The 'Creek Is Crazy And The Times, They Are A-Changing!

Mowing, mowing, mowing.
I'm forever mowing.
Man, my grass is growing knee high!

Hi everyone,

Boy, I apologize for the large gap between posts, but it has been one thing after another here!  We went from Winter in Ohio, to monsoon season!  The flowers are plentiful, but the weeds are more so!  My wonderful blogging companion, a 2007 iMac has been hinting for weeks for me to pull the plug and let it die peacefully.  It will just randomly shut down.  Perhaps it is time... though it has been cured before!

The 'Creek property has been in-contract and if all goes well, we will be moving the end of August.  Unfortunately, the "ladies" won't be joining us.  My friend Cliff and his wife Julie have been wanting hens for quite awhile and have invited them to go live on their lovely country property.  They are nearby and I will visit and report on them often.  The "Chick Inn" will be cleaned up and moved, possibly as a fancy but rarely used "dog palace."  Someday I may get more hens, but now isn't a good time for me to deal with moving them.

Ideally, I mow when I'm not working, and the mower is...  This year both of us have struggled with the yard, so I am glad to go where a push mower will be plenty.  I will miss the snacks I eat along the way, the last couple weeks I've had peaches and raspberries as I mow by them.  I hope the new folks will appreciate the property and enjoy it as much as we have.   The kids want me to move the bunnies and birds that are everywhere...enjoying my fruit before I have a chance to, I must say...

Here are some of the peaches that I was able to salvage.  There weren't many this year, but they were the juiciest, biggest ones ever!

Although I haven't posted much this Summer, I have been gathering ideas.  So, look for a plethora of topics in the near future!  I am excited that the "girls" and I are going back to this year's Stamp-away Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 8th.  I will share the news, products and ideas right after!

Until next time,

Gale

Gale's Gallery XVIV: No Sew Quilt Blocks!

Hello everyone!

Wow!  I didn't realize it had been so long since the last post.  Summer is flying by, following another Ohio non-existent Spring.  It's rained everyday for a couple weeks and boy does my yard look like it!

Audra and I painted this last week to celebrate the 4th.  The side is trimmed in blue and even though there are boo-boos, we like it!

I am always on the lookout for ways to quilt without sewing and paint without being an artist, so this is the perfect project for me!  It is a bit time-consuming, but only because you have to wait for paint to dry before taping next phase.  So, it's a good project to work on in short bursts of time.

I was first inspired to paint a barn quilt after riding through nearby Champaign County and discovering they have a "Quilt Barn Trail."   Unfortunately, I live in a semi-residential neighborhood and my "barn" is really a new-ish white metal pole barn.  Hmmmm... what to do, what to do?

Of course!  The "Chick Inn" hen house would be perfect for a diminutive version!  The "ladies" love to decorate.  (So much, in fact, that I don't decorate my house for holidays anymore.  It's quicker and cheaper to do theirs.)

My first attempt was the Ohio Star pattern and was 18" x 18."  It lives in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains now.  It was on plywood.

How to:

Though I started off using plywood, the gessoed frames from Dick Blick give more dimension and are smooth.  However, it is really important to have a true square and I have yet to get one that was perfect.  It doesn't matter the size as long as it's square, but bigger is easier.

You need really good painter's tape (I like the Frog tape the best, but I used the blue for this and only had a few touch ups.)  You want to press hard on the edges so paint doesn't get under the tape!  I also avoid running the brush into the tape, but rather away from it.

I just use plain old acrylics that I am trying to use up.  I have used patio paint, but I find if you use regular and seal it with polyurethane, it's just fine.  Don't spray the poly in high heat or it may turn yellow...

My blocks hang on the side of the "Chick Inn" that rarely sees rain and direct sunlight, so they last pretty well.  Here is another one...

I've been using this one for a few years.  It's appropriately called the "Hens 'N Chicks" pattern.

Well, must get ready for another showing!  I hope you will try this as it's super easy!

Until next time,

Gale