Finally some stitching pics! :)

As I have been working on some exchanges, Christmas presents and so on there hasn't been much I could have blogged about. I just heard that the Stitching Blogger Birthday Club present that I sent to Sonda has finally arrived so finally my blog has some stitching pics to show! :)
I stitched Bent Creek's "Christmas Row" and finished it as a padded wall hanger.


Sonda likes Christmas so I thought that even if she has her birthday during the autumn time I'll give her something Christmassy. I am glad she liked it. :) I stitched it on unknown piece of linen, maybe about 30ct and used some red linen for the finishing. The package also included some thread holders, fabrics for finishing, a piece of linen, Finnish chocolate, a kitty ornament, Bent Creek chart and pink&blue scissors (since she likes both colours and when I saw them I knew they belong to her :)).
As always, I didn't remember to take a photo of the whole package so this pic is from Sonda's blog.

As a part of my new future I have started a business course that helps people to start their own businesses. I have a business idea with my friend but time tells if it really happens some day. :) The course is on Mondays and Wednesdays and also requires some homework to be done every week.

Crafts fair and a tattoo

Last time I blogged I had some bad news and first I want to thank you all for the lovely comments, support and hugs. I am now much better and I'm over the first shock of losing my job. I have some plans for the future and I am also planning on changing the career now that I have the opportunity to do so. I have until the end of November before I am officially unemployed and after that I will get unemployment benefit from the union so I still manage financially before I find a new job, or I might aply to university next spring to study pharmacy. All the roads are open now so I just have to figure out what I want to do.

I have no new pics of what I've done since all that I have finished are on their way, one to USA, one to Netherlands and one is a Christmas present. So I think I show you some other photos. The first one is of my catch from the crafts fair in Oulu a week ago. I wrote to the picture what I got, click it to see better. I had so much fun there and I saw many friends too.


I really love these two badges, I bought one and my mum bought the other one for me. First one says "I have all the yarns on my hands" and can also be translated that you have everything under control. :) The other one says "I am on the sticks (knitting needles) now" which can also be translated that you're in control. Thay had many more and also bags and knitting needle pouches. I might want one of those bags... :)

I haven't had a printer at home before and now that I can't print at work I bought this all-in-one photo printer. It has printer, scanner and photocopier in the same machine. Oh BTW I didn't buy this from the crafts fair. :) I have test printed and scanned and it appears to be a nice piece of machine. The model is Canon Pixma MP630. The biggest job after I brought it home was to make some room for it on my stitching table. Remember this post? I placed this where the chocolate and my WIPs were. The chocolate is long gone but there are now some Mrs Bridges hard Blueberry & Rasberry candies, yummie! :P´ The whole table has now less free space and it's not as tidy as it was in the last pic so no overall picture this time, lol.



And there is a little bridge to the next photo. I don't usually have pink Bepanthen ointment, cling wrap and skin tape on my stitching tape but I have use for them at the moment. On Thursday I went to a tattoo parlour to have my birthday gift that my husband gave me. As you might know I love sheep so naturally that was the theme for the tattoo. The photo is taken the same day the tattoo was made so especially the white sheep looks like she's been plucked instead of shearing. :) I'll post a better photo after the tattooed area has healed and the colours have settled. I am pleased with the end result and I don't think I mind having two sheep on my ankle even when I am old granny. Try not to be too shocked about the fact that my leg is as white as a sheet even just after a warm and sunny summer. :D Red hair, freckles and white skin, that's me! ;)


Edit a bit later: I just cleaned the tattoo and took a new photo before applying the Bepanthen. Still looks quite red but it is healing up nicely. This photo is a bit sharper so they look nicer. :)

Autumn exchange and bad news

We had a small autumn exchange with some cross stitchers in Finland. I got this lovely pillow from Jaana. I like it a lot! :) It brightened my quite a dark day. Thank you Jaana.

I stitched a small pincushion to Minna. The chart is a pumpkin from Cindy Mae Designs' "Halloween Quaker Ornaments" and I stitched small candies on the sides. I stitched it with one thread over one on 30ct linen.


Today I had more time than I usually have on Thursdays. I was told that I will lose my job. They said I don't have stay today if I didn't want to and I drove home. My husband and I went to pop by at his parents summer cottage and I took this autumn snap there. It has been a very hard day and I have to say I've cried a few times. I guess I just have to start planning the future and try to get over this. On the bright side I have a huge stash so at least I don't have to stop doing what I really like because of the lesser income, lol... dark humour on this dark day.

Little pumpkins and a birthday present

Me and my friends had a girls' weekend a bit more than a week ago. Or should I say women's weekend since we are all already over 30. :D We have a tight group of five and we all have a birthday in autumn so we decided to celebrate us all at the same time with good food, a lot of talking and some wine. We decided not to buy any presents. I wanted to crochet a few pumpkins so I gave the others one each as an "autumn gift". :)

Here are the little pumpkins on my friends' hands:

My birthday was on 9th of September and on that same day a package arrived from Japan. Michiko had sent me a birthday gift and it's perfect! She had made the cutest little sheep for me herself and she also sent some Japanese Misuya needles, actually a LOT of Misuya needles. :) Those needles are the best there is for cross stitching. They came in a beautiful little wooden box. Thank you Michiko! You made me really happy! :)

I had bad luck with Stitching Bloggers' Birthday Club since the woman who was to send me a present has vanished from the blog world and Edgar hasn't been able to get in touch with her at all. So I didn't receive a birthday gift but Edgar was so kind and promised that I'll get something Angel Stitched later. He really is very kind and doesn't wan't anyone to feel sad or left out.

And I think I haven't told you all what a I got from my husband. I got a tattoo! :) Well I haven't got it yet but he's paying it when I go and get it. Can you guess what I'll get? I'll post a pic when it's done. :)

My "Memories of Summer" postcard to CindyF

Cindy commented on my last post that she had received the card I sent her so I'll show you the picture of it. I stitched Anne les Petites Croix chart "Clin d'oeil d'été" (I have no idea what that means, except été=summer, but the chart is pretty :D). I like it's warm summer day feeling.



And Cindy I think the ruffled edge on your card is great so it proofs that sometimes "accidents" make us even more creative and the result is even better. :) Thank you again for the happy and pretty summer card.

"Memories of Summer" postcard from CindyF

I got a stitched postcard from CindyF. We took part in Pretty Exchange blog's "Memories of Summer" exchange. I like this pretty card and it has a fun ribbon around it. :) My stitched postcard is still on it's way so pics coming later.

So here's the card from Cindy:

Stitched Christmas Card exchange

I signed in to a Stitched Christmas Card exchange at Pretty Exchanges. Rules are that you stitch a Christmas card, both sizes, everything must be stitched, also the text. If you're interested, go to the Pretty Exchanges blog and sign in! :)

I took part in "Memories of Summer" stitched postcard exchange at the same blog and there are pictures of very pretty cards sent all over the world. Mine is on it's way so no pics yet and I haven't received one yet. I'm quite excited about what kind of card I'll get. :)

My miniature garden

I saw a couple of miniature gardens in the internet and they looked cute. I decided to make on myself. I had this planter at our front yard and I dug the wilted summer flowers away and planted a heather and an ornamental kale (which looks like a miniature tree). I left some room in the front for the decorations. I made a little bench from twigs and added small carrots, a watering can, a showel and a rake decorations and this is how it looks like. I wonder how long it will be there before some rascal nicks/wrecks something. :)