Uusi blogi on avattu / I have a new blog

Olen pitkän hiljaisuuden jälkeen avannut uuden blogin, jossa bloggaan elämästä suomalaisena Englannissa. Käsitöitä en unohda, mutta ne eivät ole blogin pää painopiste.
Tervetuloa lukemaan tarinoita piilomökistä.


After a very long time being quiet I've started a brand new blog. Unfortunately at least for the beginning I'm blogging only in Finnish. There will be plenty of pictures. The main focu of my blog won't be on crafts, don't worry they are still there, but on my life as Finn in England. Welcome to follow Tales from Hidden Cottage!

Muutto

Muutin tällä viikolla Suomesta tänne Hampshireen Englantiin ja sen myötä olen päättänyt palata bloggaamaan. En kuitenkaan tämän saman otsikon alla vaan ihan uudessa blogissa. Ilmoitan osoitteen tässä lähi aikoina.

Since I've written here last a lot has happened and now I've even moved country. I moved from my home country to Hampshire UK. I've decided to make a return to blogging and in a few days I'll let you know the address of my new blog.

Giveaway at Snowflower Diaries

http://thesnowflowerdiaries.blogspot.fi/2014/05/giveaway.html

X's finished year 2013

I have managed to finish this year quite a few things thus I can't showcase all of them to you yet as they haven't been seen by the persons who are to receive them. But some I can.

 First Teresa Wentzler's freebie design Futurecast. I stitched this pretty little thing using some speciality threads and beads. This was stitched as a birthday present.

I participated in a spring exchange and stitched in it design that was originally by Tralala but I did alter the colours and didn't stitch the sampler border to it. I did finish it as a flatfold, I do enjoy doing them.

I managed to finish a long overdue WIP, well it was at UFO state at one point don't know why though since the design is pretty, well I guess there must have come a prettier design....

The pretty passionflower is designed by Diane Machin and the design can be found from 201 issue of Cross Stitcher. Fabric I used on it isn't at all your normal stitching material but the threads are countable and I loved the colour.

Early in January I managed to finish one of last year's bigger WIP's, Teatime by DMC

This lovely floral design is by Lucie Heaton and it can be found from The World of Cross Stitching issue 192. I finished in a lid of a box and gave as a birthday present to dear friend.

Lovely Newton had been on a UFO-state for far too long, until I heard of a Newton crazy CS friend, and so I stitched him and gave him to brighten up a friend's day!

This little Wee Hieland Coo was a heart-breaker. Still looking for loving home...

Inspiration box's design was a freebie from an Italian blog here, threads I used  for it are the hand dyed threads by Nina's. It really makes me happy every time I glance at it.

 

Last but not least, Miss Paris by C'mon Monde. Lovely fresh little piece, a bit too much black for my liking but very chic!

Hei kaikki ihanat ihmiset

Pitkään pitkään on täällä ollut ihan hiljaista. Se ei tarkoita ettenkö mitään olisi tehnyt, en vain ole jaksanut blogia päivittää. Nyt yritän, siis YRITÄN parantaa tapani. Tänään pistin tänne uuden ulkoasun, katsotaan saisinko vaikka jo torstaina lisäiltyä kuvia kaikesta mitä olen aikaan saanut ( ja muistanut kuvia ottaa...).

Syitä hiljaisuuteeni on useita. Yksi suurimpia lienee se että painin tällä hetkellä päivittäin selkäkipujen kanssa. Minulla todettiin reilu kuukausi sitten lannerangan fasettinivelten nivelrikot. Fysioterapeutti, jolla pääsen käymään vielä kerran ( hurraa Suomi ja Lahti ja huisin upea :( ilmainen terveydenhuolto!!! ) totesi että ala- ja yläselkäni ovat kuin eri ihmisen. Yläselkä on jumissa ja alaselkään on ehdoton venyttely- ym kielto, on kuulemma yliliikkuvin ja notkoin mitä hän on nähnyt... No kai kaiken mitä minä teen täytyy mennä ääripäiden mukaan! Selkääni on tähän mennessä vain röntgenkuvattu, kuukauden sisällä olisi tarkoitus mennä magneettikuviin, kiirehän kenenkään mielestä asialla ei ole. Verikokeilla testattiin sellainenkin kuin HLA-B27, vielä en ole tuloksia kuullut. Tukivyötä käytän kun joudun pidempään pystyssä olemaan. Särkylääkkeet, iso kasa sellaisia, ovat osa päivittäistä elämääni.
Kiitos selän kiukkuilun, ei minulla enää ole pientä karvaista seuralaista, Neiti Koira muutti pois. Hän on kyllä vielä olemassa, mutta ei enään osa minun päivittäistä elämääni.
Myös ihmissuhderintamalla kuohuu...

Olen päättänyt elää jokaisen päivän kuin se olisi viimeinen!!!

Victorian goes Malawi

As it was 3rd Advent Sunday yesterday, it was time to open one of my calendar packages from Outi again. (There's still two left! )

But let me show first what I did for Outi for the 5th package. I stitched a small, about 14 cm in height, stocking. It might be a stocking but not very Christmas type of stocking. The model is from Blackbird Designs, Victorian Sampler. The thread I used is by Nina's, lovely color called Malawi. For the finishing touch I used Nina's lace as well which had the same shades of blue with brownish color as well, Persian Dance.

Victorian Sampler by Blackbird Designs
Thread: Nina's Malawi
Lace: Nina's Persian Dance

Stocking behind,
Background fabric being "plain" blue.

Here's all that Outi got from me on Sunday. Little decorative red sock, Mill Hill kit for beaded ornament, Regia Tweed yarn (in blue), fabrics and the stocking.

Kuva "lainassa" Outin blogista

And, oh mine, now I'll show what I got!! She has really been spoiling me with the prettiest ornaments ever.
Now I got a little ornament with dog and cat (how appropriate for me, such a cute little doggie!), + pink ribbon, pins, "Keep Calm" clothes pins, beads, starshaped buttons...

Stitched by Outi
Decked Out for Christmas by Vermillion Stitchery

Sometimes it really blows me over, why do we have to do all the cleaning and organizing for Christmas time? But well since it's needed, I organized a bit too. Got myself instead of my huge (and very unpractical) toolbox some Curver and Tactics boxes for my threads (needless to say that need a box or two more...)

Not all of us are stressed because of Christmas, some of us couldn't care less and are rather easy-going and lazy even :D

Gingerbreadman decorating the tree

Oh yay me!!
Finally managed to finish one of the decorations I've been working long time on. Would have never guessed that stitching on perforated paper is so difficult. Well in fact the stitching itself wasn't difficult but the needle kept dropping, *sighs*. So it was rather time consuming. And I have yet another ornie to finish as well..
Instead of using perforated paper on backing as well as instructed I used metal paper to add a bit of shine.

The ornament is Gingerbread Friend from An Elf Babies Collection by Brooke's Books, stitched on perforated paper, using recommended DMC threads and the beads that came with the kit.
Oh, it differs from the original with missing the hat which i didn't like :D

Taustalla aito 70-luvun vihreä keittiökaapiston ovi.
Ei mitään "retroa"!!

In recent copy of The World of Cross Stitching there came a freebie gift from a new, well not a new since they have all sorts of things in paper crafting, designer. I just had to stitch the little cutie!
I stitched it on patterned shiny linen by Dovestitches. so the blue things you can see on the fabric are not stains but snowflakes or stars. I used the yarns recommended on the design except for metallics I used Anchor's silver metal thread and the silver French knots I substituted with DMC metallic beads, color 647.
As a finishing I attached it on a pillow cover that I made for this purpose. With the help of a friend the finishing was left to be a bit of rustic and the fraying of fabric is seen.

Tyynyn taustakangas on kangasta jota viime vuonna tilasin
joulun aikoihin Jotexilta.

Design: Decorating the Tree
by: Lili of the Valley
(compliment gift at WOCS 2012)
Stitched on patterned opalescent linen