Mail came

I was very fortunate this morning. The mailman delivered goodies to me.

This little Polish snowman with the smile, Iwo, is a creation of Agnieska. Here's her Flikr site and her Etsy site. I was introduced to this wonderful felter, who creates such cute little creatures, by Bumblevee, a western Canadian blogger who, herself, makes cute little felted creatures and also more human looking friends.

And then, there are these.

Little puffs by Karen Ruane, better known as the Contemporary Embroiderer. I won these little puffs and chose to have printed fabric in them.

Here's a close-up of Karen's work. The tails are on there so that I can attach them onto something. I have a feeling I should make something special just for these little beauties. Go check out Karen's blog if you don't know about it already and perhaps sign up for one of her wonderful classes. I took her button class and learned so much.

A bit of spring and mail came

The past weekend, while we were getting some errands done, we dropped over to the St. Lawrence Market and this is what my daughter bought and gave me.

A gorgeous punch of spring colour (could've said "bunch of spring colour" too.) Purple and yellow tulips brighten up my kitchen. Thank you, Maili.

And this is what came in the mail yesterday.

 

Isn't she cute?

Here's the back view.

And a close-up of the crocheted trim.

 Hand made by Kay from S'Mockery SmArt. Here's a link to her Etsy store.

I have loved her work for a while and just decided to buy this little one when I saw her.

Here's the card that she enclosed with it.

So, you see, Kay is also an accomplished artist in other mediums.

NOTE: My little doll is not a bug - I do believe Kay called her a winter spirit or a winter goddess. I think of her as a winter spirit doll. The bug is just the card...

Special Mail

Here I am Soggibottom crew. I made it safe and sound so stop frettin' Amie Midge. I'm just having a big stretch to get all them there kinks out of the joints.

It sure was crowded in that little box.

Midge sure knows how to pack but that was OK 'cause I was well padded when those blokes at the post offices started throwin' them there packages around.

After I got a bit fluffed up I met with that hairy dog Baxter. He's bigger than you Amie but just as nice (well, almost.) He just awoke from his nap so I just let him be. We just sniffed each other a bit - gettin' to know one another.

Then I thought I'd go see the kitty. Her name is Pixel and maybe I shouldn't have woke her either. I think she got a little scared o' me because she left right off. There was another kitty too but I didn't meet her until much later in the day.

Well, the missus over here is lookin' after me real well. She's got one of them computer things too and I sit and watch her using it. We snacked a bit on tea and honey. I guess I have to get used to all the different foods and things now that I'm in Canada. Excitin' times ahead.

The missus told me how much she liked all the stuff that were in the box with me keeping me all warm and squished - and not hurtin' when them there blokes was throwin' the packages. And here I was thinkin' it was just stuff to keep me from getting all bounced around. Don't worry Midge - I'll mind my p’s and q’s and make you proud o’ me. The missus told me to tell you that I’ll be havin’ my picture took every once in a while and we can send them to you so you and the rest of the Soggibottom crew won't miss me so much.

Well, that was a long trip. I'm off for a nap.

Mail came

Only one piece came in today's regular mail and guess what? It was for me. A Christmas card all the way from Satu in Finland. It seems she has been busy making a few hand made Christmas cards and I was one of the lucky (actually, special) recipients.

A truly beautiful work of art and it will become one after the holidays. My daughter Maili told me that I should frame it and I told her I had already thought of it. Satu wrote that she imagined the trees in Canada when she sewed the card. There are pockets of Finns in various parts of Canada and especially here in Ontario, they are up north where there is mining and logging. When I was growing up I had heard that the Finns settled up north because the landscape reminded them so much of their homeland (trees and lakes). Lyn Cook wrote a children's book called "Bells on Finland Street" which takes place in Sudbury. A wonderful book. Thunder Bay is another northern city that has a lot of Finns. There is a famous restaurant called "Hoito" (which means care or caring.) The building is a heritage site and here's a little background info:

"Located at 314 Bay Street in Thunder Bay, Ontario, it is home to the world famous "Hoito Restaurant" as well as a dance hall, the offices of a national Finnish language newspaper, and The Finnish Museum on the upper floors. The building has been designated a Heritage Building due to its architectural and historic significance."

I have had the pleasure of eating there about three times so far. The portions are substantial and the price very reasonable.

This is my icicle doll from another swap that I was involved in. She came in the afternoon and delivered by a Canada Post truck. She is special. I love the colours of her. Black and grey/silver. She has pigtails in burgundy. Thank you Therese, she is now on my special tree - in the kitchen. I love her face and hope to get into making clay faces in the near future.

And here's Maili modelling one of her creations. It's a Christmas present. She made four aprons - two waist length and two full aprons. This one is a total Maili design. They are all for her boyfriend's family and I shipped them off to California today. I do hope they get them in time for Christmas. She spent a lot of time on the aprons. I was just the go-to person when there were questions. All the fabrics came from my stash so she helped me lower the volume.

That's it for today. I did no sewing at all today. The time went by with trying to mail packages to England and California (one place is no longer a post office I found out), dentist appointment (just a thorough cleaning), then mailing the packages at a real post office outlet (they are now privatized), and then going to the Christmas party at my mom's nursing home. After that, I wrapped gifts to pack in yet another package so that it could get shipped to BC tomorrow where my eldest daughter and her husband live.

I'm off to bed.

Stitcher's Angel

Well, I knew it was coming since Sandra, my Stitcher's Angel emailed me to let me know that she had posted it. Today, I got the parcel (from Italy) and couldn't wait to open it. I did hesitate for a few hours because I debated with myself as to whether or not to wait until I got my own camera back. I had loaned it to my eldest son Mark so he could take pictures at his Hallowe'en party. I knew my daughter had a camera but it was with her at work. This is her picture. She kindly took several shots for me - and yes, I did open it instead of waiting longer.
As you can see, there are a couple of pieces of fabric, one light and one dark (both with roses on them), a heart-shaped box with a beautifully cross-stitched lid (with a rose on it), a wonderful pincushion that I can hang up that is in the shape of a dress with a beaded necklace and an apron (quite imaginative - I love it because I have been sewing my own clothes since I was a teen) and then, in the box, I found this bracelet. I have collected bracelets since I was very young and Sandra makes jewellery besides stitching. The little charms are Russian dolls. Click on the photo to get a close-up or better still, go visit Sandra's blog and see a better pic http://guazzcrocette.blogspot.com/2009/10/im-stichers-angel.html

Thank you so very much Sandra. You are an angel.

Mail and Pincushion Swap

The postal service never ceases to amaze me. When I want something to arrive quickly, then you can be assured that it will somehow go astray and arrive whenever - regardless of how much you pay for 'priority' post. Having said that, I was absolutely astonished to find this in my mail box yesterday. It came all the way from Germany and I ordered it on Friday - that is last Friday, 5 days prior. The lady that emailed me about all the particulars (that they did mail internationally and also how much the postage would be) informed me that she would put the pattern in the mail the next day - Saturday. Well, I don't know about where you all live but here in TO we do not have mail delivery or pick-up on Saturdays - at least not that I know of. So, my little pattern arrived within 4 days across many countries and a huge ocean. Oh, and I almost forgot - it is an Ursula Schertz pattern of garden fairies. Thanks to Simone for assisting me in getting this pattern. Bloggers and quilters are so helpful.

The little package below also came from far away. Norway this time. If the letter is any indication as to how long some things take, I received this today and the letter inside is dated May 8th.
I was so surprised and pleased to receive this. I had just heard that my pincushion swap partner had received the package I sent her and then a few hours later, this wonderful, delightful package was in my mail box. It was the only piece of mail today. I couldn't wait to open it.
I had indicated that my favourite colour was blue - especially aqua/teal and look what Kjerstin made for me. A hexagon pin cushion with a matching hexagon needle case and a scissors case. The porcelain thimble will go in my collection. Sorry for the photo but there is a reindeer on it and it indicates that it is from the Norwegian Forest Museum. The blue thread, trims, buttons and of course, the betweens sewing/quilting needles, will all come in very handy. I'm going to show these off to the family when they come home. Many thanks Kjerstin.