A Gift of an Evening
What a beautiful evening. A week ago I broke down and turned on the heat. Today - a whopping high of 71 degrees - it was warmer outside than in when I arrived home and I threw open the windows. One of the things I miss the most with the fading of...
New to the SHOP: Moose and Dove Ornament Kits
This week a moose and dove join the Downeast Thunder Farm SHOP. The Moose is one of my favorites. Spruced up with a wreath of holly, he makes a great Christmas ornament or gift. I've also added a Dove Kit that include metallic floss to make what...
Reflections of Autumn
It's ten days past summer and it's looking a lot like autumn here in Downeast Maine. The blueberry barrens, once seas of blue, are turning crimson in tune with the trees. When the reflection is more true than reality. We're not in high color yet,...
New to the SHOP: St. Nicholas and Christmas Penguin
I know. I KNOW! It's not even Halloween. Yet, if I'm thinking about designs for the WHRL's Christmas Tree Festival, you're likely starting to think about holiday crafts too. It seems in my world I begin thinking about holiday crafts when the...
First Frost
We had our first light frost on Tuesday. The car thermometer read 34 degrees as I scraped ice off the windshield. On my drive to work, I noticed the folks at Lynch Hill Farm had been busy overnight flooding the cranberry bogs to keep the berries...
New to the SHOP: Snowy and Boreal Owls
My pattern work all started with my owls and this week two more have been updated and join the SHOP - the Snowy Owl and the Boreal Owl. Hope you enjoy! I'm starting to think towards the holidays and would love to hear which patterns you'd most like...
A Summer of Passive Gardening
My dreams for my garden aren’t grand. Yet, it seems with each consecutive year, time becomes scarcer. With the demands of too many jobs, there’s little time left over for the things I enjoy. My garden is a prime example. Paul built me this great...
New to the SHOP: Short-eared and Great Horned Owls
Two more owls join the SHOP this week - the Great Horned Owl and the sweet Short-eared Owl. While I updated both owls, I redesigned the Great Horned Owl from top to bottom to have the more realistic look that I like. Enjoy!
New to the SHOP: American Crow and Raven
For some reason, I think of autumn as the season for crows and ravens - even though I seem them all year round. Maybe it's Halloween coming next month - or maybe it's that I'm swimming in black felt. Here are two black beauties to create.
The Boisterous Bottlenose Dolphin
It's been a bit of a dry summer on the new pattern front. With Hannah home and I working more than I can ever recall, I've not spent much time being creative. This Boisterous Bottlenose Dolphin has been in the works for a few weeks, but only today...
While I Was Away
I have deposited Hannah to Denison University for her sophomore year. She’s got a fabulous room and roommate situation this year and she said, “I have really good vibes about this year.” I cried for just a short while instead of the entire trip...
Our Last Weekend
What a whirlwind the last few days have been since Hannah finished work for the summer. Back-to-school shopping. Every outing with her seems like an adventure. We explored Cadillac Mountain - something we see from a distance on our end of the...
Pipers and Plovers
With just a week before she heads back to school, Hannah had the chance to cut her work day short. Of course, we went to the beach. I love August and September because the migrating shorebirds visit in large numbers. These Semipalmated Plovers...
New to the SHOP: Ruby-throated and Calliope Hummingbirds
I had the privilege of sitting under a tent in the pouring rain at the Farmers' Market today for Incredible Edible Milbridge. Since few braved the rain, I spent my time reworking the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Calliope Hummingbird patterns so...
Sunset on the Barrens
It’s blueberry harvest season and Hannah is in the thick of it. This is her third summer working for Jasper Wyman & Son. After her first couple of weeks working with HR gearing up for the season, she’s been in charge of one of the scales...
Nineteen
She’s 19 today. Hannah – the brightest star in my universe. There are so many things I love about this young woman. Her big heart. Her willingness to stand up for what’s right. Her work ethic. Her wacky sense of humor. Her sharp mind. Her...
New to the SHOP: Timberdoodle and Dark-eyed Junco
My American Woodcock or Timberdoodle, as I prefer to call them, along with the Dark-eyed Junco have joined the other wildlife felt ornament kits in the SHOP. In addition to the 24 ornament pattern kits in the shop, you’ll individual felt sheets,...
The Sandpipers are Back!
The blueberry harvest is upon us and Hannah is in her third summer working at Wyman's. The first couple weeks she worked with HR, then she moved over to operate one of the scales that weighs pallets of berries the trucks bring in from the fields....
New to the SHOP: Bald Eagle, Evening Grosbeak, Felt and Beads
My Evening Grosbeak and Bald Eagle have joined the other wildlife felt ornament kits in the SHOP. You'll also find individual felt sheets in all of the colors I carry for my patterns, white and black seed beads and needles.
Our Happy Place
When your girl has had a miserable day and comes home feeling blue, there's only one thing to do. Go to your happy place. A few minutes in the salty breeze, wading in the frigid tide and you could see her anxiety deflate just a little. I'd do just...
The Tiniest of Backyard Birds
I love these tiniest of backyard birds. It seems like I never have time these days to lie in wait for the hummer's acrobatics. Yet yesterday, I found myself in the right place at the right time. And managed to focus the camera just right. I do much...
The ducklings are grounded!
Since we moved the ducklings outside into the halfway house, Squeak has taken to hanging outside their run. He's a lonely duck. After ten days living outdoors, we gave the ducklings a bit of freedom to start the unification process with Squeak....
Piping Plover, Sandpiper, and Felt Join the Shop
Two shorebirds join the Wildlife Felt Pattern Kits in the Shop – the Piping Plover and the redesigned Semipalmated Sandpiper. I've also added felt sheets to the Shop including: A Wildlife Patterns Starter Pack that includes 15 6x9-inch sheets of...
Introducing Baby Downy Woodpecker
I apologize for the poor pictures. I finally relented and put the screen back in the living room window. This makes photographing birds at the feeder less than ideal. This was a first for me. Mama Downy Woodpecker brought her youngster to the suet...
American Goldfinch and Red-winged Blackbird Felt Kits Join the Shop
Two new Wildlife Felt Pattern Kits join the Shop – the American Goldfinch and the Red-winged Blackbird. Enjoy!
