My Prairie Schooler exchange and another birthday package

Prairie Schooler taken from PS book 49 - Garden Verses

Here's the pillow I sent to Cindy for the PS exchange, all the way to Singapore - and can you believe it only took 4 days or so? Oh, I was delighted to hear that Cindy liked it... I have to tell you I had to fight with myself, a small voice was telling me to keep it but I was stronger than that! :) It is taken from the Garden Verses samplers BUT I changed colors to my choice of overdyes and it became quite colorful in the process. Loved it! I glued a very tiny red band around the pillow to complement it.
But, but, you just have to visit the PS blog and see the purse Cindy made for her partner in this exchange, I am still drooling over it days and days after I saw it for the first time! Ah, I don't have much sewing talents. Would love to be able make such lovely pouches!!
Gabi, if you read it, the fabric I chose is definitely under your influence :) Upon receiving the exchange biscornu from you earlier this spring, I decided to implement more darker linen in my projects... :) Not sure why, but I loved using light colored, natural fabrics... all sorts of light Lakeside Linens... trying to change my choices now and each time I do, I think of you :)
Here's the back, bad picture, I know:

Did you know there is a Just Nan lovers blog and one other for fans of La-D-Da? I just discovered and joined both... Passing the info further!!

Now, now, see the wonderful pillow and all the super lovely goodies I received from Carla in Peru from the Stitching Bloggers Birthday Club... It only arrived a few days late and it made me smile, smile, smile!!

First, the pillow... absolutely awesome finishing, the result is soooo very sweet and cheerful, with assorted beads all around! It is a pattern I didn't have but so wanted to, and here I get it already finished into such a lovely decorative item! I love it, Carla!
I'll refer you to Carla's blog to see more pictures.

And then, the goodies... Fantastic linen from Enchanted Fabrics, a company I didn't know, two other pieces of very lovely fabrics, lots and lots of variegated DMC floss, and a chart from my wishlist. Just wonderful!!

More later.... still more to show!!

So much to show, I will have to spread this onto several posts :)
I've settled down here in Norway for the summer... It's been busy days...
The trip went super fine... only the check-in people tried to convince me I didn't pay for two pieces of luggage, the procedure for checking-in the pets is awful comparing to the terminal I used before, the flight was heavy with turbulence...actually this must have been the second time I was really scared in a plane, and I've been flying regularly since I was 4 years old... Toska was fine, but Happy was very nervous when I got them in Oslo... then the customs officer tried to tell me their papers are not correct, but I knew better... I was glad to arrive home in the evening:)
The transition from downtown Warsaw to the nature here is always a special moment of delight... I can't have enough of being in the garden, of walking in the woods, around the surrounding small lakes, smelling summer... Yup, I am happy.
Thank you to *everyone* who took time on Friday to send me their birthday wishes here and by email... You made my day very, very special!!!
It all started with H. bringing me a rose... one rose... this is what I asked him to do - we went to the gardening center in the afternoon and I opted for garden flowers and herbs instead :) With the price of everything in Norway, you gotta make choices. I was busy planting and transplanting all week-end :)
In the evening, H. took me out for dinner at our favorite place by the lake... just a 5 minutes drive from home...

... and not much can beat the view from the table..

... I'll just show a picture of the dessert....


The restaurant as seen from the lakefront...

...the so lovely garden around... we always have a walk in there after eating...

This is actually a lake with drinkable water so it's protected, you can't bathe in it.

Talking about birthdays.... here's what I sent Harmien for her special day recently... I think I'll refer you to the pictures she took - not only on mine, the kitty still has glue in her eyes, but Harmien took hilarious photos of her Kisse making friends with kitty! :)



I had two packages waiting for me when I arrived here... One is the Prairie Schooler exchange - a lovely tin box sent by Lynda A., who told me it's stitched on a piece of Silkweaver Solo with DMC and Anchor threads. I love boxes of all kinds and this is such a cheerful addition. Thank you, Lynda!

And last but not least, oh no no no, was a surprise birthday package from Mylene... that I love so much!! Mylene picked items really to my tastes, a lot of nice pink :) That included lovely beads, overdyes, a hand-made floss tag, a lovely card, two chocolates... who disappeared faster than I had the chance to photograph them... and a wonderful chart from my wishlist!!

A close-up... see the lovely floss tag:

Thank you again, Mylene, for surprising me on my day!! :)

That was a long post... but please come back later, I have more to show - some exchange pieces which already got to my partners... and another fabulous birthday package from Ela... You'll see why I'm smiling from ear to ear today.... :)