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I just love these old signs in Coney Island. Too bad the business that go with them are no longer in business.

There were so many great outfits and hats I could post photos for a week!

We were recently in NYC again and realized we were going to be there over Easter. At the last minute we learned of an Easter parade on Fifth Avenue and decided to see what it was all about. Boy, were we in for a treat! It was fantastic. The "parade" was actually people walking up and down the avenue with their best Easter hat on. This is an event where NYC shows the world how creative they can be. The variety and level of creativity of the hats and outfits is difficult to describe. Let's just say that if I had to choose between Christmas or Easter to visit NYC I would choose Easter. I am hoping that I can visit this parade again.

Last week I ran another 1/2 marathon, the Hillbilly Half Marathon hosted by Guerilla Running (love this group!) This one was a trail run through Capitol Forest located between my hometown of McCleary and Olympia. It had snowed a few days before the race so the course was super slippery with snow.

I only fell three times. Three times flat on my front covered in snow and water and mud.

This is a view of some runners coming up on the trail through the trees. The ground looks muddy but it is actually tons of mud and snow and water.

Here you can see the trail running along the side of the mountain. It was so pretty!

Ok, so I had to take a picture of me on the way back down. My goal for this race was to finish strong and without injury. That's exactly what I did. It felt so good. I tell you what, I would moan and groan every Sunday morning when I had to get up early for our training runs but it was so worth it. There's nothing like the feeling of running through the woods. If you have ever thought you should start running but can't get yourself to run on the road give trail running a try. It's a completely different experience, not only for your mind but your body too.

Join Michelle while she tries out her new Simplicity Felting Machine straight from the box. If you have wondered how easy or difficult it would be to use one of these machines then you should watch this.

Details about this machine can be found online at Amazon.

Look for some new needle felting projects coming soon!

These are a few photos I took of the Lion Brand Yarn holiday window display while in NYC in December. It's truly amazing that a person could knit such a creative and colorful display. Thanks to Pugly Pixel for the photo layout, it definitely cleans up the look of my images.

So you have been wanting to make felt but are overwhelmed by all the rubbing, pounding, rolling that you have to do. Not to mention you can't seem to find a sushi mat big enough or the department store is out of shelf liner. Making felt can seem too physically demanding and the various supplies you need aren't already in your closet making it easy to give up on the project.

But, in this show, Michelle shares with you her quick and easy technique for making felt that anyone can do. To follow along you will need a clothes dryer and these supplies:

• Saran wrap
• Nylon stocking (leg from old pantyhose, you know there is a pair hanging out in the back of your drawer!)
• Spray water bottle
• Various fibers (grab what you have and see what happens)

Triangle looms look intimidating but Michelle shows you how easy it is to create a piece of fabric perfect for the foundation of a shawls. Anyone can weave on this type of loom with a few basic tools and supplies.

To follow along grab these items:

• Triangle loom
• Pick
• Afghan hook
• Yarn

I ran across this great site, Pugly Pixel, this morning when I should have been sleeping. She has some cool Photoshop stuff that she shares for free and also sells for a very reasonable price. I typically don't get too fancy with my images but I do edit them in Photoshop. This site got me to thinking that maybe I should just add a few steps to some of my photos and they would look so much more interesting. I'll think about it.... Here is what I was messing with this morning.

It's a color palette post. This image isn't the best for this but I had it already open so I used it. If you have time, check out Pugly Pixel.

I finally finished up the piece I had been painting for our newly remodeled bathroom.

Here it is in progress....

Here it is finished

Here it is on the bathroom wall. Finished!