It has been a while.... :-)

Well, after almost three weeks of silence here at Nirvana, I'd better roll up my sleeves and start typing!  Part of the reason is that I really haven't been stitching all that much lately - I have discovered a new hobby; napping!  LOL  I should feel a little bit ashamed of myself - the photos have been loaded and ready to go for about two weeks now...  Well, here we go!

As you may remember, my parents were here for 10 days earlier this month, so I didn't get a whole lot stitched then as you can imagine.  We did get out on adventures pretty much every day - Andy was working nights all the week through, which complicated things a bit (don't even get me started on his crazy schedule - sigh!  I just about had it!!!!).

I did work a tiny bit on the new Prim Sisters kit, which turned out to be much sweeter than I thought initially.  A quick stitch, so I got a bit done while my parents were here and it was really fast to finish up after they left for Sweden.

I did some smaller changes to the back by adding my initials and the year (+ accidentally picking the wrong colors for the heart...) and I have decided to finish this piece into a zippered pocket instead of the gigantic needle-book that it is intended to be.  This time, the kit included a bit more fabric to do the finishing work with, so that gives me all kinds of freedom - yay!

So far, this has been a great club and I am looking forward to the next set.

Last weekend (I think - time flies), I was participating with a booth at the Founders Craft Fair here in town.  Since my camera batteries were dead, there are no photos to show from this year, but if you'd like to get an idea about how things look, it was very similar to last year's event.  We did have a slight lesser number of booths indoors this year, but it did feel like a lot more people came by.

The two main-questions I got this year were different versions of "Oh, you are doing needle point?"  (how come that everyone is familiar with needle-point, but not cross-stitch, I wonder?) and "How much are they?".  I had to explain quite a few times why the items in the display were not for sale and people seemed to be genuinely surprised (you know the blurb about stitching time and material costs, yada-yada).  It is funny; nowadays so many of us assume that everything is for sale; in this industrial era we don't ever stop to think about how much time it actually takes to make things by hand.  It also seems that many of us think that  the ultimate goal is to make a profit out of what we do, not to find joy in developing a skill and and the feeling of peace of mind.

Well, while interacting sporadically with people (it was still far from being packed), I did get time to work on two Patrick's Woods pieces.  The first one was the little Hare Lines kit that is a small note-book accessory to go with the Hare Pyns set.  The only thing I really had left to do was the border, which was a little bit tricky, and the initials but I did finally get it done and I do like the way it turned out.

I did also start on this sweet little mattress-style pin-cushion, which I am looking forward to doing the finishing work on.  Sherri printed the vintage violet girl on some muslin type fabric and created a lovely design in purples (tent-stitch over one, so not too bad).  I finished the stitching in the evening and now it is lying on the ever growing finishing pile at home.  The purple felt will be cut out into a double heart shape and used for a little needle holder.

Note the pretty wooden cutting board below.  Andy and I picked that up at Shaker Village when we were there with my parents.  I'll show you the photos from that excursion in my next post.

I did also pick up this sweet little picture at Shaker Village - Oh, how I wish that I would have bought many, many more to share!  Note the text written in cross-stitches - just adorable!  It will probably get framed and hung somewhere in the house one of these days.

Other than that, not much to report right now.  I have gotten a few shipments of stash lately, which has been fun.  The Halloween Fob in the picture below was an E-bay find and the charts were a draw of luck (or rather, a draw of suspicion or "covering my a$$") a few weeks back.
Remember when Guilia Punto Antichi came out with the adorable Shabby Chic Pendant earlier this year?  Well, suspicious as I am, I read through countless kit descriptions at several needlework stores on-line, but I could not find anything that clearly informed me what the kit really included.
My feel was that if the button did not come with the kit, it was a waste of a pretty good deal of money.  And you know the deal about exchanging patterns - not gonna' happen!  I even made a few phone calls to various stores to be sure, but none could give me a straight yes or no (that should have been my first clue, LOL).
Well, I finally placed the order with Stitching Bits & Bobs but sent Bobbi an e-mail where I stated that, unless the button came with the kit, I was not interested.
Lo and behold, a couple of weeks later, the "kit" showed up in my mail box and it was nothing but a chart pack - for $16!  I mean - wow, that is a bit hefty in my humble opinion!!!  Luckily, when I called Bobbi and pointed out that I had sent her the e-mail (which she admitted to not have read), she exchanged the chart for a store credit so I got the three charts below instead!  Not bad at all...  Two of them I have been wanting for a while, so that was like Xmas!

The EMS sampler is coming along all right.  This is not the latest update I have, but it took longer to stitch this time.  I did struggle with the mushroom motif which I had already decided to switch for something else - the question was what!?  I will show you how that turned out next time, but I have to say that I am pretty pleased. I am anxiously awaiting part 6 - only a couple of days more!

And finally, this is a new sampler that I just started stitching for someone very special!  This secret person does not read my blog so I will be able to share the progress with you.  This is another kit from my favorite design house, Haandarbejdets Fremme in Denmark.  This piece is also a bit further along, but I'll have to share that progress with you next time as well.  

This sampler is only stitched with five colors and as you can see from the photos below, it is stitched in Assisi style, which is one of my favorite styles.  Close-up here:

And this will be the size of the sampler, once finished.  I am having so much fun stitching on this one!  I really like the quality of the Fremme's designs and kits!  (That may be the reason why I have a drawer packed full of Fremme kits at home.... )

Well, time to get back to the robot here in the lab.
Have a great week and wishes of many hours of Happy Stitching!  (I owe most of you a visit, so that is on the top of the to-do list now, even before napping!)

One more day til' vacation starts - woop, woop!

Happy Friday all!

This is a quick drive-by post - the parents are on their way in (less than 24 hrs - yay!) and I really should be cleaning my house instead of getting stuck in the net...
Anyway, I figure that I will be out of touch for the next 10 days while my parents are visiting, so here is a quick Hi and Hello!

Speaking about cleaning, instead of focusing on what I really need to get done, I had bunches of fun with the second Rosenstand bell-pull.  It is completed and I love them together - below a photo before it hit the ironing board.  The piece on the right was stitched back on 2010 - I have done worse than a 2 year gap between companion pieces in the past, I kid you not~!

Here below they are hanging in a door-way so that you can get a better feel for how tall they really are.  I am looking forward to hanging these babies in the house, but not so much to the hours of hem-stitching...

 Here are a few close-ups, just for fun.  The birds were a real joy to stitch!  They look so content and relaxed, don't you think?

I did also manage to start on the fourth segment of the EMS SAL 2012 sampler.  I haven't gotten very far yet, but I am taking my time with this section, since I am contemplating some possible changes.  It'll be interesting to figure things out, I am sure...

I am not sure about the small flower swag thingy at the bottom... they look a bit blah compared to the rest of the motifs.  DH comforted me by saying that it'll probably look better when all the other motifs are in place.  I am not positive that will help with making the relatively bland colors pop.  Oh well.  The berry branches are so sweet and I enjoy working on them.

After a longer dry-spell in the mail-box, I "accidentally" got in some stash this week.  First I got a package from Australia with a few stump-work kits from Jane Nicholas.  Stump-work is something I dream of making one day, but I don't think that day will be tomorrow...  LOL
Her designs are so, so, so pretty!  Well, since the parents are almost here, the bunnies had to move from the guest bed-room to the stitch room, so I can't dig anything out from there, no matter how much I want to show you.  Poor, poor bunnies... ;-) (And poor, poor bunnies' mommy... sniffle)

...so   ...  I'll show you the newly acquired stash on-line instead - I got the tiny Bumble Bee kit, the fun looking Scarab Beetle Pouch and the large & absolutely gorgeous Fritillary, Fennel and Scarab Beetle.  Splurge!!  LOL  I love the Snake's Head Frittilary, so this one was a must.

Today I got a couple of neat surprises, that have not been "locked in" yet.  First off, here is the second kit from the Prim Sister Club.  Maybe not quite as cute as the first kit IMO, but still a real sweet design.

Second, a few charts, charms and linen cuts from the Woolly Tyme Club from Homespun Elegance.  I have kicked myself for not signing up to participate at the time, but I wasn't really into prim yet... On the plus-side, the prices are significantly better now ...  So far, I have managed to scrape up 9 out of 12 months which isn't all that bad.  (Still missing November, October, and July.)   I am planning on making a bunny to display the blankets on, instead of the sheep that they were intended for.  Any thoughts?

Before getting back to the bathroom scrubbing, I just need to share a photo of a real snuggle-bunny with you.  Back when we got Princess, he was such an itty-bitty thing.  Bubba was really very mean to him, but he is kinda' like the nice dog in UP! - he just did not get that she didn't adore him!  Well, they did become really good buddies after a while, which is lucky for Bubba; Princess has grown to become twice Bubba's weight since.  He is now too large to fit in the largest size igloo that the pet-store carries.  That tiny ordeal does not stop him from visiting with Bubba, nope.  Here he is, with his head in the igloo, probably getting licked by Bubba, while the rest of him has to stay outside... like Alice after drinking form the wrong bottle...LOL  He is just too funny and still very, very sweet as you can see!

Well, back to the sponges and buckets with me!
Have a great Friday, an even better weekend and don't forget to stitch!  ;-)

Problems Focusing... hmmmm - what!?

Happy Weekend Everyone!  I am sitting here, huddled up in the basement together with the rest of the family (read "zoo").  I hope that all of you are all right and that you were not hit by the crazy weather this evening.  We were very lucky that it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, but we didn't take any chances.  I have worked for my current employer for 7 years now and this is the first time e-v-e-r that they have announced three (#3!) times over the PA system that we'd better get ourselves home before the storm hits.  They Mayor shut down town, so after 3 PM you pretty much had to be a fool to still be outside.
I rushed home, woke up DH and we brought down every single pet (17) and every single cage (8).  DH set up the TV-system so that we could follow what was hitting outside and we brought down food, water, and strapped down all the out-door furniture. 

Some of us (me!) did also bring down all the laundry (our washer and dryer are down here) - you gotta think ahead, right?   Others (still me) brought down about 10 WIPs to stitch on...  Yep, I do take the Apocalypse seriously... I won't be bored, that's for sure!  The predictions were dire; golf-ball sized hail, 80 mph winds, and the perfect parameters to match the storm of 1974 (not even kiddin', this is what was announced on each and every TV/radio station).  Two hours later, the sun came out and we could relax.  Thank goodness!  I hear that everyone was not so lucky and I really feel for them.

Other than that, the week was as usual.  Work has been fun,  even though I am still in a state of exhaustion when I get home.  I really need to look over my sleeping habits - they are poor!!!  Part of the problem is that I am back to really enjoying stitching.  I am currently suffering from the "just one stitch more" syndrome...  It has been a pretty productive week, but I keep straying of the WIPocalypse path...

Here is a little cutie that I just stitched up for myself.  I stitched another one for L-Bug a while back, but never got around to stitching up the second kit.  I love all of the designs from Les Brodeuses Parisiennes - they have the cutest designs, color combinations and finished  pieces to stitch on!  I am already using this baby - it is much roomier than it looks!

To decrease my level(s) of guilt, a portion of time was spent on the pre-stitching for the Blue Ribbon Box.  Class is next Saturday, so there is not a whole lot of room for procrastination.  I must admit that all the pieces stitched up surprisingly fast.  Part of the speed was thanks to the fact that most of the stitching over one is made with tent stitches.  I can not wait to get the beautiful box in my hands! 

 

I was toying with the idea of "cheating" and start finishing up what can be done before class, but I decided to "be reasonable" and stick to the pile of WIPs on hand.  I started assembling the Clamshell Etui smalls instead.  It would be fun to have that one slapped up and ready to come with me next Friday.  Well, I'll see... no promises.  :-)   I started with the easiest pieces, but I am not thrilled with the fiberfill I used.  It feels so "fake", if that makes sense?  I wish that I could find some of that lizzard sand that everyone keeps talking about.  5 pet-stores later and still not a lick of crushed walnut shells in sight.  Anyway, two more (much trickier) pieces to go before I can sit back and enjoy the finished project.  (For those of you who don't know, Sherri loves gussets... interesting pic on the Wikipedia link btw, I admit to doing a double-take on that.  LOL)

Then some well needed time was spent with the unfinished sampler clamp from Heart's Content.  Part of why I never got around to finish this pretty little thing was because I didn't like the construction and the border patterns was blah.  Inspired by the Blue Ribbon Box pieces, I decided to do a drawn thread border with a woven ribbon - I love it!  I ignored the finishing instructions and did my own thing, or I would still sit here, with a confused and unfocused stare on the directions. 

Here is the finished cushion part, with small blue glass-headed pins:

Voila!  Glued down and clamped to the table. When I proudly handed it to DH to show it off, his only comment was that it is not to be clamped down on any of our furniture.  Well, that order was placed a tad too late... LOL

What more could I accidentally start on that is not on any of my 2012 Stitch Lists?  Well, the first Prim Sisters kit arrived with the mail earlier this week.  I love it!  Needless to say, this one could not wait for next year to come around.  The stitching took a quick three evenings with a very comfortable over-two stitch on 30ct linen and it is adorable! 

The lining cottons are sooo pretty, but they are cut to a very frugal size, so I will have to come up with some clever way to adjust for my elongated finish (I decided to add my initials, so it is now taller than it should be).   I added the year too and I like the "curvy shape" of the stitched part - I will try to use that to my advantage when I get around to finish it up (in 2013...?).  I love the prim style - I stitched in a blatant error, but does it matter?  No, it's prim - it's not supposed to be perfect!!!  (I am sticking to that excuse, so there!  :-))

What else can I report?  Well, I have been running amok on Etsy lately.  I am in a MOP button phase, thanks to Giulia's Shabby Chic pendant (don't get me started on the fiasco with those non-existing kits, though...).  After some dangerous browsing, these beauties came home to live with me.  I adore the flower branch in the center.  The large button to the right used to have something glued to its top in an earlier life, but I like it just the way it is.  We are taking Sherri's Button Brag Book class next Sunday and I have a feeling that my book will be dedicated 100% to MOP buttons - I have been collecting them for years.  There is something about MOP - not only the soft sheen and the elegant color variations, but also that it is cool to the touch and tough and brittle at the same time.  So pretty!

 

Speaking of Etsy, I found another cool shop: BeadLady.   She is selling tons of pretty pewter beads.  Here are just a few examples of parrots, bunnies and berries, but she has plenty of other neat stuff like mermaids and ocean themed beads.   I was good and didn't buy any of them.  Yet.

 

 

Last weekend was fun - we celebrated Laskiainen in the Scandinavian Heritage Society.  I baked Semla, which Swedes in accordance with tradition only eat once a year, on Fat Tuesday (except that the bakeries start selling them weeks before the official date).   They are very easy to bake and there are plenty of recipes on the net.  Here they are in progress:

Simple buns have been baked and are ready for spa day

Cut off a "lid" and pull out the inside with a fork

Mix inside with almond paste and milk (Kroger carries almond paste)

Do a turkey and stuff mix back into bun

Top with whipping cream and "lid" - eat and think of home

Speaking of eating, here is my little Princess, eating and using the bathroom at the same time - and they say that men can't multitask - totally unfair!  Funny how something that should be gross is totally adorable as long as a bunny does it!

This is another Princess hobby - finding stuff that mom dropped and eat it.  Look how he has eaten the upper part of the bobbin.  And he was careful enough to make sure that it was the side where the floss number was written too.  As you can see, the floss has had better days as well - here it is, gnawed and slobbered on.  Princess also gave me a bundle of WDW that can not be used for anything anymore - what do you do with floss that has been cut (and slobbered) to about 6 inches?  Princess is teaching me to keep track of my stuff, that's for sure!

Well peeps, time to get to the stitching.  Looks like I am all alone tonight - everyone else has passed out here (except probably the mice - ugh).  That means that I'll get the bed and the entire upper level all to myself!  Bwahahahaaa....

BTW, how come that I can only see the dirt and the dust when I am in the process of uploading the pics to the WWW?  Apparently I am in blissful ignorance in real life.  Odd indeed...

Finally, I managed to track down a design that I have been chasing for years - feels great!  Just learning the manufacturer and the name of the design made my entire day!  Here it is; Country Life Calendar by Pako - isn't is a beauty!?

G'night and Happy Stitching Dreams,