A chair and a li'l cross stitch

Remember a little while ago I asked you to "watch this space", to pop by my place in a little while to have a bo peep at how I might transform this sweet little chair?? If you cast your mind back just a little, you will remember my good husband's beady little eyes espied this cute little chair in our new favourite bric-a-brac shop.

It took a little longer than I thought to begin the transformation of this little chair, but this week I bit the bullet and decided to transcend this little chair from it's cute but rather plebian, dark wood condition to a state of winsomeness, giving it a feeling of other world loveliness.

First things first, I sanded the chair and gave it a lick or two of white chalk paint. Having never used chalk paint before I was interested in seeing how my little chair would turn out. Let me tell you, I am the newest convert to chalk paint. I LURVE how evenly and easily it painted on and I love the smooth finish.

With this sweet, little chair smiling with a lovely coat of white paint.....now for the really fun part. I decided I wanted to stitch a little cross stitch using some pretty threads, with the cane as the canvas. I happened upon a few on Pinterest and thought they were really cool. But what design to stitch??

I definitely wanted a floral design. As the size of the cane canvas would only allow  for a small flower, I decided on a single pansy design on the back and an arrangement of pansies on the seat. I decided on a pansy design as I wanted to stitch in different shades of blue, purples and pinks. The sweet, smiling faces of pansies always make my heart sing.........as do a pretty pair of 'stepping out'  boots! =)

With the design decided upon I dived into one of my many suitcases rummaging for some DMC tapestry wool that I bought a long time ago for just such a special occasion, and began to stitch, doubling the wool as I stitched.

A pansy.......a vision in purples with a sprinkling of yellow.

Add some leaves...and voila....the back is finished.

Now for the seat. I thought an assortment of pansies in different shades would give my little chair a touch of beauty.

What thinketh thee?? =)

Of course my pretty little chair maketh my home......home.......(it will eventually live in my boudoir) but it also sings a pretty song under the shade of the Wisteria.

A sprinkling of a posy of sweet, pretty pansies.....perfect!

 My pretty, pansy teapot somehow found itself sitting on my sweet little chair.

Every pansy teapot requires a pretty pansy, tea cosy to keep it warm, don't you think??

Oodles and oodles of pansy prettiness!

Cross stitching this chair was such a fun project. It was rather easy to do and surprisingly, it stitched up quickly. The main concern was to keep the doubled wool flat with each stitch, but really this was not difficult at all.

Who would've dreamt the sweet but rather plain, little chair my husband's beady little eyes espied could have been so delightfully transformed. I wouldn't mind beautifying another cane chair with a little chalk paint and a li'l cross stitch........perhaps roses or maybe a basket of overspilling blossoms, next time??Who knows, perhaps my intuitive husband will find another treasure for me to tart up. He does seem to have a talent for spotting treasures in dark hidey holes. Have I intimated before that I really, really LURVE this sweet li'l chair.....just so you know! =)

Hoping all you lovely ladies are enjoying a pleasant weekend. May you enjoy moments of doing something you love.....oh....and make sure you take time out to enjoy a cup of tea or two, in a pretty tea cup!

Until the next time.......

Linking up this week to:

The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home
Amaze me Monday

Jann's Share your cup

Sweet Inspiration Link Party

Another sun-kissed day.......

......another drive through the picturesque Tassie countryside; which of course could mean, another visit to an op shop or perhaps a bric-a-brac shop.....and of course could also result in a few more 'cheap as chips' lovelies to take home. Yes indeedy, to make the most of another sun-filled day the decision to seize the day was agreed upon. I suppose I really could have stayed home and stitch a hexie or two, but it was really too idyllic a day to stay home......stitching hexies. I won't think about those hexies now....I'll think about them tomorrow (or perhaps the next day)....after all tomorrow is another day (to borrow a phrase from an obstinate heroine)!

There is always some 'lovely' to be discovered whilst rummaging around an op shop. Whilst my attention was mainly concerned with the ladies' clothes rack, in search of jackets that I want to tart up for a pop-up market later this year, my husband fell upon this vintage beauty. 'Tis a curtain length (approx 4 metres) of the most whimsical fabric, reminiscent of Holly Hobbie designs of old!! My, I have trained him well, very well indeed!!

When I was a child, Denise Holly Ulinskas', Holly Hobbie designs were seen everywhere. The cute artwork of little girls dressed in gingham and calico, with sweet bonnets atop their heads, were imprinted on many, many things. I would save up my pocket money and collect greeting cards, plates, dishes, hurricane lamps, books (of course), calendars et cetera. I loved the sense of bygone days that the designs captured. Days of a long ago time, evoking a feeling of a simpler and gentler way of life; of quiet pleasures and of a homespun spirit.

Each one of these li'l girls is so sweet. Each one is quite large, at 30cms, so there is oodles of fodder for the imagination, to incorporate these pretty li'l misses into a stitching pretty or two.

Along with the exquisite pictures of Holly Hobbie, on whatever paraphernalia they were imprinted, there was always a whimsical saying to brighten one's day. Somehow these quaint quotes resonated with me. Sayings such as; "Loving is a special art, that everyone should know by heart"......"The road to a friend's house is never long"....."Sharing is the nicest way, to put more sunshine in your day".....the charmingl quotes just go on and on and on.

As a creative gal, I have always collected pictures that tickled my fancy, thinking they will come in handy some day, as I stroll along my yellow brick road of design and creativity. I bought a Holly Hobbie 1989 calendar and filed it away with such an intention.

Over the last couple of days there has been a design concept colliding around my brainpan, involving sweet children, whom I want to 'draw' free hand with my machine, around a rather humdrum lampshade.....(surely not another lampshade.....I hear you say), but that story is for another time. Me thinks I will use this fabric and my Holly Hobbie calendar for a li'l inspiration.

Of course this fabric wasn't the only treasure that was to be found on that sun-filled day. At a quaint li'l bric-a-brac shop we stumbled upon this lovely fire screen. I admired this piece-de-resistance from afar and after my ocular orbits nearly popped out of their sockets at the 'cheap as chips' price on it; I gathered it up, handed over some legal tender and scrambled out of the shop, before the astonished man could change his mind. It really was a bargain...........I wonder if the li'l man realised just how cheaply he had let this treasure go for.

It is the most beautiful needlepoint encased in a lovely oak frame. Whomever stitched this lovely design spent a lot of time and care and effort on this piece. There is only a few li'l imperfections.....but one really has to play "I spy with my li'l eye" to find them.  The myriad of colours set against the black background do look mighty purdy. Yes indeedy, another treasure that will add a dash of  refinement to our hearth.

So, all in all, another lovely day spent, wandering around this gorgeous li'l isle at the bottom of the world. But perhaps now, I really, really should stitch a few more  hexies.....but then, there is a small matter of some designing to do, transferring a rather characterless lampshade into a whimsical piece; and, there is also........

Deary, deary me........so much to do.......so little time!!