Sylvanian new additions

It's been a long time since I got something new, except the red phone cabin.

I didn't even plan to buy something, but I found some great deals, too great for I resist.

So, I am waiting for a new building, one of those old empty tiny shops - it's betty's toy shop. I'm planning to make it be either a pizza parlour, or... ok, I have tons of ideas (too many) that would be perfect for those tiny buildings (if only I could find 4 or 5...). From the same seller, I got the porch of my old manor. In fact, it's the porch I saw first, and decided to get the shop too, as it was only 5£ and only 0.50£ of extra shipping. The porch is not totally complete, it's missing a tiny "ball" but hey... it's going to be enough for me, and some Fimo will solve the problem !

Then I found in my own country a panda family. I already have some, but the father was totally damaged (if someone is interested in getting him, just wave the hand before it goes to the trash can). In fact, I don't like much the pandas, it's one of the families that never attracted me much BUT the price was very low, and... I have an idea to create a tiny display with a chinese theme...

And finally I found 2 babies from the blind bags 1rst set. I must say I don't like this idea of blind bags. It's a shame that we have to get many bags to get a set. AND some are harder to get than the others. AND here it's about 9€ something per bag (!) AND I have to find someone to drive me there...

Ok, too complicate, too expensive and too risky for me. So I just gave up, but I was a little bit sad because of the tiny poodle with the accordeon that I find SO cute. I just found a woman selling a set of 2, brand new, the poodle and the squirrel. It was offered for 6 + very low shipping. I made a 5 offer, and she accepted it. Wooohooo

Now let's wait and cross fingers for they all come home safely !

*and of course it's the perfect time to update again my wish list LOL*

how can someone resist this cute little poodle ?!

do you see the missing "ball" at the top left ? Not "that" awful !

A gift received + a huge gift well spent

I hardly participate to any contest or blog give-away, or pay-it-forward, mostly because of all the bad experiences I had in the past with this, but for this one I got a marvelous gift in the mail !

it's a calendar, with beautiful draws all including a rabbit

You know how much I love rodents, especially rabbits. I've been animal fostering for a long time now, and currently have 5 rabbits (3 still in transit, and 2 ending their life here)

I'm harvesting in my garden a large part of their food, and I'm usually keeping track of what is harvested on a paper, each couple of days or so... Papers going with the others in a box, to remember what I got in my garden, when, and I weight it all to even keep a better track of it... I'm not totally organized for this. So, this calendar is going to be the perfect place to write down all my "crops" - I can even go back in time and write down everything since the beginning of the year :-)

Thank you so much to

https://ladureviedulapinurbain.blogspot.com/

For those with rabbits, I encourage you to go and visit the blog, but also the website, there are TONS of good advices, ideas, etc. And it's a great place to be sure, before you get a rabbit, to know exactly what rabbits needs are. If you rescue one, you can find there a lot of infos about food, care, etc

https://www.ladureviedulapinurbain.com/

I won this in march, for my birthday, it was another very sad day for me, and winning this was like a little light in the long dark tunnel I'm crossing. But sadly my message got lost on its way to the blog owner. I was a bit anxious, but said nothing because we all have a bunch of things to deal with, it could have been lost, etc. But I've read a message saying as the calendar wasn't claimed for, it was offered to someone else. I was a bit sad (because of what happened with another blog give-away, I tell you just further about it).... but at least it was not lost, and another girl could enjoy it. I just mentioned it to the blog owner, because maybe some other messages wheren't delivered. I never know if it's only on my side, or other, or both.

She was more than kind and told me to send my address back, and today I got this great gift in the mail. I was SO touched...

*again, please excuse all the "dark" spots, it's my camera which is totally down*

Then as I said, I participated to a give-away on a creative blog. The owner said "opened to everybody, everywhere". It was to get some ribbons and trims, charms/buttons/trinkets, and a cute little rabbit related frame. I was really excited, because I thought it would be the perfect help for my long last cross stitch finishes. I have a couple of cross stitched rabbits that would have perfectly match this.

The purpose was to make a bunch of advertising for the blog of this person. I'm not going to mention it, because I've already made too much for it's getting attention. The person posting or relinking the most was supposed to get the gift. It was obviously me. But nothing happened. I asked, she first said she didn't get the message. But it was posted in public. Then she said she sent it and it got lost... and finally she admitted she decided to give the box of goodies to someone else, prefering to see the things stay in her country. In fact, her friend who didn't make any effort got it.
I'm not going to tell a word about my feelings about it.
Just I decided I'll no more participate.

A nice stitcher from another country have read the whole story. She knows how precarious and sad my life is. I've sent this woman a gift box some years ago, when I could still afford, with threads, antic iron and a hand made stuffed doll. She wrote to me she was still reading my personal and craft blogs, even if she is not writing comments because she needs someone to type for her. And she said it's not fair at all, she was more upset than me (I was just deeply sad), and she sent me a gift by paypal for I can get something to cheer me up. I know she is not in a nice situation too, so it was even more touching.

She said she would be really sad and mad at me if I refuse the gift, mostly because she remember all the time I was more than generous with a bunch of people who turned their back when I was ill and then poor enough, still falling into a never ending nightmare, and she was totally upset I got no birthday gift, again, except those François gave to me. She said it's the time for me to get something back, as small as it is, from a community she no more feels like being part of.
It is NOT small in any way. It's HUGE. Both by the amount and the love she put in it.
And you'll see I made a very good use with the money
So, first, Charlene, let me thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I asked François, forwarded him the money (I no more have a bank account), and he gave me the cash. Then he drove me to town.

First I got a saw, and blades to go with.
This is going to be a great help when I'll cut the metal under the house, t get rid of it or use it when I can

While I was there, I got some discounted food, and filled a part of my totally empty freezer. Marvelous !

I also got wall paint, for the top balcony (less exposed), big barrel for 14€ or so.

Then I went to the do-it-yourself and bought some ...coating ??? for my balcony walls (!)

You know I'm a pragmatic girl

(you'll see the pics and use on the other blog)

Then I bought a shirt, with a pretty necklace (10€), really not the style I'm usually wearing but I loved it, it was discounted, and the very unusual bright greenish yellow colour was light popping in the middle of a very "flat" coloured area... haha.

And finally went to Noz and Action.  

a portable bag sealer because my big one is showing signs of a soon death, and this tiny one is taking no space (3€ or so)

books were 80% discounted, so I got this one for 5€ !

a bunch of scissors (I'm always in troubles with mine, many were good for the bin), I chose several colours to have one for each use (paper, fabric, ribbons/wool, etc). I can't remember the price, but those are from Action and something like 50 or 60cts

big fabric one, 2€ something

glue from Action and trinkets from Noz (glue I can't remember, 2€ something and trinkets 59cts, 1 bought 1 free)

stamps, one is having a block included... same, I don't remember the price of the bloc one (less than 2€, maybe 0.79 ??), but the top and right ones are 0.49€

2 embossing folders (ridiculous price, can't remember) with stamps

ribbons !

and this one from Noz was cheap too, maybe 1.50€, with block again. There were several others, but not appealing me as much as this one.

Guess what ? I still have 12€ that I plan to spend on seeds and maybe a sylvanian thing.
It's better than a late birthday. It's better than Christmas.
It's real pure kindness and there are NO word to tell how much excited/happy/touched I am

Notre-Dame

I don't know who created/posted those, but there were bunch of pictures all over the web, I believe this one is the most touching... If someone knows who it's from (I can't identify the signature at the bottom left), I would love to credit the picture.

A little finish (cross stitch) - M-Designs tree

I stitched this one years ago (many years ago). I first planned to offer it, but then the friend it was ment for...ahum... let's say she faded away all of a sudden, just like many others, when she realized I was not more going to keep on spending all my money to make her monthly package of goods. That's not showing up much, but if you bend your head to the left (or right) you can maybe see the tree is made of a miror image of the word "friend", and I just didn't know what to do with it, as long as none of my few remaining "friends" don't like cross stitch, or appreciate the amount of hours spent to stitch it (believe me, it's insane)....and I really didn't want to send a "friend" tree to someone who was obviously not a friend. It ended like many others in a box, and the box under another box (to hide this waste), all the boxes at the bottom of a cupboard, door closed. Forgotten.

So, as I'm not in the mood to do something, whatever it is, I thought it's the perfect one to match the "let's finish it, or destroy it"

Here we go !

flat ornament, cording made with 2 skeins of DMC 500, and it's not showing up much but there are tons of beads (Mill Hill), stitched with 1 skein of Weeks Dye Works, with 1 thread over 1, on an iridescent lugana. I wouldn't be able to do this nowdays. 

If someone is willing to stitch this kind of thing, the designer is still selling those, including "one of a kind" ones, like with a name or word you choose
CLIC HERE

Keeping a "friend" tree is quite ironical when I think about all those who betrayed me.
Ok, let's say the word doesn't show up much, and it's just a tree.

I'm planning to finish 2 other designs, that I don't care much for, just because it will end the 1rst pile of "UnFinished Objects", what we call "UFO" in the stitchers world

Tiny Sylvanian addition

As I can't spend money to get something new, and I don't have the heart to work on my village right now, I must say this is the only thing I've buy recently, mostly because of the low price. I love it !
I almost bought the green one, but finally didn't... I wanted the red one, for a reason I can't even explain... and here it was, waiting for me.

I've also been working on my little notebook, where I'm printing the families. All of them. I mean those we "can" find, I've skip all the fancy stuff from Japan, as long as I'll never be able to get them, why loosing time trying to make a list ?! So, up to now, I have pictures of 30 families, names under. If I can buy more ink someday, I have 15 other pictures ready to be printed. I've choose to put the pictures in a home-made album, for now I've not decided yet if I want to make a spiral binding or 2 simple rings to hold the pages. But it's something quite convenient because I can later add more pages, with building or family infos if I want. Very basic, but efficient. I still wonder why they didn't put such a booklet on the market.... but when I see all the mess it is to JUST get a family in my country, I doubt they will ever go further. It's surely going to be with like any other collection, they promise, promise...and do nothing or so.
Some people asked me if I can forward my work to them. I would, but I believe copyright things will be envolved, and I don't need more troubles than those I'm in, so for now sorry but I prefer to protect me