First Card of My Own - to the First Friend

Now I feel brave enough to try my hand in card making. Working with cardstock is different than I imagined, there are some tricks, and I learn them as I go. Here is the first...

Design by Joan Elliott



As it is the first of the kind, and the first of a kind can never be sold or exchanged, - a personal belief of mine - I gave it to the first friend I made in the USA, my host mother Jo. Jo and I have known each other for 16 years, and through the years she has been supportive, kind, and true. She is my role model, and I only hope to be more like her as I get older.


A RAK Giveaway

Today I signed up for for a RAK giveaway... " RAK" stands for Random Act of Kindness, it is hosted by Chris (Always Smiling) on her blog. My first signup...Visit Chris on her page and read the details!

Out with the Old, In with the New Year's goals

Looking back,  I can honestly say that in the past year I have stitched more and finished more projects than in the previous five years. Let's see...
Celtic Summer
Heart Sampler
Breast Cancer Awareness project
Advent Calendar (finished - and used for the first time!)
Mother Goose pillows and toy (beak repaired, pillows stitched - finally)...

Plus, of course, there were many, many small projects... Stitching-wise, it was a good year.

 Quite a few of these achievements were possible because my sensitive and loving husband got me a sewing machine for Christmas. Having this tool has brought a new dimension to the whole stitching process. Now I can make things that are useful and practical, not just decorative.

In the new year, I plan to...
Make hand stitched post cards
Continue developing my Etsy shop
Make three presents for my online blogger friends - I made promises, so - gotta keep them...
Finish a Victorian House stitching project
Stitch Celtic Lady Autumn

In addition to that, I also hope to find a job, but, given the situation of our economy, I am starting to accept that for a while I may have to be content with the role of Susie-homemaker.

Finally, today we had some people from the electric company show up and replace all our light bulbs and lighting fixtures with the ones that are "more energy efficient." Now that I see them burning I understand how these save energy - they are incredibly dim. Our rooms are so dark that I can neither stitch nor read. I went to the closet and wanted to put the old bulbs in when Joe reminded me that the nice gentlemen from the company took all the bulbs with them... And all this time I was wondering what the catch was...



Autumn Biscornu



Summer Biscornu

Cackle, Cackle, Mother Goose...

Some time ago I purchased in the thrift store a soft toy - Mother Goose. When looking at her, I thought of my unfinished project - Mother Goose squares that were stitched some six years ago, intended to be but never turned into pillows. I brought her home and put her away until later - that is, until I could finish my pillows...
For Christmas, my loving and caring husband got me a sewing machine - a dream come true! Right after I figured out the basics, my first project was Mother Goose pillows. Stitching was surprisingly problem-free, and soon I, with the help of my Executive Pillow Stuffing Supervisor (daughter Rita), had a set of four pillows.
I washed Mother Goose and - oh, no! Her beak ripped and fell off... Rita looked at me and asked, "Doctor, will she make it? " That is how I made my first soft toy repair - I made a new beak for Mother Goose. Consdering that I had no idea what I was doing, I think it was not so bad. Except, maybe, the choice of material - but I did not have any yellow, and it matched the backing of the pillows.

Here is the pic of the final outcome of this experiment....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! My holiday mood is running late this year, so instead of words let the pictures tell the story....

The Advent calendar - stitched some time ago and  - finally - framed in felt with the help of my daughter Rita.

A Star - Christmas decoration, one of several, on our tree. When on his first Christmas my son, then nine months old, dropped and broke his first glass ornament, I realized that glass decorations were not in our future for a while. Without unbreakable ornaments, the only other option was - hand-made decorations. The first year, my tree was decorated with pompoms made out of wool. Over time, I collected more hand-made items.  By the way, for anyone who asks about a strangely bent corner  - this star is not ripped or damaged, it's "vintage"... That's right, vintage.

Another decoration - Santa Claus begging for work... Funny and, given the current job situation, quite contemporary.

Vera made this doll from construction paper.

Merry Christmas!

No Coffee, No Company...

Over the past three weeks, I have been working near the town center. In the afternoon, during my lunch hour, I usually go to Rite Aid, pick up something to eat, and then go over to the coffee shop for a cup of hot cider or tea. My schedule is always the same, day in and day out, and I find particular comfort in its predictability.
However, today was different. After making my usual stop at the Rite Aid, I went over to the coffee shop. No sooner did I find a seat, the barrista asked me if I wanted anything. I said not just yet, and opened my snack. No more than a minute later another gentleman came up from behind the coffee counter and asked me if I wanted anything. When I once again said "not now, thanks," he announced to me that what they had here was a place of business, and if I did not plan to buy anything, I should not be sitting there.
Ironically, the name of the coffee shop is "Coffee and Company." It seems that, if you don't pay for their coffee, they don't want your company...
Later in the day, after work, I witnessed the same attitude from a coffee stand owner at the library, this time towards somebody else. A young boy was standing by the counter looking at drinks and sandwiches. The owner asked him if he wanted to buy anything. When he said no, she told him not to stand there.
While I understand that we all have to make a living, I can't stop thinking that the attitude of all these sales people is just plain rude! Nothing, not even financial stress and poor economy, can excuse this rude behavior. Besides, it is during the harder times when one's true colors show. It turns out that behind these barristas' friendly smiles, behind all the comfy and cozy decor there is nothing but commercial interest.
Merry Christmas!  

The Anti-Blogging blog post

It has been a while since I have visited my English blog - it seems like no one reads it anyway, or, at least, iti has been a while since I have read any new comments. So, I turned to other things, among them - blogging in my Native language. Still, once in a while I come by and do an update or two, rearrange some sections and add some pictures -you know, the regular maintenance that is due.
Several.... weeks(?) ago I noticed that my Slideshow from Picasa needed some attention. Some pictures did not show ( arrived as black boxes), others were duplicated. I went to Picasa and first of all did some cleaning and organizing. I selected the pictures I wanted, deleted others, added some new ones. Then, I deleted the existing slideshow album and added the New and Improved one. Saved the changes, did the preview - and... surprise!?!?
Perhaps the excess of emotion is not justified, but... My slideshow was fine, clicking away just the way I wanted. All my other pictures from the ENTIRE blog were gone - they appeared as blank boxes with a terrifying red X in the left corner. I frantically clicked "undo", but it was too late... my pictures are gone.
When I went to the Help screen, it described the problem for me and suggested it is because of changed "privacy" settings in Picasa - yes, I made the new album and made it public - but offered no resolution... I sighed, re-aploaded the two pictures for the latest entry, and then it occured to me that I could not possibly go through two years of blogging and reload all the pictures. I have a choice in the matter - I can either go forward and keep "plugging away" without restoring the past, or - I may just "close doors" of this one. I have not decided yet. I want my readers' input. So,what do you think? Post a comment with your suggestion under this blog entry. I will decide for myself, of course, but your opinion will play a part in my decision.