Thursday 26 May 2011

Little Foxglove Tin

 A long time ago, when I used to paint flowers all day, I produced a repeating foxglove design. I drew the flowers in ink, then painted them in watercolour, and then painted a flat black gouache background around it. The design was sold by my agent to a company who printed  designs on to sheets of metal and then made decorative tins with it...you can see the little tin in the picture above...I've had it with me for many years now ...the way the tin was constructed meant the foxgloves are actually growing upside down on it but not everyone would notice :) and I am fond of it after all this time....
 So you can imagine what a surprise I got when looking through the May issue of Country Homes and Interiors  (one of my favourite magazines) when there was my little foxglove tin in a beautiful styled shot against some gorgeous wallpaper....it is now a vintage find (like me perhaps)...
                   And can you guess what I keep in my little vintage foxglove tin?...vintage buttons....
 Here are some photos of the real foxgloves which I told you about a few posts ago, the self seeded free gifts to my garden, which I moved from the front to the back.....
                                   they are just beginning to flower and are looking lovely....
 ...fortunately they are in a sheltered part of the garden, so are safe from the blustery sea breezes and gales we've had  lately...and are still having today...I hope it improves for the weekend...
Thank you for dropping by to visit here, and for the lovely comments which I so enjoy - lots of new blogs to discover too as new bloggers visit me and the regular ones who after my almost year of blogging are like old friends...wishing you a wonderful (nearly) weekend with garden days, perfect weather and whatever you enjoy the most....back soon xxxxx

38 comments:

Hazel said...

What a sweet little tin and wow at seeing it in a magazine after all these years. I love foxgloves too. Beautiful colour. x

Vintage Tea Time said...

A lovely tin - you are clever! Fancy it seeming vintage though! We've got a huge white foxglove in the garden at the moment - we had loads last year, but the builders plonked their heavy stuff on top of them :( Abby x

sew said...

Just made a cup of tea & sat down to read my July CB mag which arrived this morning and there is your lovely seaside heart (which should be in my seaside bathroom) and then looked at your blog - and there you are again!!How wonderful for you to see your gorgeous tin!
Happy days!

Pink Milk said...

Wow, fancy spotting your lovely little tin in CH&I. I bet you were tickled pink!

A selfless elderly gentleman who lives opposite always has a super display of foxgloves in his front garden. He jokes that they are purely for our benefit; we have a far better view of them than he does!

Enjoy the rest of your week Helen.

Hx

Sew,ray,me said...

What a great feeling it must give you seeing your own designs in magazines! I'd love that one day...... :)

Sew Ray Me

Simone said...

Fancy seeing the little tin you designed featured in your favourite magazine! It is a lovely little tin and the vintage buttons have a perfect home inside it. Have a lovely weeknd Helen. x

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello Helen:
Your Foxglove tin is, indeed, very pretty. We love the way that the Foxgloves really stand out against the dramatic colouring of the background.

And, how amazing, that it should pop up in your favourite magazine after such a long time. It just shows that all ideas are recycled and come up fresh as a Daisy [or should it be Foxglove] after a suitably long time has passed. Today's vintage is yesterday's bright idea!

Rubyred said...

How exciting to see your tin in the magazine! I can see why they used it, so pretty! Your Foxgloves are doing so well in their new position and look gorgeous!
Our garden has had a good soaking from the rain today! It needed it!
Rachel x

Coco Rose Diaries said...

Gosh Helen your tin is really beautiful, and how lovely to see one in a magazine! The buttons sit so well in such a lovely tin!

Gorgeous Foxgloves. I would dearly love to grow some. Maybe next year I might try. I tend to kill most things I plant! I had tulips come up earlier in the year which thrilled me, I have a beautiful display of coloured ranunculus at the moment and I found two iris the other day which I had forgotten I had planted (which is probably why they survived!), so I cut them and am now admiring their gorgeousness in a little vase in the kitchen!

Flowers really can put a smile on ones face!

Have a super friday and weekend!!!!

Love Vanessa xxx

Deborah said...

What a cute little tin, so pretty :) wish we had foxgloves in our garden I do like them, very cottagey.

Bee happy x
Have a delicious day!

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Gorgeous little tin Helen and how exciting to find it in CH&I, which is my favourite magazine.
My foxgloves are out too but are a lighter shade than yours. Goodness though, they plus the lupins and delphs are really getting blown about these past few days!!
Hope you have a lovely weekend. :)
Vivienne x

Teresa Kasner said...

Dearest Helen, I enlarged the photo of your tin so I could see it better and your design is brilliant and beautiful! I wish I could find one!

I am so pleased as I ordered your book "Sewn Gifts" from Amazon and it's winging it's way to my farmhouse as we "type". I can't wait to make some pretties out of it!!

I think of you as a friend, I'm so glad we "met". I love reading your comments on my blog too, you're an absolute sweetheart.

((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Little stitch and me said...

What a great story. Love your tin. Foxgloves are my absolute favourites. I grew loads from seed last year and now I have about Twenty flowering by my summerhouse. I would love to grow enough so I could cut them for the house but I would feel bad about taking out of the garden.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful tin you are so clever to be able to design and paint that. Can i ask what made you give up? How lovely to see it in a magazine to that must have brought back lovely memories for you, enjoy your lovely fox gloves and have a lovely weekend, dee x

Dawn said...

Pretty tin - I love foxgloves. None appeared in my garden this year - anothe drought victim, I think.

Jenny said...

Such a pretty little tin, and how great to spy it in the magazine like that! I a lso love your pink Cath Kidston tin in the picture too - the set of three has been on my wishlist for a while now:) Have a lovely weekend, let's hope the weather picks up so you can enjoy your beautiful garden, the foxgolves are looking lovely! xxx

Jane said...

How exciting to spot your own tin Helen, a real vintage find-LOL. What a pretty tin it is too. As you well know foxgloves are one of my favourties and I too have so many of these lovely plants self seeded in my back garden, strange as they choose my sunniest border. The rain is welcome but it's come by the bucket full today.
Hope the sun shines for you this weekend,
Jane x

moonstruckcreations said...

What a lovely surprise for you!

The tin is adorable, we used to use gouache an awful lot at college and always loved it as a medium.

I too love foxgloves, so pretty.


Helenxx

Crafts @ Home said...

How wonderful for you to find your work in print in a favourite magazine when your not expecting it :)
Foxgloves are amazing aren't they, such wonderful patterns,I used to enjoy photographing them :) I love your interpretation of them, they work so well on the tin, and I'm quite envious of your vintage buttons!
Sue :)

Frances said...

Helen, isn't it amusing to see what might considered vintage these days!

Your foxglove design is quite lovely, especially against that matte black ground. Interesting to have your explanation of the topsy-turvy construction results.

I will keep an eye out for that magazine. The UK magazines usually arrive on some New York newstands a month late.

Best wishes!

Babajeza said...

Some things last forever, like your tin design. It's beautiful. I've never heard of vintage before my "blog" time. Now I can see it everywhere. :-)

Naturally Carol said...

I love my lavender button tin..but your foxglove one is extra special having created the design yourself! Have a beautiful summer weekend.

♥ Mary Janes TEAROOM said...

Your little foxglove tin is so pretty Helen....wonderful for you to see it reappear so unexpectedly amongst the pages of the magazine...
Your garden is looking beautiful too my friend...I am sure you are not short of inspiration in such an idyllic pretty place..
Susan x

Mia said...

Very pretty, Helen! I must get that magazine and check your tin out, it never stops amazing me how talented people around blog-land are! Thank you so much for sharing and happiest weekend!

Yours,
Mia

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Oh my Helen, the multi-talented Helen. SO happy I know someone so talented and gifted. The vintage foxgloves are just exquisite. Love the tiny foxgloves growing too! They are growing so well and multiplying!
Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for sharing. xoRobin❤

Anonymous said...

Hello Helen,
Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog.
How amazing that your gorgeous little tin turned up again, it must be nice to know that someone has obviously treasured it enough to keep it. I have the magazine so must have a look.
I love foxgloves so much, I even have some curtains with them on!

sylviesgarden said...

Hello Helen, I think I'll have to go out and buy the mag now. Thanks for the excuse, hee hee.
Have a great weekend.
x

susanhal said...

How exciting to find your little tin in that magazine and how disconcerting of them to describe it as vintage!
Still it is lovely and obviously loved and kept by someone. I wish they still made them perhaps filled with chocolate eclairs.
I do like the foxgloves in your garden, we have them too self seeding all over the place, even cracks in paths are not immune!
I wonder if like us you get the pretty yellow and orange Welsh poppies? They are nice and started to appear about 10 years ago after I believe some "seed bombing" on road verges but now they really are everywhere and we just have to try and control them.
Hope the weather is good for Daisies party, have fun x

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hi Helen! Your painting has been beautiful to make such a lovely vintage tin (which you are not)!
That was a wonderful suprise to see it after a long time in that great magazine!
Thank you for a lovely post!
xxx Teje

Madelief said...

Dear Helen,

It must feel very special to have your own pattern printed on a tin and then see it years later in a magazine!

Country Living is one of my favourite magazines too. I took the June issue with me from England last week. The May issue must be laying somewhere in the house. I will try and see if I can find it!

Have a lovely weekend!

Lieve groet,

Madelief x

Anonymous said...

Helen, what a lovely story. It must be amazing to see your design 'in print' once let alone coming around for the second time too!

flowers on my table said...

Helen, your little tin is gorgeous, and how thrilling to see it in a magazine after all these years. If you keep your back issues if CH&I you might see my home featured in last December's issue. It is one of my favourite mags as well. Love Linda x

Karen said...

Helen, I love your little foxglove tin and I'm so happy to have just discovered your blog! It's absolutely beautiful! I have enjoyed your books for years now and have stitched several of your lovely designs. Looking forward to following your blog!

Unknown said...

It's such a pretty little tin, how lovely to see someone else is enjoying it too (and showing it off in a super magazine). You are so super talented. I haven't picked up my watercolours fo a few years now, but when I did paint I could never produce anything so beautiful. I have always wanted to keep a painted diary of my garden - one day I will find the time (probably when I have retired!).
Thanks for sharing, Helen.
Becky x

gillyflower said...

How wonderful it must have been seeing your own designs translated into things such as tins when you first designed them, and then to spot one in a magazine after all that time! Must feel a bit like spotting someone you know!
I love the design Helen, stunning against the black background. Must be satisfying to think your desgins have endured to become desirable again as vintage items!
Lovely post as usual, thanks for your comments on the Chelsea Flower show post!
Hope you've had a great and hopefully dry BH weekend
Gill xx

*❀* said...

dear Helen

your posts are always such a delight. they are good for the soul!
your use of colour is very pleasing to the eye and quite magical, as is your beautiful garden.
i greatly enjoy all that you show us and my daughter and i are such fans of your charming bunnies, they make us smile :o)

wishing sweet Daisy Elizabeth a very happy Birthday xxx
isn't it the best month to celebrate a birthday?
my dear first born arrived on May 17th many moons ago. he now has grown into a very lovely young man :o)

warmest hugs xxx

millie

Used-to-Bees said...

What a sweet tin and what a lovely surprise to spot it in the magazine! My conscience has been pricked - I have some white foxglove plants that my Mum gave me, and I need to get them in the soil!
x

GardenOfDaisies said...

What a lovely surprise to see your artwork show up in a magazine!! Foxgloves are so pretty. My Mom has them in her garden. And they always make me think of The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck by Beatrix Potter.