Sunday 19 April 2009

100th post and Giveaway!

It's my 100th post
so in great blog tradition
I will have a giveaway.
My first post was in January 2007.
It's taken a while to get here!
Initially I had set up the blog to keep in touch with family and friends.

I thought it was a good way of showing them our new life here in Sweden.

Except I didn't tell anyone about it!

People asked us
'Why Sweden?'

This blog I suppose

aims to answer that question.

It's really a photo journal
of our day to day living.

I often wonder whether to publish a post
because each day is much like the one that went before.

We live in a forest,
Our nearest neighbour is 200 hundred yards up the track.

Some days we feel that we could be the last people on earth
because we haven't seen anyone for days,
literally.

When we sit outside on our terrace,
it is very quiet.

There is only the sound of the birds,
or sometimes the sound of the wind in the trees.
Hardly any aircraft travel overhead,
and traffic noise is only heard
occasionally.
Perhaps when the wind is blowing in the right, (wrong) direction.
Mike has told lots of our friends about my blog now.
And I know they call in to see what we're up to
or maybe it's just to see what the weather is up to in Sweden!

My daughter told me last week that she looks at my blog,

which I'm very pleased about.

I enjoy my trips into Blogworld.
I have made a lot of friends here.

Important when so far away from
family and friends at home.


So still without my camera
I will show what I have on offer for my giveaway.
I think I can manage with photos that I took before I dropped the camera.
I have been making some ATC's (artist trading cards),
from some felt I made last year,
which I embroidered.
I titled them
'English Garden in a Swedish Forest'.
I had some felt left so keeping the same size as an ATC
(two and a half inches by three and a half inches),
I have one to giveaway,
similiar to the ones shown here.




a heart,
you can just see one here
peeking out
but there's more in my side bar.


a hexagonal pincushion,

similiar to the one here, but smaller, and dottier.
some ribbons I bought-
one of a Dalarna horse,
and one blue and yellow (symbolising the Swedish flag).

All that that you need to do if you want to enter the giveaway
is to leave a comment here.
I will leave it open for a week,
until Monday 28th April 9am CET time
when I will pick one winner.
Please leave a link so I can contact you if I pick your name out of the hat.
Now I'll just go and find a hat!

Oh, and a Happy Birthday to my son.
Twenty three years old today!
Well that should be Sunday.
It has taken me that long to post this!



Best of luck!

Edited to add that the giveaway is international.

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Love reading your blog. Hope you get your camera fixed soon. Will you include international entries to your giveaway? I live in the U.S. Check out my blog at herecomethedukes.blogspot.com

Rosa-Munda said...

Hello Lynne, I really enjoy reading your blog and seeing the beautiful photos you take. I would love to live in the forest with trees and wildlife for neighbours! Well done on reaching your 100th post - that takes stamina! I would love to take part in your giveaway. Ros

Grammy Staffy said...

Hello dear Lynne,
Congrats on your 100 post. What a nice give away you are giving. I am ashamed that I have not done my 100th post giveaway yet and I am well past 100.... at first Ifelt too sad over the death of my little blog friend, Gracie, to celebrate... then we went to Utah and got to adopt baby Calan and he is all I have posted about...You have inspired me to get busy and so a give away. I will get to it this week!!!! (I hope)

I am sorry about your camera. I hope you can get it fixed or get a new one. You take such beautiful pictures.

Do you like living in such a remote spot? It is so lovely there... but do you get lonesome?

Happy 23rd birthday to your son.

have a great day.

Grammy Staffy said...

Dear Lynne,
I just told my blog friends about your give away on my last post. I hope that is OK with you. Let me know if it is not and I will remove it.

Have a great day.
Love, Lura

Teresa said...

Congrats on your 100th post.... so glad I found your blog - I've thoroughly enjoyed your gorgeous photos and nice comments. Keep up the good work, Lynne!

limpingalong said...

Lovely, lovely. I especially love the hearts, and that beautiful hexagon that is shown under the ATC's.
I used to have a Swedish pen pal. Her name was Marianne Andersson and then she got married to Karl-skv but I can't think of her married name right now. That was a long time ago -- 49 or 50 years ago!

kendalee said...

Congrats on your 100th post Lynne! I love that I have a glimpse into your world and your thoughts as you make a life for yourself in Sweden. I think the one thing that I miss most about being near my family (and as you rightly noted, I am feeling very far from them right now) is sharing the minutia of our lives with each other... The chats about the everydayness of things. It's one of the reasons I blog too.

And I think that's exactly what I love about your blog - seeing how you've taken your lovely dogs for a walk, the changing seasons in your garden, what you baked for tea... It's lovely! And I hope you keep posting even if tomorrow and the next day are much like today. It's real life for most of us. I like to feel that the people whose blogs I read are people I might actually sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat with, if ever we were to meet... So thank you for 100 lovely chats! Hoping for many more...

Sue said...

Lynne,
I almost missed your blog post...haven't been on for awhile.

I am glad I found your blog! It is fun to have a "friend" in another country. I love getting glimpses into your world over there. Sometimes I can almost feel the solitude and beauty of your home when you post.
I also enjoy your pictures very much!

Happy belated 23rd birthday to your son and I am glad your daughter reads your blog...wish mine did! LOL

Congratulations on your 100th post!

Bev C said...

Hello Lynne, Congratulations on your 100th post. Best wishes to your son too. Lovely photo's on your blog, you must enjoy cooking. Best wishes and happy days.

Marie Rayner said...

Congrats on your 100th post Lynne! What a lovely giveaway as well. I am a North American ex pat living in the UK. We also live in a very rural area and I often blog about the simple pleasures of living out in the country. I love listening to the birds and the simplicity of it all. Your work is lovely and so very beautiful. Your winner will be a very lucky person indeed.

Sandi said...

Hi Lynne,
Congrats on your 100th post. I always enjoy reading your blog and looking at your wonderful photos. (hope you get your camera fixed soon). Loved the easter photos you posted from previous years. We had very rainy weather here at easter time. Lovely cooler weather, with sunny skies now.
Cheers,
Sandi

...Nina Nixon... said...

Hi Lynne 'Happy 100th post'

I love all your crafty bits I also have aoft spot for hexagonal pin cushions - I make them alot!

Have a lovely week and congratulations again,

take care,

nina x

ps. I wouldn't be at all happy with my hubby if he pinched my chocolate though at least yours bought you some more!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lynne! Congratulations on your 100th post! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, there is a little bit of sunshine peaking through. Thanks for asking. Your give away items are very sweet. Sorry that you don't have a camera at the moment. I have enjoyed your photos of Sweden since you first stopped by.

Anonymous said...

Hello Lynne! Congrats on 100 posts. I love the life that you and your husband and pets have there. I hope you get your camera back soon - I miss those picturesque scenes you share and the antics of the dogs! What a sweet giveaway. A happy belated birthday to your son.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your week.

sumea said...

Happy Birthday to your 23 year old and happy 100th post.
You have a lovely blog, I really enjoy visiting. Always beautiful and interesting - I hope there will be many, many more posts.
xx
Sumea

p.s thanyou for the lovely comments on my blog
xx

Colette said...

I love your ATC, keep thinking I should make one but never really knew what they were (do now thank you) Glad I have found your blog.

Happy April.

Colette

Sandy said...

Congratulations on your 100th post. I love the ATC's. Please add me to your giveaway.

Thecraftytrundler said...

I love your ATC's, they're beautiful!! It must be so quiet, and serene where you live, and of course beautiful too. No wonder you take such fantastic photos!
Many congratulations on your 100th post, I still have quite a way to go!

Have a lovely week : )

Sharon xx

P.S. Would love to participate in your giveaway.

Sandy said...

Hi again, Lynne. Am answering your comment here because you have "no reply" for your email address.
Thank you for your sweet comments. BOM's are "block of the month". Usually a site will offer these free, a stitchery or sewing pattern given each month. Whisper Weft is a very light weight stabilizer that you fuse to the back of your material when doing embroidery so the stitches won't show through to the front. Have a good day.

Vintage Sandy said...

Congrats on your 100th. post aren't they so much fun meeting people from everywhere looking at such beautiful things people create please enter me in your giveaway and I will post on my blog!!

Vintage Sandy said...

Thanks Lynne for stopping by my blog and for the nice comment on my stitchery I'm not really sure yet what I will do with them I'm very new to quilting so time will tell

Anonymous said...

Dear Lynne,
It sounds so wonderful; the way you live in Sweden, so peaceful !! But ofcourse i can imagine that it can be a little difficult sometimes with your family and friend over in another country !
I always enjoy reading about your life and ofcourse the dogs :)
Groetjes, Janneke.

noelle said...

oooh how exciting, i'm up for that! count me in please lynne. my hundreth post is my next one i think just thinking what i could giveaway before i post anything!!!

Connie said...

Lynne, congratulations on your 100th post. You have a wonderful blog here. All of your handmade items are so pretty. I really like that heart especially. It seems so fitting for you to have made that. :)

Hope your son had a happy birthday.

Enjoy your weekend! :D

Sarah said...

Oh how did I miss your giveaway Lynne?! I have had a busy week and the weekend was not long enough to catch up! THese are lovely! Congratulations on your 100 posts-I meant to have a giveaway on mine but failed and so am thinking about 150?!
I dropped in to say hi and that I have passed on an award to you. Glad the Spring is arriving gradually in your part of the world. It was interesting to read your reasons for starting your blog and how it has developed. Although you may feel your days are similar, I love reading about your life in the forest as it is so different from mine. So thanks for all the lovely posts and glad I intermet you! (I stole that from Kendalee-but I like it!)
Sarah :)