Sylvia's Simple Shots

 
On my way back from visting my sister I stopped at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum which carries exhibits of old cars, farm equipment, airplanes, and other wonderful stuff.  One of their current exhibits is Driving Thru the 70s, which was a great one.  Cars, movie trailers, trucks and all things in the 1970s.  There was an energy crisis where the cost of oil quadrupled in a few months. Loved seeing the colors, the cars, the little drive in with the speakers and they were showing movie trailers. The vehicles were terrific.  Did not enjoy the 1.5 hours moving 5kms an hour on the big highway because a truck lost his load.  That does not help the gas mileage - talk about energy crisis.

I had a great visit with my sister and brother-in-law.  

I brainstormed some ideas for the Christmas market.  Sticky Note holders, recipe cards or postcards, fire starters either pine cones or paper wreaths. We did some experiments on the fuels and picked pine cones in the rain.

She shared the bounty of her flower garden with me.  Flowers for my table - rudbekias, cosmos, dahlias, marigolds, and zinnias.

Enjoyed having a bouquet on my table.

She shared produce from the garden too! Tomatoes, the cucumbers I ate before I took a picture.  Carrots and cabbage and the sticker is from peaches from my niece but all there was left was the sticker when I remembered to take a picture.  Thank You!

The Orphan Thief by Glynis Peters.  Another wonderful story set in England in World War II. Ruby Shadwell was dealt a several blow during the Coventry Blitz in 1940. She must regroup with members of the family gone as well as the family home.

She starts cleaning the street and reuniting precious things with those to whom they belong.  Many neighbors are grateful.  She checks in on friends, neighbors and her grandmother. Fortunately, a building nearby remained standing and the man that lived there was the accountant for her father's business. She attends her grandmother's funeral and starts the search to find Fred who lived in this house. She finds him at a private lodging after checking hospitals, medical tents and the morgue. When he is better he comes back to his home where she as been living. 

Ruby starts a bit of an enterprise to sell items scrounged from the streets to get a bit of food. She has registered as a survivor with the help from a kind lady. Tommy has brought several items of jewelry for her to buy but he keeps his distance regarding where he lives and when his mother works as he is generally hungry and dirty when Ruby sees him.

She suffers set backs with her small enterprise as the bombing and looting continues.  She befriends Tommy and eventually finds the truth about his living horrible conditions. 

She meets a Canadian Military officer who is documenting the situation in Europe with his camera. They become friends and he checks in with her whenever he is in the area.  It turns into a love story and the story has a good ending.

I missed the full moon, and I checked while I was at my sisters but did not find it from my bedroom window.

I did get a good shot of it several days later.

It is called a blue moon because it is the second full moon in the month of August.

Always nice to have clear skies.

Traveling Light by Max Lucado. I finished this book this week that has been on my night stand for a while.  It took longer to finish as I fit it in between novels I have been reading.

We carry burdens like self-reliance, discontent, weariness, worry, hopelessness, guilt and arrogance.  All packed into our minds and hearts which weigh us down like heavy luggage.

The supporting text of this book is the 23rd Psalm - The Lord is my Shepherd. We need to turn to God as He promises to provide rest to the weary.

A good book to remind me to let go and let God in many situations in my life.  In reality, I control so little and must trust some one greater for support and relief.

Max is a very good author.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Cormorants at Beaumaris Lake.

There were a lot of young this year who were annoying each other. They were practicing flying, swimming a lot, and trying to land in the trees successfully.

They have a favorite set of trees so it is easy to find the adults supervising.

Love their plumage, green eyes and long yellow beak.

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs.  This was a great story to read.

Natalie Harper finds herself in a tragic situation and goes to San Francisco to her grandfather run his book shop.  The place needs work and she wants to sell the store to ensure her grandfather gets the help he needs for daily living.  Unfortunately, he owns the property outright and refuses to sell.

Natalie engages a handy man Peach Gallagher known in the area for his excellent work.  Little by little the maintenance is done to keep the store open.

Peach has a young daughter, Dorothy, who loves to visit the store.  She and Natalie hit it off.  The love of books is shared and words gets back to Dad about her visits to the store.

Things go from there but the grandfather maintained there was treasure in very old books somewhere on the property.   Through the work done surprises are uncovering.  Very good book.

Finding something interesting and worth watching on TV during the summer can be challenging.

I have been researching what was available on Roku and I found this series.  I believe there was 3 years worth of shows.

It is a British reality show where folks across the UK share their garden (yard) sheds. There are categories and the public has selected the finalists in each.  The show follows celebrities as they visit the sheds.

At the end of each show, the winner of a category is selected by the public.  At the end of the series the creator of the show and the celebrities select the overall winner of the Shed of the Year. 

I invited my aunt and her husband to visit the Edmonton Valley Zoo with me.

It was very hot and we met at 1:00 pm which was toasty.

It was a good walk and we sat down at the cafe at the end and enjoyed a bit of a drink and treat.

Many of the animals were hiding due to the hot sun so that limited the photo ops.

The new merry go round was closed so too bad for us. I have to say I was disappointed with my visit.

The northern Alberta wildfire evacuees were given free access while they enjoyed Edmonton's hospitality.  That was very nice of the city to give them a nice distraction from their difficult circumstances.

Card - Thank You

I am so grateful for the physiotherapy I received at the beginning of this year.  

It's been six months since I was released by my physiotherapist. I decided to drop off a thank you card to express in my gratitude in being able to climb stairs, be pain free, and in general enjoying walking and movement again.

It does mean 30 minutes of ongoing therapy at home but I know all my routine and it is keeping  my mobile.

Thank you!

The card base is Stampin Up Lost Lagoon in the A2 size.  I cut a piece of watercolor saran paper I made years ago.  I cut it to leave a nice border all the way around. I wrapped a length of SU Pool Party tiny rick rack around the front of the landscape oriented card.  I cut the word from heavy white card stock. It was adhered with Bling Zots. A few of those also keep the knot in place and the rick rack straight on the inside. 

Take Out / Take Away Bag

In my city, the Single-use Item Reduction bylaw came into effect on July 1, 2023. That means when I order take out food at a restaurant - some single use items would only be provided when requested and some would be offered at a cost. Plastic bags for take out were banned and paper bags would come at a cost of $.15.  I am okay with that but I still need a bag to bring my food home in so that it does not end up spilling in my car.

I set out to make such a bag.  I generally would need a small bag when I hit Tim Horton's or Wendy's but I got Vietnamese food the other day and that container was much larger.  I determined that I needed a bag around 9 inches square, the sides not too high and a way to close that would keep the food inside. Would be nice if it folded flat when I stored it in my car.

Here's is the result.

The floral fabric is a couple of strips of heavy cotton fabric I found for free at the ReUse Center last week.  The weight was a good start to having a sturdy bag. The strips were only 8 inches wide so I had to piece the bottom and I made it double layer so the inside would be nice with no seams showing.

I cut 2  pieces of 9.5 inch wide and 8 inches tall. Then I cut 2 strips of 9.5 inch wide and 2 inches tall to supplement the other pieces to end up a bottom that was 9" square finished.

I sewed the narrow strips to the large pieces on the 9.5 inch side.  I then ironed them and top stitched the seam.

Once both were done and put right sides together and sewed all the way around leaving a space to turn it right side out. Then I ironed that flat.  

The side piece was cut 8" tall and 38 inches long. Once layer was floral and the back was teal microfiber fabric which will be on the inside. Stitch all the way around and turned it right side out.

I pinned it to the bottom with lining on top of the bottom.  Once I identified the corners every 9 inches and sewed a seam from top to bottom of the eight inch length on all four corners. This will help stiffen the sides.  Then I went ahead and sewed the sides to the bottom matching the corner seams with the corners on the bottom piece.  The ends were overlapped on the front of the bag, again to help stiffen the front of the bag. 

The inside of the bag is floral on the bottom and teal on the sides.  The take out container fits perfectly on the bottom of the bag.

The handles are asymmetrical in the front loop is short and the bag loop is long.  They are made of teal microfiber.  The strip was 6 inches tall and about 38 inches long.  I folded the strip in half and iron it flat.  I then opened it and iron each half to the center.  I top stitched along both the open side and the folded side which helps to provide some stiffness to the handles.

To close the bag the long back loop is pulled through the short front loop and the bag is closed.  The join is above the center of the bag so it stays level.

I had to make it pretty as well.  I cut a large scallop circle from the floral fabric and sewed it over the ends of the front handles with a zigzag stitch

I hand sewed a teal button in the center of the flower for a final touch.

I am very happy at how this bag turned out.  

• It is large enough to handle any take out order I will make, 
• It will hold the contents securely inside the bag, and
• I have a loop handle to carry it along with anything else that is in my hands
• It folds flat and I can tuck it into a pocket in the car so it will always ready at hand when I need it.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

Wildlife in the river valley has been scarce this year.  I don't know if the wildfires north would affect the number of animals here.

There have been fewer sighting of chipmunks and song birds.  It's is possible that my going out later than I usually do has affected what I see.

It's been a tough summer and I have to admit getting up bright and perky before 7 am has not happened much this year.

It's been more like 9am which means the animals have just moved on with their day and are no longer where I expected them.

We had some heavy rain this week.

This is the lamp post in the back alley and you can see the rain dripping off the fixture and driving sideways.

A set of house shoes which I hope will keep my feet warm and not create too much static.

I bought these back in April when the weather was cooler.  I have not worn them much as the temperatures warmed outside.  I expect as the temps are cooler I will be inclined to wear them.

I managed to remove the few splatters of white paint.  The price was great!

I found this small teapot at the thrift store this week.

It is 3 inches tall and a bit wider than that.  It is made by Fitz and Floyd.

Fitz and Floyd Special Teas Collection Mini Deck of Cards Spade TeaPot.

I love teapots of all sorts and I really like this one. The price was under $5 and it has no chips or cracks.

I will add it to my displays shelf.

L is for Lawless by Sue Graton.  It is always a pleasure to reacquaint myself with Kinsey Millhone.

She decides to do her landlord Henry Pitts a favor.  Johnny Lee who lives in the garage apartment next to white stucco house with very tall grass in the front yard. His grandson Bucky and his wife Babe live in the house.  Johnny has passed away and Bucky would like to give his grandfather the military funeral he is entitled to but there seems to be a problem with Veteran Affairs records. Could Kinsey make a few inquiries.

Things are not as they seem, there is a break in at Johnny's apartment.  Chester, Johnny's son has a conspiracy theory. Who know?

Meantime, William who is Henry's brother is set to marry Rosie who runs the local bar and eatery where they often hang out. 

Kinsey's involvement takes her on a wild trip, encountering a very dangerous character.  Does she make it back for the wedding.  Another great story!

This is art by a tradesman.  I found these markings on a cement wall at a parkade in the area.  I will presume that he/she was cleaning off their brush after applying tar on the surface of the structure.  I thought the shapes were very intriguing.  I have converted my shots to black and white and added a bit of contrast but they are pretty cool!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I made a visit to the Lois Hole Provincial Park this week.  The waterfowl was quite absent. For most, the babies are grown and the adults have moved on. 

The Cedar Waxwing was a nice one.  The Barn Swallows were flitting around as usual and there were quite a few.

Still some blackbirds also making their iconic calls. A very peaceful day.

 A Garden to Keepp by Jamie Langston Turner was a good read. 

Elizabeth Landis has recently moved and is finding herself at loose ends. Her son has gone to college and she misses him terribly. Her marriage is on the rocks as she forges new relationships. Her husband leaves the house and is carrying on an affair with someone from the college where is works in the music department.

The book was quite slow at the beginning and I did consider just giving up on it but that is hard for me to do. The poetry references were pretty much lost on me so I just moved on.

Grace, forgiveness, mercy, patience, and Christian values are sprinkled throughout.

I am glad I hung it and the book did redeem its self but it was a bit of a slug.

It's that time of year.  The gardens and fruit trees are producing more than some can manage.

My niece gave me some nice green apples from one of the 2 trees in her yard.  My aunt gave me tomatoes and a garden cucumber. Yummy!  Some zuchinni as well.

I appreciate the fresh produce.  

I had grilled cheese and tomatoe sandwiches a couple of times.  There was zuchinni fried in a pan with parmesan cheese.  

The apples will be in a apple rhubarb crisp.

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah was another book I finished. Another broken marriage story.  Elizabeth and Jackson Shore live in the north west in a small town.  He works the sports beat in a small market and Elizabeth works on the house.

Jackson is always working on getting back to the big time sports job he lost when he fell from grace after his NFL career.  The time comes that the story that will bring him back to the spot light appears and he pursues it at the cost of all else.  

They are moving to the East Coast for this new job that Jackson has been offered.  Once again, Elizabeth packs up the house and the van arrives to take it all away.  She insisted that they not sell the Echo Bay house and just rent it out.  When she is to take the plane for the east she changes her mind and returns to the west. Putting what she wants ahead of what Jackson wants, which has been the past pattern.

There is a decent ending after each learns a few lessons about setting their marriage as a priority.

The dahlias were headed into their peak condition when I visited early this week.

Gorgeous flowers everywhere in these gardens.

I did have my ankles bitten a lot as I had worn capris.

I had a visit with my aunt after my photo trip.  It was good to connect with family.

Card - Watercolor - Barn

I made this card for an aunt who celebrates her birthday in August.

I cut a piece of 90lb watercolor paper to 4.25 x 6.25 inches and taped it to my hard board.

I found a couple of graphics on line with elements I wanted to use. Specifically, the barn and the fence.

I used my Stampin Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons.  I started with a light wash of blue in the top third and a light green wash on the bottom.

I drew the composition by hand with a pencil adding the elements from several inspiration images. I had to dry it several times between layers of color. I did use a fine black marker to add some definition to most of the objects.

The card base is A7 (5x7) in Stampin Up Barely Banana which worked well with the colors in the painting. I just adhered the watercolor layer with double sided tape. A white insert was added to the bottom half of the card with a white envelope.

Note to self: Lighten your pencil marks before painting.  The barn is not wide enough. Remember to use your grey marker instead of black. 

Photo Cards

I made another couple of cards from my photos. A lovely Dahlia taken at the Botanic Park.

I cut a piece of Garden Green card stock with the Tim Holtz Brackets border die.  I glued it behind the 4x4 photo and taped it down. 

I added a length of Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon on the join and taped the ends to the back.

I added a silver flower sequin with a white tiny star brad at the point of the green diecut.

This layer was then adhered to the front of the Elegant Eggplant card base. 

I added a quarter sheet white insert on the right han panel. 

A greeting can be added centered just above the sequin.

On this card is the Astrantia Major Alba. 

I used the same border die on a piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock.  Taped it to the back of the photo.

I added a strip of silver glitter card stock over the join.

I added silver flower sequins held in place with white star brads on the 3 bumps in the die cut.

I adhered this layer to the front of a hot pink card base.  Added a quarter sheet insert.

Cards - Exchange

My August exchange cards are ready!

Again, I am using 4x4 inch photos from my 4x6 photo calendars.

I believe this is a strawberry flower with morning dew.  I would have taken it at the Community Garden.

I chose a Handsome Hunter card base.  

I cut a Stampin Up Lattice die in white.  I adhered it behind the flower photo allowing only a portion of it to show on the bottom.  

I added small yellow handmade paper flowers, white flower sequins and black tiny brads on the intersections of the die cut.

I then adhered this layer to the front of the card base, added a quarter sheet insert on the right hand panel and a white envelope.

Excellent.

My next card features a Queen Anne Lace flower which I would have taken in Ontario when visiting my sister.

The colors on this one were warmer so I chose a white card base.

I cut the SU Lattice die from a warm green textured card stock.  I split the diecut in two and placed one half on top and bottom of the photo.  The diecut was taped to the back of the photo then the layer was adhered to the card front.

The photo needed a bit of something so I used my fine black marker and added a dash frame all the way around the photo.

The photo has been trimmed to about 3.5 inches square.

I added a white quarter sheet insert and a white envelope and it is ready!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I finally took a trip to the University of Alberta Botanic Garden this year.

I chose a day when rain was not predicted to fall which turned out to be Saturday.  There was an art walk taking place and several weddings but that is the way it goes.

These gardens are always wonderful.  The temperature was around 21c which made it shirt sleeve weather.  I brought myself a snack for halfway through.  I met neighbours on  my way out so I was later than I had planned.  I arrived around 10:20 am and left shortly after 2pm. 

There is the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, the AGA Khan Garden, Indigenous Garden,  and much more.

There are domes set up which I expect have been there since they reopened during COVID.  The Gift Shop is gone and the butterflies in the Tropical Showhouse are also gone.  I had a wonderful day with tons of photos some of which will likely end up in my annual photo calendar.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was a great read.  A short book filled with adventures.

"To realize one's destiny in a person's only obligation - the Alchemist"

I think with Mom and Dad now gone I am having to redefine the parts of my life that they occupied.  Feeling a little adrift and looking for ways to find a new path.

While on a visit to my sister's house recently we walked down the block to a garage sale.

I purchased this cutie and my sister gave me the stick he sits on.  I used a Zot to hold him in place.

He resides on the table for now.

In the Shadow of Croft Towers by Abigail Wilson was a great historical novel.  Sybil Delafield is hired to be a companion to an elderly lady.  The coach she is travelling in is robbed before she arrives. She is asked to deliver communications in the form of letters to folks in the town but to be sure no one else knows.  

When fellow passengers of the robbed coach are later murdered, Sybil’s hunt for the truth takes on a new urgency. The only person she can rely on is Mr. Sinclair, Mrs. Chalcroft’s godson, but under all his charms he too leads a double life. Sybil must decide if he is the one honest voice she can trust, or if he is simply using her for his own advances.

Croft Towers holds more than its share of secrets . . . and Sybil is determined to uncover them all.

Enjoyed this one immensely.

I had been on the hunt for a flower vase for the table.  

The one I had been using for years was a floral shop clear with swirls on the sides.

I have looked a lot of them and I was quite sure I wanted a clear cut glass one with a bit of personality.  Crystal would be nice.

Then, I found this art glass one.  Look at the ribbon of honey colored glass around it's middle.  It was perfect. Tall enough for bouquet of flowers, heavy enough to stay up right, the bubbles in the glass disguise the stems to some degree and the band of yellow glass was the icing on the cake.

I have decided to buy myself flowers so that I can have flowers on the table like Mom did.  I don't have a garden and not enough sun on the balcony to grow them.  Beautiful.

Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber.   Debbie has become an author I can rely on for a good read.

This one started pretty slow with Susannah having marriage problems and what was she going to do.  She is at a cross roads and where will life lead her.

The year Susannah Nelson turned eighteen changed everything: her boyfriend, Jake, left her unexpectedly, and her brother died in a car accident months later.

At fifty, Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married, a mother and a teacher, she should be happy. But she feels there’s something missing in her life, although she doesn’t know exactly what. Not only that, she’s balancing the demands of a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter and an aging mother who now needs her help.

When Susannah goes home to Colville, Washington, to look after her mother, she decides to try to find out what happened to Jake all those years ago. In returning to her parents’ house, her girlhood friends and the garden she’s always loved, Susannah also returns to the past—and the choices she made back then.

I recently purchased this Rooibos Lemon Cream tea.  This is my first time tasting it.

It is delicious and the fact that it is rooibos makes it caffeine free is a bonus.

Check out the color of this tea!  

It just picks up my mood to see this gorgeous deep yellow color in a pitcher.

Sewing Project - Pinafore Jumper

I had a desire to make a summer jumper.  This is very unusual for me but I said to myself - okay.

The pattern was based on Cross Back Apron I made a few years ago.  

It hangs on your body from the shoulders and is easy to sew and easy to wear.  It just slips over your head and it adjusts to size very nicely.

I still had this apron so I chose that as the basis of my new project.

I had some purple fabric that I was going to use for the outer layer.

After some thought and discussion I decided to use microfiber for the lining.  It would be slippery, dark and make the garment not see through.

It was a deep purple color so fortunately it would be okay with the fabric I had chosen.

I decided to make the lining  my pattern since I had lots of that fabric and could cut another if I needed to.

Since the apron did not meet in the back I knew I would have to add some including a seam allowance for the back seam.

Top Left - I added a wedge in the front by leaving the top on the fold and added a good amount in the front and some to the length too.

Back - I added several inches - this would fall about mid back for me.

Back - I then kept the angle down to the bottom hem area and added length.

Front Bib - Added just a bit for a seam allowance.

I sewed the back seam and then "tried it on" to see if it was going to be big enough and not too tight.  It seemed pretty good.  I did cut a piece of brown paper as a pattern.

I had to change my mind about the outer fabric because the width of the first fabric was not wide enough.  I chose a tie dyed white cotton from a duvet cover I bought for the fabric.  That was plenty wide enough to cut the piece.  I tried to keep the colors to the purple and turquoises in this fabric.  You can see some pink/coral on the straps and some at the very back.  It would be okay with the purple lining fabric, too.

I then sewed the back seam.  I then placed the 2 layers right sides together and sewed the top seam around the bib and across the back and back up the side of the bib.  I then turned the garment right side out and ironed it and top stitched. 

The straps were cut 3 inches wide, sewn and then ironed with the seam down the middle of the back side of the strap.  I top stitched both side of those.  I then sewed one end of each strap to the corners of the bib. 

Then I started figuring out where the straps should cross and where the other ends of the straps should be sewn to the back to hang properly.  Once pinned I sewed those in place with a square with back stitching.  I then folded it in half front wise and evened out the bottom edge and then folded it the other way and did a bit more adjustment. The bottom hem is .5 fold over then 1" hem sewn by machine.

It turned out nice but I felt it was a bit on the light color for me so I had a discussion with my sister about dying it.  I had purchased Rit Dye in Teal which is a hot water process.  I did not have what I needed to do hot water so I took the Dylon fabric dye she had in Sea Green.

With the cold water process the dye gets dissolved in hot tap water and the same with the salt. These are then added to the water in the plastic pail which is enough to cover the garment. 

The garment is wet before putting it into the dye bath and then it has to be stirred constantly for 30 minutes and then regularly for the next hour. I did it every 15 minutes.  Then the garment is rinsed until the water runs clear.  I did this in the white bathtub and that took 5 times.  I did dye some of my white flannel for unPaperTowels with the left over dye.  Once that was rinsed as well I just ran a small  regular load of laundry.

Here's the final pics.  It did even out the background so that is a good thing.  I was expecting to get more color than I got with this process.  I expect that a cold process may produce lighter results, maybe the color was supposed to this light but the water still had color in it.

Pockets - I am glad to have added the narrow strip on the slant of the pockets.  I did have to move them up about 3 inches and I forced myself to do right away otherwise it would have been frustrating to use them.

It was a great project.

It will go faster the next time as this was a learning process for making the pattern and the dyeing process.

Sylvia`s Simple Shots

This book - Fingal O`Reilly, Irish Doctor by Patrick Taylor was another wonderful visit with these characters.

It was very interesting to learn about his early years as a medical doctor.  His passion for his patients was there from the beginning.

Switching back and forth between now being a newly wed having married Kitty his first love. Adjusting to life at Number One with 2 women in the house - Kinky and Kitty.

I always love reading these books.

I found a few Tinker Toys at the thrift store this week.  We had a set when I grew up and played with them a lot.

I bought them for sentimental value.  They did not come in this wonderful tin.

I expect they may come in handy for constructing structures in the future how knows.

I have a good number of long, medium and short pieces as well as quite a few wheels.

 

Fairy Light Memento

After Mom's Funeral in April and the internment of both Mom and Dad I felt a need to have a memento to remind me of their love, commitment and my gratitude for having them in my life for over 60 years.

I love glass and have enjoyed looking at vintage, crystal and depression glass on several You Tube channels. 

I decided that I wanted a Fairy Light as my memento.  I could light it when I wanted comfort and a tangible reminder of them.  The vintage ones are hard to find and very expensive. Contemporary examples are more reasonably price.  One of them is by Fifth Avenue Crystal and those still were running about $100 on line which I was not prepared to do the online thing. I could not find anything in my area on Kijiji so I put out the word what I was looking for as most folks did not know.

About mid May I got a call from one of my sisters that she had found a Fifth Avenue one for $30.00 on Facebook. I said YES!  She was kind enough to pick it for me.  Towards the end of May I was able to collect it from her house but with the craziness going at my house it stayed in the box for a while longer.

I did start my plans for how I wanted to decorate it and light it.

This some pictures from on line because I did not take pics of mine before I started.

As you can see the base where the tealight would sit is not flat so I needed something to fill in that space and allow my tealight to sit nicely and safely.  I looked at several ideas for something small and clear like vase filler or seed beads.  Vase filler was going to be way more than I needed and clear sead beads with out silver lining were not available.  Durign the few days I spent with my sister in late June we visited a Dollarama and I found these.

These clear plastic diamonds were small enough to fill in the space, they were clear and the price was right.

Once I was home, I poured the bag of the smallest diamonds in the base and then set the clear plastic tealight holder on top.

It was perfect. They filled the cavity below the tealight exactly the way I needed.

The bottom right hand photo is seeing the candle wax completely melted in the clear plastic tealight holder and you can see the diamonds below.

There is the risk of spilling the diamonds out of the base as they are just sitting there but that is okay.

I knew I wanted green and blue glass beads so the light would go through them.  Dad's favorite shirts which Mom made for him were forest green and Mom's favorite color was blue.  Not cobalt but a true blue.

The Fairy Light offered 2 places to put some sort of decoration.  The indent on the shade and the one just above the base.

Here's my first attempt with EBeads on the base.  It's hard to tell in this photo but we received a small locket at the funeral.  We cleared Mom's stuff at Easter and we had slated her clothes to be donated. When the time came my sister could not send Mom's favorite dress to the thrift store and she decided to make it into mememtos for the kids and grandkids.  She put a small piece in the lockets for the boys and the girls received a scarf from the fabric.

The locket is still a memento from both Mom and Dad.

During this time my mind was working on what to buy for beads.  I did enjoy the Fairy Light a few times lit late at night.  

As you can see in the above photo only the shade is lit with the tealight at the top of the base.  I made the decision a few years ago to limit my use of real candles and switched to wax for scent.  I do have a few real tealight candles because sometimes in photography nothing but a real flame will do.

The thought crossed my mind that if I could find a light which the Fairy Light could be placed on then it would not be fire and the base would be lit as well.  

The brainstorming began.  I have an etched crystal block which has a LED light in the base which lights it up. Okay, that one has several colors of lights that rotate through - red, green, yellow and blue I think.  Well I knew I did not want colored lights. Now, I want a white LED light round base.  I put that into Google and stuff came up. They do sell LED light bases for crystal and glass figurines, etched glass items, and gemstones etc.  Again, none easily available in retail stores in my area. But I persisted!  Eventually, I found round puck light which can be placed under your upper cabinets.  They are battery operated and light when you press the center of the puck. I brought a tracing of the Fairy Light base with me to make sure that it would stand safely on this puck. I was a the big orange store which on line indicated there was 16 in stock.  After asking several customer service reps for assistance I received what I needed. A couple of guys checked the inventory and sure enough there was supposed to be some in stock.  A sharped eyed young man said there the right number on that box way up there! Up they went and brought down the box, I check the diameter against my tracing and walked out of there with 3 for less that $20 and the AAA batteries were included.

This is starting to fall into place.  Beads are next.

I decided that Michaels would by my starting place for beads.  The day I was there the shelves were mostly empty.  Supply chain issues? I don't know. I found some green faceted beads in the size that would work but no blue ones.  Another girl in the aisle said she was going to visit a Michaels in a city south of ours as there were fewer customers there and hoped the selection would be better.  After giving that some thought I decided to follow here lead.  Into the car and headed south on the big highway.

Sure enough, there was the same green ones in the the 4 different sizes and cobalt blue ones in the 8mm size which were on sale! One of the green strings was 8mm. Perfect.  They were faceted.

I used strong beading cord left over from my Christmas tree project. 

I placed the green and blue glass faceted beads alternating the colors until I had enough to go around the shoulder of the shade.  I tied my knot then added a few more for dangles.  I added an EBead and a silver crimp bead at the end to keep the beads in place.

 

I chose to use silver lined EBeads for the string of beads on the base of the Fairy Light. Again, I chose deep green and cobalt blue for color. I tied the cord tight with 3 knots.

I added the hinged locket on the string and let it sit over the knots.  That worked out really nice.

One of my sisters had the lockets in her stash of craft stuff and brought them with her.  It was great to be able to have something from that day.

As you can see it is hinged so I may put a bit of Mom's dress in it.

I

I am so happy with how this project turned out. It took almost 3 months for all the pieces to come together but it is so gorgeous.  I will enjoy it for years to come.

I love you Mom and Dad!