Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Images were found here.

I want to wish everyone a very very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

We are going to visit our extended family in Melbourne so I will take a little break from blogging and will come back with new ideas, pictures and crafts!

See you all in a week! X

Sunday Stash.....on Monday

It's official! My mom is here for a visit and my Christmas time of giving and receiving has started! So for my Sunday Stash (on Monday) I have chosen a few flannel fabrics from my stash:

Sunday Stash fun at 1/4 of an inch

Christmas decorations....

I finally got a minute to decorate our unit for Christmas. We are not going to have a tree but I still decided to hang my Christmas star that I made when I was 12 and some Russian tree decorations...

The star needed a fresh stuffing and some repairs done to it.

I was amazed how messy my first embroidery was at the back and how far I have come in perfecting my embroidery skills. It's nice to be able to look back at your childhood creations. Regardless of the messy back of the embroidery, this start has won me a first prize on the winter cross-stitch competition and I really treasure it. I also made a Christmas bird filled with lavender for the bedroom.

It's raining in Sydney so it's a perfect weather to stay inside and be creative.

Have a creative afternoon!

Inspired by....

On day 16 of Advent Blog-a-long, I was inspired by this picture and decided to use my cross-stitched owl for the wall decoration.

Picture found here.

I made a few owl pictures today.

So, you can find one of them in my shop.

Stamping on pink (Advent Blog-a-long, Day 15)

I tried my new stamp today. I like brown on pink! I think it looks nice and bright. Now, my buttons are ready to go to someone's creative home.

You can never have enough buttons!

Day 14 of Advent Blog-a-long I spent the evening making fabric covered buttons! They are really cute and highly addictive! I love the tiny ones with a small apple or cherry... I also made a few yo-yos and started on more patchwork strings! So, I had a quite productive evening!

Sunday Stash and Giveaway winner....

Thank you so much to everyone who visited and left comments on my "Name me" giveaway! It was hard for me to choose one name among all that great names so i wrote them down and let Mr Plushkin decide. So the winner is...

Congratulations Anna - tillytom.com.au!

Molly the moo cow is perfect name for my first linen toy!

( I will contact you and organise the best way to get the prize to you)

For those of you who didn't win please don't be disappointed as I will have another giveaway in the beginning of 2010.

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This Sunday I've chosen a Spotlight find for my Sunday Stash. I like this colourful birds. They might look nice in an applique.

Sunday Stash fun at 1/4 of an inch

Advent Blog-a-long Day 12, Giveaway extended...

Last few days were really busy with the market. This is the only one picture I have of our stall with Corrie as I forgot my camera at home but I am sure you will see more pictures on her blog soon. I decided to take evening off and just clean my creative space. I will draw a winner of my "Name me" giveaway and post Sunday Stash tomorrow morning so, please, come back tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience!

My creative space...

It's Advent Blog-a-long day 10 and it's a great day to talk about Creative spaces by joining Kirsty's weekly theme.

I like my creative space as it is. It's certainly not a dream space to create in as it's just a corner in the living room. I always have to go through boxes trying to find things but it served me well this year.... However, new year requires assessment of what you take with you from the previous year and what would you like to change or renew. On my wish list is more spacious, bright and organized creative space. I found a few pictures for inspiration

Pictures found on weheartit

Picture found on i heart linen website

and start reading the book that I bought a while ago "Where women create" by Jo Packham.

Make sure you check this website for inspiration too!

What would you like to change/keep in your creative space next year?

Join the creative space fun with Kirsty!

P.S. Only a few days left till the end of Embroidered effects giveaway at feeling stitchy. If you like your embroidery do enter this one!

PP.S. Only 2 days left till I will draw a winner for my "Name me" giveaway! To enter for your chance to win pop over here.

Advent blog-a-long day 9: What's Hot & What's Not

It's Wednesday and time to play What's Hot + What's Not with Loobylu! This week at my place:

HOT

• cute cross-stich charts that I forgot I have and now when I found them I just cannot stop...

• 
• my new computer:) everything is much brighter and happier
• work holidays are just a few weeks away. I cannot wait to go to Melbourne for Christmas and spend some time with my husband's relatives.
• having a huge amount of inspiration and ideas
• a few bibs finished and i am loving the result!

NOT

• pre-washing the fabric before sewing and waiting for it to dry. I just want to start!!

To see other What’s Hot + What’s Not lists simply visit the Loobylu blog

P.S. Only 4 days left till I will draw a winner for my "Name me" giveaway! To enter for your chance to win pop over here.

Advent blog-a-long day 8: getting ready

It has been a hectic in my craft studio today, finishing the cross-stitched appliques and sewing in preparation for Allie's Attic which is just around the corner. In fact, it is this Saturday! Please be sure to stop by and check it out. It is a great place to get all your Christmas shopping done:)

That's what I made today:

I've got all my cross-stiched labels made, packed and ready to go. I also started a few bibs. I decided to combine linen and cotton to make them reversible.

Remember to enter my "Name me" giveaway, just pop over here.

Thank you again everyone who already entered.

Advent blog-a-long day 7: Cross-stitching tips 2

I love cross-stitching and for me it is a great learning curve. I posted before a few tips here and today I decided to dedicate another post to this topic.

Here are a few hints from CrossStitcher magazine that I found quite useful:

• always photocopy your chart and mark off each square with a highlighter as you stitch. It helps to avoid the mistakes. I never do this as I was stitching since I was 12 but it's a great tip if you're a beginner.
• stitch faster by completing just the first arm of the cross-stitch to begin with. Once it's done, you will be able to complete the second arms without having to look at the chart, saving you valuable time.
• To make a great decoration for the Christmas tree use a plastic canvas. It's easy to stitch on but a little bit more expensive then Aida cloth.

CrossStitcher website is great source of stitching tips:

"To keep your stitching looking as neat on the back as it does on the front, work a row of your bottom half stitches first (///), then go back and work your top crosses (\\\). This won't just give neat, short lines on the back of your work but it will save thread too!"

Happy stitching!

Wishing you a pleasant start to the week.

Remember to enter my "Name me" giveaway, just pop over here.

Thank you everyone who already entered. I love all the names and ideas.

"Name me" GIVEAWAY

I've been trying to get ready for the Allie's Attic market that will be held next week. It's the first market that I am going to participate in with the lovely Corrie, who is kindly inviting me along. I made cross-stiched appliques that are easy to attach (just peel of the paper at the back and sew on!) to anything and will add a handmade touch to the simple top, dress or bag. Here is the picture of the few of the designs:

I've chosen the charts from one of the French books that I have and I stitch them on linen cloths so they match most of the fabrics. This appliques are going to be in my shop next week too.

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I mentioned earlier on my Hot & Not list the linen toys that i made last week and here is the picture of one of them.

I love this cow with green felt spots! It does not have a name yet, so if I decided to call my giveaway

"Name me" GIVEAWAY.

So the rules are simple! Leave a comment with the name that you think will be the best for my linen cow and what would you sew my cross-stitched appliques on. I will draw the winner on Saturday 12th after 4pm Sydney time.

The prize is the one applique of your choice and surprise fabric fat quarter!

My place and Yours: Wherever I lay my hat, That's my home

I did not have to think long for this week's theme at Meet me at Mikes. I knew straight away what makes the place I live in, my home:

• Cute blue elephant that I had since I was 12. It needs a new stuffing but it's a part of it's character that I do not want to change. It reminds me of my childhood and home.

• The mouse that I bought during my first trip to China and it's being traveling with me ever since.

• my photo album with pictures from back home. I've got a few that I treasure the most like the pictures of me as a child. I am particularly careful with those black & white ones that I won't be able to print again. Pictures are a great way to bring your past into your present.

The last and the most important thing is my family. My home will always be the place where they are. Unfortunately, I have two homes at the moment as my mum is still in Russia and I started my family here in Australia. It's a wired feeling not belonging in a place like Sydney as I am sure a few people out there will understand.

What makes your place your home? Pop on over to Pip’s and join in!

Sunday Stash....

For the last week I bought a few new fabrics that I just love!

My favourite one is Atelier Akiko fabric that I just had to buy (it's on Sale too)!

I also bought Atelier Akiko Double Gauze to match. They will look perfect together. I think I will use Double Gause for a lining or use both fabrics to make patchwork placemats.

There is more where it came from! Have a look at Corrie's shop here.

Sunday Stash fun at 1/4 of an inch

My Creative Space...

Not having my camera with me this week almost stopped me from posting about my creative space, but I thought using my phone camera might work....

My creative space this week, a mixture of embroidery (just started) and hand stitched strings (2 finished).

A lovely stash of fabulous magazines for ideas.

Fabric strips are waiting to be stitched in more patchwork strings and bias tape.

Join the creative space fun with Kirsty!

What's Hot and What's Not on a cold day in Sydney

Second day of the Advent Blog-a-long and it’s time for the What's Hot and What's Not at Loobylu.

HOT

• Linen kids toys. I made a few at my creative space this weekend. I will post some picture later during the week as my camera, as well as my husband, is in Hong Kong for a few days.
• Christmas gifts making then giving and receiving! I asked for a few nice things in my letter to Santa...
• Cold first day of summer
• The end of Movember! Our pilots at work look normal again:) Some of them looked pretty weird I should say.
• New fabric in my stash and ready to be posted for the Sunday Stash. I shamefully did not post Sunday Stash since Sunday 15th. Oh, that’s probably the start of What’s NOT section...
  
  NOT
• Missing my husband and my camera.

dreaming about white Christmas....

Pictures found on weheartit

I love white Christmas and not having it for almost three years now, makes me feel really sad especially a few weeks before this special day. I miss crispy air and trying to stay warm with a huge mug of tea. I'm looking forward to the winter more than I ever have done in the past...

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I've joined the 2009 Advent Blog-a-Long at Carrose Creations! So I made the commitment to blog every day for the 24 days leading up to Christmas - starting on December 1st.

I plan on more shop updates, inspiring pictures and creative days posts..... Come along and join Advent Blog-a-Long here.