Flea market finds

We went to the flea market this Sunday and it was a very relaxing and successful trip. I have found lots of my favorite things, old brooches, vintage art supplies. I was the most excited about these wax crayons made in Germany by a company named Stockmar. I looked it up and these crayons are still produced and they are used especially in connection with Waldorf schools (this is how they were developed also). I tried to find them in this specific packaging but with no luck. I think these are from the fifties or early sixties judging from the graphics and the font. They are not vegan, ad they are made out of pure wax, but I make an exception for something so old. There are also some Staedler crayons that are from the nineties, I think and some astra watercolor crayons that Icouldnțt find anything about, but they also seem quite old. The Stockmar ones are very good quality and they have beautiful colors, I will most definitely use them in my drawings.

I have also found some small objects.

The most intriguing to me are the two metal brooches with the round holes in them. I have found them in a box full of similar objects, things that looked like oversized pendants that used to hold gems of cameos, a ring that I regret not buying, broken brooches, everything in this dark metal with the same round holes. The tube hinge and the C clasp of the brooches made me think they are antique, si I picked up these two, thar were the most interesting to me. I tried researching them but with no luck so far.

My friend showed me this tiny metal brooch that I picked up mostly because it seemed like an useful thing to wear sometimes. At home, I noticed it has a logo on the back. It is actually a Mellerio daisy brooch, that I found listed as being from the twenties, thirties or forties. I was very glad with my find!

I have also found these sweet metal brooches, that I think are quite old, too. The flower one has a missing rhinestone, but I don’t mind it.

I will definitely wear these large earrings from the eighties.

And lastly, I found a new addition to my vintage thread collection.

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.

My birthday gifts

My birthday was 10 days ago, but I was so busy these days and I neglected my blog. I took a sick day today, in order to heal from a flue, that kept nagging me for some time now. So, I have found the time to take pictures of some of my birthday presents, of the hand made, vintage and second hand ones, my favorite kind of presents.

My friend Rodica made me these beautiful bags. The bigger one is from an interesting fabric that looks like paper.

She also made me the white blouse in this photo. The vintage Japanese yellow cardigan is also a gift from her, but form last year.

This beautiful fancy dress is also made by Rodica, initially for her sister who wore it for some special occasions. But her sister decided to give it to me, as I usually wear fancy dresses with cardigans and such in informal situations, too. I was very glad to receive it. 

My friend Maria gave me a ring for my figural jewelry collection. Also, she transformed for me a nineties troll doll without any hair or clothing. She made the hair out of a mineral and she created for the doll a cosmic dress :). She never liked troll dolls but I like them a lot, so she spend a good deal of time on it :). 

Also, she transformed the cover of a notebook that I used to have since a long time ago, but I didn’t want to use it as I was embarrassed by the colonialist map on its cover. This transformation deserves its own post, in details.

My favorite coworker gave me this set of geometric shapes used by teachers in the eighties. I wanted such a set for a very long time, but it is kind of expensive to buy online and I have never found it at the flea market. I was very happy to finally have them! They were produced in a factory from the town I grew up in. Another coworker gave me also a beautiful gift of a book she illustrated,  a tasty syrup and this soap she had made herself and wrapped in a doily. 

Oti found at a second hand shop this cute t-shirt. 

And the kids at school gave me these flowers that we have planted in our urban garden. 

It wasn’t only my birthday last week. Our dog Cici was born sometimes in October, this is the time frame our vet estimated. So, he put down in her id the same birthday as mine. We had celebrated together :).  

Snake

I bought this ring online this summer to reward myself for an exam I successfully took. I looked at it for at least one year before buying it, even if it wasn’t expensive really, but somehow I couldn’t justify another ring that it’s not  a bargain. It has two mystery hallmarks, that I don’t know how to research, so I cannot be sure how old it is. Maybe it is from the seventies? Maybe older? Anyway, it is really nice and very comfortable to wear, it didn’t leave my finger since I bought it.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Antique buttons

These are the finds from this weekend at the flea market. I’m getting more and more selective with what I bring home. For example, this time I have left behind a vintage tiger plush and a doll from the fifties, which were very nice but I thought about the limited space I have at home. I don’t regret not buying them, I do have my mother’s childhood dolls from the fifties and those are enough for me :).

I’m very glad I have found these antique buttons, though. Even if I do have enough buttons, too, these are so small and they could be part of some jewelry project or some crafty thing in the future. They are tiny brass buttons with beautiful details. 

I have also found this long and heavy silver chain which I think is antique. The niello serpent is bought separately but I like how it looks on this chain.

I wanted worry beads from Greece for some time now. I was hoping to find bakelite ones at some point, but I like these mother of pearl ones, too. They were quite cheap also and the smooth, cool surface of the beads is very pleasant.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays.

Forties ring and old brooches

This is what I brought home after a flea market visit in a really hot and stormy day.

I had one of these antique brooches from a while ago. I have found another one for less than 50 cents and in a better shape, with the paint still intact. I think they look nice together.

I also found this plastic mouse with rhinestones eyes (from the sixties, maybe?). Very cute and in a good shape.

But my favorite find is this strange silver ring from the forties. The red and pink rhinestones are really sparkly and I enjoy watching its funny shape on my finger.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

 

Life lately

• These last two weeks were so busy, with long to do lists and almost no time to just relax at home.
• I’ve traveled to Gothemburg last week to work for an exhibition. We were most of the time in the gallery, but still we did get to spend some time looking at the sea, sitting in sunny parks, eating delicious vegan food and taking some long walks in the late, never ending sunsets.
• I’ve took my Portuguese exam. Here are the dogs helping me study. I’m sorry the course ended for the summer, but I’ll definitely be back in fall.
• These are some new old rings that I didn’t got the chance to post yet. The gold plated one with a small sapphire is my favorite.
• Summer vacation will start soon and I really plan to be more productive. Journal more is one of the plans, so I have bought this really nice and fancy one with colored paper.
• The city is full of the smell of linden flowers and the skies are blue-green and lavender and stormy in the evenings. Times for being outside in the streets full of people, time for sweet and light melancholy and for unnamed yearnings.
• Sometimes feels like being happy is just a moment away, that forgetting about uncertainty and worries and just be is so much in my power… only sometimes…

 

 

New old things

I went to the flea market this Saturday and it was a very good day for finding some of my favorite things.

I wanted such a celluloid bangle for a long time now, I kept seeing them online but never at the flea market. This one is a bit too large for me but the other vintage plastic bangle keeps it on my wrist. I really like how the paint faded in soft pinks and greens.

This beautiful antique souvenir silver brooch has a damage to the first “e” from Venice, but it was to interesting to leave behind. And I have very nice memories connected to Venice, so it makes sense for me to wear it. The dangling letters are more sparkly in reality than in these photos.

This silver wolf pin looks a lot like our dog Souris.

This antique brooch is not silver, although it really looks like silver and it is very detailed. I like the snakes and the tiny jade figure (Buddha?).

I don’t know if this woven wallet from Peru is vintage or not, but it’s really nice.

My favorite find is this big amber ring in an Art deco setting. It has some interesting hallmarks, that I didn’t have the time to research yet. I keep staring at the luminous stone these stressful days.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage charm parties.

 

Pocket watch fob

After long boring days of staying inside with an extremely low energy, I went yesterday to the flea market, to look around and be in the sun. I have found this antique silver watch fob (I think this is the right name for it) or is it a short chain? I really like how the mesh is done and also the buckle motif. The buckle can be moved up and down the mesh. Probably it used to be gold plated, there is still a small trace of the gold. The black enamel details are still almost intact. I like it as a pendant on an old silver chain.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

Teeth

These are the findings of today’s flea market visit. There were also other stuff there that I liked (a very nice metal toy sewing machine, in working condition, some antique photos, etc), but I am much more selective with what I bring home lately and I try to resist buying things that I already have or I don’t use often. So, I only bought a few very cheap things.

A silver cicada charm (I don’t think it’s old, but it’s nice and detailed).

Two funny carved rings (they are quite a big size, especially the snake, so they were not intended for kids). I think they are made from sea shells.

A small tin from the fifties (my mother had the whole set as a kid and she still has one or two of the tins, but in a much worst condition). They were kitchen toys for storing different ingredients, such as flour or sugar. This one says “semolina”.

And a bead necklace from the fifties or sixties. The string was really old, so it broke in my hand at the flea market. Fortunately, I managed to find most of the beads and I have re-stringed it at home. It has the perfect size for me to wear it as a bracelet. The beads have a texture and shine very similar to teeth. Kind of strange, but I like them.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.