Sunday, August 30, 2015

First Love

The After a long time with little stitching here and there only, although I still did crafty things, I finally started stitching again on a new project while being on vacation in Europe. It's called Floral Sampler by Brenda Keyes from The Sampler Company. And...it's the first sampler I fell in love with long years ago. This one was the one that draw me into samplers. And so far I'm in love with it all over again.





Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Overdue Update

Wow, time flies indeed. And I missed updating my blog in February completely. To my excuse can be said that I'm just so very busy and often go for days without internet. Even my stitching time is reduced quite a bit. I'll explain that later. For the ones interested in stitching only here is the only update I have to show.
Stitching on this piece is rather addictive. I'm so in love with it:

 A Parrot, A Leopard, A Lion
Designer: The Scarlet Letter
Fabric: 40ct Lakeside Linens "Vintage Maritime White"
AVAS silks
 
Now to the reasons for my absence. There are two major reasons for that.

One is that I started to sport daily. Right now I'm happy with it and also with the Weight Watchers program. I'm loosing weight rapidly and getting fitter same time. Feeling so much better.

The other reason is that we will work on a solution for the only problem we have in our otherwise very happy marriage. And that is ...how to say it nicely...his shit stuff that he carries inside, on the patio and everywhere else - and leaves it there. Until I get really mad, then I have may be couple of days of a clean area and a rather miffed husband. And we start again.  It can be anything honestly. Tools, computer parts, small planes. What about a boat on the patio at times? Why can't he simply start stitching???
 Don't ask me what the thing is in the picture. I don't know and really don't care. He explained it couple of times, but my brain somehow doesn't process that info. What I do care about is that he put it on the lounge table and it will stay there until I get a major mental break down. Same to the shelf seen in the background. Can't complain too much about those. He will hang those up next to my stitching chair...sooner or later. 
And don't get me started on the trailer that gets pushed on the patio. And if it's not the trailer it's his boat. Or both.  Or the other things that appear there magically:
To his defense - it's partly my fault. When we built this house I insisted that our large garage and the shed should be heaps. It's not. He has no room to store his tools and other stuff.

The solution is sort of easy - my husband needs his man cave. He really really does. So we decided to have a major change to our backyard and will have to get builders in to concrete a large area and put up a huge shed and additional garage. The new garage will be for the caravan, said trailer and boat. And the LARGE shed (will be for everything else. A work place. Storage Unit. There will be also an outside area just paved.  And he keeps of course his original shed (which needs to be moved to the other side of the house).

Seen we are going in May again for couple of months to Europe to visit my mum and to travel through France and Austria, we have to do a lot of preparations before hand. First of all the rest of the back yard needs a revamp to suit the new plans. Then we have to move the shed to my vegetable garden which needs to be changed too. That all has to be done before the builders come in. And that is a LOT of work all by all. But it's fun too same time. :)
Here is a picture of what we did the last month. There are 2 dug up areas still to be done.

Wishing you all a nice time where ever you are in the world. Here it's too hot today to work outside.


Thursday, January 31, 2013

Poinsettia Place and a new Start

First of all my apologies. I'm a terrible blogger at times. It's Summer here and it's kinda busy. We're changing the garden and that takes quite some time. I also became member of Weight Watchers to loose the pounds I piled recently up. Thanks to my chocolate addiction thyroid problem.
Or even better, lets blame Santa. He brought way too many sweets. I'm totally innocent here!!!

Seen that Santa refuses to take away the pounds that have magically appeared, I'm back on track to walk almost every morning and started also a training program for running.  But boy does running tire you out if you're not used to it. I fall asleep soon as I sit down it seems...lol.
I do stitch every evening a while though. I just need that. That's the most treasured moment of the day.


There is a little finish I have to show....
 Poinsettia Place
Part 2 of Santa's Village by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Summer Khaki
Recommended Threads, minus the button 
 
 
Part 1 and 2 together 

And a new start: 

 A Parrot, A Leopard, A Lion
Designer: The Scarlet Letter
Fabric: 40ct Lakeside Linens "Vintage Maritime White"
AVAS silks


Friday, January 18, 2013

Two Happy Dances :)

This week is going fantastic!! And not even speaking about the Australian Open, which makes me always happy to watch....

Emma Miles is finished!!!


Emma Miles
Designer: The Scarlet Letter
Fabric: 36ct Vintage Cornsilk by Lakeside Linens
Threads: AVAS silks
 
The second Happy Dance is because I have a brand new car - a Hyundai I30 Elite.  So very very happy about that too. Gotta love that husband of mine :)



And because I think about safety a bit more, Lucy got a safe seat too and wears a harness that gets attached to her seat. She loves the new seat. Added plus, car keep cleaner because SOMEONE likes to run through puddles and mud - and that isn't me.


Friday, January 4, 2013

Happy New Year

I hope everybody had a great time during Christmas and New Year and I wish you all a very happy New Year and may all your dreams come true. :)

The last bit of Christmas stitching, both finished off as Flatfolds .....

 Songs of the Seasons by The Prairie Schooler
Fabric: 32ct Belfast by Picture This Plus in the color Fog
Recommended DMC

Then I started on Christmas Eve a new project. This years choice fell on "Santa's Village", the new series from Country Cottage Needlework.  Part one is finished - minus the button over the tree. That has to wait until the end because the fabric is mounted on a scroll frame. Now I'm waiting  impatiently for part two to arrive here. 
Santa's House
Part 1 of Santa's Village by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Summer Khaki
Recommended Threads, minus the button

I hope you all have been good and gotten nice gifts from Santa. Santa was quite generous here. I got from my daughters the Feller Collection book, and from my husband a kit with silks. Plus fishing gear (not pictured).
To be honest the story was that the original gift wasn't available which we got to know only shortly before Christmas. My husband said then enthusiastically "What about some FISHING GEAR? Which got me in high speed to "help" him choosing the right gift. Thanks to the fantastic service of The Attic Needlework, a most beautiful sampler kit was laying under the tree in time. Oh, and he got me the fishing gear anyway. No complaint here....lol.
Not that I deserved any of that. Because I wasn't that good....
I crashed my car, and it's a total write off. All my fault.
And I'm just utterly thankful that I didn't harm the truck driver and made it out of the car in one piece. 
Since I don't have a car to drive and there for not going anywhere, and it's too  hot here right now to do anything anyway,   I'm going to spend some quality time with Emma Miles - under the airco.  
Wishing you all a fantastic New Year filled with wonderful stash and lots of gorgeous finishes :)


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Advend Calender Blog Hop

Welcome to the 18th day of the Advend Calendar Blog Hop and all thanks to Jo for arranging it. :)

Let me start with this years Christmas stitching:


 Merry Christmas to Eve
Designer: With Thy Needle and Thread
Recommended WDW and Gentle Art threads
Linen: 36ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Sand Dune
instead of music paper I used fabric with a musical print 


Noel Sampler
Designer: Primitive Needleworks
Linen: 36ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Sand Dune
Recommended DMC


Also started, but only one finished: 
 Prairie Schooler - Songs of the Season
32ct Belfast from PTP in the color Fog
recommended DMC 

And then there arrived a Christmas Spider at my door, who resides now in the tree. Gracie sent this little friend and I'm delighted to welcome him in our tree. Isn't it a gorgeous little thing? Thank you so much Gracie.


The theme for this year's blog hop is  "Stocking, Sack or Something else?"
Something else would be the answer for me.

As a child I wouldn't see the tree no earlier then Christmas Day. With the gifts under it. When my kids were little, we would set up the tree together on Christmas Eve  but no gifts to be seen until Christmas Day.

These days we set the tree up  up early December. And shortly after that I start adding the gifts under the tree. The presents give it a festive look, which I love.  Somehow it's a bit of a pity that they will be unwrapped on Christmas.  

 

When seeing today a picture of a beautiful sunset, a memory came alive  that I would love to share with you. Every time when the sky was showing those beautiful orange colors,  my mother would tell me: Look Gabi - the angels are  baking cookies for Christmas. And I truly believed that and I LOVED those skys. I told my kids the same story. And they too stared in admiration to the sky. Cookies!!!!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very blessed Christmas



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Susan Singleton and Emma Miles

As most of you have already heard, Nicola is celebrating a for her special year with making it a Scarlet Letter year.  What a fantastic project. Like lots of my fellow stitchers I couldn't resist and join the fun too.

And seen that I started with several friends Susan Singleton, it fits the bill quite well. Susan is just lovely, although I made some changes to her, by adding a pink for example. She is such a colorful girl - a pleasure to spend the evening hours with :)

The fellow stitchers for Susan are: TerriDeb, Sandra, Marsha, Margaret  Suzanne and Evelyne

Susan Singleton
Designer: Scarlet Letter
Fabric: 36ct Zweigart Linen Summer Khaki
Threads: Avas and NPI


I also worked a bit on Emma, before I tossed her to the side to start some other Christmas stitching.
Emma Miles
Designer: The Scarlet Letter
Fabric: 36ct Vintage Cornsilk by Lakeside Linens
Threads: AVAS silks
 
 
I'm busy with several Christmas pieces. Having a bit trouble to keep my concentration on one thing at the moment. Hopefully I will have to show more soon. :)

I want also to thank everybody who send me good wishes for our little dog Ashley. Sadly she lost her fight last month. She was happy until the last 2 days of her life. Which is a comforting thought.
 
Hopefully everybody has a great week and is good, so that Santa will bring a lot. I heard last week a song for the very first time, and can't get it out of my head anymore:
 
 
So you better be good. I'm giving it a try, hoping nobody snitched on me :)