9. Rue Fonteneau

I've hunted high and low (on the internet) to try and find where this wooden case has come from, but to no avail.  I've found wooden plates, clocks and a few other things with the exact design but absolutely nothing like this.  It stands at about 8 inches high, both sides say the same thing, it doesn't have any other writing on it and inside it's lined with a lovely dark chocolate brown velour material.

I love this little case, even though I don't know its history.  What I'd like to think is that somebody from Perth went to Paris for a holiday with their beloved, found that popular cafe', bought the case because they saw it on display above the cafe counter and just had to have it, then brought it back to Perth with them.  

Or they boringly ordered it through the internet.  My first thought is more romantic.  Cost was $10.

Crafting

I think I'm a crafty person.  I knit a lot, I try sewing but I know I'm not that great at it and I love to revamp a multitude of old things.  In the last few years I had been collecting crafty things, that is...  bits and pieces and junk that will help me transform things into something cuter than what it is.

Everything I've collected for the jobs is mostly in a cardboard box just waiting to explode out and be used.  I never seem to find the time to just sit down, breathe in and out, take out a project and just do it.  When I try, I frustratingly get half way and it ends up just sitting somewhere for weeks on end.
For once I'd like to just start and finish something in the one day.  I think I'm asking for too much.

A few things I've found at op shops and on peoples junk piles to help me with my future projects;

These little wooden feet were $1 each.  As soon as I saw them I knew what my project was 

going to be.  I have just about everything I need but I until I find a couple of things, these will 

have to sit and wait.

 $1 paint brush - an essential for crafting!

All of this fabric was $12, but there is a heap of it.  It's actually curtain material, but the plan is 

to make cushions for a couple of free cane chairs I picked up from the next door neighbours 

junk pile.  Thankfully their pile was close to our own council strip and it's unlikely they saw me.  

Then again, who cares if they did. 

Unopened contact plastic - free and on my dirty rug.  It guess it can come in handy.

Red crepe paper - free.  I'm thinking cute poppy flowers.

Jute bag with wooden handles - free.  The jute ended up being cut up for something I needed, 

and the handles are perfect for a knitting handbag project.  Sweet!

Broken mosaic mirror - free.  It's a shame it was cracked, othewise I would have 

used it in the bathroom.  The plan is to take off all the little glass bits and keep them 

for another mosaic project.

Lastly, a bunch of pens/pencils/paint/various stuff - free!  

In the garden.

I have an abundance of plant pots.  

Some hanging baskets, a huge amount of plastic pots, some terracotta planters and a few different things that aren't for the garden but I use them anyway.

The great thing is that I don't buy them....  I find them for free, of course.  Yay for free!

This is quite a heavy ceramic baking dish, but simply perfect for my little succulents.  It has a slight crack (good for drainage!) at the bottom but it's holding these babies just fine.

 

When I find the hanging baskets they're usually rusted but on rare occasions, I find some better looking ones.  They do have plants in them and I'll show you another day.

 

This one is rather tall, so I had to stuff it with some packing foamy thingies before I put a plant in it otherwise I'd have to use a whole bag of potting mix, I'm sure!

Your everyday plain terracotta pot doin' it's thang...

 

 And last but certainly not least.... I think this is a wine holder/cooler thing, but somebody correct me if I'm wrong.  

 Now that's better.  :)

Happy Easter

 If you really want to know the true meaning of the chocolate Easter egg, please go directly to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg

I thought it fitting and appropriate to blog about my egg and egg related collection today.

Three ceramic (hollow) eggs.  These are only 3 inches tall.

 I was heartbroken when I found this one was ruined when I got home.  Can you see where?

They were a buck each.

This sweet little ceramic egg is about 6 inches tall.  I paid $7 for it but it was one of those 'must haves'.

 Ceramic egg cups.  I have others, but I'll share them with you another day.  The larger bunny cup was $2 and the smaller was 50 cents.

Ceramic bunnys for 75 cents each.  I love these little guys.  The tallest is about 2 inches tall.

And I may as well toss this in.... a manual egg beater.  How exciting that I should find one for $1.99!

Where is the sentimentality?

I can't understand how people can throw away certain things.  In this case I'm not referring to 'stuff' as such, but rather things that people make, build, draw with their own hands.  I could never toss out my own creations, let alone anybody else's that were passed onto me.  It's absurd and heartbreaking!

Amongst other things on somebody's junk pile, I found this hand (ink) drawn bird.  Written on it - My Objective Drawing - Grey Herron - 15.2.94.  

I think it's strikingly elegant.  'Astral Mansfield' had and may still have a lovely gift and I hope she's still drawing today.

'

Tic Toc, Tic Toc.

Because my father had a fascination with clocks later on in his life, it logically rubbed off on me.

Before today, I didn't think I was a collector of clocks but I have enough of them to form a collection, I think.  The clocks I'm showing today all came from the op shop.   I will show more in the near future. 

This ceramic Quartz cutie is only about 4 inches high and found for $5.99.

This one set me back $9.99, but made my heart flutter.  Glass covered, ceramic face and bottom but I can't find a brand name anywhere.

This German Kundo was filthy when found but after cleaning her up, she looks a treat.  She was only $4.  Glass covered and plastic.  Now that's a rare price for a lovely clock!

Where am I?

I'm shocked to discover that I've not posted since Thursday.  Can somebody tell me where the time has gone?  Like dear hubby, I wish every weekend was a long weekend.  But I know if we had a three day weekend, we'd whinge about wanting a four day weekend... and so on.  Five days off and 2 days on would sound pretty good to some people, yes?  Am I right, or am I absolutely right?

Onto some free finds; books and magazines.  I read magazines but I don't read novels.  In fact, I've never read one in my whole life... shock, horror for some I'm sure.  But not to me.  The only thing I've read and still read is my trusty Bible.  A paragraph or two per night does the trick to keep me sane and on track.  Not many people know this because I do not broadcast it to the world - but don't let it surprise you, because it shouldn't be a surprising thing in this day and age.  I won't go into it too much because after all, this post is supposed to be about once again, books and magazines.

When I was in primary school, the only books I borrowed from the library were the Berenstain Bears, The Aristocats and Asterix.  

I was so excited to find this on someone's trash pile and a flood of memories came to haunt me while flicking through it the next day.  In pristine condition and it's in French, no less.

Everybody needs a dictionary or two in their personal library. Open up the front cover and it hangs by a bunch of sturdy threads.  The rest of it is just fine though.

In the nick of time for some June gardening. 

 And being a lover of all things wood, it was interesting that I found these.

Yes, these free finds will keep me busy while waiting for my next bunch of books and magazines.

The little things

It doesn't take a lot to make me happy these days.  It's especially exuberating for me to find something I've never seen before.  These little pegs I found at the op shop almost made me squee aloud.  Thankfully I didn't.  

Check out the original price by clicking on the first photo, then check out how much I snagged them for in the next.

I love the pastel colours and they remind me of the 1950's era... although it's obvious from the price tag that they aren't that old.  Still, washing day is fun all of a sudden!

Ugly is as ugly does.

He's so ugly, even the ugly can't stand to look at him!

'Ugly' is an horrid word, isn't it? 

We all say it and don't think twice about hurting anybody.  We all have our own opinion about what's ugly and what's not.  What might be lovely to you, might be unappealing to some.  And the opposite goes.  Yadda yadda.

I've heard 'oh, isn't that sweet / gorgeous / lovely / amazing / beautiful??' many times in my life while browsing in shops.  I've always replied 'yes' or 'it's cute' simply to be cordial and not hurt the other persons feelings.   

But it's true what they say.... beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and I will add more to that; and just because you like it, doesn't necessary make it an extraordinary thing.  Bbaahh!  Who cares anyway?  

It's all about what we like, isn't it?

Sometimes even the ugly and boring things have a good function in this world, so on with the ugly show.

I'm sure you're thinking, who in there right mind would buy any of these ugly things?  Well, obviously not you and certainly not me.  They were all picked up for free.  

First photo: Pleated calico curtains.  I found a set; two short ones and one long one.  They still had the hooks for hanging.  I can't imagine anybody going out to look for curtains and saying 'gee, some boring and colourless curtains would look perfect in my house, I think I'll buy those!'  I'll tell you what these curtains are good for.  Rental properties and for reusing the fabric.  Still, I washed them all and stored them away.  A few days later I took the longest one out, ironed it and popped it up in the dining room just for kicks.  I really don't know what came over me and it might have been because I saw a curtain ad on TV and thought WOW.... I could pretty them up like that!!  I've yet to pretty them up and it's on my very long list of crafty things to do.

Second photo: Plastic garden pot.  It's a little scratch and a faded, but it's a pretty-ish shape.  I have plans for this which includes a can of coloured spray paint.  Wink, wink.

Third photo:  Brown hand bag.  This bag is cute and functional.  Problem is, I couldn't stand looking at the colour for more than 10 seconds at a time.  I knew I couldn't live with it, so off to the op shop it went.  I'm sure it will be somebody's cup of tea.  Or will it?

Fourth photo: A glass jar with a ceramic yellow lid and stands at about 8.5".  It's became my propagating jar.  For those that don't know what propagating is.... it's the act of snipping off a piece of branch or stem from a outdoor plant you love, and grow a new one.  Place the stem in a glass jar with some water and watch the roots form - it's a wonderful thing.

Fifth photo: A ceramic teapot.  Looks like something from the 70's or 80' and even though it might be ugly to some, I think it's sweet.  It has that ugly chic to it and at some stage it must have been the mode / fashion / in-thing to have.  It was amazingly clean when I found it, no chips and no scratches found anywhere. 

Sixth photo:  AAaahhh this thing.  I did not find this thing.  This thing was given to me by a good friend last year.  Notice how I keep referring to it as thing.  Fake fruit?  Dark fruit? Scary fruit?  I've no idea what to call it.  Yet it hangs in my kitchen.  Shockingly enough, I do like it and I'm quite certain many would not.  I don't give a toss of course because after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - me.

50 cent investments

Knitting needles aren't cheap these days.  Having found plenty ($1 or $2 per pair from the op shop) of every size I need in the past, I don't usually buy them anymore.  Unless I find a cute wooden pair for 50 cents... then I must make the purchase. 

Oh how embarrassing!!

That's what my niece Rebecca would probably say if I didn't cut her face out of the photo.  I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't.  LOL.

One of our many days out, which quickly turned into night before our eyes and what you see was only about half of it.  It just looks like JUNK, doesn't it?  Especially Craig's van in the background which we elequantly call "the crusty bus".  And just between you and me -  it's one of my pet peeves. 

Later on I reminisce and sift through everything, wash, clean, and think to myself... now those were good finds!

Baaahhh, I think I'm getting withdrawal symptoms now!

A little good news on a dreary day.

Good news is rare for all of us these days, isn't it?

I received some this morning and although it was a small piece of news, it made my day.  My bank has finally taken away the majority of their banking (including internet) fees.  As far as I can tell, the only fee they have is the coin counting & depositing fee at 5% of the coin amount which I've never needed to do.

So what's the catch, I asked my husband?  No bank has no fees, so there must be some hidden fees somewhere - I've yet to find them if they exist.  How are they making their money now, with virtually no fees from their customers?  Hubby replied 'furg knows'.  (We have our own kind language that we share, but what couple doesn't?)

So, we finally have a bank that has virtually no fees.  I never thought I'd see the day and I'm still a little apprehensive and want to find out for sure so I'll be visiting my bank in the very near future to see if they are as fantastic as they are making out to be.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy my good news.

Onto something different... Wool!

I have a section in my work room that is overflowing with yarn.  I also have a section the bedroom wardrobe which is overflowing with yarn.  Then there is under the bed... and the cabinet in dining room.  It's getting out of hand and I can't stop.  I'm not talking a shopping bag or two full in each room, I'm talking 9 or 10 bags and possibly more!  Soon I'll be throwing out food from the kitchen pantry to store yarn.  Yarn is like a drug for me and unless you're a knitter, you will not understand.  I have the bad fairy telling me that it's ok, you'll find more spaces around the house to hide it in and nobody will be the wiser.  Then I have the good fairy telling me to sell it and make a pretty penny from it all. 

Sell my yarn?? No way and no how... or at least for now.  I have a lot of vintage yarn without moth nibbles - thank you very much.  I'd never buy moth nibbled yarn because it's useless and chances are if you see a nibble on the outside of the ball, there will be a few on the inside.  So before buying, checking it thoroughly is a must.  Then I have yarn that's just old, maybe between 5 - 10 years old.  Obviously discontinued and cannot be found anywhere unless it's hiding in some other yarn hoarders home.  Then I have small amounts of the newer stuff left over from previous knitting jobs.  How can I get rid of them?  They have sentimental value because I made a pretty penny from those!  With more knitting work coming my way, this means more yarn in my stash and it's a bit worrying.

 And of course I find most of my older yarn from the good old op shop so who can pass up such great bargains?  Not me.  I have enough yarn to keep going for 20 years or so.  But I love it and wouldn't change my habit for the world.  It gives me great pleasure to buy and knit with it.  And that's all that counts.  

Approximately 500g of Patons f.d.k (part cotton, part acrylic) for $5 and 350g of Passionknit (part wool, part acrylic) for $6.

Toy Story

I don't need toys.  Yet I have toys.  Toys that were free, of course and I'd never buy them for myself.

Unless.... well that's another (toy) story.

Rebecca and I have the same conversation over and over and over and over when we have our 'big day out' collecting junk.  It's always the same; People are crazy!  Why can't they donate their stuff to good will instead of trashing it?  Why are people too lazy to go down their local charity store and dump it there?  It's money for the poor!!!  Etc, etc.  But by the end of the day, we feel good that we scored all the good stuff.

Stuff, including toys.  I have a soft spot for them for some unknown reason.  It can't be that I was denied toys as a child, because I certainly was not.  I remember playing with toys, but possibly not as much as a child would play with them in this day and age.  Were toys possibly too boring back then?  Who knows really?  All I know is that they're eye candy on a shelf in my work room.

I do have to control myself with the collecting though, because it's getting out of hand!  2 spinning tops that are actually spinning, Einstein, Alvin the chip-monk, Zebra Pez container and a gorgeous bear.  My favourite toy out of the lot?  It's a toss between the bear and the Pez container.  ;)