I apologize for totally leaving my readers hanging in suspense. Please forgive my neglect to mention my favorite find from the Mixed Media Paradise market. Check out these sweet little teeny-tiny mini enameled mushrooms! The woman who sold them to me said they were her mother's and were very old. I must say it was my best spent .50 euro cents of the weekend.
These are certain to end up in some shrines but probably not before some crazy photo-shoots...
This weekend there was a magnificent trödl market at the churchyard. This is an annual flea market and the kind of a sale where families really clean out their basements making the wares exciting and fun. It's a mixed media paradise...
I'm always so happy when generous people allow photographing of their objects. Usually when I explain what I do, people are excited and agreeable. This time was no exception when I found a stamp collector who had two magnificent albums of old German stamps. Here are a few shots of ones from the 1960's. A series of "Rotkäppchen" (Little Red Riding Hood), as well as a Schwarzwald (Black Forest) girl.
There was a pair of Eidelweiss hot pants which I now regret passing up for my mannequin Mary.
Lastly, a hobbyist wearing the most beautiful Tracht jacket was selling some of her needlework as well as a pair of socks that were knit from cotton and silk.
Seriously fun treasure hunting.
Oh why oh why did I not purchase this little ski boot pincushion? Doesn't everybody need one of these complete with decorative Edelweiss? What was I thinking, only taking a picture...??
Oh yeah baby...come to mommy!
Not long ago I was looking for some direction. I knew that my future path-of-truth-seeking glasses were going to be red before I even found them.
When I saw these at a flea market, I tried to contain my excitement as to not seem too eager to the ladies setting the prices from behind the table. They were great fun, and terrific sports about what I now like to call one of my many "attempts toward achieving bilingualism."
It went something like this:
ME: "How much is sunglasses costing?"
VENDOR: "The sunglasses are two euros, but I need to warn you that they do not have UV protection."
ME: "This no UV protection no problem of concern for me. I making art sculpture to wear on my face, not help my eyes against sunshine."
VENDOR: "Oh, an art project then. Maybe you need the cleaning cloth too?"
I pick up the glasses in their case and hand over a two euro coin.
VENDOR: "Sorry, the case is another euro."
ME: "No ladies, please not so. The case important is. The glasses have safe home when not on mine head. The case important, so important as glasses is. I understand two euros and the glasses live with the case together in one price."
VENDOR: "Ok then, two euros is just fine. But then you have to take the cleaning cloth with you too!"
So there you are folks...can you even imagine the luck? Stay tuned for the formation of this very exciting piece...
How cool is this handmade set of number stamps I found the other weekend? Even the wooden case they rest in has an edge which allows the wet stamps to dry out instead of sitting directly in the bottom of the box.
The stamps were at the same table as this old shoe repair kit. Your house is apparently not a home without one. The truth of the matter is that I loved the handmade brushes and the wooden handled carving tool along with the wooden needle holder. I could get into collecting old tools.
Speaking of treasures, here is another... a photo album that somehow defied the rules of time and space. It's like the world went by and this thing didn't realize it. There's no way it's "acid free" or "archival safe." But somehow some way, it's stood the test of time:
no water spots
the plastic sheet protectors are not brittle or torn
it doesn't stink like basement
the silky fabric covering is in immaculate condition
the binding is fluid and functional
All of the above mentioned points makes me wonder if this thing was EVER used. What a shame that this might not have been appreciated the "first" time around.
With earth day and all, there's a lot of focus on re-using and recycling. I'm all for it. But here's my question, "How can you re-use something that was never used the first time around?" You follow me? So now I'm thinking about a term to invent which labels vintage finds that have never been used.
"Mint condition" means that an older object is in decent shape in relation to its age. (Cars with no dents and not a lot of rust). You see old stuff incorrectly labeled as "new" occasionally (how can it be "new" when it's at least a half-century old)? You also see stuff labeled as "like new" which is a funny one. I mean, what's that? It's either new or it's not new.
"Never used" sounds unwanted and unloved. "Never appreciated" sounds ungrateful. "Forgotten treasure" sounds nicer. Any suggestions?
"Zauber" is MAGIC! Check out my groovy new magic catalog, thrown in as a freebie by a generous man at a recent flea market who was quite amused with my attraction to it.
In my experience, flea market vendors are getting more and more unrealistic. Some of the prices they are setting for their wares is insane. However, once in awhile you find folks who are simply happy when they see a customer who really appreciates a piece, and they're quite content to pass it on knowing it's going to be loved in it's new home.
In this case, the cover is not intact and I'm unable to locate a date on it. Sorry. What decade do you think this sassy girl came from?
The magazine is black-and-white illustrated throughout, rather charming when you think about people throwing dinner parties and attempting to perfect their magic tricks beforehand. (I have all I can do to iron a tablecloth and usually fail at that small preparation).
What was particularily attractive to me was a wonderful page with 18 tiny thumbnails, perfect for inchies!
A find I've recently rediscovered while reorganizing our computer desk is the Schedario Rotativo!! (Here is where I should joke about the orderliness of our desk, but in reality it's more like something that's sat around so long I simply stopped seeing it).
When I originally found this, I knew immeditately it was a vintage treasure. Although at the time I had no idea that the new Schedario Rotativo had evolved into such a space-age modern office supply. Do people actually still order and use these things? Hello modern technology, are you out there? Is it Italian? Spanish? Has anybody ever seen one before?
Anyhoo, mine is a wonderful example of former craftsmanship, with each leather-like divider tab complete with metal letter riveted into place. Beautiful!
Maybe when I officially launch my website, I'll come up with some way to alter the cards... perhaps turning each one into a journal prompt. Or maybe each letter will represent power-words that counteract creative blocks and inner critics. The Chuck Norris crafty ass-kicker when your artwork needs a little hi-yah!!!
Note to Chuck: If you're a reader, please know there are crafty gals who love you too, although we typically punch with tools.
"Plunder" in English means to loot or take things by force. "Plunder" (pronounced ploon-der) in German simply means "junk." So if you put the two together, you get me. A foreign artist with super-abilities to magnetically find all sorts of strange German junk and ruthlessly make it my own.
Junk hunting in Germany is not the easiest task. You can find treasures at "trödl" (flea) markets , and of course antique shops but it's only recently that the concept of "second hand" has become more and more mainstream.
In search of the perfect German farmhouse cupboard, I had been shopping at "Brauchbar" ("reusable" - i.e. the German equivalent of Goodwill).
In a lonely box, in a lonely corner stood rolls of neglected paper, faded by time and sunshine. And I thanked the craft gods from above, that some generous person donated them, where I was able to make them my very own for a mere .50 cents per roll.
Now, what should I make with them?
