Hello

Summer is slipping past quicker than I hoped. I've spent some time in Salem, MA at a home we own there. Had the pleasure of watching the fireworks off Nahant Island on the fourth of July, spent some time on the beach, and had a great time birding on the North Shore.

There are some great wildlife refuges and sanctuaries in Massachusetts. I am a regular visitor to the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island near Newburyport and found another great spot in Ipswich (the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary) on my last trip. That sanctuary is part of Massachusetts Audubon whose mission is "To protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and for wildlife."

Snowy egret (photo taken in Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary)

I've been so busy traveling lately that I've just recently gotten back to my hooking, embroidery, and other projects. I finished a heart pillow that was part of a project in one of Julie's Smith's classes (shown in a previous post), and am working on a second project from another of her classes. That project, when complete, will be a 3-D hooked house. Here is a photo of the front of the house and the roof.

I'm also working on a Sue Spargo block of the month embroidery project. Each month a lovely kit arrives with thread, material, and instructions. Okay, this is July. I'm just finishing up February! I really don't mind being behind, because I'm learning so many wonderful embroidery stitches and learning new ways to incorporate them into other embroidered items I am working on. Very enjoyable.

I finished up a table runner that I've had on my loom for quite a while. Came out great. As part of the weaving process, I worked up a small sampler of the pattern before beginning the actual runner. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but decided to embroider some flowers/plants into the rectangular shapes that were crying out for some kind of stitching! I'm eventually going to turn this into a pillow of some kind.

So, I feel like I'm back in the groove of crafting. It feels so great to be back! What are you working on?

New color wool available on Ebay called Mulberry. A bit lighter than photos show, it is a nice prim color. You may purchase directly from me for $10.00 per 1/4 yard plus $3.00 s/h. Let me know if you are interested. 4 sets available. Nice prim color!

Remember, always make time for yourself!