Week One - As a Picker.

l'm excited to tell you my stall in the collectible centre is up and running and new adventures as a picker have begun.....On Tuesday l called a lady about a suitcase FULL of linen she had advertised for sale in the local paper....Oh she says you'll be VERY happy with what you're getting... crocheted tablecloths and lovely linens all in excellent condition, and the suitcase which belonged to her grandmother came with the deal. Since she lived about half an hour out of town l asked plenty of questions to be sure l wasn't on a bum steer...... totally satisfied l set off a happy woman

 

It started to rain just before l left, so l picked the last of the roses before they were ruined and popped them in the car to give to the lady l was meeting....but when l eventually got there (after getting lost and wet:-) l have to say bum steer doesn't quite cut it....It was clear the suitcase was pretty much empty and her idea of lovely linens was definitely NOT my idea of lovely linens.... not to mention the suitcase that "once belonged to my grandmother" was circa 1960.(and she was NOT five)



Sure..... I'd been stooged:-) but to be honest l felt really sorry for her and l don't mean that in a patronising way, it's just that it was clear she was a heavy smoker since the entire living area was in a grey haze and she was prob'ly selling her dodgy linen to buy cigarettes, which l know isn't good but l get it....she needed cigarettes a LOT.....so we did negotiate a price which l think leaned favourably in her direction. On the way home, one smoky suitcase and a couple of tablecloths later, l was shaking my head thinking struth, what just happened there.....l thought that was the end of it....BUT...

Later that evening l got a phone call and it was the lady ringing to thank me for paying her what l paid and to say (while puffing up big on a fag no doubt... haha) that since she didn't have any vases she'd put the roses in a large cup and was really enjoying looking at them....what no vases.... she almost had me buckling up to head out there with a couple....does the word sucker come to mind, l think l could be in trouble if l ever want to win a trick in this game :-))...but wasn't it lovely and thoughtful of  her to ring me and tell me that.

 

 

Now that much of my stuff has gone out to my stall l've had the chance to arrange a few new vignettes which was kinda fun, though l confess l'm having more than a few anxious pangs at parting with all my favourite things.....rationally l know it's just stuff, but my heart's not convinced:-) It's different from when l used to have the occasional market stall.....that was mostly to get rid of things l didn't want any more, now l'm trying to sell only what l LOVE, which is another thing entirely..

 

  

 Found this old window at the market last week, which l thought was great....of course it'll be moving on after a little mending... l'm sure someone else will love it too.  

These prints were found at the market in a box along with pieces of unglazed china, palettes and paints. They're patterns used for hand painting china and come complete with instructions on how to paint them exactly as shown. The lady selling them kindly sold me these few prints separately, there were still heaps more for someone keen to take up the cause....

 

Finally got around to making some new slipcovers for my chairs as l was sick and tired of having to re-tuck and de-wrinkle the small tablecloths that were there previously, after anyone sat on them. Being velvet they stay in place much better, but best of all they're so warm and comfy....good for Winter on it's  way.

 

               

   Decorating the decorations....little birds as bottle toppers....and a wee Mary in a tube.

  

A few pics l put together of my space at the The Millmarkets...my home away from home:-))
The space is surprisingly big and is nowhere near full yet, but l'm getting there:-)


Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely and much appreciated comments.
l wish you all an awesome weekend coming up and let's hope there's at least a little bit of sunshine around, it's been annoyingly cold here even though Winter's still officially a month away.

Take care...til next time,

Bron.

 

 

Happy Easter Break.

l hope your Easter is full of happiness........

l don't even have an Easter pic for you guys...SOZ....but it's been a bit crazy around here. (Sure...it could be just me:-))



The job l've been working in for the past year or so came to an end yesterday. l knew it was going to....and although l'm not able to give up my current career straight away, l've been thinking a LOT about how l want to spend my future working days..... and l'm thinking NOW might be the time for a change.

So a couple of weeks ago (thanks to my Sis:-) l rang the large collectible centre in our town to see if they had any spare site's.... at that time there was nothing available, though he did say there was a chance that one might be coming up after Easter, but that he'd ring me and let me know if, and when...... l was sitting on the couch with very mixed feelings, wondering about how to move forward when the phone rang.....it was the manager of the mill markets to tell me that the site he'd mentioned WAS available and that l could move in next week!!!

So...decision made:-)....but l've really gotta move, there's so much to organise....and not the least is working out what "treasures" to sell and l know it's gonna be a wrench parting with lots of them.....but l had a bit of an AHAH moment recently when l read something written by Christina Strutt (Cabbages and Roses.) who said she only ever sold what she loved, and l can see that has to be my goal too...... no trying to hang on to all the good stuff...and even then, there's no guarantee this venture will work but l'm excited for the chance to try....and kinda scared too:-)

This little side table had a bad case of the wobbles when l found it, and (thankfully) wasn't beyond my limited skills to fix, the timber was stained a typical yuck brown so out came the paint to add a little colour. On the wall above the bedhead are circular mirrors that were once part of an antique brass bed.

These lovely old frames were produced around the turn of the last century and some forward thinking people must have been into upcycling even then, as apparently they were made from old piano keys.



 

l hope you've enjoyed the "boudoir" pics:-) lsn't it amazing how just putting a few different linens on the bed can completely transform the appearance of your room. The damask doona cover in the first pic was overdyed with Rit (teal) dye...the mismatched pillowcases were also dyed in the same colour, but not the same dye lot. The pink cut velvet quilt was an opshop find and the pink cushion was made to match.

bellanottelinens..............Sweet and lovely Springtime linens.

someecards.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.....wishing you all a relaxed, happy and most of all safe Easter break...

 

Til next time,

 

Bron.

 

 

Pretty China Salvage.

 l think most of us can relate to a bit of a weakness for old bits of china....

 

The pheasant plate (below) was found at the market and the matching cup and saucer (above) l found at a garage sale the following weekend which was just a bit weird since l'd never seen that pattern before and here were matching pieces two weeks in row....it's like they all wanted to be together:-))

 

 

Mixing a little old with a little new. Ladybird cup and saucer were made by the Franz company which was established in San Francisco in 2002 by Francis Chen, who was inspired by nature to produce his artistic range of porcelain and jewellery.

Even though the china patterns are quite different from each other and have been collected over a long time, the pieces somehow seem to work in a mismatchy way. (Or am l just pattern challenged:-)

 

  

 

 

 SO cute.... bluebird pattern china with matching embroidered tablecloth. The bluebird motif was the height of fashion around 1920, you may have seen the bluebird necklaces or brooches from this time as well...the china's not something you see around much, but l've seen it listed on ebay.
There was also a revival of the bluebird pattern around 1970.





Awesome collection.

Aren't these amazing.... rare old fortune telling cups.

Tasseography is the name for the art of reading tea leaves....to do this you need to make a teapot of tea using loose tealeaves, after you've drunk the tea, you may be asked to swirl or shake the cup to reveal a pattern and then the reader is supposedly able to foretell your future by reading the shapes of these patterns......read more here.



 

 

The four pics above are from thevintagetable. via my daughter's pinterest page.

 

 

 

Another weekend coming up, hope you have lots of good stuff planned, the weeks are flying as usual....thanks so much for stopping by.

 

Til next time

 

Bron.

 

 

Shabby Pink Summer.

A few outdoor Summery pics and l hope you also enjoy reading a few tips l came up with for decorating with vintage finds, (most of them learnt the hard way:-)) and if you'd like to read some vintage shopping tips you can find them here and here

 

   

1.Be specific....Know what "look" you're after, whether it be Frenchy, Shabby, Scandy, Beachy....or any combination of these, (or something else completely). That way you'll only bring home things that fit YOUR style....there's a hell of a lot of old tat out there just begging to be hauled home by the unsuspecting novice:-) l should know l've done it plenty haha... so defining and refining certainly helps narrow down what you KNOW will work best in your space. Having only the things that truly reflect what we're about, makes for a more individual, and cohesive look. 

 

 

2. Be selective....in my experience it's best not to be bringing home things that don't work unless you (or someone) is motivated to fix it. Cupboard doors that don't shut, latches that don't catch, sofa's or chairs that need upholstering or bits that need replacing, all require time and skill.....otherwise we just end up with rooms and garages full of crap we'll NEVER use.....Of course if you can change or alter it so it serves a purpose then that's great, projects are a fantastic way to stretch our skills and imagination, as long as we know for SURE we'll get to do them.

 

 3. Be restrained....Having a similar colour palette throughout our interior walls gives a more contemporary and unified look to our spaces, each room will flow naturally and easily from one to another and it also gives our eyes somewhere to rest which is important if our collections are a bit chaotic, colourful or hotch potch:-))

 4. Mix old with new....some of the most striking rooms seem to have a lovely balance of contemporary pieces mixed in with the vintage. This doesn't necessarily mean NEW...(hell almost everything l own is vintage), but it just looks more interesting and "now" if at least some of the things in the room are modern and funky. The addition of vintage relaxes everything and just takes the seriousness out of it all....and we DO want to have fun with our decorating...It offers a more comfy, user friendly way to live in our spaces, not only for us, but our family, friends and pets as well. 



 



5. Keep it Simple....it's not ideal to allow our collections to grow out of  control, especially those we display. This doesn't mean never adding to them after they're a certain size, but if we apply the one in and one out rule, or sell on, or trade off pieces that no longer appeal (so much), our collections will remain far more manageable into the future. When fashions and trends change in a few months or years we might want to collect something else entirely and don't want to be stuck trying to get rid of oodles of things that no longer suit our taste or space.... even the most loved collections tend to grow old and stagnant, so rotate your collections, move them around and renew them every so often so they remain fresh and vibrant. 

 

 

6. Special considerations.....having said all of that, there will always be those star pieces we collect or inherit that are FOREVER keeps....those that truly resonate with our heart, whether it just be totally beautiful, sentimental or lovingly handmade. These are our future family heirlooms, along with their stories and memories that we can pass from one generation to the next, creating a sense of history for our loved ones for many years to come.

 



 

 

Forever New top with beaded ruffled sleeves......hope l get to wear it before the weather turns cold:-)

 

 

Stunning casual Summer catwalk looks from Roberto Cavalli.

 

 Well that's it for now.....have a wonderful rest of your week, thanks so much for stopping by.

 

Til next time,

 

Bron.  

 

New, Old and Antique

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend..... a bit of a mixed bag of photo's for you today, a whole lot of random's l've taken lately.



Old singer sewing machine drawers l bought at the market ($20), they were pretty rough when l found them, but was happy enough with them once they'd been mended, sanded and painted. l totally forgot to take a before pic as usual....but just think, dark and brown :-)

My ruffled bedskirt arrived from the States a couple of weeks ago and l was THAT excited to put it on the bed and see how it looked....PRETTY....



 Pink (my fave) Florentine tray l found while at my daughter's in Adelaide. The crown compact was bought at an opshop on the way home. Hubby patiently? waited outside while l had a quick? browse...haha!!

The art nouveau glass (circa 1900) was found at the opshop for just 10 cents....l love it. The barbola mirror had a couple of missing and broken flowers so l glued on a few matching porcelain roses l had to make it look complete again.  

Rachel Ashwell bedlinen.....so shabby lovely. 

  

 

 

 

Awsome bag, hardly used......new grey scarf from Cotton On, love the bit of fluro pink in the tassels.

It's Begonia Festival weekend in our town.....three days of events including an antique fair. Of course l went and checked it out this morning. The stallholders kindly let me take some pics of their stunning French Jumeau dolls. The  flower seller and the doll group are automotan's which the stallholder wound up so we could see them moving.

A new splattered painting l did for the art show which is also on this weekend. 

  

 

It was fitting l should find these old wedding cake toppers since hubby and l celebrated 30 years of marriage this week.....yeh l was a child bride....hahaha..

  

 

Our children sent us to the coast for the weekend as an anniversary present and this is the early morning sunrise captured on my iphone from the balcony where we stayed.

Thanks kiddo's we loved it...... 

 

 

Anyway....hope you enjoyed the post....thanks so much for stopping by.

 

Til next time,

 

Bron.