Greetings dear friends & readers
I have just now taken a batch of delicious banana & choccy chip muffins from the Oven
The kettle has just boiled . . . would you care to join me in a cuppa & I can pass you a muffin through the screen?
The four cane baskets pictured below caught my eye in the St Vinnies Op Shop last year
They ranged in price from $2 to $4 ... however when I took them up to the counter & told the man I would like all of them please ... he kindly informed me I could have the 4 for $10 !!
What a bargain !! I had an idea in mind for these baskets.
But first - a paint job !!!
It was very much a case of using up what I had on hand ... the two cream ones got spray painted with my can of cream paint, the candy pink was a new can I had not tried out yet ... & the good old green Amulet got painted on by hand. (I have found from experience you always get a far better coverage by spray painting cane work)
Next job was to line the 4 baskets ... this was done using fabrics from my stash that complimented the paint colours
Then I made 4 little pincushions & matching needle cases for each basket
I stitched a small scissor charm to each needlecase, I added some pins to the pincushions
& popped some needles in the needlecases . . .
. . . then added a label to each basket as Yes Indeed, people actually DO say
"these are cute, but what do you do with them?" !!!
Four Sewing Workbasket Sets - all complete & ready for sale
The Mr has been under the main house at the farm fixing a broken water pipe for the tenants
He found two items under there that he thought I might like . . . the Mr knows me well enough now to know I get rather excited about any randomjunk treasures he brings home
This old wooden nail box, which someone, once-upon-a-time had painted the palest lemon colour
I scrubbed it well, let it dry & then gave it 2 coats of my chalk paint "pale duck egg"
I dried it thoroughly by the fire between each coat. I had an idea for the inside of this nail box so I contacted my dear friend Catherine as I remembered she sold beautiful Cath Kidston wallpapers on her SunshineVintage site
The beauty of this is that you are able to buy 1 metre lengths which is just perfect for those small upcycling projects
I was so very excited when my 4 different choices arrived in the post!!
I had no wallpaper paste on hand & was too lazy busy to go & purchase some, so I just used modpodge, which worked out fine.
I used it to adhere the wallpaper but did not coat the outside of it as I loved the vintage feel of the wallpaper itself.
For some reason, this tatty old nail box with its fresh paint & vintage wallpaper brings me so much pleasure whenever I look at it ... I shall show you next post what I end up using it for.
This poor neglected cherub was the other item The Mr pulled from under the farmhouse
I scrubbed her (or him) & removed the family of spiders that had taken up residence in her crevices
I sprayed her with bleach to kill the mould, then when dry I painted her with a small testpot of chalk paint I found in my drawer - the stone grey colouring being ideal . . .
I was thrilled with how she turned out - broken wing & all - I shall enjoy her inside for now & perhaps pop her in the garden when summer comes.
Thanks so much for stopping by today dear friends,
I hope you all have a wonderful week - be kind to yourselves & to each other
I am off out to The Mr's shed to hunt for nail boxes !!!! 😉
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x
Next job was to line the 4 baskets ... this was done using fabrics from my stash that complimented the paint colours
Then I made 4 little pincushions & matching needle cases for each basket
I stitched a small scissor charm to each needlecase, I added some pins to the pincushions
& popped some needles in the needlecases . . .
. . . then added a label to each basket as Yes Indeed, people actually DO say
"these are cute, but what do you do with them?" !!!
Four Sewing Workbasket Sets - all complete & ready for sale
The Mr has been under the main house at the farm fixing a broken water pipe for the tenants
He found two items under there that he thought I might like . . . the Mr knows me well enough now to know I get rather excited about any random
I scrubbed it well, let it dry & then gave it 2 coats of my chalk paint "pale duck egg"
I dried it thoroughly by the fire between each coat. I had an idea for the inside of this nail box so I contacted my dear friend Catherine as I remembered she sold beautiful Cath Kidston wallpapers on her SunshineVintage site
I was so very excited when my 4 different choices arrived in the post!!
I used it to adhere the wallpaper but did not coat the outside of it as I loved the vintage feel of the wallpaper itself.
For some reason, this tatty old nail box with its fresh paint & vintage wallpaper brings me so much pleasure whenever I look at it ... I shall show you next post what I end up using it for.
This poor neglected cherub was the other item The Mr pulled from under the farmhouse
 |
| Poor little cherub with its broken wing !!! |
I sprayed her with bleach to kill the mould, then when dry I painted her with a small testpot of chalk paint I found in my drawer - the stone grey colouring being ideal . . .
Thanks so much for stopping by today dear friends,
I hope you all have a wonderful week - be kind to yourselves & to each other
I am off out to The Mr's shed to hunt for nail boxes !!!! 😉
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x
Hi Julie wow i love those baskets what a great idea and the cherub has come up beautiful ,you are such a whizz at recycling,well done my friend xx
ReplyDeleteWow, more magic at Threadbear Cottage!
ReplyDeleteWell if I had only known you had made muffins I would have come on over!!! The little baskets look adorable and I find it funny that you have to label them when they are so obviously something to do with SEWING!! Well done to the Mr for bringing home the treasures for you when most men would biff it.
ReplyDeleteWow! Look at those cakes...It's nearly seven over here, first
ReplyDeletelemon tea of the day...a couple of those would go down very
well...mmmmmM! I do have a blueberry muffin downstairs, but,
l'll keep that for later! :).
Oh! By the way Julie...It's the water that boils...Not the
kettle..HeHe! Typical Virgo! :0).
And, the baskets, love those baskets, now, which colour
would be my favourite..? Yes! Pink l think! :).
We have a program over here on a Sunday evening called
Antique Roadshow...never miss it, last Sunday there was
lady on there with numerous 'vintage' pin cushion/cases,
quite unique, made to look like birds in a cage, a key,
and so on...as l say unique...they turned out to be
worth £100+ each in English money, total value of about
12 of them...£1,200.
Have to say, if mia Mama was alive to~day, she would love
that cherub, being a staunch Sicilian catholic, goes with
out saying, and what a great job you've done Julie, the
rosary around the neck, sets it off perfectly! I have a
rosary hanging on my bedroom wall, l've had since l was
5yrs old.
Oh! And cherubs are males/boys...! :). Mind you, if it
was mine, l'd paint it a different colour...??? Bless!
Love the baskets Julie, I had a good giggle over people asking what they were for, I mean could it be any more obvious! The nail box and cherub transformation are fantastic, you are super clever with your repurposing ideas.
ReplyDeleteOh, yummy! It was cold in the office today I could really have done with a homebaked treat with my cuppa!
ReplyDeleteThe baskets are so lovely and I cant wait for the next step in the nail box transformation. And the cherub is the sweetest!
Cute cute cute! I love the baskets, and adore the box! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!
ReplyDeleteAnd the cherubs transformation is amazing, I think the broken wing is the perfect touch!
Hi Julie,when I saw those boxes I wondered what on earth you could do to them. It's like blink... And magic. You have special vision. I do like chalk paint. The blue lovely and the cherub perfect. What a find under a house . I wonder how old it is.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind if I have one of your yummy muffins, thank you very much. =) Gorgeous baskets. What a neat idea selling them with stitching pretties inside. I love the box and LOVE the wallpapers. I think I will have to go and have a peek at your friend's Catherine site. The cherub is a find, isn't it. Imagine "her" being hidden under the farmhouse. She looks perfect in her new home. Now....I wonder what amazing transformation you have planned for the box??
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, Nice of you to reply to my comments, I've hit a rough patch and lost my mojo but still enjoy reading my old favourites so keep up the good work. I need to find some of your motivation...if only you could bake it into muffins. xx
ReplyDeleteGosh E.E. I am sooo sorry to read you have hit a rough patch. I wish, Oh how I WISH you lived close & we could share a cuppa & find that missing mojo of yours. We all go through those patches at times ... do not despair my friend. Things will come right xxx
DeleteGood morning! Those little sewing baskets turned out so cute! Your idea of the needle case and pin cushion is such a cute idea! I would love a cup of tea and muffin. Thank you very much! Nancy
ReplyDeleteLove your sewing baskets, what a fabulous idea. Love the box & the cherub. Hugs, xx
ReplyDeleteWow!! baskets for $2?? amazing.. and you turned them so gorgeous they are looking very pricy...
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing your tasty muffins they were sooper delicious!
ReplyDeletei am amazed with your skills of renovation and reinvention ,you are beautiful soul to have such creative heart and hand my friend.
i learned from your achievement that how your love and attention can relive the rough random objects.
loved the baskets!!!
loved the little angle !
loved your place and creations sooo much!
All your treasures have come up a treat.....beautiful work xx
ReplyDeleteHi ya Julie, yummy banana choc chip muffins, yes please, your making me hungry lol. love your baskets, gorgeous wall paper, that is so expensive over here, I managed to get a roll when Masters closed down all its stores for a mere $16, but not as pretty as your lot, but still haven't used it yet. The cherub is so cute, didn't notice the broken bit til I read about it. Love that jar in front of the cherub to, I love old jars. Have a great week Julie. Chris xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, they are a great way to use up Bananas that are going brown & soft. I am so pleased that I took the time to repair the poor Cherub & give it a second life. I love old jars too Chris ... have to stop myself starting "another collection". Happy Weekend to you xxx
DeleteLovely baskets Julie, and the nail box too. All made from scraps and junk finds at minimal cost great recycliñg. You did a great job. Betty
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Betty ... I have been searching for some more nail boxes but no luck as yet :-)
DeleteLovely baskets Julie, and the nail box too. All made from scraps and junk finds at minimal cost great recycliñg. You did a great job. Betty
ReplyDeleteJust been catching up on your blog, your grandchildren are surely cute! The furry one gorgeous and spoilt as usual, love them, especially when I see pictures of Blackie, my heart skips as he they are so alike. I love your baskets and the cherub is gorgeous. Look forward to see what you do with the box.
ReplyDeleteOpps I see I left out a bit Blackie looks like my Ambrose!
DeleteNice basket. :)
ReplyDelete