summer time

 It's been a while since my last visit here. My life has been like a whirlwind and i have to admit i am feeling over tired. Hubby and i are leaving friday for a week of sailing and although i feel a bit sad to leave home, this little vacation is going to do me good. We are heading to Brockville, a lovely town in Ontario. We will be staying at the municipal marina and will spend our days swimming, going for bicycle rides, eating fish and chips, and rest,rest. I am bringing some books and magazines to read and of course, yarn, yarn, to do some crochet or knitting.

 Here are some pictures of things i have been doing for a craft event, which, by the way, turned out to be a total disaster. I just felt out of place, even the people passed by booth without even glancing.I seriously wondered if  people were either blind, or maybe i was just invisible...I felt sad, but at least i know i am not going back there. I listed some of the things you see here in my shop today  and i already sold 2 items !

What a relief. My shop has been very, very quiet for the past month. I was starting to worry a bit. These 2 sales cheered me up a bit, i must admit. Well, well, i will not linger here too long, as i have to go fix dinner. I just wanted to pop in and let you know i was still alive. Seems like everytime i come here is simply to let you know i am not dead yet.
I miss taking the time to visit your lovely blogs, will do so when i come back. I want to take some time off and  enjoy  our summer, which is so short here. Of course, I will still work in my sewing room, gotta keep that etsy shop rollin' . I just want to slow down a bit. I need to recharge my batteries.
Hope your week is lovely ♥

Beating the winter Blues

Winter is still very present in my cold country and i am ( or shall i say, we are ) feeling the winter blues. People here are starting to complain. Lacking of energy, we are in great need of sunshine and a bit of warmth. Last friday, we had a beautiful 8 celcius with sunny skies. I almost lost my mind, opening my studio door and shoveling snow off my little balcony. Little birdies were happyly chirping and feeding on sunflower seeds i gladly give them everyday.
This birdie picture was taken this morning as i woke up to a grey thursday. Very different from last friday.
I spent most of my free time ( whenever i am not sewing muffinpies ) knitting mittens by the dozen. I bought some beautiful yarn from several etsy shops this winter . I would love to list several pairs in my own shop, as soon as i can grab my younger daughter and use her as my model. despite the fact that i am longing for spring to be here, my love of knitting is still very present. Even in the summer, you will find me sitting in the shade , doing some knitting projects .

Last week, i found some great vintage bedding sheets in a thrift store. Even my daughter was surprised at how nice they looked. Very shabby and romantic. I am going to make some decorative pillows for my new bedroom to be. Spring is in the air, even if there is still snow And more will come, no doubt. We all have this urge to refresh, clean and decorate our homes.
Wishing you all a happy thursday!

warm mittens for cold winters

After much thought, i decided to list several pair of handknit mittens in my shop . I love to knit mittens, i coud knit all day long. But my main work is to make dolls and the demand is great. So whenever i have a little free time i pick up my DPN's and knit a pair ferociously. I thought i would keep those for myself, but i know i can make some more. Well, at least i have a reason to. ^-^
If you love them , if you are a mitten freak like me, visit my shop, i have 3 pairs so far.

Wishing you all a very happy week end. I think i am going to spend more time indoors, (knitting mabe ?) The forecast calls for very cold days, somewhere between -15 to -25c. Brrr ! Need a cuppa tea ^-^

Tuesday...through the winter window part 3

I woke up early this morning to light a a fire in the fireplace. At 6:45am it was still dark as i took a picture of our little shed. It has been snowing for over 2 days. I am happy because the forecast was calling for rain. I decorated my christmas tree yesterday while listening to old bing Crosby's " White Christmas ". The cat was sleeping nearby and would sometimes look at me and make that funny sound. She does that when she feels happy and cozy. I took these pictures to play with Julie at " tuesday through the window. " You can play too , click on the link for details... I think this is a perfect day for knitting and dreaming.

Granny to be...

I knew it was just a matter of time, for years she had been yearning to become a mommy...Last week we received a call from my daughter Maude. Her voice on the phone was very excited when she told us " that's it ! i am pregnant !! ".... Oh my gosh, i am going to be a granny i thought ...Am i happy ? Considering the picture you see here, it doesn't look so. (laughs)

Of course i am happy !!! Who wouldn't be happy by such wonderful news ?
Maude will turn 24 in april, but as long as i can remember, she wanted to be a mom. So as soon as she graduated from university last year, she went on with her plan. She is a very determined person, when she decides she wants something, she gets it. Along with her boyfriend, she bought her first house while she was still studying at university. Last year they bought a lot behind our house and they will probably start building their new house this summer. It is wonderful, knowing our daughter will live next to us. My first daughter Geneviève ( She and Maude are only 11 months apart ) is studying abroad in Brussels and i miss her everyday. We still have young Anne ( 18 ) living with us, thank God. I hope she wont leave soon, i want to keep her close to me a little bit more. Awww, mommies whatever age the youngest is, we still consider them our little baby. Anyways, can you imagine ?!? I am going to be a granny ? I am so very excited! After i gave birth to my 3rd daughter, hubby ran to the doctor to have his " thing " fixed. :) Was scared i would make more babies. That would have been probably the case. I was very sad, knowing Anne would be my last child. I wished i had 4 or 5. Being a grandmother has its privileges though . And i am lucky my daughter will be so close by. I will have the opportunity to see and love that little thing anytime i want. I am already thinking of all the knitting and sewing projects i want to make. If some of you have some great links on knitting and sewing babies clothes, i would love it if you could share some of them.
I can't wait to show you some pics of my daughter's growing belly. But that will take some time. Baby is due only in mid-october. I'll keep you posted with more details of her pregnancy.

Have a lovely day everyone ♥

I want to take a little moment and wish everyone a very merry christmas. The year went by so quickly, another christmas is here and this time hubby did not have to go away from home. We saw on the news that the east coast of the US had been hit by a huge snowstorm and i crossed my fingers that Hydro Quebec would not have to leave again. I am just finishing wrapping and knitting last minute gifts and will bake some more cookies( gingerbread, crakles and shortbread) this afternoon. Thursday, the girls will be home with me, making doughnuts and sweet breads. I think Christmas Eve is the moment i prefer. After a whole day of baking, the girls will run to their rooms and unwrap their new jammies ( me too ! ) and we will sit in the living room eating goodies, playing games or watching a christmas movie. I love this cozy happy moment admiring our tree and listening to the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.
I hope you will all spend a wonderful time with your loved ones. Savor every moment.

♥ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ♥

quality time

I meant to give some time to my blog this week and i even beleived i would have the time to post in some pictures of things i have been knitting and sewing...Well, well, things do not always work as we wish they would. Hubby started the flu last week end and it got so bad, he had to stay home all week. I thought maybe he was contracting some serious case of bronchitis. So I fed him with homemade soup, herbal teas and made sure he was taking his medicine. He slept a lot...And baby boy manipulated mommy to come and share naps with him...Hum...Did not leave me much time for my projects. I managed to start painting my studio, but there is still much to finish. At least i started... He went back to work this morning, so i have a full day of freedom ! Awww, i am being mean here. He was not so bad, behaved very well actually and i have to see the positive side of it. I spent quality time with him, and i took some time to read ( twighlight ! Great book !! ) cuddled against him while he was napping. Haven't been reading a good book for so long. Last night i was really captivated by this vampire story. I love reading in my bed when the house is asleep and the night is still. Suddenly, i heard coyotes howling and i was convinced they were pretty near my house. I was shivering with a little fear and excitement ! Funny in a way... The howling was a perfect match to my scary, captivating reading.

After i finish this little post, i have to do some more painting in my studio. But i think i will also allow myself some free time this afternoon and finish my book and do some knitting. Next week, i hope my studio won't be such a mess anymore. I really need to get back to my sewing projects...

Hope everyone of you spend some good quality time with your loved ones this week end.

Be good ! :)

p.s. Don't worry, this is NOT my husband !!! Just a funny picture i found on the net. ( Smile )

That's it...Another Christmas has passed and i feel it just flew by so rapidly...I have some difficulties leaving it behind. In fact, all my x-mas decorations are still hanging all around the house, and i cannot get to reason myself and put everything down. I know, i know, just give me a few days, just a few more and i will stop acting like a baby and do whatever has to be done... Going back to " normal life " is always so hard at first, but i guess i will feel better after a while. I have to cheer up thinking i have tons of project awaiting and i have to try and realise some of them before the warm weather comes back. I know as soon as spring is here and all the snow has melted, i will be outside digging new flowerbeds. But that is still far away and in the meantime, i want to reorganize my new studio, paint the kitchen, the ugly bathroom and maybe my bedroom and create some new stuff for my etsy shop. In fact, i should give this a priority. I am not taking my little business seriously enough...Argh, should have not said that...I promised myself a whole day of knitting and now i feel guilty knowing i should be working instead...Hummm...But there is always a tomorow, is there ?

Ok, today some knitting and tomorrow some sewing... Gotta make some bunnies for Easter.

*** Have a lovely day everyone ***

Moving to a new house

My blog is being so awfully neglected and i thought i would drop by and take a short moment to let visitors know i may not be coming as often as i had hoped for. Well, it won't be forever, i plan to give it more time later this fall and i may drop a line here and there in the coming weeks if i can get a free short moment...You see, i just sold my house...YES !!! My husband and I took the decision to move to a new house, even if i still love mine so much. We put a " for sale " sign months ago and had a few visitors, but nothing much was happening lately. I thought i would spend another winter here. But life is always full of surprises...A couple drove by 2 weeks ago, peering at the house. They asked if they could visit and just felt in love. So they made an offer, a very acceptable one and all there is left to do is sign the papers and hand down the keys. We made a conditional offer to another house about a month ago and it is already empty and that is just perfect, as the couple buying our house wish to move before november 1st...Wow !!!
That leaves me little time for packing. I am very excited and a bit sad i must admit. I have so many wonderful memories of my life spend here with my husband and my 3 beautiful girls. I know i will cry when i leave, but i am confident of what the future is offering. And i will have my own studio ! A room to myself ! I can't wait to paint and decorate and make my new place a warm and cozy place to live. So many projects i have in mind... Well, gotta go. I have so much to do... I will try and come back next week. I want to show you my finished kureyon mitts and a hat i have been working on. My knitting is just about the only fun thing i can do when i have a little moment to myself...no time for sewing 'til i get to my new house.
Have a great week end everyone !

Summer days

Summer days are finally here and it feels so good. Yesterday the weather was just perfect and i was driving home with the window down. I was feeling completely happy just by feeling the warmness of the wind and the sweet smell of the fresh cut grass. I live in the countryside and the scenery here never stops to fascinate me. We decided to sell the house because we feel the urge to live in an even more remote area. I want to wake up every morning and see beautiful rolling hills, not collected trash in our neighbour's yard. I am not a hermit, of course, i do enjoy being with people. But i do need my peace and tranquility. My little neighborhood used to be a quiet and pretty place to live in. Unfortunately, over the past years, new people came and things changed. They don't really care for pretty flower beds and cleanliness. Moving away was a hard and painful decision, because i have so many beautiful memories of my life there with my family. But 2 of my daughters left the nest and i feel i am ready for a new beginning.

Sunday is father's day and i decided to offer my little boy hubby a box filled with little surprises. One of them being knitted dishcloth. ( What ?! ) Yep ! He's been asking for some handmades to use at the sailboat. We have a 36 feet Pearson Ketch ( very pretty and comfy ) and we like spending weekends there sailing at the lake and relaxing. Anyway, speaking of knitted dishcloth, i do hope he likes them. The girls at work thought it was a pretty funny gift to offer to a man, but in the end, one even offered to crochet an extra dishcloth for him. I have another one on the needles that is almost finished, so he will have four pretty dishcloths. Spoiled hubby ! I am also working on a decorative pillow ( for the sailboat of course ) and will post some more pictures later for everybody to see. So many things i have been working on this past spring. From knitted socks, to pretty coasters, to sewing lovely dolls, aprons, totes and pincushions. I will try and post all these pretty things i have been working on as soon as possible. In the meantime, i better get on with my day. I have a long list of chores waiting to be done. And that includes cutting the grass. Yuk !

See ya !

.

Sockamania winner !

I could not beleive my eyes ! I needed to take a little coffee break late afternoon yesterday and decided to surf on the net for a little while. Supper could wait , i had a big day and i felt tired. I like to check on the sockamania blog on a regular basis, read members comments and admire the beautiful socks they knit. My eyes set on the first post, it was a new one i had not read yet. It took me a while to realise i was reading the title. " And the winner is................." Oh, I had almost forgotten about the draw ! ( How can i forget that ??!?) My eyes read on, more rapidly, i felt so excited ! I wanted to know who was the lucky winner. Could not be me, never even thought i could win the first time...But there it was, clearly written......blueberries in the fields. I was astounded ! I thought i had read wrong. I had to read again and one more time...What ?!? I won ? Me ??? Can't be ?!? Must be a mistake...Look carefully...My God, it's really me ! I WON !!!!! I DID, I DID WON !!!! I was so excited, so happy and still could not believe my eyes ! I never win in any draw i participate. So this was really an unexpected surprise. I almost felt bad for the others who were hoping to be the chosen ones . I already made my choice of yarn. It is pure cashmere lace named sea blue. The founder of sockamania, Annie has an etsy shop and she gives the winner the opportunity to chose one skein of her luxurious yarn she sells in her shop. I do not know yet what project i will realise, but it has to be something special, something i will love to wear. Thanks Annie !

A fabulous magazine !

For those of you who do not know about this great magazine, I suggest that you try and find a copy. Marie-Claire idées comes from France and has tons of great articles and ideas on decoration, knitting, sewing, crafting and so on. This " exemplaire " just got out on the newsstand, but i am still searching for it in my area. I am really anxious to get my hands on it. My daughter who lives and studies in Brussels bought it last week and she told me there is this sweet crocheted handbag pattern for us to create and i want to give it a try. This is just one of the numerous projects Marie-Claire idées offers. You can read this magazine over and over again and there is always something new to discover. The pages are so colorful, the articles interesting and the craft projects always pretty and accessible to all. I always get my money's worth each time i get a copy of Marie-Clair idées.

A new month !

At last, January is behind us and a new month begins. January has been particurlarly cold here in Quebec and people ( including me ) are having the winter blues. As I sit here, typing and sipping my hot coffee, i look at the grey sky outside waiting for the storm to hit. Yep, another one is on it's way and i am very glad i do not need to go out. I am feeling much comfortable inside with my pyjamas still on (well, it's only 9:20am) and listening to the roaring of the fire in the woodstove. The wind has picked up and the snow will be blowing in no time. I do enjoy snowstorms, as long as i do not have to drive somewhere. I would rather stay home, bake some cookies, knit or sew, enjoying the view outside. I feel like knitting, i have 3 projects on the needles so far and the 4th is coming soon ! Yes ! It's the 1st of the month and i do hope i will receive my sock pattern from sockamania today. I have been checking my mail for the past few days in the hope that i would get my pattern before the end of the month. I know, i can't sit still, when i want something i get very impatient. I bought several balls of fabel yarn from garnstudio and i will probably knit my first pair with one of the colors i bought. Well, it would be unwise not to use any of this soft yarn and buy something else. Before i start knitting those socks, i have to finish my fan and feather comfort shawl which is almost done. ( at last ! )I have only eight rows to go and i just can't wait to see the finishing results ! I will post it next week for you to see. Last wednesday i went to a yarn shop and bought some yarn to knit 2 patterns i fell in love with in a french knit magazine i bought a couple of weeks ago. There are a lot of great patterns and i want to try them all ! My first choices were arm warmers and a hat and scarf. The hat and scarf come as a one piece set (knit together) and it is absolutely lovely. I bought the same yarn the pattern recommends and i love its softness. I will be posting some pictures next week of my work in progress. Today i must ABSOLUTELY sew all the dolls bodies i have been cutting yesterday. I decided to make more raggedy anns ( like the one who was on the Storque spotlight on etsy ) but with an easter bunny costume. I have it all in my head and i think they will be A-DO-RA-BLE !!! I am not tellling anymore, i have to keep it a secret until i post my new dolls up for sale in my etsy shop. There will be more than just raggedies so don't forget to keep an eye open. Should have them ready in a couple of weeks. Ok, i guess work is calling me. if i want to finnish knitting my shawl and continue on my other knitting projects, i 'd better go do my sewing before.

my first shawl in progress