by Susan | Jul 11, 2026 | Projects
I’ve been trying to resurrect my creativity and enthusiasm for some time now. I know folks have been looking for more felt designs, kits, and books, but I’ve been struggling. I’ve gotten pretty good at setting boundaries and at saying...
by Susan | Dec 23, 2025 | Odds and Ends, Projects
After creating felt ornaments for more than 13 years, you can imagine the scraps I’ve collected. Occasionally, I’ll dip into the scrap bin for a bit of this or that, but the scraps have mostly been forgotten. Christmas shopping with Hannah yesterday, I spotted a...
by Susan | Jul 24, 2025 | Projects
Another Women for Healthy Rural Living Summer Auction is upon us. Hannah and I both designed wooden step stools for this year’s “Step Up for a Good Cause” Online Silent Auction. I’m so proud of Hannah–her submissions are stellar. She did two...
by Susan | Dec 8, 2024 | Bird Patterns, Odds and Ends, Projects
A few years ago, I turned my Joyful Owl into a tree topper that now sports a jaunty red scarf. This gray-colored owl looked sweet on past trees, but not this year’s Christmas tree, which has a more natural white, green, and brown theme. What to do? In October, I...
by Susan | Nov 29, 2023 | Odds and Ends, Projects
Oh, it’s my favorite time of the year! WHRL’s Winter Festival & Auction is just around the corner. I’ve felt time-poor this season leading up to the event, but I’ve got new designs and some old favorites for auction entries. I love Charley...
by Susan | Aug 2, 2023 | Odds and Ends, Projects
When I came home one day with a picture of a “mud kitchen” and asked Paul if he would make me, he agreed – as he almost always does when I volunteer him for a project. He’s been busy working on my Women for Healthy Rural Living “honey...
by Susan | Nov 13, 2022 | Projects
This Joyful Owl in the Square is my latest submission for WHRL’s Winter Tree Festival. The felt owl (download the free pattern here) resides in a wood frame embellished with artificial pine, berries, and a lotus seed pod. Paul made the simple 12′ frame...
by Susan | Nov 12, 2022 | Projects
It’s less than three weeks to WHRL’s Winter Tree Festival & Auction on December 2-3. That means that the ribbon, baubles, and crafting supplies have exploded throughout the house. My first entry, which started this summer, is complete! A few years ago,...
by Susan | Sep 24, 2022 | Odds and Ends, Owl and Raptor Patterns, Projects
Last weekend I started working on felt Joyful Wreath Owls – thinking ahead to this year’s Winter Tree Festival and Auction. I love making these gray felt wreath owls. Then I started thinking about something a little different. How could I switch things up....
by Susan | Jun 19, 2022 | Odds and Ends, Projects
Some time ago, Paul asked me to convert my Downeast Thunder Farm logo owls into an image file he could use with his X-Carve machine. His first test run with that simplified design was on the garden trug he made for me a couple of weeks ago. Last week he started...
by Susan | Jun 3, 2022 | Odds and Ends, Projects
Each year, Women for Healthy Rural Living has a raffle auction – except for the last two COVID summers. I’ve often been able to talk Paul into making and donating an item. In the past, he’s built a rowing dinghy and a child’s pedal Bugatti car,...
by Susan | Feb 8, 2022 | Odds and Ends, Projects
In December, I shared my first project created with my Cricut Maker 3 – Downeast Thunder Farm birds made from wood veneer. At the same time, I was working on another Cricut Maker 3 project that I couldn’t share until after Christmas. Inspired by round wood...
by Susan | Dec 14, 2021 | Projects
I splurged this fall. One little idea spotted on Pinterest that used wood veneer, and I went down the rabbit hole. After tons of research, I purchased a Cricut Maker 3. A couple of small projects behind me, and I started devising wooden birds from my designs. It took...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2021 | Projects
Holy moly, it’s been a race leading up to WHRL’s Winter Tree Festival. While I’ve shared some of what I’ve been working on, Hannah has invested her energy into two things. The first is a Whale in Sweaters wreath that is just darling. However,...
by Susan | Nov 26, 2021 | Projects
This entry for WHRL’s Christmas Tree Festival and Auction is a trio of minimalist vintage Maine Map Christmas Trees. A vintage map tree I spotted on Pinterest from Bombus in the UK inspired these designs. Paul cut three triangles of wood culled from his scraps....
by Susan | Nov 7, 2021 | Odds and Ends, Projects
The Enchanting Winter Woodland Owl Wreath is my second entry for WHRL’s 2021 Winter Tree Festival. Inspired by a wreath I spotted on Pinterest, I scoured the woods for some young trees with thumb-sized branches. Four lengths snipped 14″ long were left to...
by Susan | Nov 2, 2021 | Odds and Ends, Projects
With WHRL’s Winter Tree Festival & Auction just a month away, I’m relieved to be ahead of the game and have my first entry finished. This summer, I spent many hours on my porch painting these little wooden lobster buoys. I strung the individual buoys...
by Susan | Aug 17, 2021 | Odds and Ends, Projects
Since working on the Maine Lobster Buoy Adirondack chairs for WHRL’s Chair-ity Auction, I’ve been in a buoy frame of mind. I started thinking about a buoy-themed tree for WHRL’s Christmas Tree Festival. I rummaged through Paul’s scrap wood pile...
by Susan | Jul 23, 2021 | Odds and Ends, Projects
In the last few years, Women for Healthy Rural Living – or WHRL (formerly Women’s Health Resource Library) has had a summer auction. Two years ago, I created my Navigating Maine Coffee Table for the event. Last year, we decided to have local artists...
by Susan | Jun 27, 2021 | Odds and Ends, Projects
Do you know those Honey-do items that languish on the to-do list? This one has been languishing for about 15 years. In part because there have been so many projects on the list and in part because I didn’t nag. Years ago, I refinished this old chest of draws...
