I sent off these four caps last year to the Save the Children - Knit One Save One campaign. Some caps and all the letters were delivered in January to the sitting President of the United States who was not impressed by our efforts. The campaign has started again but this time when the caps arrive in Washington in January there will be a NEW President and hopefully a new set of priorities for this country. If you are interested in the program follow the above link for more information.

We have been working on some projects outside for the past month or so, here are some pictures.

This is the walk leading from the deck stairs along the side of the garage. The ribbon grass and ornamental grass we planted in the new flower bed went wild and had covered almost everything else in the bed. The flag stones along the opposite side of the walk are the ones removed from the landing at the bottom of the deck stairs.

This is the arbor that Steve built from the salvaged deck railing that we removed. It turned out really great...he didn't even have a pattern, just cut the pieces and fit it together.

This is the new railing, we sere told to wait six months before we stained it so it  will have to wait until next summer to be stained gray to match the existing deck. I think it is an improvement over the original railing.

This is a sweater I knit to donate to the Sweaters for Kids project. The color just wouldn't come out correctly....it should be a dark purple with bright multicolor slubs. I think it turned out pretty well, my knitting is improving.

The next picture is of a pin I made for the Face Pin Exchange, but I didn't get it mailed, not enough hours in the day. I have noticed on several bead blogs I read the bloggers have been giving away small items in drawings. There are no other rules than you need to leave a comment so I have your e-mail or blog address and you will be entered to win. The drawing will be next Wed. October 1st, so comments must be posted by midnight September 30th to qualify.

My September  BJP is started, this picture was taken over two weeks ago so there has been significant progress but this will give you a hint of what I'm doing. When I post the finished page I will reveal the Theme I will be using for the 12 pages.

I signed up for the 2008-2009 Bead Journal Project and added the new BJP Button to my blog, then I decided to test out some of the links I had listed and found that some didn't work any more and one blog had not been updated since 2006. That was a shock....someone that posts less frequently then me, how could that be????? I deleted all the links and decided to start fresh.

So if you would like to have your blog link listed leave me a comment and I will be happy to list you on my page as long as you are not selling cut rate pharmaceutical.

Well I finally got with it and finished, as I said in yesterdays' post I just couldn't make myself work on these last two pages. Some of the BJP participants have said the same thing about avoiding ending the project. I  look at all the wonderful pages displayed on the BJP website and even though I know I shouldn't I compare my pages to others I do and they come up short in areas.  Most of my pages have no inner meaning, some have meanings that I am not prepared to discuss which makes me feel like a piker since some of the participant have shared their deepest feeling and have experienced healing from that sharing. I still  haven't decide about participating in 2008-2009 several members have already started planning their pages and have wonderful plans and themes in the works.  I see me changing size or shape, but if I sign up it will be as a month by month adventure.

So your here to see the pages and this is April.......

The trees in the wood were full of flowers this year, the orchard next door and the tree lined streets that I drove to work on each day.  And this is my tribute to SPRING which didn't come until late April this year.

And this is May......

These are the paper cabs that I made earlier this year. I wanted to use them for my April page, but I just couldn't figure out HOW????? Then I finally gave the idea up and went with the flowering tree branch. With that page in progress I was checking out the 2009 Bead-it-Forward  project on Jeanette Shanigan's website . I also found a free pattern for a Flower Power Brooch  and I knew right away that was what I wanted for my May BJP page.

The technique was easy and the page says just what I wanted from the start.....flowers live in our sole we use flowers to express joy, and grief, and all the emotions in-between. I am always amazed at the beauty and individuality of flowers........ and people.

I think this is a fitting end to a year long project of growth and insight........ at least for ME.

I've been busy finishing projects, beading, knitting and starting new stuff. This first picture is of the finished bracelet that I started several months ago. I think it turned out great except that it is about one stone too big for my wrist....but it wouldn't look as great without all five stones....

I took this picture out side the garage in the flower bed. This deer has taken a liking to us and decided he needs to be close by. I didn't have to use the zoom......he was right there. He doesn't seem to be all that afraid which probably won't be a good thing later this fall.

I found this pattern on one of the free knitting pattern sites. I really like doing cables and this one had loads of cables. It was a new technique too, you start with a crocheted chain and then picked up stitches along one side and then along the other side and knit the whole thing from the bottom up on circular needles. I found a pattern for a Christmas pillow that I think this technique would work well for and I think I will give it a try later.

This is a bracelet pattern from one of the beading magazines that I picked up several months ago. It was fun and easy....the only problem is that it turned out to fit a little tighter than I like, but it is so soft  that it really doesn't bother me enough to take it apart and make it larger.

This necklace was made with delicas too, the drops are dyed cultivated pearls. It fits great and matches a bracelet that I made last year, which makes a nice set.

I have finally finished my Bead Journal Pages and will post them later tonight or tomorrow. I can't really say why it took me all this extra time to finish, it was like I hit the wall and just couldn't find the motivation to finish. I really enjoy doing the pages and I had the ideas, I just kept finding reasons (excuses) for not finishing. I haven't signed up for the 2008 project, or submitted my pages for the web site. I did read the instruction and one of the things I need to do first is to write some kind of introduction to my page.....you would think that wouldn't be a problem right....well here we go again the reasons I can't get to it this week are beginning to pile up already.......

Haven't posted here for quite a while....life happens, nothing really bad or good, just life.

I have been taking some pictures and working on beading, quilting, sewing and knitting. Earlier this spring we had some raccoon babies in our large sugar maple tree in front of the house. They are so cute when they are small....

We also have some great birds... this one is an indigo bunting

and of course goldfinches

We have had some really wonderful flowers this spring

I think this one will be used in a small quilt, I love the star that forms in the middle......

Love this yellow orange wild flower.......I see a small quilt in this one too.

I have more pictures to post of the bead and knitting projects I have completed. Hopefully I will have time to get them up later this weekend.

I have had my March BJP page finished since the last week in March but hadn't taken the pictures... so today is the day....

This is the teaser I placed on the BJP Blog

And here is the full page

And a close up... butterflies, leaves, all in shades and  hues of spring.  The page was truly done in Faith...the spring weather in Ohio has been colder than usual and I didn't have a living green sprout in the woods for inspiration.

I haven't started my April page, I have been pondering what I want to say about April and I have been unable to arrive at a concrete design plan. I know I want to use a face or maybe two on this page and have even made the faces from clay.

The ones on the right are baked and the ones on the left are air dry paper. The paper ones are light as air. I'm thinking the small faces will be flower centers, I will need to make a real plan soon or I will be behind again.....

I did finished a cuff  bracelet I started several months ago.....

The foundation is ultra suade.... I couldn't decide if I should fill in around the leaves, so just let it wait around for inspiration, I liked it the way it was so I finished it off. I don't have any clothing in those colors, but that hasn't stopped me from wearing it.

Thisnext picture is a bracelet that has been a work in progress since I purchased the polished stones several months ago. I collected a mountain of delicas and seed beads that I thought would look good then one by one eliminated all but a few greens and purples..... I still have two small stones for the right side to finish then I will need to shop for a sturdy clasp.

The wood ducks have returned for another year. They showed up about two weeks ago, which is a little later than usual.

It is amazing to me that they have been here every spring since we purchased the property in 1989. I  don't have any idea what the life span of the ducks would be, maybe these are really the second or even third generation.

Yesterday morning I was about to leave for work when Steve call to me to come downstairs and bring the camera. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I could see what he wanted me to take a picture of.......

There he/she was looking in the patio doors, he broused on some of the flowers and then munched his way to the back of the woods.....

We have seen tracks up around the house, but this is the first time I have had the chance to take any pictures.

I finished my March BJP page a couple days ago (actually BEFORE the end of the month), but haven't had the time to take those pictures....... We have a new website for the Bead Journal Project. If anyone is interested in taking part in the 2008 BJP you can read the rules and sign up on the site. Also all the 2007 participants will have a page on the site to display all of their pages in one place.... it should be very very cool when everyone has their pages posted there.