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. 

inspiration is as close as the library

i've been perusing jan messent's designing for embroidery from ancient and primitive sources, which i just picked up from the library. it's so fascinating i even let my coffee get cold! it was published in 1976 and tho' some of the embroideries and crochet look very 70s, i'm mesmerized anyway. we're a bit enamored of the 70s around here anyway, so it kind of fits.

for a person who thinks almost constantly about inspiration, it's an absolute goldmine - full of ideas on sources of inspiration and how to use them. i scanned a few pages, just of the parts in which messent uses the white horse of uffington, an ancient ground mark in berkshire, england, still visible from the air. 

she shows various ways of using the basic graphic outline of the horse to create very different things....a circle, a repeat, reverses, blocks, color, texture. it has opened my eyes to a whole host of new possibilities.

i'll be on the lookout for this book as i comb the flea markets, but for now, i'm grateful for well-stocked libraries and a service that delivers whatever i want to my local library for pickup, just within a couple of days.

where will your inspiration take you today?

wednesday musings or seven random things

1.  many mornings, when i step outside, edie brickell's song picture perfect morning runs through my head unbidden. the light, no matter what time of year, is spectacular and somehow unique and singular. this morning, filled with a cold, steady rain, was not one of those mornings. as you may imagine, this photo is not from today.

2.  one of my favorite things is to hear husband talking to the cats when he thinks no one is listening.

3.  the new issue of *joie* is out. it's a gorgeous online magazine by indiefixx and lisa and i wrote a story about foraging for it. get a fresh cup of coffee or tea and enjoy it. the whole issue is just lush and gorgeous.

4.  one of husband's favorite things is to reread john seymour's classic complete book of self-sufficiency (the version from the 70s, with those wonderful 70s illustrations). he reads it over and over again. with a cup of tea, in the big armchair in the living room. he learns something new every time.

5.  me, i'm reading dubravka ugresic's museum of unconditional surrender. (hence the numbered paragraphs, it's a stylistic device of hers.) amazon just helpfully informed me that i purchased the book august 3, 2004. i do love that about amazon, even if it is a bit big brotheresque.

6.  speaking of the 70s, husband announced yesterday that he has a crush on them (he was reading john seymour at the time). he feels like it was the last time anyone truly believed in anything. tho' he admitted he wasn't ready to embrace bellbottoms and a granny square vest. there was an earnest innocence to the 70s that i think he feels nostalgic for. me, i just really like orange and yellow.

7.  is it just me, or are those blythe dolls that seem to be everywhere on flickr really friggin' scary? people not only sew for them, but make them new hair! actually, i think dolls in general sorta skeeve me out. (see what i mean about being out of touch with the latest cool phrases? i'm so 90s.)