A Little More Pink and a Bird

 

 My friend, Sherry, likes it when I show some of my favorite sewing "ingredients" on a plate or platter.

And, actually, I enjoy creating these little "collections."

So, tonight I took a look at this little plate, at the time holding a burning candle, and thought I might do this one just for Sherry.

 

There is an assortment of things on this little salad sized plate.  It's one of those odd things you buy because there is only one available...and it's just so darn pretty!

 There is a tiny 2 1/2 in square crocheted pincushion.  Above it is a magnetized butterfly which is a needle holder.  A sweet rose bud which is really a boutonniere.

At the top there is a resin basket applique that I bought many years ago to attach to a piece of furniture.  I never did.

There is a lovely blue bird handkerchief...so sweet.

A large covered button I made quite a while ago....lots of French Knots that I love to stitch.

There's some pink and ecru lace...and there, underneath the plate, some tiny doilies.

A sweet bejeweled butterfly pin and lastly.....

seven Mother-of-Pearl buttons in graduated sizes.

Surely at some point, I will find the perfect project on which to sew a complete line of buttons.

 

Some closeups.

 

  

 What would be your favorite of these things on a beautiful plate? 

Or, 

is your favorite thing the plate?

until next time

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️

The Unexpected in a Dining Room

 

The other day, one of my friends suggested that I post about some of the things in my house that are 'unexpected' or displayed in an unexpected way.  I think she was trying to be complimentary, however I consider myself a hoarder, so thinking of how to decorate in an unexpected way sounds foreign to me.  I don't know what my 'style' is and I surely don't give a lot of thought to how I decorate.  What I do is hunt and gather,  find things I really like....then simply "find a place to put them."

Once I find a place, I look at it for a while and if I like it, it stays.  If I don't, I just look again and find another place.  I find it fun to hunt and gather.    A lot of time is never spent wondering if it's 'right'.....I live alone, so if I'm happy with it......all is well and good.  And, then again, I'm apt to decide to change things around a week later.

These photos are of one wall in the dining room.  I actually do have a dining room, but you'd never know from these photos.  It's a collection of things I love, found as I hunt and gather.  It has to be put somewhere, so here is where I chose to put it, helped along by two wire racks I found at my favorite flea market.  I couldn't resist them.  So, they came home with  me, I cleaned them and discovered the only place they would fit was "this spot" in the dining room.  I liked them so much, that I spent a couple of days gathering things from around the house to fill the racks.  Then, as I always do, I have to overload them, hang things on the walls, find a chair or two to fill, etc.  It was great FUN and I will still place a thing or two there from time to time.  These racks are one of the things that will not be moved around...they simply won't 'go' anywhere else.

 

So, take a look at these photos.  I've probably chosen too many, but I did want you to see ALL of this dining room wall.  In my mind, it looks just like something I would do.  To you, maybe a bit too much and in the wrong place.  Not to worry, though.  Here's a quote...(I don't know who said it, but it's me all over!):

"I live in my own little world and it's ok.  They know me here."

 

 One of my favorite parts of this vast array of 'stuff.'

 

If you click on these photos, you can actually see what is on each shelf.  Some of you may want to do that.  Others won't.  All is ok.

 

 And, there it all is.  (Sorry about the reflection in the glass).

 

 So many stories here on these shelves.  No way I can tell them all, so you can just make up your own stories.   Or, if you see something you want to know about...kindly ask me in a comment or email.

 

 No end to the inspiration I find here.  These things, their stories, and my imagination can lead me to come up with a good many ideas.  So many I will never be able to finish them all.  Think about this:

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."  

Thomas Edison

 

  

 

 I'm fairly creative, so here is another quote I really like:

"Being creative is not a hobby, it is a way of life." 

 

 This little trunk is one of my favorite things.  I did the inside of the lid myself, several years ago, using old ledger sheets and paper napkins.  Inside is a collection of some of my favorite things.

Of course!!!

So, there you are.  Most folks probably wouldn't put all this in a dining room.  Would you?

I would....as is obvious, but I have no one else here to please, so why not?  

I'll show you more of the dining room if you'd care to see it. 

from

BIRD NEST COTTAGE 

until next time

♥♥♥

 

A Church, A Pin, A Dish and Some Crochet

 

 Once again, I am at a loss as to what to post....but, since I've been absent from the blog for so long, I thought you might forgive seeing something from a post or two from the past.  It seems as if blogs are falling along the wayside and I'm not really wanting this one to fade away with the rest, so hopefully, I'll be able to do a better job in whatever  time we have left of the very fleeting year of 2017!

I think I last showed this little quilt in 2008.  It now lives at my youngest brother's house.  It is 17 1/2 inches x 23 1/2 inches, hand appliqued, quilted and embroidered.  And, you'll notice one of my favorite things there......a tree!  Love making those!  Also....there are French Knots, another favorite.
Do you see the city in the background?    And, the little church....I've used that church to make several pieces, long gone to other homes.  Maybe I'll do another one someday. 

 

 Those knots!  And, there are little strips of fabric made into a border.  Leftovers from a Log Cabin quilt.

 

 A close-up of the church and tree.  I seem to remember using one strand each of three greens to make the leaves.

 

 Now here are three things I could not and did not make!  That teeny little crocheted pincushion is just dear (and OLD), the petit point basket is dear also and how sweet is that tiny dish...a gift.

 Just beautiful!

 

 I found this pin at a flea market years ago.  Such tiny stitching!  It was love at first sight!

 

 

And, once again, that pin!  One of my favorite motifs in stitching is a basket like this one filled with flowers.  I never tire of finding them!

And, so....a new post.  Not the most original I have done....but, it's a post!!

(I'm not pushing my capabilities at this point.)  Hoping you are well and enjoying your summer....❤️

from

BIRD NEST COTTAGE

until next time

                              ♥♥♥

A Little Pink on a Tuesday

 

I decided this a.m. to post a little something PINK here on my blog.  Just a little something.

I've taken this photo on the table at the foot of my bed....just in case you ask.  It's actually a worktable, for as you may or may not know....my studio is now in my bedroom.  Having left my wonderful backyard studio when I moved, and having nowhere here to put all my important "stuff," I've had to spread studio contents in just about every room in my new house, including the garage.  It works fine for me...for others, well, maybe not so much.

But, back to the PINK!  

I just quickly gathered up a few things that I thought you might enjoy seeing.

   

First the box of lace.  I seem to have a serious fondness for these beautiful boxes...a bunch of them live in my house.  I nearly always get them at TUESDAY MORNING, but have also found a few of them at the flea markets. 

  

 Here you can see a closeup of some of the lace pieces I have put in this box.  Just waiting to be used somehow in many future projects. 

   

 And, the box itself.  So pretty.

  

This neat jar of threads I bought at a flea market, complete with the threads and the stitched lid.

Well, really, how could you be a 'maker' of the stitching kind and not buy it? 

That pink and green doily was given to me by my sister...I received it in the mail just last week.

THANKS, Debbie!!  There is a crocheted pincushion, bought at the flea...I do own several of these, some with ribbon woven in the stitches, some not.  

Then, there is the doll.  I made it in 2006.

 

She was made from an vintage embroidered dinner napkin.  I used every bit of it....for the little bag, her arms and legs, and her body.  She has a glass button "pin" and for her hair, I tore strips of different colors of fabric, tied the strips in knots, then sewed the knots to her head.  Her face I drew on with a permanent pen.  She has a pin back, so I have actually worn her before, but my favorite way of wearing this little doll, is pinned onto my bag when shopping.  As you can see...she is also a shopper!

 

This crocheted bag is like a little clutch purse...it has no handles.  So cute!

  

 Here it is with the flap open.

 

 And, here it is with bits of lace tumbling out of it.  Makes a lovely place to save small pieces of lace, although that is definitely not why it was made.

 

 And, here it is with one of my vintage crocheted pincushions...this one without the ribbon woven through it you see on so many of these pincushions.

  

 I wanted you to see this length of vintage quilt.   It is about forty inches wide, eighteen inches deep and the little blocks are four inches square.  This is the way I bought it.  Naturally, I didn't pay much for it....but, I thought I could use it for collage stitching work...and it is a wonderfully faded pink color.  In the condition it's in...I would not hesitate to cut it up....and as you will see, someone else has already cut the quilt in pieces.

 

 Even in the poor condition of this quilt, there are things one could make from the 'usable fragments.'
So, here are some close-ups of it......and one day...I hope to make a few 'new items' from this old quilt.

 

 And, here are a couple of photos showing you what the 'good parts' look like.   I do like the 'something good from something old and worn' idea.  I definitely would call it 'previously loved to death.'  I'm looking forward to stitching something on it....sometime soon!

(Actually it should provide enough pieces to make more than one project.)

What would you do?

 

 

 So, there you are...a bit of Pink on a Tuesday.  Have a wonderful day!!!

from 

BIRD NEST COTTAGE

 until next time

♥♥♥