Sylvia Simple Shots

Cold drinks are an absolute must in these temperatures.   We had 30C yesterday which is way too hot for me. 

Just ice balls with soda water in a double walled glass so it will stay as cold as possible!

I created a low key image to have the yellows stand out!

Staying hydrated in this weather is important and I don't need extra sugar so this works well for me.

I had 4 extra glasses of water yesterday. 

My African Violet is blooming!

I have such poor luck with plants so I am stoked to see blooms. As you can see they are a gorgeous deep purple color and there will be many it seems!

Yeah! Yeah!

The north window is working so well.  Now that it is hanging just above the sewing machine, it is great. I have plants in a couple of places in my home!

I believe this is a thistle bloom.   I love the jagged edges of the petals.

It has not rained in about a week here so I generally always carry my spray bottle to give my photos a bit of something extra when needed.

I love this shot!



I found a Lady Bug Hatchery! There was a lot of them in different stages of development.

The bug on the right is a Lady Bug Larvae becoming and developing it's wings.  Very cool!  It is interesting that the body under the hard wings looks very similar to the larvae but we hardly ever see it because it's flying when the body is exposed!

I worked on making more face masks. I tried a fitted one this time.  I like it.  Still hot in these temperatures but less fabric.

The features of this face mask are a draw string tie so you just pull to tighten.  I had found someone on line recommending putting a kleenex on the nose piece to help with glasses fog.  I decided to put a permanent layer of terry cloth which fills in the spaces around the nose and absorbs the moisture from your breath.  Works quite well.

This one also allows me to put a filter on the inside if I want to.  Never know what options I will need before this is all over.

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week is Chocolate! Well I love this one!  I bought 5 different kinds because I wanted options for a good photo. Photographing chocolate up close is challenging because some of it is not pretty.  Do we really look at it before we put it into our mouths, I would suggest not!  I have Chocolate Chips here and check out my photostream SMDPics for the image I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #91
and
Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #251           Have a safe week!

Birthday Card Mom

A birthday card for my Mom who celebrates in July.   Her favorite color is blue so I have chosen a true blue card base.

I added a layer of designer paper in coordinating colors.  I then added a strip of blue card stock and then a narrower strip of green trimmed to the card edge.

I added flower sequins with Zots and a Stampin Up Decorative Label with a circle greeting.  This accent was chalked then mounted with 3D foam tape.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a visit to the St. Albert Botanic Garden this week.  The dahlias are in full bloom and it was wonderful to be able to photograph a few.  At 6:00 am I was the only one around.  There is a path nearby and there are dog walkers and bicyclists but not a problem.

The is the Pam Howden Dahlia which is quite large.   I love the colors of yellows in the center, magenta on the tips and deep orange in between. 

It was a delight to enjoy the flowers. The very large garden is maintained by volunteers which take much pride in their work.

I finished Latitudes of Melt book this week.  Aurora with here white hair, pale skin looks different than the rest of her family and neighbours in a small outpost in Newfoundland.  With a blue and one brown eye she is viewed as a changeling an being from a different world. She loves the outdoors and walks the barrens, picks flowers and berries and is a free spirit. 

She was  found on an ice pack by a couple of fisherman.  Wrapped in a cradle tied to a wooden chair with a hat, a bit of food and a bottle of water.  The year was 1912 and the sinking of the Titanic was the latest news.  Many speculated that she was a survivor of the disaster.

She grows, goes to school, marries, has 2 children, is very happy and continues to live in the outpost.  When her husband dies she becomes she starts her life over as a caregiver.  She takes care of an elderly neighbour, then a unhappy and arrogant man until she has enough to buy her own house. 

Her son travels the world and studies ice.  Interesting.  Eventually her granddaughter living in Ireland tracks down Aurora's family who sailed on the Titanic.  Her mother was lost and her father was thought to have been on board but it was discovered that he remained in in Ireland.   This was a very good book and I would recommend it as a good read.

My old CCM bike has a new home.  It has been stored for the last 15 years or so, ever since I took a tumble while riding and decided that I will walk from now on.

I decided to respond to a wanted ad from someone looking for a broken bike he could fix.   I explained that it was not "broken" but it would need tires and a good clean. 

I met the gentleman with the bike and sent it on its way. He is a deaf senior and yes he will be able to fix the bike no problem.  I am so grateful to have it bless another.

I picked roadside daisies on my long walk on Saturday morning.  I wanted flowers to put in my art glass vase for the dining room table which will stay tidy now that sewing has a new place.

I was told that these are not really daisies and are really quite toxic weed. 

They did make me sneeze and so when the photo was taken they headed for the waste bucket.

The vase is by a Canadian glass artist named Robert Held.  He produces art glass in his studio on Vancouver Island. Check out his website. robertheld.ca

I have photographed this flower several times this summer.  I just love the watercolor feel to the colors which run from deep purple to teal and turquoise.

I was struggling to figure out what it was. I started with clover but that was not right, then I thought vetch but there was none with this coloring eventually I found out this week that it is Alfalfa!

This one was found on the side of the gravel road.  I guess the seeds are spread by the wind or by farm equipment or other means. 

I was very happy to find the final answer.

Along with flowers are bugs!  These are the ones I found this week.
Left - Red Turnip Beetle who loves canola but no canola fields in the city. Center - Blue Milkweed Beetle with glorious shining colors and then a Ladybug.  This plant had aphids so it was in it's element and had plenty to eat. There were smaller ones around so the family was going to survive.

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was "Flame".  I found this quite challenging.  I wanted to photograph it without blown out highlights which was hard.  I tried votive in blue glass, in crystal, and it a vintage cut glass holder. Not really working. I eventually just lit a long fireplace match in front of a vintage mirror and fired off some shots.  I had laid my granite tile for a base to ensure no burn marks in my new photo studio.  You can check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the one I submitted.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #90 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #250

Starry Happy Birthday

I created  a birthday card for my niece's husband.

I started with a dark brown card.

I added a layer of wood grain designer paper in the landscape orientation.

I add a lots of star sequins with Bling Zots. 

I wrapped a length of gold metallic ribbon around the card front and placed the join under the greeting.

A Decorative Label punchie greeting which has been chalked with Chocolate Chip. Adhered with 3D foam tape and added a large star sequin on the corner. 

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.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a visit to the St. Albert Botanic Park this week.  The flowers are all looking good. 

This is a White Geranium.  It may get overlooked with the dahlias, roses, and other garden flowers.

I think this one turned out really wonderful.

The light purple veins with a subtle green center and the light play on it was really good.









This shell chime is one that my sister made for me many years ago.  It hangs in the corner of the bedroom by the window.  It lets me know if the wind is picking up outside when the window is open in the summer.

It clinks away quietly when there is a small breeze and I really enjoy it as I lay in bed in the morning before I get up. 

Filling my gratitude journal today.



This shot reminds me that the large light in my kitchen is working again.  It was not cooperating for several days this week and with no window it was dark in there.  I have the light under the stove fan but it was not the same as the large light.

I put new daylight fluorescent tubes in the fixture and it is bright again. Yeah!

I last replaced those in October 2009 so I think that excellent value for the $10 it cost me.

I take things for granted so much.  That when I flip the switch light will appear.  Again, grateful.

A new deadbolt in the door. 

Yes, I replaced it in January and the locksmith drilled it out yesterday to get me back into my place.   They have you over a barrel and instead of picking it drilling means they will sell you a new deadbolt as well.  It is what it is.

I had purchased the door knob in the satin nickel on Saturday to match the deadbolt. This type of handle matches the ones I put on the inside doors about 10 years ago. I was intending to put it in myself but the young locksmith offered to do for me.  It was a quick and easy job for him as he chose the pieces he needed from the package.

Again, I am so grateful for the good people in the world who extend themselves to help others.

My mosaic this week is downtown buildings.

I took a long walk downtown this week as well.  I captured some of the architecture of the buildings.  On the left is our Art Gallery.  Randall Stout, the architect chosen to design the Art Gallery of Alberta building, took inspiration from the city’s unique northern environment and urban grid. Stout juxtaposed angular windows against a winding 190-metre steel ribbon that references the forms of the North Saskatchewan River and Aurora Borealis.
In the center is the Gibson Block Building built in 1913. The Gibson Block Building, also known as the Flatiron Building, is a large wedge-shaped four-storey brick building constructed for commercial use on four city lots at the eastern edge of Edmonton's pre-World War One commercial core.
On the right is the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in the Quarters area of downtown.  I love the glass facade which captures reflections beautifully. 

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Numbers. The acceptable ones were Roman or Arabic.  On the left, I have chosen Rummikub tiles in three colors. 

Check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the one I submitted.

 I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #89  and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #249   

Have a safe and healthy week.

Thank You for Rescue

I made thank you cards for the friends and neighbours who helped me yesterday.  I ended up locked out of my place through my own inattention and needed rescuing.  Thanks for being willing to help, calling a locksmith and checking in on me while I waited. Expensive day.

This card is for the neighbor who stepped into action despite no knowing me and being new to the building.

Navy card, a wavy black remnant and some hexagon die cuts.

A Stampin Up Modern Label greeting adhered with 3D foam tape.


This card is for the friend who helped me unwind after my adventure.

A bright green card with yellow polka dot designer paper.

A ripped strip of blue with a floral accent.

A 2 inch oval greeting in the bottom right hand corner adhered with 3D foam tape that coordinates with the blue strip.


This card is for the neighbour who hung out while I waited for the locksmith.

Turquoise card with watercolor designer paper.

A large diecut flower accent held in place with 3D foam tape.

A Stampin Up Modern Label and Word Window greeting in the bottom right hand corner.

Thanks to the young locksmith K who came on a Sunday night.   There is still good in the world.

Happy Birthday - Dandelions

Birthday card for my sister.

I used the Toilet Paper Roll Dandelion paper I made recently.

Mounted it to a turquoise card.

Added flower sequins in the center to coordinate with the pearl white paint on the paper.  Adhered with Zots Bling.

Added a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie with a Word Window greeting.  Adhered with 3D foam tape squares.

Toilet Paper Roll Dandelions

I am wanting to do something different for cards so I researched Toilet Paper Roll Dandelions and watched a few video tutorials.

I cut the toilet paper roll less deep than most of the videos and got flowers over 4" wide.  That is pretty large for cards.  I have decided to just decorate a 12x12 sheet of designer paper then just cut it up into 6 pieces and just go with what I get.

I chose dark, medium and light blue acrylic paint.  I used QTips to make the centers.  Then I spattered the whole sheet with pearl white acrylic paint. 

The toilet paper roll gets soggy very quickly so you need a few ready ahead of time.   Maybe a couple for each color.  I guess you could cut both ends which would make them last a bit longer.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a drive out of the city on Saturday morning.  I needed to take pictures of something different!  I needed to get away from people and be able to relax a bit.

I found several country roads with interesting things along their ditches.

There is water everywhere as it has rained a lot this summer. These are bulrushes were in overland flooding water in a farmers field.  The area I expect has a few but now there were lots of them.

The wind picked up a little and distorted the reflections in the water.

It was a great morning.

It's almost time to pick raspberries.



I will have to find a new place to pick them this year. 

I better get onto my research.

I have moved the cabinet in the bedroom which holds my die cutting dies.  It is now tucked away in an alcove in the corner by the window.  I took off the shelf that Dad had built onto it so I can access the contents more easily. I have put up some plastic drop sheets to keep the dust out.  I put the hinge back and have used some rare earth magnets to keep it in place.

The space for the new to me sewing machine is ready!

It will sit right under the window where there will be a lot of light.  There are electric outlets on the left and right so I can always add a light for night time.  It will align with the window frame on the left.  That will leave me enough room (18inches) to access the window.

The African Violet has been moved to the corner but it  may not stay there!  It was right in front of the window before.  I will have to see how that works with the sewing machine desk there.

There is still room for the photo frame containers on the left which may be used for extra shelving to manage quilts.

I have a lot to go through with frames and get rid of a stack of them.

This is my new photo studio!  I had a shelf at the end of my bed which just accumulated stuff so I decided to have it be my work space for photography which I like out all the time anyway.   I used the pine shelf I removed from the cabinet in this space which gives me at least 1/3rd more space for photography. 

I am working on having my photography lights, tripod and other gear near at hand but with a place to live so that it will easily be put away.

I love the extra space for set up.  I think it will be great!

I went to the St. Albert Botanic Garden on Saturday morning.  Of course, there are a ton of flowers to photograph!  6:00 am and my car was the only one in the parking lot. Yeah!  There is a walking path nearby but there is a lot of space.  It had rained the night before so I had soaked feet in no time.

I picked 4 of the yellow bloom varieties for my mosaic today.  I have the Chinese Globe Flower in my area as well, makes me think of Buttercups.  Check out the bee in full flight ready ready to land on the Cotswold Queen, beautiful yellow flower clusters with purple centers. The Martagon Lilies were gorgeous in several varieties.  This is the Nepera, lovely golden yellow petals with dots.  The other is a Tiger Lily.

The roses were in bloom, peonies were still in bloom, Jacob's Ladder, daisies, and a lot more to show off another time.

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Spiral. This is one of the shots from the hundreds I took this week. 

Check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the shot I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #88   and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #248 

Have a good week and be safe!

Sylvia Simple Shots

I found Black Terns at the John Poole Wetlands on Sunday.  They were being very protective and almost dive bombing me so there must be a nest close by.

This is a new bird for me.   I have not seen them before in my area.  Black Terns eat mostly small fish and insects. Male and female select the nest site together.

I know that we have more flattened bull rushes in this wetland compared to other years.  It makes it easier for us on the platform to see into the wetland.  That is how I saw the Sora Rail the last time I visited. 

Loved learning more about this bird and it's life and behaviour.  You can see the rain.

I made Bavarian this week and brought a few over to my sister's while we had a social distance visit. 

I have one more package of raspberries in the freezer so I will have to find a source.  The friend where I have picked in the last couple year has moved down east.  A call to my other sister may be needed.

This was a combo of raspberry and rhubarb.  I added a cherry as that was the only fresh fruit I had.  You can check out the recipe in this post.

I normally serve this with store bought chocolate wafers but I was not headed out for just that!  I found a great recipe for Chocolate Wafers which was really tasty!

This is the book that has been on my night table in recent days.  It was a nice change from those I read recently. 

Each chapter is a story of an incident from his small animal veterinary practice in England in the 1940's.  He was in practice for nearly 50 years.

Some hilarious, some moving and touching, some just plain hard work. 

Most of the stories are set in the fictional town of Darrowby.  James Herriot is a pen name for James Wight.  He wrote many books.

I have seen animals other than birds this week.  On the top is muskrat eating bull rushes.  We were all wet myself included.  I was prepared with a plastic bag for the camera and my rain jacket so I was comfortable.  

A Barn Swallow fledgling was taking refuge from the rain in a small hole in a municipal sign designed to remind dog walkers to pick up after their pets. The holes I think were meant to hold plastic bags.   On Sunday they held small birds.  There was 3 holes and birds filling 2 of them.  I felt for these little ones.  Having to sort out feeding themselves and it has rained for 4 days.  Miserable weather.

The coyote I was warned about by a fellow walker in the river valley.  She was walking a fairly large dog and the coyote had not really been intimidated by her or the dog. Great! I thought.   I walked on fully aware of my surroundings.  Just a few minutes later he came out of the bush on one side of the trail and stopped to eye me.  Thankfully he just moved on across the trail and headed down towards the golf course.  

I am due for a large grocery shopping trip so some ingredients are in short supply.  I had bought an avocado and wanted to make a salad.   Found a great recipe but the dressing was the best part.

Veggie Salad: The grain is quinoa, tomatoes, the last of the celery, red onions, and a bit of dried rye bread for crunch.

I was supposed to put dried cranberries but totally forgot!  That would have be even better.

Fortunately, the ingredients are things I always have on hand.  The recipe did 2 large bowls but I should make some ahead.  The dressing was tastier on the second bowl the next day.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #87 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #247

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Squared Circle.

You can check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the image I submitted.

You can check out my Instagram SMDPics100  I post a photo a day of my wanderings and being out and about.

Have a great week and be well!

Christmas Card Challenge - July - Polar Bears

Getting caught up on my Christmas Card Challenge.

July's challenge was polar bear and I decided to use my Cricut - Joy of the Season cartridge. It was cut at 1.5 inches and this time I cut the shadow in gold as well as the scarf. I put the some black ink in the ear, eye and nose.

I used gold star background card stock cut to 5.25 x 2.25 inches adhered to the top of the dark brown card. I then ripped a few snow banks from white card stock which were adhered over the first layer. 

The polar bear was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape. I love how the shadow shows against the snow bank.  I punched the star from the same gold card stock used on the bear with the Creative Memories Sparkle punch.  It was adhered with a Bling Zot.

Graduation Card

A card for my sister who has graduated from her university business program.   She has been attending night classes for a long time and she is finally done!

I chose school colors for the card of black and maroon.  I started with the black card base.  The background is a large hand decorated tag with white acrylic paint.  I added gold ribbon which adds a bit of celebrate to the card.  I put one piece wrapped around the tag and the other coming down from the top of the card.  I flagged the end of the shorter piece.  The grad cap was created with my Creative Memories Double Square punch. Larger in maroon and smaller in black.  I then tied a tassel from some gold cording and held in place with a black brad.   It was mounted over the top piece of gold ribbon with 3D foam tape.  The greeting is the Stampin Up Modern Label punchie in maroon with a white Word Window greeting.

Happy Graduation during COVID19.

Happy Canada Day!

Wishing all my Canadian Family, Friends, and Fellow Bloggers a Happy Canada Day!  Looks like rain is socked in here for most of the day!  Enjoy the freedom we enjoy!  Be Well! Be Safe!

I found this hand painted rock at the Heritage Hills Wetlands recently.  I know that the young people of Sherwood Park have been very creative.