as our #3 and i were amongst the pretty glass jars, tea bags and choccy biscuits on Saturday, we rounded the aisle and came across this natty little number.
"i have been looking for one of these all my life" i exclaimed "i just didn't know it until this fateful moment", our #3 looked at me for a few seconds with his mouth dropping a jar..."you are not serious are you, you'll look like a grandma". we then proceeded to have a small conversation on how i could in fact be a grandma in a few years...just the thought made me feel quite faint and so we decided to focus on the wheelie basket in front of us.
there were six available, our #3 test drove them around the store to find the one without a wobbly wheel and also when standing did not appear to have a tilt. out of the six we found one. "that's the one" i said
"why do we actually need this" he asked...i then spent at least a minute mumbling things like "let's save our planet from plastic bags", "great for the beach", "perfect to coordinate with my 'french market summer sac' when i am in France"...he then told me it was true to say he would be mildly embarrassed when seen with me and the trolley...
when i returned home i went through the same conversation with my man.
our #1 just rolled her eyes and said "yet another thing to help us stick out like a sore thumb in public"...it was quite obvious dear readers, that my family did not share my vision for this little basket on rickety wooden wheels...
and so the transformation began with some of this (hardly saving the planet, in fact i am ashamed to confess, as my original reason for buying the basket was to help the enviroment, which has now been completely cancelled out by me using spray paint). when finished painting i could not leave it at this, i decided to fashion a sweet little liner out of an old vintage tablecloth and so for 'show and tell' i give you my new "perfect for the farmer's market or when in France with Mr Depp on my arm" wheelie basket...
i must admit it's looking very Cath Kidston, i think it is the colors, but that's okay...so if you happen upon a woman in a slip, out shopping on her own with her natty little basket this summer you will know it's me and if you look far behind her, there will be a man and four kids trying to look invisible...
and as i had the paint out, i jazzed up a few tired things, so my studio chair and this little table now reside next to my tatty old sofa on my newly spruced up porch..
working out how she can get her natty little basket on the plane as hand luggage...
while hoping that blonde streaks and blue nostril hairs come into fashion for summer ~ Tif
edited: dear readers, if like me you need a natty little basket on wobbly wheels and you are stateside...i bought my new found friend at World Market :)
i like the color of paint you used..i have old metal porch chairs that will rust away soon if i don't paint them ...so if you keep and old piece of furniture out of the landfill (even if you use spray paint) that's gotta count for something :)
ReplyDeletei would trade all the slips in the world for a good hair salon where i live...your hair looks great!
xo laura
Wow, where did the little wobbly basket come from, do you dare tell?
ReplyDeleteI'd sure like to have one for the big antiques show at Expo in July.
Thx, Syl
silly me, i forgot to say, it was found in 'world market' one of my favorite places to buy tea bags and other treats along with nik naks :)
ReplyDeleteYES! The wheely basket is brilliant. I need one.
ReplyDeleteIs looking like Cath Kidston a bad thing? Because I hadn't heard of that look before, and I think I quite like it. And I'm sure the basket looks great with you, but I think for me it just might accentuate my large hips a bit. As an aside, I'll be missing in action from my cubicle tomorrow because I have a training class. I'm supposed to learn how to turn my talents into strengths, so by Friday I should be a whole new person.
ReplyDeletemuch nicer than cath kidston...i am not a fan myself. i prefer vintage fabric to actually be vintage rather than a twee copy. anyway, don't get me started. i love that basket, perfect for 'grocery' shopping as you say over there. not so perfect for the beach mind you, what with the wheels and the sand.
ReplyDeletejust the fact that you have a porch makes me swoon.
also loving the poses you do to camera. today's is quite zoolander!:)
(ooh! my first punctuation smiley!)
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/
wp-content/uploads/2007/01/zoolander.jpg
The basket is lovely, though, yes, I can see how kids might not think so. I've been looking for one too, and I'm even happy to settle for one of those tartan bags-on-wheels things. Being able to drag, not carry, all the shopping - oh yes!
ReplyDeleteI could not have left it in the shop, It is fabulous!! I'm also a very young lady and I would not mind at all being seen in public with it! Oh and Cath has nothing on you lady!
ReplyDeleteThe wheeled shopping basket is indeed a concept quite tricky for all but grannies to grasp. However you hold your head high and 'go green' (we'll forgive you the spray paint for now). I LOVE it. Presumably one could fit a small, tired child in here as well as in 'Le Sac' - that would save their embarrassment at walking with you too!
ReplyDeleteps. hair is looking lovely. I will not be able to be seen with you in the UK, my grey is still very much there.
now - here within this wonderful tale lies another reason why i am kinda thankful that i will never be blessed with children...
ReplyDeletei too would be far too odd to walk near, despite the fact that i would feel like a very quirky but cool mum.
saying that - my own mum looks oddly at what i wear now and does not suggest outings together that often.....
loving the wheels
tracy x
it looks great...and like you say very useful too!
ReplyDeleteOh that's so cute. Far too lovely to be Grannyish! I think you might struggle to get it on the plane though.
ReplyDeleteI love the baby blue! I was looking at the picture of your sofa and the yellow pillow slip seems so familiar i was wondering if you can remember whether it came from England or the USA? I'm sure my mum has those pillow slip cases in the depths of her airing cupboard.... :-)
ReplyDeleteRosaleen
x
I think the power to embarass our children is wonderful! I have to admit to using it for blackmail - I have a lovely knitted hat with daisies on, my daughter hates it when I wear it to pick her up from school in winter, what better bargaining tool could I wish for!
ReplyDeleteLove your basket on wheels, just right for thrifting I would think or wheeling home wine and veggies from french markets.
You just need to tell your sproglets 1 and 3 than in fact trolleys are VERY fashionable this side of the Atlantic.
ReplyDeleteYou can get printed waterproof fabric ones (much more grannyish in theory) printed with tins of soup and cucumbers and the like for a vast amount of money from very chi-chi un-grannyish shops.
As children we used to use the grannyish ones (navy tartan as I remember)to collect glass pop bottles from the beach and then reclaim the deposit money from them back at the co-op.
Yours looks ideal for french loaves
J
x
Well done! Your wheely basket is really wonderful! This funny post made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteI have found your blog recently and I think it is very beautiful and amusing. I added you in my blogroll. Is it ok?
Rosaleen, i found the bedsheets and pillowcases locally in a thrift store...but i thought they looked familiar as well..who knows they may have travelled all the way from the UK and sent to the thrift only to be bought by a UK person to live happily ever after in her home...until she gets the scissors out. AAARRH!!! and cuts them up :)
ReplyDeleteas i look out of the window at the enormous beanstalk that continues to grow and grow an grow, i wonder, mother dear, why does everything have to be blue?
ReplyDeleteoh sweet child of mine...we are test driving the little basket today...i am sooo looking forward to it :)
ReplyDeleteFrancesca is spot on with the zoolander reference!
ReplyDeleteIt is a mother's job to embarrass her children. It helps build character!
ReplyDeleteI have a little basket on wheels - my granny used to have a large one and one day a little one appeared and I've had it ever since.
ReplyDeleteI shall email you a photo.
Your children seem like a riot.
I'm sad to say.... I have little creative talents and am just amazed at how you all can come up with such clever ideas. What a lovely shade of blue. And I would never have thought of painting the basket. What a perfect shopping mate! Nancy
ReplyDeletejust stumbled upon your site & have to say that i LOVE your natty basket! i have a metal-framed one with leopard fabric, which i always wish were basket instead. sorry you don't get the oohs & ahhs it deserves!
ReplyDelete~peace.