In the blood

I wrote last about our experience at the swapmeet, in an attempt to relieve our home of a slither of the pile of vintage tatt I've spent (happy) years collecting.   I've vowed, no more opshopping.  Or maybe just a remission.

The lady over the road died last year and a new guy, Colin, has moved into her house.  It is a fantastic mid century 60s house with basement carport, lots of built in teak cabinets and wood pannelling.  He's a nice enough guy but has no appreciation of the period details that I love and is gradually 'modernising' it, perish the thought.  He's starting with replacing all the bakelite light switches. 

We've just had our regular council verge collection, or  'bring out your dead' as I like to call it.   I had to stop when I came home the other day via Colin's house and noticed these canisters he was in the process of putting on the verge.

Colin!  Those are collectable!  I said, followed quickly with the assurance that of course I don't covet things like that and would not be requiring them.  But I do have a friend who might like them.  That will be my alter ego that still can't overide vintage scavenger gene.

Well, there is a  bit of space up in the loft now, so maybe I can just find somewhere to stash them.  Interestingly, of the selection of things that we did actually get rid of at the carboot was four cannisters very similar to this.

And when I got the home and gave them a clean... what do you know, a bonus unopened bag of flour.   Can the day get any better?

That's Glassy

Ho hum.  Ever feel a bit like that?   I find a spot of op-shopping always perks me up and restores my will to leave the house, so off I set. Yesterday I got me to Anglicare with a mission, to find a nice big glass vessel of some sort to make a table centrepiece incorporating candles, shells and sand.  Again, not original, but a lovely afternoon spent at the beach chilling in the winter sun on Sunday inspired me.

My mother has a ceramic 'vase' like this which she uses to display flowers like camellias that don't have stems.  It was three bucks, fits the bill and I love it already.  Tick.

But wait, what is this I spy?

A lovely set of six tumblers.

I need more glasses like a hole in the head.

Sixties, seventies?

Fifty cents each, how could I not?!



















They are lovely and fine, which tumblers are often not.

One even has the label still affixed.  I'll bet they were stowed in a glass fronted cabinet and kept for best for the best part of forty years.

I was curious to know about 'Panzerglas - Made in Spain'...

I was expecting to find a glass factory, but no, results delivered pictures of glass used in German WWII Panzer Tanks.  WTF?   Panzerglas make industrial strength, indeed bulletproof glass.  To this day.  I did find one site that looks like a kind of Spanish eBay which has similar glasses to mine for sale.  But they don't look very bulletproof.

Sometimes a peripheral pleasure in collecting old domestic junk can be found by delving into its provenance.  Gives my op-shopping therapy a bit more meaning anyway, which is good enough for me.

Borderline

We decided we needed a quick fix solution to some seating down in the new garage/chill out lounge.  Have haemorrhaged money for the past six months, 'budget' was the theme of the day when we went out looking.   There is a great Vinnies depot tucked away in an industrial area that I often pop into, so headed there, where we found this three piece suite.  It is in brilliant condition, teak, solid as with lovely mid century lines.  However someone in their wisdom decided to recover it not that long ago in this fairly ghastly fabric.  Which is a shame, and I did dither somewhat over it - can I look past the fabric? It was one of those borderline decisions.  But do you know what, for $90 for the lot, I reckon I can.   At least it is nice and clean.

If there was a 'most comfortable chair' parade, this would win hands down.

See, I told you it was ugly.

 We bought it home on top of the car and it is now our favourite new spot to hang.  I can't tell you how comfortable those chairs are, I park myself in one of those to watch the sunset and completely forget about all my chores.  Dinner did you say?