Sylvia's Simple Shots

This week was a time to remember those who served, fought and paid a price for the freedoms I enjoy.

I have uncles and those closer than that who served to protect our country.

I am so blessed and appreciated what I have.

I have been looking for a container to hold my unPaperTowels.  These are pieces of fabric that I can use around the house that will clean up messes that I would have used a disposable paper towel.  These then can be laundered and returned to be used many other times.  Saves trees.

A Dollarama purchase with is exactly 10 inches wide and 5 inches across which is what a unPaperTowel measures folded in half.  

Perfect!

I had this book on my night stand for a while.

I bought at the Thrift Store because it was J R R Tolkien.  I read the basic story which was good but there is lots of background stuff.

This is a edit by Christopher of his fathers writings and I just did not want to read about when the stuff was written, how much was kept, how much was rewritten and changed.

I will put it with the other J R R Tolkien books and lit it sit.

I repaired some of my reusable bags this week.  These are not made to last in some cases.  This one is very good but the inside seams needed to be finished so they would stop unravelling and leaving tiny red threads every time I used

it.

The manufacturer put a seam at the top of the handles where the most strain is placed.  Of course, that is silly.

The hems were keeping the handles from falling apart completely so I wrapped a piece of poly/cotton fabric around the top of each handle and sewed them securely.

This will be in service for a few more years.

This bag was one I collected at the ReUse center to bring my goodies home this week.  

The handles hand become disconnected even before I got home.  I thought I will just sew them back on.  Upon further examination the handles just disintegrated as I tug on them to test the strength.

Fortunately, a few weeks back I found some webbing for $1 so I was able to give this bag new handles for a song.

This bag is made of much light material because it is meant to fold up in a small pouch.

I was fortunate to bring home some poly/cotton scraps from the ReUse Center this week and they match perfectly.

I added a bottom to the bag which had 1 hole worn into it from dragging.  The handles are a little long. 

The seams had to be reinforced on the inside to ensure they did not unravel.

I added a strip of fabric around the top edge as well where the handles are attached to the bag.  At least the handles are one piece unlike the other. 

I am so glad the fabric matched so well.  Back into the grocery bag collection.

I found this very cute ceramic tree at the arts and crafts store last week. You can see that it is meant to be an ornament but is is way too heavy for that purpose.

I thought it would work well with my small Nativity Sets.  It is a bit small for this set but will work well for the smaller one.

I have a few bottle brush trees as well that fit this purpose.

It is super cute and it was on sale 50% so I could not leave it behind.

This is a glass ornament which opens and you can put something inside.

I used to have one but it broke a couple of years ago.  I am glad I was able to replace it.

It's that time of year.

A few people I know put up their Christmas Tree the Remembrance Day weekend.

My wall Christmas Tree will not go up until after December 1st.  My crafting projects are caught up and I have Christmas cards to do so I should be ready in plenty of time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

We had regimental funerals for 2 police officers killed in the line of duty recently.  It was held at the arena where thousands of officers attended from all over North America.

One was going to be a Dad this summer and both were married.  A very sad day for our city.

The young man who killed them also shot his mother and killed himself so a tragedy all the way around.

Mental health is so important and it's hard to measure when one has slipped over the edge.  Help is sometimes hard to access on an emergency basis and comes too late for some.

It is important to take care of ourselves everyday.

With my sewing machine in a desk I take cutting work to quilting on the Mondays that we get together.

It's a great time to connect with like minded souls and see the projects are working on.  I had a good visit with a former work colleague who is looking forward to more time to sew later this year as retirement becomes a reality.

I cut about 20 unPaperTowels which remain unserged as I write this.  It will happen in due course.

This green polka dot flannel is gorgeous feeling.

The left overs will go to the make up remover pad project.

This is reflected sunshine that I see from my chair just about supper time these days.

It reflects off the windows of the huge apartment building which was put up a few blocks away in the last couple of years.  Construction did not slow down during the pandemic here.

I loved how it created stars through the trees.

Warmed my heart since it still cold outside with snow on the ground.

Everyone is asking when will spring arrive. I have say I am envious as I watch a couple of my regular Youtubers planting veggies and flowers.

Last week when I visited my sister she helped with the Reusable Make Up Remover Pad project by cutting circles for the ties on the laundry bags.

I can now go ahead and make the bags and get a step closer to the end.

I should test the bags out to see how permeable they are in the washing process before I get carried away.

I will work on that next week.

We cut the circles with the Sizzix red original 4 circle die.  The second smallest make the circles about 1.5 inches in diameter then I used a circle punch for the smaller holes for the thinner cord and the larger punch on the Crop-a-Dile for the larger cord.  Love the color.

These are a couple of books that I started in the last couple of weeks but just did not finish.  I debated whether to document them but it is good know that I touched these books and made an effort to read them.

This one was great!  The Aphothecary's Garden by Jeanette Lynes presents the life of  Lavendar Fitch who lives in Belleville Ontario in Victorian times.  She lives in her childhood home with a young man which she considers as a brother as he was brought into the home when he was a baby. Her mother and father have both passed away.  Her mother was a harpist and supported her husband in his Apothecary business. 

Lavendar loves her garden which she inherited from her mother.  She learned many things about herbs and remedies at her mother's knee.  She earns a bit of living by selling her wares at the train station - the garden flowers in the summer and evergreen wreaths harvested from the woods nearby at Christmas.  

A famous medium Allegra Trout comes to Belleville accompanied by Robert Trout who is quite disfigured. She conducts tea leaf readings,  tarot card readings all the while preparing for the major event of a Mystical Extravaganza to be held all hallow's eve - October 31st.

The town is a buzz. She influences the dress of the day when the ladies want the type of dress she wears, the shoes and hats she wears.

Robert buys all of Lavendar's flowers the day they arrive at the train station. Lavendar is grateful and is intrigued by this mysterious man. 

The story has some interesting developments and has a wonderful ending.  I really enjoyed this book. 

I have not looked up the streets mentioned the book but having spent some time in Belleville I am tempted.

This is a small piece of a wool painting I saw a the Art Gallery of Albert which I visited with aunt on Friday.  The gift shop had some pieces for sale but I am not sure they were by the same artist.

We went to see the Canadian Art collected by the Sobey family.  Many old pieces in the traditional styles. 

Three of the galleries were under installation so the amount of art was limited.  

We had lunch at a restaurant nearby L'Espresso Organic Cafe - soup and panni was very good.