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!