and the winner is ...

thanks s-o much everyone, for all those comments on last week's post and sharing all that about you. I've been enjoying reading them a lot, each and every one of them, and I'll try my best to reply to all of you individually (although that may take a while)

I was going to ask A. to give me a number from the top of his head, but he's out right now so I've decided to use the random number generator again (you didn't think I was going to type all your 77 names into little slips of paper and then pull one out, did you ?)



The winner is comment number 10, which means it's maribob ! Mari, you'll be getting a sad bear sometime soon, so please send me your address (and loved reading about your trip to Japan)

I'm in a writing mode today, so I've decided to reply to the 7 random things meme that F. tagged me for, and base some on a few of your comments instead:

1) (to Ana B., who mentioned yoga) Yoga is one of my favorite things, it's actually the only physical activity that I've never been bored with yet (with the exception of skiing, I guess). I've practiced asthanga yoga for a few years and I love it. Although I haven't been able to continue my practice as frequently as I would've liked, I know it's something I'll go back to eventually. And I practice at home whenever I can (and I'm not feeling too lazy). If you're in Lisbon and looking for a good place to practice, I suggest this place

2) (to all of you Canadians) It was great finding out I had so many Canadians reading this blog. I've been to Canada several times (I have family there), including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Newfoundland, and I love it. My cousin A. (are you reading this, Ange ?) who lives there says it's the best place to live in, and I might have to agree with her.

3) (to those who said you didn't know how I do it, with my full time job and the crafting) To be honest, I don't know either. Crafting takes up a lot of my free time, but I always do it for pleasure and never as an obligation. For those of you who didn't know, I'm a software engineer, although I'm working more in the client services/project management area these days and not so much into programming anymore. It's funny because at work I'm all rational and 100% logical (at least I think I am) and in crafting I'm so totally the opposite.

4) (to all of you who mentioned books) I've loved reading ever since I can remember. I've always read a lot, and since discovering bookcrossing a few years back I've been reading even more. The last couple of years I haven't read as much as I would've liked, particularly due to the time I spend crafting instead, but I've never lost the habit of always carrying a book in my bag (which really comes in handy a lot of times, like when you're standing at the supermarket queue, for example). This year has been abysmally slow, with only 32 books read, compared to other years, but I'm trying to make up for it.

5) I never drink coffee (I actually hate the taste, but love the smell), but I drink a lot of tea

6) And I'm not usually picky about food, but strangely enough for a Portuguese I hate grilled sardines. And contrary to what some people may think, I am not a vegetarian, although I do love vegetarian food (A. and I even did a macrobiotic cuisine course a few years back) and that's what we usually eat at home.

7) I almost completed a 3 year shiatsu training course a couple of years back to become a practitioner, but I still haven't done the required training sessions and final exam. I'm still hoping to do that someday, but for now I just can't see myself doing shiatsu for a living. I sure miss all those weekly massages, though ...

I'm not tagging anyone else for this, since I think everyone I know has either done it or been tagged for it already, but it's fun to read what people write.

Ah, I wish I could give you all a flower for taking the time to read me, but since I can't I've posted some photos of my beautiful orchid which is blooming once more. Just for you guys.

weekend * fim de semana

:: enjoyed the perfect weather with some hiking



:: and lunch with a view to the sea





:: and finally started on that doll quilt

500

Wow, can't believe this is my 500th post already. Little did I know what was ahead of me when I started this blog over two years ago. How much it would change my life, how much it would change my crafting, how much it would inspire me, and especially how much it would allow me to meet such wonderful people (you guys !)



I know I'm not the most faithful of bloggers. Sometimes a week goes by when I don't have anything to talk about or show here, and yet you're still here. I appreciate that, as I appreciate each and every comment that you leave and every e-mail you send my way, so thank you all for that.



I'm celebrating this with a couple of announcements. First, I'm finally having that shop update with the rest of the items I promised last week, mainly summer bags and softies. Second, I'm finally making the transition to etsy. I first opened an etsy account way back when I started selling my crafts, but I never really invested much time on it. I figured now was the time to do it. It makes things easier for me to manage, and the community there has grown so big and so inspiring that I can't help but enjoy all the good company. So please feel free to visit my new shop anytime. The old shop will still be active for a while, since I'm keeping the rest of the trims and fabrics there.



And because it's my 500th post after all, I'm having a give away too. Not bookcovers this time, but maybe you'd like a new softie ? Actually, if you're the winner I'll let you choose, so just leave a comment here saying if you'd like a sad bear or kitty softie (like the ones above) or a new design (which I'm yet to make, so it will be a surprise) and if you feel like it, just share something about yourself (like where you're from, or what's your favorite book, movie or song, or where you're going on vacation, just about anything really. I'd just like to know a little more about you guys), and I'll draw a name sometime next week.

weekend

on a whim of the moment on Saturday, we decided to paint the rest of the hallway green, to clash with the red. Couldn't take any decent photos to show you the real color, so this is the best I was able to manage.



(Dawn, your beautiful artworks are one of the first things I see every morning)



and some bits of sunday lunch





... and a little wip

doll quilt inspiration

so I was crazy enough to sign up for doll quilt swap II. I figured that it would be a nice way to start and try my quilting abilities, and I guess there's not much damage I can do if I try a doll quilt size first, right ? So if you're my swap partner and you're reading this, I apologize in advance for whatever the result might turn out to be. I'm a little bit in awe of all this, since my partner is actually quite an experienced quilter, but I've taken the challenge and will see this to the end.
The only request I got was no pastel colors, so I thought I could at least combine a couple of my favorite colors (I'm not a pastel person either). This is the fabric selection I got so far. It looks so pretty this way I almost don't have the courage to cut it all up, but don't worry, I will start working on it this weekend.

And to give me some inspiration, I round up some of my favorite doll quilts out there:



1. Doll quilt, Mama Urchin, 2. Strippy doll quilt front, Losabia, 3. Strippy Doll Quilt, WendysWTN, 4. doll.quilt, JoyBucket, 5. Beth's first ever quilt, Losabia, 6. Doll quilt, Jenny B, 7. Doll Quilt Swap, The Harvatines 8. Doll Quilt, Crafty Ginger, 9. Doll Quilt Swap: American Geese, Krom Mama

And sorry I couldn't update the shop with the rest of the items this week, but hopefully that will happen in the next couple of days. Enjoy the weekend !