Ylva's crafty corner

 So, above is a closeup of the branch I started with, and below is a picture of what I have done so far. I am quite pleased, considering the gold and red frame has been done since Thursday evening,  and the branch took me quite a number of months...with soo many fractal stitches!!! It is going to be MASSIVE! I was soo looking forward to Christmas, and then hubby got his schedule and realised he is working Christmas...so our Christmas dinner will be on the 23rd, and then we will celebrate our holiday on New Years...at least we will have a few days of holiday together...

Just a quick pic of our view from the living room in the morning:) This is the update on my fox...it is working up very fast and is adorable:)  The finished pic (not the best shot) of the foxes.  A finished Christmas ornie from the same magazine as the foxes.  A finished ornie stitching from one of the JCS Christmas ornie magazines:)

This is my next project, and I am almost finished with the outlines and can start filling in the colors.  I have finished a little robin, but cannot for the life of me find the picture I took...I will add it when I find it...  This is how Pearl and Tara sleep when I go to bed...Tara takes up most of the bed, and Pearl sleeps on my hip...in the morning she comes and sleeps on my tummy...she can sleep for hours on top of me...maybe she feels safe...lol On another note, I have had a brilliant birthday. I got a Kindle Fire, which is something I have wanted since I saw it was going to come out! I have wanted a Kindle for ages, but the Fire which is color and where I can listen to music, books and watch movies, is just brilliant!  I got nice stuff from my family, including some linen fabric for embroidery, and some stunning candle holders... Then we saw Paranormal Activity 4 on cinema - scary movie in bits, and then we went to a Turkish restaurant and ha...

So, I just have to share how much fun I have had over the last two weekends. I did a half day felting course last Saturday, making a picture. I started off trying to do a landscape with heather, which is what I had in my head, but I was not happy with what it looked like when I was putting the wool out, so I removed the landscape and went freestyle. I got a bit of "homework" by the teacher, saying to embellish it and show it today at my second course. So, I did a little bit of embellishing...not as much as I had in my mind, as I did not have any silver beads that I wanted to add to the blue swirl you will see when you see the picture. This means it is a work in progress...lol  Below you can see the before picture of my scarf, before it has been felted. As I was working on it, it felt like it was just getting bigger and bigger, but in the end it turned out just perfect:)  Below is an angel made by our teacher Ulrike. Absolutely stunning!  Isn't this gnome ju...

 I have done a bit more work on the Peacock. I have tons of plans for things to do, but for some reason there is always something in the way. Either I need to do something else, or I do not have any energy or interest in doing anything...I am working on it...:) I started working on my sister's table cloth and realised I YET AGAIN was missing a bit of fabric...not the one I have had too little of 3 times now, but another fabric I thought I had enough of...typical...so...I will have to go next Saturday to get some more...unless I manage to go after work...hubby is doing nights this week, so I won't have to hurry home straight after work, so I might be able to... Hubby 'squashing' Pearl with a nice cuddle...she loves when you put your face on her neck:) This is my latest update on Peacock Tapestry. Almost finished this branch, apart from the back stitching of course. I am trying to work my way to the edge as I would love to work on the border as it works up quicke...

So...these last few months have been a bit tiring for me. Firstly as I started working full time as a medical secretary on 18th June. I am enjoying my job very much, but it has taken time to get used to being busy most of the day, after having spent so many months doing what I wanted (mostly). Now I am getting to the stage when I am not tired all the time. I do however need to get back on track when it comes to crafts. I work 9-5, then go straight home, get changed, take Tara out, come back around 6pm, then it is often time to cook dinner or possibly doing other household tasks...after 7-7.30 when we have had dinner and cleared the table, we both just want to sit down and relax...and once we have sat down it is really difficult to find the umph to get back up and do crafts. I just need to get myself more organised as there are so many things I want to do...Firstly I am going to find a gym that opens early in the morning, and start going to the gym before work. As I have enough to d...

...can be hard sometimes. I did not work full time for 2 1/2 years, and did not do much useful AT ALL apart from crafts...now I am working full time again and wish I had done more...I am now again doing a busy job, and realise how little time is left at the end of day...I am still adjusting to working again, so have not got much done in the evenings apart from resting my back (not used to the running around and sitting at a desk for a long while) and doing the normal household chores... I am feeling that I am getting more used to it, so I should be able to get back to doing crafts soon. I do get things done in the weekend, but I want more hours for crafts... This weekend I am going to finish organising my room, and then I should find it easier to sit down and do things I feel like...when I can actually find the things I want to work with... The weather has been absolute CR*P!!! We have had more rain this summer than I have ever experienced before...I am now fed up with rain. Anyone...

 I finished two blues, and should have really continued with the third, but felt it needed some color:)  Wish I was as bendy as Tara...she made just a little circle of herself...:) I tried to get a good picture of Pearl as she was sleeping with her head right into the blanket, but this is the best I could do. Every time I started the camera she turned her head:)

Can you see at the top where I had to change thread? I think I managed to make it quite subtle:) And I absolutely love the design:) I have a few more in the same style that I will make. You can have them to. Just go to The Workbasket and download them:) Now I am going to prepare myself for my new job, and then continue tidying up the house. Don't want to have to think about cleaning over the next few days as I think I will be exhausted working fulltime again after such a long time (2 1/2 years). I am totally looking forward to it:)

So...today I mowed the lawn, at least the flat bit...I had to mow, then rake, then mow again as it had grown so very much since last. I had planned to do the slope as well, and also cut the long grass along the edges of the fence, but I got so shaky and weird that I had to stop for the day. I realized that I had forgotten my thyroxine this morning...so I really have to remember to take my pills in the mornings... Anyway, I ended up with blisters on both thumbs...I have very sensitive skin on hands and feet so I get blisters way too easily...NO FUN!!!  Below you can see I have started emptying the blister...that normally makes it heal quicker... And, does ANYONE have a clue what flower this is? I found it in the corner of the garden, but have no idea if it is a weed or a flower that has got misplaced a bit...it is very pretty though:) And check out Tara and the crow having a staring match...it is quite funny watching them. This crow comes every single day checking for...