Prettifying the ordinary

When we were on holiday I bought some plain cotton pillowcases with the thought that I could add a bit of embroidery and a crochet trim to make them look pretty.

I have a book by Aimee Ray "Doodle Stitching" which has lots of pretty motifs that would suit my purpose and like all projects the hardest part is starting.......thinking about it always takes more time than actually knuckling down and getting on with it.

I have lots of embroidery cottons to choose from, but I thought it might be fun to use some of these vintage threads that made their way to our house from the attic of a family member. They make me think of lovely old-fashioned shops with wooden cabinets with drawers full of carefully boxed treasures.

Sometimes modern shops seem to be all the same and without any character. Why did we stop liking having our packages wrapped up in brown paper and string?