Day 60 of my Ugly Tie Hexie Quilt wallhanging. (Formerly a pillow cover)

I am embarrassed to say that I have been "working" on this quilt for over 2 months. In my defense, I have not worked on it full time (I have a 2 year old), and I never did a Hexie Quilt before.  I thought it would be fun to try with my Dad's old tie collection. #uglyties #hexiequilt

Cuting out and then sewing together all the little hexigons was a little tedious, but embellishing them with beads and thread was a little more exciting. Halfway through sewing them all together I decided that I did NOT have the patience/time to actually create a pillow cover. A "simple" wall hanging would have to do.

So now I am trying to figure out how to finish and hang my masterpiece. It needs to be done by April 5th for my Dad's birthday...

I thought I would simply sew it to a felt backing and hang it like that, but I didn't like the way it looked so UNfinished.  I decided to go a little fancy and show some crazy hash stitches on the white felt. That looks kind of cool. So much for making a simple wall hanging. This has gotten way out of hand.....

Did I mention that I have been doing all those little stitches in my laundry room on my dryer? It has the best natural light, and the dryer is at the perfect height...

To be continued...

Cute DIY gift idea to give to a visitor

A few weeks ago my dear friend Xiaoning stayed with me for a few days in Panama. Among all of the exciting things we did, was seeing the beautiful Isla de Contadora. When I scout beach stones for my collection #beachcombing I like to see what they look like wet. I happened to snap a photo of this little guy and she thought it was cute.  Flash forward one week...

I was looking at my stash and remembered how she liked my smiley stone. I thought it would be so cute if I could find a way to send one to her to remember her stay with me.

I took some clear nail polish and painted a face on one of my stones.  Dead ringer for the original!!! 

To make it even more special, I wrote the date and place on the back with a coloured pencil, and sealed it with a clear nail polish heart.

That is when my 2 year old daughter wanted to join in on the fun. She created the face above.

Then I added PINK nail polish and glitter to the mix. #toddlerfun

I let her decorate some #seaglass that I will send along with my stone.

Come and visit again Xiaoning!!!!!!!!!!!

20 fun things to do with scrap yarn (even if you don't crochet)

I love yarn. The texture, the color, the promise of something cool to be made. The problem is I don't have a lot of patience to actually knit or crochet or weave something cool. I buy pretty yarns and strings, and stow them away to wait for inspiration to strike. Here are a few ideas for that yarn stash that don't require that much planning, or patience.

Wrap a chair.

Wrap hangers.

Wrap flip flops,

or some gifts.

Make a wreath,

or a mobile.

decorate a pillow,

or some branches.

Sew it.

Weave it.

Embroider it.

Dream about it.

Make LOVE.

Make art,

jewelry,

Yarn feathers.

Yarn moustache.

Yarn bomb!

There are SO many things to do with yarn that don't involve time consuming knitting or crochet.  Sometimes yarn is so pretty I like to just look at it and dream...

Isla Contadora

When my guests were here, we went with them to Isla Contadora, one of the beautiful Pearl Islands off of the coast of Panama in the Pacific.

We took a ferry from the Balboa Yacht Club on the Amador Causeway.

The ride took about 1hour and 15 minutes, but the time went by quickly. They showed a movie on a flatscreen TV on the boat. I think it was Jurassic Park, but I didn't pay attention. Plus it was in Spanish...

It was late February which is the "dry" season in Panama. The weather was gorgeous and the sky was as clear as the water. It made for smooth sailing, although the return trip was a little choppy. I spotted my future private paradise along the way......

The ferry stopped a few yards out and from there we took a little local johnny boat to shore. #saltlife

The water was beautiful and clear, with not too many waves.

I was able to search for sea glass and smooth rocks for my collections... #beachcombing

I wandered a around the island on my own before the tide got too high.

With a little paint and some elbow grease, I could have this up and running in no time! This boat was similar to the one we took back to Panama (kidding). #graffittiart

I found a project that had been abandoned half way through. I don't know what happened during the construction but the view was breathtaking. I pictured myself floating in the crystal pool with a Mojito in my hand...

I had always wanted to visit the Pearl Islands and was glad I had a chance to go with my friend Xiaoning.  Like most of Panama, it has beautiful aspects, and areas that just couldn't quite make it in the battle for tourism dollars. I liked it and enjoyed it's beauty. I will return to explore another day. Maybe by private plane?