Recent Treasures

These twin dogs called my name from a stall in Tavistock Market. How feeble is my attempt to not acquire too much more stuff.....but I'd never seen a pair like these, a fun variation on the classic Staffordshire spaniels. They were £15, again I thought maybe I'd give them as a present but actually they're not going anywhere!

 
I love the very straight legs of the little puppies.

More things from the same market, some from the £1 table, the little scissors I thought I'd use in a chandelier, the little fridge I just couldn't resist, might keep some earrings in it. The old jug has a little crack but beautiful fern engravings on it. And purely for my work so needing no justification 2 fantastic sets of pastry cutters £15 for the 2 large sets. They have mucky pastry on them still - just like the good old days of car booting (20 years back) when I found loads of this stuff and no-one else wanted it and thus the chandeliers could grow. And four of the 12 pressed punch cups I found - it's not always easy to find nice ones and these are a style I don't usually see.

From a Devon charity shop; Woodside animal rescue, for 50p I had to get this because of the accordion!

A boot sale sweep; old hooks and mature hinges all 20p each, hoping to use the hinges in a chandelier. Other odds for my work and then something I  really don't need - a lidded baking dish; I could become a Pyrex fanatic if I let myself because the design is so great. I love the lids on these dishes, they sit underneath well, and right way up or upside down on top or the lid can be a separate plate. It's the decoration on this one that appealed, I love those French style drawings of onions etc - this was £1 - so had to come with me.
I found 5 things in the house that can go to the charity shop so I've almost justified the recent haul.

Little Works of Art

I bought these gloves for £2 in Age UK charity shop on Leather Lane recently. Aren't they beautiful. They caught my eye; I've never seen sideways knitted gloves. I cant work out how the fingers were done. I'm guessing they were cast off and stitched up the side of each finger which seems a really long winded way of making the fingers and if that's so then it's very very neatly done. And I love the feature - how cute are those little bands with a bright pink button. Aesthetically this is perfection! I think they should be in a gallery.

Like the teapot in the previous post I originally thought they'd be for a present for someone, but we'll see if I manage to part with them. I sometimes fantasise about one day opening a Folk Art museum with just my collected loved objects. I don't think Folk Art has a high enough profile in this country. There is an exhibition at the Barbican Centre called Magnificent Obsessions; the collections of artists. I thought it was a bit patchy really, I suppose I'm more interested in my own collection but some of them were fantastic, most memorably Martin Parr's collection of postcards and Russian space dog clocks.

Recent Treasures

On my way to Dartmoor Prison Museum (quirky and worth a visit) I found a charity shop I hadn't known before and despite thinking I've got a grip on acquiring more stuff....well it seems I haven't. The toast rack and glasses are permitted because they're for my work, but the teapot was £1, so I had to have it. In fact sometimes I buy things that are now fashionable to collect even if I don't want them myself, because I have done a vintage stall and sold things off, but I don't know if I'll get around to doing this again. So the teapot was going to be to sell on or more likely for a friends birthday but then I had alot of people around this week and only this big teapot could cope.

The collection of hat pins are from a charity shop in Tavistock, £1 for 7, so great bargains all round.

This little painting on hardboard was £3 in Tavistock market, from a stall holder who I think has a good eye for things and I do try to mostly resist. I got my wooden spectator stand from her. Yes I don't need any more paintings but this was small, lovely, a bargain and I love that it's of a craft/industry, it's so so charming - had to have it!

And these handsome compressed recycled paper things are Jailhouse Briquettes from the Prison Museum shop; £2.50 for a big bag so I'm trying them out in the wood burner. I confess to buying them because they look so amazing. They work and are good for filling in gaps between larger logs in the wood-burner.

Some Recent Finds

Pickings from charity shops are often thin on the ground these days but I have found a few things recently in Devon. There are plenty of charity shops in Totnes, known as a 'bohemian' epicentre in these parts; look past the hippie stuff and it's great for healthy food shopping and eating, vintage and loads more. Transition Town Totnes initiated the Totnes pound to promote local economic sustainability, Brixton followed and others evolve inspired by the originators. 

In Animals in Distress I found this bean slicer.  I'd never seen one before, you screw it to the table like a mincer. I just loved it, especially the fact that it's green bean coloured. I haven't tried it with beans yet - my finds are usually destined for a life outside the kitchen - but I'll give it a scrub and have a go. 

In Tavistock I found 3 eye baths in one lot. Odd I thought. In my junk collection I have some glass ventouses from a Paris flea market and a box of test tubes, so maybe enough to consider a medical themed chandelier......

Also from Animals in Distress are these mini master-pieces; sewing machine parts for 50 pence each. Beautiful tiny sculptures, much bigger and they could be in the Tate Modern Gallery. In this shop I also got the box of spoons in top photo background (I use these in my Jelly Bowl Lanterns), a large Jaeger mohair scarf and a gents dapper paisley fringed scarf - so rich pickings there - just like the good old days.

And just because I haven't posted a cat photo for a while....spot an assistant stylist for the above shots.