A finish from last December

Now that I've heard that my package reached its destination, I can show this little reindeer that I stitched for Michele W.:

Valentine freebie

See Lune d'automne's blog here for a lovely February heart freebie, easy and fast to do!

Friday laziness

I sent the last bit of the job for today, so far I haven't got anything to do for Monday so a cross-stitch weekend is awaiting :)

Here's a much better photo of the French freebie (http://echevette.over-blog.com/) I finished this week

Fabric: Silkweaver Rock-A-Bye

Threads: WDW Americana

Yesterday I started the new Easter 2007 freebie, also by Echevette. It's a pleasure to work on!!!

Crazy wind and crazy rain

I'm just back from my daily long evening dog walk - what a weather! My umbrella was closing every minute and I was afraid it would break. Good thing that with my Ipod kept me entertained with some French podcasts (Stéphane Bern's Le fou du Roi and Bouvard's les Grosses Têtes) but I think Happy thought his owner had gone nuts. Indeed, he hates rain!!! Recently I discovered he doesn't have an inner layer of "fur" (my first dog that way!) and that must be the reason why he is so sentitive to water and cold. Brrrr....

The week has been sooooo busy but I managed to squeeze in some stitching. I worked till 6pm today, sent the job and still have to work a little bit more on the last part for tomorrow morning. I wish I could head to bed! I might stitch a bit though and get up at 5am to finish the job.

Here's yesterday's finish. My fingers were itching to do that one since some time and here it is. I think I'll send it to a finisher so it becomes a pillow. Love that one!


Four fat friends

Freebie by The Drawn Thread

Fabric: 25ct Sand Jobelan (Silkweaver)

Threads: my choice of WDW (Kudzu is ideal for tree leaves, I have to remember that!)


I had to work all night and by 3am, Tosca the Devil decided it's high time to reorganize part of my stash. See how busy she was!

Freebie finish

My French cousin just had her first baby last week so this one is for her. I plan to finish it as a door hang-up (or something like that) as soon as I feel inspired enough! ;-)

The picture is lousy as always when I take them out of the daylight interval. Vrrrr! Will take a better one once I do the finishing part on it.

I hope this will help little Thibau(l)t sleep tight! :) (the French text means Hush! Baby's sleeping...)

Monday work, Monday stitching

I finished stitching the French freebie (picture tomorrow) and I am very satisfied with the result. Done some more on writing back emails to several persons. Need to do more!
I have to work overnight on a tough legal and banking text for 7am as my brain didn't cooperate during the day. I am sipping a new cup of coffee and typing away... boring stuff.
I just exchanged a few words with my neighbor's sister whom I met as she was about to take the lift and I had opened the door to the mailman. My neighbor had a small embolism but I need to call her sister to learn more. Crossing all fingers for the little lively lady...

Norwegian "snuff"

I've always wondered about it during my stays in Norway. Does this exist in other countries? If so, what would be the French (ideal) or English name???
See today's article in Aftenposten for a description.
I'm tobacco challenged but very curious! :)

I just need to put the latest stitches on the French freebie I've been working on during the week-end and should be able to post a finished picture tomorrow. Then I just need to finish it!

This week's finishes

I've been busy stitching lately, here are the latest two finishes. First, the French cottages SAL....

Stitched over 1 on Cream Cashel with DMC (some color changes)

And second, LHN's Coffee Menu, which I adored stitching! Going to the framer as priority! :)

Stitched over 2 on 40ct Cameo linen from Silkweaver with my choice of GAST/WDW.

Weird windy days

I guess I should start my post today with a but it's not even that... It's been strange days... I am watching a show on French TV with guests such as Jimmy Sommerville and now Kim Wilde singing Kids in America, it's a nice evening basically, but...
I've been feeling low on energy since Thursday and I thought it's just me, you know, it sometimes happen ;-) but then my father said the air pressure is loooooow. Okay, so it's the pressure. Then his wife told me on the phone she's been continually feeling for sleeping. Okay, all is normal then. Then my soon 99 y.o. grandma didn't want to dress up on Thursday morning and spent all morning in bed till lunch. That never happens, so my aunt worried. On Friday grandma got up fine but said "she would have liked to go to the doctor". Of course my aunt told her she doesn't have to go anywhere, that she'll call and have the doctor come home, and so she did. The doc said grandma is super fine, better than ever (yeah, we also have the feeling she started to get younger lately LOL!), it's just the weather. Fine, okay. Grandma is amazing anyways.
Then Friday around 5pm I heard knocking on my door and it was my neighbor's sister all shaked up (my neighbor's door is just next to mine so we basically live only meters from each other though the building is so well built that I *never* hear a single sound from the neighbors, a great feature. At this occasion I'll mention it was built in 1960 as an experimental top-of-the-notch technology building, a marvel designed by the Warsaw Polytechnical School which is just accross the street. I already knew that it's close to impossible to put any "nails" in the walls because they are stone hard and one of the professors living in my building told me that the whole structure is supposed to withstand the blow of an eventual atomic bomb. What about the contaminated air infiltrating through the numerous crackings, I thought...). Anyway, I digress. My neighbor's sister lives just one floor up, very close and has the keys to my neighbor, who is over 82 but is a lively strong woman and I've always felt "close" to her. She's always been alone, participated in the Warsaw uprising in the 1944 as a young girl, was a journalist and kept being involved in everything related to the Second World War and is regularly meeting those of her friends from that time who are still alive. And on Friday, her sister worried that her phone kept ringing busy for a long time, opened her flat and found her laying on the floor, alive but not okay, not understanding much. Obviously, she had been laying there for several hours unable to ask for help. And that disturbed me immensely, the thought that I had been at home all the time and that she was laying there, needing help, so close to me... She was taken to the emergency and did not respond to basic tests such as reaching her nose with a finger and was talking ununderstandably. My father's wife (the doc') said it could be a small stroke. But then her sister told me she had been staying in bed a lot lately and that the repairs on the front of the building made her very tired... I hate worrying about her.... Since her sister can't see well after a cancer op' last year, she asked me to find toiled stuff, pijamas, such stuff. It was the weirdest feeling having to open someone else's closets and bathroom to try to find where everything is... I felt like violating her territory. Just a bit, of course, because I knew I was doing the right thing. Everything so clean, so well packed, sorted, like if such an old person knows she should prepare for leaving one day... I didn't want to disturb her sister today but will call tomorrow to ask how things are. Passing her door today was tough. I hope she is still alive..
So when I say that these past days have been weird.... all this wind blowing and things happening... A falling branch even killed a nun on the streets in Cracow...
Stitching wise, I hope to finish the first cottage of the French SAL tonight. It will have taken me 4 evenings because I chose to stitch it over one. It *is* cute :)
Tomorrow I plan to start and finish another project, but hush till tomorrow!
Have a great week-end, everyone! I'm just staying in doing a lot of my fav' occupation, nothing! LOL

Thoughts of skiing, thoughts of snow

I finished Coffee Menu a few days ago and yesterday I started and am half way through the 1st cottage (January) of the French SAL. Today was *busy* with work and I need to prepare papers++ for my accountant tomorrow.

Yesterday it was 15 deg. Celsius in the south of Poland and 12 in Warsaw... which made me browse through older photos from winters in Norway... Here are some from 4 years ago, a lovely stay in the mountain cabin of H`friends (which they sold afterwards, idiots!). It was ccccccccold and there were tons of great snow so we spent whole days cross-country skiing... We love it soooo much!

And here's a big fav' of ours - yes, I was still learning!

We used to spend a week skiing in the same ski resort in the mountains above Lillehammer, which has over 630 kms of ski tracks. And the Winter Olympics left it with plenty other winter sports infrastructures in the whole region. There's no snow this year in Noway.... can you believe? Booo-ooo-oooh... :(

Wednesday blog discovery

You just have to see this one! It's in French but all one needs to understand is the chart, right? LOL If you need help, you can always ask me.

First from top of page, there's a new little cottages 2007 SAL just starting and if you ask me, it's gorgeous. Much nicer than the usual Bent Creeks!
And if you scroll down and go to the previous page, you will discover several stunning sampler (and other) freebies and as the name says, they are FREE! :) I just loooooove them. I think I'll stitch several and I can't wait what will come next! Dam-dee-dam!

Dreaming away :)

I found back the name of the Scarlet Letter kit I so fell in love with - it is Spot Motif. I really don't know what attracts me to it most: the colors or the motifs, but I just haaaave to have it! LOL It has a magical impact on me :) Every time I see it, I visualize it hanging on my wall!

Horse or dog?

http://wideo.gazeta.pl/wideo/0,0,3837601.html

See this! The poor horse was rejected by his mother when he was born, saved by his owners and brought up with two labradors... so he thinks he is a doggie... by the end of the movie you can see how he brings freesbies, drinks from a dog's bowl and follows his owners and runs just like a doggie. They say however they want now him to understand he is a *horse* because once he grows up to full size, the dogs will treat him differently...

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!!