Finished these couple of blocks earlier this week for the blocks exchange on the yahoo group. These are for the month of June, i am really glad i am ahead with these as starting next week i will work more days and probably long days too.

Aside from these, i work on a rr..no pics as there's not much done yet and these couple of small charts, will finished it into cards later.


Whew! what a busy day today, dh decided last night that he's going to do some painting in the kitchen, the door post & window sills. It was after lunch when we finally started scrubbing as he has been called to solved some computer problems of one of his clients. WOW! what a dust all around!!! But we've finished with that and he's now painting one of the door post to see how's the colour we had chosen. It was light blue. It looks good so far but we have to see it in daylight how it really is as it is now nearly ten PM.

For the hardanger, haven't touch it this week and will not work on it till after next week. I am afraid, not much stitching will be done next week. I will be working monday & tuesday and after that will be busy for some preparations for dh's birthday. His birthday is the 9th of April which is sunday but he will celebrate it saturday.

A quick stitch!

Here's my quick finished today while watching dvd with Chris. A brittercup designs. Chris has the 'chicken pox' so we stayed home. We are suppose to go to MIL's place for a cup of coffee and then for a walk at the small forest here. If possible we try to go out on sundays, just the four of us otherwise the kids just playing games at their computer. If the weather's better then they can be outside but eventhough we always try to take them out or something.
We went to a friend's birthday at the mainland yesterday. After half an hour drive after the ferry, Chris started vomitting and we still have to drive more than an hour. I am so glad i had a plastic bag as we cannot just stopped along the highway. He did it a couple of times so we thought of driving back to home but he says he feels better, he has just eaten too much for breakfast. So we went ahead. The drive back went well too and before driving to the ferry we went to mc donalds first as we had promised that morning. We don't have mc donalds here on the island so whenever we are at the mainland the kids really like to go to one.

Here's what i had done so far with this one. I really had difficulty doing the picot, it is done but i am not satisfied with it. Thanks Von for the idea about putting in beads instead, i can always change it later.

I am not sure anymore when did I started this one, i think end of last year or the beginning of this year. I want to go further with this one, only there is one thing that is putting me off is the picot one. We'll see......




Finally done the backstitching on the dutch girl.





Also stitched three blocks on Jayne's rr, the middle on the left side, top and bottom on the right side. I am only supposed to stitch two blocks and then send it back to Jayne but one was left to be stitch, (it was because one had dropped out a while back)i offered to stitch the last block for her. Now, it's on the way back to the U.K.



Today's SBQ was suggested by Carol and is:

Have you ever participated in a needlework mystery (i.e., a design that you started before knowing how it will look in the end and by which you receive parts of the design via the internet, magazines, or leaflets at spaced intervals)? If so, why did you decide to do the mystery? What appealed to you about it? Did you enjoy it? If you have not done a mystery, would you ever do one?

No, i never participated in a needlework mystery as most i have seen so far where all outside the country where i live and it needed cc for payment and i don't have one.


Last week SBQ:

Do you stitch "over one?" If so, describe your experiences. If not,
have you considered it?

No, i haven't tried stitching over one yet. Perhaps, if i have encountered a chart that needed to be stitch over one that i like i will surely try it.

Edited for pics!!!!

Just came back from the beach & want to see my mails and to post a brief note here. Weather is still cold & cloudy, but at least no wind so we had a nice long walk at the beach. Tried to upload a couple of pics but blogger won't let me, well perhaps later tonight.

It's a quiet weekend for us so was able to sleep in today until about half past ten. Children came down earlier and played with there computer, glad Grace been reading a book while Chris played at the computer otherwise they've been fighting and we'd been down earlier too. Was up till after two last night, reading a book, had a pause for sudoku and also did manage to stitch a couple of small charts for cards. Just can't upload it.

Oh well, better go and join the kids watching ice age!!


Glad blogger work fine with me tonight and shows the pics. The first two are Grace & Chris and dh.
And the cards completed this weekend for march birthdays, nearly late with these though. Glad it will reach them just in time for their birthday or rather glad the post reach here in a day or two.

SUDOKU!!!

Last monday it wasn't that busy at work and i noticed the sudoku in one of the newspaper we have, not really for beginners but i did try and failed out. The next day, tried the one we have from the newspaper we got daily and still didn't make it. The third, our daughter Grace help me with it and yes we got it. She knows this puzzel, i think she've started doing it once in a while last year..
Yesterday, instead of stitching i was doing sudoku, not from the newspaper but a bought puzzel book. And it does took lots of time too....i'm hooked!



I have a little boy here this morning, son of our neigbour. He does come here often on a friday morning, while his parents at work, that is when i am home. He will be two years old this coming summer and soooo chatty. He's playing with the lego's and he's crazy of winnie the pooh. Now i remember, his mom had asked if i will stitch a winnie the pooh fo him. Their eldest son, he's now five, when he was the same age as his brother Raymon he was crazy with the Teletubbies, so i stitched a pic for him for his second birthday. Might do the same with Raymon.


I stitched this one the other day for a quilt, just the backstitching to do and will be on it's way to the U.S. Hopefully, will be done tonight.


Thanks Von, Dawn & heather for dropping by. When it gets really warm during summer we are ussually at the beach. Did tried before to do some stitching but with the small kids to look after, it doesn't work.

Non stitched cards & x'mas SAL

Non stitched birthday cards for this month are done. Only a couple of stitch cards to go...




Also finished a x'mas theme, well except the beads. This is from the JCS 2005. Until now, stitching one every month went well, i am not sure though if i can keep up with it. I am afraid when the weather warms up, we are more likely out with the kids, ohh and i have to work more, not to forget working on the garden.

It's sunny today, it's seems from the inside it is soooo warm outside but the wind is very cold. Hope to go for a walk though this afternoon, before going to a birthday of a friends daughter.

monthly blocks!!!

.... for the monthly block swaps on the yahoo groups. March, fruits & vegetables theme. Can't find a pattern that has both so i end up with this fruit only. April theme is home/house...now i am atleast ahead with this one.

Just came home from a friends birthday. He celebrates it tomorrow but it is a very busy day for us so i had called this afternoon if we can drop by tonight and it was okey.
MIL celebrate her birthday too tomorrow, so we are going there mid morning but have to be home atleast by 12PM. Have lunch and then bring Grace to the gym club in town as she has joined a gymnastic competition. They have to be there at around 1PM for warm up, we are not sure when it will really start but we hope to know it tomorrow as we have to go to another friends place sometime in the afternoon too. They transfer to another house and they have a party tomorrow afternoon. Why oh why, all these in one day!!!

Round Robin's

Finally, the rr's done. The garden sampler which is already on the way back to the U.K and the firemen's rr ready for posting on the 15th of march. I had difficulty finding the right pattern for this otherwise it was completed a while back.


Oh well, i received one completed rr last week, but always forgot to take a pic. It's a 'Merry Heart design' . It was started with six people but after a couple of months one dropped out, so in the end it was stitched by five.


Thanks everyone for all the nice comments!!!
Von, those big hardanger pieces was done before i am connected to the internet, i think this time don't have much time to do such anymore. Most of the big pieces were all packed, just some cushions and small table cloth are in used/display. Did used the big ones too before when the kids are still small but now especially Chris have ussually friends to play with and they are quite active ones.
Elisabeth, here's the link where i got the idea for the twisted cord:
twisted cord For the fob i had used three different colours, the same one i used for stitching the fob. I hope the link helps.

This week’s SBQ is:

This week’s SBQ is:


Do you have an organizational system for your patterns? If so, how do you organize them? If not, have you considered organizing them?

I don't have that many leaflet/charts but i have quite some magazines, mostly U.K cross stitch magazines. Put them all into a magazine holder. The freebies i put them in a ring binder, not yet classified though. Hope to do it when i have enough time, i wanted to separate the hardanger and cross stitch ones, as well as big charts and small ones.




Feel a lot better yesterday and manage to do some stitching. Finished a small scissor fob for a birthday present, a quick stitch as i am running late for sending to the u.k. I just hope she'll receive it on time. This is not an exchange, it is just a surprise!!
I am nearly done with a couple of rr's too, i think they'll be finish tonight.

At present..... sick!!!!!

Many many thanks for looking at my finishes, i really appreciate your time and kind words!!

Von: i mean this is my first hardanger sachet, not my first hardanger piece.

Anne: This design is of Marjo Timmers, she is from here in holland, i think her designs are only available here as i haven't seen it somewhere else yet. Breibrink

It was sooooooo busy last week with all the difference activities of the children. Also went out to dinner with friends before the weekend, children came along too.
Weekend, been to birthdays...saturday to my SIL and came home quite late and the same the next day to one of our neighbour. NO stitching at all!

Came home from work last night but didn't stayed long downstair's. Felt really tired so i went to bed early but can't really rest as my stomach felt aweful. After midnight, i was really sick..vomitting! Thought after that, it will be cleared out but felt very cold and still can't rest well. I spent the whole day sleeping today!!
And i think will go in again after having a look at the mails.


Today’s SBQ was suggested by Cheryl and is:

What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them? What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include?

I subscribe to two magazines, Cross Stitch Crazy and the Cross Stitcher, both U.K magazines. And i buy the Quick & Easy when i see it here in the shop. I like to read the magazines when i have the chance, not much recently i'm afraid, but i like there small designs as i used them a lot for cards. By the way, i don't make lots of cards anymore as i used too, since joining in to blogger i have seen a lot of different finishes, like into ornaments, fobs and next i will really like to make my first needlecase. Actually, one is already ready to be finish off but don't have the time to do so.