oldyarns. tells the bowerbird stories

story 256. broken pieces.

some solitary little figures

seen around here recently.

tiny porcelain dolls

from an old German doll factory.

recently unearthed

&

found via

DavidmetNicole

on my recent visit.

 

each imperfect,

seemingly broken.

yet whole somehow.

*

as are we.

story 250. funny face.

 

some recently found

photo postcards,

circa 1916.

I find their serious faces

so intriguing.

mysterious somehow,

(so much more so

than every-thing-on-display

facebook posts.)

just how old is that child

with the monocle,

cane

& buttonhole?

*

am using these postcards

as thank-you notes for

the oldyarns. store.

so you can have a funny face too.

 

story 247. how i wished.

when I was younger

I secretly wished

to be a ballerina.

mostly it was the tutu.

on recently announcing this

to my mother,

she was amused.

this found tulle skirt

and framed ballerina print

are possibly

as close as its ever

gonna get.

sigh.

story 242. in the garden.

over the weekend I got around

to putting up this set of

photographs.

a charming series of three

of a couple

adopting various serious

poses in their garden.

the glass conservatories are beautiful

& I imagine the time they spent there

together.

there are no dates

 I can see

(and it would destroy the fragile backing to

remove them from their frames.)

the only clues are their clothes, the style of garden

& the building, putting it somewhere

I suppose in England in the early 1900s.

or possibly Melbourne or Sydney?

(I'm pretty certain its not

here in Brissie.)

 

story 238. new.

new in the shop today.

salvaged military tent canvas

crafted into utility bags.

original handworked patching

& hardware

showcase the remarkable story

of this 60 plus year old textile.

here and here.

story 237. join the dots.

I have gathered shells

since a little girl.

its a habit,

a ritual I observe

without thinking of it.

a way to bring a little piece

of the sea

home.

(I have even smuggled

them home through customs from overseas.

it seemed worth the risk;

that's how instinctive it is

for me to collect shells...)

I found this treasured set

belonging to someone who took their collecting seriously.

 a stocking box filled with matchboxes,

each compartment labeled

by species

place & year.

scattered places

- like Mornington, Middle Park,

Port Fairy (Victoria), Waratah (NSW) and Victor Harbour (SA)

between the years 1952 to 1954 -

dots on a map joined together by a beachcombing bowerbird.

 

a beautiful story imagined;

perhaps even enough to compose the script to a movie?

I like that idea.

story 236. WIP.

back in a former life

as a lawyer

we had an expression "WIP"

or "work in progress".

that is, time and skill applied to a case

but not yet billed.

happily, these are my WIPs now.

utility bags

in production,

for a new order.

a process which, sees my work slyly escape the workroom

and creep all over the house.

I came across this

amazing WWII era military canvas in Melbourne.

so pleased to be highlighting the

patching and hardware

in these new utility bags.

*

plan to have some in the {oldyarns}

store shortly.

story 218. good loot.

'twas a lovely day hanging with my sis

at her ever-so-cute vintage caravan,

helping to sell her gorgeous collected & assembled wares.

('mary's chair' did not take long to

find a happy new home either.)

Monday saw us make a day

of gathering & collecting,

its always better to hunt in pairs.

we got quite a haul,

blue leather gloves,

picture frames,

old belts, vintage brass zips,

a leather tool belt.

woollen blanket,

Harrod's tuxedo shirt,

tea-cups & saucers,

and kinda best of all,

fate gave a little nod to the

impending royal wedding.

this cup, found buried at the bottom of the heap,

celebrating that marriage nearly 30 years ago

(I remember not being allowed to stay up late to watch

it on tv, oh the disappointment!?)

 

our car was pretty crammed by the time we turned for home.

gotta love good loot.

*

these found items

will soon make their way into the {oldyarns} corner store,

be recycled into utility bags, pouches and

tea-cup planters as part of the collection

"The London Club".

*

ps: I can't decide whether to keep the Princess Di cup

for myself,

or make it into a planter? what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

story 217. mary.

some of you are well aware

I am an addict.

a compulsive junky furniture collector,

from thrift shops,

the roadside,

other people's throw-outs.

our garage is full

of just-waiting-to-be-rescued projects.

(so much so, a moratorium on collecting

was announced by my mister.)

this is one of my success stories,

recovered in a vintage floral tablecloth.

I think Mary would approve,

don't you?

*

available for sale this Sunday with perpetual-one

at the Peregian Beach markets.

*

{ps, now maybe I'll be allowed to collect more?

considering this roaring success, its only fair me thinks...}

 

story 202. my misspent life.

"do you clean your home for yourself

or for company?"

 

this is a question asked by Mary Randolph Carter

in her new book,

'a perfectly kept house is the sign of

a misspent life'.

interesting question, no?

 

the other day I treated myself to this book,

drawn to its imagery, words & textural quality.

inside I've found permission to embrace our very own

definition of home.

of one where "when people enter... they become

part of the family, ... they are invited to participate:

to create a meal, set a table, light the candles,

pour the wine,

build a fire, make a toast,

tell a story, wash the dishes.... - live!"

an invitation to redefine the word 'housekeeper':

to one where we, the whole family, "keep our houses real

and making them places that embrace everyday living,

not just showy houses for company...

.. housekeeping is about transforming our domicile into a home."

when we bring home our treasures,

(read collected finds)

we declare:

this is my home.

*

for more images by Mary visit the feature

on her office at Ralph Lauren on The Selby.

*

{psst, notice our new table?

our latest find, a 1930s farmhouse pine table, just perfect for

slow morning breakfasts of coffee, honey turkish toast & a quiet read.}