Fabulous Finds Friday
Fabulous Finds Friday
When I was a little girl my mother did a lot of crafts because with four kids it was necessary.
She sewed us clothes, knitted sweaters, mittens and scarves, and crocheted too… just to mention a few.
I think my childhood memories of her doing all these things for us is what attracts me to all kinds of handmade things.
Things that people have created with their own two hands, even if they’re imperfect.
Actually, especially is they’re imperfect.
Like this $2 framed sewing room embroidery. It’s 15 inches tall and quite lovely. I love the frame within a frame look.
I have no idea what the grey thing above the pumpkin pin cushion is supposed to be?
Is that an old iron?
You can see the initials hjc, and I guess that’s who created this lovely piece back in 1983.
The detail work is quite wonderful, and I love the colors.
Some of the things are a little out of scale, but that’s what makes it funky.
When I shared this paint by numbers painting find a while back I said I was going to start a gallery wall.
I think that adding pictures like this with paint by numbers would work. Especially because it might take me a some time to find more paint my numbers.
Here’s a hand-painted wooden tray of a fun folksy scene. It’s quite large at 16 inches across.
Love the colors.
Even though my style is more funky than folksy, this just screamed out for my aqua and red kitchen.
When it comes to things that I love I’m all for mixing it up. We don’t have to keep ourselves in one decorative box.
Plus I think the wordhas something to do with food, like smorgasbord, so that works.
It came with a hook ready for hanging.
I love that it was created just to be decorative.
The world, and my home, would be a pretty boring place if everything in it was purely practical.
At 50 cents a piece these needlepoint patterns were a great deal.
They all still have their original White Rose labels.
I used to love that store, but they went out of business about 20 years ago or so.
W-a-a-a-y back in the day when I made and sold dried flower wreaths etc we used to make trips to the city just to go to that store.
They had everything for every kind of craft you could imagine, and great quality artificial and dried flowers.
This long one, 23 inches, is marked Made in France.
I think it’s supposed to be vertical with the blue flowers at the bottom.
And this pretty flower basket pattern is 16″ across, and Made in Austria.
And the last one, which is my favorite because of its simplicity, is 13 inches tall and also Made in France.
I can see doing these someday, after I’ve thrifted some floss. But that could take a while so they might just stay as they are.
Although I do love them I’m having one problem.
I can’t seem to get these patterns to lie flat.
I’ve had them laid them out with heavy books on top since last weekend, but they just roll right back up again. I’m thinking they’ve probably been in their rolls for years and years.
Any ideas?
Thanks so much for reading, and until next time…
keep on keepin’ on!
XOX
The gray thing above the pincushion in your embroidered picture is a fluter.. It’s a form of sad iron used to iron pleats into fabric.
How interesting! I can see that. Thanks so sharing that info ♥
Thanks Terri! It’s nice to know what that is. 🙂
Love those needlepoint patterns Tuula! Not that I do needlepoint….the colors are so bright, I’s might frame as is. LOL That would cut one to do off the list quick LOL
*hugs*
deb
Ha! Great minds think alike Deb! lol. I was thinking that exact thing. They are pretty just the way they are.
You got the deal of the century on those needlepoint pieces! Color me green with envy?
I agree Janina! I couldn’t believe the price.
This has been one of my favorite FFF’s!! My mom used to do needlepoint. So I love those patterns! I went back to the adorable picture of the sewing room. And that pin cushion is a tomato. They made those before I was born! And if you see one with a smaller red thing hanging from the top, that’s a strawberry and it is filled with sand to sharpen your needles. Bottom line, that pic is the winner this week for me!
A tomato! Wow, I thought it was a pumpkin pin cushion. lol. I did one needlepoint years ago, but I just might have to try my hand at it again some day.
I love all your finds Tuula! I can’t see why you couldn’t wet or briefly soak the canvases and then lay them out between towels and add the heavy books on top to flatten them. I have read that finished cross stitch projects can be cleaned in water so there shouldn’t be any harm to your unstitched ones. I have purchased canvases in the past that had been folded and I couldn’t get the folds out and that is what I did and it worked. Its funny you bring up White Rose and the dried flower wreaths you used to make because I just donated one that I made from a eucalyptus wreath purchased from White Rose. It was an amazing store and I found the prices were quite reasonable. I used to get a lot of crafting ideas from their flyers too and I still have a Christmas ornament craft book I bought from there years ago. It certainly brings back a lot of wonderful memories. Good luck with the unrolling!
Thanks Pam! White Rose was a great store and I was sad when they all closed. I used to make and sell dried flower arrangements, wreaths, sways etc a long long time ago, and I got a lot of my supplies there. Thanks for the tip for the needlepoints. I’ll give that a try. It would be much easier for me to store them if they would lay flat.
Var Sa God in Swedish in this case would probably mean “Sit Down, Enjoy, Help Yourself”. It can also mean You’re Welcome, there are several translations depending on usage. I have a wall plaque like this one in bright Aqua and blue. Geez I have to find it now lol. I have many old Swedish tiles I used to collect and a set of coffee mugs never used that are not very old but have those Swedish colors and are so pretty. So naturally I just love your wall plaque. Great finds. Might be time for you to do some needlepoint! So pretty.
Wow, that’s so interesting Debra! I thought the wall plaque was probably Scandinavian because of the smorgasbord, and my family comes from Finland so I guess that’s why I love it. Thanks for the info!
Your needle point canvases are beautiful. I have done some needlepoint in the past and love it! I have a couple my mom made and put one on a rocking chair.
I checked out your organization reveal you did several years ago and so many ideas I would never have thought of. Hanging the jewelry on a curtain rod as a valance. My next project to collect jewelry. You are my inspiration as I have copied several of your projects…flowers with drain baskets and egg beaters etc. Thank you for sharing Tuula.
Thanks Nancy! I do love to store things in unusual ways. It makes it more fun I think. I’m so happy that some of my projects have inspired you. 🙂
Most pin cushions were red tomatoes Mine are tomatoes great finds!
Thanks Linda! I really thought it looked like a pumpkin. 🙂
A steam iron might help the rolled canvases to lie flat. You said you had thrifted some floss. I hope you didn’t mean embroidery floss. Needlepoint in done with tapestry yarn.
Anyway, great finds! I live in southern California where thrift shops aren’t all that thrifty & we don’t have nearly as much good stuff. We have a serious lack of junk from attics & basements—due to a serious lack of attics & basements & the fact that so many people moved here from somewhere else, leaving their accumulations behind.
Thanks Chris! I did mean yarn. Ooops. I’ll fix that. That kinda makes sense about why there isn’t a lot of great junk in California. I’ll try a steam iron and see if it works on the canvasses. Thanks for the the tip. 🙂