Finnished acorns

Not much to say except just that: it's finished ! I hope soon I will sew it onto something interesting...

Et pourtant pas grand chose a dire... J'ai fini ce petit projet de little House Needleworks. Tout en DMC, sur lin 32ct "pearl grey".

J'ai bien envie de me refaire une pochette de brodeuse, en le cousant dessus. La couture etant une activite du week end, ca devra attendre un petit peu (2 jours).

En ce moment j'aime beaucoup Little House Needleworks, des motifs simples mais rustiques...

Message en francais... (to French people)

Ces derniers temps je me sens attiree par la blogosphere des brodeuses qui ont un blog en francais. J'ai l'impression que de la France viennent de grandes idees comme les pendibulles et les biscornus, et autres "finnishings" interessants.

Cependant je ressens comme une barriere du fait que mon blog est en anglais, et donc la plupart ne peut pas comprendre ce que je dis.

Donc j'ai pense a creer un blog en francais, http://angelsanfr.blogspot.com

Croyez-vous que ca vaille la peine? Est-ce que ca interesserait des gens?

Couldn't help...

Christmas heirloom has been set aside once again... I hate all that cross stitching with white perle !!!

I started "Acorns" a little Little House Needleworks pattern, on 32ct pearl linen. I feel like making something special with it, like a pouch or something...

We'll see !

Apart from that, I'm still coughing for some reason.. something tickly is teasing my throat or something... I never cough when I have a cold, and now I can't seem to be able to stop !!! Except at night for some reason...

I really need my holidays...

Week end works

Looks like the Christmas Heirloom is a winner... for the moment. Like Secret garden, or the Old gardens, I am under the spell of "one more band to stitch before I stop".

Meaning that I find myself at 11pm willing to continue instead of going to bed. Now, the real question will be... Will I finish it before Christmas? It's only 2 weeks away, and the sampler is big... so the outlook isn't so good ;)

Susan, the fabric is 28 count platinum linen, and I feel like stitching on big fabric (I usually stitch on 32count). I guess in cross stitch you are supposed to follow the chart, but... in some cases, rogues like me will loose patience and go free hand. I did it for a Tatty Teddy pattern (the teddy has intricate fluffy backstitching all around its body!), and seeing how I have to add beads and pearls and ribbons on the tree, I might resort to that.

This time I took the picture with my camera, and you will have to click to get it full size. I already made a mistake in the chickadees row, the pines should be green. This shows how this chart isn't for novices, the explanations can be confusing. And if you've never done any drawn thread work before... forget it ( or buy Patricia Bage's Drawn Thread for beginners, it's a great book).

Yesterday I also went to Hobbycraft get a few bits and pieces. I came across a beading kit to make small angels for 3.99 pounds. Here is one of them up close, and what I did with the first 9 I made. The kit is to make 24 angels.

I also made some decoupage for Christmas cards. I think papercrafters would have a heart attack seeing me cutting with my big school scissors...

Christmas Heirloom reappears, and the blog changes

Well, after finishing the Gingerbread cottage, I didn't know what to stitch.

I still didn't feel like stitching ornaments... and then I fell on the Victoria Sampler Christmas Heirloom.

I started it on and off earlier this year, not feeling in the Christmas mood. But now... maybe?

After all those easy JHN and CCN (blocks of crosses), I felt like stitching something a bit more challenging.

So that when I get more LHN patterns for Christmas, I would be in the easy mood again.

As you can see, I gave up on the intricate nightmarish tree, and did band 2: the presents. And now it's band 3: Christmas lace.

The challenge here is the size, and working with silks and perle threads. Plus the speciality threads and beads.

I don't expect to finish it this side of Christmas, but... Little by little...

Yesterday I also framed Gingerbread Cottage. I used the frame I first bought for Acorn Hill before switching for a darker frame. I was lucky enough to take the picture during the only hour of sun of the day !!

And of course I change my blog to winter. Not much imagination there... But on the top right you can see what my mantel piece looks like now, with winter cushions and stuff...

Now I'm going to do some different crafts... more in future posts !

It's the most wonderful time of the year.... not

Here in the UK we have an ad with that Christmas song... But I can't say it would apply to me this year...

You might have seen the "punkymoods" pictures getting very cranky and more, but no explanation on this blog.That's because I keep this blog "craft related" most of the time. Plus there's not much to tell about my life ;) But I have to admit to be in a very dark period.

First, my tenants in my previous house are not paying the rent. When you rely on that money to pay mortgages and it happens just after you moved (more spending than usual) and close to Christmas "do I have to say it again? more spending...), it's not a good combinaison.

Second, I got sick last Friday. Spent most of the week in bed (on Thursday I made an attempt to go to work and I was sent back home !!!!). It seems to be a big cold, but what worries me is that cough... plus the headaches that can be related to point number 3...

Someone stole my bike in my garage. No trace of effraction. Yesterday morning I just realised it was missing. Could be missing for some time I guess. The only possibility I see is that someone came in during the one hour I went shopping on Wednseday, and didn't lock the garage. A garage that is locked at all times usually. But there you go, I was sick, the weather was horrible, and I didn't feel like making that extra key turn.

To top it up, I noticed a red bike in my neighbours garden on Wednesday afternoon. Of course I didn't know my bike was missing at that point, so I didn't pay much attention... and now it's out of sight in their shed. Could it be mine?

I would have never thought I would have to deal with the police only 2 months after moving... It's not so much for the bike, I never use it, but it's the fact that someone came into my property that bugs me !!! What next?

So yes, I get super headaches that no pain killer can kill... but apparently it's stress as when I sleep or calm down, the pain goes away.

So it's time to play the "glad game" (cf PollyAnna):
- I have all the presents, just need to wrap them. No more running around in the shops, I could just enjoy the Christmas lights in town centre.
- D-12 of holidays. 2 weeks of good company, good food, and no caring.
- Any object I care for has no money value: less fear of burglars.
- Headache gone, I hope for a long time.
- My panier de brodeuse joined the club of more than 100 made on the creator's blog.
- Gingerbread Cottage finished !

Yes, it seems like I stitched like a tortoise while others on the LHCHN yahoogroup sped like hares... But there it is !!!! I messed up the border a little bit, it's not the right distance from the design, but... who cares?

I plan on framing that one. I have too many cushions already ! This design might look "bubblegum" on this fabric, but hey, it's for Christmas !!!!

I forgot, Danielle, the little gingerbread men ornament is a humburg, I used the tutorial here.

Anyway, I have no idea what to stitch next, I don't feel like stitching... I think I will try felt stuff and paper cards (The latest Papercraft mag has Margaret Sherry Charlie bear decoupages in it!)

D-15 holidays

Couldn't find a better title... I'm stuck home with laringitis or something like that... I never coughed that much in my life ! But my audition is back (I couldn't hear from my right ear yesterday!) and seem to be back to "big cold".

Gingerbread Cottage isn't progressing fast... there is something about that project that doesn't motivate me much.. I don't know what... Too pink?

Yesterday I made those felt robinand reindeer. It's an old DMC kit I got in a discounter years ago, for just 1. 50 pounds.

I also finished this Blue Ribbon freebie into an ornament on felt.

And you see of course my "ornament tree", which is just a mug tree from Asda. I use some blue tack to hold the ornaments in place.

Finishes of the week end

Me sick

Well, this is your typically "stay in bed and nothing more" cold-flu type.

On Saturday I had loads of energy, so I finished Snowdays and Forest Snowfall, I designed a little something for DBF, but then yesterday... total sickness. And I'm still in it.

So no stitching to show I'm afraid...

PS: Gingerbread Cottage is from Country Cottage Needleworks. I find it flattering that people could think I designed it, but I'm not there yet.

Blogspot allows you to put "tags" on posts, so you now have the designer's name at the bottom of all posts.

Gingerbread Cottage update 3, or about whites....

As usual, pre-week end pic... I think I got sick going swimming on Wednesday, something weird on my lungs and down throat, not my typical cold.

Apart from a bit of chest compression, I feel ok surprisingly enough. What a good night sleep can do to us !!!!

Since last time I stitched the snow on the roof and the "floor". I started white on the house with DMC "blanc". I have loads of it. But then I remembered that B5200 is "bright white". So, as an experiment, I decided to do the snow in B5200, and compare with blanc ont he same design. The difference isn't stricking, but when you look up close in certain lights, the difference is obvious.

So the tip of the day would be "don't mix and match blanc with B5200". It might give a weird grimmy look to your stitching. Here I treated them as 2 separate colours, so of course it's ok ;)