Bine still stitching... but now in beautiful Canada

2011-09-10T12:50:00.008-05:00

I wasn't too sure about the colours when I just laid them flat out on the linen before I started stitching, but now I absolutely love the colours of Hallow Eden.

Beginning of August I finished Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler. I will put it in my pile of wrapped up finished things for now. Somehow I don't like to do the framing. I guess I am just a little scared to do it, since it will probably be quite difficult to get it straight in there....if I only had couple more hands. That would make it easier :)

Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler - Shakespeare's Peddler
40ct vintage pearled Barley
GAST
2011-01-30 - 2011-08-06

2011-09-05T12:09:00.002-05:00

Lisa woke up early this morning - of course! Why just can't little kids enjoy a Holdiay by sleeping in??? ;)

Since everybody else was still sleeping we both went for a little run. She is so cute when she tries to do some sports with me... Oh Mommy, see, I got some big muscles already, lifting her little fist and shaking her skinny arms at me. LOL

It is already lunchtime so I better wake everybody up, so that we can enjoy the nice and sonny day with a bike ride.

Leave you with the not really visible progress from yesterday:

2011-09-04T08:42:00.004-05:00

It is crazy how fast time goes by! We went for family visits to Germany in June and now summer is nearly over. Temperatures in the early mornings are below 10 degrees Celsius now but at least usually raise up to the mid twenties during the day.

I was admiring Hallow Eden on other stitchers blog for quite a while ... I finally gave in and ordered the chart and threads. Luckily I found the exact right fabric in my stash :)

I started about three weeks ago and this is how far I got:

I tried to activate mobile blogposts from my Blackberry but couldn't get it registered. Pretty frustrating! Would have bin so nice and easy to do... Does anybody have experienced any problems?

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:57:00.004-05:00

I didn't stitch any eggs nor bunnies, but a little progress on my three projects since my last post....long time ago....

First there is Scarlet's Christmas Sampler by Chessie & Me:

Then Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler closer to finish:

And Susan Rambo, still my favourite to stitch on. I just wish I could spend more time stitching...

I started running again since most of the snow has finally disappeared. Not really a lot to talk about yet but at least I made my first steps outside. Usually getting started again is the hardest part, so I am looking forward to running be fun again ;)

Once again....

2011-04-02T21:02:00.005-05:00

After I got my order from "The Silver Needle" I couldn't withstand the temptation to start Scarlet's Christmas Sampler. A companion piece from Chessie & Me to the Jenny Bean Samplers from Shakespeare's Peddler. It is pretty small, only 93x93 stitches. So it shouldn't take too long. I ordered the chart and the GAST Limited Edition threads. Very nice colours :) The chart comes with 36ct Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens and it feels kinda strange to stitch on 36ct, since I usually stitch on 40ct. I wasn't stitching too much lately, as the last 2 weeks were quite busy. Last weekend we went for a shopping weekend to Bismarck, ND. But shopping is a good alternative to stitching ;) I will post pictures of my progress on Jenny Bean and Susan Rambo in my next post. Have a fun stitchy night everyone....

2011-03-21T23:59:00.003-05:00

It is so much fun to stitch....but I have to make sure, that I don't neglect Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler since it is not too far from being finished anymore.
I am just wondering what I am doing wrong taking the pictures. The colours don't look like this in reality at all...

Susan is here

2011-03-21T21:22:00.002-05:00

I couldn't stand the temptation any longer and started Susan Rambo. I just can't catch a good picture of her. I am stitching her on R&R Saltmarsh Green, but it doesn't look green at all:

Hopefully I will catch a better picture some day. I like her a lot! But she also scares me a lot, because she is so big....

Sunday it snowed all day long ... and the forecast shows snow storm warning for tomorrow with 30-50 cm's of even more snow. The weather fairie doesn't seem impressed at all that the calendar shows springtime already. :(

2011-03-20T16:27:00.004-05:00

I made quite a bit less progress than I was hoping for during the last week. But there is so much going on always after work...
Anyways, only the house and the fill in stitches on the top left side are left.
Maybe I should reward myself with a new start ....I just don't think I have any more patience left over to wait till this one is finished. :)

Susan Rambo

2011-03-13T18:46:00.003-05:00

is sitting on the table right in front of me and staring at me ;) Seems to motivate me quite a bit, can you tell? :

Still lots of snow around here. It looks really nice but unfortunately it is VERY cold... So not a good idea to spend a lot time outside...

Otherwise not much going on here, so I hope to get a bit more stitching done tonight. See you later...

I am going crazy....

2011-03-12T19:21:00.001-06:00

It was a busy week again and the evenings were not very productive at least not in the meaning of stitching.

On Wednesday I got some free tickets for the game of our local ice hockey team at work. Unfortunately that was the game they did not win after a long series of wins...
Anyways: Go...Wheat Kings...Go!!! :)

I just put a few stitches in the top left and 2 more tombstones:

Browsing blogs I got so excited to see some stitchers starting on these very big and beautyful samplers, that I couldn't stop myself from gathering all the materials for Susan Rambo after I got my copy of the SANQ in the mail on Friday night. Not sure how long I can withstand the temptation to start her. I should really know better....I plan on stitching her with DMC on 40ct R&R Salmarsh Green. It is a real nice soft green/grey but I couldn't catch the colour with my camera. I haven't stitched with DMC in a long, long time, so that will be a nice change. Two of the colours in the list didn't seem quite right when I compared them to the picture in SANQ so I exchanged those to what I thought looks more like what's used in the sampler.

...And I fell in love with Ann Grant from Shakespeare's Peddler. That's not quite right though...I fell in love with her the first time I saw her on the SP's blog. But now seeing Nicole's and Deb's start on her I HAVE to order the chart and thread pack. Have you seen it??? - Just beautiful! So as soon as that package is gonna show up here we can expect me to go crazy again and add to my already big number of WIP's. But stitching is supposed to be fun, isn't it??? ;)

Can you see the difference?....LOL

2011-03-07T18:06:00.001-06:00

The week has just begun and I feel burned out already. My coworker is on holidays for a little over a week now and work is absolutely crazy since she's gone. Can't wait for her to come back. Enough whining for now... ;)

It looks like I didn't get too much stitching time after my blog post anymore. Hopefully more today. It is not even worth to post a pic...LOL

Hello again...

2011-03-06T17:13:00.000-06:00

...long time no see....

Somehow everything else seemed more important than blogging lately....or should I better admit that I was too lazy to blog and THAT made other things look more important. LOL

I am not great at stitching repetetive motifs and I had a hard time on the border. It took me FFOREVER! Since I finished that, I enjoy every minute stitching Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler.

Renae: No, I am not using the limited edition Sampler Threads. I just purchased the chart no too long ago and at that time all the limited edition threads were sold out already. But I really like the "normal" sampler threads, too.
Courtney: Thanks for telling me. I ordered a second skein right away - but still haven't received it yet. That's another reason why I was so eager to finish the border first. I hope it doesn't matter too much if I switch to a different dye lot in the center on one of the motifs...

I also put at least a few stitches into the Crazy Christmas Trees. The bright colours make it a fun stitch. Especially since I finally found the gold fiber that, I thought got lost, but was just hiding in my stash :) This is my favourite gold since it is so smooth and easy to stich... It is silk but looks like the other gold threads (Kreinik etc) but so much easier and more fun to stitch.

Here's a picture even though the progress is not crazy big...

Many thanks to Terri for this wonderful chart. She had a giveaway before she moved her blog....and I won it... yay! I absolutely adore this chart! I am considering stitching the girls dresses in a different colour though. What do you think?

2nd finish in 2011 - Rubie Owl's Sampler

2011-01-30T10:44:00.009-06:00

Last night, just before bedtime she got finished. Stitched in my favourite colours:

Plum Street Samplers - Rubie Owl's Sampler:

Belle Soie silks

on 36 ct. vintage sand dune by Lakeside Linens

started 2009-07-04

finished 2011-01-29

And the winner of my poll " What should I stitch next?" with 50% of all votes (12 votes LOL) is....... Shakespeare's Peddler - Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler:

....talk to you soon - I am a little bit in a hurry to start this beauty right away. I hope for your understanding :)

It is snowing again!

2011-01-29T12:34:00.005-06:00

Big snow flakes are falling from the sky...at least not too many at once ;) We already have lots and lots of snow.

Ice skating on the big oval in the park was a lot of fun yesterday. But it was pretty windy by the time we finally went. Snow was getting blown across the streets and it looked like waterfalls flowing off the roofs of the houses. It looked really weird.

Rubie Owl a little closer to be finished:

And please don't forget to vote what I should stitch next (pictures are in my previous post):

"Oh mommy....

2011-01-28T11:08:00.009-06:00

...it is so pretty! Can I hold it and you take a picture of me?" LOL

Today Lisa's school has a personal development day, so I am taking the day off and we will go skating for a while. It is a very nice day and the temperatures are awesome! Only -4 degrees C and also beautiful sunshine.
I am not the fastest stitcher lately. But if I get to it, I enjoy stitching a lot. Getting closer to finishing Rubie Owl's Sampler:

Of course I already think about what to stitch next and would like you to help me...It is such a tough decision for me... ;) please vote for a project. Pictures are below the poll...

Dahlbeck - Crazy Christmas Trees

and this is how it will look like:

LHN - Quilting:

And Shakespeare's Peddler's - Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler is one of the things I found in the mailbox this week:

1st finish in 2011

2011-01-16T22:22:00.004-06:00

Finally done...it took me quite a bit longer than expected:

Autumn Arbor - Drawn Thread
NPS, Gloriana & SJ beads
on 40ct Zweigart summer khaki
started 2010-12-31
finished 2011-01-16

I guess I should go back to stitching on Rubie Owl's Sampler now!????

Some stash in the mailbox

2011-01-15T20:57:00.003-06:00

I love coming home from work and finding an envelope from a cross stitch shop in my mailbox...This one read Casa Cenina in Italy.
I ordered some must haves :) just before Christmas.

There are from top left to bottom right:

Sorbo - Renato Parolin

Before Christmas - Renato Parolin

Halloween - Renato Parolin

Couleurs d'hiver - Renato Parolin

Messidor - Calendula (lots of yummy special stitches)

Halloween by Renato Parolin is calling my name very, very loud. But at this time I will be strong and stick with my WIP's.....maybe I will allow myself one of the smalls out the book Couleurs d'Hiver... LOL

It is growing slow...

2011-01-11T09:49:00.000-06:00

but it grows. The leaves of the last tree I stitched were queen stitches. Time consuming, but I like stitching them very much.

I found some pictures to share on the camera...Snow fun from last weekend:

A "short" weekend

2011-01-10T07:16:00.007-06:00

The weekend went by so fast and it seems like the week ahead is super long. I guess I got used to having long weekends and short work weeks during the holidays.
The weekend started with Tobogganing on Friday night. Even though it was pretty cold with the windchill we enjoyed it a lot and spent a little more than 2 hours on the hill. Saturday skating, ice hockey and baking cookies (they were all gone the same night LOL)....and grocery shopping at 10:30PM :( But at least it isn't crowded and shopping doesn't drag out too long.
Sunday ice hockey and skating again and for me finally some stitching time.

The pumpkin is frogged and re-stitched. It was not a lot, I was just a bit moody because I had to frog quite a few times on this little project already....

The little leaves on the 5th tree are smyrna crosses, a nice change from the regular x's.

And again......arrrgh

2011-01-06T13:45:00.000-06:00

The pumpkin on the left side is 1 thread too high...and when I realized that I was so demotivated that I just put my stitching away. I will rip it out but I just couldn't make me do that last night. On Autumn Arbor I did nearly as much ripping as I did stitching and I can't really say that it is very demanding or difficult....it is just me screwing it up all the time. :(
I'll give it another shot tonight....

2011-01-05T18:18:00.001-06:00

Not too much stitching yesterday. I made just a little progress on Autumn Arbor.
The day started pretty cold. In the morning time it was -24 degrees Celsius which felt with the wind like -37 degrees.....brrrrr. But during the day it got warmer and reached -11 in the late afternoon so we went tobogganing and had tons of fun. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.

And now some grocery shopping, supper and then finally some stitching time :)

The frog visited with me...

2011-01-04T08:29:00.001-06:00

It was a nice and quiet first Monday of the year filled with kids, grocery shopping and stitching....and frogging (arrrgh). I had to frog the complete second tree because my little bird was on stitch too short and I didn't want to start moving the trees.

Of course I made another mistake in the tree but I will leave that in there. I think every piece I stitch has one of my errors in it....That makes each one unique LOL

My Goals for 2011

2011-01-03T10:24:00.024-06:00

maybe a little too optimistic....as always ;)

Did somebody say I have to pick 15 WIP's? I picked a few more and I am embarrassed having to admit that there are "a few" more....anyways, I spent a while taking pictures.

Finally all together there are 21 I picked out of my pile:

Here the ones I would like to make some progress on:

1. Carriage House Samplings - Black Horse Inn barely started, even had to frog most of what I stitched.

2. Cross Eyed Cricket, Inc. - Skeleton Crewstarted about 2 years ago

3. Heaven and Earth Designs - Real Snow Job, A not more than a start either. Not even 1 page out of...???...28 or so...

4. Rosewood Manor Designs - And A Forest Grewmaybe 1/4 to 1/3 done

5. Victoria Sampler - Heirloom Homecoming Sampler accessory pack rustic Don't know why I don't do any stitching on it. It is a lot of fun but needs some attention I sometimes don't have any more after work

And these are the ones I would love to finish:

1. Acufactum - Findus the Painter. I started this when Lisa was about 2 years old...I better hurry now otherwise she will be too old for it

2. Atalie - La Vie en Bleu. So many special stitches - so much fun. I just somehow didn't order enough of the silks. Should probably order some extra stuff to make it worth ordering in France. LOL

3. Blue Ribbon Designs - Peppermint Twist Started this as an SAL on a special Peppermint Twist SAL blog....

4. Dahlbeck - Crazy Christmas Tree Row. Not a big project. I think, I started this some time in 2006

5. DMC - Tulip. Started long, long time ago....

6. Drawn Thread - Autumn Arbor

7. Drawn Thread - The Birth Band Started this when I was in the hospital in June 2007, just before we came to Canada

8. Drawn Thread - Toccata Two So beautiful....

9. Haandarbejdets Fremme - Gerda Bengtsson - Thistle. I absolutely love thistles...

10. Jardin Prive - My Lady's Quaker. Started in 2009. I made color changes and did not write down what I am using - have to find the right brown now...

11. Jeannette Douglas Designs - Take Time To Quilt

12. Little House Needleworks - Quilting. Should be a quick finish.

13. Permin of Copenhagen - Sampler 1852 HH21168 If I rememeber right, I started it in 2001 or 2002. It is massive, stitched on 28ct linen...

14. Plum Street Samplers - Rubie Owl`s Sampler

15. Shepherds Bush - Into the Night. Started some time in 2010

16. Victoria Sampler - Christmas Treasures Sampler. Started in August 2007

Happy New Year 2011 to everyone!

2011-01-02T11:02:00.014-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas...a bit more busy than quiet :) And a nice relaxing New Years Eve which I, following my tradition, used to start something new, that has been in my stash for a long, long time... I just love the Drawn Thread designs! After work, with just lamplight I decided to stitch Autumn Arbour on 40ct Zweigart Summer Khaki

instead of on my all-time favourite 36ct Permin Shell

...I still wish they would sell this fabric in 40ct....

There's also some progress on PSS Ruby Owl's Sampler. Still far away from being finished - but coming along nicely. The big green spot on the bottom is not too exciting and takes quite a bit of patience....

Haven't decided yet if I will join the Up 4 A Challenge blog, but I should at least do something like that here on my own. Will check some of my many, many WIP's later.

Challenges 2011 ?!?!?

2010-12-05T14:20:00.001-06:00

Have you seen the The Crazy January 2011 Challenge?

I don't think that is something I should consider ... or even know about...LOL.

But maybe I should:

- gather all my WIP's
- take a picture of them
- post it
- and pick, let's say seven of them to finish in 2011
- I could reward myself for each finish with a new project of about ornament size or a little bigger ... something I will really be able to finish right away

This is probably more the kind of challenge I should tackle. What do you think?

Sorry...

2010-12-04T16:09:00.003-06:00

... I can't remember where I put the camera so I had to take the picture with my Blackberry. So there is hope - as soon as I find the camera, the pictures will get a little better! LOL
I love the colours of Ruby Owl soooo much!

Back to stitching and blogging...???!??

2010-12-04T11:28:00.005-06:00

It has been 1 1/2 years since my last blog entry and my whole life changed... My little baby girl Lisa is not so little any more, she went through Kindergarten and is now already a cute 1st grade girl. I didn't have time to do ANY stitching at all but I hope to get back into it a little again now. I picked up Ruby Owl's Sampler again while listening to:

Wicked Appetite
by
Janet Evanovich

and hope to be able to post a few pictures later.
I missed everybody a lot and spend some time today on a lot of blogs. :)

Our friend just left for their holidays

2009-07-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

...but they will be back in about 2 weeks. And then we will go on holidays. I am so looking forward to our holidays. We will go on a roundtrip for about 1 1/2 weeks and then we have to come back because Lisa has an appointment with a specialist and will get tubings in her ears. Hopefully that will keep her safe from these almost permanent ear infections.

I am excited since I got Vikki Claytons newsletter saying that she is in the process of dying 40ct linen. That is definately a must buy for me....well known as a linen addict.... Can't wait till she is offering it in her shop!

So this is my not too big progress on Rubie Owl's Sampler. Surprisingly I am not tired of stitching the leaves, yet. I absolutely love them and the colours.

And this is where I spent some time during the weekends while Lisa is playing in her little pool in the yard.

Just some stash

2009-07-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

As predicted in my last post not too much stitching going on. But I took a picture of some stash I got lately. "It's Berry Time" looked so nice that I had to order it right away when I first saw it.

I made a nice progress

2009-07-06T21:45:00.002-05:00

on Rubie Owl but I doubt that I will go on in this pace. Today some friends moved in with us. They decided to move back to their homecountry and sold their house so we offered to move in with us instead of living in a motel until they actually leave. It is kind of a challenge to live together with some other people in one house but I am positve we will get along for a few weeks.

As soon as the weather is warm and sunny...

2009-07-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

....time goes by unbelievable fast. I had two finishes since my last post but no pictures yet. :(
And I got some stash .... and guess what ... no pictures yet ;(

But I started on Rubie Owl's Sampler by Plum Street Samplers yesterday. I got it in the mail on friday. Thanks so much to Paulette for creating this wonderful design. The colours are my absolute favourite.
This is how much I got done yesterday night:

The colours are lighter and a bit brighter in real life but what more can one expect from a scan.

Long time no see...

2009-06-16T09:44:00.013-05:00

...seems like I had one of my frequent blogging breaks again. But this time not as long as in the past. I did stitch a bit and we got some additions to our family and it seems as if summer is comeing to Brandon finally.

Lisa was still asking questions about her cats in Germany and sometimes she suddenly started to crying because of them so we decided to find some cats for her. We never wanted indoor cats but living in town there is no other choice....
I am pleased to introduce you to Holly and Ally:

I finished Kindred Spirits it was a fast and fun stitch.

Kindred Spirits by The Primitive Needle

threads: Belle Soie Silks and for the 4 stitches in Kiwi I used DMC

fabric: 40ct R&R Reproductions Dark Cappuccino

started: 2009-05-07

finished: 2009-05-22

While listening

2009-05-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

to Hoot by Carl Hiassen

I stitched on Kindred Spirits by Primitive Needle which I started right away after finishing FStSS.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

From Sea to Shining Sea FINISHED!!

2009-05-09T18:26:00.007-05:00

From Sea to Shining Sea by Little House Needleworks
threads: Belle Soie silks
fabric: 40ct Lakeside Linen Winter Sky
started: 2009-02-10
finished: 2009-05-07

Derek is pretty confident that he passed his red seal exam in Toronto. He flew back on thursday afternoon and we are so happy to have our little family complete again. Now he is busy looking for a Harley...because I promised him that he will get his Harley after accomplishing the goal to achieve his red seal. :)
He was so happy to be back. Toronto is a little bit too big for us countrynuts. LOL

But even in the middle of a big city you can always find some beautiful spots....

Sunday we spent a nice afternoon

2009-05-05T19:02:00.007-05:00

at the Winnipeg Assiniboine Park Zoo before dropping Derek off at the airport hotel.

While walking through the zoo Lisa talked the whole time about the little train with the steam engine we saw in the park. So we went for a train ride later and guess who was a little bit scared sitting in the noisy little train:

Still not finished with FStSS. I got the silks for my next project yesterday that'll speed me up, I guess :)

The week was dedicated

2009-05-02T20:00:00.004-05:00

to planning Derek's trip to Toronto. He has to go there to take a test for his Canadian red seal as a Journeyman Millwright. Tomorrow we will bring Derek to Winnipeg and spend a nice day there and while Lisa and I will be heading home Derek will fly to Toronto. We can pick him up at the airport on Thursday again.... So please cross your fingers for him to pass the test.

I just put a few stitches in From Sea to Shining Sea but still....I am getting there LOL Hopefully a finish tomorrow evening or on Monday.

I saw the other day

2009-04-30T18:07:00.011-05:00

on the Tiny Treasures Exchange Blog that Sabine from Belgium received the biscornu I stitched for her. I enjoyed stitching it very much.....just the writing over 1 on 40ct linen was a little bit of a pain.... Sewing my first biscornu together and adding the beads around the corners was a lot of fun, too. It was the first biscornu I stitched:

The Bee Charmer

by Indigo Rose

Tiny Treasures Exchange biscornu for Sabine from Belgium

stitched with my own choice of Caron Waterlilies

on 40ct Shale Newcastle linen by Picture This Plus

Started: 2009-03-07

Finished: 2009-04-04

My house in the Midwest

2009-04-24T18:12:00.003-05:00

is ready to move in :) The colour of the fabric looks a little strange on todays pictures and the house is in real live a wonderful cranberry red:

Hi Terri, you better get ready to start on FSTSS LOL - hopefully you will have your stitching paradise finished soon and get back your stitching mojo....There will be an envelope on the way to you pretty soon.....if nothing comes in the way... ;)

YAY!!!

2009-04-22T18:37:00.004-05:00

I got my biscornu from the Tiny Treasures exchange. It came all the way from Pokua in autumnly Australia. And autumn is also the theme of this gorgeous biscornu. I love it so much. It is beautifully finished with beads around the corners that are the same colour as the stitching....my first own biscornu. Thank you so much Pokua!!!!
Front:

Back:

And look at the goodies that came with it beads in the same colour of the stitching, a wonderful big heart bead and a calendar with pictures from Australia...

The weather

2009-04-21T19:58:00.003-05:00

is so nice right now that we spent some time outside cleaning our yard from the last leaves and making the flower beds ready for the plants after work. Not that we are already done but at least it is a start. Lisa asked us to put up her little swimming pool. LOL But it is not THAT warm yet.
While listening to Twilight I stitched some more on FSTSS:

And I have still one and a half CD left to listen to..... yay :)

I couldn't sit down

2009-04-19T16:56:00.006-05:00

and stitch the last week. I only accomplished a few stitches on the Red Snowman:

I couldn't keep focused on stitching and had to put it down often. I usually stitch a lot when Derek is on nightshift. I then listen to audio books but I can't do that when he is at home. So yesterday I decided to go and buy some headphones.....
I listened to the last CD of Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella that was still waiting for me from Dereks last nightshift

and then I started on the 11 CD's of Twilight by Stephenie Meyers.

I couldn't put my stitching down till 1:00 AM in the morning and so I managed to finish The Mountains and a bit more of the border:

So I am listening to more of Twilight and start stitching The Midwest today. I absolutely love the story about Bella and Edward. I don't know why I did not buy headphones earlier. Derek can watch a movie and I can listen to an exciting story and learn English at the same time :)

Did you

2009-04-16T19:03:00.004-05:00

get a chance to visit the Needlework Show? I just browsed through the pages of some of my favourite Designers.....and I could spend a lot of money....so I better stop and go back to my stitching :)

I got Catherine Agnes back from framing at Lasting Image and I absolutely love how it turned out. They did a great job:

....and doesn't the frame look awesome. When I went to Lasting Image I was looking for something plain. I am so glad that they convinced me and I decided on this frame.

I should really learn how to take better pictures..... LOL

2009-04-13T20:58:00.002-05:00

We came back from our road trip yesterday late afternoon and went back to work today. It was a lot of fun and we saw a lot of places. I will tell you a little bit later about it after we freed the pics from the camera :)
I am not too good at stitching 40ct in the car so I had an excuse to start the cute Red Snowman by Shepherds Bush. That is all I stitched on it during our trip....I was more busy looking out of the window I guess, LOL:

But I also made a little progress on The Mountains. This part is the most timeconsuming:

I am going to build a house

2009-04-08T20:01:00.003-05:00

in the mountains with my little crosses soon. But first I let some trees to grow ;)

I don't plan to finish my goldwork right away. I think I will just stitch once in a while on it for now.

We are going on a roadtrip over the long Easter weekend and we have never been further west than Virden. So this time we will discover a little bit of Saskatchewan. I am so looking forward to get out of the every day routine. Especially now that the weather is getting warmer. All the snow is melting away. The roads and driveways are free of snow and outside of town there are only some snowspots on the fields left.

Wanda, if nothing comes in the way I will come to the EAC seminar in Regina in 2010. I am looking forward to meeting you there! I can't wait to see what classes will be offered. Do you by any chance know some addresses for Needlecraft shops in Saskatchewan?

Oh yes, Marian is right!

2009-04-06T19:22:00.003-05:00

I should have thanked Carol and the girls for organising this wonderful weekend class. I am sure it was a lot of work. And they did a great job!!!!! The workshop was an experience that I would not want to miss. And I hope to be able to attend more stitching classes in the future. Thanks so much to everyone who did his share to make it an unforgettable weekend.

A few days ago I received my order from Stitching Bits and Bobs. Now I don't have any excuses anymore not to stitch on From Sea to Shining Sea. :) And I couldn't resist some of their Clearance Sale itmes...

Notforgotten Farm - Jack be Nimble
Primitive Bettys - 1836 Spring Tyme Sampler
Periwinkle Promises - Two Peas in a Pod Sampler
Little House Needleworks - The last three installments
and some cute freebies :)

What a crazy week

2009-04-05T19:03:00.007-05:00

we had. We were so busy. I think we did not spend one single evening at home. But I spent an awesome weekend with Janice Routley and the girls. :) Designer Janice Routley came from Regina to teach us her Shore Birds in goldwork. She is an awesome teacher and we learned A LOT. I have to admit I was moaning a lot ( is that the right expression for making sounds like aaarrgh and uuuuuhhh?) because I missed the holes in the fabric :) And sometimes it was quite difficult to push the needle through the material but I was enjoying it so much! And I think everybody else was, too. We were 13 learners plus Janice. She is such a wonderful teacher and has a sense of humour which made it even more fun. Thank you so much Janice!!!!
This was my first workshop but for sure not my last one.

In this picture you can see Janice showing a few of us how to do it:

from left to right: Anna, Janice, Marian, Paula and Carol.
And just before the end of the class Janice did a little lacing workshop and showed us some how to do the lacing for pictures and ornaments. It looked a lot easier than what I had seen before. We will see if my fingers will do that at least half as easily as Janices...... ;)

I just want to Janice for this wonderful weekend. THANK YOU, Janice. You are awesome!

If I look at it I can't believe that this is all I got done in two days workshop from 8am to 4pm....OK, we had a few brakes but I was stitching concentrated (most of) the rest of the time. :) That what looks black in the picture is gold kid leather that we stitched on the ultra suede. It will keep me busy a lot longer as my little sensitive fingers LOL feel a bit sore after pushing the needle through the fabric.

While I had a good time stitching Lisa and Derek had a father daughter weekend and went to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. At least they had a good time, too.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my blog. I will return the visits within the next days...we will hopefully not as busy as the last week.
WOW, I think this can be considered my longest post ever.

House of the rising sun

2009-03-29T11:47:00.005-05:00

is finished. Terri that is exactly the song I had in my mind while stitching on it. Even though New Orleans is not even near to it :) Weren't that the Eagles who sang the song?

And here a picture especially for my friend Manuela. Please ignore my double chin...I have no clue how or when I got that but it is there....*grrrr* Look at bit more to the bottom and see little Lisa's and my pink CROCS!!! :) We got them last week and WE LOVE THEM. They are so warm and cosy. When I first came over to Canada and saw the Crocs I thought that I would never wear "these plastic shoes"...... LOL

After the decision

2009-03-28T20:19:00.003-05:00

was made to send the project back to ghoststitchers I was relieved. Under the given circumstances I would have never been able to deliver good work.

So I went back to From Sea to Shining Sea and suddenly stitching felt wonderful and stress relieving again :)

Terri asked if it snowed more during the last days....no it didn't and for me it seems to be enough! :) Our little house in the snow:

A bit sad

2009-03-27T20:48:00.002-05:00

am I that I will have to give up on something I waited so excited for for a long time. I applied as a ghoststitcher in january 2008 and I received my first model to stitch for them yesterday. It is something that will be stitched with a lot of dark red on 28ct. white fabric (no linen). And they ask for complete coverage....but with 2 plys dark red on white it doesn't cover completely especially not there where quaterstitches are necessary... And when I emailed a pic of my little start they suggested to stitch with one or two threads more. Arrrrgh I tried it and it feels not comfortable at all and to me it looks bulky and not nice. And also it takes me a lot of time to make the threads lay flat and nice. How shell I then be able to stitch about 200-300 crosses every night? Is anyone of you a modelstitcher or ghoststitcher and how do you handle things like that?
I think I will just let them know that I just can't do it and send it back or whereever they want me to send it. That is than the sad end of a dream I always had....

Yesterday evening was dedicated to the model but on wednesday I let the sun rise over the West Coast and even palmtree started to grow ;)

I added some

2009-03-25T22:12:00.002-05:00

...brown on my house. Not that that is my favourite colour but I was hoping to finish everything of this shade on the house last night. I was wrong :) There are still a few rows of the roof missing. I hope to finish that tonight and being able to let the sun rise over the West Coast. LOL But for now - no sun.

about 15cm (6 inches) of snow

2009-03-24T20:18:00.004-05:00

That is what we got today! After the roads, fields, some yards and even some basements were flooded because of the rain at the weekend we got some white stuff again. It is still snowing and it is supposed to do that, not as much as today but still, for the next days.

My house on the West Coast looks a little bit more like a house in Greece with all the white and blue. It is so cute and I hope it will get some more colours tonight.

Must be pretty boring to see the same thing over and over again....I am sorry, I can't stitch any faster LOL

The Westcoast

2009-03-23T19:36:00.005-05:00

...is my next step. And the reason for that: I ordered only the first 3 installments some time ago. That was just to minimize the loss if it would become an UFO. But two weeks ago I thought it would be OK to order the rest of the chartpacks. And now I have to wait for the shipment. :)
I stitch on my biscornu and on this so I have not too much progress to share:

We had a very rainy day yesterday. It remembered me a lot of the autumn, winter and early spring days in Germany. The rain drizzled the whole day - sometimes more and sometimes less. Now some of the snow is gone but we expect another 10-15cm of snow from tonight till wednesday. Winter is not over in MB, Canada....

Finished "The Southwest"

2009-03-22T20:46:00.004-05:00

I got such a good portion on my biscornu done that I allowed myself to stitch again on FSTSS. I am surprised how much I stick to this big design (yes, for me this is kind of a big design...). This is how it looked like when I got back to it:

I managed to finish "The Southwest":

And the whole thing now:

I will stitch some more on it tonight but tomorrow after work (brrrrrrr...I don't like mondays) I will stitch on the biscornu again.

7th anniversary

2009-03-22T13:18:00.004-05:00

DH and I had our 7th anniversary yesterday. We didn't do anything special. Just an indoor bike race....not the typical thing to do on an anniversary LOL but we had a lot of fun. My employer is a sponsor for the fundraising event for Cerebral Palsy so we went there to do some pedaling :)

The pictures are a bit dark....

After that we went to a nice little bakery owned by Hutterites for a very yummieh lunch. We had soup and wraps and lisa had a lemon cookie. Oh it was sooooo good. I took some fruitsquares home for our afternoon coffee and they were awesome. Now I am busy trying to find a recipe for these on the internet. They were so delicious.....I could eat them every day. The worst thing is that the bakery is on my way to work so I could stop there every day before AND after work to get some......LOL

I really have to put a few

2009-03-21T16:59:00.003-05:00

...hours into my Tiny Treasures Exchange biscornu. It is due to be mailed out by the end of March.
But yesterday evening I decided to pull Take Time to Quilt out of my "currently active" WIP bag. This is how it looked when I began:

And this was before I put it back in the bag:

The real colour is somewhere between this two pictures but more like the before pic. I didn't spent a lot of time stitching I was just too tired again. Seems like I am tired a lot lately. I don't know exactly why but I hope it is getting better as soon as spring brings warmer temperatures.

A little bit frustrated

2009-03-19T20:38:00.003-05:00

...am I because I can't show you how wonderful and vibrant the colours of La Vie en Bleu are in real life. They are awesome and it is so enjoyable to stitch with all these special stitches..... FUN FUN FUN

I realized I made a mistake while ordering the threads for this chart. I put accidentially less then the recommended length of threads in my shopping cart. Means I will have to order a bit more of some colours pretty soon....that'll give me the opportunity to try some of their yummieh linen...... *drool* ;)

Just a small progress

2009-03-18T18:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday my friend from work came for supper. And we had a good time eating and chatting and drinking 2 glasses of wine....no Irish wine though :) Is there Irish wine at all? I can't remember seeing that ever.

Later I was too tired for a lot of stitching. Instead I read a few pages in a book...
Just a close up of the house with a now "grown up" cactus. LOL

I think it is time to stitch on something else again. Hopefully that brings me back my stitching mood tonight. I don't know how some people can just stitch on one project at a time. I like watching their progress though and they finish their projects so much faster than I do....

As Terri and Deb said...

2009-03-16T19:51:00.003-05:00

I was a scared, too. Especially when we arrived at the lake and drove on the ice. It was frightening but seeing all the other cars and shags and skidoos on the lake it felt a little bit safer after a while. I think we simply got used to it...And it helps a lot not to think about beeing on a lake. LOL

I got a little stitching on From Sea to Shining Sea done:
Before:

After:

And a closeup of the area I worked on. At least I got the bottom border done. Now I feel a bit better about stitching on the houses...

A friend wrote one my wall (on facebook)

2009-03-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

"Don't forget the beer it almoste makes ice fishing fun." She is right!!! :) Once all the holes are drilled and everybody is seated in front of a hole it is the most boring thing ever....especially if nobody catches any fish. LOL

It was a strange feeling to drive a car on a lake. And with the snow on the ice it was much more difficult as I expected it to be.

Lisa and I didn't spend a lot of time sitting next to a hole and waiting for something that never happened :)

She preferred to play in the snow and I just sat in the car with wide open doors. My stitching in my hands enjoying the fresh air and the sun.....much better than holding a fishing rod!

Just a bit progress...

2009-03-14T09:32:00.004-05:00

on From Sea to Shining Sea. Sharon asked what fabric I am stitching on. It is 40ct winter sky Lakeside Linen. And it is awesome to stitch on. I will buy Lakeside Linen for sure again. I would appreciate your help what colours to chose. I had some trouble chosing from the pictures online. I ordered Bittersweet Vintage and the picture looked like a boring light brown-creme. But when I got it, it was pink-creme. So what are your favourite colours of LL???

We will go ice fishing today....I have never done that before and I am kind of excited to drive with a car on a lake, poke/drill a hole in the ice and try to catch a fish. Sounds like a strange thing to do for Germans :) I will take some pictures and post them in my next post.

An update on the area I stitched on:

And one of the whole thing so far:

I went crazy

2009-03-12T18:18:00.003-05:00

and didn't finish the bottom border before starting on the houses. After I had to rip out all my stitching from the night before I thought I could have some fun and start on the more fun and colourful part:

before:

after:

I will stick one more night with From Sea to Shining Sea and hope to get more of the border AND the house done.... ;)

This was my 4. finish in 2009

2009-03-11T18:07:00.001-05:00

I started it together with my friend Manuela when we spent a few days together during our holidays in Germany in december/january. We both unpacked our kits on janauar 02, 2009. Back in Canada I wasn't to far from finishing it when I took it to stitch on it while watching Lisa's swimming lessons. When I wanted to put in some more stitches at home the next night I realized I lost the silks at the pool.... And when I got there to ask for my threads nobody had seen them. I am pretty sure that the little cardboard heart with some fuzzy silks could look like garbage to someone who has no clue about stitching... But lucky as I am Manuela was about to finish hers and sent me her leftovers very soon and I was able to finish mine without a hassle. Thanks so much Manuela!!!! I just wish you were not so far away....

The Stockings
Shepherds Bush
Started: 2009-01-02
Finished: 2009-02-01
stitched with the silks and on the 32ct country grain provided in the kit
I will add the embellishments when I am going to frame it or finish it otherwise.

Shepherds Bush is always so much fun to stitch and the colours are gorgeous...

I can't show you a picture of yesterdays stitching on From Sea to Shining Sea as I had to rip it all out again :( I miscounted at the end of the last thing I stitched and everything I stitched yesterday was wrong 1 cross wrong in place....

At the Needlecraft Guild meeting

2009-03-10T19:00:00.004-05:00

I stitched a little bit more on my fun project. But tonight I will go back to my rotation otherwise the fun with La Vie en Bleu will over way too fast :)

And I will have to start putting a few stitches in my biscornu for the exchange on a daily basis .... or it won't be finished in time.

It seems as if the winter will be over pretty soon. Right now we still have -24Celsius (-11F) with a windchill that makes it feel like -34Celsius (-29F) but the temperatures are supposed to go in to the plus Celsius degrees at the weekend and are expected to remain there....So we will have to say Good bye to the nice white snow.

When I wasn't stitching on

2009-03-09T18:02:00.004-05:00

my Biscornu for the Tiny Treasures Exchange I stitched on La Vie en Bleu. Not that I spent A LOT time on the Biscornu....La Vie was too tempting. :) The colours and the specialty stitches are so much fun!

The natural linen is a little bit too dark but I will stick to it now as I don't have the right colour in my Stash anyways...
Thank you so much for all your comments. I love reading them so much!

Tonight is Needlecraft Guild meeting again and I plan on taking La Vie with me instead of Peppermint Twist.

And this is the reason...

2009-03-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

...why I HAD TO finish Home is Where You Hang.... on friday. I got my order from Des Filles et une Aiguille in France.

I ordered late Friday night, she assembled it and shipped it out on Saturday and it was here exactly a week later on Friday. That is sooooo fast. And I was surprised to see that she really cuts the threads in the lenghts of your order (she sells Fils Atalie by meter). And how carefully she labeled every colour... I am thrilled to see with how much love she handled my small order. Please excuse my dark friday night pictures...

I did a little floss toss on 40ct Shale by Picture This Plus:

and on 40ct natural Zweigart:

Saturday when I finally had stitching time I decided on the 40ct natural linen and started winding the silks and cottons when suddenly the doorbell rang and friends came visiting with us......
So guess who got up early in the morning today to get started on La Vie en Bleu? LOL

I was busy....

2009-03-08T08:55:00.006-05:00

....doing the HAPPY DANCE! :) Friday later in the evening I finished Home is Where You Hang... This is exactly the right size for me. Not that big that I am getting tired of it and put it away and not too small. Unfortunately I am often drawn to the really big projects....
The colours are pretty good on the pictures except of the linen. In real live it is pretty close to Zweigart sand.

Home is Where You Hang Your Needlework
by Homespun Elegance
stitched with the recommended Belle Soie silks
40ct R&R Dark Cappuccino
started: 2009-02-02
finished: 2009-03-06

I am getting there...

2009-03-05T19:11:00.004-06:00

...not too long any more and Home is Where You Hang Your Needlework will be done. I think I will go on stitching on it till the end now. I ordered a nice chart and the recommended Fil Atalie last week in an online shop in France. They sent it out the same day and I want to start it as soon as it shows up in my mailbox. So I better finish this soon :)
I took pictures with my camera this morning (of course no daylight) instead of scanning it but the colours are as bad as the ones on the scanner.... Hopefully I will be able to take a nice picture of the finished piece at the weekend with daylight....

My pictures are so bad. I love to see all the beautiful pictures on other blogs but I don't know how to take so nice pics. Perhaps I should take a photographing course....

Just a bit Stash...

2009-03-04T21:52:00.000-06:00

....and no stitching to share. I got the new Just Cross Stitch magazin...a little treat for the grocery shopping we had to do :) And when I came home an envelope from ABC Stitch Therapy was waiting for me.
Some time ago they had 36ct Edinburgh in summer khaki and sand on sale and as always with linen I couldn't resist to order it. And to make the order worth delivering I added this Moira Blackburn chart. I have never seen this design before. The good thing about this design: it is a lot smaller than her normal designs so I may be able to finish it. LOL

Peppermint Twist SAL night

2009-03-03T18:58:00.001-06:00

Last night was Pepperment Twist SAL night again. I managed to stitch quite a bit last night. I just can't decide to fill in the year in the top box....I never know if I will stick with this till it is finished or if it will go in the box to wait a few years.... :) But I am so looking forward to next monday's SAL night as I will stitch the candycane border on top of this part....just love the yummie red.

I decided on a biscornue design for the Tiny Treasures Exchange Group and hope to find some nice silks in my stash. Now that I have finished Deb's Hello Neighbor RR I can concentrate on that. The mailing deadline is March 31, 2009.

And A Forest Grew ... a tiny bit :)

2009-03-02T17:56:00.004-06:00

I don't have to show a lot of progress. I was just too tired yesterday evening. But I put at least some very few stitches in And A Forest Grew and added the little bunny and a little more on the big tree. The tree is somehow more timeconsuming than I thought. It is not really worth showing a picture of that but I decided to keep track of my stitching by blogging .... so I am loading it up.

2009-03-01T16:08:00.002-06:00

Debs Hello Neighbor RR is finally finished an can go on its way home. I stitched her house combining a lot of the Proverbs designs by The Workbasket.

Then I added the little "minime" playing with the angels:

and a tombstone for me:

on the Froggy End Cemetary:

which is also a part of Deb's beautiful Neighborhood:

2009-03-01T11:45:00.000-06:00

We drove to the Emerson Border yesterday. Left Canada, stopped at the US customs building, got a piece of paper and turned back

We had to stop at the Canadian customs again to finalize our PR paperwork and after about 45 minutes everything was done.

On our way back home we came through Winnipeg. And being in Winnipeg I couldn't just pass Kathryn's Stitching Studio :)
But I was a good girl and bought just a small piece of linen and an Over The Top tin kit "Jingle" by Just Nan. The 40ct they had in stock was limited to one cream and one yellowish one....but they had this nice piece of Lakeside Linen in Navy Bean in stock.....in 48ct. It looks lovely but will I be able to actually stitch on it?????? We will see ...

2009-02-27T20:52:00.003-06:00

Who would have thought that I'd really put a few stitches in Take Time to Quilt....not me for sure. :)

I am pretty tired tonight. Somehow it was a hard week. Today after work our department went out for a drinks and now I am kind of happy to be back home.

Tomorrow we will leave home early for a trip to the States border to get the final paperwork for our permanent residence done. Perhaps I will be able to stitch a few stitches in the car....

2009-02-26T20:56:00.003-06:00

While listening to the last 2 CD's of Janet Evanovichs Full Speed:
I stitched nearly the whole left side of Home is Where You Hang Your Needlework. It is coming along nicely....but the picture is aweful. Sorry.

If I stick to my plan I will have to stitch on Jeannette Douglas's Take Time to Quilt but right now I am not in a bit stitching mood. We will see....

2009-02-25T19:04:00.003-06:00

It seems as if I could finish the bottom border during my next stitching session if I stitch concentrated. :)

This week Derek has to work tuesday through thursday nights from 7pm - 7am. Usually I get a lot of stitching done if he is not here. I just wonder why it makes a difference for my stitching if he is here in the evenings or not.

Anyways, I think I will stitch on Home is Where You Hang.... tonight.
See you soon....

2009-02-24T18:31:00.003-06:00

Not too much stitching at the guild meeting....more chatting and laughing ;) Hopefully I will get done more again next week. Or maybe I put some stitches in it at the weekend...we will see...

We got a bit more snow today. I still love the snow. It is so much more nicer to see the snow falling than the rain.....wave to my friends in Germany. LOL

So, what am I going to stitch on tonight? Is it already tuesday????? Than it will be From Sea to Shining Sea.
See you later....

2009-02-23T18:09:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post...Lucky me, I am on my way out to attend our needlecraft guild meeting tonight. The last one two weeks ago was cancelled due to the weather situation. I stitched a little bit more on Home is Where....by Homespun Elegance yesterday.

I never took my needlework to work to stitch on it during my lunchbreak. Today I decided to give it a try. We are a usually a crowd of about 10-15 people having lunch together and so I had a lot of explaining to do...but I think they will get used to it pretty soon and for me it is an extra half an hour of stitching time every day after eating my lunch. :)
And as a lot of other non-stitching people some of them thought stitching is just something for ol'ladies....hey, I'm getting there..... LOL

2009-02-22T17:17:00.004-06:00

I LOVE weekends :) Isn't it wonderful to spend some qualitiy time with the family, stitching stuff and internet at home? The only problem...it is always pretty expensive :) These tempting online stores are never closed LOL.

I spend some nice time with Home is Where You hang your needlework and I like very much how it turns out.

In real it is bot as dark as on the picture but the scanner doesn't want to make a lighter pic. Maybe the camera does once it will be finished.

On Yuko's wonderful blog I found a link to Dovile. She has a wonderful blog, too and does some awesome stitching....and she enabled me to buy some more STASH. :) Don't miss this one!

Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich

2009-02-22T09:35:00.004-06:00

This was definiatly my favourite "between the numbers" with Stephanie Plum. And with more than 300 pages a full size book. A supernatural mystery with nobody missing...Diesel, Morelli, Ranger and Lula. And Carl the monkey is hilarious..... LOL
I finished the last pages last night and was a bit sad for the book ending so soon.

Do you enjoy the Stephanie Plum series as much as I do?

2009-02-21T18:33:00.004-06:00

An update on Deb's Hello Neighbor! RR. It is just a small progress...but at least a progress. I hope to have the house finished next weekend.
Then there are a few other addions to make on Deb's Neighborhood.....a gravestone....and a little person underneath Deb's angel.... You'll see :)

2009-02-20T18:44:00.004-06:00

I spent the entire day sleeping in my bed yesterday. And I felt a lot better today.....at least good enough to go to work. :) And I am pretty sure to do at least some stitching tonight. Yayyyy...

This was my 2. finish this year. It took me 3 years from the first stitch to the last.... I don't know exactly why. It was very interesting and actually a lot of fun. The most scary and challenging stitch were the cups of the acorns. I know I didn't do a good job on those. But anyway, they are finished now :)

Catherine Agnes

by Indigo Rose

stitched with Caron Waterlilies

on 32ct. Permin shell

started: 2005-12-21

finished: 2009-01-27

I hope to find a nice frame for Catherine Agnes but I am pretty sure it won't be easy....

2009-02-18T11:46:00.002-06:00

After our grocery shopping and supper yesterday we went straight to bed. That means: no pictures to show to today...
Even though I felt pretty bad I went to work this morning but after I finished the most important stuff I left work and went back home and to bed.

I hope to feel better soon....

See you,
Bine

2009-02-17T17:49:00.004-06:00

Monday was Peppermint Twist SAL day. We spend another lazy day at home...a lot of stitching time for me :) Nobody felt really well. Isn't that bad on a holiday...

Thank you for the get-well wishes. I think today was the worst day. Hopefully I will be a lot better tomorrow.
Not too much stitching for me tonight but early bedtime...

2009-02-16T20:05:00.005-06:00

Oh boy I feel like getting a real nasty cold. I have a headache, dry cough, sore throat and I just feel BAD. I need that right now like hole in my head and the next weekend is four days of work away....

This is how Derek found me sitting in the living room surrounded by my stitching supplies when he got up...Hopefully nobody realizes that I am still wearing my PJ's underneath the knitted jacket.... ;)

Quite recently I got my order from "The Needle & I". A complete kit with all the necessary equipment to start my first canvas needlework. I have to admit that I am a little bit intimidated...that's why I got it out of my cupboard to have a second look at it. Is there somebody stitching the same thing or at least something similar?

OK it was a bad idea to take the picture before noon on the westside window.....

2009-02-16T08:32:00.003-06:00

First of all: Thank you girls for commenting on my blog during the last week! Your comments are so very much appreciated. I was surprised that there are still some of you looking for updates on my blog after being absent for such a long time.

Last night I made a very good progress on From Sea to Shining Sea. At least compared to my usual stitching portions. I don't even know why...I was on a roll. LOL

And now I am going to start the day off with some stitching on the sofa :)

2009-02-15T17:50:00.002-06:00

Hurray.... I can't tell you how happy I am that we have holdiday tomorrow. It is Louis Riel day here Manitoba tomorrow.

I searched through my WIP box for something to catch my eye and I came up with "And a Forest Grew" The last time I stitched on it......
1 year ago: February 05, 2008!

We spent a lazy sunday at home. Lisa had a long nap snuggled against Dad:

After putting a few stitches in Deb's RR I decided I will stitch a bit more on From Sea to Shining Sea tonight.
See you later...

2009-02-14T22:02:00.003-06:00

And today a picture just for Deb :) To let you know what your Neighborhood looks like right now...or at least what my place looks like. For me the hardest part is always to decide what to stitch where if I don't just stitch from one single chart but mix and match from multiple charts.

I don't have a lot of needlepoint silks. The only ones I own are some for Chatelaine's Medieval Town Mandala so I used some Belle Soie silks and I hope that is OK for Deb too.

2009-02-13T18:15:00.005-06:00

This scissorskeeper was my first finish of the year. Just a small one but still a finish. I stitched it as an exchange piece for Michelle with the Tiny Treasures Exchange Group.

Beekeeper Freebie

The Drawn Thread

stitched with DMC on 32ct. shell Permin

started 2008-12-25

finished 2009-01-20

incl. finishing as scissorskeeper

Yesterday I stitched for a little bit on Take Time To Quilt Spring. But I was so tired I didn't do too much.

Tonight I won't have a lot time to stitch as well. While my husband waited in the parking lot at my workplace to pick me up the plant manager left heading home. They both met a year ago on a trip to Germany and so he stopped at our car for a bit of talking and gave Derek some Eishockey tickets for tonight. Our plant is a big sponsor of the local team so there are always free tickets available and he had some left over.... :) Time to leave now. See you later :)

2009-02-12T21:29:00.005-06:00

Due to my lack of blogging I never showed you my last finish in 2008. It was A Christmas Song by Full Circle Designs offered in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments 2008 magazin. I finished it into my first flatfold ever. Thanks so much to Vonna who provided the tutorial. ;) I stitched it for a Christmas exchange with my German Yahoo group. I am pretty sure this will be the first design that I will stitch a second time....for me :)

Yesterday I put a few more stitches in Home is Where You Hang Your Needlework. I started that Febuary 02,2009. Does this mean I started 3 new projects in February?!?!?

stitched on: Home is Where You... and Deb's Hello Neighbor RR

Isn't my Hello Neighbor RR stunning?

2009-02-11T18:38:00.007-06:00

Deb sent it to me together with her RR. I had hers when we were just about to move to Canada so I didn't manage to finish my stitching. So I am working on it every day a bit until it is finally finished.
When she send me her RR I first didn't even realized that she sent mine as well. It was so well hidden between her charts that I found it after she send an email asking how I liked it..... LOL And it is just BEAUTIFUL. I am so happy that this is my RR and I don't have to send it to anybody....just mine :)))

Here it is my "Neighborhood Row"

And a little bit closer: the left side:

the right side:

Thank you so much to all the ladies who stitched on it:

Carol for stitching AND setting up the RR and doing all the work as RR-mother :)
Deb
Glenna
Karen
Leslie
Marie
Nicole
Wendy

Yesterday I got the first three LHN installments of "From Sea to Shining Sea" and guess what I had to start right away after stitching my dayly portion on Deb's RR:

One of our mechanics at work has a cattle herd at home and from time to time he sells beef to his workmates. So I could not stand the temptation and bought a quater beef. I got it today and guess why I have to stop now...Hubby is nearly done with barbequeing this little piece of meat for us:

2009-02-10T18:50:00.008-06:00

During my blogging absence I finished Karen's Hello Neighbor RR. It was the last house to stitch. So her RR is finally finished and on it's way home:

I hope so much she likes how her RR turned out. This is the house I stitched for her. It is a house from the design "Fruit of the Spirit" by Plum Street Samplers. On this picture the colour of the fabric is more similar to the "real" fabric.

Last night was Peppermint Twist SAL night and after I got my silks last friday in the mail it was the first SAL night for me.I enjoyed stitching it so much... I am looking forward to next monday's stitching session :)

I received my Tiny Treasures Exchange from Gaby today!

2009-02-09T21:45:00.003-06:00

When I came home from work a brown envelope from Germany was waiting in the mailbox for me. Gaby knows how to make a monday a nice day.... This is the beautiful scissorsfob she made for me. Isn't it just adorable? And I love how she finished it with these cute little beads matching the colors of the design.

The front:

The back:

And all the goodies together:

She even managed to pick my favourite German Chocolate.

Gaby, thank you so much!!! I JUST LOVE IT!!!!

Now I have to decide if I will attach it to a pair of scissors or If I am going to start a little basket to display some wonderful needleworks....

Congratulations!!!

2008-11-20T20:58:00.002-06:00

And the winner is.....

....Marion

Please contact me with your mailaddress :) sabine dot foster at web dot de

I'm sorry for the one day delay but I found out about an Englisch class that takes place Mondays and Wednesdays. So I decided to go and check if they would accept me as a student....and they did. So I was there from 6 - 9PM. And when I came home I was simply too tired...and went straight to bed.

On Monday evening I will just stop by my english class because the Wheat City Needleart Guild meeting starts at seven....That is even more important than English lessons! A big smile to Marian D *wave*

Prairie Moon - There was an old woman Chart to give away

2008-11-16T10:30:00.001-06:00

I want to give away the chart. I'm pretty sure that I won't stitch it again :)

So please leave a comment if you are interested in the Chart and I will send it to you. If there is more than one person interested I will let Random.org choose the recipient.

November 19 will be the closing date.

Thank you for participating :)

I've been tagged....

2008-11-15T22:32:00.001-06:00

by Leah of The Usefull Needle. She was away from blogging for a long time but now she is back. I just love her blog and her stitching.

I must post six random things about myself.
The rules are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

So, six random things about me are:
1. Tonight I saw my first icehockey game (Brandon Wheat Kings vs. Seattle)
2. I am a Ranger Babe. Hello to all you Stephanie Plum fans :)
3. My two favourite TV shows are Everwood and 7th Heaven.
4. My favorite colours are all shades of read and autumn colours.
5. My big dream is to ride the Highway No.1 from Vancouver down to San Diego on my bicycle.
6. I love horror movies but I am too much of a whimp to actually watch them....

Manuela
Einschie
Andrea
Wendy
Birgit
Von

2008-11-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

I finished Shakespeare's Champion yesterday evening. It was much more exciting than the "normal" cozy mystery. I enjoyed it very much. Hopefully I find the 3rd book in the series pretty soon.

I also put a few stitches into A Real Snow Job...but it will be long way till you actually can see a bit of the design....

October goals - November goals

2008-11-02T16:02:00.002-06:00

October Goals

1. finish Carols Hello Neighbor RR within the next few days and mail it off to Karen - done
2. find a nice house and start stitching on Karens Hello Neighbor RR as soon as I receive it - received and decided on a design
3. finish There Was An Old Woman by Prairie Moon - done
4. put some stitches into Take Time To Quilt - Spring by Jeannette Douglas - done, not too many but at least a few :)
5. put some stitches into an older WIP - no :(
6. maybe start something new - OH YES...A Real Snow Job - HAED

Reading
7. finish Dead over Heels - 5th of Aurora Teagarden mysteries by Charlaine Harris - done
8. order and finish or at least start A Fool and his Honey - 6th of Aurora Teagarden mysteries by Charlaine Harris - no it wasn't on the shelf in my local bookstore. I will wait till I see it somewhere.
9. read the 1st book of the demon hunting soccer mom series Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
10. startet Charlaine Harris Lili Bard series:
finished the 1st: Shakespeare's Landlord
half way through Shakespeare's Champion
11. startet Dead Sea by Brian Keene

November Goals

1. start and finish my house on Karens Hello Neighbor RR.

2. finish my exchange piece for the Christmas exchange in my German yahoo group and mail it off.

3. finish Take Time To Quilt - Spring by Jeannette Douglas

4. put some stitches into HAED - A Real Snow Job

5. put a few stitches into an older WIP

6. and maybe stitch a Christmas ornament for me ;)

Reading

7. finish Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris and try to find the 3rd book Shakespeare's Christmas in a bookstore.

8. finish Dead Sea by Brian Keene

9. start whatever gets into my sticky fingers ;)

2008-10-31T23:37:00.003-05:00

Just in time on Helloween I finished stitching my Helloween piece. It was actually fun stitching Helloween night on this piece. Some kind of scary ;)

There was an old Woman

by Prairie Moon

startet mid of Sept.

finished Oct 31/08

stitched with DMC, WDW and GAST

My little witch felt very bad after daycare she even fell asleep in the car on the way home...so the poor little thing went for trick or treating just to two houses in the neighbourhood before she wanted to go home.

Karen's Hello Neighbor RR finally reached me

2008-10-26T16:52:00.005-05:00

On friday I got Karen's Hello Neighbor RR in the mail. This is the last one to stitch on. On one hand it makes me sad that this is now the end but on the other hand it's getting harder to find the "right" house in my stash.

Today we cut faces into our pumpkins and tonight we will have a yummieh pumpkin soup. I got the recipe for the soup we had Thanksgiving when Nico and Birgit invited us.

2008-10-25T07:29:00.007-05:00

No stitching but a lot of reading in the past few days.

I finished Dead Over Heels that was listed on my October goals list. But I still haven't bought the next book in the series...

So I started Carpe Demon. It was a quick and super fun read. The next one of this series is already waiting on my nightstand.

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But it has to wait a little bit longer :) When the next in the Aurora Teagarden series was not in stock in our local bookshop I picked the first of the next series by Charlaine Harris. Lili Bard in Shakespeare's Landlord. And I am not disappointed. It is really good.