It's Saturday and I hope none of you has to work today :) Me, I'm typing away a text on homeopathy, actually a whole series of 8 articles, not easy at all, and I wish I were stitching. But work is money, and money is stash, right? I'll leave you with this lovely bouquet I spotted this summer on a wall near the Holmenkollen ski jump tower in Oslo (by the way, does the name ring any bell to Americans? I'd love to know).

And Toska in her favorite position...

Hey, you all go stitching since I can't!

I am working this night, a couple of hours more, till 3 or 4 am. Friday was busy, but in the evening I felt the urge to go jogging, which I did and it gave me loads and loads of energy to work.

In between some Christmas stitching, I've started a CHS piece (Do not fear the sirens of the sea) just for the fun of it. I love the colors and I find it relaxing to work on even though it is stitched over one on 40 ct.

Thank you so much for your comments on my first nissejente (nisse-girl in Norwegian)! I so enjoyed her and the three others. Not sure at this moment if I'll do more of them or try some other special gifties for Christmas. As for now, I gave up on the other book I bought with more difficult models - they require modeling faces, painting them etc. I'll get back to it next year much earlier, when I'm less under pressure with Christmas gifts.
Noone commented on the easy faces I made, which I take as a good sign. I really made them easy, just three black dots of varied form for the eyes and the nose. I have no drawing nor painting talents so before I try painting the wooden heads and then all the elements of each face, I need to practice some before and I don't have time/inspiration to do that now. I think.
Anyway, I hope their recipients will like them. They look pretty easy, but they require a lot of cutting, sewing, glueing etc. :)
Petra - the boy from that series is just made without the hair, I wasn't too inspired to make one but I might :)

Here are the three others:
Enjoy your week-end, friends!

HOE Mattress pincushion received and more

Thanks a lot for your recent comments on my first nisse-girl and the basket. Actually, the basket is a kit from Homespun Elegance which contains - the basket, some fiberfill, a piece of fabric, the chart. It goes quick to stitch it with your favorite thread color and all that is left to do is to attach the stitched piece to the basket. It's a neat little kit and really not expensive.



I've received today from Nic the cutest mattress pincushion, it is absolutely adorable, very soft and fresh in style. I am happily exhibiting it today near my workplace to look at it :)
Nic also included a chocolate cat (long gone!!), Mill Hill beads in a very practical color, two skeins of Vicky Clayton threads, a DMC leaflet, a super adorable card and - a highly appreciated leaflet from my wishlist! Thank you so much, Nic!! I love it all.


What else? In the past days I've stitched two more pieces by Homespun Elegance, their two 2008 ornies, but I haven't done the finishing part yet. When inspiration comes....

I like the first, but I don't like the second. I hope to have the inspiration one day soon to finish it into something I'll love. Btw, I replaced the 2008 year in the upper left corner with God Jul, Norwegian for Merry Christmas.

Hope all of you are having a great week! Here it's not really a good one, recession seems to strike my business, I am scared to death.

Meet my first girl!

And please tell me what you think of her! I am curious to hear your comments because it is my first work of this type... Yesterday I surrounded myself with wooden heads, felt, false hair, other materials and I tried this first funny one. Oh it takes time to draw, cut, work and glue and tie and assemble all the elements. The little bag, I had to redo it twice because it was the cloth was hard to work so it wouldn't deassemble. The borders were ripping open. Here's my first one then and three other have followed for Christmas gifts, I just need to do the final finishing steps. They are pure fun to do once you got the hang of it!
I am anxious to hear your comments, good or bad (especially bad!) and any suggestions you might have, serious!

HOE Mattress pincushion exchange

Here is the mattress pincushion I made for Joan for the HOE exchange of the same name. I stitched it over one. This is "Nuit d'hiver" by the French designer Tralala.




As usual, my trademark is a piece of fabric stitched to the back :)

HOE Prairie Schooler exchange

I was delighted to hear tonight that Irene received and liked her Prairie Schooler piece. It took around two weeks to reach Canada and I was hoping for a shorter time. I must tell you I had a hard time parting with it, it really was a fav' piece of mine.

Stitched on Silkweaver fabric with my choice of silks and WDW/GAST. Finished with rust-coloured hemp thread and a metal ring (meant for jewelery-making) to which I tied a rafia bow.

I was particularly happy with my choice of colors, but seriously, the fabric was awesome to work on. In reality it is a little more colored, but not much. Alas, I misplaced the little bag so I must do some detective work, I'd love to buy much more of it one day. It is so soft also :)

Here is the back fabric I chose from my Fatquartershop stash...

I also tried my hand at a fall-themed scissor fob... with a brass flower, metal sun(flower), a big wooden bead and others:

... and I enclosed a Victoria Sampler pattern, a little tuck pillow, a piece of Moda fall fabric, solid perfume with the scent of fresh cut grass from one of my favorite etsy sellers and last, a bag of raspberry tea to warm up the colder evenings. Hope Irene and her Mom like it! I was thinking that she could re-use the linen bag for stitching or finishing purposes...

I so love cross-stitched blacbirds... much less the real ones!! When I see a sampler with birds, trees and a house... well, you've heard that already. This one flew to Canada this time :)

I finished this little basket by Homespun Elegance last night. I just love it!! It is already hanging in a different spot near my usual stitching place. It is meant to receive your scissors and stick your pins in the little pillow, and that's what mine does now. I made the pillow a bit narrow but I'll let it stay this way.

Also, I've put the last stitches on this piece by Blackbird Designs. I know it's a big no-no, but today I'm showing it not ironed yet, because I have a lot of work to do.

If you're curious what Warsaw's metro (underground) looks like, here's a short film for you from the last station in the south of the town:

Stacja Metra Kabaty

The last (I think) station to the north opened this week. It looks pretty nice and modern to me. To see a photo, click HERE.

Are we normal?

I mean, errrrr, completely? When we went to see the movie Mamma mia this summer, I lost the plot twice because there were gorgeous Greek alphabet samplers on the wall and on the bed. I couldn''t take my eyes off them. Have you noticed these two scenes?

Today, my beloved aunt asked if I wouldn't like to come and stay again with her for, say, a month. I just visited her in September! But the answer is obvious to all who know me. Yes. BUT. Traveling with my laptop (hey, I also work!), some clothes, a dog, a cat, some cosmetics, a ton of stash, all this on a train isn't easy. Doable, but not easy for a 3,5 h train trip plus the transport effort/time to and from the station. So they've set up a whole plan. My cousin will be in Warsaw in ten days and he could pick me up with his wife. Luxury conditions. BUT. There's Christmas in sight. How do I take ALL needed supplies with me TOO?? I wanted to make some Norwegian nisse. I am also unable to decide on the right fabric beforehand, I need to see which colors etc. suit best. Which cording. Which ribbons. I need my glue. My scissors, my cutters. My working surface. My favorite cross-stitch fabric. And several bags of threads. So I said I need to think. I've been constantly on the move since May. I wanted some peace.... some time alone, which you difficultly have when you stay at someone else's place, even if it is your paradise on earth. My aunt's place is my paradise on earth. So, why do I find it hard to decide? Even my two tailed friends will love it there, as usual. Toska could rule over the other female cats and ignore the male one, named after her, a modified version of the name I gave her. She could hiss and strike, bang and terrorize all the company. Happy loves the garden. All so different from being stuck in this small living space. Very downtown, but very small. I need to think! :)
My grandma will be 100 in January. I hope she will. She starts to need a lot more care these days. I could help my aunt a bit. That's an additional argument :)

Now, Nicole tagged me today and Donna before... No more pretext, I will oblige tonight :) Here we go:

THE RULES:
Link to your tagger and list the rules

List 7 random facts about yourself

Tag 7 people

If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

My random facts... hmmm, let's think.

1. I am a survivor of a real sea catastrophe. Yup, the big ship sank in the infamous Bay of Biscay, I, my father, 6 other passengers and over 20 persons running the huge industrial ship were rescued in dramatic conditions, but my parents lost all they had gathered during an 11 years life abroad, including a car. All I was able to take was me and myself, same for my father.
2. I have a genius brother, the real type. Yes, we had the same parents. Yes, we are *very* different. In almost all possible ways.
3. I live in Polish, I work in French, I communicate daily in English, I love in Norwegian.
4. I've always lived downtown, whether in Paris, Warsaw, my hometown or Morocco - but I am a rural girl at heart and hope to pursue my dream of living elsewhere one day.
5. Toska is my first cat. Both my parents and my brother *hate* cats. I now *love* cats even though I used to be a dog lover only.
6. I am attracted to all forms of art if only they depict birds (especially blackbirds, which I am not so fond of in real life), trees, a house, and possibly a dog, a cat. I'm a very "homy"person.
7. Learning languages has always been very easy for me. I know a few quite well and can communicate in several others. But I struggle with Norwegian.

And I'll tag:
Joke
Ela
Karen V
Jennifer/OH
Irene
Janaina
Staci

I was delighted to receive the stickers I ordered on etsy the other day. Sorry for the bad picture! One already flew off far away on my HOE Mattress pincushion exchange yesterday.

I ordered them from THIS seller.

Etsy discoveries...

See THIS beauty and make sure you browse all others... yes, they are crocheted!

Sunday smiles...

Per general request LOL!, I found this bit of info in English on Chocolateandzucchini. Not that I didn't want to describe the taste of the coussin to you, but well, English is my third language and sometimes word fail. Here is a nice description of it. Mind you, there is a very old history tradition and story behind the coussin, but once more, I can't venture into it in English, pout, pout...

Invented in 1960 and solely produced by the chocolate maker Voisin, this sweet confection is shaped like a plump little pillow, in reference to the historical silk manufactures of Lyon. When you bite into it your teeth first meet the slight resistance of a crusty marzipan casing, twinkling with tiny grains of candi sugar (sugar that's been melted into a syrup then slowly crystallized), before they delve into a tender heart of moussy chocolate ganache, subtly flavored with curaçao. I am normally adamantly opposed to liquor in my chocolate, but this one is not at all boozy, and the faint hint of alcohol brings aromatic depth to the overall sweetness.

All I'll add is that it tastes HEAVENLY!! I visited Voisin's webpage this week... oh my, he makes more specialties... Dare I ever mention to Ela the quenelle? I daren't! :) One day, I'd love to try it though. But then I could spend my life, day and night, in a French pâtisserie as well.

I am a food lover and a huge part of the fun when traveling is to discover local goodies. On that topic, local and original sometimes means very good. When I "met" H., he ate no cheese apart the regular yellow hard cheese found in Norway, not that I think it's not tasty, but... I was brought up in a French speaking country and bathed in the French culture since being 4 years old. I was used to the extensive range of cheese you find in francophone countries. During our first period together, H. used to ask "do we have to?..." each time I placed a piece of cheese in the shopping basket. The range of vegetables he ate was also limited... so was alcohol. Soon, he came to visit my family here in Poland and my brother in Switzerland. And stay after stay, he started loving good cheese. I still remember the first after-dinners at my brother's, when H. was sitting at the table with an uneasy look, his eyes begging me to help him avoid the cheese. Now, he surprises me with buying fancy cheese once in a while in Norway :) And then I'll mention a year ago, when I flew back from Geneva after a week's visit at my brother. I asked H. what he'd like me to bring, and he mentioned cheese and wine. So I prepared a little surprise.... I borrowed an extra suitcase from my brother and brought 14 kgs of different Swiss and French cheese. Yup, fourteen kilograms that was. I was only hoping for the best so the customs doesn't ask me to open the suitcase, because if you know these cheeses, you know they can smell outrageously, even though they taste sooooo good. Making H. eat vegetables more is a different story, because in Norway, they are so very expensive and often not of the best quality if you don't know where to buy them, plus he doesn't like a lot of what I like... but I have my victories here as well :)

Have I ever shown this pre-summer finish? I can't remember, but I found it yesterday and thought this should go to the framer in priority. I replaced the Mildred Larson word with H.'s abbreviated address. When I received this Blackbird Designs kit, I wasn't sure I like the color of the fabric, too mustard, I thought. But as it is the case with most BD charts, the thread colors play in an unusual way on the fabric... I love this finish.

As I intend to do more sorting in my stash and a lot of nothing still (Monday might bring its usuall toll of work), I'll leave you with this picture I like revisiting a lot. It is a spot at the end of a frequent doggie walk in Norway. I first walk till the train station, then a side path to a small lake, then a shadowed path in the woods... which ten ends where this picture shows, very close to the train line. Not sure why, but I love 'meeting' the train, which doesn't happen to often, since they circulate about twice an hour during daytime (the local tog, the fast one to Sweden, I am unsure of its timetable). It is also a spot where light plays beautifully on the nature around. Ah, I so miss Norway. Does it miss me?

Birthday gifties from Ela

I believe I never got to post the wonderful goodies I received from Ela before the summer...

As usual, everything was packed with virtuosity...

The little packages contained this pinkeep, which I later copied...

This super cute little box handmade after a Japanese pattern, covered with lovely fabrics...

It contained French threads...

There was also a package of coussins, a specialty from Lyon, which I am now addicted to and Ela knows it so well! :) I'll let you "visualize" the taste!

Then there was this lovely pinkeep...

.... and a piece of gorgeous fabric, and I'm sure something else... Ah, that lady knows how to spoil me rotten!!

Friday nothings...

I have to confess to you that I did nothing today. After delivering a short job, I fell asleep... and lost contact with the world for most of the afternoon. Ah, I can't even blame myself for that... I noticed that with the days getting so short, the darkness falling so early, I had a tendency to hibernate this week - need to fight it!
I hope my HOE PS exchange partner receives her package very soon now... I know she reads my blog ;-) so all I can show till then is a photo of the stitched piece and of the handmade XXX:

I'm hooked to etsy. Addicted. There's such a wealth of talent to discover, so many great ideas to drool over... I've been treating myself to a little (or bigger, hmmm...) something over the last months and I would love to share some of these goodies with you. If you have some favorite sellers, let me know, I love to discover new crafters :) It find amazing the ideas people have, the techniques they use... Can you resist a smile seeing THIS or THIS? Or THIS?
Here is a package I received last week from Siska, it is a customized stationary set with my blog's address. Next time I'll ask for the address to be put horizontally in the bottom of the page but I like this version a lot too. The color can be described as pink grapefruit. How could I resist it? A tree, a bird, that's what I love in all craft styles, cross-stitch samplers or other beauties.

Don't you love the little birdie and the shadow on the branch?


Time to head to bed.... Have a nice week-end, everyone!

Meet Anna's Bird!

I am finally settling into my Warsaw routine... work and crafts... no more painting, renovation works, no more pipes, walls and tiles to destroy... till next summer, probably! :) Today my regular Internet connection was finally fixed, turned out it was a part that burned and needed to be replaced in the big cable TV box (which also provides my phone and internet connections) several floors down. After a half hour of testing and sweating, the repair man left me all in smiles :). Ah the joys of a fast connection, ah the joy of limitless browsing... :)

But I digress: today I have the honor of presenting Anna's Bird to you, made by the wonderful Barbara! It's been more than a week since I received it and I'm still feeling the same love as when I opened the package from Barbara... It was a custom order (which means that if you're really, really nice, she might accept to make one for you! LOL, she's one busy mom, wife, crafter and writer so you might have to make your smile very broad! ;-)) and I am just delighted with it.

Don't you just love it?? The colors? The work? The fabrics? Here is how Barbara described it, I couldn't write it better:

Anna's Bird is stitched on a sumptious chocolate brown R&R Reproductions linen using overdyed cotton flosses in colors so deep and so rich you can almost feel them. The double-sided wing is fashioned from Moda's Garden Baskets series and is finished with tiny x stitches to give her a slightly primitive appeal. The floral designs stitched on the linen are inspired by Art Nouveau floral designs and compliment the flowing floral pattern of the wing. The balance of light and dark creates a bit of mystery, while the richness of the colors creates a sense of harmony and home-coming. Anna's Bird celebrates the shift from summer into autumn.

I'm borrowing these photos from Barbara with her authorization... I invite you to browse her sold and available items in her etsy shop, to see the other birds she made before... Mine is the nicest though, I swear I love it to death, see for yourself below!




I am sure Barbara would love to read your comments on Her wonderful work... Me, I couldn't say enough how much I appreciate her talent...