit longer to miter the corners of the border but just look at this-it is so worth it!  We will be finishing this at my house this Thanksgiving;   until then, Marsel has homework to finish the backing.  Nice to have this a continued work!

The resin project with the kids had a mixed result!   The insects interacted with the resin and didn't harden (and the bugs didn't stay sunk where they belonged!) and we had to toss those but lots did turn out well!  The leaf is and orphan earring we broke the back off and made it into a pendant-the rest is a polished rock and a stone from Amicolola Falls and my found shark's tooth and a purchased one!  Fun!

Marsel gave me some dish cloth yarn and I made this dishcloth-it is made with the trinity stitch so lots of bumps all over-a fun knit once I figured out what they wanted!

After saying goodbye, I flew home today........a new sock in flight and some chocolate helped soothe my sadness!

Bill treated me to a dinner on the deck of Corky Bell's on the way home....just perfect.

I unpacked-PuffDaddy says this is what suitcases are for-not for going away!

FO Friday and What a Week!

 We started the week with Operation Front Yard!

Bill got it all weeded and trimmed and the kids helped rake up all the cuttings!  Good work guys!

 Tuesday we went to watch Abigail at her horse riding lesson.  It was a beautiful walk across a pasture and worth every step!

She does wonderfully and it is really helping her balance and core strength.  She is sore and tired after her lesson!

See the color of the Georgia clay here!

See my shawl........that I ran out of yarn because I didn't pay attention to the yardage, just the color when I ordered it!!!!  Another skein is on its way....

On the way home from the lesson, we squeezed a stop at the American Girl Doll Storein-a first for me and Abigail gave me a great tour!

We said goodbye to Grandpa on Thursday so he could drive back to Florida.  Goodbyes are hard.

After Abigail got a new cast on Thursday, part of her botox therapy to help her foot relax from the effect of the CP, we went to see David at another basketball practice.

Marsel and I have been sewing together!   We dug out this princess quilt we cut out a few years ago and put it together-next is the border!

We also worked on the disappearing pinwheel block and Marsel made a new arrangement!  It works, too!  This will be a table topper for her new coffee table!

The kids and I did our big project together-resin molds with precious findings inside the molds!

One with old jewelry, coins and rocks and shark's teeth.....

And one with dried beetles we found........but they kept on floating up and out and we had the hardest time with them!  lol   ( I will post the results of this project tomorrow-it takes a l o n g    time to dry!)

Marsel had purchased this sweater for Abigail at a consignment shop and wanted a skirt to match!
We raided the fabric stash and added to it to make this 18 wedge skirt!   Abigail can't wait to wear it!

I finished the hat-proof that it is off the needles but it is being blocked now so better pictures to come!