Any interest?

Before I start painting some boxes for a June sale, does anyone like this one?  Should I work on something else?  The ones that I prefer, simple primitive letters, are not your favorite so I thought this might be different.  The actual box would probably be black since the letters are.

It's in the 50's, dark, raining.  Again.  I should not have put the cold weather clothes away and have been pulling the sweatshirts back out for weeks.

 

I need to apply the flea meds to the cats and they are so wild lately there is no way I can do it.  In the winter, they do nothing but sleep and are used to our presence but not now.  Gloves are too cumbersome to part their hair and hold on to those little tubes.

 

My last remaining aunt is 92 today and we will bundle up and venture over to see her with some cupcakes and banana bread. 

 

Please give me your opinion on the box before I start.  Personally, it's not for me but my favorites sell the least so my judgment is a little off.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Flower shopping

Hello people.  How's the week going?  We're still chilly but the sun is shining.

 

My summer flower plan this year is pared way down.  Remember this from last year?  Plus the other side and front had just as many baskets and planters.

 This year, two barrels will have purple, pink, and yellow supertunias, one hanging basket of the pinks, and the ferns.  For many years, white was all I had.  Then the Vista Bubble Gum petunia's pink was everywhere and although I don't care for pink, I tried it for something different.  Now I want those striking colors for impact and would have tried all yellow, but I'm not sure if they fade in sun or may be less prolific than the others.

I sure hope I can resist having more than that.  The older I get, I prefer simple and eye catching to volume. Just like having so many items in a room that you miss their form and beauty.  Your brain is taking in too much at one time to process and focus on a stunning piece.  I think that's what happens when there are too many flowers in various places.  Some high, some low, big, small, too much.   I don't know if it's true, but therapists say that having a bedroom strewn with too many items causes the brain to have difficulty resting.  Too much stimuli even though you see it every day.  Makes sense I guess.  So I'm trying overloaded barrels of color and one massive hanging basket instead of my usual here there everywhere. 

But I couldn't resist these, Wave petunias in yellow.  Rather than line with landscape fabric and dirt, I purchased large plastic dishpans for $1.50 and will drill a few holes, perfect size for a smaller wheelbarrow.

 

The hunt started at a new place for us (Amish), out in New Wilmington, and it ended up being an all afternoon ride to five places.  Tomato plants were horrible everywhere, no Inferno peppers (our favorite), BubbleGum supertunias almost sold out, and prices increased as we went along.  I purchased most of the flowers at Mast's, the largest Amish nursery, $2.75 for 4" pots of healthy plants that were $4 at another nursery.  Back in town we found scrawny little geraniums for a whopping $4.50 each that were $2.79 last year.  I got twice the size for $3 elsewhere. The hanging baskets increased by $2 - $4 each from last year's prices. Sweet potato vines and Vinca vines, single and wimpy, were also $4.50.  Good thing I'm paring down this year!  Mast's is my favorite place to go and when checking out, I extended my sympathy to him for the loss of his young son last summer to drowning.  I was hesitant to bring it up, as sometimes we are, but he thanked me for not being afraid to speak of him saying it acknowledges their grief and their son's life.

 

What's your color scheme this year?  Do you plan it before buying or get inspired at the nursery and just buy what catches your fancy?  Whether a single color or mixed doesn't matter because I will complain, reverse my preference, whimper quietly, and curse my continuous waffling.  Right now I'm thinking three colors are too much!  Maybe just the pink and yellow. 

 

Enjoy the week's end.
I may look through charts this evening and hope that something gets me excited enough to want to pull out a needle.  Good thing I totally loved Mary and she was skinny, or this slump may have prevented her finish.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Berry bonnets

Received another order of vintage jewelry finds, brass, bendable, to see if I could shape them into caps.  These were flat and yes you can pound them to bend but without a mold or form, it's just about impossible to form evenly.  Plus, the wide edges cannot be bent down without crimping a little. 

Not liking the bright brass can be easily remedied with spray paint, silver or pewter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The very large filigree was one of a kind and fits a good sized berry, the others were also flat and after shaping, are the same size as the ones from Karin.  If I ever find another large brass filigree would I try again?  Not likely. Probably not.  Maybe.  If it was very adaptable.  Sure.  Just thought I'd let you see it can be done if anyone was thinking about it.  This largest piece was 54mm before shaping and I ordered brass only, because I believe other metals are harder and may break, not bend.

 

See?  I'm still full of boring and mostly useless information.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Mary Spinney

Absolutely love.
The Examplarery from 1990
Presenting Miss Mary Spinney .....

mounted with tiny pins ....

on an antique peel.

 

Stitched on 30 count Sea Glass R&R linen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White crap!

WTH???  Little rotten flakes falling from the sky.  Just a brief period, but what do you expect when you need a coat and the furnace is still running.

 

Very pleased with the slight change in the blue.  The single stitched line of a letter didn't show very well compared to the multiple lines in the people.  Using a slightly lighter shade worked perfectly.  The letters stand out better and looking at the piece, you wouldn't know they are different blues.  Several more errors but who the heck can tell in this piece?  It's all over except for the outside border.

 

While everything is wet (and cold) outside, I burned all the extra papers and non recyclable items, including quite a few paper mache boxes that I will not use.  At the last minute, I decided to keep a few small rounds so I stuck them in my sweatshirt.  And forgot. 

I couldn't figure out why I kept knocking into things on the table and counter.  Good thing it was cold and I didn't decide to take a walk.  I think the neighbors have had enough of strange attire.  My frayed edge fabric on the front was fused and sewn to cover paint stains.  Never did add the buttons.

 

Because of the weather, I have 5 huge ferns and three cats inside.  And I look around to see where Missy is and as usual, her muddy paws are either on my linen, on the sofa, on the bed, or in a closet.  She is such an imp.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The floss dance

Happy weekend.  Got rain?  After two days of decent weather with intermittent rain, we are once again chilly and soaked. 

This morning I planned on a drive to Pat Catan's for floss.  I have enough to go around the world but not in the color I wanted.  The letters between the blue people weren't showing well and I wanted a shade lighter, so checking the floss bible, 3755 was one lighter than 334. 

Simple.  Go to the floss box.  Why isn't it in there?  Could it be in the pile on the sofa?  Nope. Maybe pulled for something else?  It would take longer to go through that mess than get dressed and go to the store. I hate to go out in the rain for one skein of floss.  Then I remembered,

the wicker trunk upstairs that is filled with Betty's floss.  The envelopes before and after 3755 were filled with 5 skeins each, but no 3755.  Then I remembered,

the bag filled with little bags of floss by number.  These were the extras I planned on Ebay'ing years ago.  Well right on top, there it was, 3755.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As my mom would say, "now we're cooking with gas".  Good to go.  After dancing around various storage methods, I have my color.  I'm staying home! 

 

Then I see 3760 and realize THAT was the perfect color for the blue people.  Too late.  But is there something a liiiiiittle bit darker than the 3755?  Looking at the bible again, I see 813, a possibility.  Pulling it, it's no different than the 3755.  The tiniest bit darker maybe, but certainly close enough. 

 

So I didn't have to dance at all this morning if I would have looked at the DMC samples a little more and found 813 in the box.  Now I can return 3755 to the 3700 bag and keep that group intact.  Why?  I don't know.  It's nice having backup inventory but two?

 

Mark has been golfing and I was looking forward to several days of quiet, no TV, no sister appointments, no one asking "why are you doing that".  I wanted to get the polyurethane on the back area of the stove but I screwed it up, then the paint beneath softened and peeled in a few places.  So two days have been wasted sanding it all down, cleaning the dust EVERYWHERE, and priming, painting again.  But if I didn't run out for primer I wouldn't have seen the fern sale.  I'm not touching it again for a few days and plan on working in the sewing room instead with a bag of Dove.

 

Monday I will go to Pet Supplies Plus and buy a few pounds of mixed dog treats for the shelter.  Our friend went through a horrific ordeal and lost her dog, now she has unexpectedly lost another.  I think the homeless dogs that may not be saved, would enjoy some treats in memory of two that were lucky to be so loved.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~