Heaven and Earth Cross Stitch

2011-12-16T10:14:00.017+01:00

Hi there,

It's been a long time ago since I last wrote something on here. I just wasn't in the mood and I didn't have a lot of time.

I'm still stitching and have finished some projects, the airplane being the most important one.

My nephew was really thrilled when he got it!
I've made some more projects too. Here are some pictures:

This is a fridge magnet for my niece who loves to skate!

This is an apron I made for a colleague at work, for her birthday.

I made this bouquet of roses but I don't know what I am going to do with it yet. I loved to make it though!

This dragon is made using PCStitch and it's decorating a living room wall in my boyfriend's house.

A nice bookmark to use when I read.

Two more designs I made that decorate a wall in my boyfriend's house.

A Stitch 'n Hang Xmas Teddy Bear I started last year and finally finished just in time for the season.

And finally a non-stitchy item: father Xmas made with terracotta pots.

So you see, I am still busy. I just didn't feel like blogging.

I found out today the website that hosted my files (charts and keys) of my free cross stitch projects has closed down.
I wasn't aware of this and it's a nuisance really. I will have to look for a new host.
In the meantime, if you need anything just leave a message and I'll get back to you!

That's it for today. Enjoy.

2011-04-13T11:07:00.003+02:00

I will not write much for a little while.... my boyfriend's mother died yesterday.

2011-03-31T22:55:00.004+02:00

A year ago tomorrow....

2011-03-13T10:23:00.006+01:00

Never thought stitching would make me feel like
Speedy Gonzales...
But when I look at the progress I made in just 1 day...

Oh boy, am I fast when it comes to stitching! Don't you agree?

That's all for now folks. Talk to you later and enjoy your sunday!

2011-03-12T13:06:00.006+01:00

WIP - Hawker Hurricane

Just a short message today to show you how much I've managed to stitch on the plane I'm making for my nephew. I started stitching it on february 14th.
I've only been able to stitch 10 days in all as I've had loads of other stuff to do too.
My boyfriend has moved last weekend to a new house and I've helped him out. He's still rearranging his stuff at the moment and is coming over tonight to my place to stay for the rest of the weekend.
I went over to his new place on thursday and only came back yesterday evening.
At the moment I don't take any stitching stuff along when I go to his place, as there's still loads of other stuff that needs to be done first.

Yesterday we went to a furniture centre and we bought a nice brandnew bedroom!!!
This is a picture of it (we only bought the bed, the wardrobe and both the bedside tables.

Delivery will be only in 2 months time though.

Going to try and stitch a bit at the moment!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a nice and sunny weekend!

2011-02-22T16:45:00.027+01:00

The joy of straddled stitches!!!

The pictures of the diagrams used in this message are all property of Heritage Stitchcraft who gave me permission to use them.

Last week I started stitching a brand new project: The Hawker Hurricane I want to give as a present to my nephew.
I had installed myself on my couch with a nice cup of coffee on the side table and my cats purring away next to me.
I started winding bobbins, quite a lot actually, but that didn't put me off! I really, really had my mind set on that airplane!

So I started stitching as soon as I could and stitched 2 evenings...

... I had already noticed the chart wasn't the easiest one I had ever looked at, but as long as I concentrated I would surely be able to stitch it all flawless.
And then I noticed 3 symbols in 2 squares and I lost it! I noticed even more of these weird symbols and I lost it even more. Before going to bed I learned about the existence of straddled stitches and I lost it completely!!!
I am used to the English language when it comes to stitching but my brain got really foggy when I tried to understand about these stitches. I just couldn't understand how it worked.
I tried to get help from google but all I got was messages asking about how to make them stitches so I clearly wasn't alone in the fog.
I also tried to get help on 2 stitching forums but I got contradicting answers.
Someone pointed me out to this tutorial: Heritage Stitchcraft, but it was of no avail for me.
I had never imagined cross stitching to be stressfull, but it got to the point it made me so nervous my friend told me to put it aside for a bit as I was starting to go gaga!

I did mail to Heritage Stitchcraft however and got an answer from them. They were going to send me some diagrams as it was rather difficult to explain in words.
I was relieved I was going to get the proper answer but I was annoyed as that meant I had to wait for the postie to arrive with it.
I put everything aside and started stitching something rather easy whilst waiting for the postman.

Yesterday evening I got home from work and I discovered a nice parcel in my mailbox.
In it I found great diagrams that depict very clearly how to go about making these straddled stitches.

One of these diagrams, the most important one, I put at the top of this message.
I took pictures of the other diagrams and I am encolsing them here as I think they can be usefull, not only to me but to other stitches as well!
Everybody knows how to make a full cross stitch, but still...

This is what horizontal half stitches look like.
Good to know because I thought if I had 2 symbols in 1 square it meant I had to blend threads.... I was wrong!!!

You can also encounter vertical half stitches...

... and what about diagonal half stitches...

Needless to say all these stitches are meant for Heritage Stitchcraft kits and charts. I'm not 100% sure they also apply for other brands.
Also need to point out these stitches are best made when using evenweave and working over 2 threads! I wouldn't want to stitch straddled stitches on 14 count aida! I think I'd give up after the first try!

Anyways, I do hope you all understand the art of straddled stitches by now.
I for one am over the moon! Not only because I finally get it! But also because of the fantastic and quick help I got from Heritage Stitchcraft!
And I'm also very happy with the knowledge that stitchers all over the world still try to help one another! HEARTWARMING!!!!

This was a rather long message but I'm sure it will be usefull for a lot of stitchers.
I am going to finish the small blue rose I'm stitching at the moment and then I will tackle the Hawker Hurricane for once and for all!

Thanks for the visit, leave a message if you feel like it and stitch till you itch!!!

2011-02-21T20:02:00.004+01:00

Evening all!
I have loads to tell you but not enough time to write it down at the moment.
It concerns straddled stitches...
... they are rather hazardous for your health...
... but the problem got solved thanks to a great English company:
Heritage Stitchcraft!!!
I will get back on this subject when I have a bit more time, now I'd like to show you the tissue holder Marion made using my cats design:

Doesn't it look gorgeous?! Danke Schönn Marion!!!
Be sure to visit both her blogs, they are great!
Stickerin and her freebie blog

Can't stay for now, I'll be back soon!

No Government? Great Country! #ShameBE

2011-02-17T14:47:00.001+01:00

No Government? Great Country! #ShameBE

Need I say more????!!!!

2011-02-13T14:05:00.004+01:00

What I have been doing the last couple of days.... well, I thought I'd show you in a short slide show:

I picked up this WIP and have been stitching on it since the 28th of January. I'm halfway through but I don't know when it will be finished. I will have to put it aside soon as I ordered the materials I need for another project I want to make for my nephew, the Hawker Hurricane airplane.
I will keep you posted on this WIP and the airplane one too. And I will put up some more freebies too as we go along.

I've got to quit for now. I've got some housework chores to attend to (laundry... YUK!!!) and I feel like a little bit of stitching later on.
Have a nice day all!

2011-02-06T10:24:00.005+01:00

Cats - Cats - Cats - Cats - Cats - Cats
Some of you have been waiting long enough, so it's high time for this one!

This is based on the little kitty cat that's always welcoming you on my blog.
I've made it with the Dutch welcome equivalent as I've noticed I almost never see any cross stitching charts with Dutch words on.
I haven't had time to stitch it myself yet, so be sure to send me pictures if you do!

I've also made a chart with another Dutch expression saying "Hi" = "Hallo"

The charts can be found here:
The "Welkom" chart: CLICK
The "Hallo" chart: CLICK

I rather like these charts a lot and I'm sure I'll do more stuff with this little cat, I just don't know when though...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a nice weekend!

2011-01-29T10:57:00.007+01:00

I've managed to ruin a small project.
First time that happens to me.
Guess there's always a first for everything.
I was stitching a little kitten charm freebie. Don't ask me where I found it, I can't figure it out anymore. I tried but it's got some Japanese signs on and I can't read that so I haven't got a clue.
Anyways, I was stitching it.... front and backside...

I finished it...
... and I ruined it...

Guess that's what happens when you try out something new whilst having the flu!
I think I'm going to try and stitch it again, on plastic canvas this time, but not immediately.
Right now I dug up the half doll alphabet I started stitching last year and I finished another letter yesterday evening. This is what it looks like so far:

So I'm going to continue stitching that one. Starting the letter "H" today. Looking lots better than the kitten charm if you ask me!!!

Signing off for now, will be back soon!

2011-01-27T14:46:00.003+01:00

I've got a bit of the flu so I'm not going to be around much at the moment.
I just wanted to show you a picture of the nice valentine cube Marion made using my design. I'm so glad she sent me a mail, i's always nice to receive pictures of what you make with my little designs! THANKS!!!

Signing off for now. Can't really concentrate on anything.
Take care all!

2011-01-20T21:02:00.006+01:00

Some more Valentine material!
I know some of you are eagerly waiting to find a certain kind of cat design here and I hope I don't dissapoint them by putting up 2 more valentine designs instead. But, rest assured, my cat design will appear very soon!
But, as Valentine is near I decided to pamper you with some singing hearts! In a small grid version and a bigger one. It's up to you which you prefer and which you want to stitch. I personally like the big chart and I might stitch it, though I haven't got the foggiest idea when that would be... At the moment I'm stitching another freebie of mine to show you somewhere next month and after that's finished I have to start stitching this Hawker Hurricane as a present for my nephew who'll be 8 next month and who's just discovered WWII and it's airplanes.
Enough about cats and airplanes for now. It's time for some singing hearts!
This is what the charts look like:

The "big" version

The "small" version

The charts can be found here:
click for the big chart
click for the small chart

Yes, yes, yes, I know you want cats!
And I promise you, the next charts will be cats!!!
In the meantime, I hope you like my singing hearts and please send me pictures of your stitches! I'll be sure to put them up on my blog for everyone to drool at. Miaow Miaow for now and thanks for the visit!

2011-01-13T12:04:00.005+01:00

Want to stitch someting for Valentine maybe?
What about this cube key ring?
I've stitched it on plastic canvas and it's looking good!
It's rather simple to make, 6 sides, 6 letters: I LOVE U and a lot of hearts that's all there is to it and it says it all!

This is what the chart looks like:

How to make it?
Just click here

Hope you like it and if you stitch it, be sure to show me the results!

2011-01-11T16:41:00.002+01:00

Totally, utterly and completely fed up with it!
Yes, that's right. This had to become a biscornu but all the frogging I did to get this far isn't worth it anymore. Not only did I have to frog like a pro but I also managed to stitch my crosses in different directions.All in all the whole bleedin' thingy drove me nuts! So yesterday I decided to quit trying to make it and started a new one. The new one looks promising too and I'll tell you more about it later. Right now I don't have time as I've still got some household chores to attend to.... yuk!

2011-01-09T14:49:00.003+01:00

I told you I was going to finish it!
Looks wonderful, even if I say so myself!
Only problem is I'm not very creative when it comes to displaying it. The only things I do is put it in a frame or a hoop. I'd like to do something different with this design, like making a little round cushion, but I'm not too sure how to do it and I don't want to ruin it trying. I'd like to find on line tutorials showing pictures on how to do it, but I don't know what to google for.

If anyone reading this knows a good site, please let me know! You'd make a blogger very happy indeed! Thanks in advance!In the meantime I started stitching a biscornu. I'll tell you more about that next time but for now all I can say is that it makes my eyes squint and I've had to frog it more than once. Sounds promising doesn't it?!
Have a nice sunday wherever you are!

2011-01-07T18:07:00.002+01:00

My first WIP for 2011
Me who's not a fan of anything smaller than 14 count aïda managed to find a piece in my stash that was not only black but also something like 18 count.
I only realized the count when I was already stitching this design and even though it's rather difficult and strenuous for my eyes, I rather like the result so far and I'll finish it for sure!
This design is yet again a freebie from a French blog les grilles de liselotte. Scroll down on the main page untill you see "catégories" on the left side. Underneath that title you can find "griselottes" and when you click you will be able to find other similar designs. I'm currently making n° 7.
I might be able to finish it as the weekend started for me. I'll let you know next time when I'm around.
Enjoy and have a nice weekend too!

2010-12-31T13:39:00.008+01:00

These are the last 2 items I finished this year.
The African Mask Heart is a freebie which you can find chez mamigoz. You can find it in her category: Coeurs d'Amour (Hearts of Love). There are several freebies there and they all are really nice. Merci Mamigoz!!!

This nice Rose ornament is one I bought a whole while back and I just felt like making it. I'm going to give it as a present to my mother in law. She used to be a seamstress and she will like it I'm sure!

That's it for this year folks!
To be honest, I'm glad this year is almost over as it wasn't such a happy one.
I wish I could wish my mum a Happy New Year, but she isn't around anymore and it saddens me a lot. There's not a day that goes by without me thinking of her. And that will last untill the day I die.

But I still want to wish all of you a Happy New Year and I hope it will have loads of stitches in it as well as good health and lots of love!

2010-12-24T13:58:00.006+01:00

Need I say more?
Errr.... picture is a bit small it seems... click on it and you'll see more! Happy Christmas everybody!!!

2010-12-22T12:31:00.003+01:00

SEASON'S GREETINGS TO EVERYBODY
WHO STUMBLES UPON THIS BLOG!!!

2010-12-20T22:52:00.004+01:00

WOW... 2 entries in one evening!!! ... LOL
Just to show you my latest finish.
I think I started stitching it somewhere in March this year. I rediscovered it amongst my stash and felt like finishing it!
This is a freebie from http://sagarroia.over-blog.com/
Thank you! I enjoyed making it!
That's it for today folks! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!

2010-12-20T17:40:00.011+01:00

Guess who just walked into the building...
I haven't stitched a single stitch since my mother died earlier this year. It seems I just lost my stitching bug completely.

A week ago my next door neighbour from accross the street asked me if I wanted to help her out a bit.
As it's almost Christmas, her daughter had asked her to make some towels decorated with aïda band for her little girl.

I almost paniced when I heard my neighbour ask me for help... I didn't feel like stitching and even if I started I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it in time.
But I was willing to give it a try.
My neighbour helps me out to feed my cats when I'm away, so I couldn't see me say "no" in the first place.

She gave me all the supplies I needed and she had already made a grid with her granddaughter's name.
She had cross stitched the name on the first towel and I said I would take over and stitch the rest, 1 more towel and 2 face cloths.

Her granddaughter had wanted horses on the aïda bands too, but we just couldn't find any that were small enough to fit.
I have quite a number of books and leaflets and I was lucky enough to stumble upon some horseshoes that looked nice,that would fit and that my neighbour liked as well.

So I stitched and stitched and stitched and.... IT'S FINISHED!!! My neighbour stitched the bands on the towels and just came over to show me the results. Must say it looks swell and my neighbour is happy as well. You can see a picture I took, there's just one face cloth missing, she had forgotten to bring it along, but you see what it looks like!

And guess what.... all of this has made my stitching bug come alive again and I'm going to quit writing now because...

I WANT TO STITCH!!!
Take care and see you all later!!!

2010-04-09T12:23:00.004+02:00

For my mom who passed away suddenly on April 1st.
Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.

2010-03-26T10:16:00.002+01:00

WIP
Want to know the reason why I haven't posted much here lately? Take a look at the pictures below. Yes, that's right I'm stitching like mad when I have the time. I found this freebie for a half dollhouse alphabet and I really liked it so much I wanted to stitch it right away.
You can find this freebie here

As it's a rather large project, I've been busy measuring up the fabric and dividing it in pieces so I can stitch the 26 letters more easily.
I'm using 14 count vintage blue aïda and DMC thread number 931.

March 11th. 2010

March 11th. 2010

I've finished 6 letters so far and have much more to do so I'll be busy for quite some time.
I'll put up more pictures of this WIP and at the moment I won't put up new freebies as I really want to finish this project first.
I do like to design small charts but I do like to stitch too so I hope you'll understand I can't do both at the same time.

March 11th. 2010 - letter D

March 13th. 2010 - letter E

March 22nd. 2010 - letters F and G

March 25th. 2010 - letters A and B

I hope you enjoy watching this project evolve just like I like to watch it grow.

STITCH TILL YOU ITCH!!!

PS: It's my birthday today!!!

2010-03-16T10:59:00.005+01:00

Errrr.... there used to be a picture here but it's been deleted from photobucket and I don't remember what kind off picture it was....LOL
Sorry for this! But it's a good lesson for me to keep in mind to only put up pictures from my sites or computer instead of from somewhere on the internet!

This is a good picture to show you what I feel like today.

Last sunday my boyfriend and I got rid of my couches at home. So now I have to sit on camping chairs until next saturday when they deliver my new ones.
Cross stitching whilst sitting on those camping chairs is not really easy nor comfy so I'm not very happy when I'm home in the evenings.
What's more, the weather is getting better so I did go for a short ride on my trike yesterday evening. I only did 4 km's as I don't want to overdo it to begin with. I haven't used my bike at all last year and my physical condition is a big ZERO!!!
The result of all this is a bit similar to what the picture looks like.
I hope you are feeling better and have a nice day!

2010-03-10T22:00:00.006+01:00

Doily Time!
I can finally show you this doily I made a little while back.
I couldn't do this earlier as I sent it as a little surprise gift to somebody who knows about this blog.
I didn't want to spoil her surprise, so I had to wait before putting it on-line.
She has received it in the meantime and told me she really likes it a lot! I had a hunch she was going to like it and I'm very glad she did!!!
It's a little design I made one evening and the result is very pretty indeed. And, when stitched, it looks even better! I can brag can't I? *grin*
I hope you enjoy it too and maybe you will want to make it...
Don't ask me though where to get the doily itself, I did buy it but that was some 5 years ago and I really don't remember where it came from. Sorry.

This is what the chart looks like:

The link to the chart and key is right underneath:

click

Don't you agree it's really pretty?
As always, please send me pictures if you make this or/and you can always let me know what you think of it!

Enjoy!

2010-03-02T15:14:00.008+01:00

Doesn't this bunny look cute? Especially its tail, though the picture doesn't do it justice really.
I used Wisper thread from Rainbow Gallery to stitch it. It's a fine mohair yarn and it's great for a fluffy effect.
When you download the chart don't be taken aback by the backstitching you'll see. It's not correct. The only thing I did backstitch was the bunny. Everything else doesn't need it.
I used a nice flower button to attach it on a little rope which is made using a knitting dolly.
This little ornament looks cute, not only for Easter but it also makes me yearn for spring!

Colours getting brighter, sun starting to shine, and we are all starting to feel a bit cheerier after the gloomy winter.
Good grief, I'm almost starting to feel lyrical, feeling hoppy and all!

Anyways: this is what the chart looks like:

And underneath here you can find the link for the chart and the key.

I put it in a .pdf file using both colour blocks and symbols, so there shouldn't be a problem and everyone can print it, whatever kind of printer you use!
click

Enjoy! And please send pictures if you make this ornament!

CUL8R and be sure to stitch till you itch!

2010-02-22T22:55:00.008+01:00

If you like Easter Bunnies...

As my little cat ornament was so popular, I decided to try out a little bunny ornament for Easter.
And this is what it finally looks like when stitched:

As you can notice the eyes aren't stitched. I tried stitching them but they turned out rather gloomy. So I decided to glue on some plastic ones.
Must say this rabbit looks a bit scary still.... and when you move it, the eyes start turning giving it have a somewhat drunk expression...LOL
But, in a way, it makes this design completely unique and that's what I like! I hope you will too!

As of now I will put links on here for my charts and keys in colour and in black and white symbols as well.
Someone asked me for a symbol chart for the chicken mandala, so I made one and send it to her.
It reminded me not everybody has a colour printer, so I will give both links as of now.

So here goes for the coloured chart and key:
click in colours
And here's the black and white one:
click in B/W

Should someone want a symbol chart of any of my previous freebies, please ask by mail and I'll happily send it to you!

And, as always, if you stitch this bunny, send me pictures! I love to see your work!

Enjoy!

2010-02-21T11:27:00.010+01:00

Fasolada = Greek Bean Soup

What you need:

* 500 g white dried beans which you soak in water for at least 6 hours

* 2 celery stalks, chopped
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* a bit of garlic
* some oregano, some black pepper and some chopped parsley
* olive oil
* 1 tin of tomatoe cubes
* 3 vegetable stock cubes
* 2250 ml of water

How to make it:
Heat up the water and once it's boiling you put your stock cubes in, the beans and the carrots. Simmer these on medium-low heat for at least 1 hour.

Heat up the olive oil in another pan and add the onion, the garlic and celery. Bake these slowly.
Add the tomatoes and let it simmer for at least 10 more minutes.

Add these ingredients to the beans.

Add oregano, pepper (to taste) and parsley. Leave it all to simmer for at least one more hour or untill the beans are tender.
Serve with bread.
At this stage the batteries of my camera were empty. So I can't show you any more pictures but I'm sure you will be able to make this soup! It's so rich you can easily use it as a "stand alone" meal.
This is a picture I found on the net, showing you what it looks like when served:

Enjoy your meal!

2010-02-18T21:08:00.005+01:00

Easter Freebie Time!!!

I designed this chicken mandala somewhere in January and the idea was that I would first stitch it before putting the chart on-line.
Unfortunately I'm afraid I won't have enough time to stitch it before Easter.
And if I would find the time, it 'd be finished too late for any of you to stitch it on time!
So I decided to put this design up without a finished version to accompany it.
At least now you still will have time to stitch it before Easter is at our doorstep, if you like it, that is!
I'm sure I'm going to stitch it too, but I can't figure out when!
This design needs to be stitched on some dark 14 count aïda.
As you can see in the picture above, it has some white stitches around the eggs, the chickens and the flowers.
I haven't found a way to reproduce these white stitches on the .pfd file that shows the chart. So you will have to use both the picture and the chart to stitch it correctly.
Almost all the white stitches in the key of the .pdf chart don't have to be stitched! Just the ones as shown in the picture.
I hope it's not too difficult for you to see and stitch!
I have the file in PCStitch format, which shows it clearly on a dark background. If you would want it, you can mail me and I'll send it to you. Don't forget you will need to be able to read PCStitch files!

Here is the link for the chart and key:
click
I really am curious to know what you think of this design as it's a bit different to what I make usually. I rather like it a lot myself! And you?

Give me some feedback, I'd appreciate it a lot! And of course I'd love to see it stitched! Even if it's finished before mine!

Enjoy and thanks for the visit!

2010-02-15T06:57:00.002+01:00

Doesn't this look adorable???!!!

This is my latest finish. It's not really for Valentine, it's just a very big heart I wanted to make for my boyfriend and me.
As you can see our initials are in it as well as the date on which we first met.
We're still together and probably will still be together for a very, very long time to come!!!

I can't give you any charts for this design unfortunately.
I found the "mould" of the heart on this nice site:
Chez MamigozThe cherubs and the roses are designs copyright protected by PCStitch, the program I use to make my own designs with.

I just felt like bragging a bit tonight by showing this cute heart off!

TTFN!!!

2010-02-14T11:30:00.005+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Nope, there's nothing wrong with your eyesight!

If you take a look at what I wrote on February 2nd, you can understand how much I had to laugh when I opened the Valentine present I got from my boyfriend! Apparently we both bought the same present!!!

Aren't we the perfect couple??!!
TTFN!

2010-02-12T18:30:00.007+01:00

CAR TROUBLE...

I noticed this car on TV in a little documentary about the annual car fair, held in Brussels last January.
This car looks so ugly to me, it becomes lovely!!!
Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to a car dealer's not far from my home to have a closer look at this beast.
Like it said in an add I read somewhere, it looks like a bulldog with sunglasses on!
The salesman wasn't very convincing though, so we went out, with an offer but with a lot of question marks as well.

Next we went to another dealer to have a look at this car:
Just an ordinary car, nothing thrilling about it, but it might be more convenient for me...
The salesman made us an offer and that looked more promising than the first car, so we went out with a smile on our faces.
We were driving home but came accross a third dealer and we stopped.
There we found this:
No "woohoo" experience really, but the offer we got was very zingy indeed! And what's more, this car would certainly meet my requirements.
In fact, it's not a "car", it's a "van". And that's exactly what I need! Why? Because that would make my life easier!
I'd like to be able to make trips and take my recumbent trike along. I can put my trike in a car because it's pliable, but I don't like to do that and it still is difficult to get it inside.
With this van I'd be able to drag it in without any problems whatsoever and without being worried so stain seats and such.
So I think this is going to be what I am going to buy.... and maybe I'll put curtains in it with some cross stitched decorations on! LOL
As, if I buy this van, I'll buy it with windows all around it. I wanna know what I'm doing when parking it. LOL

And in case you're wondering what a recumbent trike looks like....
Leaving you now, my boyfriend has just arrived!!! And he took a present out of his weekend bag and put it on a cupboard. I can't see what it is 'till Sunday, it's wrapped but it reminds me of a bell I told you about....

2010-02-11T21:44:00.004+01:00

Biscornu Time Again!!!
I'm just a bit frustrated as the pictures of the finished biscornu are not that sharp. But you can still see what it looks like!

This is the picture of both charts:

It's twice the same design but with contrasting colours.

And here's the link for the chart:

click
That's it for today.
My mind isn't set on stitches at the moment.
I'm contemplating buying a new car. My boyfriend and I went to have a look at some this afternoon and my mind is buzzing with valves, dimensions, gearboxes and the like.

Hope you have fun with my biscornu!
CUL8R.

2010-02-09T23:27:00.016+01:00

Some more geometry
These are two ornaments I made somewhere last January.
I have been so busy with things and so many things happened since then, that I had no time to put the charts on here earlier on.
But these ornaments are timeless and can be made for whichever occasion.
Someone from the EMS forum explained how to work with beads and so that's what I did with both ornaments. I rather like the result!
This is what the charts look like:

Ornament I

and
Ornament II

And I guess you'll need the charts and keys if you want to stitch either one of them, so here they are:

Ornament Iclick

Ornament IIclick

I hope you like them and feel your fingers are itching to stitch! And, if you do, be sure to send pictures!

I stitched a geometric biscornu and Ort made it too, she also made a little scissor keep that matches perfectly! They are beautiful indeed!!! And thank you Ort for sharing this with me!!!

That's it for today! Thanks for the visit!

Stitch till you Itch!!!

2010-02-07T15:20:00.010+01:00

Do you like geometry?!
I know I didn't when I was in school! I got a bellyache when I saw the teacher drawing all those lines on the blackboard!
I'm perfectly happy my schooldays are over!

But likes and dislikes change over the years it seems, and now I like geometry.
I mean, I like it, when it's integrated in stitched designs, like biscornus for instance.

So I made one for you to stitch on 14 count white aïda.
Instead of a button I used a bead for the center.
Makes it look a bit more bling bling!
This is what the chart looks like:

And here's the link for the chart and key:
click
Enjoy and send pictures pleeeezzzze!!!!
TTFN!

2010-02-03T14:29:00.005+01:00

After the "bell" business it's time for some serious stitching again.
Though... come to think of it, this morning I said to myself: If this bell isn't doing what it's supposed to do (though it's not really necessary!), I'll take it back and ask the cashier for a refund...!!!
Anyway, it's time for a cube!
I found a cute one on this French site: Les chroniques de Frimousse
and I made it.

You can find the chart for this musical cube on her site. Go to the part where it says: "catégories", on the right side of her blog and click on the word: "dés", that's French for "cube".
I did make you a blank cube chart though, so it might be easy to use, just make up any designs you want, draw the cubes and start stitching!
This is the link for the blank cube:
click
Enjoy and send me pictures if you stitch it!!!!

2010-02-02T11:43:00.017+01:00

What a way to start a day!
It's a long story but a funny one and it happened to me today!

The little red bell.
A rather hilarious thing happened to me this morning.
I was in a supermarket and walked past a stand that displayed different gadgets and small gifts for Valentine.
As I like the colour red, my eyes hovered over this stand with a little more attention than usual.
And I saw something that made me grin.
A whole bunch of bells, fire red with the text “Ring for Sex” stamped on in black.

Some other customers were also having a look at the different gadgets so I didn’t feel like picking up this bell to have a closer look. It made me feel a bit too uneasy.
Instead I gazed at a display with valentine cards, took one out I liked and put it in my shopping trolley.

At long last the other people continued shopping and I was alone in the vicinity of these silly bells.
I took one out of the display, grinned some more and decided to buy it.
I gently put it in my trolley, I didn’t want it to make noise and attract attention.
I shoved it under some other items in the trolley as it felt so ridiculous to shop around with a sexy bell on top of my groceries.

After a while I had finished buying what I needed and went to the check-out.
As it was still early in the morning there weren’t too many customers queuing so I thought there wouldn’t be too many to come and stand behind me. What with that silly bell and all….

But I was wrong. I was still waiting and soon I saw 3 or 4 more customers standing behind me.

When there was room I started putting my groceries and other stuff on the conveyor-belt for the cashier.
Again I stuffed the bell gently, I really didn’t want it to ring, underneath some other items and waited for it to be my turn.
Finally the cashier started scanning my shopping and found the little fire red bell…..
“Oh”, she exclaimed, “it doesn’t have a label… I can’t scan it..."
Here we go, I thought to myself...
She took the phone off the hook and dialled a number.
To a shop assistant on the other end of the line she said she had an item she couldn’t scan…. She said, rather loudly and with a smile, it concerned a red bell with the text “ring for sex” written on it.

“Oh yes”, I thought, “why not just yell it over the intercom for all to hear???!!!”

The words were out though and the customers queuing behind me grinned a bit. One older woman burst out laughing with a face almost as red as that bell with no price tag on!
The shop assistant couldn’t help apparently as the cashier put down the receiver and started dialling another number…

“Great”, I thought, “soon the whole shop is going to know about my little red bell!”

This time the cashier got no help as the assistant she wanted to call was having a coffee break.
So there we were, the cashier with the red bell in her hands, me grinning stupidly, the woman laughing and the other customers in the queue sniggering like little kids.

“You’re doing this on purpose”, I said smilingly to the cashier. And she rang the bell!!!! She really did!

The laughing woman behind me almost lost it completely now and her husband just stood there looking like a big oaf.
Other customers queuing in other lines also began noticing the fun we were having.

I got to feeling a bit embarrassed and so as not to keep the others waiting until my bell issue was solved, I paid for the rest of my groceries and waited.

The cashier started scanning the items of the husband and wife.
Suddenly she got a call, they did find a price tag for my bell!
She settled the bill for the couple and put my bell on the conveyor-belt behind her. It drifted towards the husband. “Oh yes indeed”, I said, “now you are going to take my bell along?” And finally the husband burst out laughing as well. He took his grocery bag and the couple walked out. It was my turn again.

This time the cashier knew the price but she didn’t know what category to scan it in… so she took the phone again and some other assistant walked over from the information stand. They started deliberating about what to do with it…. Scan it as a party article, a gadget? It sure wasn’t a cooking utensil and they decided to scan it in the “events” category.

Well, it sure was an EVENT!!!! And it cost me 5 Euro!!! But it was such a good laugh I didn’t mind a bit and finally walked out with my red bell on top of my shopping bag!

I came to one decision though… I would never buy slightly naughty stuff in a supermarket again! Next time I'll buy it anonymously on-line!

I wonder what my boyfriend will think when he sees the little red bell…. I think we are in for a big laugh too on February 14th!

2010-02-01T11:20:00.007+01:00

Stitching is good therapy!
Even though I'm still feeling sad because of what has happened, stitching is good to put my mind at ease for a bit.
This is my latest finish:

It's a freebie that can be found here:
click
There are some really nice designs on there! Be sure to take a look at them!

I made it because it's similar to Anita's SAL which I liked to do so much and of which you can see a finished piccie here:

Besides all this I received a mail from Ort. She made a tissue holder with the cat design I published last week.
This is her masterpiece:

Thank you for sending me this picture! I was really pleased with it. And thank you too for your nice words of comfort and encouragement! Much appreciated!

I also designed some more freebies, but I can't put them on here at the moment. I stitched one to give as a gift to someone and I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet!
The other one I made is a bigger design and I'm still brooding over it....

This is it for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back on a regular basis. I have some more stuff up my sleeve for avid stitchers!!!

2010-01-30T11:41:00.002+01:00

My boyfriend's father died tonight.
I'm not in the mood to write. I'm not in the mood to do anything.
Will be back later.

2010-01-29T13:07:00.002+01:00

Isn't it wonderful what stitchers make??!!

I received these beautiful pictures from two Dutch girls and they are so lovely I wanted to put them on my blog for others to see too!
The two on the left are from Miek. She used my "Alaaf" ornament and turned it into a great valentine pendant!
She told me she had a hard time with the confetti stitches. I did forget to mention it when I put mine up. It does have these stitches in and it made me squint at times. But when you see the result you forget about it!
Well done Miek!The two right ones are from Ort. She really is into valentine!!! She made a whole bunch of them and she made her own freebie.
You can find it on her website: click
When you click on "Freebie Valentijn 2010" which you can find in the left column on her site, you will be able to download a .pdf file with her design.
Congrats Ort!
I do hope all this nifty stuff will keep everybody stitching, that's the general idea anyway!
Thanks for the piccies and the visits!

2010-01-28T11:02:00.013+01:00

Tissue Holders are fun to make!!!!

They are so useful!!! Especially these days, cold weather and runny noses!
I made this one for myself but I also made one for my colleague at work and I'm going to make more of these as they are really neat presents!!!

I got the idea from Anita (stitch-creations): Click and the workshop which explains how to make them is from Hetti's blog: Click

Thank you both for this great idea!!!

I can give you the chart for the one with the cats on as I made that design myself. The design for my colleague's tissue holder is a mix from freebies I found on the web.

So, this is my chart:

You don't have to stitch the red lines I put in. They are just guidelines as to folding the finished piece!

The link to the chart and key are here:
click

I stitched it on 14 count pewter Aïda and I really like the result!
I hope you like it too and if you stitch it, be sure to send me piccies!

Enjoy and have a nice day!

2010-01-26T22:28:00.008+01:00

Sooo pretty!!!!

Received another piccie today! This time from Hetti. She made my little cat ornament and hung it on her phone! Isn't it neat!!!

You can find her blog here: hetti
It's really cheers me up to see people like what I make!!!

Stitch till you Itch!!!

2010-01-25T17:17:00.003+01:00

Isn't this just gorgeous????

Ort sent me a piccie of the "thank you" pendant she made with my freebie and I really find it very, very cute indeed! Congrats girl! I love the beads she hung underneath! I'm almost jealous now... lol.

I will get back later as I have some other stuff to put up here but I don't feel like doing it right now.

TTFN!

2010-01-20T12:12:00.007+01:00

I'm not feeling 100% at the moment. I have been fretting about some stuff lately and it just became too much. The saddest part is that my boyfriend's father is on his deathbed.
I'm trying to take my mind of things and cross stitching helps me a bit, thank gawd!

I know a lot of you are stitching things for Valentine. But in february you don't only have Valentine.... there's also The Carnival. I don't celebrate that and I haven't found many cross stitch designs that have a carnival feeling. So I decided to make a small festive ornament for those that are in a Carnival mood.
It has a German/Dutch text on "Alaaf", which is an expression that is traditionally used as a carnival greeting. It orgininated from a dialect spoken in Cologne (Germany). It means "elf" = 11 which is known as the fool's number.

Anyways, enough about the etymology, onwards with the cross stitches!

This is the ornament I concocted:

The chart looks like this:

If you want to make it, you can find the link to the chart and the key right underneath:
click
As always, it would be nice to receive some feedback from you all and it would be great to get pictures of your stitched masterpieces!

Thanks for the visit. See you all later!

2010-01-17T23:24:00.009+01:00

I don't have a lot of time these days, but I really, really, really wanted to put pictures up showing off my cat ornament made by some readers of my blog!
Indeed, I have been very happy to receive pictures of some off you and it's only natural I want to show these off as well!
They look really smashing and it really is weird to see things I designed stitched by others! It doesn't only feel weird but wonderful too!

THANK YOU GIRLS YOU'VE MADE MY DAY!!!!

The first one I received is from Miek! She made it on cloth that she dyes herself (isn't that neat???!!!) and she put some cute fish buttons on the back too!

Ort sent me hers and it's looking swell too!

And here's another one from Miek!

Don't they look adorable? Miek even put some -blue garden pants- on the small cats... LOLOLOL!!!
And she's going to make some more of my cutties! She is definitively hooked... lololol! But I'm looking forward to seeing those too and I'll put them up as well!

I just had to ask her how she attached the beads as I'm a complete morron! She explained it rather clearly and thanks to her I can now finish these ornaments with beads as well! Thanks for that too!

You can well imagine I was (and still am!) happy when I got these piccies in my mailbox!
I feel spoiled rotten now! LOL

Please feel free to send me more piccies!!! They are really cute to look at and it's nice to see your masterpieces and they deserve a place on my blog!

Thanks a million and have a nice evening now!

2010-01-12T15:17:00.003+01:00

Good afternoon all,

I did mention I got a nice bird feeder as a Xmas present.... Well, it's in my garden now! And I'm glad it's there as we are having a snowy winter this year. The birds found their way to it and they are happy it's there too!

The first and second square of the 15-sided biscornu SAL are stitched and here's a picture of what they look like. You will notice I am using the same cloth as I use for my first SAL. I must say I rather like that denim colour and as I have some left, I'm using it again. For the stitches I choose DMC 746 and 747.

I've been having a look on the internet to kill the time a bit and stumbled upon a great site with silly cat pictures with even sillier captions.
Go take a look, it's a blast!
silly cats

That's it for now. In 45 minutes I'll be home, cuddling my moggies, baking a bread and, most importantly, STITCH!!!

2010-01-10T19:16:00.004+01:00

Afternoon there,

First of all I want to thank everybody who gave me nice comments about my little cat ornament. Not only through blogs but on forums too.
It's really nice to hear you like the design. THANK YOU!!!!

I'm still creating some new stuff, but in the meantime I also want to keep on stitching other things I like.
The fifth part of the SAL of The Pied Piper of Hamelen is finished and here is what it looks like:

Too bad the next part will also be the last.
I really enjoyed stitching it. Being my first ever SAL I am glad it went well. Only problem was when I started it, I found out it starts on the right side. Being a lefty, I start all my projects on the left. Starting right is a bit weird for me, but that didn't create too big a problem!

As this SAL is almost finished, I joined a new one (yep, seems I'm hooked). This one is for making a 15-sided biscornu. I love biscornu's, always wanted to make a 15-sided one but never got round to it. So now I will. Every monday there's a small chart to be found on this blog:
Le blog de l'Association de Fil en Aiguille
As the designs for this biscornu are small, they don't take too much time to stitch and I can still get on with my own projects and designs.
I will keep you posted about new stuff on this site!

Thanks again for your nice comments and thanks for the visit!

2010-01-06T17:47:00.005+01:00

Did I ever mention I like cats????
Well, if you like them too, you might like to make this cutie:

I stitched it on a little piece of Aïda gold lurex. It was a left-over and the borders were a bit too small to fold and finish it easily... my fingers are still a bit achy from wriggling with it, but I'm glad I had enough patience to keep on going. And when I see the final result, I am very happy indeed!

This is what it looks like at the beginning (you can clearly see what I mean about the borders being rather small:

I'm almost sure you are eager to see what the chart looks like, so... here goes...

As you can see it's not that difficult. And to finish it you just have to fold it and stitch the hems.
You make a nice tassel to attach underneath, a cord to hang it up with et voilà you have some cute cat's eyes to watch over you!

And this is the link for the chart and the key:

click
I'm sure you will enjoy stitching this design. You can easily make it in one day, even if you work full-time (like I do).
I would really appreciate it loads if you could tell me what you think of this purrring design and it would even be better if you would show me a picture of your finished cutie pie.
To contact me you can do so via dani26362 at gmail dot com.
Enyoy, thanks for the visit and happy stitching!

2010-01-05T18:01:00.007+01:00

It's Biscornu time!!!
As you might know, I simply adore biscornu's! I have found loads of them on sites all over the place. I have downloaded them to my good ol' computer and they are waiting to be made.... Only problem is I simply don't have enough time to make them!
But.... I did manage to design one myself and I even found the time to stitch it!!!

Take 2 pieces of Aïda, stitch a bit...

... and this is the result

I baptized it the: Zig Zag Biscornu.
It's a bit biggish but that's partially due to the fact I stitched it on 14 count Aïda.

As I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves biscornu's, you can find the link to the chart and key right here!

click

I'm rather proud of this one! It's my first and it will not be my last!
I hope you enjoy stitching it! And please show me your finished masterpieces!
Thanks for the visit!

2010-01-02T09:07:00.009+01:00

Good morning all,

Happy New Year!!! I hope it will be a good one and that all your wishes may come true!!!
I am up rather early today as the sales start here in Belgium and I'd like to go and look for some stuff.
I made some coffee to ease the pain...lol.... but I'm still very whoozy in my head and my boyfriend is still in bed. I don't know how I'm going to get him out of there... lol.
In the meantime, here's a little present for whoever likes it:

I hung it up in the top of my Xmas tree!
This is what the chart looks like:

And here's the link for the chart and the key:

click

Thanks for the visit and I hope it's not the last one!
Going to get dressed now, drag my friend out of bed and go to town. Hopefully we will survive them sales...lol

2009-12-31T00:34:00.002+01:00

I am not going to have much time to write for the next few days, so I thought I'd better put up my Best New Year's wishes already.
And now I'm going to go to sleep for the last time in 2009!

And please remember: Don't drink and drive!

2009-12-30T14:24:00.006+01:00

Good afternoon dear Readers,

I still have to put up a link to the little "Thank You" cushion (in Dutch) I made december 23rd. You can see the picture of it in that post.
Here is the link for the chart and the key for this little cushion:
click

You can make it to thank somebody because you received a nice Xmas present maybe?!
I do hope you like it, and if you make it, please show it to me, I would really appreciate it a lot!

Enjoy and thanks for your visit!

2009-12-29T22:26:00.004+01:00

Hi there,

I haven't stitched much the last couple of days. Understandable! It was Xmas after all!
I've had some time to design some more freebies and I will put them on-line soon!
I just want to put up a picture of the SAL I'm stitching. Part IV is finished and it's looking great! Even if I say so myself!

Oohhh, yes!!! I got a beautiful Xmas pressie from my boyfriend's family! A really neat and big birds feeding house! Once it's up I'll take a picture of it! I'm really very happy with that present as I do like to see lots of birds in my garden and I'd like to attract sparrows. I don't know why, but when I was little, those were common garden birds, but nowadays they're hard to spot. I do hope this feeding house will change that and will become a popular restaurant in my garden with lots of birds.

TTFN!!!

2009-12-23T23:35:00.014+01:00

A little preview of what I made today:

cute, no?!

The text says "Thank You" in Dutch. I made this for my neighbour who looks after my cats when I'm on holidays.
I will put up the link for the chart and key somewhere at the end of this week. I don't have enough time now, tomorrow I'm working and it's Christmas Eve, so I guess my blog will be left untouched for the next few days. But this freebie chart will be put up on here soon!

The link is up as of now in the message I wrote December 30th!

AND...

2009-12-22T21:21:00.007+01:00

HAAAAaaaarrrrglsss!!!!!!
THIS IS SOOOO ANNOYING!!!!!
I noticed this afternoon there were some stitches missing in the biscornu I put up last sunday. I want to put the corrected file up this evening and now I can't get on the host where I store all my .pdf files on-line. The bleedin' thing says it can't log in as there are too many connections! Comme on people! DISCONNECT!!!! I need to get in. PLEASE!!!
I must say it's not always fun to keep up a blog. I got completely stressed when I noticed the little mistake I made in the biscornu design and I will probably remain stressed untill I can correct it! I am even stressed writing here. Putting up smileys and such isn't that easy either. When I insert images, the HTML codes are inserted in the beginning of my text so I have to cut and paste a lot! Reminds me of a song from "The Stooges": "No Fun"!
Anyways... to get on with it... I managed to make the "Biscornu design" I published here. When making it I realised it wasn't such a good design to make a Biscornu with, so I made it into a Christmas ornament.
Front view:
Back view:
It's made on 14 count Lurex Aida, which isn't showing through in the pictures, which is too bad.
I have to admit I really like this ornament a lot! I first thought to give it to my neighbour who checks on my cats when I'm away, but I like it so much I'm going to keep it myself. (At times I can be a selfish bitch... lol)
Oh Bummer... I tried connecting to that host again.... still not working. I guess half of Europe is hosting pictures and whatever else on there.
I really like things to be perfect, that's why I wanted to put up the correct version of the chart. In fact, I just forgot 4 stitches in the middle top of the design. When you stitch it, you will understand what I mean. Just 2 red stitches and 2 green stitches.
I will try again tomorrow to put up the corrected chart. I also changed the name of the design. It is now officially called a Christmas ornament!
TTFN.

2009-12-20T15:33:00.012+01:00

Good afternoon dear stitchers,

I managed to put up my Christmas tree yesterday. Just didn't feel like it earlier on.
Today my boyfriend is watching the cyclo-cross racing on tv. That's not really my cup of tea so I decided to make another cross stitch freebie. I made a ~~biscornu~~ this time, I like these a lot and I'll stitch it once I finished what I'm stitching at the moment. (It didn't work out for a biscornu so I turned it into a cute little pendant thingy!) (You can see what it looks like in the pictures in my post of December 22nd.)
It has the Dutch text: "Happy New Year" on it, it's not a big design so you might have the time to stitch it before this year is finished. It could be a last minute pressie for a Dutch/Belgian (Flemish) friend or for yourself!

The link for the chart and the key is here:
Click
Make sure to show me your finished design! I really like to see the work of fellow stitchers!
Signing off for now as I'm going to continue to stitch my very first biscornu I designed. I will put up a link and everything else once it's finished!
Thanks for your visit and I hope you have a nice sunday.

2009-12-18T15:50:00.003+01:00

2009-12-17T17:44:00.017+01:00

What a day! It was boring at the office, people just don't die anymore these days, it seems.... so there's not much for us to do... (I take care of the administration of a graveyard, remember) I had made another cross stitch freebie yesterday evening and I tried to put it up this afternoon, but as I wasn't working on my own home computer, I couldn't.
Yes, you've read it right, I made another freebie yesterday. Contrary to what I said I was going to do, I also made this:

And here's the link to the chart and key:
click
It has the Dutch text for "Happy New Year" written on it and it's free for anyone who wants it.

I know I'm a bit late in putting these things on-line, and you might not have enough time to stitch it for this year's festive season, but you can always keep it for next year!
Of course you will have to change "2010" to "2011", but that will not be too hard to do yourself.
I hope you like it and if you stitch it, contact me so I can display your masterpiece on here!

As for the rest of today.... Around 13PM it started snowing here and to my horror it didn't thaw immediately and it still isn't at this very moment, in fact, it's still snowing!

Yes, you are right, nature does look lovely and fairytale like with a thick, white snow carpet but I dread it 100%.
I drove home tonight and it's just as if Belgian drivers don't know how to drive anymore once they see some snow! Gawd, that snail's pace really irritated me! The main road was open so I don't see why everybody was driving at 5km/h?!
But that's not the only reason why I don't like snow.
The main reason is I get scared when walking through it. Scared to fall and break a leg, because if I break a leg, I will be "immobilized" as I can't use crutches. I've had a rather bad accident when I was 20 (I was run over by a car) and as a result I can't use my right arm very accurately anymore, so you can understand crutches are no option for me.

BUT... when I finally got home tonight, I did take my camera and made some snapshots of my garden and this is what it looks like:

That's all for now folks! Enjoy, have a nice evening and thanks for the visit!

2009-12-16T17:27:00.004+01:00

Here I am again.
Just to mention I'm home and somebody helped me out with the hosting of the pdf file! Now it will stay on-line permanently!
Thanks to Louison who's got a really nice blog full of biscornu freebies which I adore to make: au pays des biscornus

That's it for today!
The only other things I'll do this evening is mimic a couch potato, watch some tv, eat a sandwich, do some cross stitching and phone my boyfriend using Skype.

Have a nice evening all!

2009-12-16T10:38:00.019+01:00

Good morning.
I am at work and as it got so late last night I feel as if my brains are still in my bed at home!
Anyways, I think I found a way to get the .pdf file of my first cross stitch freebie into this blog, using a free PDF host.
It's not completely satisfactory as I can only leave the file online for 30 days. But it will have to do for now!
I do hope this is going to work and that you will be able to get the file!
Let me know if you have any problems!
The link should be underneath here!

click

ENJOY!

2009-12-15T23:43:00.008+01:00

Good evening!
Almost midnight here but I just wanted to publish a Xmas freebie I just made. It's not completely my own idea. I used PCStitch to make it.
It says something like "season's greetings" but in Dutch. Almost all the cross stitch freebies I come accross are in either English or French. So I thought I'd make one for Dutch stitchers.
I hope you like it and if you stitch it I would be very pleased to see the result!

Here is a picture of my design:

Errrr.... right.... well... I'm not a computer wiz and it seems I have to figure out how to put up a link to the pdf file I created so you can download the chart and the key.
I'm a bit sorry to have to let you wait for this until tomorrow evening as otherwise it will be waaaayyyy past my bedtime and I can't afford to get to work late tomorrow morning.
But you can rest assured, your patience will be rewarded shortly.

And... if you are wondering about how our trip to Oberhausen was, I can tell you it was fantabulous!!!

To be continued...

2009-12-09T22:14:00.008+01:00

I did it again! I've stitched my head off the past 3 days and this is the result:

I am more and more pleased with this SAL!!! It's not too difficult to make, although I must admit I made a wee little mistake in the last part, but it will have no impact on the next part of the SAL and if you don't know it, you will not notice it.

The reason I stitched this part rather fast is, my boyfriend and I are leaving for Germany tomorrow morning. We are going to go Xmas shopping in Oberhausen. We will be back friday evening, but I still need to do some more Xmas stitching and decorating so I wanted to finish this SAL first.

So, this is the 3rd part of my first ever SAL. I am enjoying it so much I can already mention I have a new SAL that has drawn my attention. The new one will start next month and consists of making a biscornu for each month of the year. I am a bit of a biscornu addict, so I really want to start with that SAL as well. I do hope I'll have the time though!
But I am 100% sure my present SAL will be cherished for a very long time to come!

It's already almost 22:30h. Going to stop writing now as I have to do some more stuff before going to bed in a bit!

If anyone wants to leave some comment, please do! I do like to read reactions on my stitchings and other things you can find on my blog.

Thanks for visiting!

TTFN

2009-11-27T10:45:00.002+01:00

Back at work. YUK!!!
I just created a signature to use in my blog and I like it.
Guess I will use it as of now.
Do you like it?

2009-11-26T19:39:00.014+01:00

I must be completely daft! Working all day, coming home in the evening and make waffles instead of stitching or relaxing. But that's what I just did and I want to share it on my blog so you all might want to feel like making some too. It's really simple!

So here's the recipe:

250g butter - 250g sugar - 250 self-raising flour - 4 eggs

First you melt the butter slowly. I used my microwave, just to make it go a bit quicker.

After that you add the sugar and the egg yolks and you mix it untill it looks smooth.

Then you add the sifted flour bit by bit. You keep on mixing it untill you have a thick dough.

You beat the eggwhites firmly and incorporate it gently in the dough.

And that's it, now your dough is ready to make delicious waffles.

Just put some dough in a pre-heated waffle-iron,

let it bake and you get this:

I baked for 1 hour and as a result I have 30 waffles.

Don't eat them straight away, even though it's tempting. They are really too fresh though. Just let them rest and tomorrow they will be DELICIOUS!!!

Hope you enjoyed my cooking lesson and I hope you'll give it a try, it's fun and it's yummie, never mind the excess calories! You only live once, so enjoy it!

2009-11-25T23:22:00.007+01:00

I did it!

Second part of the SAL is finished!

I like what I see! Looking forward to part III!
Not writing much more at the moment, it's late and I'm going to bed in a bit. I just wanted to brag with my SAL.

2009-11-23T14:01:00.007+01:00

I just had a look on Anita's blog this morning and the second part of her SAL is online!!!
I printed the page and I will start stitching it tonight!
I also had a look on her blog and she published the first part I stitched! Funny to see a picture of my work on someone else's blog.
Bedankt Anita!!!

I am still at work at the moment. Boss is gone and I really don't feel like being busy with graves and dead people (I still work on a cemetery), so I just write a bit more here.
I have tried putting up some other gadgets on my blog page. I do like to have that "translate" thingy on my page, too bad I can't put it right in the middle. When I put it on the left side, it's too big. Guess I am restricted in what I can do on this blog. It's not the same when you have your own website...
I put a gadget up that visualizes where visorts are from. I had one up but as I changed it, I lost my visitors....lol. I hope they'll be back!

Anyway, see you all later! Going to surf around a bit. Maybe buy some Humbrol paint on eBay to paint my hoop for that Japanese portrait. I can't find that paint in a shop nearby and I remember it's good paint. My father used to use it when he made scale models of airplanes, boats or cars.

2009-11-22T21:21:00.007+01:00

Finished another project today!

I am not going to frame it but display it in a painted hoop. Gotta go find some time to get to a shop and buy one next week!
This portrait of a Japanese Lady is a freebie that can be found on a French blog. The link can be found on the left of my page where I put the blogs I like. Look for: bdcouture.over-blog.
(For some reason I can't get to put the link in this message)

2009-11-18T17:37:00.004+01:00

Seems I am having problems with my blog, but I can't figure out why.
I can't open the page from my computer at work. That's probably blocked or something, although I can't understand why I can open other blogs at work but not mine....
At home I have similar problems. I can't get to open the thing. I deleted cookies and whatever else, but I still have troubles.
Maybe I'm just writing this for myself and no-one else can open this???? I don't know. I didn't have these problems in the past, so why now?

Oh well, I am not going to try and figure it out now. In fact it gives me more time to stitch!

2009-11-17T21:14:00.005+01:00

I'm on track!!!
Yesterday after work I found a post parcel on my doorstep and it did contain the fabric I ordered to make the SAL on.
I couldn't wait to start!!!
So today I can show you the first finished part of the SAL - The Pied Piper of Hamelen.
I'll tell you more about it but not tonight. I'm watching a movie on TV and I want to continue stitching my Japanese Lady.
TTFN!

2009-11-15T02:03:00.004+01:00

Can't sleep it seems.... so I just took a look at my emails. I noticed there was a comment on the previous post in this blog. It was some stupid viagra spam from an anonymous moron. I just deleted it.
As of now I'll moderate all comments. I don't want such debilitating stuff on my blog.

2009-11-11T16:04:00.007+01:00

It's November 11th today. Remembrance day of the Great War of 1914-1918.

Tomorrow my boyfriend and I are going to Ieper. We visited last year when it was 90 years ago and there were lots of people there from all over the world. Everything was so impressive that we decided to go back this year. But only for 2 days and not on the 11th as we just don't like crowds.
I'll write more about Ieper when we are back.

In the meantime I want to publish a picture of the Japanese girl I'm stitching at the moment.

2009-11-10T23:30:00.008+01:00

Almost midnight.
Just wanted to say the SAL: Pied Piper of Hamelen started. BUT.... I just ordered my material beginning of the week in the UK and it hasn't arrived yet.
This is a picture of the finished SAL:

In the meantime I'm still stitching on another project, a freebie portrait of a Japanese Girl. Really nice!
I found it on this blog: www.bdcouture.over-blog.com (copy and paste to put it in your browser)
I don't have time at the moment to put up pictures but I will try just as soon as I can!
In fact, this was just a message to let you (who ?) know I'm still alive and kicking.
Hmmppppffff.... wanted to upload a smiley after my lasst sentence. That's not working properly.... yet another thing to figure out!

Guess I found out how to do it

TTFN

2009-11-06T14:59:00.005+01:00

Here I am again, and I'm still blabbering English.
I recently started stitching again and I decided to leave this blog in English. I also noticed there is another way to translate blog pages, using google. I'll have to figure out the way to put it on my blog, I'll do that in a bit...
As I said, I started stitching again, but I haven't touched my Night Queen yet. I don't intend to either. I just don't feel like stitching on that project.
I am going to try to participate in my first ever SAL! I found it on Anita's blog:
and it's called: "The Pied Piper of Hamelen". I still have to buy the material and I'm still not sure as to what colours I'm going to use, but I'll keep you all posted.
.... wondering who on earth is reading this blog.... lol
Bye for now!

Errrr.... seems I found out how to put this blog up with a possibility to translate. I'm clever... lol
The translation is not completely correct, but you do get to understand what I'm talking about. At least, I hope you do!

2009-06-09T15:13:00.004+02:00

I think I'm going to change this blog in a rather drastic way.
Up till now I've been writing in English as this used to be a cross stitching blog and as most people reading this blog were either from the UK or from the US.
English isn't my native language though, as some may have noticed.
At the moment, I don't think many people are reading this blog and I would rather start to use it as a kind of diary of my every day life.
This every day life is situated in Belgium and so I'm switching languages.
As of now I will start to write in Flemish, which is my mother tongue.
It's been fun to write in English, but I think it's going to be easier to express myself in Flemish.
That's it for now. Talk to you later (in Flemish).

2009-06-08T23:13:00.006+02:00

Today is my boyfriend's birthday. He turned 52!!!! Yihhaaaaa!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET COOKIE OF MINE!!!

2009-06-07T09:22:00.004+02:00

@*&%µ^+~£$µ# THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!!!!
I got up very early today as we MUST vote.
Walking to that bureau I came across my neighbours. They told me I could go back home as the computer isn't working.
Now I'll have to go back before 3pm and there will probably be loads of people there by then!!!
Why oh why is it still obligatory in Belgium to vote?
Don't get me wrong, if we didn't have to go, I would go! But now it's senseless. Half the people (or even more) don't give a hoot about this whole charade.
If we weren't obliged to go, only people who really care would go.
The resultst would be completely different!
But of course our present politicians wouldn't want that to happen.
So frustrating!!!

2009-06-06T17:29:00.004+02:00

Haven't been here for a looooong time it seems! I wasn't even sure this blog still existed.
Must say I'm still very happy! Haven't done any cross stitching for ages though. Haven't even used my trike yet this year. Well, apart from riding 4km (!) with it.
Healthwise this year is not really 100% OK, but I'm managing quite good.
As of yesterday evening I'm on holidays! Yihaaa! I don't have to go to work for the next 3 weeks. And next thursday my boyfriend and I are leaving for Salou (Spain) for 10 days! Wish I was already there!
I should try and write some more here, but I'm not sure I'll find the time to do it.
Hakuna Matata!!!!

2008-04-14T22:47:00.004+02:00

What on earth is this spam I have to read here? I really don't like that! That's all I have to say at the moment, other than I am still a very happy person and I'm tired and off to bed!

2007-10-28T19:32:00.001+01:00

I AM HAPPY!!!!!

2007-02-02T20:05:00.001+01:00

I am so fed up!!! I'm ill yet again!!! I finished last year with a cold an a runny nose. In January I first had a throat infection. After that I got an inflammation of my left ear. Now I have laryngitis. What's next???? I want to take up a subscription with my doctor!!!!

2007-01-31T12:40:00.002+01:00

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.

Whether you're a night owl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.

Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.

You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

So now you know it :-)

2007-01-29T19:57:00.001+01:00

So here is the latest piccie of my Queen! I haven't stitched much lately, I've been too busy rearranging wardrobes in my bedroom and I've also been busy in the kitchen, cooking stuff. It takes so much time I just can't get to stitching anymore. I do hope I can continue one of these days as my second page is almost finished!

I hope you like what you see so far!

TTFN!

2007-01-21T00:25:00.001+01:00

Just another silly site asking you to draw a pig to find out about your personality. LOL
http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/
Enjoy. I'll be back later with the serious stitchings!

2007-01-13T09:03:00.002+01:00

Well yes, finally I'm back again and there's a piccie of my WIP. I'm no quitter :-) I just didn't have the time to get to play with my computer much the last 2 weeks. And what's even worse is I didn't have much time to play with my Night Queen either!!! Yesterday evening I just managed to finish another 800 stitches which I had started with when my first page was finished. Just 800. Yuk, that's NOT much!

I intend to be stitching all this weekend! I just need to go to one shop in town in a wee bit to get me a pair of jeans I bought in the sales last Saturday. They had to shorten it so that's why I have to get back into town to get it.
I haven't stitched a lot due to being too busy buying stuff....lol. I mean, I learned how to cook a little while back, yes, you read it correctly, I just learned to cook and I'm 45 in 2 months....lol.... you gotta start sometimes don't ya...lol
I had so much fun that I did a bit more cooking on my own and bought pots and pans and other kitchenware.
There's also been the New Year reception at work that exhausted me a bit so that was another weekend "gone to the dogs".
When I get home from work during weekdays I have been too tired to stitch, so that's how come my work hasn't become much bigger.
Last Wednesday and Thursday I was home sick. I have a cold and it still isn't over but now I can manage it. When I was home I thought I'd be able to stitch.... yeah right.... I was feeling so awful I slept most of the time and didn't do zilch. I didn't even bother to turn on my computer. I just didn't feel like doing nothing at all!
But now I'm back into business. Going to get dressed, yes I'm still in my PJ's. Going to town to get my jeans and once back it's STITCHING time!!!!!

2007-01-02T12:45:00.003+01:00

Raining cats and dogs here at the moment! Speaking of cats.... I'm babysitting my neighbours 2 cats at the moment. Felix and Zoë. Zoë is my Gina's mum. Anyways, I don't know what's happening but at the moment I have to scoop up brown stuff from the floors when I'm there. They have a litter box but don't use it much it seems! I think they are taking revenge as their owners aren't there!!! Getting fed up cleaning their mess though and one of them even peed on the floor too! Really great!!! I had to take a tin of food of my cats along too because there's nothing left for them and the owners are only coming back next Thursdays at the latest! I also empty the mailbox and I can't close the darn thing anymore, now it's going to rain inside the box and it will all be soggy mail they'll have. Think I'm going to put some duck tape across it when I get back later on to clean some more. I have to get back to clean as I hadn't even noticed 1 brown spot and it's sticking to the floor now. So I put some wet towel on it to get it loose. - Hope no one is eating whilst reading this - LOL
Getting back to work tomorrow so I am going to stitch more today! I won't have that much time anymore once I'm at work.... boohoohoo....sniff, sniff, sniiiirfff.... I'm gonna miss my Queen!!!!
Going to fiddle with my computer a bit now, grab something to eat and start stitching in a wee bit!
See you all laterzzz

2007-01-01T17:09:00.001+01:00

I did it, I did it, I did it..... I finished the first page!!! The first 5200 stitches are done!!!! Only zillions more to go....lol

Am going to work in blocks of 10 x 10 stitches as of now as Them little non-stitched dots scattered all over the first part made me crazy.

Not much more to tell here. Getting dark outside, it's not too cold but there's a lot of wind and loads of rain at times.

TTFN!

2006-12-31T14:13:00.001+01:00

Some silly stuff to play with today :-)
http://www.blogthings.com/
Enjoy :-)

2006-12-30T18:49:00.001+01:00

Having a bit of a hangover. Being a civil servant is a hard job at times :-) Yesterday was the last working day of 2006 at the office so around 3PM we started drinking champagne and other stuff. We ended up in a pub and drank some more and now I have a headache! Don't know where I got that from....lol.

But I did manage to stitch more HAED! First page is almost finished. But I'm really struggling with these little dots that are not stitched yet. I have problems figuring out what colour they are on the chart. I think the next page I'm going to stitch 10 x 10 squares to avoid this from happening again!

Ahaaaaa... "My Sharona" - The Knack on my media player! One of my favourite songs for dancing!!!! Great rhythm. But not for tonight! Tonight it will be an early bed night and if there's anything good on TV I'll record in on a video and see it later on!

Bye for now and if I don't come back before next year.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2006-12-27T19:48:00.002+01:00

Well, like I said yesterday, it was back to work today. Not many burials today though. I was at the office and my boss was there too. And guess what.... we were both bored...LOL. We didn't feel like working so we didn't do that much. In the afternoon we sat in the kitchen with the lights out so people outside wouldn't spot us and I took out a bottle of red Porto and drank a glass. He didn't join me and neither did he take a glass of whisky, like he has been doing last week. He almost emptied a whole bottle of Chivas....LOL. No we aren't alcoholics, we are just bored at times :-)

And now I am sitting here and I have a small glass of Bailey's Irish Cream next to me, yum, yum, yum. The Corrs on my media player and everything is just perfect the way it is.

My eyes are itching from the neon lights at the office though and together with my Bailey's I am not going to attempt stitching tonight. Just relaxing and going to bed early.

I do want to phone a girlfriend whom I read the most horrible mail from this morning at the office. She sent it to me last Thursday afternoon but I was on holidays and I can't access my office mailbox from home.

Anyways, what happened was, she had a baby last Nov. 21st. and everything was fine. Now, last Dec. 11th. her boyfriend plainly announced her that he's leaving her for another woman. She's back at her parents place now and I can imagine she's going through hell! I replied to her mail at the office and told her I was going to phone her tonight, but now I've noticed the batteries of my phone are dead :-(

She, Véronique, is also a cross stitch addict who has a web page on the Internet. Some 3 years ago I was browsing and stumbled upon her page. I put a comment on it and since then we became friends.
I stitched this baby bear in a pram for her little baby girl and she likes it a lot. The shiny lace I put around isn't blue but white. It's just the camera flash that caused this colour change.

I just wish I could phone her now but I am going to mail her instead.

2006-12-26T22:09:00.001+01:00

This is a scan I just took of my Night Queen. Yes, I know, some of you may think: "Wow, she's a quick stitcher". I can be that when I have my heart set on it, but unfortunately I have to get back to work tomorrow. Holidays are over and done with and waaaaay too short, as usual!

But, come to think of it, it will be weekend again soon and next week I have Monday and Tuesday off too (New Year remember). So my stitching will be a bit less over the next few days but than I'll speed up again, if nothing else needs doing first.

Oh boy, guess what I'm listening to on my Media player.... Eros Ramazotti "Se Bastasse una Bella Canzone. What a blast really... I mean I have a Punk and New Wave past and now this. Maybe it's because, when growing older, you get to appreciate more different stuff? Or maybe it's the first stage of dementia??? Who knows....lol

2006-12-24T10:57:00.001+01:00

Good morning all.

I just wanted to show you my WIP!!! This piccie was taken yesterday. I'm stitchink like a lunatic on this queen of mine and I love every minute of it!

Enjoy and have a nice Xmas.

2006-12-23T19:50:00.001+01:00

Been stitching my head off today and yesterday too! That's why I haven't been writing much. I also made a short ride on my trike yesterday afternoon and this afternoon too.

This evening I opened up a postcard I received from my friend Paula in England. She sent it to me a while back, along with a pressie, to avoid it arriving too late for Christmas.I simply love this card! She always manages to find some nice kitty cat to stitch for me!!! Really wonderful! Thanks Paula!!! I haven't opened up the pressie yet. That's going to be a surprise for tomorrow!

Back to my stitching now! Toodeloo!!!!

2006-12-21T19:35:00.002+01:00

Stitching with my "Piecemaker" needle, that's Rock 'n Roll!!!!!!

I also solved the problem with the daylight lamp and not knowing where to continue stitching. Guess yesterday I had a rather "blond" day again.... I just turned my daylight lamp to another angle today and.... voilà!

Will write more these next few days, right now I just want to stitch till I itch!!!

Part II

2006-12-20T22:14:00.001+01:00

Yes, here I am again. No stitching done. I had just put my fabric in the hoop and was trying to figure out where to start stitching when my mum phoned me. Seems my nephew (a 3 year old little toddler), who's in hospital since Dec. 16th. has been moved to the ICU part of pediatrics. He developed a pneumonia and it's not getting better! I hope he'll pull through soon! I phoned the hospital and got in touch with my brother and offered him to help out but he says they can manage on their own. I told him the offer would still be standing!

I can't concentrate on my stitching now so I put it away. I have noticed it is really hard to stitch with artificial light and I'm wondering if this night queen can only be stitched in daylight....lol. I have a daylight lamp but it's no help at all it seems! I have only been using 2 colours in the design so far and I can see a small difference in colour during daytime, but now that it's dark outside I can't find where to stitch anymore, daylight lamp or no daylight lamp :-(
Am going to try and find out if some other lamps exist because at this rate I will still be stitching my queen when I'm well past my sell-by-date :-)

Part I

2006-12-20T20:02:00.002+01:00

Well, before I start to stitch a bit I thought I'd put some other silly stuff on here. You had a giggle (at least I hope you did) yesterday with Murphy's Law. Today I present you:

The Cat's Commandments

Now hear this! You may live in this dwelling with me, but keep in mind your sole purpose for existing is to care for me. I pray God keeps you able to do so.

Feed me well and promptly, so that I may then find a quiet place to lie down and stare at you. If that place happens to be on top of the television set, do not keep trying to dislodge me even though my tail is hanging in the middle of the picture.

I expect full run of the premises, including the kitchen table. I sniff your food only to see if I would prefer it to mine. Brush me twice a week. Pet me as often as you wish, but I can do without the idiotic statements you utter as you do so.

When I bump my head against your leg or cheek, it means I accept you as part of my environment. Keep in mind that if I thought the lady next door would feed me better, I'd be out of here in a minute. If you are looking for loyalty, get a dog.

Sounds familiar too doesn't it....lol

OK, enough laughs, Night Queen.... here I come!!!

See ya

2006-12-19T22:38:00.002+01:00

GRRRRR!!!!! Had no time to stitch today!!! Wanted to try out the needle I received yesterday but couldn't.
I cooked some food tonight, a Kenya style Shrimp Curry. Very hot but nice to eat still.
After that I started writing Christmas cards and wrap up pressies so I can mail them. I know, I'm late this year but I've had a lot on my mind and I'm still not in a Christmas mood either.

When I finished wrapping, I had to sew some buttons on a new winter coat I bought. I really wonder why they can't sew these buttons on correctly right from the start. They are always loosely stitched and if you're not careful you loose them. And I hate sewing on buttons!!!!

So no HAED stitching tonight. But looking forward to next Thursday! I am taking the rest of the week off as of Thursday afternoon. That means I'll have time to stitch until next week Wednesday when I am due back at work. I have no plans for Christmas, I just can't wait to be sitting here at home stitching away on my Night Queen!
Thought I'd put up something fun I found somewhere on the internet a while back:

Murphy's law of Cross-Stitching

*** Come sale time at the needlework shop, they'll be out of DMC 310.
*** Chocolate is to Aida as metal filings are to magnets.
***The thread will fray.
***The last lost needle will only be found by a bare foot traveling at a high rate of speed.
*** When there are four stitches of a color left to do, there will be enough thread left in the needle to sew no more than three.
***The needle threader won't.
*** "Mother's scissors" are the only ones your husband and children will want to use.
*** Dog/cat hairs will penetrate any and all enclosures used to protect cross stitch projects in progress.
*** After counting the same line 11 times, but before the first critical stitch is taken, the phone will ring.
***You will count wrong.
*** You will re-count wrong.
***After recounting again you will find you were right the first time.
*** When you finally get the count right you will loose your place.
*** Regardless of how recently you have fed your household prior to stitching, the minute you pick up your needle... every child will be hungry, every bird will give out a faint ravenous tweet, every dog will go pale, every plant will droop, and the doorbell will ring.

Doesn't this sound familiar? :-)

2006-12-18T22:27:00.002+01:00

Came home from work this evening to find some mail from the UK and from the US. My mother's niece lives in the UK and she sent me a nice Christmas card, a robin in the snow is on the front of it. I do love robins a lot and intend to stitch some more when I manage to find the time.

The second card I got came from the States and it was Wanda who sent me a "piecemaker" 28 count needle along with it. Thanks a million Wanda! This will surely help me make my Night Queen look even better!

These needles are very strong and are the best to stitch these designs with, so I read on the HAED forum. Unfortunately you can only get them in the States. And Wanda was really nice to get me one!
Nice people do exist!!!

Unfortunately I haven't been stitching today. I worked at the cemetery, am still sneezing and coughing and in the evening I had to do some shopping. In the supermarket I bumped into someone I hadn't seen for almost a year and we blabbered quite a lot so in the end I got home a bit later than expected and was too tired to concentrate on stitching.

What I did instead was hunting down blinkies on the net. I saved some goodies on my computer so I can put one up once in a while. Too bad I can't post them in this posting area but only on the sides, top or bottom of the page. Or else I'm too blond to understand how to do it....lol

The one I posted on top of this page (about "men") is one that really made me laugh a lot. It makes sense to me :-) I think Paula will understand too, don't you my friend? LOL

TTFN! Bedtime for Bonzo here!

2006-12-17T10:03:00.002+01:00

It's 10 AM here and it's a beautiful morning!
Just wanted to put this on my blog!
Almost makes me feel poetical!
The sun is shining, sky looks like DMC # 160 with the emphasis on the word "Blue".
There's a myriad of dewdrops glistening on the hedge in my garden. It looks like it's made out of diamonds!
Makes me want to smile and sing!

"Is This The Way To Amarillo" by "Peter Kay" is playing on my Windows Media Player. Just the kind of happy music that goes with my mood.

Wishing you all a very happy and cheerful Sunday!!!

(Weird thing is, I usually don't like Sundays... lol)

2006-12-16T23:20:00.001+01:00

First piccie of my stitching. 4 days and a bit of a strain on my neck, but worth it. It doesn't look like much and it isn't much, but what makes me keep going is the sheer curiosity as to what it will look like in the end.

I hope the scan I took will not be too much of a blur...