What color should I paint the wood panel in my kitchen? My signature green or an English/Falu red? Red is so cheerful and bright, but green goes so well with everything else. Decisions, decisions…
Signature Green or English Red?
I’ve started kitchen renovations. Not immediately fixing the small hole in the roof in December had consequences…
It’s all a little depressing really, so let me show you a picture of my new (but vintage) poster instead!
The new kitchen cupboard doors and the problem patch with mildew.
Dry wall trash.
Pretty, pretty poster!
Let’s sum up some of this season’s successes: the sweet pea “Old Spice Janet Scott” in baby pink (above) definitely belongs there. So does the lavender “Munstead” that I thought was a total flop until to my surprise a number of them were suddenly sprouting. I have also nicked daylily seeds from a plot in the area next door. This has yielded a total of 6 new daylilies! Yay! The giant poppy that I sowed last year survived the winter and came out with one giant pink blossom in June. My waterlily survived the winter in the compost and the garlic has just been harvested with a much more satisfying result than last year.
One of the old daylilies that has been slow to blossom. To my delight it is yellow rather than orange.
New daylilies.
I borrowed my neighbour’s sewing machine. I tore up 2 sheets, 2 pillow cases, 7 old shirts, collected some old scraps, and bought an additional 3 pieces of fabric. Then I made a template and a plan. Then I sacrificed two fleece blankets. Then I just had to make a make-up bag from the left-over fabric.
The Quilt and the Make-Up Bag.
Counting the squares.
By now it’s hardly a secret that I enjoy a good flea market. Last weekend I found something I had no idea I needed, a ship in a bottle! For 10 SEK! I’m so touched by this thing. You see, the ship is hardly a master piece. The flag seems to be hastily drawn with a felt-tip pen. But oh how somebody must have struggled with this ship.
Looks good together with my Staffordshire dogs that I mention in this post.
A closer look.
For ages I’ve been trying to come up with something classy to do with old wine corks: gadgets for my key rings! Finally I came across an idea from pysselbolaget.se that met my standards. Since there are seasonal sales on nail polish right now, I had no excuse not to get busy. I picked some shades that I felt were marine: The orange and yellow hues remind me of old life jackets. The corks are so light you hardly notice the addition to your keychain.
Cork key ring in the making
I use aluminium foil and a rubber band to mask areas that I don’t want painted.
Here’s another use for my old placemats. A bib! Templates can be found on the web. Since moisture ruins my placemats I want to seal the edges of the bib. I’m thinking I will do this with heat shrink tubing normally used for electrical cords. Let’s see how it plays out.
In the back the bib is fastened with a simple ribbon. Above I’m in the process of making the ribbon holes with a hole punch. I draw on tape which come right off when I’m done.
I’m hoping the heat shrink tubing will provide a water-resistant nice, smooth edge. This tubing is hollow, and slides off. I’m replacing it with tubing which comes with glue inside that melts.
Two parts old, one glimpse of new.
Ok, maybe it’s not completely done. There are finishing touches to be made.
Last year I found some damaged placemats at the flea market. Since they were renowned designer Josef Frank I had the feeling they would come in handy anyway someday. That day was yesterday. The cottage came with an equally damaged AWAB stool. The combination looks like a match made in heaven, don’t you think? I traced the contours on a baking sheet to make a template that I taped on to the placemat. Then I cut along the template, eliminating the need to draw on the place mat. The tape peels off with out leaving a trace. The baking sheet is translucent enough to allow you to make out the pattern underneath so that you may cut out the parts you like most.
Even placemats get dirt under their nails.
The signature. This pattern seems to have been discontinued, so the signature will be good for future reference.
Going to the plot in April is a delight. When I come in the morning the soil is literally steaming. I’ve sown carrots, lettuce, dill, cilantro, salad and pea pods. I’ve also tipped a plaited paper basket over one of the rhubarb plants. It is working. Stalks are longer and paler day by day.
A sneak peak underneath…
Les mots 