Tiny Gift Boxes Ready To Fill

I started out with these tiny little cardboard gift boxes you can pick up at any craft store.

And collected some "moose" moss. That's the pretty moss you can always find hanging from the limbs of dead tree branches here on the coast.

Cranberries, pinecones and a sea shell get laid on a bed of moss.

This moss has a wonderful wispy trait and is such a pretty shade of green.

A few years ago I decorated some of these tiny gift boxes with some family photos.

with some ribbon glued on for trim.

with pine cones, cranberries and some glitter.

To make the glitter stick, I used spray adhesive on the cranberries.

The final touch is just some colorful tissue paper for the inside.

And it's always nice to have a few of these on hand to hold a handmade gift.

Safe Harbor For A Mermaid

Walking along Ocean Avenue in Sorrento near dusk this evening, we came upon this Mermaid.

And a couple large pieces of driftwood washed up on the shore.

Probably because the waves were a little less gentle here today.

The wind has blown off what leaves were left on the trees, contrasting with the late autumn colors of the ground cover.

You have to know though, Sorrento is known as a safe harbor and the Mermaid was never in any real danger.

All is well that ends well.

And we have been blessed with another perfect ending of a day, right here in Sorrento.

Schoodic Region Acadia National Park

Just 12 miles from our home is this gorgeous part of Acadia National Park known as the Schoodic Region. It's like a mini Acadia with breathtaking vistas in a rather compact area. Here's a lobsterboat passing an island lighthouse.

We parked and walked right along the road.

Rugged

Rockbound

Coast

of

Maine



Just in case there was any doubt.

Sea Decor

I forgot to post pictures of a project I did earlier this year using these 3 wooden letters. Normally I would have applied paint and mounted them on a piece of driftwood, but I decided to give them a layer of tiny treasures that I collected from the shore.

With just some glue and a little liquid gold leaf to enhance the sea urchins, I just began layering shells and sea glass all over the letters.

And then I added them to a frame that I painted over to make it easy to hang.

A romantic piece of art, laden with the sea.

What's For Lunch?

Inspired by a book our daughter Jen had given me, that encourages trying new combinations while using colorful ingredients, I looked around to see what I had on hand that was colorful.

The last of my yellow garden tomatoes had finally finished ripening and would provide the color.

And some leftover grilled salmon from last night's dinner.

Add some dried cranberries, cucumbers and crumbled goat cheese to a bed of plain old iceberg lettuce and there was lunch!

And before you get all impressed with this freshly baked bread.

It was from those frozen loaves you let rise and bake up yourself. But oh did it make the place smell lovely on this blustery late autumn day in Maine!

Almost Endless Supply of Toile

Toile is one of my favorite French inspired fabrics, so when I found this rubber stamp in the bargain bin I snatched it up. My mission was to experiment to see if I could use just plain acrylic paint with this rubber stamp to apply a pattern of toile on some fabric I had laying around to make a window covering.

Well, I found an old white sheet that had seen better days, doubled it up from the length and sewed a zigzag stitch up to the border, finishing off the sides as well. I pressed it with my Parisian (of course) linen water to give it a glorious scent. Ooh la la!




I had enough to make a valance for my curtains too. I used a square piece and doubled it over by folding it into a triangle, sewed right sides together, turned, pressed and then began stamping away.

I see a pattern developing . . .

Yes, definitely toile. I love how each stamp is either darker or lighter in tone too. Adds character you know.

And what's toile without a fleur de lis? This was done with some liquid gold leaf and a fleur de lis stencil. The gold leaf bled a little over the stencil, but again, more character!

I soaked the fabric for this pillow in strong black coffee before stamping.

This is giving me so many ideas! You know, I've always wanted a room done in toile wallpaper. Hmmmm.

High on Beech Mountain

This morning we took a hike up to the fire tower on top of Beech Mtn. in Acadia National Park.

Although sunny, it was a bit brisk and blustery with the late autumn winds during our ascent to the top. From where I stood to admire this scene, it almost looked like a painting to me, rather than real life.

Huffing and puffing, we're almost there.

Hey, wait up Henri!

You can see such a great distance from the top, that without the benefit of a panoramic camera, this picture just doesn't do it justice.

Here's the view from level 1 of the fire tower which was the highest level that was open.

This is on the way back down.

Close to the bottom, we met a couple of doggies that were just heading up to the top.



We found out they were around our age (in dog years). Piece of cake!