The End of March Update

Just a little post of what we have been doing these past few months.

The Kitchen Jotul provided lots of comfort this year... always feels so good to feel that heat and see that cheery flame. 

Ok now, this was a fun find! ...  the Schwinn Air-Dyne exercise bike.. non electric... Manual.. totally works by just pedaling... you never have to plug it in! ...even gives you a cooling breeze as you pedal... 

It was given to us when we went to a yard sale.. the fellow just wanted it "gone" as he had sold his house and had to move that very weekend...  so we loaded it on the trailer and took it home..  Perfect condition and was it Heavy!!!   So solid... found out after some research that it is quite a Collectors item and I can see why... they don't make things like this anymore ... you know, things that don't wear out!  From the 1970's...  It is practically indestructible and you can do lots of different exercises with it other than just basic pedaling.. Love this !

This beauty was also being given away.  It is one of the coolest looking sewing machines in my collection.  It needed cleaned and oiled as most all old machines do, but I like to see if I can get them back in working order. It even came in its own table. It has a very masculine appearance don't you think?... brown and cream with lots of dials... also very heavy.

This machine was very dirty and dusty mostly just from sitting someplace where dust and grime accumulated...  most parts of it were seized and needed quite some time for the oil to soak in. 

The original  Kenmore ad was still with it, torn from the pages of a mid 1960's Simpson's Sears catalog.  I believe it is one of the early fancy stitch machines... Made in Japan.  The sewing machine industry was something that grew huge in Japan after the second world war as they were trying to get their economy built back up... shifting from war machines to domestic machines... and Japan made excellent quality machines.. 

Here "He" is with his top metal lid removed... a bit of a look at the many working gears and moving parts.  I oiled everything that moved and even the parts that never. It eventually loosened up and everything started working in unison.... but it took a few days.  He had not been used for a long time but was almost like new.  I don't think it ever saw much use.

 Thought I'd test it out.  I had an old pair of oven mitts that were worn out, dreary and darn ugly... made from an old pair of recycled jeans years ago... they had done their service and were ready to retire.

  I took a pattern off them and sewed a new pair up using that groovy sewing machine above... worked great. I reused the inner padded insulating lining.  

The fabric was left over from the drapes in the living room.  I preshrunk it and it was fine for the job... besides it's pretty and heavy and so much nicer to look at.

We are still in the studio making jewelry too. Here are some new "Fiddleheads"... can't wait for the real fresh ones to pop their heads up...  and a pair of "Ship and Whale" that are always popular with visitors to the Maritimes.  

The sand dollars in the background were found on the St. Martins beach at one of the times of year when the tide is very, very low and goes out the farthest.  They were on the sand at exactly the point where the tide turned... you had to be quick to gather them.

 An in-progress shot of the  Fiddleheads after fusing, being set up to have the hole drilled for the earwire... at this in-between unfinished stage they have not yet been hammered, buffed or polished. 

Also doing some forging and shaping on the big steel textured block, my dad found for us years ago.  

And every once in a while I unload some art supplies and spend some time making art.  I particularly like the new Sakura "Koi" water brush.  That's it lying across the small white sectioned dish... the main body of the brush is a water reservoir... no problems with leaking and the bristles hold their shape well...  A pleasure to paint with.

Till next time. All the Best!

April Beach Walk by the Bay of Fundy

 

  You're welcome to come along.... breathe the fresh salt air... beachcomb... take in the sunshine.

 The tide is going out and there is plenty of pebble beach to wander on.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The dogs get so excited when they find we are going down here.
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Desideratum Art and Jewelry Studio, St.Martins, on the Bay of Fundy,

New Brunswick.

It All Started With A Craving For Butter Tarts

... and I remembered my friend Vee had a great recipe on her blog a while back.  I made 2 doz.

I used some pie crust I had in the freezer... it's thawing out here.

... had to test run my new oven... I have not had a working oven since January.

my choice... I was willing to wait to find the one I wanted... I kept holding out.. and finally... I can put the toaster oven on holiday.

 

Yumm, they turned out good....

and yes, that is the Teapot we were drawing with the crooked knob on top. My friend Rachel made the plate.

Since I was in the mood I made a couple loaves of bread, they raised a little faster than usual as it was such a warm day but they were ok just the same.

There were a few bananas that had reached their limit of sitting on the counter and they weren't going to go to waste.... so as long as i was testing out the oven... Banana Bread came next.

 really simple and good.

well since I now had some fresh warm baked bread   I took out some frozen strawberries and stewed them up.. I like this much better than jam.

In the cook book that I found the Banana Bread recipe in, this little quote was at the bottom of the page

 Have you ever noticed that? sort of like when you hit your thumb with a hammer and you blame the hammer.

While the bread was raising I was working on earrings up in the studio. This is just the beginning phase of the little Scissors

 that go with the Thread.  

At the same time this little guy was climbing up the corner board of the house outside my work window... he is about 15' feet up.  Max took this pic.

 Tobi and Tabitha saw him... they didn't get him... but they wanted too..

 

 he ran up and hid in the Virginia Creeper.

which is just now beginning to have these lovely little bud type clusters popping out all over.

 

 He soon escaped and scooted under the picnic table and was gone into the rose bushes..

...oh there is Max down there... and Tabitha

 These are some favourite little beach combings collected over the last few times at the shore... I love the wishing rocks with the rings around them.

 There are Daylilies blooming everywhere.

 Early in the morning going down the driveway,

 bright yellow flowers were blooming behind the neighboring garage

 Then I noticed that the field across the road from our wild apple trees, looked different... the farmer had cut his hay. It was a perfect hot drying day for it.

This is later about supper time and now he has it half baled ... I love the rhythm and pattern it makes... looks so neat and clean.

here's a closer look.  He always tends his field with care.

 This is why we were going down the driveway at suppertime.. to cool off and relax by the Bay of Fundy. It is only a couple minutes away.  Even when hot weather comes, it usually cools off at night so you have a relaxing sleep... no need for air conditioners here.

The tide was high and it was a hot day with a gentle breeze

 The dogs were hot so John tossed each of them in to cool off

Is that the look of relief?  

 Tobi helped her dry off... or maybe he was just thirsty.

...don't know how quenched he would have been after licking off salt water.  Tabitha didn't care one little bit.

 On the way back home the farmer had finished the whole field.  He usually cuts a second crop later in the summer.   It looked beautiful!