Thursday, January 01, 2015

Apples & Oranges

Oh Yes I Did.
I painted her!!!

in order for me to even be able to use her, I HAD to find a way to hide all of that PINK that was all over this sewing basket ~ {see previous post please}

ok, for all of you PINK-lovers out there,
no throwing tomatoes at me please ~

you see,
PINK is a beautiful color….
~ it looks good on little girls and elephants.
oh, and ballerinas.

Pink is just not a color that I'm used to
unless it is more a coral, flesh-y salmon color.
{would it still be considered PINK then?}

anyhoo ~
 getting on with what I did:

I used acrylic folk art paint {yeah, those little bottles}
the name on the bottle says the color is 'georgia clay' ~ 
but it looks more like Nelson County, VA Clay to me!

then I mixed some up with a bit of water to thin it down,
then added a smidge of instant coffee…cause that's what I do.

and
VIOLA! 
this:

painted lady


since the paint was so thin, it covered well ~ 
and I surely didn't want to saturate the sponge-rubber underneath the fabric…
I used a plain old throw-away sponge brush to apply the paint.



MUCH better now….


the red paint made all of the PINK virtually disappear, leaving only the black graphics of
thread spools, dress forms, antique notions advertising, old scissors and shoes{?}
….so I can live with that.

BUT
never one to leave anything alone,
…. I will be stitching this to the lid:







I like it ~ it personalizes the basket even more!
I will be adding more 'stuff' as I feel the need too ~ think: wool appliqué!


Here is what she looks like inside ~
her measurements are 8" tall x 10" deep x 15" wide…
pretty sexy, huh? 
;)






as I had mentioned in my previous post,
I have everything I need in there ~ 
...but now it actually fits and I can close the lid!!!!



too much stuff? ~ say that when you need a flashlight or lip balm or a glue stick in the wee hours of the morning when you wake from a hot-flash induced sweat and can't fall back asleep so you might as well get up & stitch cause what else is there to do - moment!
{been there?}


here's what's under her tray ~
I love that my plastic thread boxes FIT! 
...and I have room to fit just one more if NEED be ~


safely tucked ~ linen, fabrics, my wooden needle box {which holds punch needles and rug hooks ~ and um, yes, another pair of scissors} oh yeah and punch  needle threaders in case I'm on the road and I break/lose one ~
OH the horrors!!!!


here's another snap of my 'essentials'….
;)


ok, enough of this nonsense…I'll share more posts about this sewing box as I get time to work on her a little bit more.
 almost forgot ~
why did I name this post 'Apples & Oranges"???
well, my hubby & friends say that I call orange 'red', 
and red, 'orange'…
{I call the color I used to paint this a tomato 'red' ~ Peter says it's 'orange'}
I believe it falls into the category of DMC floss colors of:
918, 919 & 920.
which are, in fact ~ RED Copper.
…..I rest my case.

what color do you see it as?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, on to the progress of my crewel stitching.
you see, I am not a master of this form of needlework, but I aim to be.
{it's good to have positive goals, right?}

I am just doodling on some white linen using a pencil,
then just stitching…

so far I have this:






I've used DMC Pearl cotton for the dark brown leaves,
Waverly wool yarn for the rest.
so far, so good.



stitches used so far ~ stem stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch, french knot and lazy daisy stitch.


this is just a practice piece ~
….honing my 'skills' you know ;)






I have a loooong way to go, but I will keep working ~
this type of needlework is so relaxing to me.
no counting, not much thought applied ~ just thread that needle & go!



it's wonky, but it makes me smile.


Happy New Year to you & yours!
what are your plans for this fine cold day?
I will bundle up and go for a walk in our Winter Woods with my beloved….
...then come home to stitch by the fire a bit more.


It's a new year ~ the slate is wiped clean….
begin it in a positive frame of mind.
here are some things I'll remember to do for 2015:

don't set unrealistic goals for yourself or others.
drink more water.
talk less & listen more.
take better care of yourself.
make time for family.
laugh. a lot.
help a stranger.
feed the birds.
recycle everything.
plant a garden.
rescue a shelter-friend.

xoxoxox


* Blessed be * 
Lori

18 comments:

Pat said...

Definitely Nelson County, VA "Clay"!
You need a couple of bandaids in the basket.
Embroidery is looking great.
Totally agree with "laugh a lot".
Happy New Year!!!!

Unknown said...

I love the new look! Have a wonderful walk with your hubby :-) I plan on going out and hunting for an antique sewing box on legs to put next to my new sewing chair. Or sit here and knit lol.

LaNelle said...

Love the goals...beautiful sentiment! I too will be drinking more water want to keep those kidney stones away.....blessings for all that brings you happiness in 2015!

gracie said...

A wonderful post

Silent Stitches said...

Good morning Lori,"Happy New Year!"

The sewing basket looks great. You had to make it yours! Now it's perfect. (I usually have to "fix" things too, and sometimes inevitably end up breaking them. Had to tweak a pair of antique scissors the other day...just couldn't leave them alone. Ended up snapping the blade tip off. :-( ...it's going to take some time for the pain of that mistake to go away. LOL.

The perfect way to start the new year...organizing! We'll be doing that here today too.

Wishing you and your family... health,happiness & prosperity in 2015. Thank you for sharing your postings and always making us smile.~C

denise said...

i love it! happy new year to you,too!!

Rugs and Pugs said...

Much better! I am not a pink person either!
Happy New Year.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Shuttle, Hook and Needle said...

Basket now has your "look". Very nice with all its compartments. I used to do crewel embroidery but haven't now in many years. It was one of the first forms of stitching my grandmother taught me. I still have pillow cases I stitched from that time. You are making me want to pick it up again. Have a nice walk with your honey!

lms said...

lori.....happy new years...i love what you did to you basket...it has your look now...the lori look.....love your project too....makes me want to start playing with the wool i brought with me to florida....i left my rug behind...it took up to much room in the car...lol..hopefully next fall i will finish that girl up...have a wonderful day....

Faye said...

It's perfect!!!!! Your *red*orange*rust paint covered things nicely.... Yet that perfect fabric design still shows.... It's now more {you}..... Happy New Year~ 2015 is here!

backporchcarver said...

Love the "new" look of your sewing basket, I especially like the idea fo adding a stitched piece to it. So glad you got rid of that pink, it does have it's place but not in my world either.

susiedele said...

Happy New Year, Lori!

The basket looks great. I think there's a crayon in the Crayola box called 'red-orange' and I think that's it and makes you both right.

I want to make a prim, crewel pocket, too.

Julia said...

Doesn't even look like the same box. Make it
"yours." My hooking is coming along as I
keep working on my practice piece. I'm very
clumsy and wish I had a place like yours close
by for classes. Wishing us all a wonderful 2015.
Julia

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

A wonderful makeover indeed.
But I must say my sewing box wouldn't stay that neat!...smile
Love your newest creation!
Happy Stitchin'
Happy New Year!
Blessings
Robin

Jimmie said...

Lord love a duck! What a fun makeover. I wasn't crazy about that fabric on your sewing box either, but you've made it into a real jewel. I have an old purple satin covered box that, with your inspiration, I think I can turn it into something magnificent!

Many thanks from Diane in North Carolina

Kathy L. said...

Ilove it Lori. It is prim and perfect.!

Unknown said...

Hi Lori!
Love your makeover on the sewing basket.I really need a large sewing basket... something I will be looking for on my thrift store hunts, with a more open mind with color that can be easily changed.
I don't see myself, however, taking up crewel at this time. Yours looks very inviting, but I already have enough needeling going on!Lol
Martha

Three Sheep Studio said...

Oh my goodness ! The Chapstick.
I cannot do anything without my chapstick at hand. So funny to see you have one also in your "sewing essentials" !!
Rose