Memories...

Today it was back to the box.  I'd 'finished' it, and yesterday my armchair arrived, so it was complete.  Except.... I wasn't happy with it.  So guess what - I started again!   Well it was partly the fault of the armchair, the one I liked is a bit big....  so things had to be changed in the box.  So I stripped it right back, gave it coat of gesso, then papered it, and left it to dry overnight.

I was at my craft desk at 11.30,  very early for me, but that was because I'd woken up at a stupid hour - again!    I watched Barbara Gray, whilst ironing, was washed and dressed before 10,  then had brunch at 11, two veggie sausages, they were delicious!

So with the box dry I chose to do some stamping, my mum loved flowers and she always wanted a garden. So I used my Sheena stamps on one side and the back, and on the other side used the Clarity bird house.  I did debate whether to use coloured stamps, or to use the promarkers, but I stuck with monochrome.  It was starting to shape up now.  Next I needed to do some measuring, and fit in the pretty pin paper on the inside of the box.  Then it all got a coat of a gloss medium.   Time for a cuppa while it dried, and a peek at the Davis Cup, oh dear...

Next step was to sort out the shelf, the first box had two shelves, but with the armchair and little table I could only have one shelf.  I put together a new shelf,  and fitted the supports.  Then went digging in my toolbox for a hacksaw!   Toolbox is in cloakroom, and is buried under my stash...   Needed the hacksaw for some cutting, you'll see why in a moment...

And here we have the living room - not.  This si the bottom of the box, now resplendent with armchair and coffee table.  Oh on top of the coffee table is a box of wool, needles and some patterns, so cute!  There were even a pair of teeny tiny scissors which I glued onto the sewing machine.   I love that armchair,  wouldn't mind a normal sized one. I put the war time evacuee on the side, she was on a card that was sent to me.  I gave her a coat of clear utee to protect her.   I can imagine my mum looking like that when she was young.

Drum roll please.... the box!   Still have some stuff to stick on the outside, a few pics and words, poetry etc.  and put the handle back on.   The little gold badge is from the International Garden festival which was held in Liverpool in 1984.  I think we pretty much spent the summer at the garden festival, it was just so beautiful.   Mum loved going,  the site was huge, so there was always something new to see,  I took loads of pictures.  I may use some on the box.

So why all these things, I could have just stuck with photos. Well I wanted things that would remind me of my mum, she was always knitting, mostly toys as she got older.  And liked sitting in her armchair, I am going to put in a window on side as she was also nosy!  The sewing machine was in our bedroom,  the one I shared with mum and my sister, while my brother and dad had the other.  Yep that is what you did back then,  mum tried to get a council house for years, and only succeeded when my aunt (who lived in the upstairs bit of the house) became too ill.   Mum was happy to have her own home at last, she took great pride in it.  We lived on a new council estate,  it was nice when we first went, but as the years passed so the estate began to do downhill.   Mum became depressed,  and because we'd all moved out, she was able to downsize - she was so eager to move that we did so on Boxing Day!    I was home on leave, having had a car accident, and I was on crutches,  so I wasn't able to do much.   It was a day none of us ever wished to repeat.    So that is my box,  I'll keep adding bits to it during the week.

Thanks for stopping by.