objet trouvé: daily

i'll be back...

2009-07-08T23:34:00.002+01:00

i miss my little 'showing off', and have decided to reintroduce it ... as soon as i come back from london...look out for a new weekly posting :-)

that's all for now folks...

2009-06-20T09:44:00.005+01:00

i have decided to stop this blog...at least for a while, i have enjoyed parading my things across your screens but i feel it is becoming less interesting as time goes on... i leave you with the mangle that has been in my back yard since time immemorial ( i should have swept before taking the photo...just another example of my standards slipping, unfortunately) and my favourite espresso cups from majorca (part of a set of 6) ... thanks for watching x

No. 72

2009-06-19T06:28:00.000+01:00

a rather splendid box of lace bobbins, which are not especially special individually but, as a whole, with the cigar box, rather delightful...

No. 71

2009-06-18T07:27:00.000+01:00

mary, mary...

No. 70

2009-06-17T08:17:00.002+01:00

an arrangement of collected importance on a kitchen cupboard; includes a rock stars phone number, postcards from Bronwen Deane (love 'em), photos from a day out in sunderland (!), etc...

No. 69

2009-06-16T07:16:00.000+01:00

an asparagus jar... to put asparagus in.

No. 68

2009-06-15T09:11:00.002+01:00

a handmade, crude cupboard... well i should say, 'crudely handmade' as it doesn't tell disgusting jokes.
bought at auction for a mammoth £40, but it was full of watch parts so selling some means i have made my money back a few times over... and got some gorgeous watch hands and a tiny ancient cuckoo from a clock; most likely a cuckoo clock.

No. 67

2009-06-14T07:09:00.000+01:00

my sweet collection of ameretti tins...mmm...delicious.

No.66

2009-06-13T08:40:00.001+01:00

a beaded receptacle for...crucifixes. have seen a few of these victorian things, they seem to be for hanging on the wall but i have no idea what they are supposed to be for, suggestions welcome!

No. 65

2009-06-12T09:38:00.002+01:00

draped jewels....

No. 64

2009-06-11T07:23:00.001+01:00

lace and tape...i have left the camera flash as it looks like a glowing diamond...o i shouldn't have told you, you would have believed it was a glowing diamond.

No. 63

2009-06-10T08:18:00.001+01:00

bits of fluffery and finery...

No. 62

2009-06-09T07:16:00.003+01:00

a plastic basket...
from the frankfurt flohmarkt last year... used for taking my lunch on days out.

No. 61

2009-06-08T07:51:00.002+01:00

a christmas present if i remember rightly, from my mother, or maybe it was an anytime present, in other words just a present, although one should never say 'just' a present so disregard that word. it's actually worth money, especially as his cane is intact...his legs are a little short though (for my liking).

No. 60

2009-06-07T09:33:00.001+01:00

the charity shop staple...the souvenir boxed glass set, but a lovely example...spanish if you hadn't guessed, passed on by my lovely sister Alison.

No. 59

2009-06-06T09:24:00.008+01:00

'joan of arc' plaster head; some say it's scary, some say serene, i say chipped...from gay paris...

No. 58

2009-06-05T08:18:00.002+01:00

some tinyish cups and saucers, i think i have 5 or 6 altogether (don't know where at the moment) but these were the nicest colours...

No. 57

2009-06-04T08:14:00.002+01:00

clogs...a pair ...2" long...someone's souvenir from bruges and then... my souvenir from the antique shop, ... battered, bruised and quaint...

No. 56

2009-06-03T08:11:00.000+01:00

one of my chandaliers...have had this since about...well years...but still stocked in ikea, has been sprayed and adorned over the years...christmas baubles abound.

No. 55

2009-06-02T07:38:00.000+01:00

not an old thing but delightful all the same...in my defense it has a 'vintage' look although it was in fact 'found' in a shop...croft interiors, stokesley.

No. 54

2009-06-01T08:05:00.000+01:00

i don't know what these are called... it's a brass pole fixed horizontally... upon which you can drape muslin seductively over your bedhead or in this case (my case) a branch of silver wired jingly bells from joanna...

No. 53

2009-05-31T07:02:00.000+01:00

underneath the 'stuff' , a 'part' hat stand, wig stand or...knob on a stick...

No. 52

2009-05-30T17:51:00.003+01:00

a totally hand embroidered all over, vintage bag bought for £15 in a little vintage shop in a vintage shop street in Glasgow, a strange/interesting/unusual opening mechanism...

No. 51

2009-05-29T07:51:00.000+01:00

a tiny keyhole surround 2" high...naturally verdigris...sent to me by Séan who... 'found a pock marked, filigree key surround, tumbled out of an old cottage, lost in the rubble strewn around the skip', and who attached it perfectly to a sweet note...(below)

thank you...

No. 50

2009-05-28T07:03:00.000+01:00

my 50th post...shall i make the hundredth? i am not sure...
this one should be something special i feel for my little anniversary...mmm, lets go with a shelf.

No. 49

2009-05-27T08:00:00.001+01:00

a pile of pink, ecru & taupe quilts...most aquired cheaply due to fraying edges, huge holes and threadbare fabric...o to be rich what sumptuousity i should have...

No. 48

2009-05-26T07:45:00.003+01:00

a terrible photograph i know...but practically impossible to get right (for me anyway) and yes, i should have removed the bowl of lemons...and the chair...and the whole kitchen. despite this i had to showcase it...i love it! a mirrored glass sign saying 'canteen' would you believe... probably from an old canteen.

No. 47

2009-05-25T06:40:00.001+01:00

an old ledger i use to write my lists in...

No. 46

2009-05-24T07:19:00.001+01:00

old tickets...i might use these in some way for the labels on my new collection (yet to be made of course)...the colours are lovely.

No. 45

2009-05-23T07:17:00.001+01:00

my crackly 70's radio, it sounds terrible...

No. 44

2009-05-22T06:15:00.001+01:00

the letter 'k'...
with a chunk out of it.

No. 43

2009-05-21T08:08:00.001+01:00

a pile of books...regularly plundered for pages...don't worry i saved them from mass destruction...
p.s. if i spent as much time as was actually required on photoshop i would be here all day :-)

No. 42

2009-05-20T08:12:00.000+01:00

a delicious door plate/ key surround...attached feebly to a random old cupboard... the crystal knob is not bad either.

No. 41

2009-05-19T09:04:00.000+01:00

on a theme...a miniature electric sewing machine ...fabulous, bought in scotland for a fair price (read as...bargain) . it produces chain stitch on the under side so a multitude of possibilities...

No. 40

2009-05-18T08:37:00.001+01:00

an old sewing machine...a gift...it sews beautifully but i cannot figure out the bobbin...yet

No.39

2009-05-17T07:22:00.000+01:00

a roof slate...wall mounted...in a set of 3...

No. 38

2009-05-16T09:36:00.005+01:00

tin trunk...every home should have one...

look at the colour inside ...mmm
been to Rangoon too :-)

No. 37

2009-05-15T07:34:00.002+01:00

a stopclock that stands very nicely next to the press on my kitchen windowsill... many of my students will recognise it... used extensively to time drawings in class.

No. 36

2009-05-14T07:31:00.001+01:00

a press of some kind, not sure what it was originally for...beefburgers? i use it for pages... small ones... carboot 50p

No. 35

2009-05-13T08:29:00.000+01:00

an antique shell, from an antique shop, beautifully mellow... is a shell not an antique by its very nature anyway?

No.34

2009-05-12T06:00:00.000+01:00

a huge (3ft) kneeling statue of Joseph... sadly decapitated but if he wasn't i wouldn't have been given him would i? (from the holy father).

No.33

2009-05-11T07:55:00.001+01:00

servants bell, though no one comes when i ring it...ditto comment made on doorknob (number 30)

No.32

2009-05-10T08:54:00.000+01:00

an arrangement on a shelf... chandelier wall lights - gift from stephanie (thanks!).
tip of the day; you don't have to mount wall lights on the wall, just rest them somewhere!

No. 31

2009-05-09T08:46:00.000+01:00

my bedroom door knob; not as neatly painted round as i would wish...but hey, you can't have everything!

No. 30

2009-05-08T07:50:00.001+01:00

a victorian (probably) pincushion...a present from my sister, housed in a perfectly sized box from TK Maxx...serendipity...

No.29

2009-05-07T07:45:00.001+01:00

a very tiny bird (cake) decoration; worn and cast aside...until i found it of course...

No. 28

2009-05-06T08:10:00.000+01:00

my most recent purchase...an irresistable bunch of 50's pegs (ebay)... twas fate that found them as i cannot imagine typing 'pegs' into the search box! handmade, smooth in the hand; some pitted, mottled and rusted with age...delicious; beautifully bound with bands of metal and all individual with certain character, as a group - divine...

No.27

2009-05-05T08:07:00.002+01:00

a very old souvenir from Lourdes... the particular beauty of this is that it plays Ave Maria when wound, perched upon a shelf...precariously...

No. 26

2009-05-04T10:05:00.003+01:00

a small bunch of keys, with a random lock, hung together on a random wall

No. 25

2009-05-03T08:27:00.000+01:00

a pair of limbs 1" in length...from an angel...

No. 24

2009-05-02T07:24:00.002+01:00

a ribbon receptacle...bought in an old bookstore in the village next to Peebles, Scotland...for a paltry £2 (empty though cork stopper intact).

No. 23

2009-05-01T08:21:00.002+01:00

no, you can't have it.

No. 22

2009-04-30T08:38:00.003+01:00

a copper printing plate, beautifully detailed.

No. 21

2009-04-29T08:16:00.002+01:00

a tiny pair of embroidered mittens... on string of course so you don't lose one...

No. 20

2009-04-28T08:35:00.006+01:00

my favourite object of all time...the venus de milo...plaster statue 18" high...carried around with me (though not when i went shopping or anything) since its purchase in 1982 from an animal charity shop when i was a student in manchester, i can't remember the price but it must have been very inexpensive, it was in the days when you could buy an old mans pyjama top for about a pound to wear as a shirt with a tight paisley skirt and converse, and find original bowling shirts quite easily! the good old days...
she has been snapped in half at one time or another, but you can hardly see the join...

No. 19

2009-04-27T08:27:00.004+01:00

THE most fabulous plastic seagull you have ever seen! from a box of £1 objects at York carboot sale...i held it up to the vendor and exclaimed 'you are not going to charge £1 for that are you?' , he agreed he actually wasn't and gave it to me for free! in truth i would have happily paid £2.50! ...in my defence i did buy some other stuff from him... it is quite tiny with a two inch wingspan from a cake i presume, maybe a birthday cake for a fisherman...

No. 18

2009-04-26T10:31:00.006+01:00

a partial or half complete set (!) of rubber address stamps once belonging to the Zeng family of Frankfurt, a fabulous name...another purchase from the flohmarkt last year... yet another notable purchase ( i did well that day!) was a single leg, lifesize- used to display stockings, or rather a stocking, for point of sale...it was fairly funny bringing that through customs, i am very lucky having a friend who works for the airline, she has helped me get printers' drawers onto the plane and o, a long list of ridiculous items... its not what you know...

No. 17

2009-04-25T08:14:00.004+01:00

(part of) a victorian picture frame; dark, dark wood, i would guess at mahogany or maybe even ebony, glassless...about the size of a 7" single... so that would be 7" then. very nice in my opinion.

No. 16

2009-04-24T08:32:00.002+01:00

a box of buttons :-)

No. 15

2009-04-23T09:46:00.004+01:00

something delicate for a change...a cut paper card intricately detailed which opens to reveal a somewhat twee figure of a girl with flowers, about the size of a playing card...

No. 14

2009-04-22T08:16:00.001+01:00

about the size of a one litre tin of paint, this tin is very clean inside, surprising really as the very clever hinge/can opener attachment is fairly rusted...an excellent receptacle for any bits and pieces such as phials of fine glitter. i find it highly attractive due to its colour, graphics and brand image. and, i love that the paper seal is still there as this is quite lovely in its own right. bought at the frankfurt flohmarkt in 2008. x

No. 13

2009-04-21T10:03:00.001+01:00

one of my favourite things , a box full of old chemist labels...a cardboard box with glass lid, obviously made in the days before the daily use of plastic, fortunately...

No. 12

2009-04-20T10:14:00.001+01:00

hotel room numbers; approximately 1" in length, heavy brass with the floor number on the back...bought at the same time as the bone numbers below...so a little discount gotten...

No. 11

2009-04-19T10:03:00.000+01:00

little numbers...bone probably, i have more...

No. 10

2009-04-18T10:38:00.001+01:00

delightful metal/wooden (hand carved) printing blocks from an old mill in Manchester from back in the days textiles were exported all over the world (hence the foreign languages), bought from a delightful ebay seller who sent me extra after i had purchased mmm quite a few...don't you just love those! have used these on calico cushions and upholstery so far. beauty.

No. 9

2009-04-17T08:21:00.001+01:00

a wedding cake confection of miniature boxes; largest 2.5" diameter, smallest 1"...
discovered at Newark Antiques Fair.

No. 8

2009-04-16T09:29:00.000+01:00

a reminder of lazy days on the beach in California with the gingham picnic basket, tartan rug and volleyball...dreaming...

No.7

2009-04-15T09:32:00.000+01:00

shopping list...remember vim?

No. 6

2009-04-14T09:55:00.001+01:00

a carpet beater; moulded rubber, duck egg blue or pale turquoise whichever you prefer...circa 1960 at a guess, purchased from a little second hand shop in Frankfurt. I think i will try it out tomorrow on my clippy mat.

No. 5

2009-04-13T10:04:00.000+01:00

on a theme... you just can't beat a bit of rusty metal...

No. 4

2009-04-12T09:06:00.001+01:00

for Easter sunday... a piece of squashed metal wire, once coiled neatly i imagine...found in a street in Majorca, by the road near the supermarket, i had walked past this a couple of days before i picked it up, deciding not to at the time as my bags were heavy and filling my hands, when it was still there the next time i visited i knew it was meant for me...thinking it had been driven over and flung eventually to the pavement...just in time

No. 3

2009-04-11T10:22:00.001+01:00

a small disc of card; weatherworn and beaten... picked up from the road now hangs proudly from a nail on a backdrop of duck egg blue, how beautiful the simple things...

No. 2

2009-04-10T12:50:00.000+01:00

still one of my favourite 'objet's'... i bought this in Barcelona circa 2003, from a little antique shop next to the fleamarket, which by the way is the best fleamarket ever, it wasn't the easiest thing to transport home on a coach , the statue of mary i was worried about so i wrapped it carefully in clothing and placed it inside my friend's roomy case; she promptly sat on it to ensure it was closed...needless to say mary has a bit of a broken crown, adds interest i feel.

No. 1

2009-04-09T17:47:00.000+01:00

so here it is...in the beginning... there was a vintage finding, an old 'objet d'art', an 'objet du jour'...
today's treasure i picked up on my way through Manchester on Monday for only £3; an addition to my collection of embossing presses...isn't it sweet