Finally finished !!!

I'm still alive... barely. I still have digestive problems, even if I try to live normally. And I am quite tired...

So I sleep a lot, and I don't stitch !!! But I finally finished the needlework shop from Country Cottage Needleworks.

And on Monday I had my new charts, hourray ! I don't know which one to start... I have 3 charts from Little House Needleworks: "coming to America", "Embroidery Guild", and "Hen house". I don't know...

I had to pay 10 euros in customs, seriously, just for that I wouldn't order from there anymore. A shame, because the service was superb. So I can only recommend ABC Therapy ;)

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Je suis toujours en vie... à peine. Disons que j'essaye de vivre normalement, mais mon système digestif ne m'aime pas. Donc ca traîne, et en plus je suis hyper fatiguée, et du coup...

La fin de Needlework shop de Country Cottage Needleworks arrive très très lentement du coup, mais... voilà !!!!

Et maintenant, j'hésite quoi commencer dans les charts de LHN que j'ai enfin eus lundi. "Coming to America", "Embroidery Guild" ou "Hen house". Donc je sais pas encore...

Par contre, j'ai du débourser 10 euros de douanes, franchement, c'est pas cool, ca donne à réfléchir à deux fois pour commender chez eux... Ce qui est dommage, car le service était top.

Home sick... in Lille

I'll be brief, as I'm home sick with the intestinal flu. A first for me, and it takes a lot out of me. But i'm better now.

So enjoy the progress picture...

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Brievement, car j'ai la gastro, et donc je fatigue vite, même si je vais mieux déjà....

Donc... regardez l'image ;)

roof and white

Yes, the house has a roof, and I filled the white of the walls !!!

Today I decided to explore and found a LNS in Jumet, not far from home (15min by car?) and of course, on the way home from work (via a little detour out of the motorway).

Of course, the raim was pouring down so much I got mud on my tights, but... I discovered that tiny wonderland called Sechi Raffaela.

In there, 3 persons, 3 generations of women. The grandma and the mom were taking care of the place, and the little girl was doing her math homework in a corner.

Tiny it was, very difficult to circulate, but it looks like i found a place for emergency DMC thread buying. And they also have crochet and tatting threads !
And the place is also covered in fairies and unicorns...

So that's good news for me, and i think it will be even easier to reach them on a sunny day ;)

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He oui, la maison a un toit, et les murs blancs...

Aujourd'hui je suis partie à l'aventure, et j'ai découvert Sechi Raffaela à Jumet (15 min en voiture de la maison?), sur le chemin du boulot (après un détour de l'autoroute).

C'est une mercerie minuscule, genre caverne d'Ali Baba, habitée par une multitude de figurines de fées et licornes, et par 3 générations. En effet, la grand mère et la mère s'occupent de la boutique tandis que la petite fille fait ses devoirs dans un coin !

En tout cas, j'ai enfin trouvé un endroit pour acheter mes fils DMC en urgence, ainsi que du coton perlé et autres fils de crochet !

Malheureusement, il pleuvait tellement que j'ai eu de la boue qui a traversé mes bas, je suis sure que ce sera plus simple à trouver au soleil ;)

And the house is growing...

Yes, after about a week of on/off stitching, the needlework shop starts to look like a real house ;)

I was visiting blogs, when I noticed the Stitcher's showcase link on Milly's blog. It's a bit like facebook, but only for stitchers ! So of course I had to be part of it....

And I'm sure many of you will join us?

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Après une semaine de broderie pas très speed, la boutique commence à ressembler à une maison.

Je faisais la tournée des blogs, et j'ai découvert le Stitcher's showcase sur le blog de Milly.

C'est un network de brodeuses, assez similaire à facebook, alors il fallait que je m'inscrive !!! Et je vous invite à en faire de même !!!

Framing day.... and other stuff

I started the day by searching for threads. The little market shop had my favourite DMC 4045 green variation thread, but was out of 931 and 5283. So I had to buy stuff in Hobbycraft later.

I found 2 frames in the market. It was amazing to find a long frame for the sampler. Soooo much easier than a bellpull, especially since I have no special top thingy or anything...

Finishing the border on Garden Girl was a nightmare, but a puzzling one. We could play "spot the differences" on that project, as there are mistakes a bit everywhere. So the 2 ends of the border shouldn't join... Except I cheated a little.

Before that I worked on my website. Again. First, I wanted something more "News about crafts" compared to my blog. Then I wanted to translate in French.

So the works are not totally done yet, but you can get the idea...

I also bought CrossStitcher and World of CrossStitcher this morning, and made a review of WOCS (CS will come later). So that's why Joan Elliott's new Stitching Angel is on my sidebar now. Just started. 34 different colours. Now that's a challenge...

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J'ai commence ma journee par une chasse aux fils. Le marche avait mon fil DMC 4045 prefere pour le vert varie, mais pas DMC931, donc j'ai du aller a Hobbycraft.

Mais le marche avait des cadres interessant, et comme j'ai trouve un cadre qui convenait pour le sampler, je l'ai encadre au lieu de faire un bellpull. Ce qui a facilite ma tache, surtout que je n'ai pas de trucs pour pendre et faire vraiment un bellpull ;)

Garden Girl a ete une sorte de cauchemar: rien ne correspond, et on peut jouer au jeu des 7 erreurs avec. Et bien sur j'ai du tricher pour que la bordure se rejoigne correctement.

Avant la seance d'encadrement, j'ai bosse sur mon site. Encore. Je voudrais arriver a un site cible sur "Actualites et critiques de la broderie", avec mon blog gardant les trucs plus perso.

Et je voulais le traduire en francais. Le systeme a encore des bugs, mais les pages, les tutos par exemple, sont toutes traduites. Et j'ai aussi fait ma premiere critique de magazine en francais avec le nouveau World of CrossStitching.

Et c'est de la que vient mon nouveau projet, l'ange de la broderie de Joan Elliott qui est dans la barre de gauche. 34 couleurs... c'est un challenge !

Garden Girl... almost !

Yesterday, 8.15pm : I'm in the middle of stitching the border of Garden girl, when I run out of DMC 931. Of course, Hobbycraft is closed at 8.00pm. Doh !

It's a shame, because I was on a roll. The side was hard enough, and I thought of you, Ginny, with your borders not joining up... Because the design is about 2 stitches higher than it should be. So I had to compensate with 3 "over 3" stitches along the way.

That's the good thing about linen, if you notice problems early, you can compensate with "over 3" or "over 1" stitches (in only onedirection of course).

As it was still early, I started "Home of a needleworker (too)" because I didn't feel like stitching fancy stuff. I'm always more concentrated in the morning, so that's when I stitch my sampler and other complex stuff. And about the sampler, I only have 4 bees to stitch and it will be done ! Looks like I will be doing some sewing this long week end...

Patternnuts, I don't think there is a specific name for animals made out of beads. It's a sort of bead weaving... Scoubidous have another name in English, but I don't remember what it is... it's those plastic tubes you bread a certain way... it became popular again last year over here.

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Hier, 20h15: Je brode allegrement la bordure de "garden Girl", tres motivee, quand je tombe a court de DM 931. D'habitude j'ai toujours une echevette d'avance, mais ca fait 3 plombes que je n'ai pas achete de fils... et Hobbycraft ferme a 20h. Doh !

En plus la bordure n'est pas evidente car le projet est environ 2 croix de plus que l'original en hauteur, donc j'ai du compenser avec des croix "sur 3 fils" a la place de 2. C'est l'avantage de travailler sur du lin: si on se rend compte des problemes a temps, on peut compenser en faisant des croix "sur 3 fils" ou "sur un fil" dans une direction a la place de tout recommencer !

Comme il etait encore tot, j'ai commence "Home of a needleworker (too)" car je n'etais pas dans l'esprit de faire des trucs complexes. Ca, c'est reserve plutot au matin ou je suis plus concentree. C'est d'ailleurs ainsi que mon sampler est presque fini. il ne me manque que les dernieres abeilles.

Je sens que je vais avoir de la couture a faire ce week end de 3 jours, surtout que je n'ai pas encore fait ma trousse "lapins et fraises".

Back in the garden....

I seem to be in a rotation phase... I have "Garden Girl", "Bee Harmony", "Flying owl" and "Pink Fairies" on the go. If you look closely, each project represent a stitching style.

Garden girl is a no backstitching, blocks country style project. Bee Harmony is all about speciality stitches. The flying owl is all in tones and realistic. And the Pink fairies is a classical European style, realistic and backstitched.

So I decided not to start a project in one of those styles unless the ongoing project is finished. Why?

Yesterday I received my order from 123Stitch. The threads for "Home of a needleworker too" (LHN, you know, the threads I can't find anywhere in my house...), a Stoney Creek Halloween booklet, "Wool needlebook and fob" (LHN) and "Beatrice" from the Trilogy (cute bunny design). Now that I have the threads, I really want to stitch Home of a needleworker. But I don't want to leave Garden girl, so I decided to finish that first.

And so I have to finish it fast, right? Here you see a picture of it, all I have to do is another bottom border, and the border around it.

I'm glad you like my flying owl project. I hate working on dark fabric. Isn't that weird? I don't mind doing intricate mini work, but dark fabric... yuck ! It's a shame, because the final result is usually stunning. I find it easier to work with my daylight lamp though, because I can see the holes better. Can someone revive Lili please?

Ginny, did you finish your snowflakes on dark blue aida? Weren't they super great, despite the difficulty?

I had a look at the Mystery sampler of Anne les petites croix, and now I want to stitch that project, doh ! I don't really like that kind of pochette, so I guess I would have to make a bellpull anyway... sort of.
Zeb, congratulations on finishing so many projects ! Personally I'm a serial starter. I have to fight my tendancies... if only to show finishes on my blog !!! ;)

I have to say my little turtle is a hit. Apparently, the cat not so much. That's ok, I don't really like it either ;) It's really not difficult to make. That's the kind of craft we used to make as kids... We used to make little crocodiles. I think I'll make some more turtles... it's relaxing.

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Je suis dans une periode rotation...Je travaille sur "Garden Girl", "Bee Harmony", "flying owl" et "Pink fairies". En fait, chaque projet represente un style particulier: Garden girl est de l'americana en blocs sans points arriere, Bee Harmony est tout en points speciaux, le hibou est photo realiste, et les fees sont du style europeen realiste avec plein de points arriere. Et j'ai decide de ne rien commencer a moins d'avoir termine un projet du meme style.

Je suis generalement prise de startite aigue, j'aime commencer, mais pas trop finir. Je dois dire que ecrire mon blog m'incite a finir, pour vous montrer des trucs acheves. La tentation est pourtant grande depuis hier, ou j'ai recu ma commande de 123Stitch, avec les fils necessaires pour broder "Home of a needleworker too" (les fils perdus en Fevrier). Donc forcement j'ai envie de le commencer, mais pas avant d'avoir fini Garden Girl, qui est plus proche de la fin que du debut,vu qu'il ne manque que des bordures...

En plus des fils j'ai aussi recu des grilles Halloween de Stoney Creek, "Wool needlebook and fob" de LHN et "Beatrice" de The Trilogy.

Je suis contente que mon hibou vous plaise. Je dois admettre que je deteste travailler sur de la toile foncee, ce qui est dommage vu que le resultat est generalement super. Je trouve plus facile de broder avec la lampe lumiere du jour, car on voit mieux les trous a travers. Est-ce que quelqu'un peut relever Lili qui s'est evanouie?

J'ai regarde le Mystery sampler de Anne les petites croix, et maintenant je veux broder ce projet... hum... Sinon, je ne pense pas que le format pochette convienne a Bee Harmony, surtout que je n'aime pas ce style de pochette, je ne sais pas a quoi ca peut servir. Donc je suppose que le sampler finira sur le mur...

Apparemment ma petite tortue est un hit, mais pas trop le chat. c'est pas grave, je ne l'aime pas trop non plus. En fait, c'est assez simple a faire, c'est le genre de choses qu'on faisait etant enfant, en fait c'etait surtout des crocodiles... Ca relaxe d'enfiler les perles...

Now with flowers...

Progress isn't obvious... but the flowers blossomed in the garden ! Headache due to stress and sun, aquasize... and I don't stitch in the evening at all !

Other than that, well...nothing?

Patternnuts, no biscuit !!! If you look at it closely, the cup has eyes, and won't be eaten or drunk... the tea will... ;) Or biscuit without eyes then?

PS: no eyes on the girl right now, and I don't know if I will put eyes or not... the original design has eyes though...

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Le progres n'est pas evident... mais les fleurs ont pousse dans le jardin. Mal de tete du au stress et au soleil, aquagym, preparatifs de depart week end, et je ne brode pas du tout de la soiree !!!

A part ca... pas grand chose...

PS: la fille n'a pas d'yeux, et je ne sais pas si je vais en mettre... le design a des yeux en tout cas...

In the garden again...

I know, where was I... one big big message, then... bye bye? No... But after such a prolific week end, I was so tired I didn't stitch much.

But I managed to stitch a little bit on the garden girl, and my trees now have bicolour leaves. The 2 greens are very similar, so you can't see it's 2 greens ;)

I had to stitch the bottom border twice, because my spacings were wrong... doh !

patternnuts, I didn't make a crochet cake, but I made a tea cup ! Just for the fun of it ;)

Zeb, it's great to see you are back to stitching ! We can't always be super motivated... I tend to drop off stitching from time to time too, that's why I bore people with amigurumis for exemple. Having a blog kept me motivated though, without it I would spend a lot more time without stitching !!!!

Ginny, you should definatly give speciality stitches a go, some are sooooo lovely ! Most of them derive from crosses anyway. I think the mostly fiddly is the french knot, and the bullion knot. Otherwise it's just a question of following the diagram to know where to push and pull the needle !

I haven't been motivated to stitch the sampler, the 4 sided stitches killed me !!! Don't know why....

The weather is absolutely sublime, summer is here !!! But i don't stitch in the garden, no...

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Je sais, apres un gros post, je reste sans nouvelles... Ben en fait avec l'aquasize et tout, j'etais crevee le soir... mais j'ai brode un peu sur Garden girl, et les arbles ont desormais des feuilles en 2 verts qui sont si proches qu'on n'arrive pas vraiment a les distinguer.

Et j'ai du reflaire la bordure du bas 2 fois, car je m'etais trompee dans les espaces. Hum...

Puis j'ai fait une tasse de the, juste comme ca... J'ai commence samedi je pense, ou dimanche, et j'etais pas tres motivee pour continuer. Nath, je ne pense pas encore avoir de problemes de canal carpien, car j'essaye de ne pas forcer mes mains. As-tu essay les bracelets en cuivre avec des trucs magnetiques? Apparemment ca fait du bien au canal carpien de ma maman !!!!

Lutine, en surface, il y a plus de demi-points que de croix dans le projet des oiseaux... mais c'est pas grave, je ne me suis pas emelee les pinceaux (un miracle?)

Je n'ai pas vraiment avance sur mon sampler, car les points en fils tires m'ont tuee !!!! Pas de pot...

Le temps ici est a l'ete... on va avoir un mois de juillet et aout pourris !

3 days of crafting fun...

Loads of pictures today...

Instead of posting during the week end, I prefered to craft, and wait to post during the week. I know, don't ask. let's just say I had an urge to stitch and stitch some more.... It gave me great focus ! And that's how things are done...

I found a pattern for a crocheted daffodil, and had to make it as this is my favourite flower. Me and crochet are not best friends at the moment, my hands get tired fast. Cramps and the like. I suppose that's how stitching took over...

As predicted, I finished the birds !!!! Half stitches background was finished Sunday morning, and I did a little bit of the backstitching, but it got boring, so I left it and took... Garden Girl !!! Why? It was a wip closeby... Yesterday morning I was motivated for it again and finished it, including the french knots on the flowers.

I was so motivated that I even made a cushion out of it. It's been a while since I wanted to try this type of cushion. And with this project, it was not only easy, but a must !

You might have noticed that the background made a rectangle, and so any attempt at framing would require lacing, or other techniques so that the borders ould be perfectly aligned. Here, I sewed the fabrics on the edge of the borders. Easy peasy. I've put the birds on my mantle piece, instead of the "Gingerbread Cottage", which is too "winterey".

So as I previously said, I worked on Garden Girl. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with this design. Most of the time I feel it's too naive and childish. But sometimes I find it cute, like right now. And it's nice to stitch it. Would it be the lovely weather we have?

I also started Bee Harmony from Patricia Ann. This is part of "I want to stitch a speciality stitches sampler". I had the choice between a few samplers, but my choice was directed by the fact that this one DBF likes. Well, I had to make a choice anyway....

I hear Lili saying "eek ! bees !" already, but I like them, so delicate in over one stitches... That's how I see i progressed as a stitcher: I didn't have problems with disappearing stitches this time...
Garden Girl and Bee Harmony being 2 very different projects, I will stitch them at the same time (well, switching from one to the other of course !!!).

patternnuts, I'm not really interested in food I can't eat, it defies the whole purpose of it. Of course if you add eyes to make cute amigurumies, well, they just become cute characters. Otherwise, real food is better ;)

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Beaucoup de photos aujourd'hui... J'ai simplement garde le week end pour bricoler loin de l'ordi, et donc me voila avec un message massif.

J'ai crochete une jonquille, car c'est ma fleur preferee. Celle-la ne se fanera pas ! Sinon, le crochet et moi ne sommes plus trop amis: j'attrape des crampes tres vite, et donc je ne peux pas crocheter longtemps. Du coup, la broderie reprend le dessus, car la, je peux broder 5 heures d'affilee sans probleme. Enfin, en brodant reellement 5 heures sans pause, je l'ai fait une fois par inadvertance, ca me donnerait des fourmis dans les doigts.

Ce week end j'ai ete tres motivee pour la broderie, donc. Les oiseaux sont non seulement termines (Lutine, j'ai reussi mes predictions!), mais meme devenus coussin !

Le fond en demi points a ete termine Dimanche, et apres un peu de points arriere, la toile m'est tombee des mains, et donc j'ai repris... Garden Girl. Pourquoi? Parce que c'etait l'encours le plus proche !!! Cette petite pause a fait que hier matin j'ai fini totalement les oiseaux, points de noeud compris. Et dans l'apres midi j'ai fait le coussin.

Ca faisait un bout de temps que je voulais essayer de faire ce style de coussin, et ya pas plus simple !! En plus, c'est totalement adapte a ce projet, vu qu'il a des bordures bien definies qui necessite d'etre totalement droit en suivant le modele. Simple avec une machine a coudre !
Maintenant le coussin trone sur ma cheminee. Un peu de Printemps, enfin !!!

Je ne sais pas si j'aime ou je deteste Garden Girl. Ca depend des jours. Parfois je le trouve trop naif et gamin, d'autres juste super mignon. En ce moment, je suis en phase "super mignon", et donc j'apprecie de le broder.

J'ai aussi commence "Bee Harmony" de Patricia Ann, que j'ai achete a K'thylda a Lille, car DBF a dit "c'et beau, prend celui-la". Je vois deja la grimace de Lili parce que ce sont des abeilles, mais je suis assez fiere de moi, car elles ne m'ont pas pose de problemes ce coup-ci, alors que il y a un an c'etait un grand challenge a cause des points qui disparaissaient sous la toile.

Donc en ce moment j'alterne entre Garden Girl et Bee Harmony car ce sont deux projets tres differents, et donc quand j'en ai marre de l'un, je passe a l'autre...

Girls in gardens

Somehow, my throat still hurts a bit... but my eye seems to be weeping less. I still wonder what's in me...

On Good Friday, I started "garden Girl" from CCN. I only managed 18 crosses on that day, being sick and all.

It was the logical choice to stitch after the secret project none of you went to see btw. But I don't really like the design at the moment, nor working on linen, so I dug up an UFO, this Sarah Kay design from Cross Stitch Crazy a long time ago. So that's my project at the moment.

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Pour je ne sais quelle raison, ma gorge me fait toujours mal, mais mon oeil va un peu mieux, je me demande vraiment ce que j'ai....

Le vendredi de Paques, j'ai commence "Garden Girl" de CCN, mais je n'ai fait que 18 croix, vu mon etat. Donc, apres le projet secret (que personne ne semble avoir ete voir d'ailleurs), c'etait le choix logique a broder. Sauf que je n'aime pas trop ce design, il me semble trop niais pour le moment, et j'ai pas envie de bosser sur du lin.

Donc j'ai repris un truc commence il y a tres longtemps, la Sarah Kay aux pommes. paru dans Cross Stitch Crazy. Du coup c'est le projet du moment...

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

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 ;)

Gingerbread Cottage day 2

As you can see, I haven't stitched much, mostly because I tend to fall asleep in the evening, so no long night stitching sessions. Not to mention a little cleaning session. Basically my house had stitching stuff all over. That's not the way to go.

But I stitched the roof, and started the white though.
You might notice a colour difference between this picture and the other one: photo vs scan. Yesterday my scanner wasn't recognized by the computer for some reason, and I was in a hurry, so I used my camera instead.

I usually scan wips, because the colours are consistant. If you use a camera, it will depend on so many factors, you will have different hues everyday !

It's Friday, the week end approaches fast, and I have to find motivation to do finishes... And before that, clear out the craftroom, or it's not workable in there.

I would also like to say hi to Edda, Lnanaa and the others who come often but don't dare commenting. Nice to see you here.

Gingerbread Cottage update 1

Here is the picture of day one of Gingerbread Cottage...

I didn't stitch for that long, because I was so tired I was making mistakes upon mistakes.

If you look closely you can see the pinky bit on top of the door isn't centered, and will need to be "surgically removed".

I'm stitching this as part of a SAl, and I decided to try fabric a different colour than everybody else, so I went for cloudy pink. Think candy pink....

Actually....

Well... an hour or so later...

I got my courage and mounted this little Country Cottage ornament from last year Just CrossStitch Ornament magazine. this time I just sewed the design on a piece of felt, and backed with another piece of felt, blanket stitch...

Look who's finished?

Before you comment how fast this project was stitched... I started this on Oct 16th. Jen, it's on dark cloudy linen, 28ct, but it tends to purple a little bit.

I finished it this morning, before breakfast. For some reason, I tend to stitch a lot when DBF is around. Maybe because when I'm alone, I tend to do things slowly.

Soon you will see Forest Snowfall as a cushion, to really cosy up the place with winter stuff. It's really the matching piece for Winter Wonderland, so once the cushion is done, I might bring it to DBF's for Christmas. He's a male, so he doesn't really have cushions, but my back needs support !!!!

Yesterday I went to Hobbycraft to buy some frames (25% off!!!) for the Renaissance Lady and Old Gardens. Couldn't find what I need for Tearoom, I might have to try and make one...
The problem I have with frame making (you might remember that I was doing that earlier this year) is that my frames are so fragile some of them just fell apart !!! I need thicker wood I guess...

Hobbycraft just got some DMC variations, but instead of having the whole collection, they have the first and second series only !!!! It's a shame, really.... Does that mean they will always be like a year late?

I just subscribed to the LHN and CCN yahoo group. It's nice to meet new and old faces liking the same sort of designs. I am highly tempted to participate in the SAL. But of course that means more US charts buying... An there is no way I will have the charts by Nov 15th, when the SAL starts. Oh well, I can still catch up I guess...

Now I started Garden Pleasures. I will take some liberties with this pattern... I'm stitching it for my grandma's Christmas, and her favourite colour is blue. So it means blue fabric and blue dress...

I'm already thinking about what I will stitch on my Christmas holidays. I know, it's a disease... Part of me wants to explore different craft venues, like beading. I also want to make a table runner for the hall table. design something with drawn thread and speciality stitches... But for some reason, I always end up doing "comfort stitching", which is why LHN patterns are so nice. Also, they correspond to what I want to see as decoration style in my house.

For those who follow my crafting since a long time, you know I didn't like the simplistic patterns not so long ago. So what happened to me? I don't feel like stitching fairies or cute characters or anything... maybe I stitched too many?

Anyway, I will just enjoy the ride and not bother...