Looking for some funny craft ideas and want to learn French? You can do both just reading good French sites.

New site of Marie Claire Idees is a conglomerate of blogs and galleries where you can find lots of ideas and read real French.  For me it’s the best way of learning language: read what you’re interested in and have a lot of fun at the same time. There’s nothing better than that- and how many crafty blogs I missed till now?

New place takes most of my time (I know, the plans were different).  So, to be honest, I’m not very creative in textile arts now, rather in building arts Anyway I don’t want to leave the internet so here are two very nice and pretty tutorials made by Bari J. Just go to her blog and browse the blogroll. You’ll find pin cushion and apron tutorial in pdf format.

I like the blog too, so it’s a new position in my rss reader

 I just got an email that new issue is out. Have a nice time with it
 http://www.cqmagonline.com/vol07iss01/index.shtml

This is what takes most of my free time since September: trying to change a flat into place acceptable to live. It didn’t look very bad when we bought it, anyway needs a lot of work as we decided to change windows, paint the walls, make a completely new kitchen etc.. Then we found roughcast was not so stable as it looked and we had to remove part of it and make new. After all I changed the color in two rooms (the third’s still waiting), it’s much better, especially because the dark orange was so irritating that I couldn’t stay it.

Here’s the biggest room

before:

and after some refit:

It still needs some more work, but becomes our own, it’s like a kind of familiarizing the place.

Check Norma’s Needleworkz blog. Norma has published some photos of old tatting shuttles and some stories about them.

A little late but I want to share with you what I got from my husband. Of course it was a planned gift as he’s not so well orientned in what books I’d like to have at the moment, but anyway it is so nice that he accepts my crazy hobby and doesn’t try to buy a standard gifts

I also got 2 CDs whith ethno music, it was a real surprise

I think the first two books are well known so I won’t write about them now. The most interesting is the third one, Pulled Thread Embroidery by Moyra McNeill. It’s a small and not really attractive-looking book, there are only drawings and black-and-white photos but don’t be mistaken by its look. It contains excellent choice of drawn thread stitches and some directions how to start. Anyway, it’s a book for experienced stitchers rather than begginners. People new to drawn thread embroidery can find it a little difficult. You’ll find there a good reference on designing your own embroideries and some historical information. The version shown on the photo is a reprint of a book published in 70’s and the proposals of patterns are “modern” for that times. I prefer more traditional patterns and I want to use the stitches for my own designs.

I know that new years’ goals hardly ever are going to be realised so is there any sense to make them? I’m not really going to declare what I’ll do during the next year, I know well enough there will be many, many totally unexpected things that will take my mind. What I want to write is what I’m going to try or continue or just I’m thinking it would be nice to do. Isn’t it better than making a rigid plan and being stressed all the time? So, here’s a small list of crafty going-tos, not musts

• finish a cross- stitch picture that I started long ago. It becomes a real UFO and there’s not too much work needed to complete
• finish two more UFO’s
• make a sampler of some unusual embroidery stitches- just to learn them
• organize stash
• use my visual journal more often
• read and learn, and make notes not to forget. Use what I learned.
• make my flat a nice place to live (will need a lot of ideas )
• show what I did and take more care of my two blogs
• learn French to be able to read French crafty books (I started this year)
• be happy with what I’ve done, not stressed by what I have to do

Have a funny and creative year, whith a chance to fulfill your dreams and a time to share with your family and friends.

I played a little with mosaic maker and here’s the effect. Have a cup of coffee

1. Green Abstract, 2. Green stairs to…, 3. Green Mean Squeezin’ Machine, 4. A Green Life, 5. new green/bamboo and maple, 6. Let’s Get Green! Please take a moment to read…, 7. green cattleya, 8. fiddlehead ♥, 9. Green, 10. Green and Wet, 11. in the wild, 12. Green Wings, 13. green is the colour(teasle), 14. green pattern, 15. Red on Green (2), 16. Quest for the Common Green Darner, 17. For the Love of Green, 18. Lime Green Window Shutter, Red Flowers and a Rail, 19. Green Bee-eater, 20. Green Miniature Rose, 21. Green as a leaf, 22. Still Green, 23. Double green vortex…, 24. Green Beetle, 25. Green Muse Mochaccino

Melissa of Honey Bee’s Bliss has posted pretty embriodered Christmas tree ornaments. Have a look, it’s still enough time

And for those who are going to spend more time on embroidery- check the current Inspirations issue and see absolutely wonderful goldwork ornament.

On a craftster.org site you can find a funny and easy to make ornament- just for knitters:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=211860.msg2273643;topicseen#msg2273643 

You’ll manage to make many of them before Christmas