Happy New Potato-year!

I recently red in a local newspaper that we can look forward to 366 exciting days in 2008, one of the reasons for that is because UN desided this is the year of the potato! Yey! Wonder what Dr.Atkins would say about this enormous betrayal against "healthy" eating-habits. Coming back to my own eating-habits in a second...

CHRISTMAS 2007

It started out great. Elina looked adorable in her new, red Minnie Mouse dress, the dinner was a success,the tree was decorated, everyone was happy and looked forward to a great christmas...
Then it got even better! I haven't been som exited about a christmas gift since I was 11 (or so), and wouldn't even hope it could be a spinningwheel, even if the box was HUGE! I've been wanting a spinningwheel for quite some time now, and planned to buy a used one while we're on vacation in July. No need for that now..!
I had some trouble in the beginning, but over the next days I managed to make a little ball of yarn, my first one! The picture came out a little dark, but it's a dusty pink/brown/beige shade. The quality isn't much to brag about, but how much fun would it be to start out as an expert?
I even tried to dye som wool myself, using red and purple. I put white, beige/brown and grey wool in the pan before heating it, and got some different shades. But the sad part is that I'm not sure I'll use the wool at all, as it's better suited for felting than spinning. Maybe it can be used in a mixes yarn, with merino? I got my first merino tops today, and I have to say it was very different from the "ordinary" wool I had tried before. I'm pretty sure which quality I'll choose in the future!

I had big plans for the christmas when it came to quilting and exercise. But that was before I got hospitalized with a painful gallstone. It passed in a few days, but I didn't feel to good for days (for some odd reason, sleeping is your first priority when you're on strong painkillers)
I've started to quilt a spring/eastern/hexagon tablerunner which turns out pretty great, I think. But I'm getting even more delayed, as the sewing machine is full of batting, and needs to be cleaned. Hopefully I'll get around to that someday... Now I'm mostly into spinning, I want to learn this! Making my own yarn would be wonderful.

The greatest UFO.

I once loved crazy quilting. it's the perfect way to use my creativity, I love projects where I get to do several different things, and isn't told by a pattern how things are supposed to turn out. Crazy quilting is perfect! You just make a few bocks, find some embellishment you'd like to put on.. and let it develop. I've never had any idea how things were suppposed to turn out, just that it had to be purple, and I wanted to use a lot of beads and buttons.
But it's so slooow! I love the idea of using years and years making a quilt. I just don't love doing it. I have 4 6" blocks for this, and to be honest, I don't think there will be any more.

Merry Christmas!

Feel like becoming a diabetic?

Come have a taste! I kind of went crazy with the frosting for this gingerbread house! But it turned out pretty cute, I think. Luckily this is an once a year-thing, as I'm feeling sick after eating the leftover decorations.

I've got my second card

I've almost been running to check the mailbox as soon as I got out of bed the last days, since I was so curious about the second card I was going to recieve. And finally it came, all the way from Tiriltunge in Tromsø! Check out her blog, she makes some really nice stuff. I love the card, she's been using angelina and tulle, a technique I'm curious about, but never have tried. Maybe this was the inspiration I needed? Thank you for the beautiful card!

They both arrived safely!

Here's the two cards I made during the "christmas card-round", and today I saw both had gotten where they were supposed to! I was a bit nervous, as the cards are soft, easy to fold, and the stamps easily could fall off.

I've got the appliqued figures from a Norwegian book, called "Tildas julehus". It's so inspiring! I had a lot of fun making these, not like last year where I sat down by the sewing machine day after day, without coming up with an idea.

Here's the cards I made last year:

Your Christmas Song Is

Redneck 12 Days of Christmas Twelve-pack of Bud Eleven Wrastling tickets Ten o' Copenhagen Nine years probation Eight table dancers Seven packs of Redman Six cans of Spam Five flannel shirts Four big mud tires Three shotgun shells Two hunting dogs ... And some parts to a Mustang GT. You don't think that 27 strings of Christmas lights are tacky And you swear that eggnog from last year is still good!

What Christmas Carol Are You?

Look what I've got!

At Hobbyboden I've joined a "christmas card round", where a lot of people are sewing cards which are beeing sent to one of the others. I'm supposed to get two, and today the first one came, from Limola
Thank you for the beautiful card!

An early christmas present

I've wanted to buy the Quilting Arts magazine for quite some time now, and finally I did. It's great, but makes me feel like the biggest amateur in the world. People are so creative, have so much stuff they use in a new way that I never could think of! How do they do it? And where do they put all their art quilts? I'm new to this. I've done some crazy quilting in the past (will blog some photos of it soon), but never got my own style, and ended up stealing so many ideas that it ended up like something that wasn't completely mine. And it's slow too. Veeery slow. I'm not to good at bending crazy quilt-rules either, so I think I might make something in the middle. Between mixed media art quilts and (more or less) traditional crazy quilts. The comforting part is that I'm new to this. Maybe I'll develop over the years?
I bought some other small presents for myself too, a couple of rayon threads and top stitch needles. The thread is ment for machine embroidery, but I think it looks great as a quilt thread on smaller works as it is variegated and shiny. The green looks amazing, the other one I'm not to sure about. "Earth tones" can be almost everything!

I hope I get some time and inspiration to create something inspired by these great magazines during christmas.

As for now, I'm baking and cleaning for christmas. Which means I've baked much more than we'll ever manage to eat, and been thinking of and planning to clean several rooms, but haven't done any yet. And still I'm bragging about how I'm not getting stressed! I might say something else when there's not any more room in the freezer and the house looks like hell. (Or MORE like hell) I've been making gingerbread. For me it's the ultimate childhood christmas tradition, and they have to be decorated with frosting! I kind of went nuts and bought a 25 piece cake decorating set from Wilton, several cookie-cutters, some sprinkles (shaped like cows, jewish stars, dinosaures, mickey mouse and pink breastcancer ribbons!) A little childish perhaps, but my baby girl is my excuse. She's going to get a proper (childish and fun) christmas!

Here's a healthy alternative to the hearts above! Looking like this they got to be healty, right?

Countdown

I'm feeling the need to start panicing! The house looks like a mess, and the freezer is packed with different kinds of breads and buns since I have a "thing" for baking at the moment. Christmas is getting closer, and I'm just doing the things I want to do, not the things I should do. I'm spending too much time in stores and the kitchen, and I'm having a great time!

Look at this! So small! Is it the mother-instinct kicking in when I just had to buy them?

I even got to use the sewing machine a little bit! While making some cards I just had to make a few seams, as I felt I haven't got the chance to use it in weeks!