wordless wednesday: second-hand shop finds

who doesn't want to indulge their inner morticia addams?

in some strange fit of wanting to be morticia addams today, i tried to convince husband that we simply had to buy these chairs. they really were quite comfortable and tho' i would recover them if i owned them (can you imagine them covered in heather's herds fabric? swoon!), i did fall a little bit in love with that red velvet. but they were a little pricey for both to indulge what was a momentary infatuation. silly husband and his sensible side, tho' he did agree that they were quite comfy.

on the whole, it wasn't a very satisfying day at the flea market. the one we usually go to is in some kind of transitional state - all of the good booths seem to have been tidied up in a not good way and that meant there were no surprises or bargains lurking in a forgotten corner underneath a stack of crocheted doilies. it's funny how that leaves me feeling unfulfilled. i didn't get any little treasures from the 70s and not even a sniff of an old camera, tho' i did briefly fondle an old typewriter. disappointing for sure. on the way home, we found a really nice, large antique store (that's where these red chairs were) that we will be going back to visit again. they had quite some amazing collections of glassware and enamelware and old-fashioned oil lamps, all very neatly arranged and well-displayed.

so tell me, would you have resisted these chairs (bearing in mind they cost $300 apiece or $600 for both)?

antiquing for a cause

the scouts sponsor a huge two-day flea market every year during the autumn holiday. this was my haul.  two new stitched mormor (grandmother) pillows, a reference book of handcrafts, a 70s jar and bowl and a funny little deer skull for a touch of murakami - all for 100 kroner. i especially look forward to reading the cookbook for young house mothers. we also scored 7 wine balloons in wooden crates, which i didn't photograph. all of the items are donated and all the money goes to support the local scouts, plus it brings out the entire community. pretty cool.

flea market loot

i've long been looking for one (or 14) of these bread dough troughs. i didn't really want one that was painted, but i was somehow charmed by this folk-art motif and the price was right, so i got this one today. i'd like to actually use it, but who knows what's in that paint, so i'll likely not. i see it as the first of a collection.

i found that most everything that caught my eye today was a bit 70s. cups, the teapot, the pitchers, the bowl and the pillow (oh, that pillow, i love it so much). i think it's because we listened to america's greatest hits on the way to the flea market. humming: i've been through the desert on a horse with no name...

i've been wanting some copper pans for a long time, if only to hang them on the wall, but also to experiment with small batch dyeing. i found these two at a stand where everything was 50% off. the handles are really cool (tho' you can't really see that here) too, so that was an extra bonus.

the small string of rustic bells and beads make a sound like they should be hanging on the door of a shop full of magical things. since i want to have a such a shop one day, i had to have them. i think times have been a bit slow, because all of the dealers were eager to bargain. it was a good day to be a buyer.

these cups are by nissen denmark and the pattern is called rune. these with no handles are actually sugar bowls, but i scoured several stands, looking for them, because we want to use them as cups. one crotchety older lady lectured me about how they were sugar bowls and not cups, but i didn't care. and ultimately neither did she when i said i'd take all she had. it's the best trip i've had to the flea market in years.

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loving anne brodersen's amazing embroidery art. 

the detritus of creativity

there was a two-day flea market in our little town this weekend. apparently they do it every year. it seemed less like a flea market, actually, and more like a garage sale to which the whole town was invited. it was well-organized - with couches in one row, coffee tables in another, old computers and ancient VCRs over in one corner, odd appliances grouped, books stacked and dishes sorted into glasses, plates, cups and vases. there was even a massive table of old flowerpots. much of it had that air of sadness about it that flea markets and antique stores sometimes have...unloved, unstylish dishes and chairs, stained cushions that had seen better days, dusty cross-stitch pictures of some obscure church somewhere, but here and there, there were a few treasures.

i tried to buy just the little lino cutter above (i loved that it was in its original box), but the guy in charge of that area (those working the market were strangely clad in white doctor's coats, which is especially odd since i've never seen a doctor in this country wearing one) insisted that i take the entire box it was in. as you can see, there are a number of linocuts (and even a couple of woodcuts) with a 70s feel. there is also a collection of old bottles of paint and dyes - all dried up and not usable, but fetching nonetheless (photos in the near future). it ended up being quite a treasure for 50DKK ($10).

as regular readers well know, i think a lot about the evidence of creativity, but digging through the box of lino-cut goodies makes me feel a little bit sad somehow. looking at the stamps someone spent so much time carving, seeing the dusty bottles of dried inks and fabric dyes, long forgotten - like so much detritus washed up on a beach. i wonder what was made with these? fabrics? cards? prints? gifts? when did they get put on some shelf in a garage? how did they become forgotten? someone once spent time and care and imagination, only for it to end in a dusty box in a room full of other things someone no longer wanted.

but the bright side is that it's true what they say, that one person's trash is another's treasure. i'll have to see if i can do something fun with these stamps, to bring them back to life again. i'm pretty happy that doctor coat-clad guy made me take the whole box.

things i liked but did not buy

if i could be sure it worked, it would have bought it

fantastic old projector

and another, even more elaborate one

if phones still looked like this, i'd have one.

more goodness from saturday's visit to the flea market. sadly, none of these came home with me, except on my camera's SD card.

playing around with vintage toys

it seemed that everywhere i turned at the flea market, there were lovely old toys. and no, i didn't buy any, i only photographed them. and i only got yelled at about it once, by an extremely thick and repulsive angry old man. such a jerk. but i got so many great pictures (including the 3rd to last one of HIS little cars), that not even that encounter could spoil the day.

playing knights(?) and indians

wait, isn't that a civil war soldier?

battle in full head dress

is he doing a ceremonial dance in the midst of the battle?

and the birds apparently looked on.

adored these little trucks.

here are the overpriced old cars belonging to the nasty old man who didn't like my camera.

such a charming little truck.

a bit blurry, but i still had to share these sweet little bikes.

it's funny, i adore seeing the old toys, especially painted metal ones, in the antique places, but i've never begun to collect them. i guess i only collect photos and enjoy imagining all of the little hands and little imaginations that have touched them over the years. such memories they hold.

flea market fancy (no, not the fabric)

husband and i spent the day at a flea market with like-minded friends. bliss, i tell you, bliss. here's just the first round of what we saw...

stacks of beautiful vintage crochet.
husband rather unnecessarily cracked that it was from the time before everyone spent all of their time in front of the internet.
and by everyone, i suspect he means me.

*sigh*

i saw a guy walking away with this, but i don't know what he paid.

from when silverware mattered.

i had this odd grandma moment looking at this. i wanted the whole set.

happily, the same did not happen with these, but i like how they're displayed.

royal copenhagen

a bit of more modern scandinavian goodness.

more tomorrow....happy saturday!

glorious weekend

it was a glorious weekend. sunshine and definite scent of spring in the air. time spent with an old friend i hadn't seen in ages. freshly-baked bread for dinner. a major clean-up/air-out of the studio. gathered a whole lot of stones on the beach (some of the ones below we had before, so not ALL of those in one go), but plenty of new materials/inspiration.

why yes, that is a metal basket full of rocks hanging out conveniently just outside my studio door.

do you think it's possible to fall madly in love with a rusty old pickup that's sitting by the side of the road?

gorgeous polish embroidery found at det blå marked in haslev. major treasure!

evidence of sunshine in my studio today. it looks so beautiful shining on my sari. i had the sari out, looking at and wondering if i should just have a bollywood party or turn it into something else...

and these, the coolest (and starting to be biggest) 8-year-old feet on the block. she's so hip with her red converse all-stars.

and the first report of brazil just in from husband: "so far, brazil looks like the balkans in the jungle."

i found that hilarious beyond belief. 

if you've been to the balkans, you would too.

more tomorrow. our time changed today, so i'm going to try to adjust.

so far, it's been great, but i'll be sorry tomorrow morning.

found: a real treasure

i indulged my hankering for poking around a flea market today. there's one every weekend over across the fjord and although it's horribly smoky in there from all of the smokers, i braved it today. and i'm happy i did, because i found this beauty:

the lens says "Jos. Schneider & Co. Kreuznach No. 275350 Xenar :4,5 F-19,5cm"

the body says "Hüttig A.G. Dresden, Modell 1907."

i don't know anything about it.

i just thought it was beautiful.

i am going to try to take pix through the viewfinder with my D60 and macro lens

if any of you know more about these cameras than i do, please share!!

flea market fabulosity

these are some of the fabulous pictures (not that my pix are fabulous, it's the STUFF i mean) i took at the big "blue market" near haslev today (janni, isn't that kinda close to you?), where i went with my friend maj. pix tomorrow of the stuff i bought. i didn't buy any of this, tho' there are two things below that i'd like to go back for. guess correctly which they are and leave your guess in a comment and i will send you something fun via snail mail (my first RAK!! fun!!!). next sunday, i'll tally up the right answers and let you know if you've won and need to supply me with your snail mail address.  everyone who guesses correctly will get something fun!