I've been stitching ...

I have a goodly number of skills but honestly, embroidery and stitchery aren't really amongst them. I have good friends who will confirm this - it is not false modesty - if you want your thread knotty and a bit grubby then I am your girl. If you are not adverse to having the back of your stitchery look like some kind of insane join the dots - well I can do that too. I don't do neat stitches and please don't ask me to count them - it is just not gonna happen! However, despite my ineptitude with needle and thread, I think I may have found an outlet for my would-be embroidery longings ...

... it was just a matter of finding the right medium! This still needs a bit of refinement but I think it will work - especially if I pay attention to details like - oh I don't know - drilling the holes in a straight line! (sigh).
This is pendant size and was once a spoon. I was gonna call it "Hash Heart" but think that is a bit dubious so if you come up with a better name, let me know!

It must be Sunday - Flea Market Finds!

I didn't set out to go op-shopping this week - but you know, I happened to be passing one and if I didn't go in I would torment myself with thoughts of all the treasures that might have been lurking within - well you know how it goes! As it turns out I scored 2 really decent school jumpers for my son who, at nearly 17 has arms that seem to lengthen nightly! These jumpers are part of the school uniform and are really good quality and made to last but that doesn't help if your kids insist on growing! I won't share a pic of those  - I am sure we all have plenty of less-than-fond memories of school uniforms! I also found this lovely tin - it is not vintage or anything but since I plan to cut it up, that is just as well!

Pretty huh?!

I don't know what a "mooncake" is but I am pretty sure I would like it!

Another neat but not-really-vintage find was this book called "Decoupage Made Easy". I don't like the projects in it ( think Tracey Marsh circa early 90's - eeeewwww!) but at the back there are pages of images that I think could be put to good use ...

I'll spare you any pics of the actually projects but here are some of the images.

Some cute stuff and some "arty" stuff - I will probably scan them and muck about with them somehow.

The one thing I unearthed that  actually looks vintage was this wooden ruler for hem measuring - it is missing the little sliding doo-dad but since I won't be measuring skirts with it, it doesn't matter!

It was darn tricky to photograph so I apologise for the pic quality. Here is a close-up of those lovely numbers.

I added to my stash on Saturday morning I'm afraid.

Another white teapot for the installation I am making, a couple of teaspoons (given the spoon-drought a while back I have decided to NEVER pass them up!) and some stuff I plan to turn into displays for an exhibition. Oh and can you spot the killer tea cosy?

It came with the tea-pot which is one of those lovely old aluminum ones - made in England for the Carlton Hotel - just yummy! I also fell in love with the illustration in the little book. It is called "The Adventures Of Tom Thumb" and is by M.Jean Craig with illustrations by Haig and Regina Shekerjian - who was also known as Regina Tor. I have a quick search for some more info but haven't found anything of a biographical nature although it seems Regina was a prolific illustrator of kids books. If you know anything about her I would love to hear about it! Her are a few pics from the book I have.

 I love the use of the really bold red throughout the book - just touches of it here and there and occasionally as a bold patterned background. This copy is a first printing and is dated 1972. I am not sure if I love the reigned rat or am terrified of him - he looks a little malevolent!
If you were fossicking in the thrift stores this week, I hope your searches were fruitful. Head on over to Sophie's and check out all the goodies people have unearthed in Flea Market Finds.

Fancy Feathers - are you tickilish ...?

As part of my Uni studies, I am working on a jewellery project using non-traditional materials (ie not silver or gold etc). I am planning a neckpiece using feathers. I want this piece to be a bit "out there" rather than a something you would wear alot. I will share a pic when it I have made it, but in the meantime here are some pics of the feathers I plan to use.

I am really happy with how they have turned out! Woo hoo - lacy feathers! There were a few tense moments when I printed these babies as my supply of white feathers is small and the printing doesn't work very well on the sort you get from the craft stores and I am keen to use as many printed feathers in the piece as possible. I am getting excited now!

Post Clean-up ...

  Looking at the photos I am not sure it looks much better - although the decks are a bit clearer ...

Well at least there is nothing perched on top of the sewing machine now!

I can see the work mat now - although it still looks messy!

I did sort out lots of beads!

This bit looks heaps better!

I generally use this area for card making and other paper crafts so it is great to actually be able to have a clear surface to work on! This room is not exactly huge - less than 3m x 3m and I fit a lot of stuff in there I reckon! Naturally, keeping it tidy is a bit of a challenge especially as I like to have things in plain sight. Still, despite how chaotic it looks I can generally lay my hand on whatever I need. Unless of course the scissors are being ratbags and deliberately hide from me. Or my favourite hammer grows legs and wanders of its own accord to the shed .... sometimes tools are just plain NAUGHTY!

Speaking of chaos ...

Well this is what my work room looked like a week ago - what a disaster! 

Oh dear - just looking at it makes me shudder!

The place is positively littered with stuff that needs dealing with ...

Eeeeek!

Well the good news is that I have indeed had a clean-up. Really, it was more like an archaeological excavation than a tidy-up! I will show you the proof of my endeavors later ( need to tweak it a bit 'cos I've been working in there ...) but trust me, I really, truly did clean-up and it was well worth the effort. Sometimes you just have to tame the chaos!

Now if I could just manage to maintain a studio like this one ...

This studio belongs to artist Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley and  I found the image here where there are lots of good arty things to read about - isn't it gorgeous? Her work is great - she is a girl after my own heart because in her bio she says "Oh - and I like glitter" after listing off her fave artists! Ah well, I live in hope of maintaining a space that stays this tidy! And clean!

Collectors and their collections.

I read an article today about people who make collections - I am talking about the truly epic ones that were the predecessor to the Museum. There are lots of collectors out there now who collect everything from key-rings to rare china. The popularity of shows like the Antiques Roadshow and the Collectors are testament that collecting ,as a pastime has lost none of its popularity since the Victorians assembled their Cabinets of Curiousity. Everyone knows that artists are mad collectors - they love stuff - whether to use in their work or to inform their work, they like to have objects around them. One theory about collectors is that by ordering their collection , they can impose some order on life which can often seem chaotic. Me, I think collectors like stuff because it speaks to them - sure there is the thrill of the chase in hunting down that illusive tea-pot or medal but I think the real thrill for an avid collector comes when they hold a sought after object in their hands and wonder at the stories it might reveal and the memories it evokes. Collecting is all about passion and I think to do it properly, it just has to be done from the heart! What do you think? Do you collect something special and what motivates you to seek out things to add to your collection. Me, I just like stuff. And I wouldn't mind a cabinet just like this one!

 photo via www.skullmasters.com/images/wunderkammer.jpg

Flea Market Finds

Sunday has rolled around again so it is time to join in Sophies meme, Flea Market Finds. It has been a bit of a lean week for op-shopping - so many other things keeping me busy. Still, I did manage a bit of a flit around my favourite on Saturday morning. Ages ago one of the lovely volunteers there gave me an amazing broken bowl that she had purchased in Morrocco - she carted it all over the place - through Egypt on rickety buses and other dodgy modes of transport and it stayed safe and sound in one piece - right up until she got to Australia - it got broken in her suitcase! She was so sad about it - it was in a zillion pieces so couldn't even be patched together. The upshot of it was that she hung onto it for years and eventually gave it to me. I promised to make her a piece of jewellery from it - which turned out to be a bit of a challenge! Still, I finally got it made and dropped it off to her at the op shop. She was really pleased with it  and I get to keep the rest of the shards so everyone is a winner! So, that is how I found myself at the oppie on Saturday morning when really I should have been chiselling some of the soap scum off the bathroom tiles! Naturally, I found a couple of treasures!

 Some sage green crochet thread, a mismatched teapot (50 cents!), a tin, 2 spoons, a file and a dolly stringholder - is'nt she gorgeous?!

Actually, she is a bit grubby but that won't take long to fix. I plan to use her to hold a reel of linen thread that I have handy for card making purposes! I also found this toddlers t-shirt - not sure I would have put my toddler in it but the graphic was too good to pass up!

I desided to strike whilst the iron ( and my enthusiasm) was hot and make stuff with my finds straightaway.
Here is the t-shirt reincarnated as a cushion.

And can you guess which find these are partially made from?

Look closely ...

... yep, you are right - they are made from the tin and some EPNS I already had from a previous tray hunt! Add some sterling wire and voila! If you were opshopping this week I hope the Secondhand Saints were travelling with you - check out Sophie's to see what else has turned up in the thrift stores this week.