WIPOCALYPSE 10/26

Time to share with Melissa and the Wipocalypse family the projects we want to complete before the end of the world.

On FB or  https://measi.net/

+++  2026 is the year of  "more of" +++

Sewing / Cooking / Junk Journaling / Beads / Wool / Felt / Gardening / Writing / Scrapbooking / Cross stitching / Watercolor

More gardening

the garden is kind of recovering from the heatwaves with

unexpected flowering : clematis and bindwind

but mosquitos still keep me far from my schedule in the flower beds

so only some cuttings in a plant terrarium

More cooking

As shown in the Bon Appétit post before autumn menus some last summer meals with vegetables marined and grilled with olive oil.

Served with pork and black Camargue rice.

More junk journaling and paper crafting

November birthdays cards and a special mysterious theatre book you'll see soon with a lot of paper crafts.

and another special project with one branch of the family tree

for Timothé, from 1633 to the present day, a great deal of research.

More crochet and knitting

I'd managed to knit the scarf in a few days but didn't get the chance to give it to DSiL1 before his London trip. He will receive it before the first really cold days anyway.

More Christmas

The Christmas countdown has officially started on October the 17th.

I'll post CC articles as I make progress. As every year, it's a long list.

I have lost track of topics as Measi.net doesn't work since August check-in.

Pas de petites croix ce mois-ci, beaucoup de cartonnage avec divers projets autour des cartes d'anniversaire et d'un livre enquête théâtre. De longues heures de recherche pour finaliser une branche de mon arbre généalogique pour Timothé.

Une écharpe de sorcier, quelques plantations de bouture et une dernière tournée de délicieux légumes grillés avant les menus d'automne.

Bien sûr, le compte à rebours de Noël a démarré avec une liste aussi fournie que les années précédentes et autant de plaisir à retrouver tous mes petits bricolages.

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS 1

 

Well the big question will be what to start with!

First I can't wait to make cards, those past weeks, months I had a lot of fun with cutting, gluing papers, with my JJ hobby and kind of scrapbooking.

Then as we have some holidays next weeks I can prepare some small works I could take with me and do during the travel in the car as knitting, sewing, easy embroidery.

So I'm filling a bag with white and red wool for knitted baubles, felt sweats to assemble and my Vichy fabric for stars cross stitches (if I find it).

The first pattern I want to try is a card with 4 folded snowmen shown as a garland what we call a "ribambelle".

I was planning to add top and woolen hats, scarves and cut tiny carrotts for the nose, maybe some twigs (paper or real wood?).

Top hats will be cut in a shiny black cardboard and I found a nice pink paper perfect for the woolen caps.

Noses will be made in felt, eyes maybe made with sequins.

I have already cut some felt for tiny not so ugly pullovers. I might sew them with pearl cotton during my holidays and work on the new designs too.

I'm making Xmas balls again

some in wool, knitted following the pattern I use last year

I wanted smaller ones so I increased the number of stitches from 25 to 20 and the ranks from 31 to 26.

I'm afraid it won't look so good as I used a "second use" white wool I got unravelling a small unfinished pullover. I washed it but the wool is still curly... recycling has its limits!

Trop impatiente de commencer à bricoler des cartes de Noël avec un nouveau modèle : une ribambelle de bonhommes de neige.

Quatre personnages à découper dans du Canson blanc et à habiller, chapeau claque, bonnet, écharpe et bras en branchages de carton.

J'ai préparé quelques découpes de pulls pour les assembler avec du coton perlé et de la laine pour continuer de tricoter des boules rayées selon le modèle de l'an passé. Petit sac à remplir pour activités de voyage.

Je souhaite une taille plus petite et mes premiers essais en réduisant les chiffres donnés dans les instructions sont ok malgré un souci avec la laine blanche récupérée en détricotant un pull mais qui après avoir été lavée a conservé son aspect bouclé et donne un aspect trop mou, j'ai bien peur que le recyclage ait atteint ses limites !

BON APPETIT 8

 As autumn is coming some last summer meals with vegetables marined and grilled with olive oil.

Served with pork and black Camargue rice.

Some ready to make with milk pistachio flan.

Our big supermarket is underdoing renovation for weeks, and shopping is kind of an adventure each week as the shelves move each time and we don't always find what we are looking for.

But the big conciglioni are back and I was looking for some to make stuffed one. I usually use an already frozen egg plants dish and add fish or meat. I have some duck breast for half of the dish and the other half will be stuffed with tuna and capers.

I have used capers for one of my favorite dish : skate with butter and capers

the leftovers have joined cuncumber, lemon, eggs, parsley, tuna for a fresh starter recipe seen on the net.

I was a bit disappointed with the taste

maybe too much lemon!

DH often cooks at home and I never mentionned it so this month I'll share his chicken in cider

Now a funny thing to share, never see that before...

seasoning sticks to be sharpened!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS 2026

 

The countdown to Christmas is officially starting today

Days before Christmas will now be busy :

crafting, sewing, painting, stitching

This post will help me to remember what could be the perfect wish list about my Christmas DIY.

Avant l'avent, un premier décompte des jours désormais partagés entre les encours et la fabrication des décos de Noël. Cet article va présenter mon programme de bricolages en feutrine, couture, dessin, peinture et broderie et sera suivi pendant les prochaines semaines de points détaillants l'avancement de mes projets !

Felt ornaments as sweaters,

Xmas lantern

Christmas ornies for the girls.

Homemade cards

Christmas Junk Journal
Advent calendar / Wreath / Acorns

our Christmas village

Later, the Christmas tree

which have to find a new place as we

move the dining room furniture...
Christmas table ornaments

and maybe some for the garden/terrace

like a garland of stars

You think you've already read this on the blog

you're right it's a copy & paste from last year

Some are the every year traditions and

some are the ideas I didn't get the chance to

put into practice last year as my stars garland!

Des cartes fabriquées maison

Calendrier de l'avent / Couronne

Décor pour le village/train de Noël 

Junk journal de Noël

Petits cadeaux fait main

Puis viendront le sapin et

les décos pour la table et peut-être pour le jardin et/ou la terrasse

et bien sûr, les bricos en feutrine, comme les pulls et autres nouveautés.

For seven years now, I'm making with a lot of fun

"not so ugly Christmas pull-over"  tiny felt sweats

Here are my past collections

Depuis sept ans je fabrique avec grand plaisir

une collection de "pulls de Noël pas si moches", mini sweats en feutrine

Voici les modèles des collections précédentes

Most of them have classic Christmas design with funny looks 

then in 2024 I imagined some new patterns to celebrate the year events as :

Notre Dame reopening or Léon Marchand medals in OG

Here are some new ideas to try (if I find a way to put them into 3cm/3cm)  :

bretzel, snowflake, North pole sign, holly, elf, candle, mug, ice cream

fox, skates, drinks...

and I'm looking for 2026 special 

I selected Sophie Adenot ISS visit (but I doubt I'll find a way

to put an astronaut on such a small sweetshirt)

heatwaves should take part too

La plupart sont décorés de motifs de Noël classiques humoristiques si possible

Puis en 2024 j'ai célébré quelques évènements

comme la réouverture de Notre Dame ou les médailles

de Léon Marchand aux JO de Paris

et de nouvelles à tester si le format d'environ 3cm/3cm s'y prête :

flocon, patins, renard, bretzel, houx, 

patins, panneau du pôle nord, bougie, tasse, lutin, glaces...

pour les événements : la canicule et un clin d'oeil à Sophie Adenot

dans l'ISS si j'arrive à faire rentrer une spationaute dans un pull !

GIFTED GORGEOUSNESS 10/26

 It's always nice to make gifts, nice too to receive some
and use them in our stitching projects.

It's great and fun to show all this and the perfect place is

on Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching on the 15th of each month

for the Gifted Gorgeousness post.

Jo gave a new turn to her blog those past months

but I'd like to keep posting about GG on the half-month day

*

Cadeaux donnés ou reçus, toutes les occasions sont bonnes

pour partager nos coups de coeur et participer au "Gifted Gorgeousness"

de Jo - Serendipitous Stitching.

Jo a donné un nouveau tournant à son blog mais j'aimerais

continuer à parler cadeaux faits maison chaque mi-mois.

November's birthdays will come soon

for my DSiL1 and DDiL2

For him I have made a "fan" card

like something I have seen on the net

Then I realised that my fan with 4 blades was looking more to a clover!

Back to 3 and after cutting it and adding a tiny spinning charm

it is ready to go...  and turn

DDiL2 card is still a thought in progress

I have this idea of a funny card build around a story

written with stamps and I need more time

Do you know that DMC have a new wool to knit scarves

in the colors of the Harry Potter houses?

Only one spool, alternative colors so the stripes came alone!

As I'm not sure to find easily the right colors

I have bought some and my DSiL1 was the first to sign for it!

Last star of my fully finished gallery!

It's   1.90 m long and need to be knitted with needles 6.5

I have dozen of knitting needles from 2.5 to 10 and you won't believe me

no 6.5 in sight, so I bought some and 2 spools as gifts

Another big "file" is the project for Soline

I'm not ready yet but I think I have my main goal

 

Putting together the idea of kind of a treasure hunt

an enquiries book using some of my Tdf stages or drawings

clues to guess characters or places   but who, where, why?

then I remembered that Soline is starting to follow

some drama classes in school

what about something about theatre and French writers

So see you next month with, I hope, more than

ideas as I have ten days to work it out before our visit

Au programme de ce GG : une écharpe HP déjà vedette de

mon précédent article FFG

une carte d'anniversaire "fan" pour Yoan

et deux projets encore en réflexion

une carte pour Aude autour d'une histoire en timbres

et un livret aventure enquête pour Soline sur le thème du théâtre.

Don't forget the Christmas Countdown is starting in two days!

Ce prochain samedi, je passe aux choses sérieuses.

Vous pouvez deviner aisément que je suis impatiente de commencer

mon compte à rebours de Noël.

Donc retenez cette date : le samedi 17 octobre 2026 

pour l'annonce officielle de mes projets !