No. 22

a copper printing plate, beautifully detailed.

No. 21

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

No. 20

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

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

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

(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

a box of buttons :-)

No. 15

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

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

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

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

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

No. 10

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

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

No. 8

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

No.7

shopping list...remember vim?

No. 6

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

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

No. 4

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

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

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

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