Thank you, thank you, thank you…for all your very kind words about my newly made over sewing room! I am still in shock when I walk in there. It even sounds a bit different when my feet hit the floor. I’m loving it!!!
I’ve had a poster of Helen Kish’s Little Match Girl for years. A very dear doll customer from California went to the 2009 Doll Convention and bought Helen Kish’s book for my birthday and Helen autographed it! I’m assuming she purchased the poster there too. I’ve had it taped to my big brown cabinet and only recently removed it. (I’m sure you’ve seen it before in my pictures.)
Here are some color pictures of The Little Match Girl and a bit about what Helen said when making such a sad little character for her debut vinyl dolls.
Since my room is now a gray and white color scheme, I thought that poster might work as a piece of art in there. I had nothing to lose but didn’t want to spend a fortune on a mat and frame and glass.
Well, it just so happened I was at our Goodwill and I saw this black, kind of slick, type frame, with a poster in it…no glass. There was a white mat with it, but it had some tiny black spots on it. I still thought for $3.00 it was worth a try. I had taken measurements of The Little Match Girl poster…but had left them at home, so I just had to guess that it was about right.
When I got home and put my poster on top, it looked like what I had in mind.
But…the mat opening was 1/4″ too small for the picture. So I found the utility knife, marked the 1/4″ lines and proceeded to cut it off.
I tried to get the spots off the mat, but they smeared and it looked terrible.
There’s always a Plan B with me so I got out some white linen fabric, some adhesive spray, and my scissors.
I sprayed the fabric and laid the mat face down, clipped the corners, folded them back and decided it looked pretty good!
The poster looked nice with the linen mat next to it…
The black frame had a few nicks and rubbed spots, but a can of spray paint did wonders for it.
Today I went to a glass shop here in town and took my frame with me. He cut the glass while I waited!! $7.00!!
I hung it on the wall just as you step into my sewing room.
I like it…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like it also!!
It shows history and is a good looking art piece.
First of all, what a great find, that frame and mat that were Almost (as in “close enough”) the right size! Also, great save on the mat, using linen to cover it. (I was thinking you might paint it…) It looks great next to your poster. And then the glass….and there you have it!! A perfect accent to your sewing room!!
I love the story of the little match girl, by the way. I used to cry when I read it, but then I loved the story, so I would read it again!! And cry again….
I finally finished hemming that embroidered runner, and will try to get pictures tomorrow. I know there are some other pictures I’ve mentioned sending you, too, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I get on that particular job!
Oh I love it Jeanne! It seems that the stars line up just perfectly for you every time! I too, loved the story of the Little Match Girl, but always thought of it as rather sad in my cheerful and sheltered childhood. I had the Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale book that I read over and over!
It certainly helps when you have a supply of paints, a can of this and that, fabrics, and the know how to fix things, like you have!
Your sewing room is getting better and better everyday! It certainly helps to have things to do inside during this horrible heat wave!
Brilliant idea with the linen Jeanne! It looks fantastic!
I have to say, watching your sewing room reno has inspired me to do the same. I’m somewhat of a fabric addict. I have mine stored in bins, bookshelf, dresser and sitting on top of my daybed. I started getting a slight handle on it, sorting and such, but then my mom passed away in Feb. and I inherited all of her sewing,crafting stuff, so… She was 92 so I’m talking 60 plus years of stuff. I love it all and don’t want to part with anything. It’s an overwhelming task, so I usually end up just looking at it all and sighing. One day soon I will have to get down to business and just dive in. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m so sorry about your mom, Linda.
Give yourself some time with sorting her stuff; do what you can, then take breaks when you need to. That’s what I did with my folks’ house, when going thru it after daddy died in 2005. There were some days I went great guns at it, and other times I just couldn’t even walk in the door. And that was okay; eventually it all did get done, and your mom’s stuff will eventually get sorted, too.
Thank you Charlotte.
Oh, Linda, I feel you. I still have bins and bins of my mother’s sewing supplies, and she passed away almost 10 years ago. I didn’t get around to clearing out her sewing room until probably 4 years ago–Dad still lives there, and he just wasn’t ready. Every once in a while I will pull something out and use it, but I am reluctant to get rid of the things she collected so fervently. She was a fabulous quilter, and left probably 40 finished quilts in her closet.
This poster is definitely (IMO) the cherry on top of your cake/your sewing room. What a magnificent way you’ve made over that Goodwill frame, now into a frame that highly enhances that charming poster. I can just see fairy lights or very minimal seasonal vinings hanging around it or above it….it’s so wonderful in your room Jeanne. Don’t forget to do a doll dance in your “new” sewing room. I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.
Good job on matting your poster. The acid free glue is the way to go as well, and the “new” mat will prevent the poster from accidentally sticking to the glass and ruining it. Great photo of the poster location and into the living room. Every thing looks so cohesive now.
It was kind of people yesterday to help me out with the kitchen appliance selection and flooring problems we are having. Daughter sent a photo of two amazing white kitchens with lovely wood floors. Perfect, except they had vaulted ceilings and were amazingly spacious unlike the little area at our place. But, at least we can do the same with color and flooring. 🙂
What a wonderful poster to enhance your sewing room. And the frame (what a find) is great with the linen mat. Probably wouldn’t have thought about covering the mat, but what a great idea. I loved “The Little Match Girl” story but it had such a sad ending. Unfortunately that was pretty much a common thing at that time. Children losing their parents and trying to make it on their own. Not every one ended up as fortunate as “Oliver Twist”.
Thanks everyone for your kind words about my Hubby and his shingles. We never thought about the vaccine for him because he was sure he never had chicken pox. And I didn’t know there was a shot for after you got them. The doctor never mentioned anything like that. He is really miserable at the moment and it makes me sad. We’ve done everything we can to make him more comfortable but new things keep showing up that are causing him lack of sleep. So he sleeps when he can but never long at a time. Thankfully the pain pills are working. Now it’s just the annoyance of the blisters that are starting to drain. And I finally had to go to Katy yesterday to get his eye drops when they never showed up at our pharmacy here. It seemed the one CVS there is the only place in the state of Texas that had the drops. Well maybe that’s an exaggeration but it sure seemed that way. Hubby is not the best patient. He’s used to getting up early and heading for his shop or an A/C job. I keep reminding him that resting will be the best right now and he doesn’t have any pressing engagements. He’s got two sons that are quite capable of taking care of whatever needs to be done. I think it’s just that he wants to be part of things. Fortunately right now they do not have anything that would even require his assistance. Right now I’m praying for healing for him and patience for me.
Hi Barbara,
You should check if he can use medicated calamine lotions since it works to dry up the oozing and weeping of poison ivy. The medicated has an analgesic to relieve pain.
Barbara, hope you are holding up ok too. Oh so hard to keep a worker contained isn’t it? Hoping something is helping with the pain. One of our friends had it and it was a good two weeks before he felt better. But, you never know as each person is different. Thinking of you.
The Little Match Girl poster is a nice addition to your sewing room. I do remember seeing it, but now that it is in a more prominent place it can be enjoyed better. Framing something always elevates any picture or poster.
The Little Match Girl is a sad story. I heard quite a number of his fairy tales as a child. I like “The Wild Swans” because I love the illustrations in my Hilda Boswell books that my dad bought back from a business trip to England when I was five. The in the bookcase next to me… need to go pull them out now.
You always find a way to fix any little issues and this is a great one. It looks so nice in your room and HelenKish is such a wonderful artist…not just a doll artist. The expressions on her dolls faces are amazing.
Continue to enjoy that pretty room!