Stitching - Needle Cases

Over the last 4 months I have been working away at making a few more needle cases. I have used a variety of tins and several color combinations.  Some of the tins have been altered.

This case is a simple elegant box of silver toned metal in an oval shape.  I don't know what it's original contents were but now it has been repurposed.

It now holds a stitching needle with 3 applique pins on a felt holder.

I chose to make a black felt holder with an accent of red near the bottom.

This mint tin had advertising on the lid which I was not keen to leave there.  I sanded the lid to remove most of the writing.  I then decorated it with alcohol inks in yellow and blues.  Once it was dry I sealed it with a coat of Modge Podge.

The felt holder has a base of turquoise with a yellow accent on the left hand side.  It holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

A safe way to carry your stitching needles.

This tin had the same issue so I handled it the same way as the one above. 

I chose yellow and pink alcohol inks for this lid and again it was sealed once dry.

The felt holder has a flower stitched onto it and holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

This tin has the Vienna Opera House on the lid which needed to alteration.

I stitched a house felt holder in black and turquoise which holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

This is again a mint tin and I knew that alcohol inks would not completely cover the writing on the it but I think it altered it enough to work.

Again, it was sealed once the ink was dry.

This tin opens differently that the others so I had to alter the felt holder.  I added a ribbon at the top of the tin so it can be pull out of the tin to access the pins.

The felt holder is green with blue on the back.  Whip stitching around the edge with triangles and French knots as decoration.

It holds the same pins as the others.

This is a tall and slim metal tin similar in shape to the previous one. The bonus on this one is the lid is clear.  It closes very securely.

I made the felt holder from burgundy felt with a bit of a flower stitch along one side.

It hold 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

I spent quite a while thinking about how to package these. I did not want the pins to be touched, I wanted the felt holder to stay with the tin and I wanted the beauty of the tins to very visible.

Here's what I did.  I sealed the felt holder with the pins in a cellophane envelope.  The used a Zot to adhere the envelope to the inside of the tin.  This ensures the needles can not be removed nor can the envelope be removed from the tin.

The envelope can be removed and discarded to use the needles then the felt can be placed back in the tin.

I think this will work well.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a walk over the new Tawatina LRT Bridge on the weekend.  It has been open to foot traffic for a while but the train is not up and running for passenger traffic yet.  Testing is still taking place.

It is a beautiful bridge and I will take a ride across it on the train when the time is right.

The bridge is wide and leaves lots of room for quite a few folks.  Of course, I was there with the birds in the morning so it was delightful to have it mostly to myself.

The Muttart Conservatory is the stop on the south side of the river and the walk across brings one to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park in the downtown area.  For those downtown that want a quick trip to the Muttart it is perfect!

I walked the grounds of the Muttart Conservatory as it was before the pyramids opened at 10:00 am.

I found Maratagon Lilies which are also at the St. Albert Botanic Park.  

This one is named Fairy Morning which features yellow and peach colors.  There were several varieties in the flower bed.

I'm not sure when I will going inside the pyramids as there not much room to social distance.  I anticipate another wave of COVID 19 in the fall so I continue to wear my mask and social distance with strangers.

The LRT construction has had a big impact on the grounds so there are less flowers than before.

I added some pieces to my white dinnerware by Myott (1952) with some Snowhite Regency by Johnson Brothers.  These pieces came from my sister who received the donated card making supplies earlier this year. These had been in storage for quite a few years.  I believe these pieces are from the 1960's.  I was able to add 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and saucers, 6 dessert plates, and 2 oval serving pieces.  Super happy!

I finished this Nicholas Sparks - See Me books this week.

The main character is Colin Hancock who is making a real effort to change his ways.  He had psychological help from a therapist in coping mechanisms to keep him out of the trouble he has had in the past. Training his body, running to wear off energy, keeping his anger under control, no drinking of alcohol and practicing his listening skills are all working pretty well.  He meets Maria Sanchez on the beach.  As always with Nicholas it is a quick romance to spending days and night together.

Maria is moving up the career ladder as a lawyer. This current job comes with some relationship challenges with one of the bosses. He approaches her during a out of town conference and suggests a way for her to make partner.  She turns him down then struggles to keep out of his way.

It begins to be clear someone is stalking her and sending her gifts and threatening her - but who?  Is the boss, is it someone from one of her previous cases?   Of course, Colin now in love is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his behaviors.   I found the intensity of the story quite challenging, Colin is out of control a couple of times which did not sit well with me.  I did not really relate to this story very much.

I am really enjoying my small watercolors cards for Christmas and other occasions.

I have tubes of water color which have not seen the light of day for years.  These were acquired at sales and generally at price discounts.  My sister and I have done large sheet backgrounds in the past. 

I decided to pull these out and use them but I needed a way to make them available.  I did a search and there were several ideas for travel watercolor palettes.  I headed over the Delta Art and purchased empty half pans at over $1 each.

I placed them in this cough drop tin and filled them with blobs of color from the tubes I had. I was able to have several versions of the 3 primary colors - blue, red and yellow.  I will be able to mix many color from these.

It does not give me much mixing space but I can use a white dinner plate for that purpose.

I have written down the colors on the left and I did paint a sample of each color in the photo above. I think I have 2 reds which are very similar. 

I painted 2 small landscapes just to give the colors a go. I will make cards with them later.

I did come across a way cheaper option for this project which I will share the link here.  She uses a dollar store eye shadow box which I thought was genius.

Still scoping out salt free snacks.  I found a large 630gm bags of these a Sobey's store on my trip south a few weeks ago.  

Have yet to check them out here in the city but it is on the ToDo List

It is hard to find healthy options at a good price and easily available because that is not what most people want.   I will keep at it.