Revamping A Camper "Fearless Nesting" Style

This is a closeup of a bird print I decoupaged onto a magazine rack.

This is where you can download many of these awesome vintage prints free. Click here

This is the "before" shot of the magazine rack that is in the camper.

In the kitchen I painted and distressed the bottom cabinets with a color of Valspar Paint called "Woodlawn Charm."




I added a few of our copper raku fish pulls to replace what was there before.





The "before" in all its glory.




My husband would like to point out that he did a really nice paint job on the top kitchen cabinets,
only to find them in this condition the next day. What IS it with me and sandpaper?






And just what was wrong with the gold trim and lovely oak
veneer in the "before" picture?


We are having a blast working on this project together . . . it's final destination will be a little spot tucked away in the woods of Maine. I can't wait!

Getting Funky With Felted Wool

This is my stash of wool yarn...

and here are my bamboo knitting needles.





I like to knit with wool, because it shrinks when you wash it in hot water and you get a totally different look. The process of shrinking wool is called "felting."
Here are before and after pictures of a couple things I handknit in wool on a larger bamboo needle. In the before pictures you can clearly tell they were knitted. In the after pictures, the stitches are less visible and have a matted and much softer look.

Funky Felted Wool Fish Before....

Funky Wool Felted Fish After....

Funky Handknitted Wool Hat Before.....

Funky Handknitted Wood Hat After.....

And this is the shawl I started today. It will be perfect for wearing on cooler spring days to take the chill off and will be a good way to dress up a pair of jeans, just in case I get to go somewhere fun on a Saturday night!

Or perhaps a visit to a nearby farm on Maine Maple Sunday. http://www.paintedpepperfarm.com/maple_sunday.html

Fetching Shore Finds

"You're Looking Rather Fetching Today"

I remember the father of my best friend in high school always saying this to his wife. Her amused grin told us that was exactly the look she had been going for. I had a sense that in order to look rather fetching, one must possess a somewhat captivating and charming sort of style, the likes of which could not be found at the local mall. Rather, the sort of style that more likely would be found in the most unexpected of places. Such as the place where I found my lovely sea glass pin. A sweet man in his 80's, who sells from a shop in his home over in Blue Hill, fashioned this lovely pin from an exquisite color of sea glass. Beautifully frosted and pitted from the many years only salt water and wind can bestow upon its surface, the closeup below shows it displayed in a natural setting.

Here it is pinned to my favorite winter hat.

I once made buttons out of smoothed mussel shell fragments I found on the shore, for an unexpected detail on a beach coverup I had knit in white cotton for a toddler.

The detail below shows the contrast of the weathered blue and pearl white colors of the shell remnants. I used denim colored thread to sew the buttons onto the coverup.

Here's a closeup of a pretty shell my little 9 year old neighbor Jewelia gave me.

I always wear this shell tied to a ribbon on a crocheted, bolero style vest, over a simple cotton tee.

Last summer while at Jasper Beach, I found this delicate bracelet that looked as if it had been made by a child. Two lovely shades of pink beads stretched onto a thin strand of elastic cord.

It was so unexpected to discover its delicate design fit perfectly around my adult wrist.

I simply adore all these charming little accents fetched from the shore.