Improvements at the Duck

I got a couple of days in at the Duck and this is what happened.

I hung a few more things in the dining room....a dinner bell....farm style

The Duck officially has a mascot. this Duck was sitting in a window at the studio and i decided he needed to be at the Duck. there even was a little chair waiting for him.

The rooster was at the studio also.....and i found the sun...some place.

I believe this was an auction find. i spray painted it black. it had 4 holes so was easy to install. put nuts behind the screws (didn't have washers) so the screws wouldn't go through the holes. it is 26" wide...and HEAVY.

Another auction find. i love auctions. this is above a doorway...my sis says she is running through that doorway. hahaha  it is held up very sturdily by 3 screws and is not coming down.

I got doorway trim put up on this door...with the pocket doors.

And i got the doorway trim put up on this door, too. it goes to the office.

I still have blue paint....so i am painting more doors. this one comes into the house from the front enclosed porch. it needs one more coat of paint.

And, my favorite thing i did while down there......was my artist touch on the front door.

I had jim cut many pieces of 4x4s and i painted them....4 different colors.

This is as far as i got on Sunday. i used Liquid Nails to adhere them to the board around the door. the only problem was getting the first row or 2 to harden up. then adding the rest went quicker. as you can see on the right side....i put a heavy concrete block against the bottom to hold them against the wall till they dried a bit.

I thought i was going to have to cut some of them down but discovered i could turn them various ways and manage to get 3 across. 

Some of the blocks have square corners and some rounded. i love how it is 3D. this might be my best idea yet. and some of them have cracks and splits, too.

On this side i used a product like glue but that would dry clear. and it set up quicker than liquid nails. can't remember the name, though. it goes in the caulk gun also.

This is as far as i got before i ran out of glue. i will need at least 2 more tubes of glue to finish it all.

God, i love this. hahha  that is how much i got done by end of day Monday. i hope to finish it this weekend when i go down again. wonder what the neighbors think?

And....i have to clean bird poop off my door. how does a bird poop on a vertical surface? i find that very strange.  next thing out here in front i think is to have a small porch built. 

This was about my 3rd design idea for the outside of this door. i was going to cut cedar pieces and put them up...lapping them like roofing shingles. then i was just going to paint it in different colors in some design. but i like this idea best.

This weekend should find this project finished....maybe. i have to cut more boards and paint them. 

And i will get the 3 windows installed on Monday that go right inside this door on the right. then all the house windows are finished....woohoo!!

Salty or Sweet; Hard or Chewy

Those are the choices in my jar quilt.....lots of goodies.  It was fun finding the fabrics and fun embroidering the jars. now i want candy....or chips   haha

Pretzels and peanuts

Red hots and gummy bears

Popcorn and candy canes

Red licorice sticks and marshmallows....2 of my favorites

Peppermints and gumdrops

Pixie sticks and potato chips

Gingerbread cookies and M&Ms

Licorice bites and candy corn...i would probably empty these 2 jars first. haha

Jelly beans and Necco wafers

I played with the embroidery machine and made some jars wider and narrower or taller or shorter.  the designs actually came from the set with the bugs in jars. i adapted them to candy jars. i had to watch the machine and stop it from sewing the 'holes' in the tops of the jars. but, as you can see, i missed that part on the candy cane jar. the jars actually have a thick plastic on them. i don't believe this would survive the washer or dryer.

I have also done some jars with fruit and veggies in them for canning. got to find those.  and i have a thought of doing jars with junk drawer stuff.....screws, bolts, pins, pennies, etc. 

The ideas are endless....use your imagination and make yourself some jars. 

Kids Nativity Scene

To me, these blocks look like kindergarten kids putting on a Nativity show. there are some strange looks on some of these. haha  but, hey, i don't design them....i just embroider them.  these were done some time ago and i figured it was time to get them set up.

This is about 35x48"

This is cute....i like the star holding the spotlights.

That is one happy angel. to me, that is just what a kindergarten kid would do who is playing an angel in a play.

A couple of lambs. don't know why they designed those at an angle. i should have straightened them out.

Here is Mary...looks like she has a dishtowel on her head. haha

And this baby..what an expression. 

Joseph looks pretty happy

This is one goofy looking wise man. 

And the other 2 wise men....just as strange.

 And a shepherd

Is this a cow?

Mary's donkey

And a bull?  i don't remember that from the Nativity story. haha

See....kindergarten play.  just too adorable.

Which part would your child play?

Big Brothers, Little Brothers

Today was the day to piece together some of the embroidery blocks that i had made previously.

These are the Straw Hat Sams....i think of them as brothers to the Sunbonnet Sues. this is about 38x48".  i used several shades of green fabric that i had dyed some time ago. 

I think when i quilt this i will add things to the blocks. this could have a path going to the barn  and perhaps a fence from the sides of the barn.

This one needs more chicks

I could extend the fence here all the way across and perhaps put a sun.

Will add fish to the pole.

Think i'll put some water for the frog to jump into. 

He needs another kite in his other hand.

Maybe a ball to play with the dog. and a dog biscuit.

Don't know about this guy. what do you think?

Maybe a rabbit behind the stump, looking at him.

More water waves and a sun.

Got to put something in the wagon...perhaps a teddy bear.

Maybe a cat on top of the hay.

This one will be fun to think of things to add. who know when it might get quilted though.

Laurie's Dresser Scarves quilt top

Laurie....if you don't want to see part of your quilt......stop right here and go do something else. hahahaha




This is a fun quilt. my friend, Laurie, sewed a bunch of dresser scarves to a piece of white fabric and told me to have fun. it is about 90" x 100"

So far, i have been from top to bottom once....sewing everything down and putting in a couple hundred pins.

Now, the fun starts. 

This dresser scarf has lovebirds on it. this is the only one i have completely finished so far. 

It's a bottom corner section.

Went around all the embroidery and then just played.

The purple line will be gone by tomorrow

I love that blue and white stripe edging.

I hope i have enough ideas in my head for the rest of them. hahaha

I did a bit on a couple other scarves, too. have to think a while on how to proceed.

It's gonna take a bit of time.....and a few bobbins....i'm on bobbin #4 so far. 

Laurie....thanks for giving me a fun project.

They just won't quit

Tonight i picked 141 pounds of tomatoes from the garden.  

Actually, i had help. our neighbor, Ben, came by.  he helped me pick and carried the buckets to my truck for me. he is a good worker. i sent him home with 2 bags of tomatoes, a cantaloupe and 4 sweet potatoes.

I picked 2 cantaloupes...one for Ben and one for us. it was wonderful. soft and sweet and yummy. 

Tomorrow i will be putting banana peppers in the dehydrator and figuring out what to do with these tomatoes. i sent 2 buckets to another neighbor....but i still have 3 buckets to deal with. by this time of the year i am really tired of tomatoes. and there are still so many more out there on the plants.

When i was cleaning up yesterday i also found 4 more watermelon hiding under the gourd leaves. so we have 7 watermelon now. and about 13 dozen cantaloupe....hahaha.....and they were volunteers...from the compost.

Don't you just love gardening?

Laurie's dresser scarves quilt

I am working on a quilt for my friend, Laurie.  she sewed a bunch of dresser scarves onto a large piece of white fabric. and there is an embroidered card table cover in the middle. she said to play and do my thing. haha  i love that.

Here are a couple sneak peeks. that spot just cried for feathers.

I'm just getting started....quilting around the scarves and basically sewing everything down.

There will be a whole lot of fun going on in the coming weeks. i am going around the embroidery first.

That purple line down the middle will disappear.