Monday, February 20, 2017

T Stands For Tuesday & A Little About Me & Lots of Photos

     I  have been blogging since 2004 and here since 2008 til now. 
Over the years blogging has really changed for me. These past few months I took a look at it again against Facebook discussed view points with my friends here and came to the conclusion I needed a fresh blogging start and I was able to put everything into better perspective for me.
   I have never been a fan of facebook-but it has ended up having a place for me as all my oldest from the beginning blogging friends are all there now and not blogging. I was trying to get them here but have realized they are happy over there so I needed a presence there to stay in touch. I do also use facebook for allot of inspiration from my groups and they do have allot going on there for groups of any interests. So I use it for stimulation for my crafts and to keep in touch with friends.

   However my favorite social media choice has always been blogging. Hence my new Hummingbird Woodland Studio blog that I started several months ago.  A couple friends invited me to the linky group T Stands for Tuesdays so decided to join in and meet new friends. My first post will be a little introduction.

   (just a note: in my profile you will find the link to my original blog Kathyinozarks Pages-I decided not to delete all those years of information-fun and photos. It is there for anyone to browse but I have shut down the comments and will no longer post-that is in my past and this is a new start for me-hoping to meet new friends.
      I have also decided for this blog-and I took it down in the old one-not to set up the google friend connect that keeps track of friends-rather please if you wish to follow me by: visiting, blog list, bloglovin, email etc)

Here is a link to the hostess: click here also link in right sidebar

My drink of choice when I have a taste for a little coffee is roasted dandelion and or chicory root as I know there is absolutely no caffeine in my cup lol




and fresh baked upside down blueberry gluten free cake ready to slice and serve. whipped cream optional-lol



   I retired in the fall of 2003 from the phone company, and my husband and I moved from Northern Illinois to the ozarks area in Missouri. We bought lots of woods to stay rural around us, enjoy the wildlife, hunt and fish. 
   I love creating with natural fibers-quilting, a bit of rug hooking, learning to spin, back to weaving, making paper from recycled papers, hand dyes, gardening, redoing our home here with textured walls and rock work-rocks I collected mostly from our property or nearby rivers.
   The house needed a complete renovation so we have been working on it since we purchased in '98. When the economy tanked we needed to go back to work with a home business again. 
    This year we are back in earnest to complete the remaining rooms. Our bathroom has been a very long term project but I think I can see it finished by end of this year-I need to collect more rocks to finish the rock work. I am really excited about that finish.
   I thought I would share a few photos-I have a little veggie garden and in the back and one side I have set up a couple of trellis's and an area for flowers to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It was very pretty last year but I think this year will be even nicer.
    I also love to cook in dutch ovens-so last year I built me a little area in front of the garden to do that-I make some awesome pies in those dutch ovens lol
   I also have started a 3 mile fast walk every day to get back into shape and hopefully lose some weight and gain some muscles again. The one photo show our driveway going down to the highway

  Enjoy the Photos and welcome to my new Hummingbird blog   Since I posted allot of photos I kept them smaller-just click to enlarge I thought I would share some of the wildlife that stop by close to the house, and some of my crafts and such.






                 Miss Calico kitty she has been with us since 2004 when we rescued her




Last year do to getting older and hubby's health we no longer only heat with firewood-I hooked up the gas heat just last winter. We split this up for emergencies (this area is known for ice storms which can result in no electric) and for wood fire cooking.










                          
                        Sun Painting by the pond


                              Natural Dyeing on Cotton recycled tops





One of my favorite crafts now is making handmaking papers and turning them into cards to send out to friends




                     Spinning adventures I am a newbie







                   Civil War hexagon quilt in progress



                  Rock work in the bathroom-a complete rock shower also a surround on bottom half of walls around claw foot tub. I found several rocks that we can use for towel hooks


      You can see this textured wall better enlarged I used tissue papers and wallpaper paste to create the texture-sealed before and after with kilnz I will start to paint these walls soon with blue paints and stains.



I have collected many flannel prints to represent Yellowstone parks animals and landscape-and found this pattern online-I am going to enlarge it so it fits a queen.
Can't wait my neighbor friend and I are visiting the park this May I have also been putting together Yellowstone inspired bracelets-one for a book series I love by Peggy Henderson and the second one for the park.  I am not a jewelry maker but I had so much fun hunting down the vintage charms and the vintage bracelets. The photo shows the one inspired the books time period 1800s.





                Wild Turkeys stopping by for the corn I put out for the wildlife


     The claw foot bathtub is to the left, and the rock shower is to the right of this photo



I was really thrilled with this piece and would love to make another one-I used a quilt pattern block. All the fabrics I had dyed, the bears are wool, and lots of needle felting with silk noil, cotton, wool for depth and textures I enjoy this piece in my living room behind my loom



This piece I gave away to a friend in the UK I used a technique I had read in a magazine using silk ties cut up on to silk fabric all from reclaimed clothing. 


I hope I did not overdo the photos.

33 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post. I can sense the peace of your home. It must be so incredible to be so close to the land and the creatures who call it home. Your work is so creative and beautiful. Thank you for sharing and for keeping your blog going. Aloha, Hunter

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello- so nice to meet you and welcome to TSFT! I am definitely going to look into your caffeine free dandelion dark roast because I can have my coffee/caffeine fix in the AM but that is it! I love your whole organic approach to food art and life. Beautiful variety of projects. I am on FB but only succumbed due to private art groups mostly. I much prefer blogging and this whole community. Happy T day and happy blogging too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you so much Linda this looks like allot of fun. I tried several different brands for an herbal drink-this brand has the best flavor so far-they have many different flavor combinations too.

      Delete
  3. Nice to meet you Kathy. It looks like you live in a beautiful spot and you've made some beautiful art. What a range of talents. Glad you decided to stop by. happy T day. erika

    ReplyDelete
  4. Welcome to T Stands For Tuesday, Kathy. I have been to your old blog, but not this one. I am delighted you chose to join us for T, but apologize about the link. In nearly 200 times since I have hosted T, that has never happened before and I hope it never does again.

    I really enjoyed reading about your many adventures, and remembered how excited I was to learn about how to use the silk ties to create new fabric. We have much in common, too, since I love to make handmade paper and I also sun dye fabric. My latest adventure in dyeing was with turmeric, but I have been known to use many non-conventional ways to dye fabric.

    Your rock bathroom is over the top. And your garden is going to be wonderful this year, too, I'm sure.

    Bleubeard and Squiggles also welcome Miss Calico to T.

    I've never tasted chicory, but I'm really a BIG caffeine person, so I probably never will. I do like your coffee press and cup, too. Thanks for the wonderful introduction, which I'm sure I'll return to often this week to learn more about you. Thanks, too, for joining us for T this soon-to-be Tuesday. Hope the link malfunction doesn't scare you away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much for the welcome. I am so glad you tried out the silk ties-that was allot of fun. have you tried the eco printing? I did a blouse that turned out really nice want to do more-it is the same technique but use leaves for the transfer print.
      I really love the whole natural dye process and try different. I don't think I noticed a link malfuncticon I did go back in to try and change my name as it isn't suppose to have the in it-lol will fix that next time

      Delete
    2. Yes, I have eco-dyed several times. They always turn out great. The first time I did it, I allowed the fabric to sit for about 20 days. The second time I didn't wait quite as long, but the fabric still turned out fantastic. I'm not one to wear blouses, so dyeing anything I wear is not an option I would consider. I do enjoy dyeing strips of old bed sheets, though. If interested, please check the posts out that are under Eco dyeing on my right side bar.

      Delete
    3. this morning I see the link malfunction-weird lol no worries

      Delete
  5. I too really miss the days when bloggers interacted more. I participate in one weekly genealogy themed linked post. This one looks really cool too! I followed the main blog for T Stands For Tuesday and will watch for a couple weeks and then I hope to join in. Right now from looking at your post and her post I am not sure of the parameters. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good morning Mary thanks for dropping by. I believe you can share anything you want for tuesdays just need to share a photo of a cup with beverage to tie it all together.

      Delete
  6. Nice to meet you at Elizabeth's party! You live in a beautiful place. Your cake looks great, but I would prefer some REAL coffee! Very interesting to see the spinning and handwork you are making. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice to meet you and to see some of the things you love. Lots of inspiration as well

    Happy T DAY

    Love Chrissie xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Kathy, its nice to meet you and thank you for sharing all those wonderful photos. It seems so calm and peaceful around your home and your creative work looks fantastic.
    I much prefer having a blog as well.
    Happy T day.
    Yvonne xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good morning Yvonne, so nice to meet you too. It is really peaceful here and we love all of our wildlife visitors-spring always brings lots of hummingbirds too. Happy T day

      Delete
  9. It's so lovely to meet you here on T Day! Thanks so much for the introduction, your house and land look so amazing - I love the natural look and feel to your decor and art. That bathroom must have taken time to complete and looks wonderful. I'm in awe of all your talents, WOW you do so much wonderful crafting and baking and now I'm wondering if you have a favourite craft(s)? I don't normally drink coffee but would happily give yours a try as it's caffeine free and I would definitely like a piece of your blueberry cake with whipped cream please :-). Happy T Day! J :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good morning blueberry cake with whipped cream coming up lol when I discovered I couldn't even tolerate the no caffeine coffees and most decaf teas I searched and found this brand-it has an enjoyable flavor but does not taste exactly like coffee but this brand is the best I have tried so far and with the french press I can get several cups with one tea bag.
      My most favorite is working with wool I learned to weave in the late 70s when I lived in Colorado for a few years-I am finally get back to it-I am loving to learn to spin and love making papers

      Delete
  10. Kathy! What a wonderful introduction!!! I'm so glad you could join us for Tea! er.... coffee... er... chicory..lol I drink half caff Folgers..for years now... I just loved reading all about you and seeing your photos... I thought you and Elizabeth would have a lot in common.. :) See you next week... I'm off to visit the other ladies! Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb

    ReplyDelete
  11. My goodness you are a brave woman to move rural and live and create off the land. Your talents are many and refreshing. Like stepping back in time. Homes are forever a work in progress and how satisfying to be coming to the finish line on your rock bathroom. Dutch oven pies? Yum. I bought a black Lodge Dutch oven pan but it has never been outside nor made a pie. LOL I used to make papers from junk mail and such and it was lots of fun...so many years ago. Life is Good! Lovely T day to you...<3

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, and I enjoyed your blog. Miss Calico looks very sweet. the squirrel sitting on the stump made me giggle. I have a squirrel that sits on a ladder from a swingset (to be repurposed) waiting for his turn at the bird feeder. There are also herds of turkeys that traipse through the yard. they also like the seed from the bird feeders. The wildflowers in the picture are beautiful and giving me (another) bout of Spring fever. A hummingbird and a few butterflies visited last year. Hope they come back. I really love the picture of the bears as black bear is my animal totem. The rock wall is stunning. You are so talented. I look forward to visiting your again. Happy T Day

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi, Kathy, and welcome. It's so nice to meet you. Your property and what you've done with the house are wonderful. Love the stone walls you're creating! All that wild life right outside your door - wow.

    I've become disenchanted with Facebook myself. When I go there anymore, I pretty much ignore my feed, which is ful of ads, politics and negativity. I just check on friends and family, then go off to the two private FB groups I'm in. So I'm really enjoying this T-party group by comparison. I look forward to seeing you at T again ;-)

    Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Eileen welcome to my new blog pages. I am glad I am not the only one not crazy over fb lol that is what my dilima was-deciding what I enjoyed the most-and decided blogging is more creative for me-hugs so greatful to meet new bloggers here on T day Kathy

      Delete
  14. It's hard to completely lose touch with folks who quit blogging, and FB might be a good way to keep contact. Your place looks peaceful. I love nature-watching, and you have quite the spot for it :)

    Happy T Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So nice to meet you Kathy, I just loved reading all about you and seeing your photos - your creativity seems unlimited!
    Happy T-Day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fabulous post - it's good to see you and learn about your (what seems to me) fabulous lifestyle! So much wonderful crafting! We used to get chicory essence coffee here and my Mum used to use it! The wild life in your are must be so wonderful to come face to face with! I haven't succumbed to FB yet - don't think I ever will! Happy T Day, Chrisx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Welcome to the T party! With all of your talents and interests, you have a lot of topics to blog about. Looking forward to seeing your creations. Happy T Day!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello Kathy, welcome and nice to meet you. Welcome to the T-party which is quite an international gathering as you will find out. I enjoyed Reading a Little bit about you and your life and hobbies. Isn't it wonderful when you have time to do the things that you never dreamt you'd do. I am impressed with your weaving and paper making. Beautiful papers they are! The Dutch ovens intrigue me. I am Dutch, so I should know, but I have never seen them. Please tell us more about how it Works etc.
    I also love chicory (and I don't like caffeine). I also use something called 'orzo' which I buy in Italy. It is a roasted grain (don't know what it is called in English). The variety I like also has some anis in it. I make it every day.
    I enjoyed looking at all your photos. That is a neat pile of fire Wood there. We too only have Wood heating, but we also have a stove that burns almond shells. They are cheaper than pellets and readily available where we live (in Spain). We have some gas bottles for emergencies and for cooking, but we don't have piped gas in our área as we live 'out in the sticks'. Our winters are pretty cold (because of the altitude).
    I'm looking forward to getting to know you better and see photos of the things you do and make and cook.
    Happy T-day,
    Lisca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my pages-so glad you stopped by. I hope to do more dutch oven baking as spring approaches more and the less strong winds-and I will definately share more posts about them-I loved heating our home with our own firewood but with my husbands age and health concerns we now have the piped in gas since last year-that was actually a real treat for the first time to just turn on the heat lol I think orzo grain has gluten in it which I also can not have along with the caffeine-but I am enjoying the roasted dandelion and chicory roots for a nice warm beverage. so glad you stopped by

      Delete
  19. Hi Kathy! I think you will like it here a lot... a really great group of fine folks here. How much rain did you get out of the storm front that went through last night. We didn't even get 1/2 an inch :(

    ReplyDelete
  20. Overdo it on the photos?! It was GREAT to see everything where you are Kathy! Loved them!! Your rock wall looks absolutely amazing! What a beautiful backdrop for the tub. I can sense how excited you are to get this close to finishing it. I have quite a few rocks around my gardens and in the house too, but nothing compared to your lovely collection. Everything you do has an overtone of pioneer days to it. The vintage fabrics look so cozy. And the wool roving you've spun for weaving is beautiful. The woven garment you're modelling there looks amazing too! You look great! Thanks so much for sharing more photos and letting us get a better look at all the interesting things you do. Hugs to you my friend, this was great :D
    Wendy xox

    ReplyDelete
  21. Welcome to the T-party, what a wonderful post, and fun getting to know you. I don't think any of us T-gang, believe in too many photos.......or we are just nosy...LOL!
    I have a Dutch oven and love to bake in it too, mostly for BBQ competitions and camp-outs at the beach or dessert. So many really delicious recipes for those things and SO EASY!!
    Belated T-day wishes, and thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment......see you next week.

    ReplyDelete

I always enjoy your visits and reading your comments and I do reply back to your comments as well
Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit