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howdy,
we just got back from a 2 week vacation in beautiful Nova Scotia. aaahhh.
I feel the stress of the city life already. so I look at these pictures.

Hubby and I had an evening and a day without kids!! So we went exploring. Of course, when I saw this beach, on our last day in NS, I wanted to go back and get the kids. Luckily, my DH is more level headed and we enjoyed it by ourselves, with just a twinge of guilt on my part.

The sand felt so nice....

This was from the day before. Check out the bird flying on the water.



Trying to squeeze the last bits of summer into this last week before school. Of course, the weather will still be great when school starts, but I have a full timer and a half day bunch for school this year. Oh a times, they are a changin'.

keep well,
Amanda

Friday Ritual

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.Amanda Blake Soule

down in the valley

Many years ago, I did my undergrad at Acadia University
I spent 5 years in the lovely Annapolis Valley and have longed to live there since. Whenever I visit my parents in Halifax, I take a day to visit the valley. Yesterday I went with my family, nephew and parents. We went to Grand Pre National Park, the site where the Acadiens were deported from Canada. If you've heard of Cajun music and food, it comes from the Acadiens from Nova Scotia.

Here is a picture of the church with a statue of Evangeline. Longfellow wrote a poem of her.

There was a very good movie with the small cinema built to look like the hold of a ship. Here is a display in the church.


After the park, it was up to the Blomidon Look off. Scroll down a bit
Beautiful, just beautiful. The tide was going out. They have the highest tides in the world up to 35 feet in some areas. The bottom of the Bay of Fundy is a red muddy clay that squelches and oozes when you step in it. ugh. shiver.
Anyhow, all that adventure to say, I bought a new craft kit. Yes, I need a new hobby to try. (NOT)
Rug hooking. I bought the hooked Santa ornament at the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool, NS

It's done with some kind of strips of cloth.
The kit below has wool yarn. I need to google how to do it properly. There's no way it should go so slowly. And what direction do you do it in? I did well with the 1st row, but then I turned back for the 2nd. yeah, even slower.
Anyone do this kind of hooking? Tips would be appreciated.


Thanks for looking and reading the drudgery of my vacation. :}
Amanda

Felt clips

Here's another thing I've been meaning to do...

Felt hair clips.

Fun. I can't wait to get into it. I have trouble making two of one kind though.


Have a good one...
Amanda

silent sunday

Guess who didn't catch the fish!

Photo has been edited

Capt'n RRRR

In the land of bendy dolls, the pirates have taken over!

Pirate bendy doll can be found here at
Princess Nimble Thimble


As I can't make a pirate play set in the lines of the mermaid set at the moment, I made a wearable pouch in the lines of
gnome in a leaf pouch


But my favorite part is that the pouch can be an eyepatch!!
Clever husband of mine suggested it. There are a few boys around here, so I'm doing an assembly line of pirates.
Look out matey! There may be a pirate attack shortly!

ARRRGGH

Have a good one,
Amanda

needle felted shapes

We have a new addition to our mermaid family..

A pink wee one to be doted upon. she has been loved and ooed and aahed over muchly.


I also got a bit of an ah-ha moment in the Bulk Barn! ha. Running down the aisles, I must have paused to think or something. it was next to the cookie cutters. The gingerbread cutters jumped out at me. Christmas!

That's as far as I've gotten with it. Should I go purist and only do needle felted ones? Put buttons on them and some ric rac? Some of each to please the masses? What? What? Guess I should ask that question when i make some samples first. you can vote. And yes, I meant to focus on the gingerbread, but the camera didn't. oh well.

And some flowers I was wanting to put on dowels as wands, but not sure how to attach. Any advice?


Like the new colours I got from Gemini Fibres? They are an online company too.


Have a good one!
Amanda

anybody know this caterpillar?

We just arrived at nanny's and the kids found a new friend.

he got to know the crooks and crannies of the kid's hands.

Anybody know what it is?
Edit to add:
found it, American Dagger moth

And there has been a bit of this to keep us on our toes. I finally had to put a stop to it. My heart couldn't take it. :}


thanks for looking,
Amanda

Friday Ritual

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Blake Soule


photo courtesy of Jennifer Blaauw Photography

bits and pieces

So here are some happenings around here...
A post at
mama from the hive reminded me that I made these eye spy bags last spring. So this summer, I've been on the look out for tiny things at yard sales. I got 3 good bags out of it.

Eye spy with my little eye, a spiderman...


See those felted stars under the tools? More to come... just trying to figure out how to attach them to the stick.


Here's a shot of the batik bunting i made. Still have a few more to paint, but I wanted to get it up for the party. what a lovely party.


And I googled the solution for these massive bubbles. Such fun. And to see the cars at the intersection stop a little longer to watch the next batch come out.

Great day at the beach today. I got burned. silly me. Summer is a slipping away.

have a good one..
Amanda

Mermaid play set

I'm so excited to show you what's in the box...


Would you like to come in for a dip? Hang out on my needlefelted star cushion?


Have a little look the the treasure shell? Maybe go up to the castle later?


it's such a nice evening out.


I was inspired by the play sets at Little Red Whimsy So cute. When I saw these purse like boxes on sale for less than $3 at Michael's, I took all three.
The inspiration for the mermaids come from
Princess Nimble Thimble


It was so much fun making this. I got lost in the scene of it. Don't you love when that happens?! The sandcastle in the back is a scrapbook sticker.

I made a bendy Pirate doll for Rafael. He has requested a pirate play set. He has good suggestions for it too!
Stay tuned.

thanks for looking,
Amanda

Happy Birthday Neve!

Dearest Neve,
I'm taking a break from preparing for your birthday party to think of you in the quiet of the night.
4 years ago tomorrow, you made your entrance. (that was the one and only time you wore that hat. on the way home from the hospital. your father didn't like it, I just thought it was goofy. sorry, it will be saved to show your future husband!)


You were an easy baby. You always had a funny streak and now you make me laugh until I cry and can't breathe.
You are a true girly girl with your likes of fancy, dance, pretty, glitter, sparkle. You are very excited to start Jr. Kindergarten and coming into your own, keeping up with your brother. You know what you want and how you want things and have many ways of getting them. I'm sure your teenage years will be far from boring. (I hope I can make it through it).
You still love a good, daily cuddle, thumb suck and an arm rub.

Miss Neve, Missy Moo Moo, Waffle, You have added so much to our family. I am so happy you are here and I look forward to continue watching you grow into the full person you will become.
Love,
yer mudder

faery house

After our trip to the ravine, my uncle wasted no time in making the house.


He spent the whole day in the yard, nailin', sawin', gluein' burnin' his fingers, teaching Rafael how to saw.


Isn't this so inviting?


I wanna move in.

I love my faery house. there's still some more vision he wants to create.

Did you notice the base the house was sitting on? yep, it's a chunk of tree. Yard sale find. They has a hook on the back, don't know what for, but it's going to be a table for the yard. So excited to find this. been wanting one.


thank you , thank you , thank you uncle

have a good one,
Amanda

glue pictures and bendy frames

It's gonna be a crafty day here today. my uncle is here and making us a faery house. He's a good faery housemaker.
We took a walk in the ravine today to collect supplies. I can't believe I've lived here for 15 years and not known about it. Did I say that already?


I bought some crayola 3D glue and tried the glue pictures on the back of the canvases that I used last time. this time, it worked! I love it. more to come. I'm going to make a bunting out of this. I'm also going to use this idea for Neve's bday.


And a few scores at yard sales today...

After starting the bendy dolls, I found a site with these wire legs and arms dolls. I think you could get them for about 2 bucks each. I got these at a sale for 1 buck. 6 of them! I'll be taking the clothes off and adding my own personalities to them.

ok, off to craft.
thanks for looking,
Amanda

Gemini Fibres

I was supposed to go to my home town's Come home year (all by myself) in Newfoundland, but travel plans were messed up so I didn't. That means I felt the need to treat myself! Off to Gemini Fibres in Mount Albert, ON (just north east of Newmarket)


With kids in tow, we made the trek up north with a stop at Mary Brown's chicken. it's a fried chicken chain that is very popular in Newfoundland, but not so many outlets around here. You have to travel to get there, so it is a treat. My husband doesn't get it. guess it's a nostalgia thing! Boy, I'm chatty this morning, but not outside of my head.

The store is chocka blocka with stuff! It's a dream. it's small. The kids wanted to know why there was a store inside of a barn.
I bought about 8 new colours of roving. I want to wet felt a playmat. and some weaver's thread to sew my gnome leaves. I'll take pictures of my loot later.

The grounds around the place are wonderful. There is man made pond (I think) with a little island in the middle of it. Of course, the kids wanted to explore.


They got to feel the bulrushes and hear the bullfrogs...


And were tickled to watch the monarch butterfly. get a picture mama, get a picture! ( I took one of the small digitals, hence the different photo quality)


After the buying spree (thanks to my sister in law's bday present to me a few months back) we took a little jaunt around Jackson Point, ate ice cream and had to stand under a store awning for 10 minutes while the deluge of rain came from the sky. Was pretty fun.

I have the day to myself today, with a few projects in the works. so come back tomorrow for some craftiness...

thanks for looking,
Amanda