Well, Hello Again!

This gracious mermaid welcomed us to a jewelry and gift shop on our recent trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. She's quite detailed and she sails above the counters of merchandise at The Best of Everything. She's larger-than-life size and really caught my eye while shopping there. I thought she'd make the perfect hostess to welcome you to this post!

However, before I share some photos from our trip, I've got a few from a class I took before we left in early August. Being quite taken with fabric flower embellishments of all kinds, I enrolled in a class on making several varieties of them to add to my repertoire. The class was taught by Celeste Beck of Goatfeathers Studio. This shabby chic rolled denim rose is added to a gathered muslin and lace base. This one might be my favorite.

Here's another rolled fabric rose, top left, shown with several smaller roses made using a different technique. The dark print didn't allow the rose petal shapes to be as distinct as I'd like, so I'd choose another fabric strip to make it from another time. I'll share a few more flowers from the class in another post.

 Here's a double-layer flower. This one was offered in a tutorial by Judy Hansen from Quilt Shop of DeLand. While it's not sewn on, the center paper button is one I made using a tutorial from Jenniebellie on her YouTube channel.

A yo-yo topped with a button made a great center for this ribbon rose. I didn't make it, but found it for less than $1 at The Container Store in Tampa. It was my first visit to the store and I was happy to get there as I'd been reading about how much people like the chain. It really has so many wonderful storage items we could have spent much longer there. However, since we were traveling to Maine the next day, I limited my purchases to this flower and an egg timer! I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to make one like this though.

On to Maine! I never get tired of Maine. For one thing, arriving here from Florida, I noticed right away how refreshing it was to have the windows wide open to enjoy the ocean breezes. The air is so fresh with a cool tinge to it. Lovely.

And here's where old boats retire. Even they get a spot with a beautiful bay view and fresh air.

The entrance to a campground near where we stayed is marked by this "canned ham" vintage camper and surfer's wagon. We drove by it each day, and I had to take some pictures of it. I was asked about the make of the vehicle, and I'm not sure but think it might be an early '60s or late '50s Studebaker. Anyone have another guess?

Our daughter says this photo makes her feel immediately calm, peaceful and de-stressed. That's good because she began a new job and was not able to travel with us, so the picture will have to do. It's a view of lobster boats in Cape Porpoise.

 And here are more boats moored at Perkins Cove near Ogunquit. There is a mile-long path along the ocean to walk out here called The Marginal Way. We walk it a couple of times when we visit the area.

Of course we enjoyed the catch those lobster boats brought in. We purchase fresh, cooked lobster right at the dock and bring them back to our rental to eat. Somehow, lobster tastes the sweetest in Maine.

 We had a lovely rental at Goose Rocks Beach. Quiet and peaceful with a short walk to this beach. I can tell you this water is icy!! I never did get all the way in this year, though I have other times. It's not easy. Except of course for kids- they run right in full of joy and exuberance and hardly notice the water temperature. We enjoy watching the families on the beach. It's such a safe place for children to explore and run free. We took our children there many summers while they were growing up, and they enjoyed the beach time, too. This year our son Lee was able to join us for a couple of nights, so it was fun to walk The Marginal Way with him and share some good meals and memories together. We sure hope we can get back there next year!