Sylvia's Simple Shots

My aunt and I went for a visit at the Night of Artists Gallery at Bonnie Doon Mall.

It holds wonderful art from local artists.

There is pottery, sculpture, fabric arts, photography, acrylic painters, watercolor painters, and much more.

The show in the feature area was art from local high school artists. What an opportunity and encouragement to young artist to be in a gallery.

We really enjoyed our visit and had a good chat with one of the local artists who was manning the gallery that day.

I am always in for a tea related book.  The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens was a great read.

Muldoon's Tea Rooms owned by Penny and Daniel Stanley has started looking a little outdated.  We get to know the regulars who seek refuge in this cozy tea shop.  Daniel is the wonderful baker who produces delicious baked goods. Sadie who is dieting comes to indulge, Brenda comes to right her letters to Nicholas Cage which she does eventually posts and Clare returns to find a long lost soul mate.

Penny and Daniel's marriage experiences an renewal as well during the story. 

We all have to be true to ourselves and move head on into our life.

My aunt and I visited the Paint Spot as well the day of our outing as she wanted some Japanese papers.

Much of the supplies in this store were beyond what I was willing to pay but I did find this tiny eye dropper bottle I can use for essential oils.  I have looked for one at the health food and they did not this size. 

It measures 1.5 inches tall so is very tiny.

I love it.

I sliced open my thumb on a microplane grater while doing up some hard cheese for my pizza. I did get a small nick the first time which I should have heeded but did not so with the lesson unlearned it got a little harder.

Needless to say the pizza was on hold.  Fortunately, this time I did not get lightheaded but there was a lot of blood.  I had to hold it above my head for 10 minutes to get it under control.

After dousing it with peroxide I wrapped it in this towel tight in order to get the blood flow to stop.

I was able to get a bandaid on it before I headed to bed.  It hurt a lot!  My right hand was out of commission for over 2 weeks.

I decided that I needed a light where my ironing table sits when I am sewing.

The general room light is behind me so I was on the hunt for a lamp.

I managed this lamp which uses standard size bulbs came home with me.  It got a thorough cleaning. 

I have hung it on the wire shelving near my ironing board.

It is working very well. 

What a great book!  Pilgrims by Paul McDermott.  This is a true story.

Val is 74 and has cancer.  Paul is in the healing profession and has come to visit Val as a Hospice Home Support worker.  Paul is a young man who feels led to do this work.

He is there to provide support to Val as she comes to the end of her life.  He provides physical support - some yard work, shopping assistance, and other things. They talk about life, books, and much more.

We learn about Paul and Val in this book.

Very good book and should probably keep it and read it again in the future.

Stained Glass Light

I have been working on very long projects recently.  A lot of problem solving also.

If you read my last post about the Sunrise Stained Glass piece I realized that I would not have the sparkle when I wanted it.

I set out to solve that problem I decided I needed a stained glass light/lamp.

I headed to the ReStore store in hopes of finding a vintage Tiffany type lamp which would create sparkle on the walls and ceilings.

The store had a few - one had amber glass - that's not going to work.  None where plug in lamps.  There was a great chandelier of clear glass but it was $100.

I was fortunate that my sister was with me and we revisited the lighting section.  

 I found a crackle glass light which would work.  The picture on the right is an example of the what I found. 

It was a swag pendant ceiling light with a crackle glass shade. The metal parts are much fancy than the one I bought.

I could not find a price so when I headed to the check out I mentioned that there was a 50% discount on in stock light fixtures.

He mentioned that he could not reduce the $1.00 price any further.  Wow!   I was thrilled.

The fixture metal support was antique bronze lacquered.

You can see in the photo on the left actual metal fixture which supported the crackle glass shade.

The wiring was cloth covered and the socket was ceramic/porcelain.  After a bit of research, it was like new in the 1950-60's.

The original had a incandescent light bulb but I decided that I would use an LED which produced no heat, especially in an enclosed shade.

I took the pendant lamp completely apart then I had the shade separated.

I spent a few days trying to figure out how I could convert the light in a lamp with a plug in and switch.

I decided that it had to be a desk lamp. 

This shot is with a small flood light fixture inside the shade.

That is the sparkle I am looking for!

This light is very directional, the light cord comes out under the shade which makes it unstable.

I was encouraged that I was headed in the right direction.

So, on my regular day out I headed to thrift stores.

There were a lot of lamps but some I could not take them apart easily, some were very tall, a few had an aesthetic that I liked.  I hesitated making impulse purchase despite I was very anxious to get something.

On the third store I found exactly what I was looking for.  An IKEA desk lamp with a very large glass globe shade with the perfect base.

It was $10 but considering that the shade cost me a dollar I splurged and paid the price.

The base has 2 prongs on very strong springs which fold toward the bulb and release outwards inside the shade to keep it in place.   

It had a plug in cord with a switch on the cord.

Here, I have colored several cells on the crackle shade with Sharpie markers.  

That is starting to look like what I really wanted.

I was trying to decide whether I would leave half clear and half colored.

The Sharpie markers I had did not have enough color options so I investigated the liquid acrylic paints I had on hand.

Here you can see the prongs on the base which hold the shade in place.

Now I have found the 40 Watt LED Clear Light bulbs.  They were stored behind a lock at the department store.  It was about $10 for 2 bulbs so I'm not sure why they were locked up.

Now with the light bulb in the base it was time to put the shade on.

See how the top light pattern is very linear.  That is because of the yellow light filaments in the clear light bulbs.  All clear LED lights them. 

I wanted something softer and smoother.   Now I needed a clear diffuser to soften those lines.

I hunted around my photo studio because I have collected several materials to use as diffusers over the years.

I found what I was looking for.

I think it is plastic that one might use to line kitchen cupboards.  It is pebbly and textured with little round knobbies and quite clear other than the texture.  It worked to diffuse the lines very nicely. 

Here's a shot of the set up for painting the cells on the round shade.

I chose colors that I liked.  I decided to leave the crackle lines between the cells clear because it would be a pain to paint and it provides space between the color on the wall when it is shining.

I left it over night but some of the colors were still not dry.  I ended up getting some on my fingers when I touched the shade to get it on the lamp base.

I don't know if they will every dry.

It is in place and I don't  have to touch it again till I have to replace the bulb and with 10,000 hour life time that will be a while.

It is very magical.  I love it.

The linear colored shadows on the top are where the diffuser is open at the top.

Such is life.

I set it up in my bedroom.  There is light on the 2 walls and the ceiling.   I can see it from my bed so I can lay there and enjoy it.

Now what would be perfect is if I could go to sleep with it on but it would go out on it's own.

That would mean a timer.

I was all set to pay $20 for a timer but today at the thrift store I found one for $4.

I checked it to make sure it worked and took it home glad to pay that price.

Now I can go to sleep with sort of the northern lights every night.

Except tonight the post took me so long that I missed the 10-11 o'clock time frame I had set.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

Ladybugs are brightly colored to warn predators that they taste bad and should not be eaten.  They do secrete a foul smelling substance from their body which makes them unappealing to those who may want to munch on them. 

I headed to the grounds of the Conservatory for my walk yesterday.  I am not sure yet about being indoors with other folks.  There was lots of room outside and I was there before the place opened at 10 am.  The parking lot was quite full when I got back to the car at 10:10 or so.  Our Covid numbers are climbing again so it behooves a person to be careful.

I found this Hosta bud just waiting to unfurl into beautiful blooms.

I love the lovely soft colors against the wonderful large green leaf.

We have had some rain recently which has allowed the plants some reprieve.  The lawns on the south side of most places are parched and brown.

I have not posted my books for a while.  This book was very interesting.  Again, I am struck by reading a book with a main character having mental struggles.  

A Cry in the Night by Mary Higgins Clark.

Divorcee Jenny MacPartland struggles to support herself and her two small daughters. The father and ex-husband is of no help. She works at an art gallery where one day she meets a new man. Rich, handsome Erich Krueger sweeps her off her feet, they marry and she moves to his mansion in the country. Everything seems to be perfect, and Jenny feels like a fairy-tale princess. But gradually the fairy-tale turns into a nightmare. Something is very wrong in the great house that has slowly, imperceptively, become her prison. Something that threatens her marriage, her life - and her children.

The ending is a big surprise but a welcomed end to the story.

Murder inside the Beltway by Margaret Truman. 

A Washington call girl is found bludgeoned to death in her Adams-Morgan apartment. As police detectives scour the apartment, they find a digital video camera nestled high among books on a shelf. Had she used the camera to video some of her clients during their sexual romps?

Then they discover a small, book-sized DVD case, full with the exception of two slots. Could they possibly get lucky? Is the murder on one of those disks?

As the investigation picks up steam, the business of Washington, D.C., rolls on. It's an election year and the sitting president, Burton Pyle, is running for a second term. His opponent, Robert Colgate, is odds-on to defeat Pyle.

Then, on a lovely Sunday afternoon on Washington's famed Mall, the daughter of Bob Colgate's closest confidant and advisor is kidnapped.  The these events connected?

But no one is prepared for the explosive development that erupts when the daughter of Colgate’s closest friend is kidnapped and Detective Mary Hall and rookie cop Matthew Jackson uncover a shocking connection between the abduction, the Curzon case—and a killer no one will see coming.   

I enjoyed the fact that the lead detective is a woman.  I will add this author to my list and check out more of her work.

This was the sun day before yesterday.  Rising red orange.  The haze in the air very visible.  

Forest fires still raging on all sides of our province. 

I discovered this 2 spotted lady bug on rose bushes recently. 

The whole purpose for the Ladybug being brightly colored with spots is to ward off predators. The Ladybugs want to let their predators know that they taste bad and could even be poisonous.  They do secrete a foul smelling substance from their body which deters predators.

Genes determines the number of spots on a ladybug.  They can be several different colors and have 0 to as many as 24 spots.

I had to replace the lamp switch when it stopped working.  The one on the lamp was a nice Bakelite kind of dark hard plastic. It screwed together very nicely.  The lamp is 30 years old so things were made differently then.  

Thank goodness for you tube.  I sorted out which wires went where. The cord did not have the ridges the video described so I had to mark the leads with tape to make sure they were attached properly to the new switch.  Part of maintenance when you own stuff for years and years.

I am always up for a book with tea in the tittle. I found this one at the small library at the park.

The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe.

A story about following your dreams and passions.  

Macau: the bulbous nose of China, a peninsula and two islands strung together like a three-bead necklace. It was time to find a life for myself. To make something out of nothing. The end of hope and the beginning of it too.

After moving with her husband to the tiny, bustling island of Macau, Grace Miller finds herself a stranger in a foreign land—a lone redhead towering above the crowd on the busy Chinese streets. As she is forced to confront the devastating news of her infertility, Grace’s marriage is fraying and her dreams of family have been shattered. She resolves to do something bold, something her impetuous mother would do, and she turns to what she loves: baking and the pleasure of afternoon tea.

Grace opens a café where she serves tea, coffee, and macarons—the delectable, delicate French cookies colored like precious stones—to the women of Macau. There, among fellow expatriates and locals alike, Grace carves out a new definition of home and family. But when her marriage reaches a crisis, secrets Grace thought she had buried long ago rise to the surface. Grace realizes it’s now or never to lay old ghosts to rest and to begin to trust herself. With each mug of coffee brewed, each cup of tea steeped and macaron baked, Grace comes to learn that strength can be gleaned from the unlikeliest of places.

A delicious, melt-in-your-mouth novel featuring the sweet pleasures of French pastries and the exotic scents and sights of China, The Color of Tea is a scrumptious story of love, friendship and renewal.

I would recommend this book as I enjoyed it a lot.

This week was my second time camping and sleeping in my car. 

The bag on the left holds the window coverings I made for the car.  These are black and held in place with magnets. Quite effective actually.  The second photos is a small IKEA hanging container I put on the back of my front seat to hold my keys, my watch, and cell phone.  White makes easy to see even in the dark.  I have repurposed an old vinegar jug for drinking water while camping.  My sister is using squarer jugs which may be more stable as this one fell over and dripped water onto the carpet in my car.  I will check those out when I go grocery shopping this week. 

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #141 and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #299

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I am so grateful that frost has not yet arrived and the blooms as still in beautiful condition.

I found these pretty pink blooms yesterday morning.  They are Foxglove - Pink Panther. What a great name.

I love that I have pink bokeh in the background as the bed was in full bloom.

I recently finished reading this book. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James.  I have read most of Austen's books and watched most of the movies so the backdrop of this story was familiar.  The Bennet sisters and their families.  I love old English historical novels so this was a real pleasure to read.  There are rabbit holes to go down, and it does not get fully resolves till the very end. 

On Tuesday I did a big grocery shopping trip to get ahead of whatever result will happen with Covid 19 and the schools reopening here on Wednesday.  

I managed to get 2 large containers of blueberries so they are now in the freezer for the winter serving on my rolled oats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished the new lampshade for the sewing area this week.  It provides light on the right hand side of the sewing desk and on the craft table I will use for cutting.  

The light switch is very convenient at the level of the top of the desk. A Hemma light cord kit from Ikea.

You will recall that I revamp the other light in this room here. 

I made Chokecherry Syrup yesterday.  I had picked fresh ones on Friday morning. I decided that since I confused the ones in the freezer for saskatoon berries on my cereal last week maybe I should be doing something with them.

I added the frozen to the fresh and made Chokecherry Syrup.  I made the syrup by boiling them and then pressing the juice through a strainer. I added sugar and a bit of lemon juice.

I processed the jars in a water bath.

I managed 3 small jars but it will add a bit of variety to Highbush Cranberry and Maple syrup for pancakes!

Flicker Macro Monday Challenge this week is "Footwear". The macro on the right is the buckle on my summer sandals. You can check my Photostream SMDPics to see what shot I submitted.
 

 

 

 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #95

and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #256.

With temps at only 4C this morning frost is not far away.  I will enjoy the next few days.

Bernina 830 Sewing Machine & 1st Project

The new to me 1972 Bernina 830 Sewing Machine arrived yesterday thanks to my sister and brother-in-law.   I purchased it in late February through my sister then I started making the space to house it!  Then COVID hit and life changed.  I have continued to clear, de-clutter, and get rid of stuff and last week there was space for it. 

I have placed it in front of the window so that the light will be the best most of the time.   There is enough room on the right for me to access the window to open, clean or get out if I needed to.

You can see the ironing station on the right hand side.   The cutting and pinning station of the craft table is behind the desk and on the left hand side.  That makes a very good working triangle where everything is at hand but there is enough room to work.

The desk has a lifting mechanism which allows it to be stored in the desk, then the machine level to the desk top and then higher still to access the free arm feature of the machine.  It works really well and I will get some lubricant to help it work a little better.

I created Thread Bobbin storage in a Ferraro Chocolate box. I love the clear lid so I can see the contents.  I created the channel organizer with 80lb text paper.  I cut a piece 16 T x 8.25 W inches then scored it every inch.  Then it was a matter of creating the channels to hold the bobbins. I taped the edge on the right to the bottom of the box. As you can see I have expansion room.

I decided to store the sewing machine needles in the space left. 











I used the same boxes for Thread Storage.  They are deep enough to accommodate most spools. I organized the thread by first separating the polyester from the cotton. 

The ones displayed are the polyester which I have the most of.  The spools were organized by color into separate boxes. Reds and pinks, neutrals (black, white and beige), 2 boxes of blues then a box of yellow and greens.

My niece made this Needle storage tag book for my birthday.  It is tag shapes with ribbon sewn to them then protected with a clear one on top. 

The label at the top allows me to remember what I have stored there.  Sometimes you have to switch out needles but you don't want to return it to the new ones.  This system allows me to store it here until I need it again.

These small wooden boxes were made by my brother-in-law when we needed boxes for selling cards at craft sales.  I have not used them for a couple of years because I bought a large card display.  They fix perfectly in this drawer and makes use of all the space.

Small cutting tools, my rotary cutter and blades, measuring tapes, pins straight and safety.

This is the extra hook on the pole where my African Violet lives.

The light on the right hangs over the craft table.


I refurbished it's lace cover today.  I cut the lace in half so that I will have the same fabric for the other light.
I hemmed the top edge then added a white grosgrain ribbon along top of the wide hem on the bottom.  It is a single layer which allows more light to get through.

I will be getting another hanging light for the extra hook which will give me lighting on the left hand side of the sewing desk which likely will be needed when sewing at night. 

It is very exciting to have a dedicated sewing space where everything will be close at hand.  Keep an eye out for quilts in the near future.

Recent Photos

I tried Sour Cream biscuits this week.   I add dill and garlic powder to these which makes them yummy!

They turned out okay but they don't seem to brown the way the ones posted on the internet do.  I buttered the tops  and then put them under the broil for a bit to get this nice color. 

The stone in the background is a new addition to my kitchen.  It is 16 inches in diameter which is very large. But it held a full batch of biscuits which was the objective. 


I added a few pieces to my blue and white collection.  A nice Home Sweet Home watering can, a deep blue glass which I have but a tea light into and a very tall cut glass vase.


I have also collected a few lamps to my help light objects of my photography better.  These are great because they can hang or clamp.  They use a smaller light bulb so that gives me another level of lighting.  They are IKEA so good quality.

I also acquired these smaller still lights which have clamps.  They use chandelier bulbs which is again another step lower in power which will provide less light but will fill in shadows when needed. 

You will see that they are clamped to a stand.  Again, it was at the Thrift Store the other day and I thought that will work for providing lighting at different heights.  I believe it is a speaker stand.  It telescopes so I can clamp any of these smaller lights to it and move them up or down several feet.  Yes!  The base is heavy and will be very stable.

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption. 

I finished this book this week which a friend lent me. I totally enjoyed this read about the network of female spies during wartime.  They flew under the radar most of the time because men did not think they were smart enough to be spies.   Eve Gardiner and Charlotte St. Clair are brought together through an interesting connection.  Much of the story is based on true accounts of the women and men who worked in this system of information gathering and sharing in France during the war. I would recommend this book.

Sharing at Share Your Cup #280 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Friday's Hunt 1.20

I took these shots for the challenge of Friday's Hunt.

The prompts are:
Starts with T
Favorite
Evening

This is a plate of Three potato pancakes for lunch.  I added a dab of sour cream on each pancake topped with a bit of cilantro.  A side of kimchi for a bit of great flavor.

My favorite is a blue iris blooming in one of the flower beds on my walk this morning.  Love the yellow in the centre and the fuzzy on the petal on the right.

The lamp post outside whose lights are on once the sun has set.   I guess there is a trio of lights in this photo as well.

Submitting to Friday's Hunt 1.20 hosted by Teresa at Eden Hills.