Prairie Schooler ornie

This is Joy to the World from the book Songs of the Season by Prairie Schooler, stitched for our PS group Christmas finished ornament exchange.

Hah, now that Linda received it, proud me can safely show it. Don't ask how many hours it took this bad finisher to get to this result! LOL

The photo doesn't show the sparkles in the opalescent fabric nor the real "bright", "golden" and sparkly colors, but that's the best shot I was able to take. For the hay, I cut rafia in tiny tiny bits and glued it safely in place. I forgot to take a picture, behind is a Christmas red and green fabric.

It is stitched with my choice of overdyes, I didn't use the DMC the chart called for. Also, I used gold braid for the rays and the halo around the heads instead of regular floss.

I am so glad you like it, Linda! It was a pleasure to stitch it for you!

Pay it forward

I put my name on Mary Kathryn's list so now it's my turn!

The first five people to respond to this post -via the comments section- will get some form of needlework made by me. After you comment, please email me your regular mail address (to fjordgirl at gmail dot com). I’m setting a 365 day deadline but I'll certainly try to send your items much, much earlier ;-)

The rules? If you sign up to receive from me, you must post the same Pay it forward offer in your blog so the idea goes on! :)

So, who's first? :)

Monday French freebies

Cyperphenicia has a real beauty I'm sharing with you to start the week with a big smile! You'll find it here and you can see more finished versions here.

Also, Echevette posted a heart in two colour versions "Mon 1er Noel", for the French challenged, this means My First Christmas. Right on spot! One of my good friends had a baby in July and this will be a perfect fast stitch for the little one! :)

I'm back

Yesterday I, my aunt and grandma made 285 tiny, tiny "uszka" (like pierogis, but much smaller and the shape is different, I'll post a picture in a month) for Christmas dinner's borstsch (red beet soup) and 100 cabbage and mushroom pierogis, also for Christmas dinner. I brought half of that frozen back to Warsaw, and they're now waiting in the freezer till it's Christmas time. My culinary contribution to xmas dinner is thus done! I might bake some sort of xmas cake or cakes at one moment, but all the rest will be done by my father and his wife. Good. I was totally pooped yesterday, we worked from 11am till 6pm in the kitchen.
Today my cousin and his wife arrived with supplies for a nice breakfast, we ate together and had nice chats/laughters later. And then it was time for the 3,5 h trip by train. I spent all evening catching up on my mail and other urgent stuff.
Time is flying... I will be super busy all the next month and I fear I won't be able to do all I've planned. I was hoping (and still am!) to finish H's afghan in time to give it to him in 10 days in Cheeseland, but I got work and I'll be working a lot all next week, so stitching time will be very limited.
I didn't take anything to stitch for the trip, I hate train time so much that I try to half-sleep to survive LOL! and I was right in guessing that I would be to tired yesterday to stitch. Tomorrow I plan to pay a lot of bills, which will take a long time, clean the flat and stitch, so I can work hard from Monday morning.

Isa V has a new freebie on her blog, it is Joyeux Noel shaped as a heart. Happy stitching!

Away....

If you're looking for me, I am away till Sunday... change of plans, I decided to visit my aunt [...] this week-end instead of before Christmas....
I'll reply to any emails when I'm back, sorry...

Today's French freebies...

...are from Miss T. Check them out, and if you scroll down, you will find several biscornu patterns which seem to be the rage lately! :)
http://misst.canalblog.com/archives/mes_petites_grilles_gratuites/index.html

New freebie from The Sampler Girl!

Yet a new freebie from Tanya! This time, December-themed, well in time to stitch before Christmas. It is so easy and cute! See here.

Almost all tickets bought

(some of you might know I'm nuts about moose and reindeer decorations... here is Christmas reindeer from Angi!)

We had incredible luck tonight. It is now 2 months since I've been pressing H to buy his Christmas plane tickets. We'll be spending it at my father's this year, and 12 days together after a whole week in Switzerland just two weeks before, so I can't say enough how delighted I am. The luck, you'll ask? It's that plane tickets prices have been going up gradually, after all Christmas is in a little bit more than a month away now and I wasn't that happy with my stubborn partner who likes to delay everything till the last moment... We're a great couple, me who likes to plan everything *very* long in advance and H who hates it LOL! Anyway, we were planning to finally decide on the dates for Christmas today and while he was on his way home, I checked the airline's website and what do I see? Several days had prices several times lower than even last month! I called H, made him run home and tickets were bought, for 1/3 of the price!! The flight from Oslo to Warsaw cost 297 NOKs, while just an hour later it cost 1297!!! Delighted, delighted I am, I tell you... So, we get to spend almost 3 weeks together in total between end of November and end of December. Yooopla! I've been checking tickets prices every day the last month, sometimes several times per day, so I really don't know why this ONE cheap ticket was released... Of course, he will now use it against me forever, he's already joking that if we had bought the tickets yesterday as planned, he would have payed a fortune more than today! LOL

Stitching - I received a small order from 123stitch.com with [...] to finish my PS exchange for Suzanne. At least that's what I am planning, tomorrow I'll see it my idea can be brought to life. If it can, it is certainly a miniature challenge :)

I finished two more blocks of the Spring Thaw afghan for H. Only 8 more to go within two weeks (sigh). I hate speed-stitching. I've put the FAS away. I just don't like working on it at all. Too bad there was no chance to make it in time for his b-day or Christmas, but the LNS send it only :( 2 months after my order, and sent it to the wrong adress, meaning I got it end of September. Oh well, he'll get it one day. No need to hurry anymore.

H's 50th birthday was yesterday... we celebrated it over the phone, there will be plenty of time in Switzerland for more romantic moments, especially since on Dec. 03, we'll also celebrate 10 years of being together! :) To me, this is a magical date...

Off to stitch a little bit and head to bed... night night everyone!

Blackwork Furry Friends

Yup, Monday procrastination... while working on two texts... I ended buying Blackwork Furry Friends by Tam's Creations, I just loved it! Tam finally has a nice place to sell her designs from. It is nice, because you get the chart directly by email.

And if you want to see the pattern I bought, it is this one :)

Lost Saturday

Yup, I feel like it's lost, but there'll be a Sunday ;-)
I started working again in the flat in the evening yesterday and decided to pause... at almost 7 am!! I am nuts, I know, but I just have to have the flat neat again. At 4am there were beads, threads, frames, magazines, books, charts and kits, and what have you, *everywhere*!! including my bed, the floor, my keyboard etc. Now most of it is sorted and put into boxes of various kind with really (I amazed myself LOL!) some sort of system. One thing I don't know how to solve is little insects that seem to love fabrics. They are everywhere where I store fabrics in the flat, after they die they leave little dry skins and some sort of miniature coccoons. They drive me nuts! They are even in the closed plastic boxes. I will attemt to put soap (because of the fragrance) and see if that helps.
Now, the floor is still covered with a zillion items but there are walkable "channels" for the furry kids ;-)
Do you ever have moments like this? I discovered I have *dozens* of lovely tuck pillows (I seem to have bought more on ebay last year than I cared to admit), twice the number of Silkweaver hand-dyed fabric packs than I thought (granted, half are not colors I really like for my usual projects, so they were stuck in the back of a big drawer), I have quite many charms and other nice stash. Far from what some ladies have, but I only discovered US stash about 4 years ago... I also prepared a huge pile of charts to sell on ebay. The situation being as it is, I can't afford buying stash still for the next half year, so I decided to sell a lot, making a copy of the occasional pattern I think I will stitch and especially get rid of some precious doubles. Lots of these are samplers and Birds of a Feather patterns, but none of the BOF charts are the expensive OOP found on ebay.
Waking up today, I was thinking what I really need as stash... Scissors, probably. I only have two small pairs received from stitching friends with fobs. Overdyes and silks - I wish I would win the lotto. I am sure I would spend half the sum (however high it would be) on these, much to H's despair! LOL Hand-dyed fabrics, always. Buying some charts/kits from both my wishlists, certainly. Isn't it awful that designers always have new patterns we need to have? :)
So I'm thinking... 2007 will be (decided!) more Mill Hill stitching (especially some samplers from a book I bought earlier this year), more Prairie Schooler and stitching runners and tablecloths again. I must have mentioned earlier that I really miss those. Especially since stoopid me gave all my most beautiful accomplishments to family. I wish I didn't! Except for one which my aunt always proudly exhibits, they are hidden somewhere in closets gathering dust. Not the fate I want for a piece it took me a year to finish.
I'm flying to Switzerland in a little bit than 2 weeks and I need to have H's afghan ready, so I have to talk to myself and quit working on other stuff till then.
Off to start the day at past 5pm (told you it's a lost day :( ). Thank you everyone for emails, comments and other messages in the past few days, I'll do my best to reply this week-end! I only have one small job on my desk for Monday, so Sunday should be free for catching up on email.
Have a nice week-end, everyone!

At 5pm, I also took out a big pile of clean (go figure!) clothes and bedclothes to wash again and iron, and a moment later, I noticed that Happy found a comfy place to sleep in! LOL

Meet Lil' Mouse!

Fabric: Sunshine Sparkle (Silkweaver), 25ct Lugana

Chart from Cross Stitch Crazy (Christmas 2006 issue) UK magazine

Threads used: my choice of overdyes

Finally finishes I love! I couldn't resist to this little mouse...

Basically, I stitched it for a friend's daughter. Now, please help me - what should I do? I love it so much that I have a hard time parting with it. And no, I won't stitch it again, I know I won't, I never do, there's plenty of other designs I always want to stitch :(. Should I keep it and have it finished or should I send it, what would you do?? And if I keep it, how do I finish it (=I'll have a finisher do it for me)? I'm perplexed though I have some ideas, but the first question is, do I send it, really...

Dragon Dreams new freebie

There's a new freebie, have you seen it? It's a little dragon with a pumpkin on his head, too cute :)
I just love DD designs!

Today's French freebies...

...are from Vivapetitmonde.fr

See here, links in the center and archives list in the pink sidebar to the right, including a nice hardanger ABC (Mylene should like that ;-))
Also click directle here.

More freebies here, but they're presented in a way I don't like and which I usually find not that attractive. I found a couple of cute ones though! :)

I don't remember if I ever posted those. Anyway, the scissors cases, for instance, are so beautiful!

And a fall design, two leaves from Ursulaschertz.de.

New yummy patterns

I just can't take my eyes off the new Janlynn kits (granted, I wouldn't do them on Aida). I especially love the winter piece and the autumn piece, aren't they stunning?

While procrastinating, I'd like to mention the new Spanish Church freebie by Michael Powell at http://www.michaelpowellart.co.uk/ (you need to subscribe to subscribe as member). It is wintery, not too big and certainly nice once finished :)

Small M letter finish

I stitched the first of several (but not many, I won't have time with my big and exchange projects) small gifties for stitcher-friends. I haven't been able to take a good shot tonight with the digital camera, so I'll upload a much better one once I have it finished - as a small hanging ornie. It is from the Holly and Ivy alphabet published in the UK magazine Cross Stitch Crazy, Christmas 2006.

TGOSM Sampler finish!

I so fell in love with this sampler that I stitched it in 3 evenings. I just couldn't wait for the Olde Willow Stitchery Threads so I made my own conversion to overdyes (see below).

Fabric: Silkweaver's linen 32 ct
Color: Sandcastle
Threads used: overdyes and silks

My conversion of the major colors:
OWS Virtue Teal-WDW Kentucky Bluegrass
OWS Yorkshire Blue - Gloriana silks : India Ink for the birds and Charcoal for the windows
OWS American Quaker Gold: WDW Whiskey
OWS Chestnus- GAST Currant

Stitched with 2 threads over 2.

Birthday/Christmas bloggers stitching club

I subscribed to Becky's exchange this week. Just passing the info... would love to see my stitching friends in there too! :)
More info here and here.

I'm so upset with myself!

Why, oh why is it that way that I regularly think I will remember a little bit of info, which of course it is impossible to do for a longer period, and why can't I learn to write down that little piece of info somewhere...
Tonight I found back Miss Mary Mack (by Lori Markovic) which I started before the summer. Of course I customized it by picking a color of floss I wanted. I know it was GAST or DMC, and it's done over one. I was sure I would remember that OBVIOUS (^%$^%#%) color name to order one skein more... But know I don't. Wait, I think it might have been Crescent Colors.. All I can do is to order several skeins of colors from different companies and check what it was. Aaaaargh!!! I like this piece so much!
DON'T ASK - I forgot the name of the Silkweaver fabric as well! (sound of head banging on wall)
Actually the digital camera distorted the colors - the floss color has nothing to do with coffee, it is indeed more like dark ink.

Good traveling news

I'll be blogging less in the end of the year. Decisions are made and plane tickets were bought today - we're flying to Switzerland on Nov. 28 for a well deserved week at my brother's and to attend Chris de Burgh's concert in Zurich. We'll do some traveling in the country as well to discover places we haven't been yet, with mandatory trips to Geneva and Lausanne as well, as I need to find some items related to my work.
I won't be able to describe what that concert means to me, so I won't even try, especially in English. This is simply a dream come true.... I still can't be believe we're going to attend!
It'll be nice to stay at my brother's and spend time with my 4,5 y.o. nephew. It's been a long time since I saw him last... oh my, can it really be a whole year?
And then on Dec. 3rd, we'll celebrate the 10th anniversary of being together... probably with a nice dinner somewhere on the French side.
Still unsure if H. can fly in here for Christmas, that should be solved tomorrow or within the next days. There's hope!
That all means I'll be traveling a lot between the end of November and end of December (Christmas at my father's).
I'm starting to prepare little Xmas packages for several cross stitch friends, I can't make them big this year, so they will just be little somethings to say I think of you during this special period of the year...

All Saints Day

In Poland, we do not celebrate Halloween other than as a new fashion imported from the US, but we celebrate All Saints Day on Nov. 1. It's also a day off as well as tomorrow (All Souls Day). The tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. Everybody, I mean everybody except for people whose condition makes it impossible visits graves - usually at several cementaries during the same day. We visit the graves of all family members, friends, other people we knew, and we light a candle. There are also big crosses where we light a candle for a special 'occasion' - WWII victims, Polish people buried abroad etc. - this is what the picture above shows.
From what I know, this tradition is very similar to how Mexicans celebrate this day. In East Poland, there are regional customs such as bringing food for the dead, singing and rejoycing, but for most people this is a day where we think about those who left...
Graves are decorated with enormous pots of chrysanthema (usually), and the atmosphere in the evening, when it's dark, with all those small red lights everywhere, is just magic. I would recommend people visiting our country to discover this day here, with all its customs...
More photos:

And here's a picture from last year, from the cementary where my mother is buried (I just realized I uploaded above only pictures made in the evening):