Ever wonder where all our great decorations come from?  They are mostly made right here in Five Forks.  Here is a work in progress.  Jon is cutting out bats.  They will go on the haybale in October.

 

Most of the fun decorations are made by Patty in her garage.  Oh wait...in Bill's garage.  She calls it Folk Art;  he calls it taking up space.  Anyway, she loves using power tools to create stuff.  So most of the Jack O'Lanterns, Scarecrows, Snowmen, etc.  are Patty's creations.  I help paint them.  We work well together.

 

This time I designed the haybale for Halloween, and decided it needs bats.  So I drew the patterns, and Jon cut out and painted the bats.  

 

I love wielding a spray can to paint graffiti, but power tools scare me.  I will leave that job to the professionals, (read: the fearless,) like Patty and Jon.  

 

HAPPY CRAFTING Y'ALL!!!

 

 

 

Text from Mark.  Apparently that's what those trees are called.  I love it.  And what a great looking hiking stick.  Nice job!!!

 

The swirl was caused by a honeysuckle vine wrapping itself around a young tree, and the tree continued to grow.  We see them all around the neighborhood, everywhere that honeysuckle and bittersweet grow.  They look really cool, especially now that we know what to call them.  

 

THANKS MARK!!!

 

 

 

Miss Gerry is up to her crafty mischief again.  Patty started it a couple years ago on Halloween, and I'm just keeping it going.  

 

I love playing with this haybale.  It is so fun and easy to paint.  The painting process took 45 minutes.  And I think the flower decorations were made years ago by Kim and Rick.  Glad they left them here for us to enjoy.  I hope this makes you smile.

 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

 

Look at this beautiful stained glass piece that Jim made for us.  For perspective, it is 13" x 18".  And it hangs in the top part of the window just below the stairs.  We LOVE it, and it's especially pretty when the sun shines through it.

 

When I took him a thank you note yesterday, he told me that Roxanne drew the design.  What a team they are!!!!  She creates the designs, and he turns them into stained glass.  What a fun craft.  And it keeps them out of the pool halls.  ;D

 

 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

 

Hahaha!!!  This is ME and nearly every other crafter/quilter/gardener I know.

 

Funny thing is:  We understand this COMPLETELY!!!

 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

 

After I posted the story about Bill's Moose, we walked the loop and I noticed a better photo opportunity.  I thought you'd like to see the beautiful wood grain in his body.  Much better picture for those of you who can't get up there to see Morrie in person.

 

Hmmmm.  The wood looks a lot like Tedd E. Bear down on the trail.  

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

 

 

 

We have all kinds of artists in our neighborhood.  Fortunately for you and me, some of them live on our walking path, so we get to see them and their art work.

 

As I was walking by, I saw Jim working in his garage.  He was working on this:  stained glass.  

 

I asked him if he used a pattern, and he told me that when Jan Geene moved she gave him all her patterns, and the extra glass that she and Al had used.  Don't you love to see good use of old stuff?  

 

I don't know if Jim does commissioned pieces, but it's worth asking him if you want something beautiful.  

 

HAPPY WINTER PROJECTS!!!

 

Years ago, one of my yoga friends gave me a camel hair coat with fur collar, that belonged to her mother.  She knows that I love to sew, so she thought maybe I could use the fabric for something, like my dolls.  The wool was good, the satin lining was in good shape too, and the fur collar was beautiful.  

 

Another friend of mine used the fabric from one of Momma's dresses and made a bear, a memory bear.  

 

So I got out Cathy's Momma's coat and made her a memory bear.  She looked so chic in her fur collar, that I had to give her pearls for her neck and ears.

 

I just loved this bear;  she came out great, especially for my first attempt.  Since then, I've made quite a few more, all with my special touch:  jewels.  

 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

 

This is a quilt kit I bought about three or four years ago.  I love the colors, and the size was just right for Momma's bed.  I knew she would love it too, so cheerful!  I started putting together the turquoise strips, then bogged down with the appliqué daisies.  Well, I got up the courage to tackle them a year ago.  Got going, and finished piecing the whole thing.  
 

I took it to Rhonda Adams in Murphy last February to be quilted.  She has one of those magic, computerized machines that does the quilting.  See the beautiful designs that make the fabric pouff?  That's what she added to my piecework.  Momma would have loved this.  I know:  I do.  Now, all I need to do is bind it all the way around, and it will no longer be a UFO (unfinished object.)

 

Rhonda gave me permission to give you her phone number, for your next quilting project.  Backporch quilters. (828) 557-8059.  She's amazing, very reasonably priced, and a gifted artist to complete your project.  
 

HAPPY QUILTING!!!

 

Hahaha!!!  Made you look.

 

This is a winter project from a couple of years ago.  My sister challenged me to a knitting project.  She sent me the pattern, and I knitted a praying mantis.  You can't go wrong with purple and green, for a giggle.  This one is 10 inches long.  It lives in our living room, and hasn't caught a single caterpillar.  ;)~

 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!!