I have branched into making cards in a mad attempt to create my "Re-purposed Empire."
As well as Little Golden Book images, there are pics from Ladybird: Learn to Read Books, and great retro photos from a 70's Boys Own Annual.
They are all sewn (very, very neatly) onto the card. (One must ensure the handmade element is present!)
My favourite has already been sold, but it is such a great image it deserves to be seen. It is from a Ladybird book, The Miner. The person who purchased it described it as homo-erotic!
The buyer asked me why I din't just photocopy the image and sell hundreds of 'neck-ed' men. I had to explain about a little thing called copyright and also the preciousness of the actual vintage object, knowing it came out of a book that was handled by children learning to read....about memories and the different papers and inks (made of heavy metals) used.
It was no use. If the image had been photocopied onto card at Officeworks, I think the buyer would have bought it for a higher price.
Which has got me thinking. If I want to build an Empire, I might have to compromise...but hopefully not too much.
I will leave you with one last card, from "The Miner"...which is quite amusing given my latest 'activating' interest. For those who can't see it on the screen, it is a picture of coal seams beneath the surface.
Here is a pic of our new little calf called Alan. (Well he is about two months old now)
He is so cute and runs around the paddock like a crazy puppy. I feed him and his mum every morning and he is so confident. I love living in the country.
Ha, I just reread the text that I wrote. It sounds like a Grade 2 composition, or the 'how to read' books that I have been making into greeting cards...it has been a long day!
Have a lookee here at these groovy tea towels! Dunmoy Irish Linen, they are beaut! They are all in original condition, and still have their gold sticker attached. There are three colour ways.
Available at my Laughing Duck Vintage shop or contact me at collectingfeathers@gmail.com
About a month ago it rained every day here in God's Country...but now, we have glorious sun shiny days to warm our winter chilled bones. I have ventured out into the garden once more...
Last week I harvested all of my carrots. Because my seeds didn't take, I had cheated and bought a couple of punnets. Although I was really, really careful with the roots, ensuring they were straight when I placed them into the very well prepared soil, I am afraid it just wasn't enough. I know now why the experts advise not to grow carrots from seedlings.
Some of them seem to have their own personalities. The lady on the bottom left looks particularly coy! Geez, I will be looking for images of the Madonna or Baby Jesus in these veges soon!!!
I have been absent for a while, but now have decided to return to the world of blogging. After a few years of putting your life out there, you start reflecting on the need to blog...Is it necessary? Am I blogging for myself, or for those near and dear to me? Is to create a record of my life? Do the numbers of 'friends' matter? Is it a competition? Is it loneliness, or am I trying to get attention? Should I be more 'professional' and treat it as part of my business? Who cares anyway?
I have come to the conclusion that I am a mere grain of sand on the beach of life. Not important to most, so why not do what I want to do...not to over think the whole thing but just to do it, and enjoy it!
The catalyst of all of this navel gazing was my husband moving away for work, a few months ago. He only comes home once a month, and it has become one of the most difficult things that either of us have done. In truth, I have wallowed in this misery, but it is getting a bit old...so time to pick myself up by my bootstraps and move onwards and upwards!
During this 'down' time I have been listening to a lot of 'old timey' music, Appalacian and folk, especially the original recordings of the Carter Family. One of my sing-a-long favourites is "Will you miss me when I'm gone."
Picture this, a beautiful winters day in a lush green valley. Birds are chirping. Cows are mooing. A car appears on the road. At the wheel a woman, hair awry, tears streaming down her face as she sings at the top of her voice. Her face is contorted in despair. The most pathetic thing in this picture is not the tears, but the complete inability to sing in tune to the music! (That is why I sing in the car, it is like a vacuum, no one hears!)
PS. For those who listen to the song, yes, it is about a dead person...but I have never let anything get in the way of some good old fashioned 'drama queen' behaviour! In fact 'drama queen' is my middle name!
