The "Dog Days of Summer" ...

Greetings blog friends...

The dog days of summer have definitely set in!  What exactly does that mean, you ask?  Well, according to Wikipedia:

"The dog days or dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck."  

I don't know about fever, mad dogs and bad luck, but the heat, humidity, thunderstorms and lethargy have set in.  Perhaps it is because I was so incredibly busy and productive in June, perhaps it is because we have been cooped up at home for 4+ months, perhaps it is because we can't go anywhere...I don't know, but they are here.  After making the masks, I have no ambition for anything.

I have sewing projects begging me for attention, but I just don't feel it.  I have letters reminding me everyday that I need to sit down and answer them.  I have paper kits waiting to be made into pages.  But, all I do is daydream and while away the hours doing not much of anything.  

This is very unlike me...I'm usually quite motivated to get things done.  I've got to break out of this funk!  So, I did some research online, took some notes and here's what I came up with:

Beating the Dog Days in 6 Easy Steps:

1.  Do something...anything!  Write a letter, go for a walk around the block, organize a closet.  Any simple task you can do start to finish will boost your mood!

2.  No excuses!  Once you decide on a task or activity, don't talk yourself out of it!  Break up the big jobs into small steps and take them all one at a time!

3.  Take care of you!  Get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and do some form of exercise every day (at least 25 minutes).

4.  Beware of the downward spiral.  We are creatures of habit.  Even one day of lying on the couch all day can become a habit.  Change things up and do something different every day.

5.  Get off social media.  Most of it is depressing, especially the news.  

6.  Rock your playlist.  Crank up the tunes, sing along, and get up and move to the music!  And, if you groove to the tunes for at least a half hour, you've got #2 covered.  Bonus!

So, I'm going to give it a try, and I'll keep a list and let you know how I did next time.  

Till then....and don't let yourself go to the dogs....days, that is!  LOL

Mask Production Once Again!

Greetings Blog Friends,

I've been busy this past week and have gone back into "Mask Production" mode.  I'm sure you've seen the news that more and more stores now require masks.  Right now I'm concentrating on my three daughters, their husbands (and one sig other).  Several of them are under work or county sanctioned mask orders.  I am waiting to see what the schools will do, then will made enough masks for each grandchild to have one for each school day, plus 1 or 2 extras (you know how kids are at losing things!!  LOL)   

Here are some of the masks so far:

Hmmm...Brewers, Badgers, Packers.  Can you tell what state we live in???

As much as we want it to, Coronavirus is not going away on its own.  I can see us wearing facemasks through the end of the year, maybe into ealy 2021, or until a vaccine is widely available.  I wish that my state of Wisconsin would be more proactive on this issue...we need a mask directive before school starts, or we will find ourselves on lockdown once again.  And no one wants that!!

Till next time...

Another Window Finally Dressed!

Greetings Blog Friends,

I'm happy to report that another room no longer has naked windows.  We have been renovating bathrooms here and have finished the second and smaller bathroom, just off the master bedroom.  I made a curtain and valance for the bathroom window, and window valances to match for the bedroom.  

I had just over 3 yards of the this blue fabric (left over from another project) and was able to make these curtains with just 3" of fabric leftover to spare!  I love these no waste projects.  The 3" leftover piece will go back into the stash with other "skinny" strips...you never know when you might need one!  I've used quite a few of those skinny strips here and there over the years.

Till next time...

Upstairs Reno is Complete!

Greetings Blog Friends,

We finished the renovation of our master bathroom.  Yes, it looks tiny because it is....no larger than a nicely sized walk in closet.  We painted the walls a light blue, added a white sink and vanity, white toilet.  We added the oil rubbed bronze accents and accessories to this bathroom also, to play off the dark vinyl plank floor.  Blue curtains and towels complete the look.

And now, with the completion of the bathrooms, we are finally done renovating the upstairs of our house.  It has been a long two years, but we like the result!

Till next time...

Row, Row, Rowing Along...

Greetings Blog Friends,

I thought I'd show you another internet quilting project, this one sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop.  This one is called the Jolly Bar Row Along.  

This quilt uses a neutral background fabric (mine is white) and precut pieces called jolly bars, which are 5" x 10" in size.  You can purchase jolly bars from Fat Quarter Shop, but I cut my own jolly bars from the stash.  I have a large variety of small prints that were perfect for this summery quilt.  I chose mostly summer pastels, which just a few darker hues also thrown in.  

This is a seven week row-along, with new block patterns released each Monday.  We are on week 3 and here are my blocks so far:

I'll update you again in a couple of weeks.  

Till then...

Guest Room Travel Decor Finished!

Hello Blog Friends,

My guest room is ready for all comers!!

Here are my Guest Room finishes.  The bed runner, pillow shams, pillowcases underneath, three throw pillows, window valance, and dresser runner.  Bed runner measures 29" x 74" and fits on this full size bed with a 12" drop on either side.  I quilted it in a straight line, cross-hatch pattern.  Backing and binding are the dark turquoise world continents prints (same as the border).  Shams are made from the same print. The throw pillows, dresser runner and window valance are all made from left-overs and scraps and there is still enough for a quilt.  Fabrics are from the World Traveler line by Connecting Threads.

I still need to add wall decor...some I will make and some I will acquire on future travels.  I love the way the room looks so far, now I just need a guest!  Any takers?

Till next time... 

Scrapping In the North Woods

Greetings Blog Friends!

I am happy to report that I am back home safe and sound from a very relaxing and enjoyable scrapping weekend with friends at a resort near Crivitz, in northern Wisconsin.  

This is the rescheduled weekend (should have been in April) and we had a small group of 12 adventurous souls willing to break free of the isolation bubble and take a chance on life!  We employed social distancing (each person had 12 feet of table space) and sanitized our own work space, hands, etc.  Food prep was all done by my daughter, her BFF and me, and we wore masks for that.  Here we are in the kitchen...the Three Masketeers!

We had fun, laughed and shared the camaraderie of close friends all doing what they love...scrapbooking.  We enjoyed a beautiful location along the Peshtigo River and breathed in the fresh pine scent of the forest.  Everyone was productive and I was able to hit a personal best of 162 pages completed with photos and journaling!  Here is just part of the pile of finished pages  and a small sample of my favorites.  Now to get them all into albums!

My focus for the weekend was to scrap our February 2018 trip to Florida.  We spent several days in the Tallahassee area and the rest at a Disney resort to get the total Disney immersion experience.  I am happy to say that I got this trip all done!  Yay!

Florida Historical Museum in Tallahassee

Historic Old Florida Statehouse in Tallahassee

Car museum in Tallahassee

Disney portion title page

We spent 2 days at the Magic Kingdom.  This is the daily parade.

Tom Sawyer's Island, Magic Kingdom

It's a Small World, Magic Kingdom

Jungle Cruise, Magic Kingdom

Haunted Mansion, Magic Kingdom

Fun photos at Magic Kingdom

Disney After Dark, Magic Kingdom

Final page.  The photos on this page were from the pile of "rejects", or the not quite perfect shots.  The grid was cut with my Cricut machine.

Many of the pages were premade in monthly scrapping group.  Some have been waiting for years to see the light of day.  A title and a few extras, and Voilá, a perfect page!

*****

Sooo...you're probably wondering if I was afraid of going on the retreat?  Yes, I was hesitant, but I firmly believe that total health in these days of COVID19 depends not only on  physical well being, but also keeping the mind and spirit healthy as well.  We are human beings and need to be social.  Too much isolation for too long only breeds depression, paranoia and fear of everything and everybody as well as the mental and physical problems arising from that.  I feel refreshed and renewed and all those pages make me happy and give me a great sense of accomplishment.  This outing fell within my risk tolerance.  I'm glad I broke free of the bubble...I'm better for it and I'll do it again in a heartbeat!

Back to sewing again...I'll have a new project to share next time.  Til then...