Category: Uncategorized

In the last couple of months I have been captivated with making the “Necessary Clutch Wallet” by Emmaline Bags/Janelle MacKay. Here are the results of these versatile, and yes, Necessary, wallets…! They’re easy to make/sew, and such a great item for a woman to carry here essentials in. As you can see, these wallets can be made in different themes and styles to fit any occasion and taste. You should enhance your life, ladies…! Continue reading “The “Necessary Clutch Wallet” IS soooo very necessary!!”

We stopped by our favorite fabric store the other day & showed them purses made from faux leather they had purchased there. They took a pic & posted it on their Facebook page. Fabric Solutions, Wilmington NC is a wonderful place!

Per request, the Middlebreeze Manufactory has been busy making tables in the farmhouse style. The first one, a coffee table, is finished and ready for pickup by the client. Hubby likes it so much, he wants to keep it…!

And additionally, the dining table in random width, two-tone wood…

Finally, I sit down to write something to share. It’s been way too long and I need to change that! We’ve been busy at Hailey-Stout Studio, but haven’t taken the time to write about it. Last May (2016) we had an ‘open house’ to showcase our handcrafted items and it was a success. Many folks attended, despite the damp weather, and I think all enjoyed their visit. We’re seriously considering doing another one in 2017, but it will be later in the year when it happens…possible the end of August. My husband made a lot of different wood and metal items; he’s very creative and always has new ideas. Pics to be shared soon!

I discovered new patterns for handbags, and it has opened up a new world for me. Swoon Patterns, by Alicia Miller, have challenged me to make a more finished and contemporary bag and I have thoroughly enjoyed making them. More pics to come…!

And I finished my Outer Banks, NC lighthouse series of pen/ink renderings. They include (from North to South); Currituck, Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, Ocracoke, and finally Cape Lookout. And of course, that means more pics.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring…!

There are probably others that still use the pen nib and pen nib holder to do pen and inks, but we are few. There’s just something about the striking a line across the paper, or dotting an area for texture after dipping into that ink bottle that puts me into the ‘zone’ when working on the next project. Attached are a few examples of the renderings I’ve done lately. The black and white lighthouses were done first. Then they were scanned in, and printed. I took the printed black and white copy, and colored it in with colorfast art markers to achieve the color version. The rooster was made into full color from the beginning. 

After some encouragement, my sister talked us into entering a few of our things into the local Middlebrook Library Adult art show held every September. Both of us took two things last week, and yesterday afternoon we get a call saying a reporter and photographer were coming to interview us and take pictures of where we do our work. Who would have ever though…so…here’s the link to the article:

http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/09/09/middlebrook-artist-library-art-show/71930578/

We’ve had a really busy Spring and Summer, but wanted to post some of the latest creations we have completed in the Hailey-Stout Studio…a little barn art, a little table design, and some sewing…

For UVA Fans and students – a distressed wooden table perfect for a dorm room, deck, or small enough to be used for tailgaiting…!

Same for VT Hokies – this table can be used for any decor…!

If you need a little pick-me-up, the re-purposed barn wood sign will work for the beach, a lake house, cabin, or anywhere…!

The newest versatile bag…perfect for educators, or for someone who wants something different to take to work. Accommodates water bottle inside or out, cinches up for closure. Can be made in different sizes, and of course colors. This particular handbag has shorter handles for carrying up under your arm, or as a true handbag, or has an adjustable cross-body strap; perfect to be used as a messenger-type bag. Monogramming optional, but so in style these days…

Message me if interested in any of these products…Thanks!

Sooooo…we bought a place in a city that conveniently had beaches all around it and we started splitting our time between the ‘beach place’ and the ‘farm’. I was still working from home, and we were busy with continuing to work on the old house at the farm, and getting the new place at the beach the way we wanted.

After less than a year, and a week after my 55th birthday, my employer came to me and said ‘you have 30 days to find another position within the company, or take early retirement’. Because we lived so rurally on the farm, I was 2 hours away from a decent airport, and most any other position would have involved getting on a plane every Monday and flying home every Thursday…back and forth to whatever project assignment I might get placed on. After a soul-searching discussion, my husband and I made the decision that I would take the early-out option. We had saved and saved in anticipation of retirement, and felt comfortable with our future. And after 3 years, I’m happy to say we are having way too much fun!

I am now able to be the ‘weird artist’ I’ve always wanted to be, sit on the beach when I want (weather permitting), and basically do whatever! Life is good…really good! We are enjoying making our creations – since we both like to have busy hands. And that’s where we are right now. So, stay tuned for more posts about our projects and how they come to fruition.

After the dust settled from my high school reunion, things were fairly quiet. I was working upstairs in the room I call my ‘nest’…it consisted of 2 desks, one for sewing and one for my work, with computer, monitor, etc. In the middle of the ‘nest’ is what was originally designed as a kitchen island, but it’s my project table. We attached a gridded/numbered cutting surface on the top which I use to cut out the handbags I make. It also serves as a place to put together the custom framing we do. The better half makes the wood frames (oak, walnut, pine, chestnut…old barn wood) and we cut the mats and mount whatever folks want in a frame.

Anyway, things were pretty much routine…until the end of October that Fall, and my husband calls to me from the bottom of the stairs one day after working on winterizing some plumbing under the house. He tells me he needs my help, so I go to the top of the stairs and he explains that he needs me to call the rescue squad. Taking one look at him, I knew he was having a heart attack; having been diagnosed with hereditary heart disease almost 15 years prior, it was something I had anticipated for a good while. I calmly called 911 and explained that my husband was more than likely having a heart attack, hung up and encouraged him to lie on the bed with his c-Pap machine on to give him extra air while waiting for someone to arrive. The local volunteer fire department is only 2 miles away, so three men got here fairly quickly. It was a good 20 minutes before the rescue squad made it to our home. They quickly got him on a stretcher and took him to the local hospital. Long story short, he was transferred to a better hospital the next day for cauterization and then a triple bypass 2 days after that. It was a successful surgery and he healed quickly.

Shortly after my husband had recuperated, I went to a new urologist for kidney stone that have plagued me for about 10 years now. For the first time, I had an ultrasound as part of the testing required by the new doctor and everything regarding the many kidney stones I had came to a screeching halt. The ultrasound revealed what I call a ‘creature’ in my lower abdomen. The results were sent to our family doctor and within a week or so, he called to schedule an appointment with me…it’s NEVER good when the doctor calls you for an appointment. We went in for a consult and he recommended I go to the better hospital to see a surgical oncologist. After another more in-depth/specialized ultrasound and seeing this new doctor, it was decided I needed surgery to remove the creature. My husband jokes that he got out of the recliner from his surgery and I got in it…which was basically the way things happened.

After another successful surgery between the two of us, with no lingering consequences, we made a big decision.  Having experienced the surgeries we’d had, made us think that it was definitely time to smell the roses and see if we could purchase a second home close to a beach. While I was still off from work due to surgery, we took off the last week of my sick leave and spent several days in the location we had chosen to search for ‘our paradise’. Fortunately, we found exactly what we had in mind, within our budget, and about 45 days later we closed on our ‘dream’! YIPPEE!

Now we get to buy furniture and decorate the place…fun, fun, fun…and to be continued in the third part to our backstory!

Some may think the title of this post means something else, but in this case, it’s referring to our pets, and in our house that means kitties…! For as long as I can remember I’ve had a kitty…most have been regular short-hair domestic types, although there were a couple Siamese when I was in high school and college. For most of our marriage we have had 3 kitties at a time. All have different personalities as most of you know…just like humans, they are truly individuals. About 14 months ago, our kitty Presley went to heaven…he was one cool cat…and it practically broke my heart. He was ‘my kitty’ and it took me a long time to get over it…we had a real connection. We had 2 other male cats (indoor/outdoor) at the time, and a couple months before Presley’s passing, a mother cat and her kitten appeared at one of our barns. We gave in and kept them, thinking they would be ‘barn cats’…that didn’t last long! Within a month or so, they started following us back to the house after feeding them at the barn. And within a couple more months, they were hanging out on the back porch of the house, and found their way through the pet door into the house. Shortly after, Presley left us, and then we were a family of 4 kitties and 2 humans. The 2 new kitties adjusted well to us, even though our other ‘boys’ weren’t real sure about them. Gradually they have found a way to get along.

Back in the late fall, we ‘lost’ another of our precious fur balls. When spending time in our second home close to the beach, one of the ‘boys’ went out early one morning and within an hour and a half, we couldn’t find him, and he has never returned. He was an older kitty, too…16…but appeared healthy for the most part. He had just slowed down in some ways; mainly he just slept more. And as it is said; ‘and then there were three’.

The kitten that appeared with his mama, about a year and a half ago now, looks and acts so much like my beloved Presley, and I have gotten attached to the silly thing. His name is Barney, named by my husband because he was supposed to be a barn cat, and the Barney just stuck. He has a much sweeter nature than his predecessor, Presley…he’s easy going, very loving, and has a motor (purrs) unlike any kitty I’ve ever had. Since he’s only about 20 months old, he’s still busy, busy, busy and love the outdoors more than indoors. We let him out Saturday afternoon as usual after he takes a nap inside and never saw him again before we went to bed…which isn’t so unusual either. But…when he didn’t come in for his breakfast yesterday morning, I was worried. Since I’m still non-weight bearing from the ankle surgery, I can’t do much and it was left to my husband to go searching. I called and called for him…no Barney. My husband explored all the barns and then rode the four-wheeler around the fields closest to us. The thought of coyotes came to mind for both of us, since they are more abundant now. Still no Barney…and I was devastated. It shocked me so…I didn’t realize I had gotten that attached, and couldn’t believe I wouldn’t see that sweet face or hear that motor again.

But…about 6 p.m. yesterday, I called for him one more time. I didn’t see that flash of black and white come running from any of the barns, so I went back inside. Not 5 minutes later, I heard a distinct meow at the backdoor, and there was my furry buddy…yowling to get in, just like always. I could’ve cried from happiness, but I restrained myself, barely. I scooped him up and couldn’t let go…and that motor of his sounded louder than ever…or maybe I just sounded better than ever. He gobbled his supper up like he was starved, and my husband gave him another helping. It wasn’t long before he was sound asleep in his usual nap spot. Later he came and sat beside me (he’s too young to be a lap kitty yet), and he seemed so tired. These are the times when I wish they could talk…would love to know where he’d been all that time. When we went to bed he was back to sleep again…inside…and I knew where he was.

Anyway, all I can say is I’m THANKFUL…for the small things in life…those that give you so much joy, no matter what shape or size, rough, smooth, furry, or whatever!