New old things

It’s summer and so hot these days and it seems hard to me to find the motivation to do much. I almost finished some job related things and now I am free to do whatever I want, but somehow the days pass and I don’t do much. Summer is often like this to me, I feel locked out from myself, with a foggy and scattered mind. So, for now, I will only post some new things I have found, in a rare visit to the flea market, online and in a vintage shop I visit quite often.

This is a pretty needlepoint bag, in a really good shape. I’m not sure if it is from the twenties or thirties or it’s something newer (the sixties?) made in that spirit. I am actually inclined to believe it is from the twenties, but never really used or something. I will keep it in my bag, holding embroidery stuff, when I go to work in the park (I do this sometimes, meeting friends in the park and stitching while we talk and it’s one of my favorite things to do).

This is a lucky flea market find, an Egyptian scarab ring, something that I kept hoping to find. It has Egyptian hallmarks, but I didn’t research them yet. I think it’s from the forties of fifties.

Another pretty ring, made of bakelite and some sort of silver alloy.

And a snake, found online.

I added another piece to my Art Nouveau collection. This is a brass necklace with mother of pearl (a very cheap flea market find).

And a cute brass dog ring.

Creepy hands

These are some new additions to my mismatched jewelry collection. I especially like the creepy bakelite and silver hands, very cheap finds. I’m sure the bakelite brooch is vintage, I’m not certain how old the silver pendant is, although it was looks like it was used for a long time by someone. When I bought it, I thought it might be antique, but I’m not sure.I like how the bead looks like an apple. I’ve also found these two beautiful old silver bands, an Art nouveau pewter ring and a celluloid owl ring.

This very small and detailed charm is for a bracelet I want to make at some point only with animals and birds. Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

 

Hearts

I wouldn’t have said that I collect these, but apparently I do. The orange one is bakelite, two of the small ones are celluloid, the big blue one is turquoise, two of them are Art nouveau gold plated brass and the rest are silver. 

Linking up with Vintage Charm party.

Dala horses

I really like these horses and how cheerful they look on our kitchen shelves. I found first the big blue one, for less than 1 euro in a second hand shop. It’s a vintage one and I don’t mind at all that it has some small damages to its paint. The smaller orange one is also vintage and also a very cheap flea market find. I have bought the unpainted one in a vintage boutique. It was awfully painted in white with some sequins and glitter on it, probably some kid’s project. I managed to sand down most of the white paint, but I still have to do some detailed sanding in some parts. I plan to leave it unpainted.  

Linking up to Vintage Charm, Vintage Bliss party and Thriftasaurus

Druh Synchro camera

This was one of the first cameras I bought with the intention of collecting cameras (I already had a Zenit E camera, some point and shoots and of course my digital camera, but these were bought/received for practical reasons). I really wanted a medium format camera and the price was right for this one. It is a Polish camera made between 1956-1960, with some very basic settings. The lens can be screwed back in the body and the camera is quite light, easy to carry around. I don’t have many examples of images taken with it, as I don’t use it often and also the camera is not very reliable. But on these autumn images, the light leaks are nice, in my opinion.

Druh means friend in Polish. I also have two Hungarian cameras from the same period whose names mean friend and companion. I will also post those soon.

Bakelite and silver necklace

We have spontaneously decided to go to the flea market this morning, as it was so nice outside, and I had a great time. Among other things, I have found this bakelite and silver necklace. The bead is quite big and the chain is short (till the collarbones) so the proportion is a bit unusual to me, but I love it.

Bakelite leaves brooches

I’m counting the days till the heatwave ends and I’m really looking forward for fall. These leaves look like autumn to me. They are photographed on a beautiful Scandinavian blanket, found at the flea market.

Lulu is also waiting for cooler days :).

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Flea market finds

It was a great day at the flea market today. I’ll post tomorrow the nicest find, but these are also things that make me very glad.

A snake ring for my collection.

A silver button with enamel and a tiny rhinestone (I’ll use it on a charm bracelet) and another silver charm.

Two watch chains (I wanted one for a long time now). I’ll use the simpler one to build a charm necklace and the more intricate one is perfect as a bracelet. Watching them more closely, I have noticed that they are both marked “Murat”, which a a French jeweler. They are gold filled and probably from the twenties or thirties.

A strangely organic looking old brooch.

Another stick pin for my collection (unfortunately no more stones on this one, but I probably replace them with some).

An old  paper ring box.

A tin of colored pencils from the eighties, with some very nice shades.

A beautiful Russian tin full of interesting buttons (many of them bakelite). I think the tin is from the 1910s or 1920s.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Early plastic

Bakelite and celluloid are some of my favorite things to find at the flea market. Also, I like the ritual of smelling them under hot water :), of never being completely sure. But as long as I don’t plan to sell them, I don’t care so much if all of these pieces are really bakelite (celluloid is much easier to recognize) or just some other type of early plastic.

These pendants are all celluloid. The smallest one with the flower and the oval one with lots of flowers belonged to my mother in the sixties.

This pendant is reversed carved lucite mounted in silver. Also the brooch is from this material and technique, but I think the brooch is older.

This small cameo is bakelite. Not really my taste :), but still funny to have.

I’m not sure if I will wear this as a pendant, but it’s really nicely made with a soft texture. And it’s a lizard!

But this heart pendant goes really well with the rest of my jewelry, I’m actually wearing it while I type this.

I have lots of brooches that are early plastic.The French celluloid one with the deer is really old, I have seen online similar ones dated as early 1900.

I have found this one in an old button tin.

This really strange bakelite and silver Art deco brooch is one of my favorites.

All these are celluloid.

This huge brooch that is copying amber is lucite, with a very pretty depth to it.

I’m always looking at plastic bangles at the flea market. My favorite find is this celluloid snake from the 1920s.

These bangles are Chinese, copying cinnabar. I have different things with this pattern (a pendant, beads, clip on earrings). Although these are still produced in China, mine are older and they definitely smell like bakelite.

These are bakelite and celluloid.

I only have one bakelite ring, although I’m always looking for them.

Bakelite clip on earrings.

I have a few celluloid hair barrettes, but I don’t really dare to wear them, they could easily slide away from my hair.

I keep all of these in pretty tins from the twenties.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays. 

Bakelite and silver

I have found yesterday at the flea market this very intriguing brooch. The base is bakelite, on which it is glued a silver center and small silver and turquoise or blue plastic beads. The clasp is an old type one. Very strange, with a sort of improvised look, a bit clumsy and uncentered. I had the impression that someone manufactured it from different components, of different ages. But, at home, I searched for “bakelite, silver and turquoise beads” and I found a very similar brooch, with the exact same materials (tested bakelite), colors, clasp, placing of the beads, only with a rectangular shape. It is listed as an art deco brooch from the thirties or forties. So, definitely, my brooch is not something put together from found pieces if another one like it exists in a different part of the world.

Another thing with an improvised air is this silver pendant. It was obviously made by someone sometimes in the seventies. I like it a lot and it is very much my style.

I’m not sure if I will keep these silver and real amber clip-on earrings as such or I’ll transform them into a ring and pendant.

I have also found this bakelite hart pendant.

And this assortment of interesting buttons (the one with the white flowers and the square brown ones are bakelite).

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.