A tray for smalls

Greetings folks.  Went to the mall's antique store today and came home with a divided wood tray from either a chest or tool box.  I've bought these before and most all from tool boxes are grimy and greasy.  This cleaned up easily, mostly just dust.

 

I wanted to get some of the mini samplers out of the bowls so I can see the entire piece which was the reason for the purchase.  Turning it to vertical changes the size of the smalls that I can use.  I like this better and will hang it between the door frames of two closets. 

Or...

Polyurethane the inside, drill a few small holes, run a wire through across the front.  Hang in the bath with extra rolled cloths, soaps, and lotions. 

Well I can see this will become another piece that hangs around because I can't decide where it's going or what it will be.  Just add it to the pile.

 

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From chunky to paté

Hey all.  How has your week been so far?  Hard to believe half of June will be over soon.  I had the furnace on yesterday and this morning.  So cold the tomato leaves were shivering.  Garden looks good, the Enforcer has been working well to scare away the deer.

 

I bought this little Rival brand $9 chopper at Walmart for the brats' food.  They walk away from the same old pate flavors and lick the sauce off the chunks and shreds.  My wrist was getting so tired of chopping and I thought this little gadget may do the trick.  It did. 

Doesn't puree like my Ninja (♥!) but it chops fine.  A quick rinse, a drop of dish soap with a little water, a quick whirl, and it's clean.  From chunk to pate in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came up with a finishing idea for the PS, made a template, left it up to my husband whether it will be heart or lollipop.  He chose the pop and I agree.  I made two other ends, these were my favorites, but it may end up being simple and basic.  Hornbook handles were at the bottom, to be held up and read.  This isn't a sampler with letters mimicking the antiques, so the top is my preference. Holes for threads can be on the bottom, which confuses me.  I see many that are combination hornbook/thread palettes. What are your thoughts?  Upright for hanging?  Thread holes?

 

The sampler notebook I referred to previously, is a notebook that I attach one of my labels to so it looks nice lying about.  It's not for stitchery, it's for all the unfinished house projects, intentions that I speak of, phone calls I should make, and never do.  I need to rein in the procrastinating and that sounded like a good plan.  No I didn't make the notebook yet.  Not a good start, huh?

 

Working on the black sampler and will offer it to a reader when I'm finished, paying it forward as it was gifted to me.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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Black

Black painted swings.  Black tuxedo cats. 

 

 

Black sampler.

 

Frances gifted me this sweet sampler, black threads with one other neutral thread in a few places.  Not very big, not complicated, I received it in the mail and looked no further for the next project.  Still nursing a slump and the less color change and counting the better.  Thank you again Frances.  My only change (you know there has to be something that bugs me) may be to a higher linen count.  This is 28 and I love 30, closing in on 32 recently.  I may bundle up my excessive amount of 28 and store it somewhere, and then order small pieces of 30 and 32 because as you know, I can't bring myself to cut a large piece of linen.  My reasoning (if you call it that) is that I have several very large samplers and do not want to cut a piece that would be perfect.  So I plan to kit those large projects and once the linen is set aside, I'm free to run with scissors.  But all these things I say I will do, never get done.  My procrastinating affliction is out of control.  I made a sampler notebook, and in it will post items that need to be taken care of from simple to complex.  Every day, at least one of them must be done or no chocolate.  The notebook is staying on the bench by my sofa so it doesn't get lost.  Wish me luck.

 

Finishing on the PS project may be just ordinary.  I have a wood box with a recessed flip lid, perfect for a padded top with interior storage but it's just a hair too short for this design.  It looks great as a drum, but I cannot find any fabric that is compatible with this blue and there is not enough linen left since it was my test sample. But I can squeak out enough of it for an envelope back.  I wanted something different and special but I don't think it will be.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Am I done or am I not

The only thing I may change is the door frame. 

I'm almost ashamed to tell you, but I have no shame so here goes.  Each leaf area in 734 was removed and stitched again.  Yep.  I loved that color against this blue/gray but after all the leaves were done, it was too much.  So this is 3013 with the darker 3012.  Better.  This is very hard to photograph and I had to tone down the color, it's brighter than this appears.   Two errors, the first is in height.  I started the vine with the house bottom and it should have been up one (should be one row of the vine beneath the house).  So why is the roof in correct count to the leaf above it?  The second is in width on the right side by one stitch.  My stitches are very wonky in this piece and of course there are errors, but do they bother you?  Do you think I make good choices with your help on the colors?  I hope so.  Because once sewn, this is my birthday giveaway.  If things go wrong and it is thrown out the window, well... I guess it will be something else.  Details this week, along with a few boxes that I didn't get to yet.

 

I have to tell you what happened this morning.  There are only a handful of  McDonalds that offer sausage gravy and biscuits, we are lucky to have one in Hubbard Ohio.  They. are. fabulous.  Really.   In walks a man with the physique of a body builder, the V-shape of huge shoulders whittling down to tight abs.  Then we saw his hat.  It was a Navy Seal hat.  Some people get excited around celebrities, these guys are mine.  I so wanted to go shake his hand, but he never got off his phone, ate quickly and left.  But was he?  Anyone can buy the hat which to me is wrong.  We'll never know.

 

Have a good one!

 

Thanks for your help and patience with this project.

 

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When I say I am weird,

I'm sure by now you know I speak the truth.

 

And you're wondering when I will finish this fruit'in fox.  Soon.  And then you will understand more about why I was always asking your opinion, which I really appreciate and thank you for.

 

After reading your comments, some of which STILL do not come through to my email thank you very much Google, I wondered if the brown would be better. 

 A little trick I do, is to use Photo Gallery and Paint to change color and placements on areas where allowable.  So I changed the color to brown to see how it would look.  I'm not crazy about it, but am leaning toward removing the black stitches and using the brown, either 3031 or 3371.  I just tossed the browns on the linen originally, this manipulated photo is a better representation.  It's a little time consuming but I have my methods honed since I do the same for the box labels.  Lots of cut copy paste resize rotate!  I'd rather see this before I remove and change only to find out I don't like it. 

 

 

I didn't take into account the black stitches on the fox, and those will show better without all the other black.  I guess when you change everything, charting the entire design in chosen colors before you start would be a MUCH better idea than winging it as you go.  I've learned a lesson.  So tonight, another removal and color change, but if it's for the better it will be worth it.  And every time I create more work for myself, I get an extra piece of chocolate.  So far, this fox had 2 bags of Dove.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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And now a word from a walking glue stick

  I'm sure you are tired of seeing every little area of this small design's choices but I don't care.  I need your help, I've used your suggestions, and I'm dragging you down with me.  At least you can click to another page.  It's not that I am disliking this stitch, it's just very different for me.  When I change colors on a sampler the effect is minuscule because letters of different colors are common, sometimes clashing, not noticeable if changed.  But changing an entire design where one wrong color could throw the work off, is more involved.   I don't like involved.  This would be great on dark brown linen, more so than this blue.  Just my opinion.  But I'm told often that I am always right.

 

For the roof, most dark grays were very close to this blue/gray linen, so black it was.  Too stark, so I switched to one strand of floss and here is the difference.  Left is two, right is one.  Just enough to soften it.  Original design called for 844 on the roof and the bird in black, and since I saw no other color that was acceptable for the bird, I stuck with black using two strands.  Subtle difference from the roof, but it's good.  Fox - 300 or 400?  Brighter or toned?  I'm sure I won't know until those colors are stitched into the piece. 
Stopped in Volant today.  In James Creek, which has changed a bit, I met the new gal named Judy for the first time.  Usually, the owner is present but not today.  Great personality, we talked quite a bit.  Anyway, they have lots of colonial style fabrics that I can order for the upholsterer.  Good to know.  I also stopped to see Wendy two shops down who used to take care of James Creek for many years. 

Found this little wooden container at Cottage House Antiques. 

 Continued on to the outlets in Grove City, got nothing, and then stopped at another Amish greenhouse finding this 6" hanging basket of tiny burgundy with new growth green leaves.  Looks like a sedum but it's not, she said to bring it inside before frost as a houseplant.  Sweet little ball of ......  this.  I got two, on sale for $4 each (can't pass up a bargain) and will give them to Carole.

It was hot and humid, I was flashing all day, and the greenhouse heat sent me into a fast talking frizzy haired Velma Velcro, Emma Elmer, Mary Modge Podge, Patti Paste, sticking to the world like white on rice.  Pink on a pig.  Fat on my ass.  Sauce on my pasta.  Cat hair on chairs.  Did you know that wiping upholstery with a latex glove will pull up most all of the pet hair?  Does anyone remember the commercials for the Playtex Living Glove?  I never understood the Living part.  

But don't touch her with that glove!  All that food, flea relief, cozy bedding, and I still get that look from this pint sized pain in the petunia.

 

Have a good day.

Thanks for stopping by.
 

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