Signs of Fall

For the final study of Capisicum pepper, (herb of the year), my Herb society group learned how to make a hot pepper ristras. The best kind to use for this  is thin skinned cayenne peppers. They will dry well without getting moldy inside.

A beautiful selection for everyone.
We used disposable gloves, fishing line and a large needle to string them.

We tied a raffia bow on the top.

Even if you use green peppers they will turn red as they age.

Through out the next year these will be ready to cut and use in your favorite dishes.

This is Denise with her flower dyed scarf from last meeting.

Homemade salsa with peppers was enjoyed with the rest of the snacks.

And of course a fall punch was made with cinnamon sticks, cloves, apple cider etc. We have the best Herb Society.
 

A first birthday present for my grand niece.

Wish I could say I knit it but no I bought it at the Farmers market from the knitter.

ArtPrize is here. For the past 10 years or so Grand Rapids, Mi. has hosted a international Art Show. Artists are represented from all over the world. The whole city becomes a art gallery, inside buildings and out along the streets. I spent a day hiking around the city enjoying the art especially the textile art.
I loved this piece, a traditional rug woven in a non-traditional way.
 

This is the artist name and her country she is from.

A couple of days later I read that her rug was picked by the jurors as one of the finalists for the $200,000 prize! I love to see textiles in the same category as fine art.

2 years ago a large, large pictorial quilt of the Sleeping Bear Dunes won the grand prize.

Another textile piece from Poland.

This piece was knitted from flax cord,

into a very organic looking piece.

A needle felted piece of the North.

Love this cement sculpture.

This was displayed in the entrance of a high end hotel. The winged horses  were magical.

Their shape is made only with individual wires hanging from the ceiling.

This was the entrance at Fredrick Meijer gardens and sculpture garden where there were more art pieces.

I think this was my favorite "sculpture" there.

Full Harvest Moon and Herbal Harvest.

Friday with a storm coming in the Lake was kicking up the waves.
Down I went to quilt and enjoy. The paddle boarders were out,

with the wind surfers riding the waves.

In our area parts of the Lake you can park so close the waves splash up on you car. With the windows open you feel like your in a boat!

With the Full Harvest moon that night, I brought along my table runner (I started last year) and began appliqueing on the wool moon and pumpkins.

I finished weaving in all the great bodies of water on the loom.

After the Mississippi I wove in The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic with sea shells we picked up while vacationing there. Next is the Pacific with driftwood from a tiny spit of land jutting out into the Pacific. A wonderful  little village called Homer, (Alaska) resides there.

The next weaving will be a sunset or sunrise depending on your location to the water!

It's time to harvest here before the first frost comes. I cut back some of my herbs to make herbal salt for the winter. Simple process:

chop up your favorite herbs in a bowl,

mix in sea salt (or your favorite salt).

Pour on a cookie sheet, I cover mine with foil first. Put in a 180 degree oven for a couple of hours, every once in awhile stirring. When the herbs are dry, let mixture cool.

Put in food processor and whirl until fine.

Store extra in a cute jar. Enjoy!

My "new" kitchen

This summer we had our kitchen redone. What a joy to cook in an updated area! We kept the original 1950's oak floor.

New quartz countertops and faucet.

Love this "Edison" light for a night light. The bittersweet vine I grow in my yard and hang new every Fall.

Next to the refrigerator I had glass doors to show off family pieces.

Another side. Grandmothers yellow ware bowl that holds fruit.

The back splash with the insert of "stone fence" tile.

My handles on the 3 glass doors are vines and leaves.

The top cabinet doors have small leaves.                                  

And the bottom cabinet doors.

In the corner cabinet with a glass door I put in my mom and dads wedding china (60 some years ago).  When they were getting married all my mothers friends were buying rose pattern china, my parents were moving out of town to the "wilderness" so she bought this pinecone and leaf china. It's a beautiful, large set, I don't use it much because I'm afraid to put it in the dishwasher!

Weaving in the "Mississippi"

I finally was able to add the Mississippi" river to my loom. It was hard to choose what color wool for the muddy Mississippi. I went with one I dyed awhile ago with celery tops in a iron pot. The iron saddens the color a little bit.

My friend sent me beaver chew sticks from the river,

And a couple of pieces of beach glass she collected.

Thank you Donna!

To my herbalist friends, these are what garlic chives look like.

They have white flowers not purple that regular chives have.
They taste exactly like garlic.

They make a wonderful vinegar. I stuffed the bottles with the chives and blossoms and pour heated apple cider vinegar over the top.
Deb H. this is my new backsplash and counter top in my kitchen. I love how the decorative part of the backsplash looks like a stone fence they use to build with no mortar in it. The counter top is quartz. I tried to take a picture of the whole kitchen this morning as I was running out the door and the pictures looked terrible. Next week I'll show you it.

I've been trying to go once a week to the lake and quilt. I sit in my car, parked right along the lake, listen to waves and am in heaven. I usually stay 2 hours until sunset.
I hate to think of this winter when it will be dark by 5:30.