Cottage Life

"I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give." ~Thomas Jefferson

Charlotte Lyons is a wonderful writer and designer and I was happy to be able to take one of her workshops at the last ArtFiberFest, "Enchanted Felt Cottage". This was my take on the felt cottage concept. I loved seeing all the unique creations underway in class.

Useful Thing

There are so many things out there that make our lives easier and more fun. They can be tempting and it's hard to know on sight if these gadgets are really worthwhile. This Bias Tape Maker from Simplicity caught my eye at Jo-Ann Fabrics; on sale for $89, plus a bonus $10 gift card for making the purchase. It found it's way into my heart and cart, an early birthday gift to myself.
So, this little machine folds, presses, and rolls out a one inch, single-fold bias tape in a flash. You wind a fabric strip on the spindle. After feeding the strip through the bias tip and pressing platform, you press a button and out comes the finished tape. The whole set-up is pretty easy and, if you hate standing at the ironing board pressing bias tape like I do, makes your sewing projects a whole lot easier. It's definitely a keeper. Video demo from Simplicity is here

Just a couple more pictures from Oysterville before leaving the beach and heading back to the real world. There's quite a deer population on the Long Beach peninsula. We often find them grazing near our place in Ocean Park. My neighbor spotted black bear last weekend at Leadbetter Point, but I didn't have any luck seeing them this time.

I'm always captivated by this window, with it's bottles lined up across the panes.

Haven't taken more photos these last overcast days. It's cool and wonderful, so no complaints. See you back home.