Marvelous Monday Update 8/12/2024

Happy Monday!  It seems like the weekends go by so fast.  Did you do anything fun?

CRAFT NIGHT

I mentioned in a previous post HERE, my local library hosts a monthly craft night.  This month's craft was resin art.

We got to choose a silicone mold and dried flowers to make our resin art.  There were all shapes and sizes.  I choose a round coaster and set to work laying out the flowers.

 

Once the flowers were laid out, resin had to be mixed.  Had to stir very s-l-o-w-l-y to avoid air bubbles.  Resin is VERY sticky!  All the flowers had to be taken out of the mold and a thin layer of resin poured in.  Then the flowers were put on top of the resin and more resin over top of that.  If a person wanted to add color to the art, then a powder had to be mixed into part of the resin and poured over again as the last step.  I chose a blue/green color for my coaster.

 

And here it is. 

 I love how it turned out.

STITCHY STUFF

I had some time last week to work on Mrs. Martha 1776.  I wasn't a fan of stitching the tan on tan for the banner, but once the backstitching was added it looked a lot better.

MACHINE EMBROIDERY

A couple weeks ago, I posted about Kimberbell Day (here).  We started the Choose Kindness project and were to finish it at home.

I sewed all the chopped pieces together to make the quilt top.  Using the blanket stitch on my sewing machine, I quilted the top, batting, and backing together.  Once I get the binding and quilt label on, I'll show the final project.

CASITA NEWS

I finally had good weather (i.e. cooler temps, low humidity) to work on cleaning the oxidation from the Casita.  I shared the process HERE.  This past weekend, I was able to finish the top half!  I am so happy about it.  

Oxidation cleaner, Polish, and Wax... no more getting up and down the ladder a hundred times.  Now to finish the bottom half and the door.

Doesn't it look good?!

GARDENING

One of my favorite garden decor is a solar watering light that I have set up in one of my larger planters.

The lights flow downward like they are watering the flowers.  So pretty!

Until Next Time,

Marvelous Monday Update 7/22/2024

My area has been having some marvelous weather the past few days.  Temperatures in the mid to upper 70's/low 80's with no humidity.  Partially sunny days.  Ahhhh... I could live in this weather all the time!

How was your weekend?  I was busy, busy, busy!

CASITA

When I bought my 2017 Casita travel trailer a couple months ago, there were some things that needed attention.  One of the bigger projects is removing the oxidation that occurred while the previous owners had it.  Oxidation is the natural process that takes place due to the air reacting with the gel coat on the fiberglass which causes a cloudy film, thus taking away the shiny exterior.  I don't think the previous owners ever removed the oxidation.

With the right products, time... lots of time, elbow grease, and a "can do" attitude, that shiny exterior can be brought back to life.

Tools Needed:

•  A rotary polisher.  You can do it by hand but it will take longer and is a LOT harder work.  I purchased my polisher from Harbor Freight.  Because I spent over $50 that day, I received a free torque wrench.  Awesome sauce!  I needed one for the Casita and Anderson WDH.  Win, Win!

•  Polishing Pads.  The wool buffing pad shown in the photo above is to remove the oxidation.  I also bought foam pads for polishing and waxing.

•  Meguirs Fiberglass Restoration System.  There are other products on the market, but this is the one I chose.  It's an all-in-one kit:  First there's the Oxidation Cleaner #49 - Removes oxidation, water spots (in my case water streaks), and scratches from the fiberglass while restoring shine.  Second, High Gloss Polish #45 - Creates high gloss finish and restores valuable oils to feed/nourish the gel coat.  The last step is Pure Wax #56 - maintains the gloss while adding durable, long lasting protection.  I purchased this from Amazon.

Friday night after work, I got out my ladder and set to working on the upper half of the passenger side of the Casita. 

I can clearly see the reflection of my house on the upper half that I worked on.   It looks amazing!

Saturday morning, I got up and started working on the upper half of the front.  I was only able to get the the passenger side done before the sun came out.  The Meguirs instructions say to use these products in the shade.

The shine is evident on the left side where I worked on the oxidation.  The right side is dull and flat.

Since the sun was shining on the front, I moved to the back and worked there for a bit.

I removed all the oxidation and then called it a day because my arms were sore from holding up the 6 lb. polisher for hours, two days in a row.  My legs were sore from climbing up and down the ladder.  Up and down, up and down.  I'm happy with the amount I got done, though.  It's going to take several weeks to get the gel coat completely restored.

ETEGAMI

It's been a few years since I've done etegami painting.  If you're interested in learning about etegami, you can see my previous post HERE.  I'm sending out some RAK's so I wanted to include an etegami with each one.

COOKING

I have an abundance of rhubarb from one little patch beside by garage.  

Earlier this summer, I made rhubarb muffins on two different occasions.  I also made strawberry rhubarb crisp.  I recently found a recipe for Rhubarb "Tea" that I tried over the weekend.  It's more like a punch than a tea.

It's very refreshing and delicious!  If you have dogs, it's not safe for them to eat/drink.  It's toxic and can cause serious illness.

Here's the recipe in case you're interested.  I changed the name to Rhubarb Punch and I changed up the recipe.

RHUBARB PUNCH

4-5 c. Water

3-4 c. Rhubarb, chopped (fresh or frozen)

1/2 c. Sugar (adjust to taste)

Juice of 1-2 Lemons or Limes, for added tang

Fresh Mint Leaves or Lemon Slices, for garnish (optional)

Rinse rhubarb and chop into 1/2" pieces.  In medium sauce pan, bring water and chopped rhubarb to boil over med-high heat.  Reduce heat to simmer 15-20 minutes until rhubarb is soft and tender.  Add sugar and use immersion blender to blend everything together.  Adjust sweetness to your preference.  Allow rhubarb to cool to room temperature.  Add lemon or lime juice.  Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.  Serve over ice cubes.  Garnish with lemon slices or fresh mint leaves, if desired.

STITCHY STUFF

I finished a spring-themed mailart for an exchange.  I can't show it in it's entirety until it arrives at its new home.  Here's a sneak peek, though.

A couple of weeks ago, I started Mrs Martha 1776.  I consider this my souvenir from the trip I made to Virginia at the beginning of July.

Floss Toss for Mrs Martha 1776 by The Primitive Hare

Mrs Martha was a needlework market exclusive in 2023.  It's considered a semi kit as it contained the chart and fabric.  I swapped out some colors and brands of floss.

I love the fabric.  The white floss doesn't show up very well so I'm thinking I'll backstitch around it with a tan-gray.  What do you think?

Until Next Time,

Etegami 絵手紙

::hangs head in disbelief::

I cannot believe I forgot to write about Etegami!  

Back in June (Yes, June!), I took an Etegami art class taught by the same instructor who did the Chinese Brush Painting class.


Etegami is Japanese postcard art containing simple painted images and heart-felt words.  To complete etegami, the card is then mailed to a friend or loved one.  Etegami literally means "Picture Letters".
e = picture, tegami = letter.

The fun part about making etegami is that it doesn't have to be perfect (something I struggle with in the creative process).  In fact, the phrase "clumsy is good" is an important thing to remember when doing etegami.

Class was an all day event in which we learned and practiced etegami skills.  

My work space for etegami class

 It was such a fun day!  The fruits of my labor:

Bamboo

Peppers and Bok Choy

Carrots - These were fun to do!

Grapes

Ink Only - Orchids

Orchid - Painted from Still Life

Panda - Painted from Photo

Sunflower - Painted from Still Life

Trees

Bird

I posted these on my FB page and asked if anyone would like an etegami from me.  Since most of my FB friends are stitchy friends, I was overwhelmed with happiness that so many wanted one.  So, I've been busy making and sending Etegami!

So far, six of the seven I've sent out have made it to the "catcher" (the person receiving the etegami).

I sent the bird one I made in class to my aunt.  She has it on her refrigerator -- she says several of her friends just "love it".

The first wave of etegami sent out

 One of the catchers said she liked cherry blossoms so I tried my hand at them.  In return, she crocheted me a kokeshi doll. Love those things!

 

Another friend liked his so much, he sent me a photo and later said he taped it to his computer workspace.

I have sent out the next six. Where shall they land?  We shall see?

Until next time...