Breezy summer magic. Pools, beaches, hot-wind on an afternoon walk, and the kimono cover-up made with the power of rectangles. This fabric has been kickin’ it in the stash for almost a decade where I last made a simple halter dress from the rayon-poly-blend. Sun-protective, wrinkle-free, quick-dry, and not much… Read More »Purple Kimono Cover-up
This is another “I made this in front of the TV” project. No patterns, no counting, just wingin’ it. I was gifted this 100% cotton yarn from my aunt who uses it to make wash-clothes. She gave me 2 big skeins so I thought “this would make a good towel.”… Read More »Crochet Mini Towel
I am planning a trip to the beach for the first time in years. Having just thrown out a decade’s old beach tote that was collecting a smell, there was a hole in my arsenal of bags waiting to be filled. I’d been saving a yard of gorgeous printed cotton… Read More »Giant Beach Bag
The brevity of this post diminishes the enormity of the physical labor involved in this project. While Jake has been on furlough this summer he is going all out with the home-improvement. Several of the projects on his list have involved hardscaping for the yard, and this post features our… Read More »Summer Hardscaping: Rain Rock Garden
Super productive weekend last week! I feel we are in our last big push to get summer chores done before summer ends, because right behind that comes fall clean-up and winterizing. I made a project for myself early this summer when I scored these two awesome but old Adirondack chairs… Read More »Adirondack
The earth has been good to us this season. Our raised garden beds have been a great success, we went blueberry picking, and our yard has had enough flowers to spare some for indoor arrangements. So far this year the garden has produced more lettuce than we could eat, a… Read More »Abundant Earth
Last weekend, for the first time, we checked out the Massachusetts Renaissance Fair at the Cummington Fair Grounds. With a name like The Massachusetts Fair, I expected a little more. The permanent fairgrounds (for county fairs and showing animals) were large, and under-utilized, making the Ren fair seem very small. There… Read More »Massachusetts Renaissance Fair 2019
Once again this year the household took a summer vacation to beautiful Round Island, a private island in the middle of Long Lake, NY, on the edge of absolute wilderness. I did not touch my phone while I was there; I even bought myself a cheap watch ahead of time… Read More »Sketches of Long Lake, New York 2019
Last year we bought a used canoe. Then we used that canoe lots and the driver’s seat gave out. We are ready to use the canoe again this year, so we needed to fix the seats. I ordered 50 yards of polypropylene webbing in bright safety orange, Jake’s favorite color,… Read More »New Canoe Seats
I really didn’t think I was going to have a blog post for you today, as I haven’t finished anything in a while and I’ve been so busy enjoying the summer sun. Many projects remain in progress, but I haven’t really had the time or desire to put in the… Read More »Striped Summer Dress
Last weekend we had a beautiful day at the Faire! Mutton and Mead is an annual celebration in Western Massachusetts with a casual and merry mood. It is one of the few proper “Medieval Festivals” in the area, similar too, but not to be confused with, a Renaissance fair. Essentially… Read More »Mutton & Mead Medieval Festival 2019
Indoor projects have slowed as the weather improves and we spend more of our free time outdoors. The garden is coming along spectacularly though. All the intense labor is worth it when the colors burst forth from the dirt and stems. When we bought our house a year and a… Read More »Expending Effort Outdoors
My best friend Kelley is finishing her Masters in Art Education in order to continue being the wonderful and patient art teacher that she is. Her primary artistic body of work for this degree is a collection of clothing that features and embodies runic symbols to empower the wearer and… Read More »I am a Magical Sea Nymph!
I really hope you’ve been enjoying the weekly posts! It’s been a really consistent run these past few months, and I’m going to try to keep it up! I hadn’t sewn anything new in a little while, but an easy project always gets me going when I’m feeling stuck. This… Read More »Cotton Jersey 2-Way-Stretch Dress (Simplicity 1358)
This weekend my friends and I attended the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire. It was a gorgeous 82 degrees in May, and I needed a crown of flowers for the occasion. With the forecast calling for a such a warm day, my garb needed to be kept simple; no layers of skirts… Read More »Crown of Flowers
Finally I’ve finished another painting! This winter has been brutal in every way imaginable. Because of this I’ve taken to painting dreamy summer scenes all season to console my shivering skins. Last summer I took a trip to P-Town Mass, early in the season before the crowds arrived. The town was just… Read More »Provincetown On The Water
I’ve finished a new painting! in an effort to hold onto the summer sun for as long as possible, I decided to paint, just for fun, a picture of this beach beauty. It’s not often that I paint a picture for no reason other than my own entertainment, but I… Read More »Beach Beauty – Just for Fun Painting of the Summer
Whoa! November just flew by, didn’t it!? I haven’t posted in forever, and for that I apologize; it has been such a busy month. Finally, I have a new painting ready to show. This illustration was done as a special project in our illustration department at school. Every year, the… Read More »Summer Term Cover Contest Illustration
Last week was my first time ever at “Look What I made,” the functional, dishwasher safe version of “Plaster Fun Time.” At “Look What I Made” children and their guardians (or babysitters) can walk in anytime, select a ceramic piece to paint by hand, and a week later, pick it… Read More »Look what I made! No, really.