Etsy

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Time to Focus

Although its been a busy and hectic summer, it has also been a productive one. My husband and I have covered a lot of ground and made a lot of progress in these few months. He has been prepping a basement for renovations (not ours) and I have been maintaining our home, finishing rug hooking projects and starting new ones.
The summer started with a yard sale at our daughter's house.

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A few short weeks later, after their house being on the market for several weeks, an offer was made on their house and it was sold. Yippee! Hooray!!


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Too bad we didn't know about the sale before the yard sale, but everyone rallied together to pack and move our daughter and son-in-law out of their massive house. As always, everything got done, summer vacation started, and I went to Green Mountain Rug School for the first time. It is something that I have always wanted to do, and my husband joined me.
I designed this "Peacock Feathers" rug wall hanging, brushed up on my dyeing skills and met many nice hookers.
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With some of the wool I dyed a bright blue at class, I decided to hook "Whale of a Time" intertwined with some of my drab wool. From feathers to fish, it seems.
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I weathered an oak frame and it will be a pleasant surprise for our friends to find in their Cape House in Wellfleet after a visit this Fall. Ssh...it's a surprise. I enjoyed the result so much, that I hooked another "Little Whale" for a certain somebody.


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While I wasn't rug hooking and my husband wasn't working, we were able to plan a few get-a-ways to search for treasures and to relax.
A rug hooking shop in Maine,
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Then, a French Brocante shop,
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Ohh La Laa, what nice French Faire!
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I found this rustic Farmhouse rolling cart for some goodies we found in Amish Country, I added a few pieces I had laying around as well.


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I had to take advantage of the nice warm weather to finish a few projects I had always intended to finish. An old seat cover I hooked that needed repair paired with a nice old oak frame...perfect.
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An old rickety mirror frame that I refinished and put a back on and converted into a chalkboard. So many phrases...endless possibilities around the year.
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I'm not a follower of horse races, but this I believe was the trifecta, three pieces all in need of attention, finished in one day. Whew, glad that's done.
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Before I retired, the blooms came and went, I never had time to pick, create a vignette, explore the possible photo shoots and choices to decorate our table. That has changed!
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My table has never looked better, and I can't believe what I have around the house to decorate with.


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Every once in a while I change up my Hoot Owl Trios, which I list on Etsy and Ebay. These Black-eyed Susans did the trick.
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I started this Bonsai in late April and it is still alive...just another thing I always wanted to try.




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Some lovelies I dragged out of the dust to create this photo, everyone needs a little inspiration now and then.
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Yes, this summer has certainly ticked off all of our boxes for sure. We had great times with our grandchildren, including a camping vacation and going to the beach and all the "night swimming" and sleepovers they wanted.


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As summer winds down and Autumn approaches, I hope that we can keep up the pace and reach all of our goals. We have had the nicest weather and hopefully the transition will be long and slow.
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And that we will make wise choices and continue to work together.


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I am canning tomatoes and salsa this week in between hooking a more seasonal motif.


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Thank you for stopping by for a visit, I hope you will leave a comment or just say Hi, perhaps follow if you liked my blog. I am still new at this and the technical skills required, but I strive to inspire you to create, use what you have, and plan a get-a-way as often as you can. Enjoy the "back-to-school" routine and the harvesting you may have ahead of you.
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I welcome any questions or ideas you would like to share, and hope your creative juices are awakening as much as mine during this wonderful time of the year. 


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As my grandson would say, "Bah" for now. Marilou

4 comments:

  1. You are a very busy person! I received your comment and was able to see your email. I also responded. Looks like you fixed it!
    Love your beautiful hooked rugs.

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    1. Oh this is pure joy, thank you for your assistance and testing it out for me! Some elements are still so puzzling with the blogging, but I keep plugging along. Thank you so much. I am a fan of yours.

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  2. Hi
    I was at Green Mountain too. My class was with Rachelle LaBlanc. She's fabulous!

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    Replies
    1. Is she the lady from New Brunswick, who taught how to hook from a sketch or painting, please refresh my memory. It was my first time, I really liked it and haven't stopped hooking since June! Thanks for reading my blog, I know it's not too sophisticated yet as I am still learning. Very nice of you to comment. Will check you out as well.

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