Elins kreative side

The Nobel Peace Prize

2010-12-10T23:59:00.000+01:00

The Nobel Peace Prize is an international prize which is awarded annually by the Norwegian Nobel Committee according to guidelines laid down in Alfred Nobel's will.

Whereas the other prizes are awarded by specialist committees based in Sweden, the Peace Prize is awarded by a committee appointed by the Norwegian Storting. According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize is to go to whoever "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". The prize includes a medal, a personal diploma, and a large sum of prize money (currently 10 million Swedish crowns).

The Prize is awarded at a ceremony in the Oslo City Hall on December 10, the date on which Alfred Nobel died.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the “fraternity between nations” of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will.

For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China. He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008. The following year, Liu was sentenced to eleven years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power”. Liu has consistently maintained that the sentence violates both China’s own constitution and fundamental human rights.

The campaign to establish universal human rights also in China is being waged by many Chinese, both in China itself and abroad. Through the severe punishment meted out to him, Liu has become the foremost symbol of this wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China.

I will honour Liu Xiaobo by giving some Japanese fabrics in one of my giveaway!

Only 5 days left....... Reminder of my Give-Away :-)

2010-12-06T12:56:00.000+01:00

Sorry, I'm late to post my Give-Away-gifts.... but Friday we had our Christmas party at work and Saturday I gave a party at home for some friends. Yesterday I had a lazy day at home; watching television, sleeping and trying to tidy up my sewing space :-) It is very cold in Raufoss these days ( - 20 degrees Celsius; brrrrr) so we drow to a friend of mine and bought some more firewood in the afternoon. I simply forgot to take pictures of my gifts, but tomorrow I will post the photo.

Until then, take care!!

Embroider A Cute Free Santa Design - Happy Ho*Ho Holiday Tea Towel

2010-12-06T10:08:00.001+01:00

Embroider A Cute Free Santa Design - Happy Ho*Ho Holiday Tea Towel

Pictures from our last meeting in Vestre Toten Lappelag

2010-12-03T03:54:00.000+01:00

Kristrun is making this tablerunner with place mats for her mother as a Christmas present!

AnnAKa has made the pattern and I love these dashing flowers.

Two cosmetic bags in different sizes also from AnnAKa's patterns....

A blue pencil case to a little boy :-)

.... and a merry one for a girl...?

Astrid has sewn a tablerunner by using old embroidered pillow cases and tablecloths. What a great idea!!!

Close-up-pictures of some areas of the tablerunner.

Torunn with Christmasstockings made to her grandson and some other relatives :-)

Blog anniversary in a week time;-great giveaway ahead

2010-12-02T18:33:00.001+01:00

It has been 3 year since I started blogging and there is so much to celebrate:

Over 300 posts
58 followers
60 000 visitors
Many friendly comments
(Nearly 3 years since I finished my cancer treatment :-)

Of course, I could not have done it without YOU and as a token of my appreciation I am hosting a Give-Away!
I am grateful for all of your visits, regardless of whether you comment, follow or have bookmarked my page.

I have three wonderful prizes to give away!
- I will post some pictures of the prizes later.
Good luck!
Here are the details and rules for my giveaway;
1. One lottery ticket: You must be a follower or become a follower and
then leave me a comment that you'd like to be entered into the drawing.

2. One lottery ticket: Blog about the GiveAway and post a link on your blog. Please let me know about it :-)

3. One daily lottery ticket if you leave a comment for each day from today and the following 8 days.
- optimal number of lottery tickets will be 9.If you don't have a blog, please leave me an email address where I can find you :-)

I will keep this GiveAway open through 10th of December - the birthday of my blog.

To be in the draw all you have to do is leave a comment on this post or the following posts next week, with the only requirement being that you provide either in your profile, or in your comment, an email address so that I can contact you if you are one of the winners!
International visitors are very welcome to enter! Only one comment per person/email address each day until 10th of Desember will be eligible to enter the draw. Get it? Start spread the news about the giveaway!

And 3 of you will be winners because like I said I have 3 prizes.

(Warning - you can't comment the day after a post and have it count! I will be checking the times/dates).

The draw will take place in the afternoon on Friday 10th and at which time comments to this post will be closed. The winners will be announced here on my blog immediately, and will also be contacted by email. I'm off to Berlin the very next day!!!

Good Luck and thanks for stopping by!

Keeping bags for my student-girls in Trondheim

2010-11-30T10:11:00.000+01:00

Instead of an Advent calendar for my student-daughters I have made these keeping bags for Hanne Beate and Synnøve. This solution is a temporary one; they have a shared Advent calendar with their little sister Gunhild at home. And I have started to make new ones for them....... The bags are filled with sweets and goodies; one parcel for each day until they are coming home for Christmas.

I ordered labels from minanamnband in Sweden some weeks ago. They turned out to be very handy. Perhaps these band will be my driving force behind finishing some of my UFO's.....I bought 200 pieces so I can go through many projects, hehehehe.

Knitted mini Christmas stockings

2010-11-30T00:03:00.000+01:00

Aren't they cute these knitted mini Christmas stockings from Little Cotton Rabbits? The pattern is here.

100th Post Giveaway from Merry Made Quilts

2010-11-29T00:04:00.002+01:00

Rebecca Merry is celebrating her 100th post on her blog and she is giving away 9 fat quarters in this fun sunset colorstory. So bright and beautiful. I'm thinking of the North Norwegian Midnightsun when I admire these colors.......

Christmas Fair at Presteseter

2010-11-23T17:05:00.001+01:00

Overview picture from the Christmas Fair at Presteseter last weekend :-)

An acquaintance had this crafty bag......

Mrs Løkken with some of her Tilda-look-alike dolls. I really liked them :-)

An old suitcase filled with hearts in different shapes and a Santa-couple.

More dolls and Santas displayed.......

Her Santas are strange characters

A pin cushion made like a muffin and an Angel-doll.

Wenche from Gjøik Quiltelag and member of Vestre Toten Lappelag is keen on exhibiting her patchwork and quilting.

Two cozy covers for hiding the bags inside the wine-carton .....

A tablerunner-and-doily-gathering. Beautiful!!!

Purses, bags, pompadures gathered in a wonderful mixture.

The Christmas Corner....

Wenche is sewing a great deal throughout the year. She attends "Kjerringtreffet", the Christmas Fair at Prestseter and in Fjellhallen, Gjøvik. So if you want to buy something from her; try the Christmas Fair in Fjellhaven in Gjøvik this coming weekend :-) Or leave a comment to this blog and I will tell her....

Torunn and Ruth from Vestre Toten Lappelag are good friends. We went together to this fair and had a great time. Some money were spent on presents and we got inspired to make some of ourselves. We enjoyed coffee, waffles and a long chat as well.

Great giveaway from Bestemor Drillo

2010-11-23T00:03:00.000+01:00

For no reason at all Bestemor Drillo want to give away 3 tablerunners...... She appreciate the contact she is getting from all people out in Bloglandia, so feel free to

1) pop in and say hallo and leave a comment

2) blog about this giveaway

3 ) become a follower

Great giveaway from Retreo Mummy

2010-11-20T02:30:00.000+01:00

It's only one day left of this great giveaway from Retro Mummy's store! She is giving away a fat quarter in each of the Sweet Broderie fabrics from her shop. 14 fat quarters and she is going to pick three winners!!

Visit to Quilteglede in Elverum

2010-11-18T01:19:00.000+01:00

"Small Pleasures!" BOM for ten months.

Quilteglede in Elverum have moved to a new location and reopened the very same day I drove my DH to the hospital in Elverum. Pity him; I left him at a restaurant while I did a "little" shopping in this fabulous quiltshop. Many temptations and I came home with some yards of great and cheap fabrics :-)

"Pepperkaker" from Quiltehagen.

Angel from Langebraaten Design.

"Små hverdagsgleder" from AnnAKa sewn in tender colours.

"Vårsang" from AnnAKa's pattern.

The tablerunner "Spåblomst" from AnnAKa. The cakes were waiting for some quilting ladies! They were going to have a meeting and I guess a lot of quilttalks :-)

Two rooms in the bottom story were filled with fabrics to very nice price; only 60 Nkr a meter.

This lady is one of the two owners of "Quilteglede". She made it pleasant to shop there..... While she was busy cutting fabrics for me, May Britt (also known as Abyquilt) came into the shop. We said a few words in passing; May Britt was eager to see the nice price fabrics and I had to run to my DH. I hope we will have more time to talk next time we meet!

Free patterns from Lecien Corporation

2010-11-17T17:30:00.000+01:00

Lecien Corporation have some really nice quilt patterns. Take a look quilters...I am sure there is something here for everybody's tastes! Personal I favour this in Japanese fabrics :-)

Quiltekroken in Bergen

2010-11-16T23:26:00.000+01:00

I'm glad the shopowner Mona (left) let me take photos so I could share their wonderful displays. I don't remember her co-worker's name. Sorry! Nice ladies in a very nice shop.

Quilts were displayed charmingly everywhere.

Sit back in your chair and relax and enjoy all the beautiful pictures!!!

Mona's design! This tablerunner and the following is made by her. I really liked this one. Several pictures of it is following......

Harvest time activities

2010-11-05T01:03:00.001+01:00

On my way to my guild's sewing-together-Saturday I discovered this beautiful Autumn-theme.

I started my "Hokey Pokey"-quilt on this sewing-together-Saturday.

I bought a kit from A Quilter's Dream when I visited their stand in Long Beach this summer.

I love these Batiks and their colours.

Synnøve celebrated her 21th birthday that very weekend. Both students came home from Trondheim for the weekend. And of course she got a birthday-cake from me; a jelly roll with a lot of whipped cream, set vanilla custard, fruits and jam. Yum-yum :-)

My middle daughter is growing up, she has started to drink coffee........

Visit to Kari Renolen again

2010-10-29T15:19:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday a very dear friend of mine: Mette (no blogger) and I went to Kari Renolens shop Quilteliv in Moelven. The quiltshop is just an hour drive from my home. We have been planning this trip for a long time now so it's about time we made it :-)

We had a pleasant time together; good company make time fly!

Stylish tablerunner!

The shop is light and fresh and very well organized - full of temptations of all kinds.

Tablerunners displayed under baskets with precut fabrics. Payload efficiency at it's very best!

Juvenile bag :-)

Kari is a co-author to the patternmagazine "myQuilt" .

"PC-veske""- from the patternmagazine "myQuilt" no1.

The shelf with 50% off fabrics, yield to temptation......?

Star-quilt from the patternmagazine "myQuilt" no1.

With the X-Blocks rotary cutting tool, you can create dozens of spectacular designs that look complex but are incredibly quick & easy! They can be created from strips or easy-to-piece blocks.

The heartpattern are made with the amazing new X-Blocks tool. I bought two different sizes of this tool in USA this Summer. Exciting!!!!

Bottle-cover; a very nice Christmasgift wrapped around a bottle of wine or homemade squash......

Back page it looked like a chicken bottom!

A bag after Kari's head and imagination.

A easy Christmas-tablerunner :-)

Advent-tablerunner again!

"Rosa på Ball "- from the patternmagazine "myQuilt" no2.

"Dus Advent"; a new pattern from Kari Renolen.

"Dekkeløpere"- from the patternmagazine "myQuilt" no2.

Hva skal jeg i dag? (Norwegian only...)

2010-10-28T15:01:00.000+02:00

Foredrag om rekonstruksjon av bryst i Gjøvik, 28. oktober 2010

Tid: Kl. 18.30

Sted: Stråleenheten ved Sykehuset Innlandet, Kyrre Greppsgt. 11, Gjøvik

Arrangør: Kreftforeningen

Hva skjer:

Foredrag om rekonstruksjon av bryst ved Haris Mesic, plastsik kirurg på Ullevål Sykehus.

Bliss Giveaway from Little Bluebell

2010-10-22T17:25:00.000+02:00

See these two gorgeous stacks of Bliss? That's 40 fat quarters to one lucky winner.

The one on the right could be yours! The other one is Adrianne's. Hurry over to her blog to be part of the drawing :-)

Great giveaway from Pittelitn

2010-10-22T12:41:00.000+02:00

Pittelitn has a great giveaway. Drop by her blog and leave a message before 11th of November.... Maybe you are the lucky one :-)

Autumn

2010-10-22T12:28:00.000+02:00

Pictures from a walk not far away from my home.

My youngest daughter Gunhild sitting on a bench; beautiful girl and beautiful view!

Great giveaway from "Brit's små puslerier"

2010-10-13T23:08:00.000+02:00

Run over to her blog and sign up for Advent Calendar-Giveaway! Last chance is Sunday the 17th of October....

Touching your heart?

2010-10-09T19:16:00.001+02:00

I have ordered 1 Still panel fabric of course. October month is BREAST CANCER AWARDNESS MONTH and since I'm a pink lady I had to have this fabric. Take care and enjoy your weekend :-)

Great giveaway from Bentes Quiltehage

2010-10-05T00:42:00.001+02:00

Tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!

2010-10-03T17:46:00.000+02:00

Download your free Amy Butler Blossom Bag PDF pattern here!

The pattern offers fabulous handbag and shoulder bag options…

Yesterdays meeting in Vestre Toten Lappelag

2010-10-01T21:17:00.000+02:00

We had a really nice meeting in Vestre Toten Lappelag yesterday. Wenche has finished a tablecloth in log cabin technique. She has dived into a lot of her old fabrics and old blocks have been used and look what a wonderful result!!

Kristrun is productive as usual…. She has sewn this lovely purse. And small hearts are appliquéd on. She is very keen on using black with contrast-coloured fabrics and it turned out swell every time…..

Wenche has made two table runners in warm reddish tone. The first one is made after an inspiration-pattern from Quiltespesialisten in Lillehammer. Wenche tend to use fabrics fitting together and the result is always great.

Wenche has quilted this table runner with hearts in rows… I like this method of quilting :-)

I got this good big Christmas feeling from these to table runners…. Perhaps it is time for sewing some Christmas presents…?

Quilt Fabric Delights Creative; "Fleur's Boudoir Set"

2010-09-27T23:30:00.000+02:00

Aren't they pretty?

Free tutorial from Quilt Fabric Delights Creative is available here. Thanks for the opportunity to create this beautiful set Sarah :-)

Perfect Box Pouch Tutorial from Modern Quilt Love

2010-09-25T15:58:00.000+02:00

Great tutorial from Modern Quilt Love! Thanks for taking the time to make it and share it with us :-).

I can’t wait to give it a try! Tomorrow maybe...... Sunday is my best sewing-day............ And perhaps Kristrun is joining me, I hope so!

Autumn

2010-09-24T17:33:00.001+02:00

The rain is pouring down where I live, so I thought YOU will have a stitcherymotif to brighten your day :-)

Happy Weekend to you all!

Magnus confirmand last Sunday :-)

2010-09-24T17:16:00.000+02:00

I found this picture of Magnus on Facebook. So I made him a purse or a pencil case and added some money inside it for a gift to him. He really liked it :-)

And here is the handsome Magnus outside his church. He is my cousin's son.

It Seems To Be Sewn: Giveaway

2010-09-24T17:04:00.000+02:00

Great giveaway from "It seams to be sew...."

Drop in to say hallo :-)

The drawing is Monday, September 27th!!!

Visit to Quiltefryd in Tønsberg

2010-09-19T01:56:00.001+02:00

In their classroom in the basement many quilts were displayed on the walls. Enjoy these pictures :-)

This wonderful flying geese-quilt is machine embroidered.

Cute stitcheries.

"Le Jardin"; Rouenneries-fabrics from Moda; JUST BEAUTIFUL!!

This pattern is sold as a BOM from Quiltefryd.

A Tilda-look pillow.

You could easily be tempted to spend a great deal of money in this quiltshop.....

Close-up of the little tablerunner. Cute!

Two purses in candy-colors.

Beryl helped me with a big smile and she had her birtday that very day!!! Happy Birtday to you, Beryl!!!

The owner of Quiltefryd; Åsne.

My goodies from Quiltefryd and one fabric from another shop; Nåløyet.

I'm always in a hurry and short of time! I want to have at least 30 hours a day........... Then I could sew more :-)

I got a wish on my cellphone......

2010-09-18T00:54:00.000+02:00

....from my oldest daughter. She attended the medical studies in Trondheim this autumn and wanted a pencil case. And of course I hade to make this with owls on the fabric!

Wise as an owl...

Kristrun made this for her daughter :-)

2010-09-18T00:45:00.000+02:00

Her daughter is a student in Japan and Kristrun made this beautiful bag for her before she went away.... I printed the photos of their dog and lend her my sewingspace to finish the bag. Her daughter got really surpriced. Clever Kristrun!

Look at this little face! He is cute for sure!!!!

My kitten :-)

2010-09-18T00:17:00.000+02:00

Isn't she cute? She simply loves my spools of thread and all my fabrics in my recreation room......

Visit to Lappelåven

2010-08-30T00:16:00.010+02:00

Welcome to Lappelåven!

Last Thusday 8 members of Vestre Toten Lappelag went to visit the online quilt shop Lappelåven. It is located in Harestua in Lunner Council.

Beautiful ribbons and two bags on a rack.

A simple pompadour at the top of a shelf.

Ruth is having a great time selecting fabrics........

Wenche is selling a lot of quilted things on fairs around in our district and she fell for these lovely glassbeads for her newly sewn handbags.

A model lay on top of some fabricbundles. Take a closer look at the quiltinglines.......

A glimpse of some of the fabrics in the online store....

The owner; Gunn-May.

She had made waffles to us and they were served with strawberryjam and sour cream; Jammy! Jammy!

I was the last to pay of Vestre Toten Lappelag so you can see in the picture what I bought.....

Kristrun is happy with her goodies from Lappelåven.....

A cozy view from outside of the online shop. If you or your guild want to visit Lappelåven, make an appointment with Gunn-May. I'm sure you will find something of interest..............

Happy Monday everyone :-)

2010-08-23T16:34:00.000+02:00

A cute scarecrow for all the stitchery-fans out there.........

Hugs from

And did I walk the Skywalk....?

2010-08-08T10:25:00.000+02:00

The Grand Canyon Skywalk, an engineering marvel. This glass bridge is suspended 4,000 feet over the Grand Canyon. Look to the left and see the majesty of the Colorado River. Gaze to the right at the silhouette of an eagle carved out in Grand Canyon wall.

I took the walk and felt the freedom of the eagle as it flies through the canyon. I WALKED THE SKY 2010 :-)

Exibition in Long Beach part 2

2010-08-07T10:17:00.001+02:00

This beautiful quilt is cross-stitched and made in the 1960's.

You only gave up your name and e-mail at the exibition to enter this great giveaway :-)

Exibition in Long Beach a week ago

2010-08-02T10:01:00.000+02:00

I attended the Long Beach International Quilt Festival last Sunday. The exhibit included a wide variety of quilts both on display and for sale. And as well as for our inspiration. I took a lot of pictures..... nearly 400 I think, so here are some of them................More to come later :-)

ENJOY!

Good night to you all. Tomorrow I will travel up to the Grand Canyon Skywalk ..............

Take care!

Hi from me and my DH from "Over There".....

2010-07-27T20:32:00.007+02:00

Golden Gate Bridge and I...............

Greetings and hugs from my DH and I to you all! We are having a great time :-)

Blogchat..........

2010-07-20T22:39:00.000+02:00

Our route from Gjøvik to Sweden and back again....

Many thanks to Kristine and Randi Helene for a great trip!!! I will love to do something like this once more. I love you girls!

In a few hours time my DH and I are off on our way to San Francisco and our three weeks vacation there. I'm looking forward to this trip; I'm been dreaming of this town since the age of six or seven. So a loooong time dream is going to be fullfilled.

So have a happy SUMMER everyone! Hugs from me to you!

Quiltshop "Annicas Symaskiner" in Mora

2010-07-20T22:37:00.000+02:00

A beautiful colorwheel was hanging in the quiltshop. We bought some lovely fabrics at a stand in the exibition and went to the mainstore in Mora to get some more...... There we got Gütermann SULKY Filmoplast at half the price as usual. Yummi-prices for us who have embroidery-sewingmachines!!!

These pictures were machineembroidered. Four seasons!

Ovansiljans Quiltförening's Exibition part 2

2010-07-20T22:24:00.000+02:00

The last 74 pictures from the Ovansiljans Quiltförening's Exibition in Mora in Sweden. If you want to see previous Exibitions for this guild, go here.

Ovansiljans Quiltförening's Exibition Part 1

2010-07-20T22:22:00.000+02:00

138 Quilting-pictures to enjoy. Grab your cup of coffee or tea and relax and dream about your next quiltingproject......

Using the longarm machine Gammill

2010-07-20T22:18:00.000+02:00

In "Sybutiken Pastellen" this lovely girl were using the longarm machine to quilt her blanket. Go visit her at her blog Anna Syr. The quilt were sewn from block-exchange or swap in her guild. Beautiful anyway!

"Sybutiken Pastellen"; Quiltshop in Gävle, Sweden

2010-07-20T22:04:00.000+02:00

The owner; Kerstin Andersson. We shopped a great deal, so that's no wonder she was very pleased by our visit.......

What did I buy? An Ott-lite lamp, some fabrics, two zippers and a pair of rusty angel wings.

Thank you for having us!

Wasted trip to Mias Quiltbod

2010-07-20T22:02:00.000+02:00

We drove all the way up to Surahammar only to find the quiltshop Summerclosed.....But the shop looked very interesting through the windows!

Mariefred in Sweden

2010-07-20T17:32:00.000+02:00

We bought us hats. Aren't we lovely?

And this is the lady who sold us the hats!

Mariefred was a beatiful little town.

Old interior inside the inn where we eat dinner.

The weather was really nice so we eat outside. Randi Helene and Kristine in their new hats.

My coffee service is made in Sweden and is called Ostindia from Rörstrand. here you can see a jardinire in the same pattern to the right. I have never seen this before so I had to take a picture of it. Lovely, isn't it?

Our overnight stop were at a camping site. We had a really hot night inside one cabin but Randi Helene and I had a refreshing swim in the lake before breakfast. Look at Kristine's breakfasttablecloth!!!

Free BOS from Ellie's Quiltplace

2010-07-18T16:05:00.001+02:00

How does it work?

Every season you can download a new pattern and, if necessary, further information:

- June 21: releasing the first block. You'll get the pattern, a list of requirements and instructions on how to make the stitcheries.

See picture below......

- September 23: the second block will be released together with the instructions for the corner blocks
- 3 months later, December 21, the 3th block will be released together with instructions for making the patchwork blocks
- And finally, March 21, the 4th pattern will be released as well as the final instructions to assemble the quilt.

Happy stitching and quilting!

My cat Mira got her first kitten on Friday, so I think I will make this catquilt for her :-) Mjaaauuuuu.....

Törnrosorna's Exibition in Salem, Sweden

2010-07-17T15:50:00.001+02:00

The Exibition for the guild "Törnrosorna" is open from the 5th untill the 20th of July and is held in Kyrkskolan near by the church of Salem in Sweden.

This trow is made by a knitters hands :-)

Kristine fell for this tablecloth and she bought it! What a scoop for only 400 Swedish Kroner.

My favourite quilt number 1!

My favourite quilt number2!

"A little shy violet"

A lot of pillows.....

Smalltalking inside the exibition area. Kristine is far left and her mother Randi Helene on the right side of the picture were my travelling buddies for this trip to Sweden.

Stay tuned; more travelling pictures to come!

Happy Weekend to you all :-)

2010-07-10T17:14:00.002+02:00

Happy Birtday to Gunhild!

2010-06-24T00:04:00.000+02:00

Sweet seventeen!

Gunhild is born on Midsummer Eve and looks like a Nordic Princess. I'm a very proud mother of course.... :-)

Early Birds

2010-06-18T16:37:00.000+02:00

I have joined Judith in her group of "Early Birds". If you go to her blog and read the posts further down you will see how this Early Birds Christmas Crafting Club is working. There are some "Challenges" to participate in; so I hope to do the Sewing Challenge this weekend; “Make anything you like from 2 Fat Eight’s of fabric- any embellishments or trims are allowed and any essential background material like cream or white are also allowed…..easy peasy!

And I got this original free pattern "Kris Kringle" by email from lovely Judith.

Anyone can join in at any time; so why wait.....?

Goodies bought in Tromsø

2010-06-18T12:33:00.000+02:00

Lovely fabrics bought in Husfliden in Tromsø.

My Birtdaypresent for Ruth; 4 x 30cm in blue-grey shades. She is very eager to use brown fabrics so I think she needs a little blue element :-)

I also found this stitcherypattern for Ruth. She is very keen on sewing stitchery and she is good at it as well.

Hurry up; Grethe's Flittinge Hender is having a giveaway

2010-06-07T00:08:00.002+02:00

Grethe is having a giveaway to celebrate her blog's 40.000 visits. Isn't that great....? Well done Grethe! Hurry up; the drawing will be done Monday the 7th of June :-)

Drawing to stitchery

2010-06-04T17:10:00.001+02:00

Where does the time go?

Can you believe that it’s June already?

I don’t know if it’s the same for you but the time sure flies by for me.

Isn’t that a sign of getting old? I hope not because I have too much stash in my house and too many idees in my head.

But I'm too busy working,..... and regional policy, ..... and district of sports activities and policy, ..... and trainer in gymnastics, .....and mum to three girls, .....and wife? No housewife for me, that's for sure. And this weekend? I'm planning a daytrip to Randi Helene's cabin because she is having her birthday :-)

THE SITUATION

2010-06-04T16:16:00.000+02:00

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly. At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music. This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . . How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Slow down and enjoy life and this weekend!

Thanks to sweet Lonnie who emailed me this story!

Sew Along with Kelly

2010-06-01T00:45:00.000+02:00

Drop over to Kelly's blog and read what you will need to make a great set of bags and accessories. She has listed what you need to get together to start sewing along with her over the next eight weeks.

Lene Romann-Aas; my quilting friend

2010-05-27T15:57:00.000+02:00

As I have mentioned before, Lene is an artistic quilter. She is an exhibitor with two of her crafting friends (Hilde and Marion) last weekend and this weekend to come. A couple of us ladies from Vestre Toten Lappelag went to Gran to see her grand opening exhibition. We didn’t feel remorse over that decision. One of her friends (Hilde) is a painter and the other one (Marion) is making piece of jewellery. Enjoy the pictures from Lene’s big day :-)

"SOLNEDGANG OVER BU LANDSTEVNE" ; 137cm x 44cm

" I MANESJEN"; 74cm x 103cm

"@ 30 AFTER EIGHT SERIE"

"BETTY BLUE"

"LIVETS LØNN"

"BOBLER AV LIV"

"HØSTVÆR" AND "ILDVÆR"

THE ARTIST; LENE

"RAM CHARGER"

"TOTENPRINSESSA"

"TOTEN 500MILL B.C."

"HAVHEST"

"EPONA"

"FANDEN RIR"

"ANGST"

"GOLDEN RAM"

NEAREST: "BARBI'S HEST"

"MELLOM SKUMRING"

"SKOGNYMFE"

If you want to visit her exhibition you have to hurry up.

Opening time: Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of May.

Both days from 12 o’clock until 18.

Place: Vienlinna 276, 2750 Gran

Only in Norwegian: Road access:

Veibeskrivelse: Fra RV 4, ved gartneriet sør for Gran, ta opp til Raknerud.

Kjør opp åsen. Neste kryss, følg skilt mot Stadum. Etter ca 2 km, stor granhekk på venstre side. Kjør inn på gården etter hekken og du er fremme. Det er ca 5 km fra RV 4.

Visit to Kathrines Quiltestue in Oslo two days ago

2010-05-21T15:20:00.000+02:00

Window display at Kathrines Quiltestue. One of my favorites quiltshops!

I visited the shop after my appointment on the Radiumhospitalet the other day.

Can't walk out without something in a bag!

This is a wonderful, wonderful quilt store. It has such a variety of fabric; tempting.....

Enjoy the pictures!

Buttons made by Norwegian Snella & Petronella.

Strawberries with milk..............

Here you catch a glimps of the quilt Kathrine has made, using the "Meadow Sweet" bundle.

My favourite :-)

The owner, Kathrine, and her staff are great in assisting customers in choosing fabrics and making suggestions.

Therefore I simply love this quiltshop.

Min 17.mai-tale på Raufoss (Norwegian only)

2010-05-18T08:23:00.000+02:00

Kjære sambygding; gratulerer så mye med dagen.

Det er en ære å bli spurt om å holde dagens tale på årets beste dag. Da jeg ble forespurt å holde tale, ble det ikke sagt noe om hvorfor akkurat jeg fikk den ære. Derfor vet jeg ikke om forventningene er til at det er nordlendingen/innflytteren, idrettslagsmennesket, ingeniøren eller lokalpolitikeren for Høyre som er spurt. Jeg har derfor tenkt å bare være meg selv, og sitter dere igjen med inntrykket av en Raufossing, så er det helt greit; jeg lever godt med den rollen og. Jeg titulerer meg selv som Totning, nemlig.

Innledningsvis sa jeg at dette er årets beste dag, og jeg mener det.

17.mai dagen som starter med æressalutt og vekkemusikk i gatene og bekransning av minnesmerker vi har i kommunen etter de som har gitt livet sitt som pant for freden.

17.mai toget med glade og forventningsfulle barn og voksne er alltid et praktfullt skue og fremkaller gode og varme følelser hos meg så vel de fleste av dere vil jeg tro.

Videre har mange av oss vært i kirka, på skolekafe, vært med eller sett på barnelekene og borgertoget med påfølgende russetog. Fantastisk mange har deltatt i denne feiringen. Og symbolene vi bruker med flagg, sang, korpsmusikk, fellesskap og glede betyr hver for seg og samlet på 17.mai, mye for meg.

Da jeg vokste opp i min barndoms by Brønnøysund, var huset nyvasket, bjørkeris pyntet trappa vår og flaggene var nystrøkne kvelden før den store dagen. Siden min far var lærer i den høyere skole, ble vi alltid vekket av rødrussen tidlig, tidlig på morgenen 17.mai. Dette syntes vi som små, var litt skummelt, men samtidig spennende. Finklærne var ordnet, og programmet for dagen var fast år etter år. Forventningene var store til barnetog, borgertog, is, brus og pølser, leker og samvær på selve dagen. Det var en selvfølge at slik skulle det være. Gode tradisjoner som med sikkerhet gjentok seg år etter år.

Tar vi denne dagen for gitt? Er det en selvfølge at vi kan feire dagen slik vi gjør, som et tydelig symbol på selvstendighet og frihet og at vi er heldige og bor i et fredelig hjørne av verden…. ?

Jeg har hatt en diskusjon med meg selv gjennom de siste dagene.

Problemstillinga har vært: Kan man holde en 17.maitale uten å komme med elementer fra Eidsvoll, Wergeland eller Bjørnson….? Svaret mitt til meg selv ble at dette er jo grunnstammen bak hele feiringa og historieløs vil man jo ikke være. Jeg har ikke tenkt å holde noen historieleksjon, men en 17.maitale bør vel ha med noen elementer med historisk perspektiv.

Vi skal være stolte av vår historie som ligger bak denne flotte nasjonaldagen. Ingen ide er så dyp og inderlig forankret i vårt land som folkets selvbestemmelsesrett. Det var også grunnlaget for den norske reisning i 1814 som fikk sitt politiske uttrykk gjennom vår grunnlov som sikret borgerne frihet, likhet og rettsikkerhet. Vi fikk vår egen grunnlov og frihet fra Danmark, men kom i union med Sverige frem til 1905. Samtidig fikk vi vårt eget kongehus,- jevngammel med vår selvstendighet. Et kongehus som symboliserer nasjonal uavhengighet, selvstendighet og nasjonalt fellesskap.

Hvem var disse mennene som satte hverandre stevne på Eidsvoll?

Ja, for de var menn alle sammen og nesten alle kom fra Sør-Norge. Stort sett prester, storbønder og militært utdannet herrefolk har jeg funnet ut. Fra Toten kom Peder Paulsen Balke og hans svoger og nabo Nils Fredriksen Dyren og sorenskriver Lauritz Weidemann.

For et par år siden var det Wergeland som fikk mye oppmerksomhet, ikke ufortjent siden han regnes som barnetogets grunnlegger.

I år derimot har vi Bjørnson-år og den anledningen kan jeg ikke la gå uten å prate om vår kjære nasjonalsang. Sangen ble opprinnelig skrevet som et dikt av Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, og trykket i sin opprinnelige form til Stortingets åpning i 1859. Diktet var tilegnet kong Karl 15 i et forsøk på å få han til å ta Norges parti i unionsstriden. Bjørnson var rasende på svenske krefter som forsøkte å endre vilkårene for unionen.

Dagens versjon av sangen forelå først i 1869 med melodien som er skrevet av Bjørnsons fetter Rikard Nordraak, ble trolig skrevet i årene 1863-64. Sangen ble tidlig populær. Gategutter plukket opp melodien da den ble framført, og dette førte til at den raskt ble sunget over hele Christiania.

Imidlertid hadde Norge en offisiell nasjonalsang; «Sønner av Norge» av Hans Henrik Bjerregaard. Han vant i 1819 en konkurranse om en norsk nasjonalsang utlyst av «Selskapet for Norges Vel» og sangen hans ble brukt fram til 1864.

At vi i dag fortsatt bruker «Ja, vi elsker» som nasjonalsang, kommer av at kong Haakon, angivelig i 1905, uttalte at «Ja, vi elsker» måtte være Norges nasjonalsang. Bestemmelsen kom etter at kongen hadde lyttet til begge sangene. Ettersom dette var kongens mening, så ikke politikerne det som noen nødvendighet for Stortinget å vedta eller godkjenne sangen som den offisielle nasjonalsangen. Kongen bestemte. Kanskje en ide for kommende Melodi Grand Prix at kongen skal være eneveldende jury….?

Den dag i dag har nordmenn fortsatt et avslappet forhold til nasjonalsangen. I Norge har vi for eksempel ingen lov som sier at det er forbudt å krenke nasjonalsangen slik de for eksempel har på Island.

Bjørnson hadde også et engasjement som nasjonsbygger. Han hadde et sterkt engasjement i europeisk kultur- og samfunnsdebatt og i Europas politiske stridstemaer.

I helga ble Aulestad gjenåpnet etter en total renovering, som ett av Bjørnson-årets offisielle markeringer.

På en nasjonaldag, i et Bjørnson-år, er det verdt å minne om at nasjonalt rotfeste – og en sunn nasjonal stolthet – gir det beste grunnlaget for en bærekraftig internasjonal solidaritet. Og at den nasjonale forankringen gir den beste plattformen også for å møte andre kulturer på hjemlig mark. Men jo mer den nasjonale identiteten og stoltheten tones ned, dess dårligere vern mot både usunn nasjonalisme, nasjonal egoisme og fremmedfrykt får vi. For disse negative elementene skal vi ikke la få grobunn.

Raufoss-samfunnet har til alle tider vært utadrettet og visjonært. De første arbeiderne som kom til Rødfoss, kom hovedsakelig fra Kristiania. Vårt industrisamfunn har vært avhengig av å få arbeidskraft fra hele landet og også fra utlandet.

Vår nærhet til det nære, men også det fjerne har vært Raufoss-samfunnets gullskål.

Produkter har blitt laget på Raufoss for siden å bli fraktet nærmest verden rundt. Dette har vært og er vår stolthet og merkevare for Raufoss-samfunnet. Arbeidstakere fra hele landet har gjennom hele industritiden tilflyttet Raufoss og omlandet rundt.

Den senere tiden har vi også i vår kommune tatt imot flyktninger fra politisk urolige deler av verden.

Mange har måttet flykte fra sitt hjemland og de har førstehåndskunnskap om det motsatte av fred. Freden, som vi kanskje tar som en selvfølgelighet.

Kanskje ikke så rart når de fleste av oss er født og oppvokst i etterkrigstiden og vet ikke hva krig og ufred betyr; vi er født i frihet. Kanskje en desto større grunn til å ta vel imot de som søker til oss i Norge for å finne fred og frihet.

Med vår frihet har vi også noen forpliktelser og freden har sin pris. Det må være respekt, det må være toleranse, det må være nestekjærlighet og det må være å kunne by på seg selv. Da har vi et godt, trygt land som evner å ta vare på hverandre. Det er en pris vi har råd til å betale! Omsorg, omtanke og alminnelig respekt for hverandre skulle vært en selvfølge i et fritt Norge. Vi kan ikke tillate oss å bli likegyldige ovenfor andre medmennesker.

En positiv innstilling til omverdenen gjør livet enklere å leve.

Vi møter hver dag på noen som velger det motsatte.

Alltid noen som bare vil klage og sutre og forlanger nærmest at ”samfunnet” skal ordne i det meste.

Og hvem er så dette samfunnet? I de fleste tilfellene er det meg og deg, ja alle oss. Misnøye er veldig ressurskrevende, en blir veldig tappet for krefter dersom en velger å surve seg frem gjennom dagene.

Men vi blir ikke bedre ved misnøye; vi må se muligheter og ikke begrensninger og bruke vår innsats på den positive siden. Kreativitet får ingen næring fra surmagede oppstøt.

Samhandling gjør at en som oftest jobber smartere og bedre.

Sammen kan vi få et bedre lokalsamfunn, sammen kan vi få trygge og gode oppvekstvilkår for våre barn, sammen kan vi utnytte våre ressurser bedre, sammen kan vi trygge våre velferdsgoder, sammen kan vi bygge gode varige verdier og sammen kan vi stå mot truende elementer i vårt lokalsamfunn. Resultatet blir et sted vi kan være stolte av; på alle måter.

Jeg tror vårt lokalsamfunn byr på akkurat de krefter og ressurser som gjør at vi kan sette oss de mål som vi ønsker, og nå dem. Dette forutsetter imidlertid at vi støtter hverandre, ser hverandres styrke og svakheter og tar ansvar for å være sterk der noen er svak - i troen på at det samme gode omtanke vil bli oss selv til del ved behov.

Borgertoget som mange av dere deltok i, er et synlig bevis på at frivilligheten er limet i et lokalsamfunn. Dere representerer det aller beste i Raufoss. Frivilligheten på Raufoss er stor; det er ikke få personer som øser ut av sin fritid og overskudd for å gi et aktivitetstilbud til andre. Det gir glede ved å delta, skaper fellesskap, samhold og gode miljøer. Dette er gode verdier vi bør hegne om. Troen på at det å gjøre noe sammen, også er å gjøre noe for hverandre. Meningsfull fritid er kanskje viktigere enn noensinne.

Min innfallsvinkel for å bli kjent med stedet og innbyggerne da vi ankom Toten høsten 1991, var å engasjere meg i lag og foreninger. Dette har vært en ypperlig måte å bli kjent med masse hyggelige ja-mennesker på, samt bedre integrering skal man lete lenge etter.

Årets russ bør nevnes med noen ord. Snillere russ enn årets har ikke jeg opplevd før. Med snill mener jeg lydløs. Ingen råkjøring eller tutekonserter fra bilhorn har jeg observert i år, skal dere sette trenden for kommende russekull, lurer jeg på. Noen russejenter fra Raufoss blant annet, hadde englevakt forleden. De hadde nok hell i uhellet og heldigvis setebeltet festet alle sammen.

Jeg gleder meg til festfyrverkeriet sent i kveld. Da er det godt å komme seg ut av bunaden og inn i mer hverdagslige klær og bivåne dette fantastiske rakettshowet på nattehimmelen. Hvert år står vi like andektige og føler oss ganske små, men også viktige i denne flotte avslutningen av vår festdag. En festdag som forhåpentligvis har vært fylt med sang, flagg og glede over at vi er en fri nasjon.

Igjen til lykke med dagen alle sammen, og takk for oppmerksomheten.

National Convention in Høyre

2010-05-14T13:17:00.000+02:00

Foto: Tomas Moss, icu.no

The top organ in Høyre is the National Convention which assembles once a year and this took place in Oslo last weekend. Delegates from the county organizations, members of the Parliament representing Høyre and The Central Board attend the National Convention. The National Convention adopts the party platform, elects the party leader every second year, adopts laws, discuss important political issues and adopts statements from the party.

Approximately 67.000 members in Høyre are organized in about 600 local party units. I'm the leader of one local party unit; Vestre Toten Høyre. The picture shows all delegates from Oppland surrounding our national leader; Erna Solberg.

We had a great time with a lot of discussions.....

My sewing, my post and my buyings last weekend :-)

2010-05-03T01:27:00.003+02:00

Ready to add some borders.

Friday my parcel from "Quilters Roost" came. Many goodies! 3 new patterns for ME!!!!

And 3 great fabrics from the collection "Heart and Soul" by Whimsicals.

And two books; both came up to my expectations.

I also paid a visit to my local quiltshop Sømsenteret in Gjøvik. I have run out of beige thread, so I had to buy some. Three half-price japanese fabrics and one Norwegian Quilting magasine came also home with me. Lucky me!