Long time gone, Flea Market Finds

I have been so busy of late that I haven't been able to post for Flea Market Finds, but now, I have  a  few moments to spare and yahoo, a new internet connection! No more crappy satellite...we now have wireless! I feel like I belong again!

I have so much stuff I have bought I didn't know where to start, so have begun with what is close at hand.

Thes lovely vintage paper scrapbook pictures are part of my growing 'feather' collection. I am thinking of making them into brooches. Would anyone wear one?

More tins and these great spools, obviously used for spinning. I am not sure what I will used these for...I just love a spool!

New garage

For the benefit of my sis who needs to see my 'loife', here are pics of the new shed. Now finally we can clean up some crap (errr, collectibles) around the place. The shed is a doozy, with eaves and a 20 degree roof to compliment the other roofs. You now can't see the house from the road, which is just as I like it. I will be planting more screening plants after Chrissy to completely hide us.

This is actually the western side of the house, our true front faces north with great views, but it is funny the comments that people have made. It seems to be a mind set that your house must be seen from the street. I have always been contrary, so I challenge that notion.

I am so lucky to have a handy husband. He is currently doing all the trenching, plumbing and electricals. New Years Resolution: Nothing is going to be moved in until everything is ready. We are going to be fully organised! It will be a storage solution shed that IKEA will drool at! It is not going to turn into a rubbish dump! There will be a place for everything and everything in its place!

Oprah round-up & reminiscences

I thought I had better get this out of the way  and out of my head, it is a bit long, but it must be taken from the hard disc!

To be honest, the lead up to Oprah was more exciting than the actual event. I jetted down to Sydney, found some old work colleques at the airport who also won tickets, spent some wonderful time with my sis, op-shopped, popped into a new stockist,  ate at Otto's at Woolloomooloo Wharf (saffron brulee to die for, so pretty you didn't want to eat it...but I did, with great gusto!) and sat next to John Laws (who I have just found out is co-owner...that answers alot of questions sis!), had a wonderful Hendricks  gin and tonic (made from cucumber and rose petals, checkout the website it is fabulous) at the InterContinental, and sat in the sun in bad seats for four hours, with virtually no view of the stage and having to rely on a big screen to see the performances.

Don't get me wrong. Geez, I got a diamond necklace out of it. It was an event I don't think I would have missed. It just smacked of big business and big bucks. The questions to the celebraties were blatant 'tourism' topics and quite boring. If Hugh hadn't have crashed, it would have been very insipid.

I did like the little talk Oprah gave at the end. She only spoke for a couple of minutes, but (I believe) spoke from the heart and was very inspiring. I will carry it with me.

Less inspiring (OK, I am critical, but also I hope I am not completely gullible...I feel you must ask questions in life) was the little rant one of the 302ers gave at the beginning of the show. He had written a poem and sang it in a beautiful gospel manner, however, (I feel) he went a bit far when he started preaching about God and how 'O' stands for obedience to God. A bit cultish and cringy and not at all apropriate to the occasion or the Australian culture.

I also didn't like how the MC mentioned that she had been told that "Australians always did as they were told." (Or something to that effect) Oooh, that got my goat up! At one stage she even told the audience to take a sip of water, and looking around, alot of people did! I think I have enough sense to take a drink of water when I am thirsty, thank-you very much!

Anyhoo, enough! The overall experience was great and it got me out of the house.

Whilst in Sydney, I popped into one of my new stockists, Paper2 in Crown Street, Surry Hills. It is a lovely shop and I went beserk buying bits and pieces. Owned by Margaret Rockliff, it is a boutique paper shop that stocks paper products from around the world as well as Margaret's own inhouse designs.

I was surprised that all of that Surry Hills area has been transformed into a great bohemian quarter with famous people having coffees on the pavement and wonderful little boutique shops.

A little segue...we were married around the corner in St Peters church in the late 80's and the area was definately grungier then. (A friend played the songs of The Big Chill on the organ...I walked up the isle to 'our song', You Can't Always Get What You Want. I had a peek inside the church (it was all locked up) and if looked as if it had been renovated. (With Orson & Blake oppposite them, it had to happen) I always remember Father Phil saying he would never lock the church up, that it was for everyone, and he would rather just lock away what was left of the good silver. (Man of the people, was Father Phil!)

Another segue, years ago I read Ruth Park's autobiography, and she and D'Arcy Niland lived in Devonshire Street in the thirties. I always thought she had long gone, but was surprised and saddened to hear that she died this week. Her books are amongst my all time favourites, and as Surry Hills was my old stomping ground in early 80's (bands and the Rag Trade) I often used to walk and drive around imagining ye olde othertimes. I don't know why, maybe she painted a wonderfully vivid picture or maybe I was just some weird slum obsessive.

Like Oprah, (and  Father Phil) she has left an impression on me. I am still reflecting on all of the memories that this trip to Sydney has given me, and I must admit, the stongest was the Oprah's little speech at the end of the show, though the pretty food at Otto's and the cucumber gin are coming a close second, depending on the time of day, when they jump to number one.

Ho ho ho

I did the Chrissy tree today...getting all organised before Oprah. This is the first year I have enjoyed decorating the tree. (Bad childhood memories) It only took 20 minutes and I love the look of it. Half price ornaments from Big W and IKEA.

Sparky turned his nose up at it and said that he was, "A traditionalist." This means he doesn't like it and my tree looks wierd. Well, no matter. I am in Oprah mode. He can live with the tree. Nothing can  dampen my spirits at the moment.

Something pretty

I thought I would put up something short and sweet as I realise I have been ranting like a crazed woman for a few blogs now. I bought this from Lazybones yesterday. It is a quail feather in a glass bauble. Part of my 'collecting feathers' collection. It measures about 20cm long. Gorgeous!

Adendum
Typical. I am trawling the web looking for some pics of Lazy Bones' fabulous new shop, and Shannon Fricke's current blog post was staring at me in the face. Have a look at the pics. Both shops are way gorgeous, I could eat them up! I want a life like those shops portray. The heroine of that life wouldn't put her mobile phone in the washing machine, because all of her actions would be carefully considered, orderly and elegant. (I am starting to rave again)

RRRR

Here are two dresses I bought from Bangalow at Lazybones yesterday, in my desperate bid to find something 'bright' to wear to Oprah. They were half price, and they fit the bill.

 Now why has she bought two new dresses when she has just bought a couple of vintage frocks earlier in the week, you ask. It is because I washed the little black and white sundress last night and all of the dye has run! The black has turned the white to grey and the turquoise isn't as bright. What am I to do! I don't think this dress had ever been washed before! I couldn't wear it dir-tee! I am not Blanche du Bois wearing bits of tatty and tarnished fabric edged with make-up and stained with perspiration from those days long gone!

It still looks OK, but the white and black made it look so purty. Now it is grey and black. Boo-hoo. Has anyone got any idea of what I shall do?

The thing is, my secret desire is to wear vintage most of the time...(I would love to be 'known' as the wonderfully elegant eccentric who always wears interesting and beautiful vintage) but the truth is I can't be bothered caring for it, or if it comes to the crunch, can't be bothered wearing it. I am a dag, and dag is as dag does, (not sure if that makes sense, is that from Anne of Green Gables but substitute Pye for dag?). Anyhoo, I like to chuck my washing all in together and be happy in the knowledge that it all comes out looking exactly the same. As a result, dressed in my somewhat dubious vintage items, I  think I will be known as 'that crazy old woman who looks like Bette Davis in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.'

Exit to the faint melody of "My heart belongs to Daddy."

My cup runneth over!

I have been looking high and low for a noice dress for Oprah next Tuesday. I scoured Melbourne when I was down there last week....but to no avail. Yesterday I bumped into Leslie who has a vintage clothing shop in the Star Court Arcade and found not one, but two frocks!

Of course they will have to be altered, and pressed etc., but I can do that easily enough. I think the sundress will be the go...it reminds me of Barbie dress that I never had.

But the reason why I am so excited is that Oprah is also coming to Byron!!! I can't believe my good fortune! I was going to pop into Echidna Place (Bangalow) tomorrow morning to deliver an order....but I may just make a stalking detour to Byron.  The audience are supposed to be at the Byron Markets, and just by coincidence I have a desperate need to get some organic garlic....and something else, which evades my mind at the moment.

Ho-hum. And they are apparently going for a rainforest walk to Minyon Falls which is just down the road from here and which I haven't visisted in years and which I should do so again because what is the use of flighing all over the country if you don't know your own backyard so really I should just pop down there to appreciate my own home ground but I will have to make sure that I take some salt as the leeches would be deadly with all of the rain we have had and if I just happened to bump into a hundred or so people who had not thought to bring a kilo of salt with them but would be ever so grateful if I gave them some, so be it.

(This was my Jack Kerouac impersonation)

So all, it looks like I will have a busy couple of days stalking touring the Northern Rivers!

Making lemonade from lemons

After a massive effort to get up to the BiDM on Saturday, (read, making garlands until 3.30am, then in the car and travelling to Brissy by 5.30am) I was terribly disappointed when the skies opened and rained on my parade.

Lesson learned: If you have paper products do not have a market stall outside!!!

I packed up early, scoffed down a gorgeous cupcake from Tabitha's Place to feed my ennui, and tried to think of ways to turn the day around.

After scanning the grey matter for a few minutes I soon found the answer...I have been intending to reconnoitre stockists for Brisbane for a while now, so I took the opportunity and scooted over to Nook at West End to hawk my wares. Everything I have heard about this gorgeous shop is true, and after a little chat with the lovely Michelle, I am now proudly stocked in Nook!

To celebrate, hubby and I went to a great cafe called the Gunshop Cafe. Good food and service, and a  great vibe. I had a glass of red as the rain pelted down in sheets. It was like in the old days before the weather went beserk and everything dried up. I just love tropical downpours! Then we popped over to IKEA. Can you believe it, my husband actually wanted to go as he was looking for CD storage. What a blessed day!

Long time gone

Oh dearie! It has been two weeks since my last post and I must vent! I have just taken a breath after two weeks of running around like a mad chook. I have had my daughter finishing her HSC, her grad dinner, massive orders to fill, and a couple of markets, one in Brisbane and another at Byron, and began building a big shed to put all of our crap into.

Next week it is a trip to Melbourne, then a market, then Oprah in Sydney and then another market....and I don't seem to be able to keep up the stock! Woe is me!

But enough of this whinging. Let me tell you a little story of my daughter's Grad Ball, and I hope that it will be a warning bell for all of you that may stray down the path of narcissism (like Meg in the chapter Vanity Fair).

I made a booking months ago for hair and makeup at the hairdressers for the big night. I had been up until after 3.00am in the morning completing orders, so my looks were pretty jaded. Admitedly, I am getting a bit long in the tooth, but I thought that with the help of professionals I might, just might, pass muster.

To cut a long story short, the picture I showed the hairdresser, was like showing a colour blind person a green number on a red field. She just didn't see the same image that I did. The soft curls around my face turned into a severe concoction that made me look like a Greek grandmother. "Aaargh, just call me Nonna!" I screamed silently in my head at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were crazy mad with disappointment and horror  as I looked at the hairdresser and murmured, "Lovely."

Half a kilo of pins, (meaning the beginning of a migraine from the pain of them sticking into my scalp) were just not enough to keep my steel wire hair in position, and within thirty minutes, it was springing sady awry.

But alas, more was to come. The special pampering of having my makeup done for me was going to turn into a horror show, one that I am constantly reliving , and trying to forget it ever happened. The make-up girl looked like she had taste, but looks can be deceiving. She began by preparing my skin and matching my skin tones. "Fine", thinks I, "she must know what she is doing. I will just close my eyes for a minute, and relax....enjoy the process and the pampering. Be a princess."

I opened my eyes and nearly had a coronary. She had painted me orange! I had become an Ooompa Loompa! But there was more. The preparation she had put on my skin had acted like a wrinkle maker. I looked like Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. Wrinkles I did not possess had appeared and I had turned into a 70 year old Ooompa Loompa. In an attempt to give me smokey smudged and sexy eyes, this artiste of the make-up brush had given me two eyes that looked like I had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. She had disregarded all rules for close set eyes and put dark brown eyeshadow on the inner lids to make me look like a geriatric,  gangster Oompa Loompa. Oh the humanity! Teamed with the Nonna hair....well I tell you duckies, it wasn't pretty!
 

I looked at myself in utter despair. Where was the princess? I asserted myself and told her that I was going home to take my makeup off, pointed out all of the horrors, and she amazingly didn't see them. However, I know they were there, as my daughter was sitting in the next chair and attests to all of my descriptions. In fact, she finds it quite funny, and one week later is still dissolving into fits of laughter at the state of my face.

  

 Eventually, the girl removed some of the make-up, and I finished off the process at home. I felt awful all night. My hair was falling down, I felt dowdy and old and haggard and frumpy and ugly. I know it was my daughter's night, but I don't get out much and I really wanted to enjoy it. And the moral of the story. I suppose, don't put your vanity into the hands of a twenty year old who has a penchant for orange makeup and dark brown eyeshadow.

High pitched screaming trials begin today

What a funny title. What does it mean? You may very well  ask. Well, it means duckies, that my sister and I have won tickets to see the Oprah Show in December. HOW THRILLING IS THAT!!!

And the big question is...'What am I going to wear?' She always requests that people  wear nice clothes and dress up...no riff raff in her audience. Maybe purple? Something that says 'razzle dazzle' or something quietly elegant like Jacki O. Soo excited!!

My creative space - More garlands

I don't know if I am Arthur or Martha today !My new camera was delivered to the door late last night. Tres thrilling...but...I am so busy, I can't play with it!

I am currently making my Memories of Childhood garlands. The 'rules' for these are that it must contain a classic childhood novel such as Little Women, Tom Browns School Days, with the emphasis on the paper, type and patina of the pages. In short, they must be old.

The other type of paper is open. I use old Little Golden Books, and any other old book that has interesting illustrations in it. I am leaning towards the kind of ink line drawings which contain a  block of one colour.

The red garland is from a 1927 children's annual. Lovely thick cream paper and large text to contrast with the smaller text of the novels. This short story features Witch Wanky. Hmm, what did wanky mean in 1927?

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Busy, busy

I am soooo busy. I have a heap of orders to send out, as well as make and organise stock for this Saturdays' Eco Market up in Brisbane. Eeek! Yikes! (There, I am chanelling Trixie Belden again!)

I have just finished a couple of customised banners for a wedding which will be sent off tomorrow. So wonderful to think that I can be part of their special day.

I could only take one photo, as my demned camera (as in ...."demned elusive Pimpernel") just had a spaz attack. I can't wait to get my new camera in the mail. When I do, I am going to SMASH this existing camera. I will post pics. Until then.

Auction madness

I have had awful internet over the past week from it being so slow it was like 1992,  until it finally dropped out on Saturday. The household developed an anxiety complex as we couldn't check our emails or blogs. I felt so isolated and alone! (said in a small, plaintive and utterly pitiful voice)

Anyhoo, Sparky finally had a couple of days off and started cleaning up around the place. We have accrued so many things over the years, and don't like throwing anything away. A typical bower bird mentality. However, it seems that even though I have good intentions, those clean, empty spaces just have to be filled.

I went  to a deseased estate auction last Thursday hoping for a bounty, however, every antique and secondhand dealer on the North Coast was present. I didn't have a chance, particularly against Heath from Heaths Collectibles in Bangalow. Damn him! I lost out on everything I bid against him. Prices are so high in Bangalow even the crappy clothes basket trolley I wanted will sell for fifty bucks...and we won't mention the gorgeous world globe that I didn't even have a look in.

I had my eye on a couple of lamps but to get them I had to buy all the furniture in the lounge room. That's right. A lounge suite,  and two coffee tables to get two lamps. Am I crazy! I will answer that question for you, dear reader. Yes, I am crazy!!! I don't need a lounge suite, two coffee tables and even the two lamps that I bid on. The lounge suite, while not classic, has some groovy side tables that fold up on both sides...but smells to high heaven!

There is a kidney shaped table that isn't that needs a bit of TLC...I thought it was a1970's knockoff, but I have just found (when photographing it) that it was made in 1954. There is a considerate stamp on the underside.

The trailer load full of puchases is currently sitting out in the courtyard waiting for Godot.

Quack quack:things that make me happy

I love living in the country and experiencing the wildlife. Currently we have a family of  wild ducks residing on our dam. There is mum and dad and seven little ones. What makes this so special is that usually only one or two little ones survive the clutches of cats and foxes, but this family must have wonderful parents. Only two of the original nine have been lost.

They come right up to the house...and it warms the cockles of my heart. We also have a resident sea eagle who sits in the old emergent gum by the dam. I thought he might go for the ducklings, but he just gazes on the family in an arrogant way, (as if to say, "you ain't good eatin'"), then swoops down to the water and scoops out an eel.! I could watch them all day.

Apologies for the bad photo, this camera I currently have is on its last legs. A new whiz bang DSLR has been ordered over the net and is currently winging its way to my itchy hands. Don't you love shopphing online? Presents arrive regularly in the letterbox. It is like Christmas every day! (Yes, it isn't a typo, every day...I have been using the old credit  card a bit too often, but I am saving money and the environment by  using less petrol)

A place for everything and everything in its place

Today I am trying to create some semblance of order as I finish off a large order for a new shop in Batemans Bay. I have found that there is a certain amount of confusion recognising my five different garlands when I have market stalls. So I have come up with a colour coded solution which looks pretty snazzy.

I had a bit of trouble with the awful Fiskar circle cutter. *@#!%** thing! In the end I just used a stanley knife to cut half circles. I don't know if it is me being particularly spastic, but I just can't get the hang of that implement!

The boxes were got from Crazy Clarks for $4.00 each. They the perfect size for keeping all of my orders organised. They came in a range of colours and sizes. I am not sure if they are too twee for the market stall (turquoise stripes)...maybe I will grunge them up a bit with some op shop containers.

My HSC girl caught the order bug as well. In between bouts of study, she has organised all of my Little Golden Books. What is particularly cute is some of the labels that she has used -"Male/Heroine/Object Protagonist Fairytale." This generation is certainly not going to be bamboozled by anything served up to them!

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Native beauties

Still busy making garlands for orders and the upcoming BiEco Market. I have moved on from making my Around the World garlands (atlases and encylopaedias) to Waltz with Me garlands (music). I found this marvellous little picture, torn from a book, tucked in between the pages of  a book of  "Beethoven Sonate per Pianoforte". Very Brownie Downing (please feel free to correct me)

My rules for these garlands are quite simple. The sheet music must be pre decimal currency. Many of the classical sheets of Beethoven, Bach and Brahms I use have a lovely sheen, and excellent quality. They were obviously made to last.  I have also branched into the more popular music and show tunes of the time. I love the covers, and the lyrics are wonderful!

Pop over to Kootoyoo to see what everone else is up to.

Cheese please

Image from here

It is my theory that people collect their memories, and I am certainly living up to it. My mum had a full set of  black and yellow plastic Nally Ware cannisters. (She also had the complete spice set...so gorgeous!) I loved them wholeheartedly, as I love yellow and black. Sadly, they are long gone, but not in my elephantine memory. Ofcourse, as a result I collect, (when I can afford it) yellow and black 'stuff.'

  

This little cheese container is hopefully the first of a complete black and yellow cannister collection. However, it is Gayware, not Nally ware. The yellow is alot brighter and the and font is different. Chalk and cheese. Ha, ha ! If it grows to any great size, I am buggered where I will put it...I have no room...but...I...MUST....COLLECT!!!

Pop over to Sophie's to checkout other obsessions.

Around the World garlands

I am making an order of Around the World Garlands today and I thought I would show you what goes into them. They are made up of two different books, an atlas and an encyclopaedia.

Out of one of my piles of kids books I choose an old encyclopaedia/fact book. This is only one pile of my collection, they are beginning to grow on the floor and in cupboards...but I can't help myself!

 It must have those glorious old water colour illustrations in it. I only cut double sided pictures out, no text for this garland, and the paper must be thick. I don't know how I made all of these rules, but they have stuck and so I must follow them. This book is the Animals of Tundras and Icelands.

99% of the time I use only Junior Jacaranda Atlas's, the kind we had at school. Rules for these,are that they must be old and must have that lovely thick cardboardy paper. However, I found this brilliant Moden Commonweatlth Atlas which features a beautiful blue sea. I can't wait to use it , but also like fabric, I am always very scared to cut anything so beautiful.

Once they are handcut and sewn they end up as garlands whose function I guess, is to adorn. But, also for me, making these is working on those childhood memories, when computers did not exist, when you would lift the lid of your desk at school and gaze at an atlas and imagine all the places in the world. The only place they were visualised were in books like these childrens encyclopaedias (and the big adult ones, but they aren't as pretty)

Maybe I was a loser geek, sitting in a library corner, imagining the world and its adventures, but it was really all we had. I still love these books and get a thrill out of looking through them. Ho-hum...still the loser geek!

Pooh bees

I had a little chuckle as I was making up a custom  order for some Winnie the Pooh Little Golden Book Buntings. The client who has already bought a couple of Pooh buntings for her little grandchildren, (about 6 and 4) has ordered some more...this time for her great grandchildren! They are not even a twinkle in her grandchildren's eye! But she is going to put them away especially for them.

It is so sweet, and they will surely be vintage by the time the great grandkids recieve them!

Anyhoo I was cutting away,reading the book as I went,  and realised that Pooh was going through what we had experienced on the weekend...bees. Naughty Pooh!

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Busy as a bee

I was busy as bee on the weekend, getting together orders to send off. Have a look at this fabulous Little Golden Book. I think this one is a keeper. It is a 1969 edition and I only cut it up because the last page was ripped. Classic illustrations!

But to segue, I was busy cutting all of my letters for the Pom-Pom Banners (such a thrill when they are all lined up) when I heard an almighty noise.

I thought at first somebody was visiting on a tractor...or a Boeing 747, but on exploration, I discovered that our bees were swarming. It was massive! Squillions and squillions of them! My husband managed to get them into a box, but within an hour, they had escaped and swarmed to a higher, more inaccessible tree.

 This (bad) pic shows them in the early stages. This swarm measured about a metre in length by the time they had settled. They were finally got into a box and moved with great care in the dead of night to their final position. I followed about three metres behind with the torch on tippy toes, trying to remain calm as I heard somewhere that bees can smell your fear.

Next day, they had swarmed again and were gone. No honey for us next year.