Tattered Garland with Lights

 

This is one of the little projects I alluded to in my last post.  One of those someday when I have the time kind of crafts... Well, someday came and here are the results.  A tattered garland for my front entry.

 

I grabbed some fabric, scissors and a couple of rulers.  I also grabbed a box of led lights I got for 80% off at the Hob Lob after Halloween last year.

 

I asked my DH to help tear all the strips of fabric.  They are one inch wide and the width of the fabric long.
Then we cut pieces 12 inches long.

 

I used one striped fabric as a little contrast.

 

Here seen from inside my front door at night.

I tied the strips right to the cord between the lights.  Maybe seven or eight strips between each light.
It went very quickly, about an hour working time total.  It helps to have a buddy tearing and cutting while you are tying. (Thanks honey!)

I like it, makes my house look less like the Grinch that stole Halloween lives here.(You know better, she does!;-) I can keep it up through Thanksgiving. (Guess who's coming to dinner?  YES, Penny, Kris...and Doug!)

The fabric was old for the most part, along with one of these bags that my friend Barb sent me.  They are vanilla bean mulch bags.  They have a beautiful vintage look with spots and discolorations that I just love.  I cut and used one bag to add to the garland.  I have other ideas for this already perfectly distressed fabric.  Thank you Barb for thinking of me, and if you want some Halloween, check out her post about a harvest fest she attended in her vintage camper.  Yikes!

Thanks for stopping by, service night this week which means I have some sewing to do.  I also have a little baking and a annual visit with one of my dearest pals Laura to celebrate her birthday.  Really looking forward to a girl's day out!  Have a great day my friends.

Memories...

 

We had a great weekend, quiet, cozy and flavored with a bit of Christmas.  There I said it, CHRISTMAS!
We attended a concert locally, invited by dear friends that go every year.  It was hard leaving the warm house and home made pizza I made for dinner, but we jumped in the car and headed to the concert.  What happened next is no surprise to anyone who has known me more than 5 minutes...  The choir sang their songs and I grew more and more sentimental and a little bit weepy.  Then at the finale, the choir came down into the audience and sang.  That's when ...Niagara Falls. I was a puddle by the time they finished.  The choir members that sang near us were altos.  That's the women with the lowest singing voices, and what I sang in my school years. Later, I was second soprano with the Young People's Choir. a group I helped start back in the '70's.  An emotional evening for me,  but especially for my friends, since they had  in previous years attended  the concert with their dear Mom, who has since passed.

 

I came home and listened to an album that our choir recorded.  A scrapbook in song.  I can pick out the voices, Laura, my SIL's twin sister, Ed, my brother Larry, I can hear Marci laugh, dearest Steve at the organ, Frank on the trumpet, Gerry on the conga, Sue on the tambourine, Sue on the maracas... (Because of a family wedding, Sue isn't really on this album, but is always there in my memory!) I can even hear my own voice among the others.  I can see Father Tom, my Mom and Dad and my dearest in the audience.

 

A HUGE part of my life was spent singing.  Our director Steve I loved dearly, and  he was a big influence on me, and someone I miss so much.  He would laugh to know how often I think of him...
Maybe he does know...

 

Anyway, this is what music does to me, has always done to me.
  Takes me back, makes me remember,
warms my heart and comforts me still.

 

If you are still reading, thanks for letting me walk down memory lane yet again.  Some things get stirred up, and since I want to chronicle such things here...there you go. 

All these photos are from Hannah's in Antioch, IL. An independent store that sells craft supplies and much more. I went looking for something and asked to take a few photos. You won't find most of these beautiful things at the Hob Lob or at Michael's. Whenever I buy something unique from them, I always get asked, where did you find that? I did buy one item that I'll show you when I use it. I've been a little crafty too, and I'll share that in my next post.


Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy this beautiful day my friends.

All To Ourselves

 

Behold Lake Michigan!

 

When you live in a highly populated area such as Chicagoland, you share space with a few million people.
Rarely do you go anywhere and find that you are alone...Except this morning.  We took a very early morning drive into the city to take our visiting son to work.  We took the scenic route home down Lake Shore Drive to Sheridan Road.  My better half suggested a stop at our favorite spot on the beautiful North Shore.  The beach was empty!  Sure it was 8:00am on a cold and damp October Saturday, but we had the beach ALL TO OURSELVES.

 

Looking up and down the beach there were only footprints...Human, dog and gull.

There were leaves floating in the waves...

and sitting on the sand.

 

We walked along the beach a little sorry that we hadn't bundled up for the weather.
What an amazing gift to have all of Lake Michigan to ourselves!

 

Lake Michigan never fails to impress and inspire.  You know I'm smitten, I've been under it's spell for my whole life.

 On the ride home we cranked up the heat,

and admired the view.

Don't you love when an ordinary day reveals the extraordinary?  Thanks honey, I'll remember today always. Have a wonderful day my friends.

Two Little Witches

 

Meet the witches, little bug...

 

and little bird.  That's as spooky as I get around here.  The little bird LOVES Halloween.  A couple of years ago, I found her a small broom and a little witch hat.  Pure pleasure, fun and a lot of love, these beautiful little witches. 

What do you think about  how Halloween is celebrated today?  When we were kids,
 (back in the middle ages...;-) Mom taped up some cardboard cutouts on the windows, mostly pumpkins and black cats. We always carved a jack o lantern.  Now the neighborhood lights up with orange lights, graveyards on the lawn, mummies on the porches.  Pools of blood... Giant spiders...YIKES!

We plug in our electric pumpkin, (no guts, I hate pumpkin guts!) fill up the candy bowl and we're done.  I do autumn and harvest and Thanksgiving...but not Halloween. I've had beautiful pumpkins last well into the new year... Reminds me of in the Great Pumpkin when Linus says to Lucy who is carving a pumpkin, "You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!"

I don't understand the attraction to gore, zombies,skeletons and such.  Now you answer the door for trick or treaters and you never know what you're gonna get...An axe murderer..horrible masks.  You could blame it on my advancing age, ...but I never liked it.

I digress as usual...  Oh well, enjoy this beautiful day my friends, and have a wonderful weekend!

More "Baskets"

 

Remember when I stamped all those baskets...  Well, here they are all assembled in 3D!  They are cute, not to fussy to make and a great little gift holder.

 

This gift is a little something for some friends at a local mental health center we support as a service project for our Guild.  I had this plastic type of tissue I found at the dollar store a while ago.  I cut it into squares with my rotary cutter.  Having the right tools for the job makes things go much faster. I wrapped it around a couple of tea packages before I slid them into the basket.

 

Like so...

 

These little tags are part of the stamp, I added the winter wishes since we don't add names. This ribbon is cool, every way you look at it it's different, sometimes red, sometimes green..perfect since these will be a part of a Christmas gift.

 

Slipped the basket into a bag and tied them with the tag and ribbon.

 I took everything I needed to complete this part of the project on a tray and parked myself in front of the TV to be close to my sweetheart...He fell asleep almost immediately and I had to wake him up to go up to bed.  So much for togetherness, right?  A Christmas project completed!

Speaking of Christmas, look at the cutest knee high socks my friend Mary Ann got for my sweet p.
They are already off in the mail, along with her Team Beekman shirt.  Oh how I miss that girl!!! 

Today is a baking day, I can't believe it's Thursday already and the 11th of October to boot.  Make hay while the sun shines my friends...That means, I gotta go.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day.