September almost over

Well, it's been about a month since my last post - but atleast Blogger seems to be playing nice again (I had some huge problems uploading my pictures last time, but - although it took some time - last night it seemed to work ok).

Fall has arrived in Oslo - and the mornings have become slightly colder for each week. There hasn't been much going on on the crafty side, mostly work, work, and work for me (actual getting paid for work - not fun, crafty-work that is). Hopefully things will calm down a little now, for all of us at work.

Yesterday I went into town and brought my camera. The fall colours have started to appear, and there are some pretty shades of colours all around these days. Give it a couple of more weeks, and the entire world (or so it seems) will have changed colour.


Like this bush - most of the leaves are still green, but I managed to find this cluster of leaves turning deep red.


And if you look up, you'll see lots of green, but also alot of yellow and orange.


Now, there are still some late bloomers on the rosebushes here and there..


And even some red berries amongst the green and yellow. Don't know what these berries are, though, so better not eat them. ;)

For the guild meeting in August I brought with me 4 UFO's to register for the UFO Lottery (it's a kind of challenge, register some of your UFO's and complete them by the last meeting before Christmas, then you get a lottery ticket for each completed no-longer-UFO, and you can win a prize). Well, the four UFO's I brought with me, are pictured below - in very non-good pictures (but I'd rather save the better pictures for when they are done).


The first one is "Annie's Calendar Quilt". All blocks were done, and sewn together, but I'm a little lost regardig the quilting and finishing of the wall hanging. I mean, it's gorgeous and all that, very naïve and pretty, and I like the colours I have chosen in the fabrics, but - yes - a little lost..


Then comes the first Christmas present of 2008. I actually finished the stitching on this piece back in.. what was is.. March? And ever since, it's just been laying there. I still don't really know how to finish it, but I know - sort of - what it's supposed to become, when completed.


And then we have the needle-book. I really need this one - and I have an idea of how I want it to function, when completed. So far, only the stitching on the to-be front has been finished.


And then we have the big one.. my "Winter Wonderland". I had the pattern shrunck to about 70% of the full-size (I seriously do not need another huge quilt) and I'm thinking about skipping
the stars around the edge (again, it gets too big..) but I need to finish this.. It's been "in pieces" - but most of the stitching was complete - since some time back in March-April 2007.


Otherwise, we have been invaded by plushmonsters! Just look at M's bookcase! And these are just a few of the monsters that keep appearing in our - well - rather tiny apartment. There are limbs and teeth and eyes all over the place! Kinda scary, isn't it? ^-^


I've been knitting a little again now - about a year since I started these wrist mittens (they're called pulsvarmere - pulse heaters in Norwegian, to be worn around the wrists, and they actually help keep your hands warm). Not a very good picture, I know, but they are knitted in black yarn, and the beads are bright green.


Following the knitting frenzy, here are a couple of "ladies" who will - if she wants them - be off to a friend of mine when they're done. Again, black yarn and bright green beads (I really like these beads.. as if you didn't get that). So, I think you know who you are - and I hope you like them. ^-^


Oh my, forgot to flip this last picture.. oh well, you see what it is anyway, don't you? It's the October block for the "Sunbonnet Sue Calendar Stitchery" (no, not the official title, but you get it, right?). I'm a little ahead of schedule on this one - October doesn't actually start for another couple of days, but I really like these little stitcheries - I'm making them on slightly yellow fabric, and the thread is a light brown silk thread. I have plans for the borders and finishing fabrics, but I won't show you until it's time. ;p


Another finish this last month is the Crabapple Hills "Halloween Town" block no. 9 (no, I have not completed 9 blocks, I decided to start on block 9). There are a total of 12 of these incredible detailed houses - all done in black - and I _think_ I'd like to finish them all, but for now they are a just-for-fun and not-a-priority project. For some reason, working with black only is a little more boring then working with red only or brown only. But, I do like the design and the effect it has on these houses - and I'm imagining a good excuse for attacking the all mighty box of Halloween fabrics I've been collecting and saving.

Otherwise I'm thinking and planning - and being a naughty Elf - towards the SSCS. I have made some decisions, and I hope the people who receive them will be happy. Yes, people! But I won't say anything - you'll have to wait. ^-^

Toodles! for now - hopefully things will calm down a little, so the next post won't be 24 days away. :)

The long, awaited post..

Yup, finally, after about two days trial and error (me trying - Blogger crying "error error") we've finally come to an agreement, and I've been allowed to upload a couple of pictures. Finally.

So what's been going on for the past few weeks (yes, it's actually been weeks since my last "real" post, believe it or not)? Well, I've been working, yes, real work, like getting up at 5:15AM, getting home somewhere between 4:30PM and 6PM, tried to go to the gym (*gaaah*), tried to get some fun, crafty work done, watched alot of DVD's (we're currently watching season 9 of The -Files and a couple of other shows when the mood says so - completed both season 8 of said series and season 3 of Deadwood) and just tried to enjoy and relax a little.

The picture above is actually taken while waiting in line to get in to the StarWars 3D simulation ride at Disneyland Resort : Paris. I guess it kinda shows how I've been feeling lately (all work and no play). It's so strange, it's only been, what, a month or so - perhaps 6 weeks since we came back from vacation, and already it feels like it's been ages, months..

Like here - outside the Sacre-Couer, watching the sun set, waiting for the fireworks to light up the sky (little did we know at the time, that the fireworks could be seen from the other side of the hill..). Oh well, atleast we got to watch a great sunset, and spend some time with about 1 000 strangers all enjoying themselves. :)

A week later - almost, I think it was 6 days later - we were up in the mountains in Provence, sitting on the terrace of a small restaurant together with my uncle and two younger cousins. The veiw was absolutely magnificent! I'm having some problems understanding that this was only 6 weeks ago.. it feels like an eternity - but at the same time as if it was only yesterday.

On the crafting front, I have finally finished something that's been a part of my life for the last 6 months. Yes! I finally finished Truly Scrumptious!!! And it's gorgeous! It's huge! And we have no room to hang it! :D (Well, the last is sad but true, but! When we move and get a bigger place, this baby is going up on the wall. Def.)

It's so huge you can almost hide our playhouse behind it (see, in the picture - the playhouse was built by my grandfather for my sister to play in when she was little). It's in the middle of my parents' garden, and is now used to store things in. I love the little light my father has put outside the house, though, it was really pretty in the darkness of the nights.

I've loved every stitch, every colour (even the pinks, and I really really do not like pink..) and the way the fabrics and the threads matched so perfectly. My mom - who's very helpful and holds it up for me to get a picture, you can barely see her - was so kind and helped me finished it by stipling/machine quilting it for me. The details in the blocks and the fabrics are so incredible, so both she and I decided that less is better when it came to the quilting.

I didn't tell anyone - or show anyone - besides my mom, one of her friends and my BF (and Natalie, the designer of this gorgeous piece of art) until the guild's first meeting after the summer. For the first time (ever!) I stood up during show and tell and held up something I'd made. (Just for the records, I hated it - I absolutely hate being in the focus like that, and my hands were shaking when I finally sat down..) It was exciting to have so many come over to see it more closely (the quilt, that is, not my shaking hands..) and asking questions.

During said meeting one could register UFO's for the lottery (you register your UFO's, finish them by the last meeting before Christmas, and show them at the meeting). I registered four (4) UFO's and have decided to try to finish them all by December. I'm thinking about making a new post, to kind of present the four, and the work that's left on them - and perhaps a closer follow-up on their process - if (IF IF IF) Blogger wants to play. Anyway, I've updated to UFO-list on the right side of the blog to include the four (a better presentation will come, sooner or later).

Now I'm in a so-called past TS-downtime period. I'm not sure what I want to do next.. but I need (I crave) something to keep my hands busy. I went by Panduro yesterday (a great crafts shop here in Oslo/Norway) and found some things I want to work with - some day. Perhaps I'll start making more stuff for Christmas - like for my SSCS-victim - I really should start soon. Very very soon.. hmm..

Preparing for a new post..

This morning I figured that I could make the preparations for the new post that's been haunting my mind for the past week, so that _maybe_ just maybe I'd actually write it. So I turned on my laptop (the stationary has been plugged out for the past couple of weeks, out of pure lazyness), opened my blog, started a new post, and clicked the button for uploading pictures. 10 minutes later I got an error message saying something like "Lost connection to *somethingsomething*".

So much for thinking ahead of time. :p

Oh well, I guess I'll do a new attempt tonight, when I come home. It all depends on the possibility of overtime actually - if it's a no-show again, I'll go home and blog, if it's a late night, I might just work, go home, eat and go to bed. Time will tell..