Slow Stitching - Door Decor - First Robin

With more light these days, at least till Sunday, I have been inspired to update my Door Decor.

I created a slow stitch piece of art for spring.  The first robin reminds of my walks around the lake in the city.  The apple blossoms are out and the birds are singing and the sun is shining.  Definition of a great morning walk.

I chose a turquoise piece of the sky and deeper blue for the lake.  I created a tree trunk and branch for the apple blossom and a place for the robin to perch.

A bit of cloud in the sky and the sun in the upper right hand corner.  

I added running stitch to the water which represents simmer on the light. I put cattails/bulrushes in the bottom right hand corner. The path around the lake in tan.  Spring flowers in pink and yellow all over the grass area. The robin has several layers light grey body, dark grey wing and orange breast covered with running stitch.  A black bead for the eye. The flowers are French Knots, the cloud is a bit of cheesecloth, the sun stitched with concentric circles of running stitch.

I added a green backer with was brought to the front and stitched with the sewing machine. I added a twill tape hanger on the back which was stitched on by hand.

I am feeling hopeful today as the sun shines and the temperatures is above 0C.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I managed to catch the eye of this American Robin up in a tree one morning this week on a walk in the neighbourhood.

Construction on every corner is making getting nature shot a bit difficult as well as driving in this area a zoo.

Photography has been hit and miss among the buying a place activities this week.  I hope those will conclude soon.

I joined 3 of my aunts to attend this art show at Harcourt House this week.

Diana Ohiozebau was born in Leeds, England and raised in Nigeria. Much of her work is on an African fabic called aso-oke. 

It has shine and ravels easily.

There were traditional fabric included in many of the painted pieces.

We headed down the street for Vietnamese food which was delicious and there was enough for supper.

I finished this book on Saturday early morning. I have not been sleeping well.

Project Hail Mary by Any Weir is a fantastic story.  A save the planet Earth scenario arises and Ryland Grace a school teacher is recruited to work on the space project that will send astronauts to Tau Ceti to find a way to reverse the solar dimming on our sun.

Ryland is voluntold he will be on this mission when an accident kills 2 of the astronauts who had been training for this critical mission.  

When he arrives he finds himself alone as the other 2 people on the ship have died during the passage.  He encounters a alien ship on a similar mission as his, so they partner to find the answer.  Since Rocky is a spider type beings many accommodation need to be made. He is a great engineer and can create many wonderful things to enable the success of the mission.  They save Earth and Erid.

A real page turner and it was hard to put it down at times. Recommended by my brother in law.

I attended the Grand Opening of Heavy Metal Place on Saturday.  The new home of the Spruce Grove Art Gallery and Allied Arts Council.

The weather was great as we stood outside then we were let into the wonderful atrium. Very crowded then the Brett Ryan arena was dedicated then we could view the High School show hanging on the walls. Barry was carving in the courtyard. 

It has been a lot of work for the staff and volunteers. I have not been able to participate as I have been busy getting a place to live.

Talented young people using a wide variety of mediums created art for us to enjoy.

Love the paper collage camera.

The celestial piece connected with my recent finishing of the space book that morning.

Watercolor is always my favorite medium with blue and yellow my favorite color combo.

I hope to be able to participate in the Open Arts Competition later this year.

The Wishing Jar by Penelope J. Stokes is a book I finished this week.

The Wishing Jar is a family tradition with a magical legend attached. It has been in the Quinn family for generations. It sits in a place of honor in a cabinet .

Abby is the mother of a teenager Neal Grace who is acting up. Her mother Edith has suffered a stroke and feels she has become a burden to Abby her daughter. 

The Quinn family motto - "Purity of Heart, Faithfulness of Soul".  

The Neal Grace comes to see her grandmother in a new light, Edith finds the strength to move forward and Abby find romance.  Great book

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A robin having a bath and a lot of fun in a rain puddle morning.

There were several birds taking advantage of the puddles to splish and splash.

I found some more of the votive holders I bought a while ago for my Advent Wreath/ all year round candle display.  I had a mixture of cobalt and white before.  Now I can make it all white if I want.

Super happy to find these additional holders which gives me flexibility in my decor.

Some veggies from my sister's garden that my niece picked on her way to my place.

Fresh carrots are the best.

Some of the cucumbers are a bit on the large size but I love them too.

A few tomatoes we had for breakfast.

My niece and I had a great time at the ReUse Center and the thrift store. We came home and pulled out all our goodies before we headed out for supper at my sister's house.

Magazines, crafting stuff, each found a fountain pen amongst our tea and snack dishes.

We picked up take out and headed to my sister's house for supper.  Korean was the request of the birthday girl.

My sister had a friend visiting and her husband has been ill and was in hospital.

We talked crafting, life and much more.

It was really nice to spend time with family and friends.

I picked up this wax container at the Thrift store while my niece is visiting.

I thought I could use it when I wanted to wax my thread for stitching.

It is a high quality blend of paraffin wax.  I chose a mild scented one.  From my online research paraffin is the the best so I may try to find a beeswax candle that I can melt and fill this little container.

I was looking for a bin/tote that I could place under the phone table in the living room that would look pretty and disguise the contents.

I found the fabric tote at a thrift store for a couple of bucks, it works with the wood I have in my space.

The baskets were more expensive and now I see this is a better option for sliding on the new floor.  The wicker type basket would have scratched.

Excellent.

 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I saw Crocuses on my walk this morning.  Nature is saying it is spring time.  I am so glad we did not get the snow that some of the province got yesterday.

I finished this book on Sunday.

A book filled with mysteries years old.

Based in London in 1970's it features a new crime solving unit (Peculiar Crimes Unit) who use non traditional methods to solve crimes.  Detectives John May and Arthur Bryant in third book pursue a murderer with no very little hard evidence to go by.  People are dying every day, its Christmas time and the clues seem to lead in a very unusual conclusion.  

Eventually the method in the madness is revealed and the murders are solved but a family has lost quite a few members.   I enjoyed the book! 

Since the renovations in 2019 I have been on the search for new shades for the lights in the front hall.  Of course, the pandemic has curtailed to a large degree my discretionary shopping.  When my sister called to say could we have a visit outside and they were headed to ReStore I said sure! 

I found shades for the front hall for a very small sum!  The store was not busy and social distancing was maintained.

 

I found ceramic tiles for the base of my photo studio as well. I bought two 12x24 tiles with some texture and a matte finish.  Because of the pattern and the square edges when put together you cannot see the join of the tiles!

The color is neutral and the pattern subtle enough to provide a seamless surface for my photography. The size is manageable weight wise.  I had looked at 24x24 tiles earlier this year but moving one very large tile was not a good idea.

Again, the price was very good!

This my second go round trying to get a basil plant growing.  The other just died.

I see that I have second leaves on this one despite the fact that it has a very short stock. 

I am paying attention to water more this time.  The grow bulb is on very day for 8 hours.

I am hopeful that there may be basil in my cooking this summer.

 

A spring mosaic featuring icy puddles in the morning, my first American Robin of the year and some crocus blooms.

 

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Circles.  This shot on the right is a few small clear plastic containers backlit with purple and pink gels on my lights.  You can check my photo stream (SMDPics)  to see the shot I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #127 and
Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #285

Have a great week!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The robins were holding convention the other morning.  Talking, singing, eating chokecherries and just fussing with each other. 

Migration may have been the subject of discussion.  Whose going? When are we leaving?  Who is leading the crowd?  

This one was singing as the sun came up.  I remember their song from when I was a kid.  This is the first song bird that I recognized it by it's tune.

 

 

 

 

 I finished "The Holding" by Merilyn Simonds this week.  Another historical fiction based on holdings in Northern Ontario Canada.  The first was in late 1880s is Margaret with her 3 brothers. Then it is Alyson in the 1990's on the same property.  I love books about independent women.  The garden is what connects them over the long time period.  Loved it.  Finished it by reading for about 4 hours. My body was not happy to be still that long but I could not put it down.

I have whittled down my collect of blue glass and blue and white pottery.  The shelf was so full that getting anything off of it was risked breakage. 

I have decided that I don't need that much blue glass!  

The shelf is looking better and everything has been washed and I can reach the pieces with out danger.

Maybe the pandemic provides clarity!

I love that the frost has not arrived yet and there a beautiful flowers still to photograph.

This is a Double Click Cosmos which very full instead of a single layer of petals.  

This is from the mixed collection and is a beautiful pink.

I think frost will be in order for this week.

I chose several leaves for my mosaic this week. 

Can't say I am fussy about seeing yellow leaves and fall coming.  Not looking forward to being isolated and no outdoor visits.  And this too will pass. 

The challenge for Flicker Macro Monday this week is "pouch" and we had to put something inside it.  Of course, a tea pouch with a tea bag is an easy one.   You can check out my Photo Stream (SMDPics) to see what I submitted for the challenge. 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #96 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #257.

I am working on a quilt this weekend.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I had a wonderful photo day at the wetlands yesterday morning but it was COLD!

This is the first time I see this bird - an American Avocet.  They were feeding in a large pool of water in a construction site.  There were about 30 of them wandering around in about 8 inches of water.

I was thrilled to see them but I was completely frozen so keep the camera steady was a challenge.

They did not seem troubled by my presence at all.

I saw as a Song Sparrow, a flock of Tree Swallows,  Golden Eyes, a Blue Winged Teal and of course a Red Wing Blackbird male but no good photos.

The Canada Geese were cranky!

They were raising a fuss, making a racket, and flying overhead chasing each other.

You can see the left one's tongue is sticking out as it honks at the other one.

They were acting like some of us are feeling due to sheltering in place.











This book has been on my night stand for a couple of weeks I have just given up on it. It's depressing.

I don't really need to read about 2 couples in marriages who are unhappy and unhealthy.  I did read more than half of it but it was not getting better so I am cutting my losses and moving on.

Love the setting of Venise though.

A female Red Wing Blackbird perched on the very top of a dried bullrush.

As you can see she is all fluffed up trying to stay warm.

Really happy with the capture.

I was at the Lois Hole Provincial Park and the John Poole Wetlands.  Nature carries on in this time of isolation.

It was good to be outside, taking photos and not having to worry about someone getting too close.  A tuque would have been nice.

A nice hot shower when I got home did the trick. 

This American Robin had her feathers all puffed up as well trying to stay warm.

It was very windy and you can see her feathers are being moved about by it.

She stayed very still as I took  many shots.

Great bird captures is always rewarding.

I saw only one other person yesterday morning about 7:30 am.  It was threatening rain but it did not rain till the afternoon.

They have made the boardwalk one way for physical distancing so I had to walk all the way around.

The challenge for Flickr Macro Monday was Gold or Silver.  There is a lot of wedding rings being submitted.

I had all kinds of options and here are a few.

I used a gold oval brooch, a gold Chinese fan necklace,  an Anne Klein earring that makes me think of a shoe and an silver aluminum cigar tube where I used to store dimes. 

You can check out my SMDPics photostream to see the shot I submitted.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #79.

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #240.

The Other Day Captures

Spring is here! 

She continues to bring forth new life as tender shoots burst through the ground, tiny purple flowers were in the sunniest spot, and the harbinger of spring the American Robin is back with her song. 

My walks on the weekend were better than during the week for having people around.  I really enjoyed them with only seeing a few people social distancing so I could concentrate on the photography.

These are a few of the pieces I was able to put together in my puzzle in 4 days. 

I have decided that puzzle making is not for me right now.  It takes precious space which I would rather use for sewing.

The pieces all went back into the box and it will go to my brother in law who makes the all the time.  It may go to Dad after that.  Not sure the subject matter would be appealing to Dad.

This was a great book.  We follow Hannah in the 1930's just before the Second World War was declared.  She is a Jew living in Germany so of course life is changing fast.  A new normal is in place for her.  Interesting parallel to our lives today. 

Anna is the great grand daughter living in 2014 in New York. On her 12th birthday she receives a few photographs from Cuba.   What is this?  Her father died in 9/11 so it is her mother and her.  Her mother has not recovered from the loss of her husband so Anna is her caretaker.

The MS St. Louis cruise ship features in Hannah's story.

The photographs help to encourage Anna's mother and they plan a trip to Cuba. The stories come together and now they are linked becomes clear.

For me, the story comes across about living life defeated and not fighting back for the mothers of both of these 12 year olds.  I am blessed to say that grief has not visited often.

I put a few pretty things on the window sill this week.  Mostly dried stuff: dried wheat stalk, feathery greenery and curvy grasses. The ones on the right are dried seed heads from some flowers.  One yellow daisy showed up for my photography.

I was reminded of a book I took out of the library a few years ago called Window Sill Art.  You can check out my earlier post with the link above.

It became clear that I need to wash my windows.

Flickr Macro Monday theme this well was WindowSill so that is why I have been putting things out all week.  I love the morning sun in my dining room window.
You can check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics as well to see what challenges I joined this week.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #77 and Mersad at Through My Lens #238. 

Have a good week, stay home and be safe!

Recent Photos

There was heavy dew on the ground yesterday morning so I thought I would try to find some sunlit dandelions which should look great.

I did find some in a good place.

The fluffy ends of these dandelion seeds seem different to me than other years I have photographed them.  Maybe it is the moisture on them that makes them appear fuller.

I did manage some bokeh in the background from the other droplets of water on the grass.

There were not a lot of full ones and in this shot you can really see the individual seeds.

The crab apples trees were in full bloom. 

Gorgeous pink blossoms in beautiful clusters.

I managed to isolate this one a bit and it says SPRING to me.

The morning was gorgeous and I can go out walking with out an extra jacket. 

Great walk on Sunday morning.

This beautiful tree was found on my walk downtown one day this week.

Of course, I was attracted to the gorgeous color and variations in shades of the blossoms.

There were 5 or 6 of these apple trees lining a very busy road.


Great to see the river valley just below with the bridge going across toward the Conservatory on the other side.

As I took photos of the area I suddenly saw a shape that intrigued me.

Always on the look out of birds I saw this tail and had to investigate.

Aw, it was a robin and she is sitting on a nest!  Are there eggs or baby birds in there.

After waiting about 10 minutes I was rewarded by seeing Robin Dad show up with food.

Look at those precious hungry mouths just waiting for food.

It was a really special few minutes that morning. 

Amazing sight right next to traffic.

I finished the last bit of hand stitching on this quilt last night.  It is finished!

This features mostly Stampin Up 100% cotton fabric. It features Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, and Crumb Cake as colors. I added the striped fabric in similar tones.  I created the accent squares with solids in Cherry Cobble, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake.

I sewed all the 2.5 inch strips together planning on a JellyRoll style and then changed my mind and cup the assembled strips into 9.5 inch squares.

I used a Crumb Cake 100% cotton fabric for sash between the squares as well as the back. I used flannelette sheeting as batting.  The 5 rows of 4 squares were quilted to the backing as rows.  Then the rows were assembled as the backer was larger than the front squares.  The seams were ironed to one side and I top stitched along the seams which gives each square 4 seams.
My final analysis.  I would use a wider sash, less strips per square, and a wider edge binding.  I love the solid accent squares. I have found a Quilt as you Go assembly tutorial which I think will work better for me so I will let you know how it goes on the next quilt. 

The challenge on Flickr Macro Monday is Superstitions. 

I took this photo yesterday for "Step on a crack, break your mother's back."  There is a limit of 3 inches.  I found,  with out a foot this was not as effective as it could be.

Check out my photostream to see the photo I submitted.

Sharing with

Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #29.

Mersad who hosts the Through My Lens 193.

Recent Photos

I found this Robin at the very top of an evergreen tree.  I could hear it but it took me a while to find it.  I always look in the tree but generally the birds are up high taking in the rising sun!

One and half hours this morning for my walk because it was above 0C for a change.  Last week it was freezing at -4C and I have found that as the sun comes over the horizon it gets colder.  Gloves and tuques last week wonderful temps this week!

One of my challenges on Flickr was fences so I found quite a few this morning.

I created a mosaic with three that I shot on my walk.

I have said for years I would not start quilting but I have capitulated.  I did make several in my 20's but it has been years.

Now that card making has gone to the way side I have to have something.  I have all this fabric I bought for aprons which was a bust.

Now, I will be making a few quilts for trauma victims.

I was able to find at mat at the ReUse center, blades for my ancient rotary cutter, a selection of fabrics and a large square quilt ruler.

I am going to be using the Quilt As You Go Method.  I will post a photo when I am done.

This Dark Eye Junco was also filling the air with its song on my walk.  It has a chirping sound so I thought it was a Chirping Sparrow but when I downloaded it, it was a bird of a different feather.

Lovely bird sitting high in a tree and nice to spot as the trees have little leaves yet.

The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday was Four Elements - Fire, Air, Water and Earth. 

I chose Fire and Water in this shot.  You can check out this link to see the one I submitted as I was able to get earth in there as well.

I am sharing with

Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #26.

Mersad at Through My Lens #190.

Have a great week!