Starting a Hungarian Embroidery Project

My Mom has all of her supplies for a bit of crafting during our time in Hungary (I'm here for four months, she's here for three) but, despite your awesome suggestions, I never found time to get together a portable craft for myself.  Not that I would have had room, anyway.  I was jettisoning things from my suitcase minutes before we left for the airport.

I shouldn't have really worried about bringing a craft to do, though, because we found a Hungarian craft store in our neighbourhood.  Seeing as I'll be spending the fall in Hungary, the land of embroidery, I figured that should be my craft!  I bought a pillow-sized piece of fabric with a pattern already drawn on (I'm a cheater) and some gorgeous Hungarian-made embroidery thread in turquoise.

I'm hoping my turquoise embroidery pillow will look as chic as this tote:

Meilinger Bags

The embroidery thread I bought doesn't pull apart into threads like the stuff we used to use for friendship bracelets (although they sell that, too, for cross stitch and other crafts).  This stuff is smooth and silky.

 

I figured I'd better snap a  photo and share so I've got a proper "before" of my project, plus an honest timeline.  I'll keep you posted on how this goes.  I felt pumped at the store, but feel a little overwhelmed now.

P.S. You might have noticed I finally fixed my hair.  After my DIY dye debacle, I got used to wearing my hair up (you might have noticed in this post, this post and this post) so I barely noticed the overgrown cut and splotchy dye.  Before the trip, though, I got a cut and colour I was happy with, until I noticed a bit of the weird blond patch coming through.  I feel better knowing my dye job wasn't the problem - my professionally done highlights were just extra bleached there - but I'm annoyed that I might have the splotchy look again.  In any case, the cut, although nothing special, is fresher.  Even after a long, sweaty, wind blown day, my hair looks okay:

I used to be really experimental with my hair, I have had super short and super long hair with every cut in between.  Maybe in the new year I'll have to chop a lot off to deal with the splotches once and for all . . . maybe even dye it a fun colour.  Maybe chicken out.  We'll see!

Tour the Hungarian Apartment

We are all settled into our Hungarian apartment!  Want a tour of what will be my home for the next four months (I'm doing research, more on that here)?

We were really lucky because we were able to acquire a lovely apartment in Budapest (on the Pest side).  The woman renting us the apartment, Ildi, is amazingly sweet.  We arrived late last Sunday, exhausted after 24 hours of travel.  Ildi was waiting outside for us and, although she is a woman is her 60s, helped us carry our luggage up two flights of stairs!  Right away she showed us the fridge, which she had stocked with bread, butter, meat, milk, tomatoes and peppers!  She'd also bought us tea, sugar and coffee, knowing we'd likely be hungry and thirsty, but too exhausted to track down a grocery store late at night.  There was even a bar of soap and a pack of toilet paper!  Her kindness made us feel more comfortable in our new surroundings.

The apartment is a one bedroom, but the main living area is huge so we got a little creative with the layout, moving furniture around and "decorating".  I wish I had thought to take photos right away, but I didn't think the small changes we made would have such an impact. 

THE TOUR

The building is, we think, about 100 years old with great original features like a courtyard, herringbone hardwood floors and massively high ceilings.  From the front door there is a small little entryway and immediately to the left a toilet closet.  A walk through the galley kitchen leads to the main room.  The small bedroom opens off the main room and the bathroom - with tub, sink and washing machine - opens off the bedroom.

In the kitchen, all we did was accessorize a bit.  Where an iron and old radio sat, we created a little vignette.  We tidied, we reorganized, I found a cute trinket dish for soap plus we bought new dish towels. 

Between the kitchen and the main room is a scary heating system we have yet to figure out, but it sure is gorgeous, with what looks to be hand-fired pottery tiles.

The main room had a blue chair, many throw rugs and the rest of the furniture you see.  We moved the kitchen table into the corner, swapped the blue patterned chair (too many colours!) for the more subtle black patterned chair in the bedroom (which opens into my Mom's bed) and kept the red sofa (my bed) where it was.  All the rugs were stored except one - mainly because we kept tripping on them (there were about six).  The wall units, formerly empty, were accessorized with bits and bobs we found in cupboards and under the sink.  This apartment belonged to Ildi's mother before she passed, so some of her belongings remained.  We're no strangers to this - remember our Duluth vacation rental? - and we're happy to provide a home for things like Hungarian embroidery and vintage dishware.

Mom's little corner:

Because we had uneven numbers of various sizes of wine glasses, found in a liquor cabinet, I arranged them like I've seen Iittala Festivo candle holders displayed: a bit randomly, playing up the different heights.  We found the blue dishware under the sink.

My little corner:

I accessorized my space too, (of course!) with a small table decked out with Hungarian embroidery, plus this Hungarian pottery piece we found.

The bedroom, which was originally Mom's but left her kind of squooshed once her bed was opened, became our dressing/storage room and we also use it to dry clothes.  The blue chair lives there now and it suits the pale turquoise walls better.  The room is a handy place, right off the bathroom, to get dressed or fold laundry.  The main room is huge, so my Mom and I don't mind being roomies.

Of course, we unearthed some more accessories and created another little vignette.

The room in use:

Is anyone else as obsessed with the retro orange light fixture as me?

The bathroom is quite large with awesome vintage tile I kind of want to take home.  And we have a washing machine!  It is tiny and does the shimmy but we love it!  It's embarrassing how many loads of laundry we've already done (it's been hot here - no second day for any dresses). 

I have many more little details to share, including some photos of the building and neighborhood, but I thought you might be curious to see where I'm blogging from for the next four months!  

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My Favorite and My Best: August

Although I have had moments of feeling guilty about blogging, it feels great to be back to blogging.  My Rothko-inspired DIY art post from last week was my first post in a week!  That blog-less week felt so weird to me.  Bits of my routine from home feel really comforting.  In fact, I still blog around 9:00 or 10:00 am, as usual, but now that means that you get my posts six hours earlier!  Sorry for any inconvenience, but I promise some fun and exciting posts.  I'm busy editing photos of the apartment, but I thought I better get on with my favorite and best of August, before it becomes October!

In August I tackled a DIY jewellery project I'd been dying to try: making an inexpensive agate necklace from a slice of agate bought from a gift shop during a trip!  Happily, it was a success - thanks to Hubby's help!



Unfortunately, the orange dress I was wearing when I showed off my new necklace turned out to be weirdo catnip and was thus rejected from the "clothes for the trip" pile.  It is tucked safely in my closet at home!



That's okay, I like turquoise better anyway.  And I professed my love in a whole post dedicated to turquoise goodness.

  Style Me Pretty; Etsy; House of Turquoise; Etsy

With the end of yard sale season (for me, anyway) looming, I hit the treasure hunting hard!  I scored big in the green and turquoise (yay!) department . . .



. . . then shared some jewellery finds (along with an "oops" moment) . . .



 . . . and even went thrifting with my pal Gemma . . .





I shared my big scary news: moving to Hungary for four months!  And that's why I closed down our Etsy shop after a few weeks fun - and sales!  We'll reopen next year, hopefully with some goodies from Hungary.



Despite my packing and preparing frenzy, I did have time to whip up some crafts and DIYs (many yet to be revealed).  I shared the start of one, using a pool noodle for a wreath form.



Then I made some white felted flowers, to gussy up my Expedit bookcase.



Speaking of bookcases, a reader totally made my day when she shared her version of my Artful Ikea Expedit Hack.



I could have been more productive, but I made time to spend with Hubby last month.  I'm so glad I did because I miss him terribly!

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Make Simple and Pretty Rothko-Inspired Art in Minutes

I recently made some really inexpensive DIY abstract art, using cardboard instead of canvases and reusing old wooden frames.  Seriously, this cost only a couple of bucks to make but it looks so cute!

Remember in this post I suggested stocking up on cheap frames at yard sales?  Well, I finally made something out of three, solid wood frames I picked up for 50 cents (in total!) this summer:


 
First, I gave each frame a coat of primer:

Then I applied two, thin coats of leftover pale turquoise paint, using a paintbrush.  I like how the wood grain still peaks through but the frame looks refreshed and modern now:

When it came time for the art, I was a total penny-pincher.  I had blogged about Rothko-inspired art on cardboard ages ago and figured I'd give it a try!  I snagged some very stiff (and clean) cardboard from Costco during a grocery trip (nobody even looked twice at me dragging around a huge 4 foot square sheet of cardboard).  I used acrylic paints I had on hand from other projects.

Hubby cut my cardboard to fit the frames, and then I applied a base layer of paint.  I mixed up a pale pink for the larger one and a pale emerald green for the smaller pair.  I set them aside to dry.



Next, I added a few bands of colour to each, keeping my brush strokes moving horizontally and rather loose (no measuring or taping!):

I thought I was done, but they looked a little too bland - a little too pastel.  So I added a bright cranberry stripe to the largest one and some rich ochre to the other two.  Much better!  Contrast is key here.

To put them in the frames, we positioned them in place and then stapled into the frame, parallel to the cardboard, so instead of piercing the cardboard, each staple runs alongside it, holding it in place.  We used this technique for my framed bakelite brooches also.

I am totally surprised by how much I love these.  I thought they would look cheesy, but they are actually quite cute.  The matte texture and neutral colour of the cardboard really makes the pale colours POP - more than they seem to on white canvas. 

P.S. Need I mention that Mark Rothko's work was groundbreaking, revolutionary and completely stunning?  The simplicity, the scale, the colours . . . all perfection.  None of us can really copy his work and there is way more to it than just painting on wonky stripes, like I did.  But I'm a firm believer in the importance of amateurs and hobbyists creating art for the pleasure of it - and I think it's okay to look at a great painter and be inspired.

Exhibition view. No. 12 by Mark Rothko; Via Art Observed

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