Thinking thinking thinking!

After delivering a bigger job after a sleepless night and a day of work, I slept 2-3 hours and got up tired and in need of procrastinating online a bit.

I've been thinking about the next project to start. Somehow the French Alphabet Sampler (WIP) doesn't appeal to me recently and now that I've finished Coffee Menu (will post a picture tomorrow) I wonder what to pick up next. I have tons of charts I wanted to do in my stash but those I want to stitch most are not yet kitted with the silks they call for. And some are big and I don't have the right fabric in such one big piece. Ah, money. I think I'll pick several medium-sized projects from my favs' pile, alternate them with small charts and just go with what I feel for otherwise.

I recently discovered the Scarlet Letter designs by following a link of someone's blog (Mary Kathryn's?) and I spent again a couple of hours dreaming on their website. I am going to order one of them (the name escapes me right now), money or not money, just need to take a decision of the kit has to come with cotton threads or silks = double price.

In 2007, I would also like to do a Mill Hill kit or pin regularly, some Prairie Schooler charts, and go back to making table runners again. Now that I wrote it, this reminds me I should pick up an Easter project for my aunt ASAP! I am so happy! I will be spending Easter with her, 99 y.o. grandma and my cousins, their wifes and kids again, just like last year. And for me, that means pa-ra-di-se. My paradise on earth! My father insisted I fly to Switzerland with them to my brother's for Easter but I resisted... can you believe I prefer to be with my aunt.... All this traditional Polish Easter cooking, laughter, joy, warmth, I just LOVE to be with them for Easter and if I could, I'd go there for Christmas as well but I can't do this to my father [...]. My aunt's house and garden are the same since I was born, and this is what I consider to be my basis in life. Everything there relates to good moments. My aunt is the model of what I'd like to be as a woman as well and I do my best to learn a maximum from her and call her almost daily. I don't think there's one person on Earth who doesn't like her and she looks much younger than 70. But then that's a common feature in our family. 99 y.o. grandma looks 75 at most :) I wish I lived in the same town, actually I always wanted to live there, but at 18 I chose to study and settle in Warsaw, 3-4 hours of train/car from all branches of my family, and now it would be too hard to relocate. I think. Who knows, though!

But I digress. I have a thing for small and big samplers with bird and trees so I decided to start a Drawn Thread's freebie, it's small enough to have it done in one evening. If it were for me, I'd only stitch bird samplers LOL!

Coffee Menu WIP

Fabric: 40 ct linen
Color: Cameo, from Silkweaver

Threads: my choice of GAST/WDW
Stitched with 2 thread over 2.

Here is as far as I am now with LHN's Coffee Menu which I received recently from Suzanne. Bad girl as I am I was too impatient to wait and order the recommended threads so I made my own conversion to GAST/WDW, which also means I converted the recommended DMC to overdyes. So far it looks very lovely, this is going to be a fav'! Though on 40ct, it goes slooooow! :)

Prairie Schooler exchange from Suzanne

Stitched by Suzanne C.

Prairie Schooler quickie exchange

Adapted from Summer Samplers, PS book #77

It arrived a few days ago but I was down with the cold and I absolutely wanted to give it the attention it deserves!!!!

Back in November in our Prairie Schooler group I suggested a quickie exchange but noone was interested (I knew it wasn't the right moment in the end of the year) except me and... Suzanne! How lucky I was that she replied and became my partner! Suzanne is certainly one of the nicest persons I met online in 2006 and she spoiled me much much much much more than I deserve!!! See all the goodies, charts, threads she sent me off my wishlist and see that gorgeous PS piece she adapted for me!!! The envelope was more like a treasure chest LOL! After reading about all the trouble I had trying to take my plane to Geneva to see my darling, she wanted to make it especially smiley and it is that! So joyful, so bright, so warm, I am just so fond of that beautiful piece! And yes, she framed it herself! Thanks soooo much again, Suzanne!!!! I've been keeping it on my desk just to look at it but time has come to hang it on my stitching wall :). First I want to find the right spot so I can look at it every morning and start the day with a smile :) Now I can just wish my exchange package will also bring a smile far, far away from here ;-)

And no, several packages I sent to the US muuuuch before Christmas haven't arrived yet. I hate to think of people opening them to see Christmas ornies and chocolate :(. Vrrrr!!

H. is lucky to be able to stay in bed, unfortunately I have to work continuously till next Monday at least on what seems to be a never ending pile of texts. I don't even feel for stitching much.

I forgot to add smthg about stitching... This week-end I started LHN's Coffee Menu on a piece of SW hand-dyed fabric in 40ct, it goes slow but I find it so enjoyable to work on it :). One day I should order and stitch the Chocolate chart as well. I decided to do my own conversion to GAST/WDW and silks and I am anxious to see if I chose my colors well :)

New Year Tuesday

Not a very happy one, but I go on. I did some accounting and the situation is worse than I thought, I can only hope the social insurance authorities wait a month more till I get the money to pay the late stuff. If January brings lots of work, I should be soon over the worst period but boy is this month scary.
Next thing, I had the feeling I added weight lately... ohhhh yes I did. After seeing photos H. took during Christmas dinner it was clear and stepping on the scale confirmed the sad state of things. I added 6kgs since November, ruining a big part of the work I did last year. However I am determined to be much thinner by the end of the year. This time it *is* going to happen. I was on diet and yoyoing since May 1st 2006, and I now know where I go wrong, where my biggest downfalls are. Time to plan the wedding too... and I will not make any plans towards it till I look acceptable. So, diet plan started today, with a plan to move a whole lot more as well. Let's see how succesful I am with that one! It is supposed to bring a slow but steady weight loss, I guess I'm over with my wishful thinking of losing a lot quickly. Never happened, so this time I'll go slow - but in the right direction. You're most welcome to cross all human and furry fingers this year!
H. went to see his doctor last night and was put off work till next week. Good! Today he made his weekly blood test and the blood was too thick which we think was caused by the medecines I made him take against the cold. After his heart op' he has to be extremely careful. Today's doc revised the dosage of his heart pills and he also got an injection in the belly to thin the blood. He's also supposed to make the same injection himself the next days (what a scary thought, brrrr!) but he says it's pretty easy and the thingie is already loaded with medicine.
Anyways the doc confirmed yesterday that what he/we has/have is a viral infection. He's already much better but needs to relax in bed and I am well, a bit better. Unfortunately I have tons of work for tomorrow and next Monday. The text for tomorrow is a major pain in the --- and after fighting with a pile of administrative stuff I think I'll just have a short nap and work afterwards, all night if need be. Have to have it delivered tomorrow by 2pm.
I also put an online order at a supermarket (the French chain Leclerc) for all the goodies I need for my diet over the next 2 weeks and I'm waiting to have it delivered.

Gifties #4

And here is another giftie the mailman brought today! I was about to write smthg about the US mail service (none of the packages I sent 10 days before Xmas arrived till now) but this package from Angi in the UK was sent on Dec. 12!!! It should normally take not more than 3-7 days, hmpppppfffff! See all the lovely things I received, and isn't the little ornament *with my name* the cutest of all!!! The blue pouch contained a counting pins thingie Angi made herself. How lucky I am to have so many great friends! :) Aaah, and I was about to forget the chocolate Santas and coins that are disappearing with lightning speed LOL!

Gifties #2 and #3

Annette S. sent me Blackbird's Designs' Evergreen from the Loose Feather series, which she saw on my wishlist and it was such a lovely surprise!

And Mylene surprised me with a new copy of UK's Cross Stitcher which I looooved to browse through!!

Here is a little angel I sent to Linda H, all handcrafted (not by me). It was so adorable I swear I had to buy it!

Giftie #1

Here is a wonderful little suprise I received from Linda H., a lovely friend from a group I left earlier in 2006. It is a holiday bayberry candle - I forgot to take a picture of the glass 'container' Linda sent me with it, the paper text is taped on it. She and her sister have a tradition of making such candles every year... I loved lighting it!! And it was packed so nicely like a frosty winter candy!

One more Happy New Year!!!

I'm still in bed, worse instead of getting better, and that is the first New Year Eve in my life when I'll go to bed much before midnight. It's soon 10pm here, I'll just watch a TV program I want to see and fall asleep - if the sound of fireworks doesn't get too disturbing. People started popping them as early as 8pm tonight. Neither my dog nor queen-cat seem to care though :)
H. snored in bed most of the day as well, my father and wife decided not to go to the New Year Eve concert at the opera and instead handed the tickets to a (delighted) neighbor. Since they've been ill since two full weeks I don't see much hope for me for the moment :(.
My brother, wife and son were supposed to travel to spend a few days with them on Tuesday before they head back for Switzerland but the news being as they are, neither me nor my father are going to see them this time. Not sure if my father can accept not seeing his grandkid though!
The thought that out there, there are healthy people who dance, celebrate, kiss and laugh is so.... unrealistic LOL!
Back to bed, enjoy your evening wherever you are, whatever you do, just have it nice for yourselves! Happy New Year in 2 hours (my time)!

G'night...

... last night before 2007 arrives! :)

I've stayed in bed and concentrated on feeling poor, miserable and abandoned by the world LOL! H.'s plane arrived in time and he's also been staying in bed all day and we talked on the phone several times, exchanging experiences (is your nose running now? does your throat ache? mine has stopped, have you taken your medicine?) Yeah right, what a lovely week we're having! :)

I was planning to blog about the lovely gifts I received from several stitching friends including a wonderful Prairie Schooler quickie exchange with Suzanne, but it's too dark to take good shots now and I feel ill and... plain lazy... LOL! I'll catch up tomorrow.

I should write among my goals for 2007 not to start a project when down with a cold. I stitched half the border on LHN's Coffee chart just to discover it's too long for the piece of SW's fabric I chose. Will restart the whole thing tomorrow on a different shade of fabric, as I don't have enough of this one in lenght. Vrrrrrr!

Was planning to watch some movies on TV but I'll just pity myself in bed with some pills against the cold and hope to wake up feeling better tomorrow. I'll try to fall asleep very soon. Nity nite, everyone!

Happy New Year!!!

To all xstitch fans and friends, I would like to wish a wonderful 2007, filled with stitching, laughter and warmth!

(me and my dad's wife)

I am back from Christmas at my father's and back from the airport, H. is now on his plane to Oslo. Christmas was nice, really, just that both my father and his wife had a bad cold so the main topic was illness, coughing and running noses, doubled with sinusitis and fiever ;-) and well, yes, despite all protective measures I and H. got it too. With the zillions of bacterias flying in the air there we knew it would happen. We spent the last 3 days in bed, the greatest part of the day, but it didn't help. Today is the worst (hopefully, I mean, I really wish this won't continue), I cough with bad sounds, my nose is like a leaking pipe, oh well, you know how the story goes. We've been taking medicines since many days so we hope this will end soon.

Christmas... well. No snow, no hopes of snow, and up till +6 Celsius. Warm. It did NOT feel like Christmas and I almost have the feeling there was no Christmas :(. My brother, wife and kid couldn't come this year from Switzerland because my SIL couldn't get days off around Christmas and they only arrive tomorrow for a week. Somehow I got used to having Christmas with my 4,5 y.o. nephew, with the laughter, joy and all the Santa-seriousness. And I think for my father it just isn't the same when he doesn't have his both kids around, and now also his grandkid. But don't get me wrong, it was a lovely time, very relaxing.

H. spent a lot of time installing Windows XP on my father's computer, we also drove to buy him a new HP cheap printer and he got a Skype phone and a bigger hard drive from us - and he's thrilled. He immediately started calling acquaintances in various part of the world. And he is sooooo happy to have his computer modernized!!!

Their doggie is not going to live much longer, his heart is very bad now and he was out of breath and coughing terribly....

During H.'s stay, we threw out my new couch :( from last year. It was an expensive one and really beautiful but the system didn't work well for extending it daily, I think it just wasn't meant for such an intense use and some wooden elements broke, making it very hard to extend. We drove to Ikea and got a new one and I just looooooooove it! My cat and dog love it too LOL!

H. also helped me to sort what seems almost the last batch of old stuff, I threw some and we drove twice to the storage, where we repacked it all into boxes. H. insisted and pushed me to do that job while he was here, saying it would be so nice, clean and empty in my tiny flat and that I would gain so much space for storing stuff. And it is true :) Now I just need to wash and clean here and there and I can rediscover a neat flat after several years of having it clogged completely. It is such a great feeling! I worked 4 months by bits to get to that result and yes, it was worth the bone aches LOL!

So now I will just go to bed to help my body get rid of that %$#%#%^# cold and in some hours I will upload more pictures+++.

Happy Saturday, everyone! :)

"My first Christmas" ornie

I made this one last night for a friend whose first baby girl was born this summer. A month later they both followed hubby/dad far away to Tahiti so I haven't yet had the opportunity to see the little princess, only on photos - and she definitely is the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen :)

Anyway, this is for little Helenka (or Hélène, her daddy being French).

The pattern is by Echevette, who creates the most gorgeous freebies and shares them with all the stitching community.

Ah yes, the picture is really bad. It shows a weird pinkish colour while it was a sparkling white. I seem to always take pictures in the evening, when the light is too bad for the digital camera.

Swiss Birdhouse :)

We couldn't resist to this birdhouse :)

We found it at a huge Christmas market in Switzerland, in the town where my brother lives. It was organized in a gardening center and it occupied several buildings! We spent quite some time in there. Unfortunately I had to be reasonable with money this year.

This is a real birdhouse; the seeds are put from the top, by opening the house's roof and down the building, there are little openings on each side where the grains come out. And the little birdies can sit around on the edge and stuff their little yellow Norwegian butts! LOL I can't wait to see it hanging in H's garden.

There were about 5 different such houses to choose from. Oh, and it is quite big, about 35 cm tall.

Busy, busy Tuesday

Can you believe that I spent 7 (yes, SEVEN) hours preparing and packing Christmas gifties for friends abroad? This should be the last batch and I am happy to have it done. I also prepared wrote and packed several Christmas cards for customers and friends. All will leave early tomorrow morning. Still, it is beyond me why it took me such a long time! Luckily, I didn't have work today on my desk.
I also took photos of some finishes (including the secret [...] PS exchange for Suzanne - I am so proud of this one! It is the first time I made a [...] and two more, little .... for ... and ... LOL!). I've uploaded them to a secret folder on webshots where they will wait till they will have reached their destination! :)

Soft trees freebie

I just can't resist sharing this one with you. I just discovered it but apparently it's been popular for a while as confirms this site with photos of some of the trees made by its fans, and the pattern is here.
I fell in love with it the moment I saw the one Elisabeth made and posted to her blog. Yay! I hope I'll find a short moment to make at least one to offer this Christmas! It looks so simple to make and its up to anyone to make her own version. I love it, love it!

Isn't the new Trilogy lovely?

I am on a stash diet for money reasons till at least the New Year, but I love looking at the new designs :) That new one from Trilogy is co cute with its lines of red robins, penguins and mittens... I can already visualize a little pillow or cube with it :)

New 24h Freebie!

Hurry up, Tonia from OakHaven Cs Designs has made it available for one day only.
You need to scroll up till the bottom! It's called Loving Swirly Snow and it's available at http://site.oakhavencsdesigns.com/index.html.

Afghan delivered...

...in good hands! H. got it in Switzerland. And you know what? He appreciated it to its real value, many months of work. Now to see it hanging somewhere... LOL! But he was amazed with the amount of work, the details etc. I managed to fringe it by hand before leaving (that alone took many, many hours, so I think I'll let myself be tempted soon by a sewing machine LOL!) and two squares in the bottom left corner are not done yet, but I'll stitch them fast during a next trip to Norway. It's only a piece of broken tree trunk.
For those who don't know yet the little story.... A few years ago as we were hiking above Zakopane, in the Tatra mountains in Poland, we met a mommy bear with two adorable cubs, just 2,5-3 months old, not more. This was one of THE moments of our relationship... We sat for a moment on broken bits of trees with my old aunt to watch the view, look at the map, and go further after a short moment of relax, and then what do I see? The first baby bear. I don't think I realized the danger, I just pointed at it and said: "Oh look at that!!" with delight. That all happened before I read anything about bears and danger and wilderness - and the outcome of such meetings. It would never occur to me to feel in danger there, so close to civilization. H. and my aunt froze, looked at each other and ordered we pack everything fast, but without panick. The little one was just jumping around. Mommy not in sight. My aunt decided we should go further up - and what do we see? Another little bear rolling in front of our feet, on the path, sort of intentionnally falling from a higher path border made of sand, I think. Now that was scary. We turned back. I still remember the look and the eyes of the second cub - he looked at us so surprised, almost friendly. I think he just couldn't figure what those two-legged creatures were! We didn't see Momma bear. She certainly was *very* close and as we were told later by specialists, she probably didn't attack not because we were 3 humans, but because we behaved perfectly (judging by bear's criteria) and because neither of her kids made a sound. They were too young to be scared, they were just there to play and eat berries, they never met humans before and didn't understand the danger, that is what saved us. We returned fast (very fast, if you ask me) to our car. An unforgettable experience... Since then we've been reading lots of reports about meeting bears and well, there are not many people who met cubs so close and survived.
And when I saw this afghan pattern, I just couldn't believe my eyes: the scene is almost like the one we lived, but maybe a moment after? The bear mom and her two kids dancing around, happy that the humans left LOL! The ones we met were much, much smaller than on the afghan design and I can tell you that no soft toy can reproduce how sweet a real small bear looks! :) Even the view of the mountains is like the one where we were sitting, and the fallen trunks... just the eagle wasn't there, but what do I know?
So many reasons why H. really loved his gift... :) and I was delighted! Though I must say, I am happy to be over with it. I didn't find it very pleasant to work on a biiiig piece of heavy, warm fabric, with a multitude of colors (a whole bag of DMC)... Now to move on to other projects!

Prairie Schooler exchange from Linda McM

Tonight I wanted to share the wonderful Christmas finished ornament exchange I received from Linda McM, the listmom of our Prairie Schooler group, and what a listmom!
Linda sent me not one but two ornaments, one bigger - from the Blackwork Angels leaflet and the second is from Christmas miniatures. I hope I am not making any mistake, but the Angels are done in silks (the gold is shiny Marlitt) and for the small ornie, Linda substituted the recommended DMC : the red is GAST Brick, the green is a Needle Necessities... I love both dearly, but I'll tell you in secret I am madly in love with the little cutie: it is sooooo bright in colors, so intricate, so beautifully finished... This is not to say I don't like the Angels, I love them too! But somehow this little one is a gem.... a real gem.
As I often say, I tend to be pathetically nostalgic at times when it comes to gifts from friends... especially those gifts where the person has put a special care and attention to make it, buy it, suit my tastes, you know what I mean.... This week I was spoiled by Mylene and Linda... Two wonderful persons I only know virtually, but they are one of those special people met on Internet, whose friendship is maybe virtual physically, but very real.
Linda also sent me several leaflets and she picked them right into my tastes, how did she know? :) She chose Heart in Hand's "A Christmas Wish", from A Stitcher's Hand a leaflet named "Needle Station", also "Pear's wreath" by Sisters and Best Friends.... and an out of print leaflet from Prairie Schooler, the sought after "Summer Samplers"!! Thank you so much, Linda!!! :) :) :)
The fact that Linda's mother worked on one of the ornaments gives in a very special value in my heart... Linda described the process in her blog, this was a very touching report (you might have to scroll back a few).

I feel a lucky gal this week... tomorrow I'll post about my trip to Cheeseland.