SBQ again! :)

Oh I am so happy Lee revived the Stitching Bloggers Question again - and can't wait to read what other people have to say about it! Without much further ado, here's this month's question:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes them happiest.

Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.

If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other parts of your life.

I am definitely a Process stitcher - funny though, I used to be very dedicated to completing projects, but now I don't see it that way anymore. I stitch because that's my meditation and a way for me to do something OTHER THAN watching tv and feeling like my evenings are useless. At least I can look at a project and see that something was done that day! Of course, with my studies and all, I hardly ever get anything stitched either, but at least I know why I do it - and that it's not for a specific purpose with a deadline! I usually procrastinate a LOT when I get to the last few stitches, just because I don't want the project to end...

A new year and a new house

A belated Happy New Year! is in order, and an update on life, stitching and everything!
As for life and everything, the house is coming along. I've been inside, the heat is on, but there's no electric wiring done so not much to see so far. On the outside, we are still waiting on the roof tiles to be laid out, but according to the builders that will probably be started tomorrow. I have a pic, from the garden side, from before Christmas Eve - so imagine about 30 cms more snow everywhere and you've got a good picture of what it looks like. There's no ugly blue plastic either now...


Ah yes, snow - it's been snowing since the day they lifted the house onto the ground, it's been freezing cold (-18 deg C) and it seems the street workers here have taken the year off, because the road is at least 5 cms higher up than usual with several dents to make driving in our community very much like going on a kidney-shaker amusement park. At least we get a real-life test of the suspension on the car!

Christmas was good, nice and relaxed. I took H with me to Norway for a couple of days, where we got to spend time with my entire immediate family there - my sis, her sons, my brother and his kids, and of course my parents. It was great being there, but as all fab holidays, it was great coming back home again as well - and with lots of pics to scrap :)

It was not so great coming back to reality and school again, but there you have it. Life has it's ups and downs, or there wouldn't be so many of us around. School kinda sucks right now - I've got no motivation whatsoever, the course is so hard neither of us know which foot to stand on, and I've got an exam coming up again. One of my classmates kids told her they wanted her to stop studying, because she's never available for anything, always buried in her schoolwork... I've got a feeling the same goes for my family, but they haven't actually said it in so many words.

As for stitching, I've started on LHN's Needle Necessities (Jan 1st, actually) and decided I'll let Santa sleep for a while. He just doesn't call to me right now - he might call again in a month or so, but for now he'll be a UFO.

I have to get back to the books again - but I've made myself the promise I'll stop doing things "later" so we'll see when I post again. It's actually a lot easier to come clean and say that I won't be doing stuff, instead of saying I'll do it later. Later has a tendency to never arrive in my house....

Lots of love!

Crafty comeback!

Woohoo! My crafty mojo is definitely back - I have a hard time finding enough hours for all the stuff I want to make right now... Mostly, it has to do with Barbies and fulfilling little H's wishes, but I'm also xs'ing into the dark hours of the night.

I've even got my new camera now, so I can show you some of what I've been up to! First off, my Barbie (from now on called Emma, just so there will be no confusion as to whose dolls I'm creating for here - no need to pretend) in her brand new outfit. A girl's got to have a nice formfitting cotton dress now in the summer for sightseeing and such, and of course a new handbag is necessary as well.


Credits: Background - my own pond in the garden, an hour ago. Dress pattern: from Barbiebasics (Lynne Sears) Handbag pattern: Entirely my own, just crochet in the round or something, and play around until you get the right shape (or comment here, if you want to know specifics) and make a chain of stitches so the doll in question can hang the finished handbag over her shoulder.

Other than that - I discovered the Twilight saga, that's why I've been away for so long now. I just HAD to see what all the fuzz was all about, read the first one and very soon realized I had to know what happened next - so of course I took myself down to the bookshop and bought the rest of them (in English, of course). I think the last one took me two days, the others a day each (ah the joys of being on holiday when the kid's in school). I had no idea you were "allowed" to write words like hadn't've - I was always told to only use one short form at the time... The times they are a'changing, aren't they.

My L&L Santa is coming along, but so far I only have a sleeve to show, so I don't. I will post pics when it's actually possible to see more than red, though. :)

I've got myself a summer job! Yay! At least we won't go bancrupt _this_ summer - I don't know about the next, I'll probably have to go to Norway and work a little (it's better paid) to afford some kind of a holiday next summer. I will be doing days for two weeks, and then I'll be working the night shift for three weeks after that. And then it's back to school again... I try to prepare for the autumn term by reading about viruses and bacteria, but I keep falling asleep... Any ideas how to stay awake? I won't be taking *that* book for the night shifts, that's for sure!

Oh my what a long post this turned out to be! And I haven't even told you about all the cardboard boxes everywhere - we're moving in 2 weeks! Yikes! - or that we've chosen the wallpapers for the house we're building! Ah well, that will be an other blog post. Gotta save some for a rainy day! :)

Lots of love,

This year's finals

are OVER!!! Yippee!!! I'm so happy, now I'm having a summer vacation - at least for a couple of weeks, then I get to practice a little in care of the elderly in my NEW home town :) I've got about 10 night shifts, and an unknown number of day shifts in the home care - it's not a huge income, but I think it will be enough - I need my summer holiday as well, to craft, move and muster up some energy for next school year.

Today I sang with the church choir for the last time, too. I kept thinking that this was it, and then had to remind myself that I have 4 more solo performances with my choir leader Ruben until we move. Actually, the two last performances will be when we HAVE moved, and the very last one is the day we sign the release forms on the house... Ruben had bought everyone a small "thank you for this year"-gifts - the little 'uns got small silver heart pendants, the bigger ones got bigger silver crosses (kinda celtic) - and I got a short speech before he presented me with a beautiful gold heart and chain. I'm wearing it now - and I will certainly remember my choir every time I see it. Not that I would forget them without it, but you know what I mean.

Stitching wise I have nothing to show - not that I haven't done any stitching, but my camera is acting up on me, and I've ordered a new one. I've completed the Just Nan Sizzle (both the "over the top" and the "in the tin" parts), and yesterday I started on something I've wanted to stitch for SOOOOO long now - the Lavender & Lace "The spirit of Christmas" (The pic is borrowed from Marilyn's garden, a yahoo group - I hope mine will look as good as this when it's all done and framed.)


Other than that - I've tried AGAIN to buy myself a Barbie to model for me, and this time I specifically said to little H that she is ALL MINE - it seems to be working ;) I've started cutting fabric for a white dress from the pattern of the fabulous molendrix (at least that's what it says on the pattern), which I hope to have completed this week. After all, that's what glorious sunshine and spare time is supposed to be spent doing, isn't it?

Faster = auntie

I'm going to be an "auntie"! And this time, not by my own siblings, but by S' sister's oldest daughter (yeah, hm, that got kind of difficult)! Anyway, I'm soooo searching the ONS' for nice birth samplers, even though they baby's not due until August sometime (no, they haven't been to a US yet). Good ideas are very welcome; I made a search on Sew and So - 356 results... And I have quite a few magazines as well with patterns, but do you think that's enough? NOOOO - it has to be PERFECT!!!

Sidenote: why do all the girlie patterns get to be all cute, and the boy patterns are all "sailor, bugs and rough"? I might be biased here, as I've just held a lecture on health related to culture and gender in school, together with my group... I think I'll have to go with something none-gender specific, like Tatty Teddy, Humphrey's Corner or Newton's law...

Yay! I get to stitch cute and not have it live in my house! :)

Stashy goodness post

Oh my Gosh! I received a fantabolous package from my dear friend Angela in the US with all sorts of S.E.X. ...

OK, just so you know, this wasn't a complete surprise, as I've actually told her to buy this stuff, but I still wasn't quite prepared for how much it was...

Pictures galore!


Yup, it's one Just Nan "Over the Top - Sizzle" Tin (I already have the "In the Tin" kit), the latest JCS ornament issue and a grand total of 144 skeins of DMC floss... I think I just might have a complete set of DMC floss now :D That's the idea anyway!

I got so giddy from fondling the floss I've totally forgotten about studying for my exam tomorrow... Well, as some say, that will work out the way God want it to...

WIL-week

Time flies! I guess the school-thing is taking a lot more pondering than I thought - my head is sore...

This week I'll be on WIL - "work-integrated learning" on a local health care center. Well, it's not that local, I have to drive half an hour north of here to get there, but compared to most of my student colleagues I've got a really close one. Some of them have to travel for over an hour to get to their WIL... I'll be studying how the nurses (and other medical staff) greet the patients, what kind of language they use, how they explain things, what they do and how and so on - basic communication. It will be interesting to see the hcc from the other point of view, usually I go there because H is sick or something...
I've even got a badge with my name on it! :D It says "student nurse from x school" and is to be worn at all times so people know who I am and why. *Gee, I didn't know that was why medical staff always wear name badges...* o_O

I've actually got a bit of stitching done - I started the 12 houses sampler from The Drawn Thread when we were in Dalarna, but put it away when I 'suddenly' discovered that I had signed for two exchanges that needed prioritizing ;) Now when I've finished those two, I've started my sampler again. It's working up quite fast, although there are some speciality stitches - it's a lot easier when you can say "today I finished two houses and a tree".

Picture time!
Yup, this is the 12 days sampler - I've actually finished three trees, one house and two rooftops since this pic was taken :)







And then the initial scissor fob exchange over EMS - I got Jeanie from Singapore, so this little one had to go halfway across the globe to find her home! H helped me choose the blue beads on the edge ;)

I've got another exchange item to post as well, but I'll wait until I've heard from Lynne in Scotland that it's arrived. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

Dancing !

I finally have a finish to show - I've been thinking about Periphaeria Designs, and finally I decided what to do. A needle book and a scissor fob from "Protection" to match my new, purple scissors.



So, happy dancing!

As promised!

Pics coming here - now that I've gotten online at my dad's network and the pics have been loaded to the pc :)

Other than that, life's good - Hannah has found the sink in my parents' bathroom and all the bath toys, so she'll be busy for at least 15 more minutes. Which in turn gives me the time to post!

First, the stitching is done on my stitchers wallet (as charted at swappons):

I still have to figure out how the layout of the "inside" should be, so a new pic will follow when it has been finished.

Next, my sister's "bourse" with the heart stitcher from A mon ami Pierre:
Inside:
and a somewhat not clear pic of the outside:


And last, my newest nephew's toilet bag:

I think Christian is actually the prettiest baby I've seen - even counting my own "baby" H. I would've posted a pic of him if it weren't for the fact that his parents don't want him "online" just yet. You'll have to take my word for it!

TGIF!

Life is looking a little better today!
First of all - it's friday!
Second - we made a new training program yesterday, with new exercises that will certainly be tough... I think it will be fun, though!
Third - I got chocolate hearts from hubby yesterday; a little chocolate always lifts the spirits! And then he told me I looked good - talking about being starved for compliments, when that little remark made my day sooooo much better...

I hope everyone had a good day yesterday?

On the stitching side I've almost completed the stitching on the Be Glad stitching pouch - the flowery border thing is all that is left, and then some finishing. I think I'll do some alternative thinking there, some cardboard "inside" the pages to stiffen them (kind of like a ornament) and pockets for scissors, bobbins and needlebook. Not sure what to do with the last page though (there are four)? We'll see, first I have to complete the stitching!

And you just have to love this:

Startitis and WIP-list

I'm experiencing severe startitis at the moment - can't seem to settle on any one project these days... So here's my list, to try and organize my head!


WIPs:
1. Caro's stitch SAL (http://tites-croix-de-caro.over-blog.com/) - trying to find a suitable swedish or norwegian quote in stead of the french one, so it's currently not being stitched

2. Angela's little something - needs finishing somehow. I made a huge boo-boo when I began the finishing, so I ended up with practically NO seam allowance. Pondering on how to fix that - or I'll just start over with more seam allowance.

3. BeGlad stitching pouch (http://swappons.oldiblog.com/) for myself, started 21st of January 2008. I want it to end up kind of like this:
I've started it on white 16-count Aida with 498 for the borders, but haven't decided on more colors yet. Will see when I get there...


To be started:
VIP: My sister's christmas table cloth. I've actually marked out the center and made a couple of starting stitches, but it's a HUGE prickly linen fabric so I have doubts about taking it into the living room, where I usually stitch. Any ideas? I haven't made any promises about when it should be finished, but I was kind of hoping she could use it next christmas. I've only had it for a year...

A birth sampler for my brother's new baby. It's due 23rd of February, so the date is rapidly closing in... Still haven't decided what to stitch, though... An EMS animal baby?

A bourse for my sister; she saw my mum's bourse
and very quickly decided she wanted one too. It would've been a quick fix if I wasn't always striving to improve on stuff - I'm thinking of making a channel for the ribbons, so you can lay it completely flat and still get the best "fold-up" where nothing slips under the ribbons.
And that's why I've been completely hung up on fabrics lately - I've been shopping half a metre of this and half a metre of that for two months now, so my fabric stash is huge now compared to last January... But I actually think I found the perfect fabric for my sis last wednesday, when I was in Gothenburg with work. (Got a couple of hours free time - spent shopping, of course!)


Edit: I got some help on the html-link stuff - I hope it's working as it should! (Thanks, Angela!)

Life got in the way again...

I promised you pics and left you hanging - here they are!

First, the SAL at Caro's place:


Second, the picture I made for my friend the computer geek:

This past weekend

Whew - the weekend is over! I love my parents and my nephew, but I'm not used to having that much NOISE around me! My nephew and H played really well together, despite the 5 year difference in age - they kicked some ball in the hallway (all doors closed makes a fab 4-meter stretch), beaded a bit, chased eachother... :) All was well and H loved her first birthday party! :)She got a beautiful red watch from her grandad, and it almost hasn't left her arm since. She keeps checking what time it is... She also got really nice presents from her auntie (my sis), my brother's kids, and a beautiful little porcelain figurine with a child saying the Lord's prayer from my brother; that one has to stand at her place at the dining table so she can admire it all the time...

Friday was a pain in the B... Snowing and raining, early start in the dark, so it was really hard on the eyes. Then a few more ok hours in the car, we went to the meeting like we were supposed to, and then head back - and the snowing started again. This time the snow was dry though, so the visibility was good. I made a stop at IKEA to buy some shelves for my "crafties" and a very nice man helped me load the (surprisingly heavy) shelves in the car. TG for Estate cars and helpful strangers!
I started driving at 6 in the morning and got home at 7 in the evening, so it was a really long day. I was exhausted and fell asleep at 10 without as much as making a stitch...

My dad helped hubby put the book shelves together on saturday and took the old shelves apart and put it in their van. I think we made a really good deal - I got two bookshelves (Billy 80x194) and they got my old one (120x190). They needed it for stuff in their bedroom... Of course there were two screws missing from the IKEA doors, but IKEA is always very helpful when it comes to nuts and bolts - just give them a call and they'll put whatever is missing in an envelope and send it to you. :) So I now have excellent shelving for my stuff - I could even fit my sewing machine! I don't think I'll post any pics though, I need some boxes to put my fabrics in before it looks perfect behind the doors... But now at least I have doors I can close on my mess, and hubby is happy he doesn't have to see it! :)

On the stitching side of things I discovered a band sampler SAL over at http://tites-croix-de-caro.over-blog.com with great pics of all the stitches, so I had to start it yesterday. So far, I've finished the three first bands - I HAD to do something other than my secret stitching, although I should really get a move on that now... Xmas is closing faster than I thought, I have to finish H's advent calendar as well. At least now when I've got my new shelves, I know where the hangers for her calendar are! ;)

Pics will come when the timing is right... Until then, happy stitching!

Secrets...

I don't have much to post now, as I'm working on a secret project for someone who occasionally reads this blog. But I promise to show pics once the project is completed and delivered! :)

I've been really lazy with the SBQ's lately as well; I will try to do better from now on!

I'm going to meet one of our biggest customers on Friday; first we were planning on taking the train there, and then it turned out I wouldn't be back here until 8 in the evening, so now I'm planning to take the company car there and back. It's a four hour drive each way, so it will be a long day no matter how I try to twist my tail... My parents are coming this weekend to celebrate little H's 4th birthday (the 27th), so the big question is wether they'll be here on Friday or Saturday? Will I be home when they get here? How many cars can we fit on our driveway? One in the garage, one outside - can we squeeze in two cars outside, or should I take the company car back to work asap on saturday morning? Questions, questions... I'll let you know the answers to all of this when it is all over! :)

Picture time!

I finally got my camera out - I even found the USB-cable so I could transfer the pics from the camera to my computer! :)

So, without much further ado, here are the pics of my little cartonnage-project. It was great fun, lots of fiddly bits (my favourites!) and a small mistake in the final stage, but hey, who cares - I think it looks great and so does little H too! I've already had to promise her I'd make her one as well, now I just have to find something to stitch for the lid!


A close-up of the lid:


and what does the insides look like? No need to keep you wondering, here's a pic with my laces in it:


If you're wondering about the specifics, all sides are 10x10 cms - my cutting mat has grids every 5 cms so that was very practical! ;) I used normal white kiddy craft glue - worked very well with a brush to get an even layer of glue on the surfaces, plus it dries clear. I'm not counting on this to last forever, so I wasn't too concerned with acidity and such - I'm a lot more picky when it comes to framing my xs pictures!
The chart for the lid is an extract from a freebie from Anne les petites croix called 9 carrés.

That's all for now, folks - please come join me again some time mid next week! :)

Life as DINK

So, H got better - after, of course, first having been worse... She had the most horrible cough on friday afternoon, so we went to the doctor's and got some strong cough medicine and the advice to go to the ER if it got worse, so she could breathe in adrenaline to open up the airways. Thankfully, we didn't need to do that, as the cough medicine worked quite well - she didn't wake up coughing more than four or five times that night... Now she's got a "normal" cough, still on the medicines but it's not scary anymore. She's stopped crying because she's coughing now!
We sent her on autumn leave to her grannie so we could go to work (end of the month and all) - but of course her gran doesn't know that, she thinks it's just because H wanted to come visit... ;)

We had a "grown up" evening yesterday - kind of reminded me of how life was before H came into our lives, not a care in the world and no after-work stress... Life is pretty hectic when you work full-time and have a child in daycare to pick up in the afternoon and cook dinner for before bedtime! I wouldn't change it for the world, but two days as a DINK household really makes you think about the priorities you make! I look forward to next autumn, when I'm in school and hopefully will have more time for H and life in general...

Talking about life in general, I spent last night doing some cartonnage (see Faby's blog for examples) - I'm making a basic square box with a stitched lid and fabric covered sides to keep my laces and ribbons in. It was great fun, until this morning when I discovered I had glued the stitched part of the lid on the wrong way, so the design makes it look like you open the box "sideways", like a book, instead of the usual way. Other than that it looks good, so I don't think I'll bother ripping it off and glueing again... I have to think about that some while crafting the bottom of the box this evening! Pic (hopefully) tomorrow!

I think I listened to too much music while crafting, I'm not used to having noise in the house after 1900 hours... I get easily distracted!

Found it!

So, now's the time for pics! Lots of Happy Dances here today... :D
First off, the HP bookmark and the thimble pod, not the best pic, it's just to give you an idea:


And then there's my L&L angel - I think she looks fab! The beading was a bit tricky, but yet not too difficult, even for a beginner like me. :) I wouldn't tell anyone to not stitch it just because of the beading, even if you're all new to xs - Marilyn makes really good patterns, not too hard to read. She hasn't been ironed or washed yet, if you look closely and see her wrinkles ;)


I also stitched up a small square from Sheepish Designs called Baby alphabet - it just took me two evenings, and I used a beautiful handdyed floss from Annicka Brial called Aurora borealis. I think it turned out really nice!


I still don't know what to do with all this stuff, but I guess I will find a use for it some day soon - christmas is coming, isn't it?

Can't find...

..my camera! It's just gone, and I can't find hubby's camera either, so no pics today...

I've got loads to show you now; my L&L angel is almost finished - just the halo and the backstitching around the face and hands left. I've made myself a Harry Potter bookmark, using the patterns from www.tanyameehandesigns.com (Halloween gameboard SAL) with a few modifications, and I've also tried my hand on making a "thimble pod".

And there is one other thing as well: I've cut off my long, wavy hair! The hair was just reaching below my shoulder blades, and then I got tired of it. So now I'm sporting a kind of jaw-length bob with lots of waves (natural, of course) and my daughter H asked me yesterday when I picked her up: "Who are you? Are you my mum or what?" She's a cutie! :)
I love it, I suddenly feel not a day older than 32 :p
I'll see if I can find my camera, if I can get someone to take a pic.

Moving pics to Flickr and a happy dance

I got this e-mail saying they were shutting down Yahoo! Photos, so I decided to move my account to Flickr not really knowing what I was doing... Being a computer novice, I just did as the system told me - and I must say, they have great people working behind the scenes... The move went without a hitch, and so far it looks very promising when you look at the user-friendliness of it all. I'll be posting more stuff over there now, at least my stitchy stuff!

I promised you happy dances, and here is - well, a rather old dance actually - of my mp3-case. I followed a tute on craftster.org and stitched on 14ct plastic canvas. Unfortunately I cut the wrong end when I tried to make the pieces match better together, so the fit isn't great around the on/off button, but it works. I have to have a long finger nail to push down the button, but since my nails are always long anyway it's not an issue. Hope you like it! :)
Front flap:
Front inside:
and finally, the back (a freebie pattern from dragondreams):

It's show and tell time!

I thought I'd show you my latest happy dance! I got my kreinik's and beads from my "mummy" in the US (thank you, Angela aka. Patternnuts! :) ) and could finally finish my L&L freebie angel! This is what she looks like now, not finished as anything yet - I think I'll frame her and hang her on the wall for christmas!

And then I couldn't resist showing you how the christmas stocking for Hannah is doing; I'm slowly but surely moving along... I don't know how this would've looked if I hadn't received the roller frame from my "stepmum" Tracy aka iagal - I still owe you a big thank you! :)