Show and tell

At last I have what has been on my wishlist for the past few years: a sewing machine! I still remember one of my former co-workers saying to me 'my daughters will not leave the house without knowing how to use a sewing machine' and at that time, I thought it was funny and sometimes I wonder if her daughters know how to sew now. But she was right 'cause everytime I have something that needs to be stitched, I go by my mom and she fixes it all. About time I start doing it myself I thought. The lady in the shop already gave me my very first lesson and I'll go back for a second one next week. I suppose I know the basics on how to use this Brother Innovis 10 for now.
I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get the 'Sweetie Petite' out that Lisa from the Red Thread send me ages ago. Looks like an easy and fun project for a beginner. :) Lisa's instructions are super clear so I knew it could not go wrong.
First of all my apologies for the bad quality of the pictures and for my dirty fingernails! I made this at dusk after working in the garden. :)

Cut out the sweetie on the dotted line.Cut out the back on the dotted line too.Align the raw edges of the ribbon at the centre top of the Sweetie Petite.
Lay the front piece right side down on top of the back piece.
Pin it together.Sew less then 0,5cm seam all around, except for the feet.
Make small V-shapes cuts around the curves.
Turn it inside out.
After stuffing it with polyfil, sew the opening shut by hand.
Here are my sweetie petites! :)

Ginger is beautiful, isn't she? You can get her and the other gorgeous Sweetie Petites here.
Guess what I'll be doing today? Happy sunday! :)

Secret Squirrel

Since a few weeks, I have been a secret squirrel. Only because it's kind of contagious when someone else is a secret squirrel... That secret squirrel is Lisa Tilse from one of my very favorite blogs: 'The Red Thread'. Whenever I see in my reader she has posted a new post, I try to pop in and read it. Sometimes I don't manage to go there and then I just have to catch up whenever I have a chance 'cause I would not want to miss one of her posts.
I 'met' Lisa earlier this year when she purchased three of my mini-art-feelings. I checked out her blog and shop and fell in love right away. She creates unique one-off and limited edition art, hand crafted cards, chalkboard eggs and Sweetie Petites doll kits. Her work is whimsical and unique and it makes me smile to pieces. We chat via e-mail from time to time and visit each other's blogs. We have become virtual friends. So when I popped in her blog a bit more then a month ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find out she had been secret squirreling on her blog comments. She had a give-away for the most frequent commenters on her blog. I squeeled a bit when I saw I was one of them. And I also smiled big time of course...

When I arrived back in Belgium from my little Portugal get-away, I found this huge envelope from Lisa. Want to see what beautiful gifts she send me?

This beautiful Furoshiki wrapping is a joy to open.

I could not resist oh'ing and ah'ing with everything she sent.

She spoiled me to pieces!

Sweetie Petites doll kits
Beautiful Ginger and a wonderful set of 4 quality postcards.
These are my absolute favorite since I first saw them.
Ha, I will need to purchase a sewing machine now.
I know I can do it by hand but it's a good excuse! :)
You can purchase these beauties also in her on line shop.
Printed fabric embroidery/patchwork/applique panels
A great opportunity to learn how to embroider which is dangerous for me.
What if I get addicted?

A spectacular handembroidered ornament, a beautiful booklet of 20 birdie postcards, yellow cloud tape and a very unique postcard with Lisa's beautiful handwriting on the back. Just have to show you a little detail picture of this intricate embroidery.

THANK YOU, Lisa, I love all of the surprises you sent me!
You made me smile BIG time! :)

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,

regardless of time, place, or circumstance.

The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.

Ancient Chinese Belief

I loved the idea of being a secret squirrel so I asked Lisa if it was OK if I did the same thing and luckily she did not mind at all!
So since then, I have been tallying the blog comments and decided to spread the love and surprise 3 people who left the most comments on my blog since the beginning of september.
I have been surprised by the amount of comments that are left on my blog. During 5 weeks of tallying, no less than 191 people commented on my blog and in total, 778 comments were left.
These numbers make for a lot of tallying - haha - you guys kept me busy! :)
But, I heart comments and I would love to thank you all for taking the time to write something.
The three people who can expect a surprise package in their mailbox are:

Inger from Ingermaaike
Estella from StaroftheEast
Kylie from 3sheets

Inger and Estella are part of the European Streetteam and although we never met, I feel I have known them since a long time.
I 'met' Kylie through the blogging world and her blog is among my favorites! Make sure to check it out. Besides that, she is supersweet and makes lovely and unique items.
These three will get a personalised special package so they will all be different. I will need some time to make 'em so please be patient girls! :)