Goals for 2008 and a challenge!!

Today I have added this badge on my sidebar. Hanne have made it for and she is so kind sharing it with us. This will be one of my goals for the next year. I have to use from my stash. I have to reduce my stash. I NEED TO REDUCE MY STASH

January will be my month of finishing WISP's (Work In Slow Progress) . I read Kims big plans of having a "January - finish it up month" and I decided to join her in doing this. I have too many projects in my sewingroom that needs to be finished. But I still have to take care of my shoulder so I'll concentrate of the small WISP's I got. And I know it will feels so good to have something finished.

And while thinking of this I decided to make a challenge out of it. Who finish the most WISP's in january ?? The rules are that it has to be something "old", started in 2007 or earlier :) And you have to finish it before january 31th. And you have to blog a photo of the WISP before you start working on it and when you have finished it. And report it to me. I've decided to make a post in my sidebar that links to my finished projects, perhaps you can do it too??

And finally I'll give a prize to the one that finish the most WISP's. I do not know what it will be yet, but one thing is for sure; if you join this challenge you all will win the prize of feeling satisfied over finishing many WISPS. If it is more than one with the same amount of finished WISP's I'll draw one winner. So girls...........do you join this challenge????

Saying for today:

Ask not what your fabric can do for you,
but what you can do for your fabric!!

Happy new year

These christmas days have gone so fast. Tomorrow it's new years eve. A new year is waiting for us. A new year with new thread, new stitches and new colours. I want to thank all of my bloggerfriends for your company during 2007. It have been a pleasure to visit your blogs. All the inspiration, joy and fun we have shared.

So to all of you my dear bloggerfriends

I wish you all

I look forward to meet you again in 2008.

My sewingroom have been occupied as a guestroom this christmas. But today I have removed the bed and put up my sewingmachine again. So next year will be starting with my dear sewingmachine.

But I've done a little stitching. I've finished my Peace and Plenty which I started on the class with Leanne Beasley. So I hope to add the border around it now when I've unpacked my sewingmachine again. But I have no frame yet so I won't get it up on the wall before I have bought that. I love this stitchery and know exactly where to hang it in my house.

And when this stitchery was finished I started on some small stitcheries. I bought this pattern from Jordbærstedet and I had traced all stitcheries so they was ready to be worked on while my sewingroom was occupied. I have done six out of twelve small stitcheries and there is also one big to do. It is a adventcalender, but I want to use it as a wallhanging for next christmas. OMG this means I very very very early for next years christmasplans .......yoooohoooo!!!!! Here are photos of the six small stitcheries I've made so far.

Saying for today:

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up

late on New Year's Eve.

Middle age is when you're forced to.

~Bill Vaughn

I must have been on Santa's nice list

I think this is the first day this christmas I've had time to relax and wear my pyjamas all day. Have had visitors every day since last saturday. So today I've enjoyed browsing through all blogs (sorry not commenting so much, but there were too many unread blogs now) Promise to be better at commenting in the new year. And I've had time to look thoroughly at my christmaspresents and get some photos of them.
Looks like Santa had put me on the nice list this year. I got soooooo many beautiful quilty presents.

Even if you don't believe me (I have been teased a lot of being so curious LOL) I managed not to open my SSCS present before christmas eve when we were all together celebrating christmas. Cherry from Cherry House Quilts was my secret santa.
And look what I got from her. A beautiful quilt made of handkerchiefs, Moda charms and a lovely journal (which my DD claimed as hers LOL). This has been fun, so thank you Donna for organizing this Secret Santa swap. I want to join next year too. Donna has posted photos of all the presents that have been sendt all over the world, so visit her blog if you want to see them.

Have you noticed I love boxes!!! And this year two of my quilt friends gave me these beautiful boxes. I love them, and they will be filled with quilt projects, thread, buttons or something like that.

This is what my DD har bought me. A bobbinsaver which I really needed, some buttons and this beautiful box which I will fill with all my thread. So now I can throw away my ugly plastic box which keeps my thread right now. She knows how to please her mother :)Nadine had made me this georgious threadholder. I love it!!!! I've already thrown away the plastic bag which was in my sewing bag. Now I can bring the thread in this purse to the next quiltmeeting. By the way Nadine..........the day you arrives to me we are going to my quiltgroups january quiltmeeting !!!!

Nancy gave me this beutiful placemat and star. And from her cat Gizmo I got a notepad. He has been very clever out bying this for me :) I love the shape of this placemat and I know I have the floral fabric somewhere in my stash. I got that from Nancys mother some time ago. So I want to make more placemats like this. If you visit her blog she have a very good tutorial of making hearts.

And look at all the other quilty goodies I got. My DS bought me Tildas newest book. I got a beautiful kit with fabrics and pattern that my friend Bjørg had designed. I got Tilda stitcheries and another pattern.

From Hanne I got this beutiful fabric (I love it!!!!) and a stitchery.

Laila had made me this beautiful little purse. I'm already using it. And more japaneese fabrics from my friends Anita and Sølvi. These fabrics will be perfect for the class I'm going to first weekend in february when Nadine is visiting me.

So it looks like I've been a nice girl this year. Lucky me receiving all these beautiful quilty presents.

I have done a little stitching these christmasdays. I'll show you in my next post.

Saying for today:

A friend is someone you feel like you've known forever,
even though you've just met.

Merry christmas!!

Christmas is approaching very fast. Only two days to christmas eve. My DS, my boyfriend and his mother is coming today, so I want to finish everything in the house. Except the decorating of the christms tree. That's have to wait until tomorrow. That's one of our traditions. Decorating the tree on des 23rd, put all the presents undter the tree and eating santas porridge when we have finished.

Have I told you I still belive in Santa. I'm so childish when it comes to christmas. I love the christmas time and want to spend it with my family and friends. Enjoy the lights on the christmas tree, the laughter and joy with my family, playing games, opening presents and giving an extra smile for eachother. (My SSCS is still not opened LOL)

Look at this wonderful gingerbread house. The students at my DD's school had made the whole school !! They were allowed to crush it before leaving the school last friday, but no one did. I understand why. So I guess they'll do it when they arrive back at shool.

My sewing room have never been so tidy. I had quite a job organizing it. And most of my boxes have been removed up to my DD's room. Why?????

Because I had to put a bed into the sewingroom :) My boyfriends mother is going to sleep there. She is joking about starting to sew on my sewingmachine in the middle of the night.

I've been receiving a lot of christmas cards these days and some of them was from good quiltingfriends who had added some really nice christmas greetings for me. Look at the beautiful angel and the heart that I can hang on my tree. And the little (it's very little) basket filled with tiny pieces of fabrics.

We've had very cold weather for a long time now. Up to minus 25 cold. But now it's starting to get warmer (only minus 14 cold today). My firestove have been warming up the house every day and I love it. So cosy to look at the fire and feel the warmth. But it is pretty outside too with all the trees covered with frost.

I wish all my bloggerfriends

Saying for today:

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

~Author Unknown

The seamstress

Want to share this little story I found on net today. I have not blogged so much lately, too busy preparing for christmas. But I promise I'll be back soon, both blogging and commenting your blogs.

And my SSCS present is still not opened LOL I see soo many of you already have opened yours and there is so much beautiful in them. I'm so curious what's inside mine.

The seamstress

One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Me dear child, why are you crying?"The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped his hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimbleset with pearls
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. The seamstress replied "No."

The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a silver thimble ringed with sapphires.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked again. The seamstress replied, "No."


The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.
The seamstress replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.


Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"
The Lord went down into the water and came up with Mel Gibson.
"Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.
"Yes," cried the seamstress.


The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"
The seamstress replied, "Oh forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'NO' to Mel Gibson, You would have come up next with Brad Pitt. Again I would have said "NO." On the third attempt you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said 'YES' You would have given me ALL three! Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so that's why I said 'Yes' to Mel Gibson."

The moral of this story is:Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others. That's our story and we're sticking to it.

Saying for today:

The sparkle in my child's eyes,
of wonder & delight,
shines brighter than any Christmas lights

Making snowflakes

This morning it is minus 23 below zero here. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr This is a bit too cold.

While waiting for christmas (and I guess you have noting else to do) why not start making snowflakes. You can do it here. I started and could not stop.

Snowflakes are so beautiful. And do you know they says there does not exist two similar snowflakes.

Saying for today:

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven

The norwegian Nisse

Today I visited my mother at the old peoples house for a christmas party and we had so great time together. Outside one of the buildings Nissen sat waiting with his lamp. Do you want to read more about the norwegian Nisse you can look here, here, and here.

I'm still working on some christmas presents and tomorrow I'm driving to my DD school for a christmas dinner and bring her home for christmas.

I see that so many of the SSCS already have opened their christmas presents, mine is still not opened...........aren't I a clever girl LOL

I know Jodie who I sendt my present to already have opened hers. I knew she would do it so I had added a note inside saying: "I knew you could not resist opening it......" It have been so fun teasing her because she was sooooooo curious. I guess she will blog about it when she comes home from her little weekendtrip.

This is what she got from me together with some other goodies

Saying for today:

There are three stages of a man's life:
He believes in Santa Claus,
he doesn't believe in Santa Claus,
he is Santa Claus.

Santa was here today

Look who visited my mailbox today.
Santa delivered the present from my secret santa!!!!

My "not secret anymore" santa was Cherri from Lizzy House. I've actually never visited this blog before (I think???) so this was fun. And she has a great and interesting blog Thank you Cherri. And I'll try not to open it before christmas. Since we are celebrating christmas at des 24th I can open it a bit earlier than you :)

Adding: THIS is the blog to Cherri. The link above is to her daughter. And Cherri loves scrapquilts like me. I'm so curious what she have sendt me :)

Saying for today:

A good time is coming, I wish it were here,

The very best time in the whole of the year;

I'm counting each day on my fingers and thumbs

the weeks that must pass before Santa Claus comes.

Then when the first snowflakes begin to come down,

And the wind whistles sharp and the branches are brown,

I'll not mind the cold, though my fingers it numbs,

For it brings the time nearer when Santa Claus comes.

author unknown

A visit to my DD school

Yesterday I visited my DD at her school. They had a decemberfestival and all relatives was invited. Her brother was also coming to see. All the students had exhibitions of what they had made. My DD is learning photo and here are her photos. She sold almost all of her photos

And here is the paintings she had done.

All the studens was singing christmas songs for us and it was a joy to hear. Other things what was shown was more photos on a big screen, movies they had made, a theatre play and a rock consert. I think all the students was very clever.
My DD is learning photo and here she is in studio together with her brother. He had to modell for her and I hope I get a photo for christmas.

Not so much sewing this weekend. I have started to decorate for christmas and still have some christmaspresents to make.

Saying for today:

first in norwegian

Så tenner vi to lys i kveld,
to lys for håp og glede
De står og skinner for seg selv
og oss som er tilstede
Så tenner vi to lys i kveld,
to lys for håp og glede

and then translated to english :

We light two candles tonight
two candles for hope and joy
They stands there shining by themselves
and we who present are

Tonight we light two candles

two lights for hope and joy.

Quality time in the sewingroom

Today I and Frida have had a great time in the sewingroom. As you see she have been sleeping in her basket behind my sewingmachine all day long. When my arm was so painful so I did not manage to sew anything, she would not stay in the sewingroom. But now when I'm back there she loves sleeping in her basket.

Hanne and I have had a sewing challenge today. We agreed what to do and had a lot of reports to eachother on msn all day. My task today was to quilt these five small wallhangings, applique three hearts on each and put the binding on. And when all this was done I could start on my prize. And I manage to finishe what I had planned. So now I just have to sew the binding down. Thats perfect job in front of the tv.

And then I started on my prize. This morning I got a newsletter from Northern Quilts with a very beautiful pattern. And when I was in our local quiltshop this morning I discovered they had almost all the fabrics that was used in this wallhanging. I bought it and Hanne and I agreed later that our prize for doing all tasks today was to start on this :)

And now I have sewed the top together, appliqued on the three and the gingerbread hearts. And the writing says: Tenn et lys, sett deg ned, kjenn julefryd og julefred. In english: Light a candle, sit down and feel the christmas joy and christmaspiece. I look forward to stitch this.

And this is more work to do in front of the tv. Put buttons on and finishe all these pincushions. I have got several questions on the pattern on these. You can find it on this blog both in swedish and english. They are so fun to make.

Saying for today:

My soul is fed with needle and thread,

my body with chocolate!